Nuremberg, Germany - A Saturday night out

Saturday night was my last night in Nuremberg, and with a 7.5 hour flight home awaiting me the next day, I wanted to make it count and worry about sleep later. I always head first for a cocktail to Backerhof around the corner from my hotel. The building from the outside is so unassuming, but ascend to the second floor and you feel as though you have just walked into your grandmother's living room, that is, if your grandmother is a countess from many generations of old german aristocracy and her 'living room' is more like a ballroom where she holds court on a leather chaise underneath a massive crystal chandelier, flickering candelabras, velvet curtains, over 20 ft ceilings and rows of bookshelves. But your grandmother is hip: she turns the music up loud, the lights down low, and serves a mean martini.

 Surprisingly, on the other side of the bookshelves is a Thai restaurant where I have eaten on many occasions. Nosh on vegetable spring rolls, chicken satay with peanut dipping sauce and the classic pad thai noodle dish, among other fairly authentic Thai offerings. When you're finished dining, head back to the lounge bar for a digestif and let your grandmother school you on how cool zee germans are ....

 (Photos © Backerhof)

Dinner this evening took me to a small little Italian hole-in-the-wall just outside the city walls called La Locanda. The owner knows how to have a good time and, as the night wears on, notice the music gets louder and he might even be dancing on the table next to you. There are no menus here, each day there is a new list of dishes written on a chalk board that is brought to you table-side:

As we were a big group, we started with a massive antipasto plate with all sorts of grilled vegetables, various salumi, vitello tonnato (typical northern italian dish consisting of thin slices of veal with a tuna sauce on top) green beans, mushrooms, caramelized onions and the like.

We moved on to pasta dishes that included gnocchi alla sorrentina (not exactly authentic as the mozzarella cheese is supposed to be melted and stringy within the sauce, but the gnocchi themselves were plump and delicious), large ravioli in a truffle sauce, spaghetti in a red sauce of mussels, and strozzapretti (literally 'priest choker', a form of pasta that looks like elongated cavatelli) alla N'duja (a SPICY spreadable sausage made with pork from Calabria, Italy).

Main dishes were the argentinian steak filet with truffle sauce and veal scaloppina cooked in marsala wine.

Antipasto for the table

Strozzapretti alla N'duja

Spaghetti alle cozze

Ravioli tartufati

Gnocchi alla sorrentina

Scaloppina al marsala

Desserts were panna cotta, tiramisu and profiteroles:

After such a large meal, you need to burn some calories, so I headed to the train station. The train station?? Yes! One of the hottest dance clubs right now in Nuremberg is inside the main train station and is called Indabahn (literally translates to 'in the station'). Click on the red arrows at the top of the 360 camera screen to choose a section of the club and see how cool the space is here: Indabahn 360 camera.

 The music changes depending on the night and you can sit in the lounge or around the oval shaped bar and have a cocktail, or head to the lower level to the dance floor and show the glamorous crowd your moves into the wee hours of the morning; you'll probably be about ready for another round of pasta by then.

                        (Photos © Indabahn)

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Nuremberg, Germany - Shopping

Finally had a day off after working 12 hour days for the last five days, phew! Even though it was an overcast and drizzly morning, I always look forward to a walk through the city center of Nuremberg and make sure to visit all of my favorite shops. Nuremberg reminds me of the storybook lands princesses came from in the fairytales that were read to me as a child: a walled city with a castle, cobblestone streets and quaint bridges and buildings over canals.

My shopping trip always take me first down the main shopping street, Karolinenstrasse, where you can find chain stores such as Zara, H&M, Tommy Hilfiger and, since there are no cars on this pedestrian street, it is a really enjoyable area to stroll around. Here is a view of the street:

First, stop to fuel up at the bakery at the top of the street, called Der Beck. There are many of these all around Nuremberg, but they have delicious krapfen, or donuts filled with cream, as well as all kinds of breads, sweets and sandwiches. I can NEVER get enough of German bread, it is some of the best in the world.

Next I always pop into Breuninger, the four floor higher-end department store in Nuremberg. It is probably on par with Nordstrom at home and carries great designer labels from Giorgio Armani to Burberry. I love to browse on the street level at all of the amazing soaps, home fragrances, candles from Diptyque and Aqua di Parma, as well as try out all of the perfumes from Creed and other brands. From there, I head to a fabulous home store called Wieseler & Mahler that sells beautiful porcelain and china from all the well-known brands such as Rosenthal, Bernardaud, Raynaud, etc. They always have a 20% off promotion and this summer I bought my parents a beautiful sea-themed tray from Hermes here (it was full price around the corner at the Hermes boutique). Thought these funky Rosenthal vases were interesting:

My other two favorites on this street are Douglas Cosmetics, where I can find my Dior perfume in the travel size that is not sold in the States, and Müller, a sort of CVS type store where you can find loads of beauty products (isn't it cool to have your toothpaste tube written in a foreign language?!), as well as MAC makeup, perfume and there is also an entire floor dedicated to toys (Nuremberg is known for its International Toy Fair and Toy Museum).

Next stop is for a street-side Nurnberger sausage in a bun:

Then I take a left and continue down Plobenhofstrasse, which will eventually lead you directly into the main square or Hauptmrkt, which is where the famous Christmas market takes place each year. On the corner of Plobenhofstrasse and Spitalgasse you must stop for a truly authentic Italian gelato at Eiscafe La Gelateria.

My favorite flavor is hazelnut, and during the summer, they have loads of outdoor seating (it is always packed as this is such a popular place) and the most amazing menu of gelato creations. I had one with vanilla gelato and cherry sauce, so delicious:

My next stop is always the little Super Markt Straub right in the Haupmrkt, as I love to take home German food products to friends and family. Here you can stock up on any grocery needs from fruits and vegetables to cereal, meats, yogurt, sweets, bread, etc, as well as buy beer and wine. A big favorite among my family are Nic Nacs, peanuts in a crunchy outer shell, as well as Ritter Sport chocolate bars in all varieties. This is what I picked up this morning:

Eilles Chocolatier, a famous Munich chocolate house over 125 years old, has a few outposts in Nuremberg and features beautifully packaged chocolates, tea, coffee, biscuits and other treats that make wonderful gifts to bring home.

Now we are in the Haupmrkt, or main central square. Here there is an outdoor market on most days where you can buy flowers, fruits, vegetables, handmade goods, sweets, well, a bit of everything really, depending on the day. This is where the famous Christmas Market takes place each December.

Continuing on with my shopping excursion I head to Kaiserstrasse, which is the designer street of Nuremberg. Here you will find all of the upscale shops such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, MontBlanc, and Jacadi, to name a few. My absolute favorite fashion destination in Nuremberg is a store called Emerson Renaldi. They carry the most cutting edge and up to date fashions from the biggest fashion houses around the world: Gucci, Prada, Miu Miu, Dries Van Noten, Tod's, Dolce Gabbana, Diane Von Furstenberg, the list goes on. They always seem to pick out the best pieces from each designer's line for a perfectly edited selection and, when trying on Lanvin shoes gets too exhausting, they refresh you with San Pellegrino sparkling water or an espresso from their high-tech italian espresso machine, both served on a silver tray.

Other shops on this street worth mentioning are the Designer Outlet (Kaiserstrasse, 27) which is a hit or miss outlet store offering fantastic prices if you can find something in your size. I would have loved the YSL heels they had today for €198 if only they had my shoe size! Walking up the street towards Josephplatz is another great designer store called Purrucker (Josephplatz, 4). They have wonderfully merchandised windows and carry a full range of Yves Saint Laurent and Dior, just to name a few designers.

These are just my favorites, but truthfully, here in Nuremberg, there are always little bakeries and cafes, coffee shops, restaurants and unique stores to discover for yourself. It really is a charming little city with a wealth of history and worth the trip.

Charming covered bridge

Walking downtown from the castle

View from the top of the castle

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Nuremberg, Germany - Historiche Bratwürst Kuche zum Gulden Stern

You can't come all the way to Nuremberg and not try their historically famous Nürnberger Bratwürst sausages, dating all the way back to 1313. They are so famous, in fact, that Nürnberger Bratwürste are trade-mark protected through European Union law. Only sausages manufactured according to traditional recipes within the urban area of Nuremberg are allowed to call themselves with this name. The Nürnberger sausage is no longer than 7–9 cm and weighs no more than 25 g. Legend has it that the sausages were made slim enough to allow them to be pushed through medieval Franconian keyholes to hungry customers who were willing-to-pay for them after curfew hours. They are traditionally grilled over a beechwood fire and served either three in a bun (usually in markets or street stalls), or on a plate in sets of 6 or 12 with horseradish and sauerkraut or potato salad (a cold german pils or hefeweizen beer is a must with this dish!). Fresh marjoram and ground caraway seed are attributed to being among the important ingredients in this distinctive sausage.

My favorite spot for Nüremberger sausages, potato salad, pretzels with spicy mustard and Tucher beer is the Historiche Bratwurst Kuche zum Gulden Stern, and is a place I visit each time I come to Nuremberg. Established in 1419, this restaurant is the oldest bratwurst house in the world! Their sausages are grilled using the authentic beechwood fire, and waitresses wear the traditional German dirndl outfit. In summer months they have a lovely outdoor patio filled with beautiful flower boxes and overlooking the historic city walls. In winter, the inside could not be any cozier if it tried: a warm roaring fire for the sausages, low ceilings, and long dark wooden tables with tiny medeival chairs coupled with the historic building give the feeling as if you have gone back in time.

Photos from my visit last night, as usual, I had the 6 sausages with potato salad:

Photos from my visit this July, with beautiful flower boxes and outside patio seating:

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Nuremberg, Germany - Trattoria La Fabbrica

Just landed in Nuremberg, Germany this morning for a week-long stay to present the new Spring/Summer 2012 PUMA global footwear collection at our world headquarters in Herzogenaurach. Having an office here means that Nuremberg is practically my second home (I think this is my 23rd visit!) and I have certain favorite restaurants that I always look forward to returning to ... you may think it is strange, but there are some wonderful culinary delights in this little medeival movie set looking town. Nuremberg is famous the world over for its Christmas market called the Christkindlesmarkt, which takes place in the main square or Hauptmarkt, in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Tonight my colleagues and I went to one of my favorite casual Italian trattorias (you don't expect us to eat German food, do you?! Ha.) called La Fabbrica. The best part of this restaurant for me is the wood brick oven where they makes giant pizzas that are really on par with those I have eaten in Italy.

In addition to pizzas, La Fabbrica offers antipasti, salads, pastas and main dishes, as well as an entire chalkboard of daily specials. Tonight we all started with a mixed warm and cold antipasto of salumi, broccoli, spinach, carrots, zucchini, olives, mushrooms and peppers all drizzled with extra virgin olive oil:

For some reason I am a creature of habit when it comes to restuarants I love, and oftentimes I order the same exact thing each time I visit. My usual at La Fabbrica is the arugula salad (the arugula is always so fresh and peppery!) with mozzarella, tomatoes and shaved parmesan cheese followed by the thin-crust pizza with prosciutto (ham) and funghi (mushrooms), both pictured below:

Here is a shot of the classic Pizza Margherita as well:

We sampled one of the daily blackboard specials this evening, which was a grilled calamari (it came whole) and shrimp scampi, dressed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon, so light and flavorful, and accompanied by warm mixed vegetables:

We somehow all managed to fit dessert (blame it on the jet lag) and ordered a classic tiramisu (lady fingers soaked in espresso and covered in sweet mascarpone cheese) as well as the vanilla bean panna cotta (literally, cooked cream) with a light fig sauce:

I'll be blogging about all of our meals this week at my other favorite local spots, and I promise at least one meal will be typical Bavarian cuisine.

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