Best European Food Experience
The best European food experiences can be had at the smaller “mom and pop” restaurants commonly found in the countryside and at the larger restaurants located in cities not commonly on the itinerary for the international traveler. These restaurants are often owned by the same family for generations and offer local cuisine at its most authentic. One thing to look for when searching for an authentic European restaurant is a menu that is not in English.
Speaking from my experiences in the German countryside, I was happy to travel with a local since my German is left to be desired. Traveling down 2-lane roads for an hour outside the city of Freiburg to my destination of Villengen, Germany I smelled exotic cheeses being created and saw miles and miles of open grasslands and grazing cattle. This is the Germany the casual tourist rarely sees. Without my interpreter, it probably would have been impossible for me to have this experience.
Intermittently on the trip a sign saying ‘Essen’ or ‘Gaststätte’ along with a family name, these words announced a family owned restaurant open to passers-by on their way to the autobahn past Villengen and all points north and south.
I walked into one of these not sure what to expect. We were immediately greeted by a jovial German family who seated us in a dining area with three other tables. This building also served as the family’s home, the front rooms converted into a small restaurant. We weren’t offered a menu, but food was brought to the table. These small, “mom and pop” restaurants serve the local cuisine. The meal consisted of matzo-ball soup and beer. While that doesn’t sound exciting, I must say it was probably the best soup I’ve ever had. There was a lot of meat in the soup and the meal was very satisfying. These roadside restaurants do quite well for their owners. The meal wasn’t cheap, but worth every penny and kept me going for my trip to Villengen.
Upon arriving in Villengen, I was due another fantastic dining experience. At this full-service restaurant a complete menu was available. This meal would prove to be one I would never forget. At the unassuming local establishment, the dining area had 8 tables and upstairs was a bed-and-breakfast for weary travelers. The first course was a salad with a dressing so tasty I’m tormented to this day trying to find a similar one. The salad consisted of a leafy lettuce, definitely not of the iceberg variety, corn, tomatoes and the fabulous dressing. The main course consisted of pasta in a spiral arranged like a rainbow on my plate covered in a light sauce. Separately on the plate were goose fillets. Once again, all this was washed down with German beer. Of course I was unable to order this magnificent repast in English and was overly thankful to my German companion who accompanied me on this trip. The experience was all about the food.
I highly recommend those that have the opportunity to travel through Europe to take a day trip through the countryside of any country and experience the food of the locals. For the best experience, spice up on your foreign language skills. Most importantly, bring an empty stomach and you are guaranteed to leave satisfied.
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