Sleepy Sunday in Frankfurt

PRIOR to starting my new job, I had a chance to fly out and visit Angela in Frankfurt for the week. Here are a few photos I took while waiting to meet up with her.

Sleepy Sunday along the Main

Park by the Bahnhopf

Eating ice cream in the town square

My new calling

Fountain in front of Alte Oper

Bringing Parsley Back.

CHEF decided that it would be fun to bring back parsley as the tragically hip garnish. Why not?

Diver Scallops, chorizo, bean puree, saffron bubbles

"Buffalo Wings"
Poached Chicken thigh, housemade hotsauce, celeriac slaw, maytag blue, budweiser froth

Road Trip South
Kuroboto Pork chop, handcut grits, collard greens, watermelon chutney, root beer bbq sauce

Chocolate and peanut butter brownie, malt, banana brulee

SNEAK PEAK!

IT IS OFFICIAL! we have our liquor license, the city's approval and we are opening tomorrow for real this time. I thought I would share with you a little glimpse of our new kitchen.

"Mood Lighting"

Custom Jade stoves, granite counters, Boos cuttingboards and a la plancha

Induction pans, and high carbon steel French pans

OH YEAH BABY!
proof that I am a geek, this our immersion circulator fresh out of the box

The mighty Paco Jet, great for spinning ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and frozen duck fat. Oh and yes that is a window in the kitchen.

New Job

OK, so I have been a little bad about posting lately. I am sure that most of you have heard that I have officially accepted a position at Chef Bowles' much anticipated new restaurant Graham Elliot. Check out the website at: www.grahamelliot.com.

Halibut "BLT"

Commuting

AFTER another brutal winter here in Chicago, I decided that ole' Biancha needed a little face lift. There is no better way of getting around the city than by bike and why not do it with a little flair.

One week of riding.

After a typical night in -5 degree weather.

Reconstructed drivetrain with sassy blue chain.
With Flair

Heidelberg

Heidelberg in March

Sachsenhausen

I love drink, I love food and I love a good conversation. The apple wine bars in the Sachsenhausen district are perfect for meeting a group of people for some good German fare and a bembel of apple wine.

the apple wine district

MEAT!
blood sausage, liver sausage, beef dumpling, boiled bacon

Apple wine
In the apple wine district, the bars press their own house ciders.

lebenwurst, blutwurst, sauerkraut, puree.

The liversausage is Bets at Wagner's!

bratwurst from Nurnberg
Legend has it that they are a smaller wurst so that they could slide through
key holes during blackout times in the middle ages.

Grun Sosse
A blend of creme fraiche borage, dill, sorrel and other herbs
Said to be Goethe's favorite dinner.

hand kase mit musik und brot

Cheese formed by hand fermented in raw onions, caraway and vinegar.

My love, my lust, my liver sausage

In one of Doctor Suess' (my German teacher at WWU) first lessons he talked about folk songs. I distinctly remember a story about a poor German fellow who fell in love with a woman who was locked in a tower. Everyday he would go to the tower and sing to her offering her gifts of sausage, bread and drink. Finally she invited him up. He scaled the wall only to have her push him from the window. When he landed on the ground he sang out,"I may not have you, but I have my lust, my love and my liver sausage."


Today a trip to the klein markt with Marcus.

Tongue and blood

Smoked beef and hams

more ham, liver sausage, blood sausage
I found pig lung at this butcher shop, but I thought I
would spare you the gory details

I swear she smiled at me.

smoked blood sausage, speciality of Hessen

Don't worry Conner, your fate will be more pleasent.

I love smoked and cured meats

I too am Frankfurt bound.

So! Recently my lovely girlfriend, tired of ten years in the Midwest,

packed her powerbook, camera and bicycle and embarked on a new
journey which brought her to Frankfurt, Germany. A week later I found

myself in a plane somewhere over the Atlantic armed with a new pair of
Chuck Ts, a camera and an insatiable hunger for beer and sausages.

I didn't really know what to expect of the city of Frankfurt or Germany for that
matter. That is not to say that I was picturing streets lined with quaint
exposed timber homes filled with umpa lumpa playing, beer guzzling,
liederhosen wearing ass clowns with bushy staches or the classic cookie cutter
bad guy from Die Hard. You know, the blond hair-blue eyed, chiseled Arian nation
soldier or the ass less chap sporting, German sheisse pornstar. AND let's not forget the
culinary traditions of the great Vaterland. Pickled cabbage, boiled meats,
dumplings, and sausage. Most people would consider that almost as unappealing as
English cuisine. Perhaps I have watched too many WWII films or had the
misfortune of seeing Beerfest. Needless to say, Germany was never on my
top places to visit. Once arriving however, I was pleasantly surprised.

Frankfurt am Main has often been referred to as Mainhattan because of its proximity to the Main river which cuts through the center of the city. The other reason is its close resemblance to Manhattan. Frankfurt is a modern metropolis built upon the ruins of an old world trading center. It is the financial heart of Germany housing most of
the head banks of central Europe. Since it is one of the primary centers of commerce in Europe, there is a huge influx of bankers, business people and international tourists that create a diverse cultural environment for a food/travel geek like me to enjoy. It is the perfect balance of old world charm and gritty urban infrastructure of
an American city.

The new city skyline viewed from The Main River

The city center from atop the Galleria

Yes that is the Working Man in front of Frankfurt Messe.
Can anybody guess where the other stautue is?


Deutsche Bank
Debit and Credit


The train station

In front of the Parliament Building

Alstadt

Angela sporting yellow
This season's color in Germany

The church was the only structure left after the bombing of Frankfurt

Town Hall

The Zeil

The largest shopping district in Germany

The ALte Oper

Blud Ami