After reading several reviews and actually knowing someone in the states that has the last name Rivoli, my wife and I decided on a road trip today to that namesake.
Entering Rivoli
From Turin‘s Porta Nuova (Turin‘s main train station) we traveled using Trenitalia‘s service to Susa (not to be confused with Porta Susa in Turin), getting off at Alpignano. Then after going under the railroad tracks using the tunnel, since we were disembarked on track 2, we took the GTT 1432 bus from Piazza Tulio Robotti for eight to ten minutes to Rivoli at Fermata 13264 on via Don Murialdo.
The narrow streets of Rivoli
Once you step off the bus and find your bearings you begin to realize that you need to ascend a hill, your ultimate destination being the old Savoia Castel and new Museum of Contemporary Art. Passing many shops and colorful buildings, some needing ownerships, others busy with activity, you slowing ascend the via Fratelli Piol, or main street.
The city itself is actually very well-kept, like other Piedmontese, they obviously have some pride in keeping their community clean. I admit it must be a struggle for them as well as other communities, from what we’ve seen, but this seems not to deter them. The Europeans as a whole still seem to feel they have a right to just pollute and it will not affect them (I will write another article, specific to Turin, on this later), even though they vote and their government seems to do otherwise.
Chiese Santa Croce
After some walking, browsing and curious on looking into shop windows, one will arrive at a fork in the road and clearly see the Church of Santa Croce. A cinnamon and stout marvel of Christianity. With a mural of Christ with his cross above the large wooden doors, but no longer owned by the Catholic Church, but rather the Res Publica – Galleria d’Arte Democratica for art exhibitions and shows.
The Old Grande Ristorante del Castello
Upon reaching the top of the hill you arrive at the old castle, or the Castello di Rivoli. Built by the Savoia and houses the Museum of Contemporary Art it is well worth the travel and the climb.
It commands an amazing view of the surrounding area as well as Turin and other parts of Rivoli itself.
A view of Turin afar, as viewed on a smoggy day from the Castle
When one faces the East North East one also enjoys an amazing view of the Alps too!
A semi-clear view of the Alps, yes they are close here
I will admit the day was somewhat warm and humid.
Another view with Chiesa Collegiata di Santa Maria della Stella
However, compared to North Carolina standards, at fifty percent humidity, it was not totally intolerable. We would therefore call this a warm day, though uncomfortable. Some other sites on our descent included the following.
It was time to eat, being both hungry and a bit dehydrated from the climb, we searched for a place that served both simple but filling fare. We found the Caffé Roxy where we were able to order what we call in the States, flat breads with salami, drinks (both wine and water) as well as dessert, caffe and aperitif, all for 24€. Not a bad deal and the service was excellent as well!
Caffé Roxy on the way up to the castle
After a full stomach and enough shopping we had had our fill of Rivoli and it was time to leave. This is where we caution everyone about the deplorable state of some of the fermatas or bus stops in Italy, you just cannot read some of them or they are CLEARLY WRONG. Pay attention to the numbers that are marked on them. The information that your internet application has is probably correct. Also, do NOT have an expectation of bus color or that you will see a bus number when it approaches, ALWAYS ASK THE DRIVER, especially when you are in an out-of-the-way place. It will make your life so much easier, though a bit uncomfortable (since you will have to use your limited Italian.)
Tickets for Two
After crossing Corso Francia multiple times between Fermata 2794 and 2823and feeling like fools, we finally caught the bus we wanted for Alpignano, albeit on the wrong side of that street.
We finally arrived at the station with plenty of time to spare, stamped our tickets, and waited for our train, which of course was five minutes late – but, it did arrive! Buona giornata!
Occasionally, you come across a restaurant, caffe or bar which just hits all the buttons correctly. For us this occurred last evening at Caffe Vini Emilio Ranzini.
I don’t want to call this place a hole in the wall, but that is the first impression a foreigner, an American, will have. All in all it might measure twenty by thirty feet inside, sixty or seventy square feet maximum, including the bar. But, the food is unmatched by other restaurants much larger in size. So, either there is a huge kitchen somewhere we could not see, or the chef is a magician.
To be honest, there is an outdoor patio in the back where they are able to seat perhaps another forty or so guests. We were fortunate this evening to get our own table inside next to the door and near the bar, to watch all the comings and goings (people watching is an acceptable hobby in Italy.)
A Piola Menu
As can be seen by the rather large display above, the menu is displayed on the wall. This is typical for a Piola, a Torinese-style restaurant that has daily offers of food at reasonable prices (or in Italian, a termine piemontese dal significato di osteria, bar).
Tagliere of Salumi and Formaggi, along with other great stuff to eat
For our dinner we selected the Salami and Cheese plate for two. To accompany this, we also ordered the vinegar roasted zucchini squash, roasted peppers and Polpette di Carni (or hot meatballs).
The meat tasted as one would expect, a nice selection of salami and prosciutto. The cheese selection was very good, especially the blue cheese which reminded us of a Stilton and the other whiter cheese above which reminded us of a sharp white cheddar.
Nizza, San Luigi, 2015 – DOCG
The meatballs and zucchini were to die for. It was actually difficult to tell what kind of meat, were in the meatballs (and frankly we were afraid to ask since horsemeat is an acceptable meat in Italy.) But, the spices and the particular way in which they were cooked (it looked like deep-frying but not sure it was), was very tasty. The squash on the other hand was served cold, but the vinegar gave it such a pop in your mouth, you wanted to order more.
The Wine
This specific place also sports a rather nice wine list. Since we were looking for something red to pair with the meatballs, salami and cheese, we went with a nice Barbera. The Nizza from San Luigi, 2015 was an excellent choice. Dry and aromatic with fruity overtones of cherry, it combined very nicely with our meal. A wine which is sure on my short list of choices when I visit my local wine store in the future!
Erick relaxing prior to eating
Patti enjoying the wine
In Conclusion
Though it was our evening out to celebrate our 37th anniversary, we had expected to spend a bit more. So, when the bill came and it came to a total of 37€, we were delightfully surprised. Not only because we thought it so inexpensive, but that we got such good food and atmosphere at such an affordable and reasonable price.
The bar at Caffe Vivi Emilio Ranzini
We are sure the menu changes often, weekly at least, perhaps even daily. Our plans are to go back for lunch. One word of caution. They do have Summer hours (9:30-2:30, 5:30-8:30) starting in June, which are reduced from the hours posted on Google. However, we would recommend this place for either lunch or dinner and it’s just two blocks off of via Garibaldi!
Since Turin is a city, there are no shortage of grocery stores. We’ve been here for several months now and have discovered stores that satisfy all of our needs and wants. When we first moved here, we just frequented the regular grocery stores, as we had too many other important issues to handle. But, now that we have more time, we have set out to discover all the ‘Mom & Pop’ shops.
Our nearest large grocery store is Lidl – a 10 minute walk. It is a German grocery chain, however, here it has mostly Italian products. (We had a Lidl in North Raleigh that had both American and German products). Here, as in the States, it carries mostly off-brand products with only a few brand-name ones. We found their produce to be very good, as most are grown locally or within other regions of Italy. Here in Italy, unlike the States, vegetables are seasonal. Certain produce are not year-round, with the exception of imported red peppers from Spain. Prices are quite low, even on brand-name items. We usually buy our paper products, olive oil (our favorite is Molini brand), milk, butter, and eggs at Lidl. We have also purchased chicken and sausage and found it to be very good.
Animal products, in general, are all raised in Italy. No matter if you shop in a grocery store or at the Farmer’s Market, everything is weighed, including iceberg lettuce and celery. Items are typically not sold as ‘a head’. You also have to wear plastic gloves to handle the produce. You weigh the produce, and place the price tag label on it, not the cashier. Though there are still exceptions where the cashier weighs it.
There is a HUGE grocery chain store called IperCoopthat we had discovered while staying in the AirBnb. Now that we have moved to our long-term apartment, it is quite a distance away. We now have to walk and take a tram to get there, which takes approx. 50 minutes roundtrip. We do go once in a while, as we find their prices to be competitive. When I say HUGE, it is big, even by US standards. It is like a Super Walmart or Super Target. It has a pharmacy, electronics, and gardening section, besides the usual bakery and butcher. Their produce is great – Farmer’s Market fresh. I wish it were closer, as it would be our go-to grocery store. I am going to digress here a little bit – the IperCoop reminds me a lot of when I was growing up and I would go shopping with my Mom to Shop-Rite in Hudson. Hudson had a large Italian-American population, so we were able to buy items in-store, that we were never able to find once we moved to North Carolina. Of course, in Italy, we see these very same items that aren’t in your average American grocery store. Yes, we’ve eaten them all!
Calf’s Tongue and Pig’s Feet in IperCoop – With a Glimpse of Tripe to the Right 🙂
There are also numerous mini-markets throughout the city, equipped with meat, produce, etc. – just on a smaller scale than a regular grocery store. We don’t purposely go to them, but when we are out and happen to see one, we stop in to see if there is anything we may need or what they are offering.
Our all-time favorite is the outdoor Farmer’s Market. Our closest one is about a 15 minute walk in the San Salvario area of Turin on Via Madama Cristina. It is open every day, except Sunday. (Stores are closed on Sunday, except for Lidl). There are many Farmer’s Markets throughout the city. This happens to be our closest one and it is big enough to have everything we need. Besides produce vendors, there are cheese, meat, bakery, fish and flower vendors. Everything is grown locally in the countryside outside of Turin. The vendors bring their produce of the day and it is all so fresh! My favorite so far are Piccadilly Tomatoes. They have the most intense fresh-from-the-garden taste! It is more of an effort to shop at the Farmer’s Market, due to having to speak (a bit in) Italian! Remember, no pounds here! Everything is in kilograms, (2.2 pounds= 1 kilogram). You are not allowed to touch the items. You have to tell the vendor which one you want, or how much. If you touch produce, you will get yelled at. Ask me how I know 🙂
Farmer’s Market on Via Madama CristinaPiccadilly Tomatoes – YUM!!Squash with Flower Blossoms, Onions, Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella, Fresh Pasta, Celery and Radishes
Squash flower blossoms are one of my favorites. Again, my Mom used to make them. Of course these are seasonal, as the squash are picked very early. The squash are so tender and the blossoms are delicious. Erick had them for the first time and enjoyed them too. We also purchased fresh Agnolotti pasta – a Piemontese specialty. They can be stuffed with a variety of fillings, including horsemeat, beef, rabbit, pork or veal with spinach. I didn’t ask the vendor what filling was in the ones I purchased; maybe I should have, but it was delicious anyway!
Patti shopping for fresh Agnolotti – The lady to my right told me that I needed to pick a number. Hey, I’m only trying to look right now! LOL I guess she thought I might cut in front of her. Erick joked about how we all must be related, due to how short we all are. Wise guy!Fried Squash Flower Blossoms – SOOO delicious!Just a common bunch of broccoli and garlic
After we leave the Farmer’s Market, we usually head to the bakery nearby. Who doesn’t love the smell of freshly baked bread? We go to Panificio Ficini Valter on Via Claudio Luigi Berthollet. Everything is weighed in Italy and I mean EVERYTHING. You don’t pay for one loaf of bread – instead it is weighed. I don’t have pictures of bread. I guess it gets eaten up too quickly. For a large ciabatta, you will only pay about €1.20 (approx $1.34). Even in Lidl, they bake bread and it is super cheap and delicious. For a baguette, you will get charged €.39 (approx $.44). Bread shops here also make slices of pizza and panini. It is all so delicious. Another bakery we go to, which is a 10 minute walk from home is Perino Vesco on Via Cavour. They are all amazing!
Next stop is the butcher. Erick and I are not huge meat-eaters, however the meat is so lean and fresh here, that we always want to buy something. Chicken breasts are truly a deep yellow color. All the beef is so lean and tender. Of course, they will cut everything to order. We go to the one closest to the Farmer’s Market – it doesn’t have a name. It literally just says “Macelleria” on the outside sign. Right now, I can’t even think what street it is on. There are butcher shops closer to our apartment, so I’m sure we will visit some others soon. They are all so crowded (including the bread shops) that it is difficult to take photos and I don’t want to get yelled at 🙂
Beef Flank Stuffed with Seasoned Ground Beef – It was delicious! Meat is the most expensive item here. But, 5.35 euros is still a deal!
Now to talk about foods that we are used to buying in the US – I cook a lot of Italian-American food, but there comes a time we want something different. We were in Conad (another grocery store that we really like) one day when Erick spotted some fixins to make Tacos! That is one thing I like about living in a city in Italy – better access to other ethnic foods that you wouldn’t ordinarily find in smaller towns. Lidl from time to time will do an “American” week or “Mexican” week, but since we’ve been here, have not seen it. Well, we didn’t have to wait for “American” week! Conad has taco soft shells, and salsa ALL the time! No brand-name items but they tasted just as good. There was no taco seasoning, but we substituted chili seasoning instead – it worked!
Taco fixin’ – all was pretty inexpensive. Imported from Sweden!
Another food item that is difficult to find here are pierogies. They are a great alternative to potatoes, rice and noodles. Thankfully for Google, I found a grocery store called Mix Markt. This time a 20 minute walk took us to this (Eastern)European/Middle Eastern/Russian market. It had items of course that we had never seen before nor could identify! 🙂 We found potato pierogies from Austria – Bingo! The highlight of this grocery store were these cans of fish or should I say cans of crap! 🙂
Cans of Crap in Tomato Sauce or Spicy Hot! For 10 Euro Cents More You Can Get Filet of Crap! Take Your Pick!
We believe this is Carp (misspelled) in a can – goldfish? Who knows? Imported from Portugal. Either way, Crap or Carp, no thank you!
Venture far from Sachsenhausen or Süd-Frankfurt, or a short stop on your way to Hanau (for whatever reason that may be), you will find the small city of Offenbach. One can say it’s one of those towns or cities that most resembles the new Germany, pluralistic, cosmopolitan and apparently an up-and-coming place. Our daughter lives here and has re-acclimated herself to the bigger city life, than she was used to when she lived in Kassel.
Marktplatz
Though we have no photographs, mostly due to a certain ambivalence on my part, one can say this is where the action is. It has many modern stores, a main pedestrian zone for shopping and several trendy, economical and interesting places to eat. There is a U-Bahn stop here, which can be easily reached from Frankfurt’sHauptbahnhof or main train station.
Other Areas
Around Offenbach’sMarktplatz, are many different areas for business and residential with the train station for the city slicing right through it. Though we use the Offenbacher Hauptbahnhof regularly, we have never considered looking for a place to eat near it. We were surprised to find a culinary gem not too far away!
ShauMAHL Restaurant
On a chilly, rainy evening with reservations for the Frankfurter Botschaft, we started our restaurant adventure on the Offenbacher Hauptbahnhof platform waiting for a DB train that would never arrive (perhaps another DB störung, they are famous for them as one of our previous blog articles describes; more on this in a later blog entry.)
ShauMAHL front entrance
Dismayed, we quickly canceled our current reservation and began a search for something comparable in the immediate area. We found ShauMAHL.
Patti and Erick, with view of the bar
One would say a rather expensive restaurant. However, as the saying goes (and we are technically on vacation, even though retired ?), “in for a penny, in for a pound!”
Tristan and Ericka before enjoying their meal
They offer a fixed-priced menu which provides a very round selection, from fish, fowl to meat.
Ericka’s veal confit dish
I selected the rabbit dish with green sauce which was excellent. Rabbit, rabbit meatballs, barley, ummmm, good.
Erick’s Kannichen (rabbit) dish
For drink, I selected a nice regionally (Württemberg) produced red, Graf von Neipperg, merlot, 2015 (€79), very nice (I think I used the word ‘okay’ while trying it, much to the dismay of the waitress.) It has all the qualities of being a really good wine. But lest I go into wine snobbery, my bar (bar as in a high-jump bar, a bar to get over) is a 1986 or 1989 Chateau Lynch Bages, need I say more?
Expresso and flaming Sambucca
For dessert we chose whatever we were more inclined to eat, Erick the Apfelstrüdel, Patti and Ericka the ice cream and Tristan a coffee. Erick and Ericka still ordered an expresso with Sambuca straight-up.
For a rainy evening, an expensive (€410), though extraordinary find for a dismissed place like Offenbach.
Nothing says München Hofbräuhaus or Munich like beer.
Not beer as it’s served in the states, but serious beer, always draft, helles or dunkeles, in mass quantities. Let’s just say after one of these babies, you shouldn’t drive. After two, you may need an alternate form of conveyance.
Zwei und ein halb Mass Bier
The Hofbräuhaus epitomizes large quantities of beer, brought quickly and consumed readily. Tristan, Ericka and I recommend the original which has a nice clean bitter taste that refreshes one’s thirst after a long walk.
Mustard – our two tickets to pretzel and beer heaven
It also goes well with one of the large pretzels that you may buy separately (about €3) which taste especially good with the mustard. The pretzels are so big that four can snack on them easily.
Tristan enjoying a liter (Mass) beer at the HB
The atmosphere inside is the typical bräuhaus arched ceiling that one would say gives it that special Bavarian gemütlichkeit. A German word used to express cozi- or hominess, or when one is warm and comfortable. That along with the 5-member brass ompa-band only adds to its charm.
Ahhh, good to the last drop, noch ein bitte!
The food is also very good. I tried the mixed salad, a Bratwürst on sauerkraut and potato salad and all were delicious.
Ericka translating the menu for her mom
Ericka and Patti tried the Bratwürst too, but with the mixed season vegetables and were pleasantly surprised when there was no meat in them.
We would consider the Hofbräuhaus a very tasty and necessary stop for anyone visiting Munich.
Tonight we enjoyed dinner at the Nürnberger Bratwurst Glöckl am Dom, that again offered the bratwurst platters and other regional specialities.
Die Frauenkirche, München at night
The restaurant lays at the foot of the Frauenkirche. It is of course kind of a tourist trap, but the food is good.
My bavarian dinner
I ordered the Schweinhaxe and a side salad. The boiled dough is fairly heavy, so I could only eat one. But the meat was very good and the side salad has a potato salad surprise at the bottom.
My Bavarian dinner, consumed
As you can tell, I didn’t enjoy it at all.
Regardless, we decided on dessert and ordered Apfelkücherl with cinnamon and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This of course forced us to pay before we ate anymore and then walk all the way back to the hotel in order to settle our stomach, even though we possessed a train group pass for the next few days.
The Nürnberger Bratwurst Glöckl am Dom in the evening
The subject restaurant is an inconspicuous hole in the wall that one would never think noted for its food. But it is worth every star it has on google and trip-advisor.
The quaint and cozy atmosphere inside is by no means palatial, it is made even smaller looking by all the woodwork. The confused decorum adds to this feeling, perhaps the owner’s attempt to appeal to the cafe, beer hall (evident by the pull down screen and beamer) and restaurant crowds.
Tristan waiting for food
However, for simple fare with an authentic chef’s twist it is difficult to beat!
Erick and Tristan’s Würstchen platterPatti’s Leberkäse platter
The wurst platter with sauerkraut and potato salad was just what a sausage lover would be looking for in a satisfying dinner. The Leberkäse, a regional speciality, turned out to be a bit less exciting and compared more to a meatloaf made out of hotdogs. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
My preferred route to a diabetic coma – Apfelstrüdel
The Apfelstrüdel was of course a triumph and paired with a Macallans, I enjoyed every mouthful.
4.5 stars ?
Erick and Patti at Lollo Rosso – photo taken with my old selfie-stick arm
The passed few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity finding an apartment in Turin and moving in. There were not only the customary contractual things to take care of, but also cleaning and furnishing the place to our liking. Luckily, we found something that mostly fit our desires while still being in the central part of town (Via Giovanni Giolitti.) However, it took several trips to IKEAand other sojourns to bring it to a point where we could move out of our AirBnB.
Just this past Friday, fairly exhausted, the three of us, Patti, Tristan and I left Turin for Frankfurt, Germany, after finally getting the apartment halfway straightened out and liveable (there will be another blog entry on that later once we have it completed.) The trip from Turin to Milan was more or less uneventful, although happily very fast and on time, thank you FrecciaRossa!
Leaving the Swiss Alps behind as we enter Thun
As we have in the past, we decided on taking the train from Milan to Frankfurt instead of flying. A seven hour journey between the two points (perhaps two hours more than flying), but relaxing in first class with its beverage service and other amenities, made the trip all that more enjoyable. Riding through the Italian and Swiss Alps, especially after the recent heavy snows, also made it a memorable site-seeing trip.
Train platform at Thun
Though of no particular importance as an attraction, the platform sign for Thun is shown above.
My fascination with this train stop has more to do with the John Le Carre’s 1982 BBC series “Smiley’s People“, than with any real, first hand experience of the place. In the movie, a soviet diplomat assumes another identity while in Thun, to remove money from a bank account setup by his Soviet operatives. Since I had never heard of the place, I became curious about its location and then subsequently surprised when one day a train that I was taking actually passed it! I guess it demonstrates just how small the world really is in a way.
Oberschweinstiege Restaurant and Blockhutte
After spending a relaxing weekend with our daughter Ericka, we decided to visit one of the restaurants that we enjoyed immensely on our last visit. After having snow flurries that morning, and a very intolerable forty something degrees that evening for North Carolinians, we took the regional train from Offenbach am Main to Frankfurt Süd, and subsequently Strassenbahn 18 to the park. Unbeknownst to us, Strassenbahn 18 dropped us some 2 km distant from our objective, which forced us to walk for an additional twenty minutes through the park.
Trails in the Naturpark in Frankfurt am Main Süd
The Oberschweinstiege, nestled in the naturpark in Frankfurt am Main Süd, sports a long tradition of local cuisine. It is also repleat with local history and traditional, which anyone can find and read with a proper internet search.
Tristan and Patti’s Rumpsteak vom Argentinischen Rind with vegatables and grilled potatoes
As can been seen by the photograph above the rump roast was thick, juicy and tender. Complimented with a Pauliner Hefe or local wine, an enjoyable meal anywhere.
Oberschweinstiege-Pfanne
I, on the other hand, decided to go with the establishment’s main dish. A hot frying pan of rendered pig with spaetzle!
Rinderroulade nach Großmutters Art
Lastly, Ericka had the grandmother’s roast beef roladen with red cabbage and spaetzle.
Of course, no meal is complete without dessert. But this of course was nothing special since each went to their own comfort food. I chose the apple strudel, Ericka chose creme brulee and the others chose ice cream. All in all, a great evening of eating, compounded by our success getting on Strassenbahn 17, the correct train, which picked us up, but a few hundred meters from the restaurant’s door, instead of a mile away..!
Well it has been a while since we last gave an update on what’s going on. And the fact of the matter is, not much, even though Patti and I are exhausted. First things first and consider it preliminary, retirement is just f***** awesome. But we’ll talk about sleep patterns and dreams later at another time.
View from bedroom window, into courtyard
Aside from doing a lot of work cleaning our new apartment and all that entails, and of course shopping for those things you don’t have, but just need, we have been desperate for food every afternoon. Most places open for lunch at 12 or 12:30 and again we have turned to pizza as our salvation occasionally.
Pizza Ad Hoc – thin crust pizza
Pizza Ad Hoc is right down the block from us and offers a simplified menu which includes great tuna salads, piedmontese hamburger (read no bun here, but really good bread) and an especially thin version of pizza seen above that is just awesome. This happens to be my preferred kind of pizza, short on the dough, tall on the fixings.
Of course as I have already alluded to, shopping has been a major time waste lately. Including, but not confined to traveling just outside the city to IKEA.
IKEA with the Italian Alps with fresh snow in background
After several shopping excursions here and several online, we abandoned future trips, to more accessible stores closer to our new home. Including a cheaper, but nonetheless excellent pizza place three blocks away, called Pizza Vittorio, its pizza is comparable to Red Baron pizza, in thickness.
Pizza Vittorio personal pizza – YUM
Served as a personal-sized pizza, around 10 or 12 inches, it was served with whatever toppings you want, if on the menu. For example, wurstel is hotdog and margherita is with tomato sauce, basil and cheese. Though the place was very simple, probably for the younger crowd since the walls had places to write on with chalk, it was quite good. All in all another great place to eat, which I would definitely recommend. Our total bill for two, including beer (1 liter Becks), came to 13€.
Yesterday we took an Irish respite after a long walk to eat lunch at a pub on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II called The Huntsman. The weather was somewhat on the cool side, but we still availed ourselves the great open air store fronts many restaurants have in Europe, and this pub was no exception.
The Huntsman main bar
As with anything Irish, the inside didn’t look like much and we were not disappointed. The main bar was well worn and the tables and surroundings showed years of vigorous use. Either the Italians themselves allow for a good Irish pub night out regularly, or there are plenty of international travelers of Northern European and U.S. persuasion visiting the area, or a bit of both.
In any case having been to Ireland, our somewhat home away from home country, one of us felt it incumbent to test the veracity of the Guinness. We were actually wondering if the silky chocolate texture and flavor would survive dispensing from an Italian establishment. For such an analytic task, Tristan agreed to take one for the team and give it a try.
Tristan enjoying an authentic Guinness moment
After some delay, Tristan noted the bartender getting our drink order together. He remarked, “Let’s see if they draft the Guinness like they do in Ireland?” He even noted the long pause they allow the brew to settle there when we visited the factory last year. As can be seen by his first gulp of the viscous beverage above, he confirmed and was not disappointed with the results.
I on the other hand went with the Grimberger Blonde. A safe bet, when considering every other time I have had it, it always tasted great. Aside from the fact it does not depend on nitrogen to be dispensed correctly like Guinness, it always comes through with a nice clean taste and finish. Though I will say, when dispensed properly you cannot beat a Guinness!
The rest of experience only consisted of typical Irish pub food. A mixed salad for Patti, a hamburger and fixings for Tristan and I stuck with the panini with a side order of fries. All in all worth the 3.7 the tavern is weighted on google.
