Helga's German Restaurant

You may have noticed, we thrive off of trying new things; new restaurants; new cuisine. We enjoy learning about other cultures food styles. This week we went out and tried some German food. Luckily, we had a German friend to bring along to test the quality, teach us about what we're eating as well as filling us in with how authentic the food was.

We asked her to help us decide what to order. My husband ended up with Beef Sauerbraten which is a roast with sweet and sour brown sauce. I had the Jäger Schnitzel, "Tender pork rolled in flour, grilled medium then braised in a Hunter's sauce and topped with golden onions and mushrooms". It turns out you actually get 2 sides with each order as well as a soup or salad. Our sides were grilled tomato with cheese, potato salad, Kroketten and spätzle. Spätzle is a egg noodle and Kroketten is a fried potato dumpling. 

Jäger Schnitzel (pronounced Yager Schnitzel)

Beef Sauerbraten

Our vegetarian friend had a hard time with the menu since it is 98% meat but ended up getting their Deep Fried Fish Fillet and enjoyed it quite a bit. We all enjoyed the food but noticed there was a distinct flavor. The common flavor among all the dishes was vinegar. Even the potato salad was vinegary. We enjoyed the unique flavors and textures of the foods we tried. The potato salad was warm and more of the consistency of mashed potatoes. The Spätzle was very tasty yet held a slight soggy texture. It was all very good and according to our friend who grew up in Germany, it was pretty authentic as well.

The service was on the slower side but our waiter was very accommodating and kind. The owner made a quick appearance, just long enough for me to snap a photo. The decor was average but their little deli was very cute! They had a lot of European items, mostly food items, for sale. There were coo coo clocks on the walls and even German magazines. If you'd like to purchase some German cheese or deli meat this is the place to do it!

Overall we were very pleased with the quantity of food as well as the quality. You really get what you pay for. We aren't huge fans of German food but we are glad we gave it a try. If you’re looking for some authentic German, Helga's German Restaurant and Deli is where you need to go.

Check out Helga's Website!

Crepes N Crepes

Apparently Feb 2nd is International Crepe Day. It's also my sister-in-laws birthday! We had a family gathering at this adorable little restaurant. I wasn't sure what to expect. Once I looked at the menu I was lost! It was all in French! It took me a few seconds to realize that the explanations were under the French terms, once I figured that out I was still overwhelmed with all of the options. Sweet crepe or dinner crepe? So many choices!!!!

Thankfully my husband picked for me, as he often has to do. I ended up with a tomato basil crepe topped with Swiss cheese. I was thrilled at the choice. My husband got a similar dish but with bacon. My mother and father in law both ordered sweet crepes. One ordered strawberry and the other a strawberry banana with nutilla.

I loved my crepe! Well... I should say I loved the inside. I couldn't taste much crepe itself since the inside was so full of goodness. They also brought us pesto and a chili sauce to dip out crepes in. I loved the pesto! It was fresh and really brought out the flavors in my dish.

My poor husband was given a burned crepe. He was far from impressed. He strongly dislikes anything French saying it's all flavorless and over priced. He may be right, I don't know. I can say, my un-burned crepe was very tasty.  We ended our meal with a blueberry crepe. Oh joy! It was delicious! It alone was worth the whole trip.

I would recommend this crepe shop for anyone looking for a light dinner or French style snack. The service was wonderful! The decor was cute and fit the cuisine. Overall, it was a great, unique place to celibate International Crepe Day and Rachelle's birthday!!

 

 

 

Queen of Sheba Ethiopian

Tonight we planned on going to the Cheesecake Factory but due to weather we had to stay close to home. We drove around the area with our iPhone (using Yelp) and found Queen of Sheba Ethiopian. It's a quiet little hole in the wall off of Colfax in Denver. There is just one lady there who runs the whole place alone!

There was a group of about 10 people who had arrived just before us so we were there for a total of 2 hours from start to finish. I can't complain about that either, knowing that the amazing woman was all alone making dinner for 13 people!

We ordered a combo plate for two and our friend ordered a veggie combo plate for one. I guess the combo plates come with an appetizer. It was a spiced lentil mixture stuffed inside of a fried tortilla type bread. It was really tasty!

Our dinners came after about an hour of waiting. Like I said, we were fine with it since it was just one woman working. Our plate had a few different items and included a bread to eat them with. See, the trick to Ethiopian food is that you can't eat it with utensils, rather you use bread to pinch the food with your fingers.  The veggie plate was similar. It came with a few items and bread to pinch the food with.

At first the food was yummy. The bread seemed decent and the meat items were good too. After a few bites I noticed a bitter or a vinegar like after taste. My husband and I noticed it at about the same time. We decided it was coming from the bread and soon my husband found himself using his fingers to try to finish the meal.

Our guest, who is a vegetarian and ordered the veggie combo, loved his food. He did mention a couple of times that he didn't like the fact that he couldn't tell what he was eating (my husband and I had the same challenge). He did enjoy his food quite a bit and even liked the bread it came with.

(My husband eating the food!)

None of us could finish our plates, so the portions are large. The plates are on average 8-9 dollars or $15 for a one person combo and $30 for a two person combo. I enjoyed the authentic atmosphere, but like I said, it's a little hole in the wall restaurant.

Overall, we found that we really don't like Ethiopian food. We'll never again eat Ethiopian cuisine. However, the woman was very kind and I'm sure if you like Ethiopian food, you'll find hers to be delish. As for me, it's overpriced and hard on my taste buds.

(top picture is the meal combo plate for two. lower picture is the appetizer)

Phoenician Kabob

Last night we went out to eat at a Mediterranean restaurant. None of us had previous experiences eating Mediterranean cuisine or anything like it. Luckily the manager, Jamel, was kind enough to guide us along our way. Not only did he tell us his recommendations, he explained what each food was.

We ended up ordering an appetizer called Fatayer Bi Sabanekh, which is a pastry stuffed with spinach, onions and pine nuts. It was served with a cucumber dill sauce to dip the pastry in. When it arrived we were excited as it looked and smelled delicious! Once each of us bit into it we were extremely impressed with the unique yet amazing taste.

*This is the Fatayer Bi Sabanekh (after we already eat some).

As our main meal we ordered a Vegetarian Combo plate which comes with Falafe, hummus, Baba Ghanuj, tebbouleh, and stuffed grape leaves. We also ordered a Meat Combo Plate and ordered the chicken, lamb and kafta meats to go with it (you pick 3 of 4 meats. We didn't order the beef). It also comes with hummus and a garlic paste, rice and a basket of pita bread. You then put what you want onto a pita bread and eat it like a taco. I was very happy with the two plates that we ordered. They were beyond delightful in taste, texture and presentation.

*The top plate is the vegetarian combo and the one on the bottom is the meat combo plate.

One of our guests tried a wine that Jamel suggested. He said it was a very high quality wine. Since I don't drink I will take his word on that.

Eating such decadent foods made me wish the experience would never end! Thankfully Jamel then talked us into trying their baklava for dessert. I sadly, didn't know what baklava was but once it hit the table I fell in love! With a phyllo dough crust and sweetened nuts in the center, each bite is like Heaven! It was the perfect ending to a perfect night!

*The amazing baklava!

As you can tell, I highly recommend this restaurant. It tops the charts with it's tasty food, amazing customer service and the atmosphere. Honestly, this is my new favorite restaurant and I hope you check it out!