What Was Your Favorite Meal in Europe?

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

www.dreamdestinations.com

The idea for this blog came from Valentine’s Day and wonderful meals most of us celebrate. Anne and I started to think about great European meals we have shared together alone and with friends.

It got delayed a little bit by the weather here in Texas—hard to write a blog without power and post it on our website but we are finally back to near normal and hope our many Texas friends and clients have recovered and are well.

There are so many great meal experiences, I decided to describe some memorable meals and dishes from European countries we have visited—with the help of Anne’s pictures. Since cuisine and meals cross borders, we might even let you know about the same dish in two or more countries!

To make it easier, this blog will be organized by country and perhaps our favorite meals just might be one of their most famous dishes. Although we always add wine or beer to our meals, to keep it simple, I am focusing on just the food except for special beverages.

We then have a request—please share with us a memorable meal you had, why it was so good and pictures if any. Then with your permission, we will post them on a new web page on our website.

So, let’s explore together and learn about some of these meals we remember from our travels, as we wait anxiously for your responses.

Austria

In a land that has Sachertorte, Apfelstrudel, and Spargel (white asparagus), the most famous dish is Wiener schnitzel.

Apple Strudel—this is from Koblentz Germany

We have had some great meals here, but one stand out has to be Figlmüller Restaurant on Bäckerstraße, near St. Stephens Cathedral. The star here is Wiener schnitzel—many believe they make the best Wiener schnitzel in all Europe. This breaded pork cutlet is amazing and it is giant—so big it covers the entire plate.

Compare this to an earlier meal in another part of Vienna—I think I’d go with the bigger version, wouldn’t you?

Another Weidner Schnitzel at a different restaurant in Vienna

However, for Anne it is liver and onions—another house specialty.

Belgium

Food and drink in Belgium is a pure joy. We constantly enjoy great dishes in this small country. Maybe we should start our day on a cold morning with a great coffee in Brugge.

A great way to start the day with a wonderful pot of coffee

Belgium waffles, and chocolates are great. We had some on a wonderful special tour on an AmaWaterways tour—enjoy this picture:

Belgium Waffles in Antwerp—this was on an AmaWaterways tour

The fries are worth standing in line at a food truck in Brugge, as we have done numerous times. Over 1000 beer varieties are available.

But there are 3 standout dishes here—mussels, carbonnade (beef and beer stew) and fresh lobster. Here are some of our pictures of these great meals:

It is easy to have a special night—here is our New Year’s Eve dinner in Brugge in 2019—one of the best meals we ever had!

Fire roasted Camembert cheese—Anne could have made a whole meal of this on the baguette!

My Chateaubriand with Bernaise sauce—center cut tenderloin—out of this world good!

Croatia

It stands to reason that with its many miles of coastline, fresh seafood is a delight here. Here is a meal we enjoyed in Dubrovnik in 2009—Anne had fish and I had prawns. We also shared some mussels. It was really good!

Czech Republic

Hearty meals here are quiet common and pork served in a variety of ways is always a great treat. Pork is commonly served with dumplings and cabbage.

Some of the best traditional dishes can be found in a brewery restaurant like Privnive Stupartska 1869. These pictures are from a 2015 visit during the Christmas Markets with our travel chums, Mark and Denise.

A meat lovers plate—pork ribs and a shank

But there is also luxury dining here in Prague. The following pictures are from Tersa U Zlate stude, in a 16th century building with views of Prague. This is an upscale fine dining restaurant

England

Fish and Chips, Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding are great traditional foods but for me, it has to be both a full English breakfast and in a pub, Bangers and Mash and Shepard’s Pie.

The English also love deserts—here is traditional sticky toffee in York.

In Scotland, we found a special restaurant in Edinburgh—Wildfire, a Scottish Steak and Seafood Bistro.

France

There are so many great choices here, it will be hard to pick only one or two, so I’ll tell you about several of our favorites. Here are just some—Boeuf Bourguignon (beef stew with red wine, pearl onions, mushrooms and bacon);

Coq au Vin (chicken cooked in wine); Potatoes Lyonnaise;

Cog au Vin—we made this dish in Wales for Anne’s 60th birthday at a cooking school!

Cassoulet;

Chicken Cordon Bleu;

Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame;

Anne’s Croque Madam and my omelette in Paris at Danton’s

Jambon Beurre (a great ham sandwich on a baguette); croissants;

Lyonnaise salad;

Profiteroles; and

Soufflés.

And, of course. crepes.

Crepes restaurant workers in Brittany, France

I do want to mention a great afternoon we had in Vienne—a bottle of great wine, and cheese, cold cuts and baguette slices—it is perhaps one of our favorite memories of the perfect afternoon picnic style lunch.

Germany

Let’s start our culinary trip in Germany with breakfast

Next is favorite foods in Germany. Shall we begin with brats and all types of sausages?

Oldest sausage house in Germany in Regensburg

Hank with a Nuremberg Sausage and a red beer on an AmaWaterways tour

spätzle (traditional Swabian egg noodles),

Käsespätzle (cheese spätzle)

A street vendor during the Christmas Markets in Strasbourg—not surprising to see wonderful German food in the Alsace

Schweinhaxe (pork knuckle)

Brezel (pretzels);

white asparagus;

sauerbraten;

schnitzel with all types of sauces (my favorite is jaeger schnitzel);

Berliner meatballs;

roulade; sauerkraut; German potato salad (2 styles northern with mayonnaise and pickles, while the southern one has bacon, vinegar and most often served warm); roulade; goulash and black forest cake—my mouth is watering!.

Hungary

In a country where paprika is so readily available, beef goulash has to be the standout.

Beef Goulash at the Strudel House in Budapest Hungry

Of course, I had to finish with Apple Strudel at the Strudel House!

I also like the chicken Paprikash (chicken in a sour cream sauce spiced up with paprika).served with noodles, smoked sausages and cabbage rolls

One rare treat is chimney cakes baked over an open fire—Kürtőskalács is the correct name in the Hungarian language.

But be careful sometimes, the cuisine may not be your liking—this sign requires special taste buds

Ireland

Soda bread, all manner of shellfish (oysters for Anne), potato dishes, boiled bacon and cabbage, smoked salmon, and lamb are all good choices, but for me the Irish beef stew is amazing here!

Anne ready to order in the 1837 restaurant in Dublin

The staff at the 1837 restaurant—they are getting ready to serve my Guinness Irish stew

We recommend having it at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin in the 1837 restaurant—it just doesn’t get better than that. The Guinness beer used just sends this dish over the top. How could a meat and potatoes guy like me not like me not like a stew made of beer, beef with bacon, in a rich, complex gravy served over mash potatoes?

Italy and San Marino

Let’s begin by just listing the wonderful foods of Italy and see our pictures. Famous foods include:

Pizza, lasagna, risotto, ossobuco (bone-in veal shank),

Focaccia (and other breads),

Focaccia bread often is served all over Europe—this is from Brasov Romania

tiramisu and great coffee are just some other wonderful Italian foods. It should be finished with gelato and a digestivo (limoncello, grappa, amaretto and maybe even Sambuca)!

Gelato shop in Rome from a food tour we took

Great desserts in this traditional gelato shop

In Italy, for us, you just have to go with one of their amazing selection of pasta dishes and with the many regions in this great food country. There are a lot of good choices but our personal favorite is Carbonara. This delightful, simple dish egg, pasta, usually a cheese blend of Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Regina and pancetta or lardons (the meat component) is our constant choice.

Carbonara in Florence and another pasta dish

Another favorite is tortellini—here is a dish Anne enjoyed in the country of San Marino, an enclave of Italy.

This peninsula nation is also famous for fresh seafood, and depending upon your tastes, you should try some. Here is great couple of pictures of prawns we enjoyed in Portofino after a great wine tasting while on a SilverSea cruise.

A wonderful wine tasting with traditional Italian cold cuts. This was on a tour on our SilverSea cruise

Netherlands

There is one king food here—cheese! But other good ideas include bitterballen (deep fried breaded meat balls usually served with mustard for dipping), stroopwafels (a thin waffle like cookie), Dutch pancakes (more like a crepes topped in various ways), jenever (a strong gin type alcohol drink made from juniper berries—we had some on an AmaWaterways cruise tour), apple pie, raw herring (for Anne not me!), kibbeling (battered fried fish, usually cod—again an Anne dish), and maybe a visit to an Indonesian restaurant.

For cheese, maybe try Gouda, Geitenkaas or Maasdammer, but it is all amazing!

In Edam. while on an AmaWaterways Tulip Time cruise, I got a chance to visit an actual old cheese market—here are two great photos.

A historic cheese market shop in Edam—it was part of an AmaWaterways tour

Display in the historic cheese shop with the traditional cheese making equipment

But don’t think chocolate is not readily available—as in all Europe, good food does not have country boundaries!

Romania

We stayed a couple of days in Brasov after an AmaWaterways river cruise and learned about a dessert that is out of this world—paparasi! These are a donut like desert covered with sour cream and jam. Trust us, it is great.

My Final Thoughts

What a great culinary trip—we just miss these wonderful meals and the great folks we often get to share them with during our travels—just another reason we love the Old World of Europe so much! We hope you enjoyed these pictures and you will send us some favorite memories of your meals in Europe.

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Hank in Milan enjoying an al fresco meal

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 49 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:

AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent

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