Companion(s): The Black Belt Chef
So this is Christmas, and I'm on a quest (to paraphrase John Lennon)... not a difficult one mind you, but a quest just the same... one frought with the perrils of the highway (complete with Biker gangs and bad traffic, but more on them later). Like I said it's Christmas, and The Buddha needs a Stollen (not talking about the rise in crime at the holidays, either). When you mention Christmas Fruitcake, most folks go "Blech!", but Stollen, dear readers, is the real deal, the often imitated fruitcake traditionally served at Christmastime, and probably the unfortunate inspiration for that most dreaded of holiday gifts, mass produced by wanna-be bakeries trying to make a quick buck by selling you something better suited to be stuck on the front of a building than stuck in your face. Now if you go find a "genuine Stollen" at Publix, you might not be impressed (I wasn't), but fortunately for us there is a German Style Bakery, run by a German baker, who makes them (and lots of other tasty Euro-treats) in the tiny hamlet of Yalaha, Florida. Hamlet is an overstatement, as this town is so small it barely qualifies as a bite, much less a whole ham-let. For those of you without a PhD in Florida Geography, it's about 45 minutes North of Orlando near Howie-in-the-Hills, in Lake County. Where?!?! Don't panic, just click the link at the top of this page for their website, then follow the maps on their page.
So I put out the call to a couple of foodie friends, and the Black Belt Chef was up for the trip. Having a black belt along when there are biker gangs involved is always a plus... "Ever meet a Ninja in a bar? It's a lot of fun!" So what's with all the Biker gangs, you ask? County roads 19 and 48 in Lake County are a beautiful, curvy, relatively untraveled pair of byways, perfect for motorcycle cruising. When the Chef and I pull in, there are 10 bikes in the parking lot, and as we walk up to the bakery another 20 or so pull in together (not to mention about 30 cars). Fortunately, the bikers here are generally the friendly sort, just weary travelers like ourselves, looking to get their grub on, German style.
The bakery is ALWAYS packed on the weekends... get there early, and take a number folks. So Chef and I wait, load up the car with pastries and bread (and a stollen), and then wander back inside to hit the Deli for lunch. Deli? WTF? I thought you said bakery! Well, with all of this good bread, you've got to have some meat to put on it, right?
The building also houses a deli, which ships in all of ther meats from Geier's Sausage Kitchen in Sarasota (the subject of a future quest/blog... suffice to say it totally rocks and is worth the drive). However on the weekends, besides sandwiches, they have specials, which brings me to the true subject of this post... The Saturday special was Bratwurst (choice of smoked or not), Sauerkraut, German Style potato salad (not the over-vinegared crap some folks pass off as German style potato salad here in the South, either) and a Pretzel. The kraut is perhaps the best I've ever had, resplendent with bay leaves and juniper berries (which you pick out), and the potato salad, served warm, is amazing. As it was a nice day, we chose to sit outside and listen to the "band" play a mix of classic rock and Christmas carols... bizarre, but it somehow worked. I might have just been overly hungry, but this may have to make my list of Best Meals Ever (and at $7.95 is certainly the cheapest of them). It should be noted that the crowds are thick during the weekends, and this is not someplace to visit if you are in a hurry. The service at the counter is friendly and helpful, but moves at the speed of an inebriated gastropod, motivating vertically upon a raised land mass. The food however is definitely worth the wait in line.
Having had our fill of good German cuisine, we moved on to Lake county's other well known foodie destination, Lakeridge Winery. The tour is informative and not too long, but a little sales pitchy. However I'm quite willing to sit through a sales pitch for some free wine. :) Here's a hint... if there is something not in the tasting that you really want to try, they'll hook you up at the "bar" in the gift shop. The Pink Crescendo (a methode champagnoise sparkling wine is quite tasty, though pricey. The surprising find is the Cream Sherry from the San Sebastian winery, their sister winery in St. Augustine. The Chef was quite thrilled with it, and I added this stop to our itinerary specifically to pick up a bottle of it for myself for the holidays.
Overall I give it 8 Juniper berries in a truly amazing mound of sauerkraut.
So this is Christmas, and I'm on a quest (to paraphrase John Lennon)... not a difficult one mind you, but a quest just the same... one frought with the perrils of the highway (complete with Biker gangs and bad traffic, but more on them later). Like I said it's Christmas, and The Buddha needs a Stollen (not talking about the rise in crime at the holidays, either). When you mention Christmas Fruitcake, most folks go "Blech!", but Stollen, dear readers, is the real deal, the often imitated fruitcake traditionally served at Christmastime, and probably the unfortunate inspiration for that most dreaded of holiday gifts, mass produced by wanna-be bakeries trying to make a quick buck by selling you something better suited to be stuck on the front of a building than stuck in your face. Now if you go find a "genuine Stollen" at Publix, you might not be impressed (I wasn't), but fortunately for us there is a German Style Bakery, run by a German baker, who makes them (and lots of other tasty Euro-treats) in the tiny hamlet of Yalaha, Florida. Hamlet is an overstatement, as this town is so small it barely qualifies as a bite, much less a whole ham-let. For those of you without a PhD in Florida Geography, it's about 45 minutes North of Orlando near Howie-in-the-Hills, in Lake County. Where?!?! Don't panic, just click the link at the top of this page for their website, then follow the maps on their page.
So I put out the call to a couple of foodie friends, and the Black Belt Chef was up for the trip. Having a black belt along when there are biker gangs involved is always a plus... "Ever meet a Ninja in a bar? It's a lot of fun!" So what's with all the Biker gangs, you ask? County roads 19 and 48 in Lake County are a beautiful, curvy, relatively untraveled pair of byways, perfect for motorcycle cruising. When the Chef and I pull in, there are 10 bikes in the parking lot, and as we walk up to the bakery another 20 or so pull in together (not to mention about 30 cars). Fortunately, the bikers here are generally the friendly sort, just weary travelers like ourselves, looking to get their grub on, German style.
The bakery is ALWAYS packed on the weekends... get there early, and take a number folks. So Chef and I wait, load up the car with pastries and bread (and a stollen), and then wander back inside to hit the Deli for lunch. Deli? WTF? I thought you said bakery! Well, with all of this good bread, you've got to have some meat to put on it, right?
The building also houses a deli, which ships in all of ther meats from Geier's Sausage Kitchen in Sarasota (the subject of a future quest/blog... suffice to say it totally rocks and is worth the drive). However on the weekends, besides sandwiches, they have specials, which brings me to the true subject of this post... The Saturday special was Bratwurst (choice of smoked or not), Sauerkraut, German Style potato salad (not the over-vinegared crap some folks pass off as German style potato salad here in the South, either) and a Pretzel. The kraut is perhaps the best I've ever had, resplendent with bay leaves and juniper berries (which you pick out), and the potato salad, served warm, is amazing. As it was a nice day, we chose to sit outside and listen to the "band" play a mix of classic rock and Christmas carols... bizarre, but it somehow worked. I might have just been overly hungry, but this may have to make my list of Best Meals Ever (and at $7.95 is certainly the cheapest of them). It should be noted that the crowds are thick during the weekends, and this is not someplace to visit if you are in a hurry. The service at the counter is friendly and helpful, but moves at the speed of an inebriated gastropod, motivating vertically upon a raised land mass. The food however is definitely worth the wait in line.
Having had our fill of good German cuisine, we moved on to Lake county's other well known foodie destination, Lakeridge Winery. The tour is informative and not too long, but a little sales pitchy. However I'm quite willing to sit through a sales pitch for some free wine. :) Here's a hint... if there is something not in the tasting that you really want to try, they'll hook you up at the "bar" in the gift shop. The Pink Crescendo (a methode champagnoise sparkling wine is quite tasty, though pricey. The surprising find is the Cream Sherry from the San Sebastian winery, their sister winery in St. Augustine. The Chef was quite thrilled with it, and I added this stop to our itinerary specifically to pick up a bottle of it for myself for the holidays.
Overall I give it 8 Juniper berries in a truly amazing mound of sauerkraut.
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7 comments:
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