A brunch I could eat over and over

Hot on the heels of eating blind we decided to eat Alsatian brunch. No particular connection why.

Our destination was Gugelhof, a cafe just north of our hotel in Prenzlauer Berg. It was a delightful setting, an outdoor cafe on a tree-lined street.

Auspiciously, they had one of my favorite beers on tap: Kostrizer Schwarzbier. A smoky but still light enough for brunch beer, this one packs in the flavor.

Dish one of the three we would be sharing was a choucroute plate with smoked pork, mini sausages, and blood sausage with a side of sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. Wow, what a plate! The pork was delightful, rich, smoky, tender and beautiful. The mini sausages retained so much moisture that each bite was a treat. Both also benefited from the delicious duo of mustards. But, nothing came close to topping the blood pudding.

Though this picture is less than fantastic, the blood pudding was so fantastic. It was advertised on the menu as being the winner of a best in Germany award. It was the best blood sausage I've ever had in my life, and it's not even close. The meat and blood were mixed with a slew of spices, some of which we could pick out. There was a bit of cinnamon, or maybe nutmeg. There was a touch of cloves. The effect was superb. That, and the texture of the blood pudding was somehow like a very moist chocolate cake. I treated each bite like a little gift from heaven.

Dish two was a dish of baked eggs with ham and cheese. It sounds so simple yet it was excellent. The eggs had not been scrambled yet were baked to perfection. The whites would every so often be interrupted by a delicious yolk. The filling ingredients added yet more flavor. And it retained the feel of a thick custard, pleasing to the tongue. It also managed to stay warm throughout our entire meal, no mean feat.

Dish three was a typical Alsatian flammenkuchen with arugula, walnuts, chanterelles, and ham. Yet another winner, and Gugelhof was 3 for 3. The chanterelles sang from the pizza, coming fresh from the hills not too far away. The arugula was appropriately spicy and fresh. A true delight to eat, especially as it was served on a pizza paddle.

We were all quite, quite happy with this meal, proclaiming it the best of Germany and perhaps of our week-long trip. We celebrated by walking through the farmers' market nearby, picking up a little pint of little strawberries, and polishing them off in a nearby park.