Stromburg, Germany

How excited was I after a 12-hour flight to Frankfurt to find Ry at the airport and get to hug and kiss him... too excited for words. Nothing is better than being in his arms, I was so thankful that we actually found each other in the craziness of the Frankfurt airport! After gathering ourselves together, we rented a cute European car and headed towards our first destination... Johan Lafer's in Stromberg, Germany.

We arrived to the charming little town of Stromburg and found Johan Lafer's up a paved road lined with beautiful pine trees. We got a huge scare when the hotel couldn't find our reservation and wanted to transfer us to their sister property... I was devastated because I really want to stay here so after begging and pleading, they gave us their tiniest room... which ended up being perfect.. we didn't need anything more! We checked into our immaculate room and were invited downstairs for coffee and a pastry... oh how I love Germany! After the best coffee ever, we explored Stromberg and just enjoyed walking around hand in hand.

After our walk, we went back to get ready for our special dinner, Johan Lafer's restaurant "Le Val d'Or." We had heard amazing things about this restaurant and it definitely lived up to all it's hype... it was the perfect beginning meal of our travels. Our Amuse consisted of Oxtail Truffles and Salmon Tartar, followed by an appetizer of a Foie Gras Creme Brulee, which was the best Foie Gras EVER! Our main course (shown below) was a delicate Sea Bass atop a pea coulis and black truffle emulsion with perfect pieces of tender octopus and garnished with squash and candied fruit. The combinations were bright and very well balanced and this was definitely one of our favorite meals.

After a much needed good nights' rest in our perfectly crisp linens, we sat down to a breakfast fit for royalty. The German's do not skimp on breakfast in any way, shape or form... boy were we in for Johan Lafer's culinary treat #2!

The courses were endless and the presentations were stunning...

We had the most beautiful seasonal fruit platter I have ever seen! Garnished with the most perfectly tart lemongrass sorbet, we were in heaven.

Along with creamy cappuccino's, we were served freshly baked bread and pastries, thinly cured meats and cheeses, homemade raspberry yogurt, a shrimp cocktail with organic quail eggs, and perfectly scrambled and moist eggs with chives. Ry and I did not want to leave and we seriously contemplated stopping our travels there and spending the entire week in this breakfast room. Thankfully we had pre-paid reservations!

What an unforgettable experience Mr. Lafer presented us with. We will definitely be going back! Sadly it was time to pack up and drive to our next stop... The Black Forrest... we waved good-bye and only hoped our other destinations would be this great!