Asparagus season is still going! These lovely spears were grilled to perfection.

Now we are ready for the 1st course! Not only a stunning array of colors on the plate, but another playful rendition of classic Bavarian food - the red cabbage side dish. Here we have thin sliced Blaukraut, grilled leek, baby swiss chard, dollops of horseradish cream, mustard sauce and a sprinkling of vibrant violet freeze-dried cabbage (which totally changed the flavor). Each bite was a scintillating experience of sweet and sour.

You might be saying... hey... those don't look like the original grilled leek dish you're used to. And you'd be right. This is the chef's "outside in" interpretation of the classic Spanish dish - and a daring but successful one at that. The gnocchi-looking dumplings were comprised of the white part of the leek with a surprise squooshy center of leek goodness, the green dollop in the middle representing the green of the leek (obvi!), the red spots a burst of paprika sauce and then the soup made of leek sweat (tastier than it sounds). Put a bit of everything in your mouth and then dip your finger in that black powder around the plate for an INTENSE burny, leaky, charry delightful finish. Amazingly executed.

A nice little addition to the main dish was this side of extra veggies... thoughtful. A bit unnecessary as we did fill up with what was already on the plate, but still thoughtful.

yes, Mrs. Carastian, Mr. Carastian had his veggies. a decent corn on the cob, with plenty of herby butter on top.

The only disappointment that came out of the kitchen that day was this green glop. What a mess! Although they used fresh spinach, it was cooked to the point of tasting like canned.

Needing a break from your beef intake? A few bites of these tender cubed sqash helps with the illusion that you've eaten something healthy during this meal. Because I'm not sure how many vitamins and minerals that goose liver has in it, but beef can't have too many more. ;*)

First up, a traditional Ethiopian lentil salad featuring red lentils, onions, tomatoes, mustard and peanuts. With some salad on the side. Tasty, but Mrs. C is allergic to peanuts so we won't call it a win. ;*)

The littlest Carastian was craving corn... so we followed the binge and actually chose this restaurant based on them having this one menu item. It went down a real treat!

And that gorgeous duck would have been naked without this silky smooth Blaukraut. Absolutely perfect, tart with a hint of apple. It came in a gravy boat, very generous helping that made the rounds at the table.

Or radish. A traditional Bavarian Biergarten/ Bierzelt food. Spicy and crunchy and perfect with beer:-)

Now I know what you're thinking... "poi! Blech! Throw it on the ground and kill it with your shoe!" But honestly, this wasn't half bad.. a fresh-made gourmet version that was meant to be eaten with the fish trio. We both managed a few scoops and said, "not bad!" but the focus always went back to those amazing fish dishes. Sorry poi. A mild victory at best.

Not impressed. Especially with the 'dip' of remoulade sauce to eat them with. Blech! Where's the damn tamarind sauce, peeps?!

These poor little things could not compare to the ones we grilled up at home last week - but that's not THEIR fault. ;*)