Restaurants – tested at Maastrichts Preuventement

Went to the annual Preuvenement food festival in Maastricht this weekend and got to sample a few things from some local restaurants… and wow… there are some good ones out there!

Tom Miesen Gastronomie Op Maat
Sint Annadal 17c
6214 PB Maastricht
T. 043-347-9102
E. tomkaas@hotmail.com

Specializes in cheese… delicious wine and cheese combinations. The food to other tables looked beautiful and delicious.

Restaurant Brazza
Grote Straat 18
Valkenburg
T. 043-601-2300
W. www.brazzavalkenburg.nl

Delicious food and surprising flavor combinations… tried Thai soup, phenomenal scampi, and sangria sorbet served over balsamic vinegar marinated strawberries. All amazing. I’d eat here. The menu with prices is online.

Restaurant Chong Thai
Scharnerweg 36
6224 JH Maastricht
T. 043-363-9062
O. Mon – Fri 1600-2200, Sat – Sun 1200-2230

Delicious Thai food!

De Bijenkorf
Achter het vleeshuis 26
6211 GS Maastricht
T. 0900-0919
W. www.bijenkorf.nl
O. Mon 1100-1800, Tues-Wed & Fri-Sat 0930-1800, Thurs 0930-2100

This is a department store, but they have eateries inside. One is a bakery with decadent – super-rich desserts.

Cafe Louis – Heinsburg

The fact that there is no photo with this post is testament to the great desserts that come from Cafe Louis. I tried pieces of 4 different flavors of cake and enjoyed them so much that I never even thought of taking a picture. And, I’m not the only one. I saw guests walk by with 4 desserts or more, take them to their tables, and devour them completely.

Cafe Louis provided the dozens of cakes, pastries, and donuts that were enjoyed at the CSA Carnival party at the Officer’s Club on Friday night. The variety was amazing and the flavor was as good as it gets. If you like chocolate, you’ll enjoy their chocolate mousse cake, but from fruit, to cream cakes, berliners and apple krapfen, it’s all delicious – delicious enough to drive to Heinsburg just for a large slice of cake.

Cafe Louis
Conditorei and Partyservice
Stiftstrasse 15-17; Heinsburg 52525
Tel: 02452-2828

Tongeren – shops and bakery

Here are a couple more places worth stopping at when you visit Tongeren although these are just the tip of the iceberg. Tongeren has fabulous shopping. The sad thing is that on Sundays during the antique market, the non-antique shops are mostly closed, so we can only peer in the windows of the beautiful clothing shops. If you happen to go to Tongeren during the week, you’ll be sure to enjoy some fabulous clothing stores and a couple very cute children’s clothing/toy stores as well. Just walk up Maastrichterstraat and you’ll find them all.

Antique Shops:

Antiek “Illo Tempore”
Kloosterstraat 3; Tongeren
0032-012-261567
Web: http://www.illotempore.be/

Located just below the church on the hill, you’ll find this beautiful antique store. This is not a place for bargain hunters, but if you want an absolutely fantastic piece worthy of “the roadshow,” then you’ll find something special here. Prices are not for the fainthearted, but you’ll get what you pay for. If you don’t have a lot of time, sticking to the market is best, but if you have time to wander, then it’s worth a look if even just to dream. Plus, the church is beautiful and right next to this lovely shop is a very nice restaurant.

Antiek & Brocante “De Hoog Groaf”
Leopoldwal 56; Tongeren
0032-089-413208
Open: Sat 1300-1800 & Sun 0800-1400
Email: antiek.notten@pandora.be
Web: www.antiek-notten.be

Directly across from the outdoor market along the portion by the old wall, is this wonderful find. If you like tile, go here. The tiles are old, beautiful, and genuine – having been removed from buildings. Inside you’ll find boxes of gorgeous tiles that have been cleaned up a bit. In the large backyard, you’ll find bin after been of all sorts of tiles. It’s fun to rummage through it all. Inside there are also several nice BIG antique cabinets. This place also makes custom sink pieces – ENORMOUS “Texas” sized marble sinks set into beautiful cabinets. They’d probably put most of us over our weight allowance, but they are amazing, especially after enduring years with these tiny German sinks.

Eateries:

Blanckaert
Maastrichterstraat 62; Tongeren
0032-012-231478
Closed: Mondays

I don’t think that I can eat anywhere else in Tongeren now. This place has won a place in my little book of cappuccinos. A fabulous bakery. Wow. Do go there. This one is just up the street from the square on Maastrichterstraat – just continue up the hill a block or two and you’ll find it on the right just past where the last vendors sit. The owners are master bakers – and Belgian bakers are HIGHLY influenced by the French bakeries, so you’ll be sure to find something that you love here. The desserts are beautiful – little works of art – and as delicious as they are beautiful. As for “real” food… get a quiche. These are the best and even rival my mothers which is quite a statement. The cappuccinos are served with a tiny side of chocolate mousse which makes the second cup even that much sweeter. There is seating inside where it’s warm and the ladies who work there are very nice. Pick a number at the busy time so you don’t get forgotten at the front counter and do go early. By 1, there are still a few delicious things left, but the choices will be greatly reduced.

De Kroon
On the corner of Veemarkt and Maastrichterstraat

Well prepared for antique shoppers with a clean bathroom and a small non-smoking section, De Kroon makes a beautiful omelet as well as other delicious items for very reasonable prices. The food is quick and while they’ll gladly allow to you sit all day sipping coffee or beer, they won’t begrudge you your bill either. An easy quick stop for something good on a cold day. They have pastas, soups, salads, sandwiches, and omelets (and English translations on their menu).

Art:

Aquarelles by Josette Fransen
Grand Route 161; Wonck
0032-0473-554449
josettefransen@msn.com

Josette had a show in Tongeren recently, but she’s not there all the time. Still, if you enjoy watercolor and didn’t get a souvenir when you were in Greece, she’s worth asking about. She does a lot of very nice Greek door paintings and a few with water and boats.

Haus Immendorf

Haus Immendorf
LandCafe and Backerei
52511 – Immendorf

Tel: 02451-9153435
info@landcafe-immendorf.de
www.landcafe-immendorf.de

Mon- Sat: 0700 – 1900 (closed on Tuesdays)
Sun: 0800 – 1900

Reservations suggested for large groups

Breakfast is served until 1230 all days. Bakery items and beverages are available all day. After 1230, there is a soup of the day and a meat/cheese/bread plate.

The place: Behind the pond is the large cafe with plenty of indoor seating where you can still be a part of the outdoors with their large windows. When weather cooperates, you can also sit outside in clean, well-cared-for patio furniture. All the place is clean. The bathrooms are very nice. Off to one side, outdoors, is a play structure for children with two swing, a sandbox, a slide, and a tall tree-house that is a lot of fun, but could be scary for very little ones. My three-year old does well there.

The food: The menu is small. Don’t go expecting a large American breakfast. But, the German breakfast is excellent. I usually order the bauern-fruestuck which includes 2 breads, meats, cheeses, jellies, a coffee or tea, and orange juice all for around 5 euros. If you order the same meal with others, they’ll bring out a larger basket with assorted breads – usually a broetchen and a sliced bread for each. The meat and cheese tray will also be assorted. Larger breakfasts include more of the above and also an egg. Remember, the breakfast is only available until 1230 and they really stick to that. Anytime of day you can try one of the delicious baked item they serve. The himbeertortchen (raspberry tart) is filled with a very light custard in a light, flaky, sugared crust. All the desserts are delicious and, you can also have delicious home-made ice cream seasonally (May-Sept – usually).

If you want “real” food after the breakfast time, they do offer a daily soup. The 4 Euro “wurst oder kase” plate is good. You can have sliced bread with an assortment of deli meats, cheeses, or a combination. About 5 open faced sandwiches came on a plate with lettuce and cucumbers on the side. It was enough to share when we had dessert also. As opposed to the breakfast which is all served separately for you to assemble, the cheese or meat plates come assembled with a generous heaping of butter spread on each slice of bread. Too much for me. If I were to get that again, I’d ask for it “ohne butter” — without butter.

To go or not to go: Go, definitely as long as you don’t need a super-sized meal. This place is nice for a group of ladies socializing. It is great for breakfast, coffee, or cake. It is nice for families together who don’t need a huge meal and groups with children. The portions are good and I am always filled up, so don’t think by my comments that you can’t get filled up here, but steak and potatoes, it’s not, so do go, but adjust your expectations accordingly.

Kids? YES! They have a playground. They have ice cream and hot chocolate and kids breakfasts served with nutella! This place is VERY kid friendly and if you sit outside where the kids can run off and play within view, you may even enjoy a peaceful adult conversation! Kids will also like peering over the little fence to watch the ducks and turtles in the pond.

Take home: The bakery is excellent, so before you go, grab some breads or dessert items. You won’t be sorry!

Cafe Schleypen – Geilenkirchen

Cafe Schleypen Bakery and Konditerei
Konrad Adenauer Strasse 126
52511 Geilenkirchen
02451-2126
cafeschleypen@t-online.de
Open 7 days a week!

One of my absolutely favorite cafes around is Cafe Schleypen in downtown Geilenkirchen, right across from the row of parking by the school, next to the bookstore. This place is a great family run bakery and cafe that’s been around for over 30 years. The roomy inside has a small no-smoking section and if the weather is nice, you can sit out front at a sidewalk table or in the back where it’s quieter surrounded by potted geraniums and two small fish ponds – great distractions for children.

The cakes are truly the best I’ve eaten anywhere in this area and I’ve found the most variety at Schleypen as well. If you come in the summer, you’ll experience home-made ice creams, made, like the cakes, cookies, chocolates, and breads, right there on the premises.

My favorite cake is the johanisbeeren quark torte – one that they generally have in the mornings, but it sells out quickly. I like it enough that I ordered a whole one for my birthday.

Special orders are easy. Just go in and tell them what you’d like. Schleypen is also the only bakery in the area that can put a photograph on a cake. They’ll do a great job and the flavor will be amazing.

Will I go there again? Yeah… I go there enough to be a regular. They know me there. It’s my Cheers on the German side of the border.

Recommend it? Yes. Go there by yourself to relax. Go with family. Go with friends. Go with kids. If you have 15 minutes to “kill” downtown, go there for a quick beverage and something sweet.

Non sweets? Yes. Broetchen sandwiches and soups are also an option. One time of year they serve a special seasonal white wine with onion soup. The tea menu is also very nice for non-coffee drinkers. Need to mellow out? You can even have a dose of “spirits” in your drink.

Cafe am Rodebach – Stahe Cafe

Cafe am Rodebach
Knuppstraße 9
Gangelt-Stahe
Tel. 02454/8623

Cafe Rodebach in Stahe is a new-ish cafe and bakery in our area. It’s small and very casual inside, so if smoke bothers you, it’s best to get your food to go as one smoker could totally cloud the place, but the home-made ice cream and cakes are worth it. Go there for bread, great German cakes and fruit tortes, ice cream, and a nice breakfast.

They are open every day except Monday, so on Sunday, you can either stop by for breakfast, or grab a nice cake to go for your afternoon coffee or post-church social.