I arrived in Berlin and was met by a heatwave.
Typically, the average August high in Berlin is 74 degrees.
Typical was not happening. It was hot. Very hot. 99 degrees hot and humid.
Oh, and did I mention that most hotels, stores, restaurants, and homes do not have A/C?
Needless to say I was very uncomfortable. Sweat was my constant companion. Yet, even in my overheated, perspiring state, I was keeping the foodie flame alive.
First stop, BRLO Brwhouse, a massive craft beer haunt in the middle of a drab railroad hub and warehouse district. The biergarten was packed with hipsters aplenty.
Was I in Bushwick?
Maybe. Maybe not. All I knew was I was ordering beer. I was ordering some smoked meat. I was ordering some vegetables.
I left, still glistening, but pretty sure that Berlin and Brooklyn had a lot in common.
The next day I met up with the man behind Berlin Food Stories, Per Meuling, to get an insider's POV on the food scene. We met at a hip fashion store-slash-cafe at the base of Berlin's Soho House, where I passed by an all-too-familiar branch of Cecconi's at the other side of the club's entrance.
Was I in Dumbo?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Per gave me a glimpse into the restaurant landscape in Berlin - and warned me about the dicey "mystery meat" that was to be had in the ubiquitous Doner Kebab sandwiches offered around town.
OK. Mystery meat was off-the-table. But what about cooling off that afternoon?
He was clear in his direction - go to the Michelberger Hotel, go to their restaurant courtyard, find the shadiest spot available, take a seat, and drink copious amounts of coconut water.
As a light breeze brushed against the courtyard, and I sipped on refreshing coconut water (followed by a chilled glass of Reisling), I quickly discovered that "Per knows best."
So, I listened to him for my evening repast as well, and hit up the exotic sounding St. Bart gastropub. Not the least bit Caribbean inside, the restaurant was quite welcoming and offered a fine view of the chefs in action...
The challenge? Open kitchen. Oven heat-meets-90 degree-even-at-night heat.
Unfortunately, I was a bit of a sweat bomb sitting at the bar.
But, oh, the food was truly delectable - from the Cooked-Under-a-Brick Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Capers to the Broccolini with Greek Yogurt and Lentils.
No photos, due to dark lighting and my attempt to eat speedily in order to return to the fan in my hotel room.
The next day I braved a trip to Markthalle Neun for Street Food Thursday and was immediately struck by its likeness to Smorgasburg.
Was I in Williamsburg?
Maybe. Maybe not.
And, then I met some newfound friends for dinner at one of the city's many Vietnamese eateries, sitting outside under the restaurant's awning in the hope that a light wind might arrive. It arrived all right. In short order it became a fairly strong wind. Then it became a fierce wind - bringing with it the crack of thunder and a flash of lightning - and then a downpour.
We reveled in it.
And, after the storm was over, so was the heatwave.
We agreed to revel some more the next evening - and I suggested the Michelberger courtyard for the occasion.
But before I made it to dinner, I made it to Zeit für Brot for breakfast...
This Cinnamon Roll was no Cinnabon. And, it didn't remind me of Brooklyn baked goods. It was something unto itself.
Same went for the chocolates at the celebrated Berlin chocolatier Rausch...
It was a chocolate wonderland located on Gendarmenmarkt. Grand and yet playful, it was unlike any confectioner I had visited in the County of Kings.
Now, dinner at Michelberger did put me in prime Berlin hipster zone - and with dishes like Burrata, Peach, and Pumpkin Seeds, I could imagine myself in Greenpoint or Carroll Gardens - but a small plate of Fried Deer Tongue, Namjim, and Peanuts took me to Bangkok by way of Berlin.
Where the heck was I????
The next evening there was no confusion. None whatsoever...
Hard to be confused about where you are when you sit down at Zur Haxe and your waiter comes over in lederhosen.
Roasted Pork Knuckle with Sauerkraut and Bread Dumplings with a side of Cucumber Salad and a dark beer to wash it all down?
Das ist gut essen! Bayerisches essen!
And, with that: Ich bin ein Berliner!
