During the time that we spent in Frankfurt, we enjoyed a wide variety of restaurants, especially French, Italian, and Thai restaurants. Because we went out for lunch and dinner almost every day, we looked for places to eat that were located around our apartment where the staff was friendly, the food was good, and the atmosphere was inviting. There was a restaurant near the underground train station that we used almost on a daily basis that became our go-to place to eat and have a glass of wine. The restaurant was called the Brasserie, but unfortunately it closed down shortly after we left Frankfurt.
RavioliDimitrios – The OwnerLamb with RisottoBeef with PotatoesBeet Carpaccio Salad
Located next to Alte Oper (the old opera house), the Brasserie was basically a French Bistro with fresh food of the finest quality. We enjoyed many wonderful meals at the Brasserie, but probably our favorite meals would have been the plate du jour, which obviously changed daily. Like many European restaurants have a somewhat limited menu, but everything we ate there was truly delicious. The meals were not particularly expensive, despite being in the heart of the tourist area and only about a ten-minute walk from our apartment.
Inside of the RestaurantPasta with TruffelsCanapesBeef with Potato StradaPasta Special
We spent the weekend in Denver where we went to the 2nd annual Denver BBQ Festival. With 11 different pit masters, live music, cooking demonstrations, beer and drinks, as well as games for the family, it was definitely a fun time. Entrance is free and you can purchase items that you want or you can purchase a VIP pass that allows you to eat and drink all that you want. We chose to get the VIP pass so that we could try as many different barbeque options as possible. There were pit masters from all over the country including Kansas City, St. Louis, New York, Nashville, Texas, and Colorado.
Leg of Lamb with PeppersFood Being PreppedCooking DemonstrationTender Ribs and Baked BeansPulled Pork and a Loaded Potato Salad
If you are a fan of barbecued food, this event is certainly for you. With choices that include leg of lamb, ribs, chicken, brisket, pork belly, whole hog, pork chops, and lamb ribs, there are options for every type of food lover. It wasn’t just about the meat, though, as there were side dishes that include baked beans, potato salad, carrot and raisin salad, bloody Mary salad, and, of course, coleslaw. To be clear, although we tasted just about everything that there was, we certainly did not sit down and eat full portions from each of the food stations. Even with just tasting small samples from each of the pit masters, we still had more than enough food to make us full.
Different Bands Throughout the DayTender Beef BrisketServing the Large CrowdsMini-TacoChicken Wing and Coleslaw
We think that beer pairs really well with barbeque, but there were many options available to drink. From mixed drinks made with Jack Daniel’s whiskey and Tito’s vodka to make margaritas, as well as non-alcoholic drinks, no one was going thirsty. It was a hot day, so an ice-cold beer certainly hit the spot and we chose to have a Colorado Lager from Odell’s Brewery. The festival took place in the parking lot of Mile High Stadium and it was certainly a very popular event.
Ice-Cold BeerSausage and BrisketGetting the Food OutLooking Out Over the FestivalRibs with a Dry Rub and a Sauce
It is hard to choose a favorite with all of the different dishes that we tried, but there was a beef brisket from Pappy’s Smokehouse that was so tender that it fell apart. The leg of lamb from Sugar Fire Smokehouse was also wonderful. The pork belly from Joe’s KC BBQ was one of the first things that we tasted and also one of our favorites. And finally, the ribs from Peg Leg Porker BBQ were definitely worth eating again and again. That doesn’t mean that we didn’t enjoy everything that we tried, including those from Salt Lick BBQ, GQue BBQ, The Shed, Ubon’s BBQ, Memphis BBQ, and Jean-Paul Bougeois.
Lamb Ribs and Carrots and RaisinsPeople Lining UpChicken and Bloody Mary SaladSalmon, Slaw, and GuacamolePork Belly and Pork Rinds
We will definitely put this on our calendar for next year. There isn’t a better way to spend a summer afternoon than eating delicious barbeque, drinking a beer, listening to music, and getting grilling advice from the experts. The Denver BBQ Festival is certainly an event that is fun for the whole family.
Lamb is something that you’ll find on a lot of menus throughout Europe, but for some reason it isn’t that common in the United States. When you do find it, it is often very expensive and the portions are small. Not everyone enjoys lamb since it can taste a little gamey, but we like the flavor. In our opinion, it needs to be cooked to no more than medium-rare, otherwise it can get a little tough. Rack of lamb can be an elegant meal and we asked the butcher to “French cut” the bones, which is simply removing the meat and fat from the bone tips. Some people like mint jelly with lamb, but we prefer to simply roast it with herbs like rosemary and thyme. This recipe is for two, but one of the nice things about rack of lamb is that the recipe can easily adjusted by adding more ribs (chops).
Roasted Rack of Lamb
INGREDIENTS
2 to 3 lbs of Rack of Lamb (about 4 to 5 ribs or chops)
4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 tsp Dried Rosemary
1 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
1 tsp Granulated Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
Herb Butter Coated Rack of Lamb
INSTRUCTIONS
Trim some of the fat off of the rack of lamb, leaving about a quarter inch of fat. Combine room temperature butter with the rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Slather the fat cap of the lamb with the butter mixture. The butter just adds some additional fat to help keep the lamb tender and adds additional flavor. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Heat an oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a non-stick coating spray. If you have French cut the lamb, wrap the bone tips with aluminum foil to keep them from burning in the oven. Place the lamb in the oven and roast it for 10 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 300 degrees and continue to roast the lamb for an additional 20 to 30 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees. Let the lamb rest for 15 to 20 minutes and then cut the rack into individual chops and serve, usually two chops per person.
