Hirschen Staufen

In the U.S., I avoid restaurants inside of hotels. That is definitely not the case in Germany. We had one of the best meals - no, experiences - here. The interior is traditional Bavarian...and, we were surrounded by happy locals eating and drinking with smiles on their faces. The menu is full of choices for a classic German meal. I can't believe it, but they even made liver taste good. Good wine, good food, and old fashioned service.

I love places where the chef (who in this case was also the owner) comes to the table to talk. When he found me (shamefully) drinking white wine with Sprite, he became determined to improve my palate. He ran back to the bar and quickly returned with a true weissweinschorle...white wine with UNsweetened sparkling water. OK...I'm improved. And, I no longer have to be embarrassed for adding something to my wine in the interest of greater enjoyment!

Be sure and top off your meal with some Schladerer schnapps. It's Germany's best schnapps and the brewery is right around the corner. But be warned...this is not your American mama's schnapps. Be prepared to be warmed from head to toe.

This was a really lovely little hotel in Stauffen. We didn't have reservations, as me and my husband were just driving around Bavaria, and decided last minute that we wanted to check out this town for a few days.

The hostess at the counter said they had availability and asked if I wanted to see the room first before booking, which was nice, but unnecessary- the hotel was one of the suggested places to stay in the tour book we had, and it hadn't let us down yet. It was a nice, traditionaly looking German room, with a balconey and nice view of the town. It was supposed to be a non-smoking room, but we could still smell a bit of the musty smoke coming from other rooms. It was still ok, and didn't bother us too much.

It served breakfast in the morning, with the typical items which was good, and we also tried the restaurant in the evening- a heavy pork chop, fresh frites, and a glass or two of local wine and we left very full and satisfied.