A few weeks ago, I met Markus and Philip of Palenque Tours for lunch near their office in barrio Manila (Poblado).
Instead of going to a typical Colombian place like we did when I first met Philip last year, they introduced me to El Alemán Pues, a new German-owned restaurant located two blocks north of Parque Poblado on Calle de la Buena Mesa.
It was my first encounter with German food in Medellín.
We took a table for four outside, and were quickly greeted by Soren, the owner from Heidelberg, Germany.
I began looking over the menu, which featured typical German dishes I was familiar with like Wiener Schnitzel (15,000 pesos, $7.50), Currywurst (10,000 pesos, $5), and Käsespätzle (8,000 pesos, $4) as well as ones that were new to me.
The selection reminded me of my trip to Germany in 2012. My first meal upon arrival in Munich for Oktoberfest was Wiener Schnitzel, and a week later in Berlin, I sank my teeth into my first currywurst, pork sausage doused in ketchup and sprinkled with curry powder, at Checkpoint Charlie.
El Alemán Pues also offers more than 10 varieties of German sausage, along with three types of artisanal mustard (normal, sweet, spicy) and curry sauce. Each sausage costs 7,000 pesos ($3.50), or you can get two for 13,000 pesos ($6.50).
Based on Soren’s recommendation, I ordered the Nürnberg, which includes four 25-gram sausages, totaling 100 grams of sausage goodness. The other sausages are 100 grams each so it works out the same.
Available side dishes include: french fries, potato salad, mashed potatoes, German bread, Sauerkraut and Rotkohl.
I went with fries and the Rotkohl, which is purple cabbage bathed in red wine and spices. I’d never had it before, and received a healthy portion.
The sausages were delicious on their own, but the homemade mustards were the highlight for me. I can’t even pick a favorite, they were all excellent.
If you’re still hungry, there are three kinds of German waffles available for dessert which should finish you off.
Last, but not least, it wouldn’t be a German restaurant without a healthy drink selection.
Glühwein Punsch, a traditional spiced wine best served warm, costs 7,000 pesos ($3.50). Jägermeister is available by the shot or bottle. And there’s well over 20 types of German beer available by both the bottle, and in two cases, by the barrel.
My lunch at El Alemán Pues was an unexpected surprise. Next time, I’ll be pairing those sausages with a few German beers.
______
My lunch was provided compliments of El Alemán Pues.
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It seems like you guys only post positive reviews of the restaurants and businesses you visit.
Is this b/c you get free meals, stays, etc from them? Maybe some negative reviews might keep things more in balance and realistic? Journalistic integrity helps!
Hi Vic,
You make a fair observation, and if I weren't on the blogger side of the equation, I might say exactly the same thing.
We choose to only write about the restaurants, bars, clubs and activities where where we have positive experiences, regardless of who's paying the bill.
It takes me at least two hours to put together a new blog post like this one, including time promoting it in social media. Other topics can take much longer.
My view as a blogger is that life is too short to spend time promoting a restaurant where the food was crap, and the service unfriendly. We simply don't write about those experiences (and yes, we've both had them here).
Instead, we curate our stories to point readers toward the restaurants where we believe they can find something unique, enjoy quality food, and experience good service.
We have always and will continue to disclose free meals, activities or whatever else in order to remain transparent with readers. I realize this makes it easier to call our judgement into question.
Ryan and I pay for the vast majority of what we write about ourselves, so when a business owner offers us a break, we appreciate it. I believe our integrity is worth more than a $10 lunch. Readers will just have to trust us based on the whole of our work.
The issue is that when they offer you a free lunch and you go in to review their food, you are not getting the same experience as normal diners. That's why real restaurant critics go to places in secret and guard their identities. Imagine if a Michelin critic walked into a restaurant and announced his presence! What do you think would happen? Suddenly he would get the finest service, the finest presentation, the finest ingredients, etc. How could he possibly judge what the experience would be for normal diners?
Yes, I understand the argument being made and acknowledge that service may differ in a restaurant that is seeking positive exposure from a media outlet.
The reason we include a disclosure is so the reader knows what happened and can choose to accept or dismiss our opinions accordingly. These instances where we receive a complimentary meal are the exceptions, not the rule.
You're welcome to rely on TripAdvisor, but I think our reviews are more consistent, balanced, and informative.
I have watched some world cup games there and I approve the food as delicious as well as authentic. And that they serve my favourite beer. Warsteiner, das König der Biere! :-)
We had lunch on 19 Nov and were met by Soren who was delighted to find I yet had some facility auf Deutsch, seit 50+jahre.
Excellent combination sausage lunch shared with my sweetie, Rebecca, she with diet Coke, and me with a couple of great beers. Entire lunch came to
about 45,000 Pesos with gratuity. Would easily return.