Heartwarming Wanderings

Today I took yet another load of it-won't-fit-in-this-apartment items to Goodwill. As I was walking past the lovely scent of Christmas trees for sale on the sidewalk (and dreading spending the rest of my day organizing the other items I will most likely end up pitching, anyway) I decided it was high time for another exploratory stroll around the neighborhood. For my gluten free friends, I made a trip to Pips Place, the Gluten Free Cakery, which is totally gluten free! The cakery’s name comes from the owners daughter, nicknamed Pippy, who developed Celiac Disease when she was fourteen. Her mom began baking everything gluten free and opened this little gem in May 2012.

I did not take this photo, I borrowed it from their website

Also from their website, not my own photo

Anyway, these folks are wonderful and my first experience there proves it. I walked in for a quick coffee and after I’d ordered, I noticed that you can only use a credit card if you spend $10 or more (a common thing in NYC, some places are cash only…I NEED to start carrying cash with me!). As you probably figure, I didn’t have enough cash. You know, how you do the frantic searching-for-every-penny-in-your-purse routine? When I only found $2.45 in all of the nooks and crannies of my clothing and purse, I told the nice man at the counter I would have to come back in a few minutes because I was a little short on cash. I apologized and explained that I just moved here from Virginia and I’m not used to carrying cash on me. Well you know what? He said “Don’t worry about it, just give me what you have and welcome to the neighborhood”! If you come to NYC, or are already here, you should pop in. Next time I plan on buying some baked goods and giving them a nice big tip!

There’s some construction on 2^nd avenue near our block, and every time we walk on 2^nd, we can’t see what’s on the other side of the avenue. So today I decided I would further avoid my apartment and brave the other side of the ave. It really paid off because I found a bit of history down there, which also involves food. Just looking in the window of Schaller & Weber Gold Medal Meat Products beckoned me to go inside. It was pleasantly crowded and full of delicious looking German food.

I needed some chicken, but also decided to look for some Bratwurst. You know, you can’t just walk into a cute German market and leave with only chicken. It would be a sin. Anyway, Dan and I were looking everywhere for Bratwurst last Saturday and only found it at one grocery. Well, I found some here and as I was grinning from ear to ear, the butcher (Bill) asked me if I needed help. At first I said no, but then I noticed they had headcheese. I had no idea what headcheese was so I asked him. He told me that it's chunks of meat from the head of a pig, suspended in a gelatin. Okay, I thought, that doesn’t sound very lovely...at all. But he asked me if I’d like to try a slice and I thought why the heck not? It ended up being delicious! It’s just like a deli meat that, as Bill explained, you can eat on salads, sandwiches, etc. I decided to get a little bit (and some pumpernickel bread).

After looking around a little more, I went to pay for my goodies and while at the register I asked the checker how long the shop had been there. They’ve been there since 1937! He introduced himself as Ralph Schaller (Bill, the nice butchers brother). He’s the owner, by the way, working the register and doing whatever needs to be done. He told me all about the shop, how his father, Ferdinand, came over from Germany in 1927, founded the company in 1937 and sold mostly pork. Of course, now it sells an array of imported German products, and has fresh meats of all kinds behind butcher counter. I told him how excited I was to find the Bratwurst; that I just moved to the neighborhood and am still figuring out where everything is. When I told him that we were looking for Bratwurst and could only find it at one market, he said “Oh, no, you should come here for the fresh stuff!”…they’ve won a bunch of awards for their meats! He told me that his shop is the last remaining German deli of its kind in all of NYC, and they actually provide their meats to restaurants throughout the city, country, and world. He was so excited about having a newbie customer that he gave me some free German Gruenkohl (Kale) a dish made with cooked kale, bacon, and sausage. He said I just had to try it (after I told him I had no idea what it was). Then he showed me their fresh made sauerkraut with sausage mixed in and I almost died because I LOVE sauerkraut and sausage! By the way, apparently Dan and I live in what used to be Germantown. How did I not know that? I just hadn’t met Ralph yet, that’s why. (Watch this Martha Stewart video featuring Schaller and Weber and you'll get to meet Ralph!).

He was so friendly and I really felt like an appreciated customer, just like I did at Pip's. That’s one of the best parts of living in NYC…you become part of a small community wherever you live. Yes, this city is huge and crammed full of busy people. But the fact is, it doesn’t feel like it when you’re just going down to the local deli, grocery, or cakery. It’s so intimate here and I just love it.

P.S. The Heidelberg, a restaurant that has been around since 1936, is next door to Schaller and Weber. They supply them with their food, and if you are looking for an amazing authentic German restaurant in NYC, you MUST go to The Heidelberg. It’s outstanding and the waiters dress in lederhosen and dirndls!

And now I'm back at the apartment, listening to Christmas music and considering putting up my decorations. And of course, eating headcheese with pumpernickel bread and gruenkohl. I hope you are all merrily preparing for the holidays with your own adventures! Thanks for stopping by!

Carole