Prosit Neujahr!

Happy New Year!

Sorry we missed you for Christmas - as with everyone else, this time of year kind of takes our breath (and time) away. So Merry (belated) Christmas: Fröhliche Weihnachten!

On New Year's Eve (Silvesterabend), we will practice the German tradition of Bleigießen (BLYE-ghee-sen). If you buy a Bleigießen kit (which we do), it includes pre-molded shapes of lead and a melting spoon. The practice is to melt the pieces of lead and drop the molten lead into a bowl of cold water. The resulting shape is your fortune for the upcoming year; different shapes mean different fortunes - here are a few examples:

Fish - luck; fortune
Flower - new friendship
Eyeglasses - wisdom
Heart - fall in love
Ladder - promotion; transition
Mouse - secret love
Snake - others are jealous of you
Ship, airplane, rocket - unexpected journey / trip

Yes, there are some bad fortunes, but I didn't include those. Truth be told - you can see whatever you want in your lump of lead! Make up something new...we do!

Hope your holidays have been special - filled with family, friends and memories. See you next year!

Oktoberfest!

Ah...
Fall...
and Fall (Herbst) in Germany makes us think of Oktoberfest. You can just imagine the crisp, Fall air carrying whiffs of warm gingerbread and sausages, and swarms of smiling, laughing people, with rosy cheeks and beer breath.

This Sunday (October 4th) marks the end of Germany's Oktoberfest in Munich, where over 6 million people will have consumed 1.5 million gallons of beer, 200,000 pairs of pork sausage, and 480,000 spit-roasted chickens (Hendl). Gulp!

That's not even taking into account all the potato dumplings, red cabbage and apples (Blaukohl), steamed white veal sausages with sweet mustard, sauerkraut, the ever-so-yummy warm pretzels or bread rolls (Brötchen), potato salads (hot or cold), potato soups and cheese plates that will be consumed. And don't forget desserts: steamed honey-dumplings served with vanilla sauce (Dampfnudel), apple strudel, gingerbread and sugared pancakes with raisins (Kaiserschmarrn).

You won't find many places in Texas that can offer what the 200-year old festival offers in Munich, but Fredericksburg is closer than Munich and their annual Oktoberfest STARTS this Friday (October 2nd) and runs through Sunday. (Tickets for adults are $6 and kids are only $1!). http://www.oktoberfestinfbg.com/

And next year, you won't have to travel far at all for a little taste of Oktoberfest...we'll just see you at the deli.

Schmeckt gut (and easy to make!)

Want a quick end-of-summer desert recipe? This desert is good all-year round but the sour cherries always remind me of summer.

Just mix up some Dr. Oetker's Organic Vanilla Pudding and spoon some Bende's sour cherries (with Rum!) on top and yum! You'll be saying 'Schmeckt gut' too!

What do YOU crave?

We want to know about your favorite German food(s). Was it something you grew up eating? Maybe it was something Oma used to make for special occasions or during the holidays? Or was it something you ate on a trip to Germany and haven't been able to find again?

Tell us! We'd love to hear what German foods really get your tummy rumbling...

"Night in Old Fredericksburg" festival - July 17th & 18th

If you are looking for a fun weekend get-away with your family or significant other, plan a trip to Fredericksburg for their annual 'Night in Old Fredericksburg' festival.

The festival runs Friday, July 17th from 6pm to midnight and Saturday, July 18th from 11:30am to midnight. It is super affordable and loads of fun. There will be the traditional German favorites of wursts and sauerkraut, as well as Texas favorites like fajitas and tacos. Lots of beer on tap and activities for adults and kids.

Check out their link at http://www.tex-fest.com/niof/index.htm

And if you attend - let us know what you think!

Frühstück

Frühstück in German means breakfast. A traditional Frühstück includes dense breads (even stale bread isn't unheard of), a variety of cheeses (from soft, spreadable cheese to hard, stinky cheese), meats (spreadable wursts to hard, cured sausages), pickles and preserves. It is often put together quickly with what is left in the fridge but it can also be 'dressed-up' with fine delicacies for a special occasion. Served with a fresh cup of coffee or tea and there really isn't anything more complete. This traditional meal is eaten at any time of the day - not just breakfast - just like we Americans like to sometimes eat pancakes, eggs and bacon for dinner.

My favorite part of this traditional 'dish' is the variety. We normally set our table with at least two options of everything! That way we can pair different cheeses, meats and breads together for different sensory experiences. And at WickeDeli - that is what you can also look forward to. We are all about options...

Note: The picture I have posted here just doesn't do it justice. So...guess that means you'll just have to come into the deli once we are open and try the 'real deal'.

WickeDeli on Facebook

I find myself on Facebook more and more - and I seem to find a lot of our adoring fans out there too...so now WickeDeli is also on Facebook. How efficient of us! :)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fort-Worth-TX/WickeDeli/103154603352?ref=nf#/pages/Fort-Worth-TX/WickeDeli/103154603352

Cravings...

It has been so nice outside lately (not normal for this time of year) and we have been taking advantage of the extended Spring by eating outdoors. This temperate weather has me pining for a Summer trip to Germany: gorgeous weather, clean air, beautiful forests, brats (pronounced BROTS) and sauerkraut, German potato salad, and BEER!

Hm...some of these things I can recreate right here...right now. Or at least tonight...

"Honey, guess what's for dinner?".

Danke for participating in our recent survey!

Thanks to everyone who took WickeDeli's first online survey - we received 75 responses!
Danke, danke, danke...your feedback is invaluable to us as we make final decisions / preparations for WickeDeli.

The survey will remain active indefinitely and can be found on the right-hand side of the blog under Surveys, 'Eating Habits'.

Just to give you a tidbit of how helpful the feedback was, I'll share the top choice for Question #10.

Rate the items below based on how they factor into most of your eating out experiences:

I like the ambiance (people, decor)
I believe in what the company stands for
Price seems relative to food quality / selection
Close to my house
Close to my work
Process (i.e. Chipotle has a specific process)
Food is really great and/or unique - 61.3% of you voted this as top choice!

Good news for WickeDeli!

How do you like your sandwich?

WickeDeli really wants your opinion on a few things...yes that means a quick survey. Don't groan! It will only take you about 1 minute to complete...it is easy and there isn't a test at the end.

We are looking forward to better understanding 'eating out' trends (specifically for breakfast and lunch). Some questions are broad, some specific - just answer honestly. And if you have some other comments (maybe something we didn't cover), just comment here on this post.

Click here to take the survey (pssst: it's anonymous).

Oh...and thanks!!

Mmmm...quark...

Pronounced 'qvark', Wikipedia defines quark as:

"...a type of fresh cheese of Central European origin. Dictionaries usually translate it as curd cheese. It is soft, white and un-aged, similar to fromage frais. It is not the same thing as cream cheese or cottage cheese. It is distinctly different from ricotta because ricotta (Italian: recooked) is made from scalded whey. It also differs from the other cream cheeses in its usually much lower fat content (about the same as yogurt), and it is completely salt free." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_(cheese)

I really think quark is more like clotted cream. Clotted cream is common in the U.K., and is often served with scones, fresh preserves and a fresh pot of hot tea. Oh my is this good!! Clotted cream is very similar to quark in texture and flavor. Clotted cream: a little thicker, slightly sweet; quark: very smooth, not sweet at all - in fact, very slightly tart.

Quark is not a common grocery item, but it is a regular item at Central Market near the cheese section. It tends to be hidden and doesn't live with the cream cheese spreads, yogurts and other dairy cheese items (like you think it would). And it does move from time to time, so best to just ask someone where it is.

So...my suggestion for this weekend? Go buy some quark, scone mix and your favorite preserve (best to splurge here on the preserve for top of the line stuff). Saturday or Sunday morning, make a fresh pot of English Breakfast tea and bake those yummy scones. Serve your freshly baked, hot scones sliced in half with a dollop of cold quark and room-temperature preserves on top of each slice... You will NOT forget this treat.

And best of all: we'll be offering fresh scones, quark and preserves at WickeDeli...so you won't have to go through all the trouble. We'll do it for you. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Magnolia Avenue

As we continue to look at locations around Fort Worth and determine which neighborhood is the best fit for WickeDeli, we continually come back to Near Southside - Magnolia Avenue in particular.

This old neighborhood has come a long way in the past few years, and each year brings more positive attention - from city officials, residents, investors and small business owners (as well as those who travel into the city to work 5 days a week!). As residents of Fort Worth, we enjoy exploring our little city and finding 'new' things to do, and we find ourselves returning to Magnolia time and time again. With all the options Fort Worth has to offer, what is it about this little street that captures attention?

It's got to be the nostalgic feeling you get when you first turn onto Magnolia from 8th - a bit of what Magnolia felt like back in the 40's and 50's. Or maybe it's the vibrancy of the people eating on the outside tables of Magnolia staples like Spiral Diner, Lili's Bistro or Scampi's. Or maybe it's the new construction you pass that makes you think, "Cool. I wonder what is going in there!?".

But really it isn't just one of these things that makes Magnolia unique - it's all of them combined; that make one entity. It's a gut feeling that says 'community' and a basic simplicity that doesn't exist anywhere else in the city.

(Deep heartfelt sigh) That's just as well. We like you just the way you are...

General update...

It has been awhile since we posted, so we are sure everyone is curious as to what we have been up to.

We are keeping our eye on the economy and how the country is being affected, as well as our neck-of-the-woods (Fort Worth) and our industry (specialty food). Overall North Texas continues to fare better than other parts of the country, so that is good news. Things are still moving forward, but instead of moving forward at 70mph we are now moving at about 25mph.

What are the next big steps for WickeDeli in the coming months?

• Finalizing financials
• Finalizing Real Estate Agent
• Finalizing location

Each of these items could happen very quickly, or could take months. We are really eager to get WickeDeli off the ground, but HOW it gets off the ground will affect WickeDeli's longevity...so patience is mandatory here; each step is extremely important. LOTS of planning, LOTS of discussing varying opinions and LOTS of decisions to still be made.

So...stay tuned (or drop us a line if you have any questions)!

Weihnachtsmarkts

The Weihnachtsmarkts in Germany are extremely fun and special. These outside Christmas festivals are in the middle of almost every city center and folks mill about at any time of the day. (We did learn the hard way that they shut down the one in Kassel around 8pm! We hadn't eaten dinner yet so we were running around the market trying to find food booths with folks still in line. I ended up with a freshly made Nutella crepe. Not exactly dinner fare, but oh my was that good!!).

Otherwise you spend your time walking around all bundled-up: drinking glühwein, alternating between eating a variety of hot, freshly prepared food items (like brats and hot, sauted potatoes) to sweets (like Schokoküsse) and eyeing all the booths with German Christmas items (like wooden candle holders and straw ornaments).

This is definitely something that we will look to recreate when we are open. It makes you feel like a kid again.