Picture perfect? Paparazzi

last visited: Oct 17th 2011
Where: Seckbacher Landstraße 48, 60389 Frankfurt
Info: www.paparazzi-ffm.de, Phone: 069 68 97 73 40, open daily from 5pm to 11pm
Read this in German / Auf Deutsch lesen
If a place is trying to woo me with home-made noodles chances are high that I give in. That is what is happening on this very Monday and since Mondays are definitely not the busiest days for restaurants we find a place for two instantly. It is quiet evident that the name of this restaurant does not originate from a very subtle idea: Dozens of celebrities are greeting us from the pictures hanging on the walls. We decide to share a pizza and a pasta dish although the rich variety displayed on the menu is giving us a hard time to chose anything and the delicious description of each item does not simplify the decision making process at all. While drinking our Pinot Grigio (for a very reasonable € 9.80/0.5l), we decide order a Pizza Stallone (€ 8 with spinach, ricotta and Parma ham) and homemade black tagliolini with fried scampi and lobster sauce (€ 13.50).

Within 15 minutes we are served with a steaming hot pizza and wonderful looking pasta which is definitely the eyecatcher among the two because instead on a plate it is servedt on a crispy and fluffy dough.

The pizza is topped with fresh tomatoes, spinach and prosciutto and is really good. I'd sound more enthusiastic about it if the pasta was not the undisputed show stopper: The noodles are really al dente and the prawns are well cooked and seasoned having us envy them for their place in that delicious and creamy lobster sauce. Perhaps a more hearty and spicey pizza would have gone down better with that mild and creamy pasta sauce. I help myself by pouring all the chili peppers the waiter has warned me from over my half of the pizza leaving the staff and my pal wondering whether my tongue is numb.

We feel taken care of very well by the friendly and joyous staff asking us regularly if we were fine and we definitely are - or perhaps not - because we have definitely gone crazy over that fluffy dough that has soaked in all the lobster sauce by now.

For an unbeatable € 25 (excluding drinks) we leave that charming place that will definitely woo us back again.

Pizza Stallone

Black tagliolini with fried scampi and lobster sauce

Revisited: Restaurant No. 16 - Luigi & Luana

Rezension meines ersten Besuchs vom Mai 2011 - Review of my first visit from May 2011


last visited: October 14th 2011
Where: Wiesenstraße 52, 60385 Frankfurt am Main
Info: Tel: 069 46 45 91

It was about time again. As it is getting bone chillingly cold why not have dinner at a cozy and familiar place. A good friend from the south of Germany is here for a visit and since I have been raving about this restaurant for years the place of my choice is quiet clear. I dared to call them and book a seat only one day in advance so was not surprised by their reply: "We are fully booked, just come over and try"

Well, here we are. Around 9.15 pm we enter a fully packed restaurant meeting other hungry companions waiting for a table. We kill the 45 minutes with a glass of red vino de la casa filled to the brim at the bar and finally take a seat close to it wondering how the large portions of food will fit on that narrow table. Of course I order the dishes I already tried here before in order not to disappoint my friend. We choose the Salad Murisceddu (comes with Tuna and vinegar - pepper - onion dressing) and the Tria combinazioni (pasta, vegetables and lamb loins).

Just my friend's expression when seeing those large portions arriving at our table is worth the visit. And that is only surpassed by the sounds he is making while tasting the food. Since my friend does not eat any pork we asked for a Spaghetti Pesto along the Tria Combinazioni instead of the Spaghetti de la casa with meat sauce and what can we say: This place without any exceptions is continuously delivering high quality having us ask ourselves how each bite outdoes the previous one.

The pesto, too often smothered in cream and served with cheap oil at other places, is a showstopper. Right at the first glance you can see and taste the fresh basil, the real pecorino cheese and high quality olive oil.

We absolutely long for a dessert but are torn between Tiramisu, chocolate mousse and Panacotta. We opt for tiramisu to take away since we need a walk home for sure before anything else goes down our throats. It turns out that my idea of ​​reserving the tiramisu while having our meals would have proven beneficial to us: "Tiramisu and chocolate mousse sold out" we are told.

We take the boxed Panacotta with fruit sauce, pay € 60 (excl.drinks) for a meal which could have served one more friend, drink the free Ramazotti that was offered to us and rush back home to put the Panacotta in the refrigerator. Let me tell you that you won't regret a single pound you gain while eating it..it is just so yummy.

"This is the best Italian food I've eaten outside," says my pal. I am expecting more frequent visits from the south now...

Review: Restaurant No.16 - Luigi & Luana

Rezension meines zweiten Besuchs vom Oktober 2011 - Review of my second visit from Oct 2011


last visited: end of May 2011
Where: Wiesenstraße 52, 60385 Frankfurt am Main
Info: Tel: 069 46 45 91
Now this is a cozy place if you want to spend a long evening dining and chatting and not to forget: If you have plenty of space in your stomach to be filled with some delicious and genuine pasta and meat dishes. Make sure to call well in advance to book a table or just try your luck and spend your time at the bar with a glass of wine waiting to be seated. You will soon forget that you entered a place in the heart of Germany's financial metropolis as you will be taken back into time: Pictures from Sardinia, the Italian island the owners of this 20+ years restaurant are coming from, gazillions of bottles and stuffed animals greet you from the walls.

A pigling is probably the last thing you would want to be in Sardinia since chances are high that you end up as a dish landing on a plate surrounded by Spaghetti in savoury homemade meat sauce and vegetables named as Spaghetti Number 16 (21 €). If you are taken aback by the price now - just believe me: Though 21 € are more than reasonable for the quality served that portion can actually fill 3 people while the menu already states that it suffices for 2!

Add a bit of grated goat cheese - asking for Parmesan, Coke, Sprite and other products alien to Sardinia will only cause the staff to throw a pitying smile at you - and start the feast.

Should anyone crave for meat, let me tell you that the selection is plentiful. I highly recommend the Tria Combinazioni: 2 lamb loins, so tender and juicy they nearly slice themselves voluntarily, with vegetables and pasta with meat sauce de la casa! (€ 28). Needless to say that it takes more than two people to finish that up especially since it is worth to try more than one dish like we are by starting it all with a Salad Murisceddu (15 €) seasoned with a wonderful pepper onion dressing and tuna.

If you like to accompany your meal with wine the choice is made easy for you: There is one red and one white wine - their vino de la casa - and they fill your glass to the brim making it impossible to lift your glass for a "Cheers!".

While observing the friendly and attentive staff (and you can clearly tell by their looks they are a family), we wonder if there is still space for a dessert. There is! Luckily not all of the Tiramisu placed in that transparent refrigerator close to the bar are already reserved. To be sure to get one of these delicious rum and mascarpone soaked sins do as the others do and ask the staff to put one on hold for you while having your main course.
We ask for the check with the little amount of breath we still possess for the rest was taken away by the quality, taste and the sheer size of the dishes. Off the cuff and breathtakingly fast Vincenzo, who eats here every day, lists what we had and prepares the check not forgetting to offer us a free digestive: "Grappa, Ramazzotti, Espresso?" We conclude dinner with a Ramazotti, pay € 50 (excluding drinks), what we think is a pretty good deal, and look forward to a long walk to embrace the nightlife.