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    Mama's Minimal Syrian/Creative Fusion from a Lovely Syrian Kitchen to Germany
                                                     located at Rothenburger Str. 37 since 2015
                    My first night I walked into meet the kind & unusual "capos" of the Minimal Syrian Cafe, I knew I would of loved visiting that beautiful country. Although none of the original owners had ever owned a cafe, the desire to bring part of their culture with them to Germany was strong. They were all professionals ranging from Doctors to Architects to Engineering to Finance. Now, since the last 1-1/2, only one of the originals remain and although Jalal says that he is working professionally in his software engineering business, his heart is the Cafe. His partner, Samih, who bought everybody else out, and Samih's talented cook mother, Kholod round out the trio. 
   Samih is very passionate about Minimal Cafe, though. It is his focus and he does have hospitality experience, having worked as a bartender on the artistic circuits of Dresden. His mother is a very accomplished chef in the kitchen and while her dishes have a base in the Syrian culture, she is very creative and experiemental with her recipes, much to the delight of the guests. 
   I met Samih for the first time yesterday & learned about many things happening in Syria that are not in the news. 
    "I am worried about my relatives in Syria as the new regime is not as welcoming to religions that are not Muslim, having targeted a Christian town and my village. I have tried to bring my father here, yet I am unable to acquire a visa for him. So, my mother & I create all of the magic here to bring the local German residents' part of our beloved Syria & my mother's amazing recipes, while juggling with emotions that pull me back home," he tells me and I understand better the struggles that people who have immigrated for political reasons must face every day. And yet, all that you feel in the cafe is peace and a soothing calm. 
    "Well, that is part of who I am, too," Samih says, as he graciously offers me to try something on the menu and shares his story with me. The hospitality, sincere, is always there. Photo
  
  When I asked Jalal if Kholod ever gets tired, he laughs, "Yes, she is working much, yet she insisted on giving me and Samih kitchen training, so we know how to make all of her recipes, so we're being put to work, too." 



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    "We want to make an elegant cafe, yet one that feels warm and inviting to all types of people, from young students to families with children. It has been a challenge, as we slowly build the reputation of the cafe for its exotic fare & dishes, yet with an easy to eat approach to most of them. At night, after 9:00pm, you can come and have drinks and still have the chips and hummus platter with the eggplant dip & lentil dip, along with the paprika mix. People seem to enjoy diving into a new culture and have been very complimentary." Jalal tells me today as we chatted about life in Germany & his parents in Syria. Both his mother & father are professors & his father has written 7 books on psychology that the university uses in its teachings. 
    "They're very accomplished, & although I try to encourage them to move here with me, they say that Syria is their homeland." Photo
 The newest creation of Kholod, Samih's talented mother, is a pizza wrap. Made on the homemade tortilla, as a pizza, then meticulously wrapped to perfection & presented elegantly, they hope to branch out in the future with their signature brand. 
   They want to build their reputation slowly & methodically, with emphasis on high quality & elegant presentation. Their serious attention to each detail is very much in line with a Michelin level restaurant, & yet the atmosphere is mysterious, authentic & cozy. 
     "We used to have a live musician & band from Syria, actually, come once per month & play & it would be a party atmosphere with food & drinks, yet with the circumstances as they are in Syria with strife, we don't feel that we should be throwing parties & dancing while our parents are living in such uncertainty right now. Perhaps in the near future, we'll ask some musicians to come so that our guests can enjoy the music, we'll see," says Jalal when I ask if that is in their plans. 
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                                                     The Shamrock Pub in Dresden
                                                            Wilsdruffer Str. 20
                                                                   Opposite the Christkindle Markts.
           ImageCome fancy a Guinness? They have Guiness 0.0%, too. And they have St. Patrick's Day Boat Parties that the Irish Embassy Employees come down from Berlin to join. They must be fun, right? Meet Silke and Derek who opened the Pub and have run it the last 20 years. The interview is soon to come, but in the next couple of days, please come have some fun. Live Music on Fridays and Saturdays and WHISKEY Tastings on Sundays!
  Derek used to have 3 Irish Pubs in the city. One of these, a young worker who loved his Pubs, bought, and now runs. The other he sold. But he keeps the Shamrock Pub so people from all around the world can come and sit in leather upholstered seats and listen to Irish tales near the fireplace on a long winter night while drinking the famous Murphy's Stout or Guinness that they searched everywhere on Google in Germany for! 
     Derek is English, so hence the fish and chips, and Silke is German, so hence the Schnitzel. A very international family. 

    "I don't know what it is," I remember Derek telling me many times, "but people always want to come to an Irish Pub on vacation. They could be in the Maldives, but they still search for the Irish Pub. I think every major city in the world has a couple of them!" 

     And of course, why do we come to Irish Pubs? That's right to look at the beer in pitchers...Photo
  Okay especially now that the  Christkindlmarkts, are all put away til next Christmas, let's mosey to the Shamrock Pub to warm up with hot Irish stew and warm Irish conversations. Photo
   And diets? Never heard of those when you walk into a Irish Pub. That is why they're so cozy & comfy. You can indulge in the sweet potato fries and real protein. 
  Silke loves the Shamrock because Derek designed it. The two of these lovely Irish Pub Loyalists have been captivating guests with authentic Irish Decor, Memorabilia collected through the years of Irish plaques and Irish music for the last 20 years, but Silke says that it is always Derek who does the decorations. Photo of atmosphere
     "I have to credit Derek. The Shamrock Pub is really his. He collects these items through the years and I can't imagine where he finds all of these, but he does," says Silke when I tell her I love the classy elegant tasteful style of the Shamrock, thinking it must be her touch to it. ImagePhoto of volume
  Silke says that she loves the lifestyle because it is never boring! "You know when you own an Irish Bar, there is always something happening! We have guests from everywhere in the world and I love to sit and chat with everybody. Nowadays me and Derek are homebodies at night, and my daughter is here. She is young, I guess you could say the 2nd generation and she handles the night life. We're the boss. We're at home at 10pm at night!"
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   When coming to Dresden on a Wednesday to Sunday, you must venture to Katy's Garage, in the Dresden's Neustadt district, a party venue that is casual yet has a great alternative vibe, both outside & inside with its music venue. The area is perfect for the owner's entrepreneurial wandering spirit & while his journey rests at Katy's Garage, he continues with his Land rover, Katy, to discover the world. 
    International, diverse, welcoming to all alternative & conservative species of the world, the Cosmopolitan vibe of Katy's is a place where everybody feels that they be themselves while discovering differences in visitors from around the globe. 
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  It has a great huge outdoor beer garden that specializes in rock to electronic music with a very HIGH ENERGY crowd. 
It does host events such as the Indy classic, The Charming Man, and its events page on its website is always diverse & changing. 

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   From Jazz to Classical Piano, na just kidding, it is all about the energetic vibe & dance. 

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   People love Katy's Garage because it feels like you have stumbled upon a rural Chicago Farm, start climbing in the old barns and discover a music rave happening that you decide to join in. Be careful where you step, though as a jump from a horse's loft could land you on a rusty nail and that means a tetanus shot you know where! 
   Yes, they have beer, German beer, it is Germany. They have cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks, too. They have great huge burgers around 8 euros or currywurst for 5 to 7 euros. It's a beer garden that is for the artsy crowd, for travelers that won't break the bank. For the indy classic of The Charming Man, tickets are only 5 euros. 
   So come have fun at Katy's Garage. You can dance to 2:00am on a Wednesday or to 4:00 am on Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Monday & Tuesday you're on your own! 
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  Ristorante Ausonia 2 in Dresden Neumarkt & Ristorante Ausonia in Dresden Königstraße 9
Luigi, who is the chef of Ausonia & Ausonia 2 of Dresden, of Backnang, Schwäbisch Gmünd und la Casa in Heilbronn, & of Tiffany und Le Paon in Stuttgart, started with his very talented mother, Angelina. Angelina started cooking after WW2 out of a tiny room in Germany & along with her memories & her recipes, Luigi has built a Italian empire in Germany!

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 I feel total love when hearing the story of the Ausonia Italian restaurant in Dresden.  I'm interviewing the Capo of the lovely Italian restaurant in the Historic section of Dresden. I feel the respect of his team & the love of his mother who started all of it in 1958. He has sent me a couple of pictures & along with telling you about the family, team & food; I would love to share these with you. 
   So here is Angelina arm wrestling with a customer who always went to the gym...I believe that she won!Image
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  When Angelina first came to Germany. She spent her last years as a restauranteer in Milan, Italy, where she opened yet another Italian restaurant.  The first one, in Gastronomie im Cafè/Pizzeria Milano in Heilbronn. Later, Stuttgart, where Luigi has 3. He has a total of 7. He loves his guests & says that some of his guests come to eat here about 3 days per week!
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   All comfy & cozy is how I would describe the Italian Osteria named Ausonia. It is named from the region of Italy in the Lazio territory near Rome that the Romans conquered & destroyed in 314bc, so I'm especially fond of the Restaurant. hahaha.
   Above is one of Luigi's son clowning around with the cook. Luigi says that both of his son's have careers in the IT industry & that one of his son's has a 1 year old GRANDCHILD! So that makes Luigi a GREAT_GRANDPA! And that makes the restaurant side a 5th generation in the future starting with Luigi's mom, Angelina. Image
Along with their great reputation of Naple's style pizza, Luigi says that he comes from Pompei, which is right outside of Naples, they have the traditional dishes of the region. Yet, alongside of the Konigstrasse 9 address is a favorite of mine: the meats & cheeses of Italy. You can find the real Bufalo cheese that Naples & Sorrento is famous for; the salamis that are the very best of Italy in my opinion & a variety of both for your charcuterie plate that you can make. They have a very playful side so you can buy snowmen or fat animals carved out of cheese. They gave me a unicorn & it is so cute I might just save it forever. Image
   Here we are having fun. The blue guy on the left is the creator of the playful cheese characters...they have A LOT OF TIME on their hands! 
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  How ever you try to copy the Italian's flair for food, they do Antipasta the best. Perhaps it is their traditionally always fresh products, which you can purchase yourself in the Meat & Cheese store connected to Ausonia, or just their  for knowledge of combinations to satisfy the palette. Whatever the reason, here you can have good conversation & great food!
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 There is something about black & white photos that just make a Italian restaurant seem real; traditional: authentic. Perhaps it is the throwback from Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, which every American has on their top 10 list of all time favorites! Or, it just makes you feel comfortable that these people have been doing their jobs a real long time & they know how to feed you! Whatever the reason, we love Italian food. Here you can find Pizzas from the regions: and the Sicilian territory one has hot spicy salami. So that is my favorite. In addition you can choose penne all'arrabiata, 3 types of different spaghettis including spaghetti carbonara, & Linguine alla puttanesca.
Penne all‘ arrabiata is what the team was eating as I said by for the night & it looked very good! The soup & pizza does too!Image
   Here is the very talented team at the Ausonia in the Königstraße 9 section of Dresden. They're rather shy, yet the servers & bartender laugh a lot with Luigi. When I ask Luigi if he ever cooks nowadays they start laughing. "He was just in the kitchen as the cook when you came to interview him. He helps out all the time especially now when we are busy!" And here I thought he is the big Boss & tells others what he wants! Nope. Luigi does it all! He says that it is fun & you have to love the job with passion. He loves the social aspect of it, his guests & serving people.

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