Fine Burgers and Cecilia Bartoli Sighting

Sept 15. U. suggests a spontaneous late Saturday morning jaunt down to Munich. hmm. I´m undecided. Haven´t been down to Munich in a long while, airport not counting. But the week was a particularly exhausting one for U., me and our almost 4 year old daughter who just finished her first week of kindergarten. A lazy autumn day in our village outside Regensburg in Bavaria is starting out well: no fog which is common in the fall and winter here, sun is shining, crisp air, groceries bought, pumpkin on the counter waiting to be cut, roasted, pureed and baked into the seasons first pumpkin pie. This feels like a day to stay close to the nest. Not even the proposal to visit a store on Munich´s Maximillianstrasse that sells it´s pretty little things in equally pretty robins egg blue boxes can (completely) convince me. Hmm… a quick check of the weather on-line: Munich overcast 18°C, Regensburg Sunny 21°C; I think we´ll stay home. The next quick taps at the keyboard reveal that Oktoberfest starts next weekend. Maybe we should seize the day and go to M. this weekend to avoid the crowds that will be making a pilgrimage to M. during the three week duration of Oktoberfest. One last on-line check. I recall www.deliciousdays.com suggesting where the best burgers in M. can be had, and at the moment I´m craving some meat. Click, there it is in the archive: “Cosmo Grill”. A fast glance at the opening hours and I jump in the shower. Okay family it´s off to Munich. Several hours of Autobahn traffic, rerouting, bathroom stops, a kick-off-coffee in the lobby of the Bayrischer Hof Hotel, a visit to the store with the little blue boxes, a bit of drooling at Daimers wool felt shop and then it is time for the burger I have been craving since I bumped into it on the delicious days blog. Cosmo Grill is a half flight down from street level. When you enter you have the feeling you are stepping into a cross between a tiny sushi bar and a sandwich shop. It takes just a couple minutes and then I get acclimated. Simple black white decor, maybe five tables, bar stools, high benches with thick wool mats, white on black menu board. My eyes don´t know where to look first. Words are popping out at me: balsamico, brie, Dijon, avocado, rosemary. Glands watering I order the avocado burger with perry (hard cider made from pears) that is chilling in an ice bucket on the counter. U. orders the barbecue burger. Not yet knowing the size of these gourmet burgers, we ask for an extra plate to share our burgers with kiddo. We make ourselves comfortable in the spartan, modern, small space and happily await our meal. The chef is prepping the teppan yaki grill. Through the glass double doors of the refrigerator, I see the over-sized Maille mustard jars and large clasp lid jars filled with homemade sauce. I believe this is going to be a treat. It has been a year since my last good burger during a visit in Chicago.
A hamburger can be a fine thing. Indeed. When mine arrives my eyes begin eating it in; layered high and teetering on a white square plate, there are no side dishes or garnish cluttering the plate or distracting from the main attraction. (NB: you can order sides but they are served separately). My expectations are high. I sink my teeth in. Juicy tender melt in your mouth ground meat patty, horseradish-sour cream, a flash of spicy Dijon, buttery ripe avocado, tomato, spinach. Mmmmm…eye roll…sigh… I chew slowly, my taste buds are loving this. This is a burger to be savored not wolfed down. This is a burger made with L O V E. Both U. and I order another: Cordon bleu with melting brie, also a delicious delight. Sigh, who knows how long it will be before we get back to Munich. If you live in or close to Munich or if you live far away and are a glutton for punishment you can have the Cosmo Grill burger of the week emailed to you. One helpful tidbit of info., the Cosmo Grill address is Maximillianstrasse 10 but the entrance is located around the corner on Falkenturmstrasse. www.cosmogrill.de

And where does Cecilia Bartoli enter into this burger encounter? Waiting for our second order, my gaze is directed out the window. Sitting a half flight below street level I watch with a beagles perspective as legs pass by without really noticing the torsos they are attached to. One pair of very high heals and small ankles, however, draws my eyes upward. Shapely calves, an elegant smoky gray just under knee length puffy chiffon skirt, my gaze continues to wander up higher, dark brown hair pulled back into a sleek pony tail, attractive face, decently made up. I have one of those “gosh she looks familiar moments, do I know her?” …1 sec…2 sec…3 sec.., it´s, it´s Ce…Ce… Cecilia Bartoli I say to my four year old daughter who delights as if I just told her I spotted our neighbor Rosi walking by. Our eyes meet for a moment as she walks past my table at the window of Cosmo Grill. Now, I don´t consider myself starstruck but in retrospect I do hope I had a pleasant look on my face one that says – Hello, welcome to Germany, nice to see you, your voice is beautiful, no I won´t bother you for an autograph – I don´t get what they mean anyway, take care, bye. I suppose, though, that my expression was more of an empty gaze as I try to figure out where I know this lady from i.e. former student, colleague etc.. Cecilia Bartoli walks down the street, stops and talks with someone at the back entrance of the Hotel Opera (ironic?) which is only about 500 meters as the crow flies from the National Opera House (ironic?).

End of story, Cecilia looked lovely, the burgers were great, the sun did end up coming out in Munich and a pleasant afternoon was had by all.