There is nothing better than having a friend play tour guide in a new, foreign city, as you're…read morebound to end up at spots you would not have found on your own. I learned while visiting Mannheim that the city has an enormous Turkish population, and therefore it has dozens of Turkish restaurants. Uzun Tasfirini is acclaimed as one of the best spots in the "Little Istanbul" neighborhood, specializing in pides. Pides (pronounced "pea-days") are the Turkish equivalent to pizza. This snack food is a large flatbread topped with ground lamb, tomatoes, and spices, which bakes in a wood-fired oven for less than 10 minutes. It is then cut into squares and served with peppers, parsley, and lemons. You assemble the peppers and parsley yourself, squeezing lemon over your pide before you fold it up and indulge in this pizza treat. It's a simple, delicious dish that you can't miss out on if you're in Mannheim or are feeling homesick for a slice of pizza.

If you find yourself in Mannheim, you can't do better than Uzun. This small place specializes in…read moreTurkish pides, all of which are freshly baked in a huge wood-fired oven. A fresh, filling meal including a drink will run you about 6 Euros, which is hard to beat. To start, order the mercimek corbasi soup, a lentil soup made fresh in house. It comes with fresh baked Turkish flat bread, lemon and spices. For the main course, there's a variety of pides to choose from, but my favorite is the spinach & feta -- freshly chopped bright green spinach mixed with creamy cheese, engulfed in homemade Turkish bread, with generous brushed butter on top, crisped to perfection. Heaven is a place on earth with you.