tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-285617182024-03-13T07:41:39.014-07:00Alice Q. Foodie<strong>foodie - food-ie, noun.
1. A person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment (especially good food and drink)
2. A person who has an ardent or refined interest in food; a gourmet: “in the culinary fast lane, where surprises are expected and foodies beg to be thrilled” (Boston Globe).</strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-20391268121495950772017-06-05T21:38:00.000-07:002017-06-06T08:32:41.763-07:00Mexico City Digest - A round up of favorite places and things from my May 2017 trip to Mexico City. I'm trying something new - using the blog here to supplement my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/aliceqfoodie/?hl=en">Instagram</a> posts with "Digests" of my trips and some of my favorite places to regularly visit. The Digests will round up my personal favorites from each trip and/or place along with a few thoughts and tips. Coming soon, look for digests from recent and upcoming trips to Florence, the Amalfi Coast, London, LA, New York, Copenhagen and London. And if you don't already, follow me on Instagram! It's pretty fun, I swear! I may even do a roundup of my favorite accounts to help you get hooked. :) Hope you enjoy! xx<br />
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<b>Breakfast at Lalo - Roma Centro</b> - This was our first, and I think best, breaktfast in CDMX - chilaquiles (verde) and huevos rancheros served with a bowl of soupy black beans. The eggs were the tell-tale deep orange of pastured eggs, always a good sign. Lalo is a casual daytime place by the people behind Maximo, a great upscale French bistro across the street which we also enjoyed a couple of days later. We had good coffee here too - the only downer was the stale croissant - hopefully a one off - but I didn't get the impression that baked goods are their strong suit. (There's a better place for those - Panaderia Rosetta - see below.) Bonus points for great design and service.<br />
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<b>Coffee at Cafe Avellaneda - Coyoacan - </b>I'm pretty much ready to move to Coyoacan just to be closer to this place. It's that good. We found it looking for a spot for coffee before the Frida Kahlo museum, which is a short walk away. We loved it so much that we went back on our last day. Its a tiny jewel-box of a spot tucked away on a side street. They have a small bar and a bench along the wall. If you sit there, they bring your coffee <a href="https://flic.kr/p/TPPbXS" target="_blank">on a tray</a>, with a glass of water and a little cookie on a little pottery plate. It's just perfect. They also feature delicious coffee cocktails - above is the Juanito, espresso, tonic water and tamarind extract with a twist of orange rind - and a small but perfect selection of baked goods under a glass dome on the counter (I recommend the <a href="https://flic.kr/p/UUEmTF" target="_blank">almond cake</a>) They also sell their coffee beans by the pound. If you go, will you bring me some?? Please??<br />
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<b>The Frida Kahlo House (Casa Azul) - Coyoacan </b>- This was at the absolute top of my list and it lived up to all of my expectations. There is some, but not a lot of her artwork here - it is really about the house and her life. The larger and better collections of paintings are at the Diego Rivera and Dolores Olmedo museums, which we did not get to on this trip. We did not do the audio tour, but I would (will) probably go ahead and spring for it next time - I had already checked my bag at the door so I wasn't able to pay the fee for a photo permit - it's only 30 pesos. I was able to sneak a couple but it would be nice to have more. Definitely buy tickets in advance online. We went on a late weekday morning and were able to skip the very long line because we had already purchased our tickets. My favorite part was the exhibit of her dresses and clothing - including some of her casts and prosthetics - it was housed in a separate area so I'm not sure if it's a permanent exhibit but it is well worth seeing. While you're at the Casa Azul be sure to head over to the town square of Coyacan just a few blocks away, and visit the Coyoacan handicrafts markets - there are two, and they both have a great selection of clothes, baskets huaraches, textiles, etc. at good prices. On Sundays (and probably other days as well) they also have great street vendors, and you can get fantastic churros at <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/churrer%C3%ADa-general-de-la-republica-ciudad-de-m%C3%A9xico" target="_blank">Churreria General de Republica</a>. There is also a great little Antojitos market near Cafe Avellaneda, where we had some <a href="https://flic.kr/p/V7hArP" target="_blank">fab tostadas</a> after our second visit. <br />
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<b>Lunch at Contramar - Condesa - </b>Contramar is a bustling spot and was absolutely packed when we arrived with no reservation at 3 PM on Thursday afternoon - prime comida time. They told us it would be an hour wait, we said we'd stick it out, and it turned out to be more like 15 minutes. I'm not sure if we were just lucky, but this "show up and agree to wait an hour" strategy worked for us on two other occasions too - every time we got in within about 15-20 minutes. I really liked our meal at Contramar, but I didn't love it as much as I had hoped. Their ahi tostadas (center bottom above) are their most popular dish - and while they were very good, they weren't better than the tostadas in Ensenada at <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-guerrerense-ensenada" target="_blank">La Guerrerense</a> or other good ceviche spots elsewhere. We liked the ceviche a lot, and the "carnitas de pescada" were fun for a change, but the scallop dish (top right) was a little bland in spite of its startling color and the mayonnaise laden camaron tostadas were cloyingly sweet. A lot of people seem to order the whole fish here, so maybe that's the way to go. I'm including Contramar in this roundup because even though I didn't love our meal, I think it's at least partly because we ordered poorly. It's definitely a happening scene at comida time and people reeallly seem to love it. BTW - they have a "gringo" menu that doesn't have a slot for their daily changing specials - so be sure to ask for those. (They gave us the Spanish one at first, then the gringo one when we asked to see a menu during the meal.)<br />
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<b>La Merced Market Tour with Eat Mexico Tours</b>: Aside from the Casa Azul, the other advance plan we made before leaving on the trip was a tour of La Merced, the largest and oldest food market in Mexico City. We chose <a href="https://eatmexico.com/" target="_blank">Eat Mexico</a> for this tour and we were really happy with the experience. Our guide, Carla, was incredibly charming, and took the three of us on the tour all over the fruit and vegetable and prepared food sides of the market. Interestingly, she said she would not take us in the meat building because we were an all female group, and she didn't want to subject us to harassment by the butchers. I had heard that street harassment is more of an issue in Mexico than it is in the US, but either we were too old or this didn't prove true, because we certainly didn't notice any. We never felt unsafe anywhere we went, and we walked around quite a bit. As we went through the tour, Carla took us to her favorite stalls and all of our food and beverages were included - we stopped for tacos, aguas frescas, candy, and even a stall selling insects and other delicacies of Mexico. We had some really good nieves (ice cream) on the street, and finished with mezcal served in a poblano pepper and guacamole with chapulines (yes, grasshoppers!) at a nice restaurant nearby. The tour takes about five hours, and I had been a smidge concerned about spending such a large chunk of time at the market, but it was really worthwhile. La Merced is also something you definitely would not want to do without a guide, at least the first time. The place is huge and a total maze and you would have no idea how to find the good stuff once you got inside. <br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/34015328604/in/album-72157684204949655/" title="Palacio Nacional - CDMX"><img alt="Palacio Nacional - CDMX" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4227/34015328604_43537847e4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
After the tour, since we were close to the city center, we walked over to the Zocalo to see the Cathedral, the Templo Mayor ancient Aztec ruins right next door, and the <b>Diego Rivera Mural at the Palacio Nacional - the History of Mexico</b>. If you go to CDMX - do not miss this mural - it is worth a special trip, and the Palacio Nacional is a lovely oasis of calm within the city. We had a little trouble finding the entrance to the building (a sign maybe would have helped?) but eventually figured it out. The Zocalo itself was a construction site so there wasn't much to look at there, but the balcony bar at the Gran Hotel has a fabulous vantage point and a killer Tiffany stained glass dome in the lobby - like the Palace Hotel in San Francisco - and is worth a stop for a drink. <br />
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<b>Lunch at Maximo Bistrot - Roma </b>- This was by far my favorite meal of the trip. In fact, it's the best meal I've eaten in recent memory. We arrived at 3 PM on Saturday afternoon and they squeezed us in after a lovely cocktail in the upstairs bar. The restaurant wasn't exactly what I expected - it's described in blog posts and articles as a "French bistro" but it's much more interesting that that. I'd say Mediterranean fine dining maybe. We opted to share two starters, two mains and a bottle of wine Our server very enthusiastically recommended the "Caracol" - which is sea snails, with butter and garlic, plated over a swirl of avocado puree. I've never loved sea snails but these may have changed my mind. They were tender and rich, sparkling with butter, citrus and garlic. The next dish was lightly fried artichoke hearts - served in more garlic and butter but just different enough from the first dish. They brought around hunks of fresh baked sourdough bread and it was all just heavenly with the bottle of dry white wine we ordered. For mains, anytime I see rabbit on the menu I order it, and it was fantastic here - braised and served in a flavorful demi glace. My friend Kris chose fish and was equally pleased. <br />
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<b>Panaderia Rosetta - Colonia Juarez</b>. There are a few other smaller branches of this bakery cafe sprinkled around including one in Condesa and Roma. We popped in for a bite on the afternoon of our last day in CDMX - I opted for the lemon meringue cake pictured above, which was better than I dared expect - and Kris had a savory snack of appetizers and salads. Everything was just "so" and if I were to return to Mexico City (and I am fairly certain I will) I would seriously consider staying in the <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4604049" target="_blank">Air BNB that is literally right upstairs</a> just for easy access to their coffee and pastries in the morning. The Juarez area was lovely, with tree-lined streets and an upscale residential feel to it I'm sure they're very busy in the morning but in the afternoon it was nice and peaceful. <br />
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For more photos, click <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/albums/72157684204949655" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-9682434087454406402015-07-30T12:45:00.001-07:002016-06-14T11:36:24.870-07:00Glastonbury Festival 2015<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/19611820791/in/album-72157655743156981/" title="IMG_0078"><img alt="IMG_0078" height="480" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/549/19611820791_a52844106c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Oh Glastonbury, you got me again. I thought this second visit would be so much easier than the first - we were staying inside the festival in a tipi, some of my favorite bands were playing (even headlining!) and having been there before we were old pros. We even knew where the secret piano bar was. But guess what? It still went by in a flash, and we still didn't get around to everything we wanted to do. I now realize that is completely impossible and one of the maddening yet enchanting thing about the festival. You are going to miss 95% of it no matter what you do. It's all about choices, and it definitely keeps you coming back for more. <br />
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The tipi thing worked out really well. There were clean compost toilets, showers, a fire pit and a cafe, and we had a lovely huge tipi to enjoy. It <i>was</i> pretty noisy, with music coming at us from about six different locations during waking hours Friday-Sunday (including a never ending drum circle in the Tipi Field next door.) The hour-long lines for showers were also inconvenient, but at least there <i>were</i> showers. I just don't think I could do the whole five days without them. Between the mud, all the walking and the fact that there's no better way to revive when you're hungover or tired, that is a necessity for me. We missed some things about our posh campsite last year - namely the lovely people running it, parking close to the tent and the real double bed we slept on, but the prime location of the tipis made up for a lot of that.<br />
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The benefits of being inside the festival were only slightly offset by the misery of having to carry our belongings all the way across the site from Gate D to the tipi field without a backpack or a cart. That was kind of our own fault though. Would you go on a three mile uphill hike with two overweight, sagging duffel bags? Don't answer that. We ate all our meals in the festival this year, but there was a lot of turnover in the food vendors - and sadly many of the <a href="http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/07/glastonbury-2014-part-i-food-drink.html">ones I enjoyed last year</a> were missing. I was also chagrined to notice the prices went up by about a pound across the board, so most meals/sandwiches, etc. were around 8-12 pounds, or about 13-18 bucks a meal. Seeing as I ate only one real meal every day it wasn't terrible, but when your one meal isn't very good it's a bit of drag.<br />
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We did try that Tabun pizza, and it was the best thing we had. Tied for second were the lobster dripping in herb butter, and the raclette - both down by the Pyramid Stage. The lobster stall was a little overwhelmed, but when I finally got my lobster it was <i>almost </i>worth the crazy long wait. On the plus side of the wait, met and chatted with the guys who do the visuals for <a href="http://www.flying-lotus.com/youre-dead/">Flying Lotus</a> - one of them even chivalrously gave me his lobster when mine came out looking scrawny and I sent it back. (Picky? Who, me?) The raclette boys had the whole set up - broiling the wheel of cheese under a heater and then scraping it off onto little paper boats filled with new potatoes, bacon and pickles. (Pro tip: get it with the fries instead of new potatoes.) I would have pictures and even a video of that for you, but I managed to lock myself out of my phone and lost all of my pictures from Wednesday and Thursday when I had to restart it as a new phone on Friday (which was not easy in a remote location like that, let me tell you!)<br />
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My music highlight this year was definitely <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA5-pa8D1mc">Florence and the Machine</a>. She stepped up to the headline slot at the last minute when planned Friday headliners Foo Fighters had to cancel because of Dave Grohl's broken leg. She absolutely killed it - I almost didn't go because I was by myself, but I am so glad I did. Her <a href="http://her%20cover%20of%20times%20like%20these%20by%20the%20foo%20fighters%20was%20a%20perfect%20homage./">cover of Times Like These by the Foo Fighters</a> was the perfect homage. I got as close as I possibly could and I've never been at a show with more energy and enthusiasm. I loved it so much I bought tickets for her show here in October as soon as I got home.<br />
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I was committed to changing it up and getting around to as many new experiences as possible this year, and going in the "back" of the Rabbit Hole was close to the top of this list. We went on Thursday since we figured the lines were only going to get longer throughout the weekend. When you finally get to the front, they usher you through a thigh high door into a room decorated Alice in Wonderland style, where they ask you riddles, spin you around and generally just try to disorient you as much as possible before sending you through a lighted tunnel to a tented dance club area - there is a little outdoor space and a second smaller tented area too with a live band. Adjacent to this is an even more exclusive "VIP" area with a central outdoor fireplace and live music - it was rumored there was a hot tub back there this year too.<br />
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The Rabbit Hole seemed a lot more crowded this year - Since it's tucked up at the top of the Park I think in years past a lot of people didn't make it all the way there, but that seemed to have changed. We were there for the "Secret Massive Finale" (below) - which was Mark Ronson doing a DJ set. I also made it to see Fatboy Slim in Silver Hayes this year - a lot of people complained about the venue being dangerously overcrowded, but we were kind of off to the side and didn't notice any problems. Arcadia was also pretty spectacular this year with their newly added baby spiders, and one of my festival highlights was seeing <a href="http://theageofglass.com/">The Age of Glass</a> at the Bimble Inn at 1 AM on Monday. (Can you tell I spent quite a bit of time enjoying the nightlife this year?)<br />
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I did still manage to get around to a few daytime sets including Alt J, where we discovered the joy of a lazy afternoon up on the hill surrounding the Pyramid. The sound is really surprisingly good up there. We were right in front of people's tents - must be an interesting experience to have that view all weekend. We missed Lionel Ritchie in the Sunday "Legends" slot - he drew the largest crowd of the weekend just like Dolly Parton last year. We opted for a catered Sunday lunch at the Deluxe Diner in Shangri La instead, but I caught some of Lionel on the taped coverage. It looked like he put on a good show and was tickled by the fantastic reception from the crowd. I also heard but did not see the Dalai Lama's Sunday morning speech. Another side benefit of being in a tipi, we were close enough to the Green Fields to wake up to it coming through over the loudspeaker.<br />
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We found the piano bar - which wasn't very difficult at all. All day Wednesday and Thursday you could see and hear them building it, just off to the side of the Kings Meadow (Stone Circle) - people wandered through during the day and played the piano occasionally - I tried to go Saturday morning but we were deterred by the huge line - it only holds about 30 people. Also new this year, a couple had set up two tubs nearby - one "indoor" in a tent and one outdoor with a view - offering hot seaweed baths heated by a woodfired stove. It looked interesting, but I don't know if they had very many takers. <br />
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We closed out the weekend with the Chemical Brothers at the Other Stage on Sunday night (before going on to Arcadia, Bimble Inn and the Rabbit Hole...again...) Though I probably missed more of the music than I should have one great thing about Glastonbury is most of the lineup is televised on the BBC - the whole thing is on TV in England and a lot of it was also uploaded to YouTube. Since you can only be in one place at one time and you have to sleep at some point, the televised coverage is fantastic for seeing what you missed. Of course it's not the same as being there, but in some ways it's actually better. You can actually see the performance and you're not standing in the rain/being trampled by the crowd/broiling in the sun, etc. It's helped me discover a lot of bands that I might never have found otherwise like Years and Years, Future Islands, Jamie T, Jamie XX, etc. Unfortunately the BBC has marked all of their You Tube videos private now (I think they only share them for thirty days.) but many of them have been uploaded by other viewers - poke around <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=glastonbury+2015">here</a> if you want to have a look. <br />
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All in all, it was another amazing, exhausting, overwhelming, fantastic year. I met some fun people (one of whom has actually turned into a real life friend - hi Helen!) hung out with some friends from last year, and made other "friends" I'll probably never see again, but that's how the Glastonbury spirit works. Every time you go, you have a little more experience to go on, some new areas to see, a list of bands you will probably never make it to, and (hopefully) you let yourself get carried off to something new and unexpected. I also discovered the joys of showing the festival to people experiencing it for the first time, which might be the most fun of all. <br />
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(If you're interested, I also wrote about 2014 <a href="http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/07/glastonbury-2014-part-i-food-drink.html">here</a>, <a href="http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/07/glastonbury-2014-part-ii-what-i-learned.html">here</a> and <a href="http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/07/glastonbury-2014-part-iii-wild-meadow.html">here</a>.)<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-17854518098107827972015-04-14T09:38:00.003-07:002020-02-09T11:08:00.457-08:00NYC - Spring 2015<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16864943472" title="NYC 2015 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="NYC 2015" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7643/16864943472_8ff891ebce_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
Well hello! How is everyone doing out there? I'm popping back in to talk about a trip we took to New York a few weeks ago. I'd like to joke that this is turning into a travel blog, since I only update it when we go out of town - but I don't think that really works if I only post every six months or so. Anyhoo....we ate some great food and did a lot of fun stuff and I really want to tell you about it - so here goes! The main reason for the trip was to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch with John Cameron Mitchell on Broadway. We booked the tickets for Thursday night, and planned the rest of our Wednesday - Sunday long weekend around that. James had never been to NYC, and though I had been a few times, on some of those trips I didn't have a lot of free time, so there were plenty of touristy things I'd never done before. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16246167523" title="NYC 2015 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="NYC 2015" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7584/16246167523_cc421828ba_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We stayed at the Ace, where I also stayed on my last trip a few years ago. It's in a great location just a few blocks from Eataly and walking distance to Times Square - pretty much right in the middle of town. It was fairly new when I stayed before and the service seemed a little spiffier - but the main improvement was the John Dory Oyster bar, which hadn't opened yet then. We spent a lot of time there, and I strongly recommend it over the Breslin - where we had an extremely mediocre meal on our first night in town, complete with terrible service. It didn't seem like an off night either - it seemed like the place was overwhelmed by bar business and the food was becoming an afterthought. The lobby bar was also constantly overcrowded. They roped off about half of the space on our first night for a bottle service event, and in the five days we could never find two seats when we wanted them. Instead, we just went to the John Dory and sat at their bar. The John Dory is somewhat famous for their homemade dinner rolls which are perfect with their burrata and salsa verde. An order of those with some rose and oysters was perfection.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16246151773" title="NYC 2015 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="NYC 2015" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7616/16246151773_1f72abea2c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Since we were going to be there for a few days, we decided to get City Passes, which give you a nice ready made to-do list at a 40% discount if you use them all. It includes the Empire State Building, the 9/11 museum or the Intrepid Air and Space Museum, either the Statue of Liberty or a Circle Line Cruise around the island, the National History Museum, the Top of the Rock, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We kicked off our sightseeing by walking over to the Empire State Building at dusk (after downing the above mentioned oysters and rose) to see the sun set and redeem our CityPass vouchers. It seemed to be a pretty good time of day for this - the line was non-existent but it was still pretty crowded on the viewing deck. The next morning we set out for the Statue of Liberty. I didn't realize that you need to make reservations three months in advance for "crown and pedestal" tickets so if you want those take heed and plan ahead. Without them, you're limited to the circular path around the statue - still lovely on a beautiful day. The boat also stops at Ellis Island, but we decided to save that for another trip since we wanted to head over to the 9/11 museum and Ground Zero. We walked there from Battery Park in about 10 minutes. The memorial is elegant and powerful and the museum is very well done, both in tone and style. The rest of the World Trade Center complex is still in the process of opening. Conde Nast had just moved in a week earlier, and they are opening several restaurant and shopping venues in the complex over the next few months, including a branch of Eataly and a viewing deck at the top of One World Trade Center. The famous Calatrava PATH station was still under construction as well - we could see it taking shape.<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16866116035" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="NYC 2015 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="NYC 2015" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7617/16866116035_76db2b0e75_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
From the World Trade Center, we took a cab to Katz's for a late lunch. On my first trip to NYC, I told the cab driver it was my first trip to the City, and he took me on a little impromptu tour - pointing out sights along the way into town from the airport. One of the places he drove me past was Katz's - pointing out that it was the "When Harry Met Sally deli." That is one of the things it is famous for - the other is the pastrami, and rightly so. They still cut it by hand. You walk in, get a ticket and give it to the slicer - telling him which sandwiches you want. We got a reuben (with pastrami) and a pastrami sandwich both of which were amazing - though I'm always partial to a reuben. You then move on down the line, giving them your ticket to mark what you order. Then you sit down to eat. When you leave, you line up to pay according to what's on your ticket. Don't lose your ticket, they will want it even if you didn't order anything - so they know you paid for what you ordered. (If you don't want to deal with any of this, you can sit in the service section, and they'll serve your table - I think a lot of regulars do that.) The pastrami is quite simply, everything. They say hunger is the best sauce and it definitely didn't hurt that we hadn't eaten much that day and it was close to 2 PM - but this is really something special. I recommend going when you have an appetite. You'll need the room. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16706080127" title="Katz's - NYC by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Katz's - NYC" height="457" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8690/16706080127_3e2f429146_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After the pastrami, we walked up Second Avenue to the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop on the LES. It was about 40 degrees, but I wanted to try a Salty Pimp - a vanilla soft serve cone striped with caramel and dipped in chocolate, with flaky salt. I was pretty full, but it was pretty good.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16686189188" title="NYC 2015 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="NYC 2015" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7286/16686189188_c77fa3d1b5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We walked all the way back to our hotel from there, and headed out to the play later that night. The show was great - if you're not familiar with Hedwig I highly recommend the movie as an introduction. The Belasco theater is a beautiful place to see it too. Afterwards we walked a block to the famous Algonquin hotel for a post theater cocktail. The hotel has been heavily remodeled ad didn't quite reflect the bookish charm you might expect, but was a great quiet place for a drink and a nice respite from the craziness of Times Square. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16873813905" title="NYC 2015 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="NYC 2015" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7596/16873813905_7f99fb1394_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We started the next day with breakfast at the Lafayette, an experience I do not recommend. This was another popular spot where we experienced bad service. James ordered a croissant breakfast sandwich and they told us they were out. Huh? The case was full of croissants. We should have just gone to Balthazar. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16253827913" title="NYC 2015 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="NYC 2015" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7626/16253827913_50d2a4beb5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
From there we trekked over to the High Line and walked the entire thing - its all open now - the first time I went it was only about 1/3 completed. The only drawback of course was that at the end of winter the gardens are not in their lushest state - in fact they were verily destroyed. The same was true of Central Park. Another good reason to plan a visit in the late spring or fall if you can, but we were hemmed in by JCM's dates in Hedwig. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16872809611" title="NYC 2015 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="NYC 2015" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7620/16872809611_699523e821_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Ticking off more of our CityPass coupons, we cabbed up to Rockefeller Center to do the Top of the Rock. We had heard from a few people that it was worthwhile, but honestly if we didn't have tickets we probably wouldn't have bothered, having already been up the Empire State Building. I was really glad we did though. It's a lovely open and spacious multi-level viewing deck in contrast to the Empire State Building's single level crowded narrow space. You can see quite a bit (including the Empire State Building) and an especially good view of Central Park. If you have to choose one or the other, I'd recommend this. A quick word here about security at all of these sites. It is very, very tight. We had to go through airport style security at every single attraction, with X-rays and metal detectors. If you are carrying any kind of pocket knife or personal protection device chances are they will take it away from you.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16872646112" title="NYC 2015 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="NYC 2015" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7641/16872646112_5a61d557ec_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
That night we had dinner at Momofuku Ko, David Chang's 18 seat fine dining bar in its new location on the LES (we wound up spending a quite a bit of time in that area on this trip.) We love bar seating and enjoyed watching the cooks prepare the food - ala L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon and Trois Mec. We had some memorable courses, including a small cylindrical "lobster roll" amuse bouche, rare venison with epoisses mashed potatoes and a chilled razor clam soup with pineapple and basil oil - but we walked away feeling it was tad overpriced, particularly when it came to the beverage pairings.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16724870110" title="Dinner at Momofuku Ko by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Dinner at Momofuku Ko" height="457" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8720/16724870110_2e00cf6e9e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We ordered them not knowing what they cost, and were a bit surprised when we were served tiny two-or-three-sip sized pours with each course. There were a number of sparkling wines, one was a cocktail made of Abita rootbeer and Amaro, several others were ciders, beers, etc. They were interesting and good, but just not quite worth the price, and that element of the meal left a bit of a sour taste (forgive me) in our mouths. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16706079847" title="Estela - NYC by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Estela - NYC" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7591/16706079847_cfa5a26799_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Brunch the next morning at Estela with my friend Rorie was another memorable meal. The food was wonderful - the menu full of everything I like to eat, but for whatever reason, our server was strangely snobbish and unpleasant. The burrata with salsa verde, endive salad with a bright orange dressing, pecorino and walnuts and the spicy lamb ribs made up for most of that though. Dessert was a chocolate cake with black sesame ganache and clouds of whipped cream. Assuming the service was a one off (and I really think it was) this is a place I would return to again and again.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16847932616" title="NYC 2015 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="NYC 2015" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7594/16847932616_aca1776374_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Later that afternoon Rorie and I stopped into City Bakery for the famous hot chocolate and pretzel croissant. I was prepared to be disappointed, as can happen with an over-hyped experience, but this was amazing. The key is to get both the rich sweet chocolate and the salty, slightly chewy crisp croissant. They play perfectly off one another. Seriously. Do. Not. Miss. This. Between this and Katz's we did pretty damn well at the supposed tourist traps, I gotta admit.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16953869348" title="Cafe Carlyle by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Cafe Carlyle" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7652/16953869348_893f384065_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
That night we had a terrible dinner at a new hot spot in town, Seamstress on the UES. We picked it because it was close to the Carlyle and we had tickets to see Herb Alpert there. The food was dreadful, but the cocktails were good and the crowd was young and pretty. It was pretty funny to go from being the oldest people in the room there to the youngest by far at the Carlyle. The show there was wonderful and the room - covered with Bemelman's murals - was worth the trip in itself. After the show we went over to the Bemelman's bar for a nightcap with a live band. Such an only in NYC treat. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/16730091668" title="NYC 2015 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="NYC 2015" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7593/16730091668_913d3fc1fa_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We closed our our eating in New York with pizza at Eataly the next day. I was a smidge (ok, a LOT) hungover from too many Manhattans the night before. (I just couldn't stop ordering Manhattans in Manhattan. Ugh, I know.) In any event I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have, but it was pretty amazing. We also had some bucatini and split a meat and cheese plate out in the atrium. Eataly is as mobbed as ever, going at an off time is the best option. They also just opened a rooftop beer garden that is no doubt going to go off this summer. <br />
<br />
So that is it for NYC! If you have any questions feel free to comment, and hopefully I'll be back soon! xoxox<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-72349173198053214842014-12-27T16:27:00.001-08:002020-02-09T11:08:08.751-08:00Red Chile Stew<div>
spice mixture:<br />
2-3 Tablespoons pure New Mexico Chile Powder, depending on your tolerance for spicy foods, and the heat of the chiles involved.<br />
2 teaspoons ground cumin<br />
2 teaspoons cocoa powder<br />
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder<br />
scant 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
2 Tablespoons sugar<br />
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt<br />
1/3 finely ground black pepper<br />
<br />
for stew:<br />
1/2 cup oil, half olive and canola or other veg oil<br />
2-3 pounds of chuck roast or stewing beef, cut into 1 inch cubes<br />
1 large white onion, chopped<br />
6 cloves of garlic, smashed<br />
1 Tablespoon dried whole oregano<br />
3 cups of water<br />
1 16 oz can of chunky tomato sauce<br />
1 bottle of medium-dark beer, such as negro modelo<br />
2 cans of pinto beans, drained (or 1 cup dried beans, cooked and drained)<br />
<br />
In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, chile powder, cocoa, cinnamon, chipotle, sugar, pepper and salt. Set aside.<br />
<br />
Brown the meat in a large pot, being careful not to crowd it, and adding more oil after each batch. Add a little more oil to the pot and add the onion and garlic, saute until soft. Add the spice mixture and stir to coat. Fry for about two minutes, until the seasonings are evenly distributed. Add oregano.<br />
<br />
Add the water, tomato sauce and beer, and bring to a boil. Add the meat, and return to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 2-3 hours, until the meat is tender.<br />
Adjust seasonings to taste.<br />
For a chili texture, shred the meat by pressing it against the bottom of the pan with a potato masher, pulling it gently across the bottom of the pan as you press down. For a more stew-like consistency, leave the chunks whole.<br />
<br />
Add the beans and cook for another ten to twenty minutes. At this point, the stew is ready to serve, but it is best if allowed to cool and refrigerated for at least one preferably even two days - then reheated. The liquid will be thicker, and the flavors will meld and develop over time.<br />
<br />
Serve chili-style in bowls with tortillas or cornbread, or as a stew over soft polenta or grits. Offer garnishes of chopped red onion or scallions, cilantro, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-71854560554904843822014-09-02T16:14:00.003-07:002015-04-20T16:16:59.370-07:00Verde y Crema, Tijuana with Club Tengo Hambre <div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14887251622" title="Club Tengo Hambre Group 8.9.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Group 8.9.14" height="500" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3862/14887251622_d5480decca.jpg" width="490" /></a></div>
I have another post about London in the works, but judging by the number of questions I've been getting about this trip, I'm thinking you'd probably rather hear about this first. I'd been wanting to do one of the <a href="http://www.clubtengohambre.com/" target="_blank">Club Tengo Hambre </a>tours for a while, and this time the stars finally aligned. Their tours to the Guadalupe Valley look like a lot of fun, as do the tacos and beer tours of Tijuana - but this one was an introduction to three of Tijuana's newest prominent dining destinations - Verde y Crema, La Querencia and Mision 19. We met on this side of the border and crossed over on foot - then hopped in a mini bus for the short trip to Verde y Crema. On the way they treated us to shots of tequila - a great start to any adventure.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14700774410" title="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3910/14700774410_4cecdb7860_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Verde y Crema is Jair Tellez' new spot just off Agua Caliente Blvd in a converted bus depot. The art and light filled space was by far my favorite stop on the tour and the menu appealed to me the most of the three for a return visit.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14884978264" title="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3886/14884978264_ed2081fafa_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The dining room is covered but flooded with natural light through clear plexiglass. There is a bar along the long shaded area on the right and club like space upstairs. They serve beer and wine, no cocktails (for now anyway) but these spaces look like a great spot to while a way a couple of hours in the evening. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14887414535" title="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5578/14887414535_dfd79380ca_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Our tour group sat together at one long table. It was brutally hot and it being indoor/outdoor there was no air conditioning in the restaurant, but they set up some fans to give us a little air circulation. We ordered bottled water and cold beer and felt better immediately.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14887097292" title="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14" height="489" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3915/14887097292_aaa7cd620e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
At each stop on the one beverage option was included. Here it was a lightly smoky young Mezcal - pictured below. At La Querencia it was beer and at Mision 19 it was wine - all local of course. We ordered more than what was provided at every stop - beer, bottled water, cocktails, etc. so we wound up at each stop with a bit of a bill, which was fine, but just not something I thought about. It would definitely be a good idea to bring some cash along - but you're not likely to cross the border without some cash anyway, right? <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14864459426" title="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3866/14864459426_ca6f2c1544_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The first of our two food courses at this stop were the "verdure" (vegetable) tacos - fresh, soft blue corn tortilla pockets toasted with melted cheese and filled with roasted beets, fresh salsa, watermelon radish, cilantro and scallion. The soft slightly crisp tortilla and warm melted cheese contrasted well with the fresh toppings and made these radical but welcome change from our usual San Diego style Mexican food. James said they were his favorite dish of the tour.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14907296163" title="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3908/14907296163_dd40f52ac0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Our second course was my favorite, a light citrusy ceviche with fresh uni. To my surprise, several people in the group did not eat this at all. At first I didn't want to be too greedy, but eventually I found myself scraping more and more onto my plate. I couldn't bear to see it go to waste, but of course I didn't want to overdo it with two more stops and six more courses to come. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14700775440" title="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3850/14700775440_c210d94153_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
At Verde y Crema they cook primarily with wood - behind the chefs below is a complex wood burning grill, and in the corner is a wood burning oven. This window to the kitchen is at the back of the restaurant, we swung by and took these pictures on the way upstairs.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14887096722" title="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5563/14887096722_d67c5eea22_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The upstairs bar was peaceful and quiet in the afternoon. The bar was closed, but it looked like a nice place for a drink with friends in the evening or after dinner. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14700895067" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5557/14700895067_f758f69732_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
In the parking lot just adjacent to the restaurant sits a food truck, Troca Lonche. They do some cooking and preparation for the restaurant, and apparently serve breakfast. I read that they plan to hit the streets soon with more offerings, so keep an eye out for that. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14907293353" title="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5560/14907293353_07c1dcc4da_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Before boarding the bus, we posed for a group photo in front of the mural in their parking lot which made a fun backdrop for a group photo up top.) Jair Tellez is best known for Laja - the "French Laundry of the Guadalupe Valley." About a million years ago we went to Laja and I wrote a <a href="http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2006/10/aceitunas-y-uvas-en-la-valle-de.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> about it. We enjoyed the meal but to be honest it wasn't amazing. I think it may have been a bit of an outlier though, and I've been wanting to go back and try it again. The Guadalupe Valley has changed quite a bit since 2006 and I can't wait to experience all of the new places that have opened in the past few years. We're hoping to make a trip down there this fall - now that we have SENTRI passes that whole ordeal just became a whole lot easier.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14700819778" title="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3842/14700819778_5f75d78c5b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
If you are not already aware, SENTRI (or Global Entry) is a must for visiting Mexico - if you can afford it. Frankly, it disgusts me a bit that the Feds are asking people to pay to skip the line rather than simply doing their job more efficiently - but they haven't solicited my feedback recently, so I'm guessing it doesn't really matter what I think. We forked over our $125. earlier this year after a three hour wait coming back from a camping trip in Baja in December. You pay a $25. deposit and <a href="https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov/main/goes" target="_blank">fill out a form online,</a> then wait for them to contact you for an interview. At the interview, they collect another $125 from you, fingerprint you, take your picture, and ask you a few questions. It's a lot like a trip to the DMV. Shortly thereafter - assuming you are accepted - they will give you a Trusted Traveler Number and issue your card. The whole process took about six months for us, and may be longer now depending on where you are trying to book your appointment. Your Trusted Traveler Number also gives you access to Global Entry and TSA Pre benefits - as long as the name associated with your Trusted Traveler Number matches your reservation.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14887093192" title="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Club Tengo Hambre Tour 8.14" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3908/14887093192_76ac6bc6ba_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
If you don't live near the Mexican border and don't plan to drive across, you don't need SENTRI - you can get Global Entry for the trusted traveler benefits for air travel including TSA Pre. (NEXUS is the equivalent to SENTRI for crossing the Canadian border.) If you decide you want to add SENTRI later, you can just add it to your account by requesting it after the fact. The guy who interviewed me told me to tell everyone to get Global Entry and add SENTRI because they'll add it for free if you already have Global Entry. If you apply for Sentri from the start, it costs $25. more. Not a big deal for one person, but for a family it could add up, and everyone in your car has to have SENTRI in order to use the dedicated lane coming back. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-63177922734876069222014-08-18T15:11:00.001-07:002020-02-09T11:08:06.604-08:00Fairweather at Rare Form - Downtown San Diego<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14959353625" title="Untitled by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5572/14959353625_e75eb352c6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Hey now! Look who's got the scoop! Sorry, but I can't resist - I'm just so excited to be writing about something that happened less than two months ago. This past weekend I was lucky enough to see a Facebook post from the chef at <a href="http://www.ironsidefishandoyster.com/" target="_blank">Ironside,</a> indicating that Consortium Holdings was opening an open-air bar called Fairweather over their new sandwich shop/delicatessen <a href="http://www.godblessrareform.com/" target="_blank">Rare Form </a>this weekend. It was sweet serendipity for me, because I was staying right around the corner from there with a friend this weekend at the Omni next to the ballpark. She needed a little mini getaway so she booked a room through Priceline for a mini-staycation and invited me to join her. We were pretty impressed with that place too. The room was nice, the pool deck was lovely, and it was a lot of fun to be on vacation in my own town, ten minutes away from my house.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14959359285" title="Untitled by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3893/14959359285_ca5735caf6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After meeting up at the hotel we walked literally around the corner (ok, maybe two corners) to Rare Form and climbed the stairs in the back (it's a little more complicated than that, but you'll figure it out) to the brand new upstairs rooftop bar. It's not as high as some of the other rooftop spots in town, but what it lacks in external view (which is a pastoral view of the Park at the Park just outside Petco) it makes up for with its own internal beauty.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14772781097" title=" by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt=" " height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3906/14772781097_283cf0a4d2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Like all Consortium projects, this place is long on gorgeousness, with that same killer <a href="http://www.granadatile.com/" target="_blank">Granada Tile </a>that makes Intelligentsia in LA such a popular spot, and lots of marble, citrus and greenery. Always a winning formula. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14958958962" title="Untitled by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3864/14958958962_fcdd781eb0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
It's a long narrow space, with cozy booths along the railing, the bar right in the center and a long communal marble table at the far side backed by a green wall. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14772640990" title="Untitled by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3894/14772640990_5ff9a89444_z.jpg" /></a><br />
The tables were decked out with little brass hurricane lanterns and they were serving a limited cocktail menu for the opening, but will be in full swing soon. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14772636429" title=" by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt=" " height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5566/14772636429_c51ab98901_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
There were a lot of people in Hawaiian shirts and tiki gear - no doubt because Tiki Oasis was in town this weekend. I didn't make it to any of the festivities but James went to the party on Thursday and checked out the hotel on Friday and said it looked like a blast - we'll have to make that happen next year. I saw this snappy group by the bar on Saturday and asked if I could take their picture - turns out the couple on the right are the owners of Smugglers Cove, one of our favorite tiki bars in San Francisco. Fun running into them. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14956210591" title="Untitled by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5583/14956210591_b0f0f7a480_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We ordered tiki style drinks too as it turned out - the Rum Runner for me, and the "Blue Drink" for Beth. There were some opening night jitters in the service and drinks, but we know these guys know how to make cocktails because they do them so well at Craft & Commerce and Polite Provisions, so I have no fear those things will be ironed out asap.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14772646050" title=" by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt=" " height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3864/14772646050_46db2ee870_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
They aren't serving food upstairs and haven't quite figured out how that is going to work yet, but you can order food to go and take it upstairs yourself. They gave us half of our order wrapped to go and half for here - which worked out well enough since the sweet girl working downstairs helped me carry everything. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14772786497" title=" by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt=" " height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3864/14772786497_cbcae17a1f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
This was my second time eating at Rare Form. They specialize in sandwiches and call the restaurant a delicatessen. That might be a stretch, but the sandwiches and sides I've tried so far have all been good. I especially liked the Chicken Crisp sandwich we had the other night - a crisp chicken cutlet with buffalo sauce, caper aioli and red cabbage slaw - it's got some good punch to cut the richness of the chicken. Iv'e also tried the Rare Form 44, their version of a Reuben, and the Italian Roast Pork, with braised kale and mustard. We also tried the chicken liver mousse in a jar - called the chicken liver parfait. For the first time in my life, I think they gave us enough toast to go with it. We also had the farro salad, which I wasn't so crazy about it but my friend loved it, and some chips to snack on while we waited for our food. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14936325836" title=" by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt=" " height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5572/14936325836_dd96bb95d5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I haven't always been so complimentary of Consortium Holdings places in the past. The attitude at Craft & Commerce annoyed me, as did the lack of spoons and the frigid atmosphere at Underbelly, and I wasn't bowled over by the meatballs at Soda & Swine at first - but I've continued to go back to both Craft & Commerce and Soda & Swine/Polite Provisions and they've solved a lot of their issues over time. Ironside is gorgeous but the food has been a little uneven - amazing one day, not so much another. As for Rare Form, the service and attitude at are as welcoming as can be. Though the food isn't always perfect and you can't eat the atmosphere at any of these places, I'll definitely keep coming back to this one. <br />
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<a href="http://www.godblessrareform.com/" target="_blank">Fairweather/Rare Form</a><br />
795 J Street<br />
On the walkway next to Park at the Park - off J Street<br />
www.godblessrareform.com<br />
<a href="http://godblessrareform.com/rare-form-menu.pdf" target="_blank">Menu</a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-23812891110999115192014-08-14T23:02:00.000-07:002017-11-28T16:43:57.348-08:00Lunch at St. John - London <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426383699" title="Lunch at St. John by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Lunch at St. John" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/14426383699_8aa64b15a9_z.jpg" /></a><br />
The problem with being a food lover in a great city full of fun stuff to do, is that at the end of the day - after doing all that stuff - it's hard to muster the energy for an evening of fine dining. We solved that dilemma by keeping our eating in London pretty casual for the most part, with the exception of two pre-planned meals: lunch at St. John and dinner at the Clove Club. Other places I strongly considered: The River Cafe, Wild Honey, Arbutus, the Ledbury (which was booked solid for the week) and Upstairs at Ten Bells. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14612440582" title="Lunch at St. John by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Lunch at St. John" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5587/14612440582_e563c51c2c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I had heard about St. John from several people and it seemed like a great "only in London" dining experience. A chance to try some real British food. My main quandary was whether to do St. John Smithfield, or St. John Bread and Wine. Since this was our first visit to either and the location was slightly more central, I went with the original at Smithfield. Generally it seemed Bread & Wine might be more casual with a focus on smaller plates, but that's about all I could discern about the differences. When you walk into the building you pass through an airy enclosure holding the bar and the bakery counter - and then upstairs to the right is the dining room. It's white paper table cloths and rather formal service, but not quite fine dining exactly.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14589953136" title="Lunch at St. John by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Lunch at St. John" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5563/14589953136_9fcdff83b5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
On the day we visited a large table in the center of the room was <a href="https://www.stjohngroup.uk.com/smithfield/menu/feasting/" target="_blank">"Feasting</a>" - which allowed them to order special dishes that aren't on the regular menu, such as heaping platters of whole crab and hog roast. It appeared to be a wedding party with the bride and groom on the far right, above. They were very chic and fab. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14632955843" title="Lunch at St. John by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Lunch at St. John" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3894/14632955843_0b8f93517d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The menu at St. John changes daily - almost entirely. There are three things that are always on the menu. The bone marrow, the rarebit and the eccles cake (and possibly the madeleines, now that I think about it.) Other than that it's entirely fluid, and they actually post it ahead of every meal on their website. We had the bone marrow, broad beans & berkswell (a cheese) and the brown shrimp with cabbage to start - all of which are pictured below. The marrow was served with the traditional parsley, shallot and caper salad with a little mound of damp, gray salt. If you like marrow, and I do - it was terrific. The broad beans and berkswell was very good too - but the "brown shrimp and cabbage" was entirely different from what I was expecting, basically a slaw with parsley dressing and a few shrimp sprinkled in. For some reason I was expecting a hot dish, and I expected the shrimp to be a bit more prominent.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14610897424" title="Lunch at St. John by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Lunch at St. John" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2922/14610897424_cdc8ca4616_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After receiving our first round, I realized the broad beans and brown shrimp were far more salad-esque than expected, so I canceled our order of an additional salad and substituted the welsh rarebit. I was really glad I did. If you were looking for a food that exemplifies the concept of umami, this is it. It's the English version of a Croque Monsieur - toast topped with a creamy strong paste of cheddar, mustard, worcestershire and ale - with even more worcestershire broiled on top. I thought it was amazing, but I think James thought it was a bit much. In any event, the recipe is <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/st-johns-welch-rarebit-431945" target="_blank">here,</a> maybe I'll give it a try around the holidays.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14589952676" title="Lunch at St. John by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Lunch at St. John" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5557/14589952676_3112fa0757_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Finally, we capped off the savory portion of our meal with the braised rabbit with borlotti beans and aioli. This was nice, but somehow seemed a bit wan. We also considered the Plaice and the Kid Chop, so maybe we chose poorly. We weren't really interested in the "faggots" or the pigeon. The restaurant specializes in offal - Fergus Henderson, the chef, is basically the originator of "nose to tail" eating - so you can expect to see it all on the menu. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426576727" title="Lunch at St. John by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Lunch at St. John" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2928/14426576727_23a0361d86_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Things took an upswing with dessert. The Eton Mess was a delightful jumble of fresh strawberries, strawberry coulis, meringue and whipped cream. James had the Eccles cake with cheese - which was very similar to mince meat pie and almost as savory as the rest of our meal. A word about the wines. We asked for a white burgundy, and wound up with a Pouilly Fuisse. It was ok, but we really should have done better in that price range (49-50 pounds) given their focus on wine. James had a dessert wine with his eccles cake - it cried out for dessert wine for sure - but I seem to recall he wasn't too crazy about it. They weren't really a negative, but overall I thought the wines should be more of a positive under the circumstances.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14612441202" title="Lunch at St. John by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Lunch at St. John" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3921/14612441202_feea4048be_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Our feasting neighbors also had the Eton Mess for dessert - the groom poured the strawberry coulis over the wedding cake style dessert himself. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426383049" title="Lunch at St. John by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Lunch at St. John" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2939/14426383049_b77b7fdc34_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After dessert, we ordered the "madeleines" since they are a specialty of the house and were highly recommended in several reviews. All I can say is, they weren't madeleines. They looked like madeleines, with the humps and everything, but they had a scone-like biscuit flavor instead of the tender texture and buttery rich flavor of a madeleine. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14609745401" title="Lunch at St. John by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Lunch at St. John" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/14609745401_7eac51b5c9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Overall I enjoyed St. John and I'm glad we went - but there are a few drawbacks that give me pause. The service was just the slightest bit "sniffy" and I never quite settled into that warm, jovial feeling you want to have during a great meal. I think you have to enjoy a certain level of adventurous eating and be willing to give some deference to the restaurant in order to enjoy the experience. There's a smidge of that "lucky to be there" factor that many find off-putting. Altogether with that and the fact that (most of) the food we ate was good but not phenomenal, I'm hard pressed to say whether I'd rush back there if I found myself in London again tomorrow. Unless the invitation is for feasting - with platters heaped with whole crab and mounds of Eton Mess. In that case, count me in.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-28538015766576271892014-08-07T17:26:00.003-07:002016-06-13T16:49:26.189-07:00Notting Hill - London<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426238500" title="Portobello Road by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Portobello Road" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5539/14426238500_0f5eb017d8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Our neighborhood for our week in London was Notting Hill. I chose it because it was a place I had always wanted to visit but never had the chance, and it seemed like a likely place to find a good Air BnB rental. <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2469465" target="_blank">Our flat </a>was a small studio with a fold out couch, but there was a stand of Barclay's Bikes within spitting distance, a bus stop right out front, and a tube stop a block away, and the $140. per night price would have made up for any shortcomings in any case. (I really wanted <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/630933" target="_blank">this one</a>, but someone booked it before I could get to it.)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426299829" title="Our building in London by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Our building in London" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2895/14426299829_b38d86580a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We were within walking distance of Notting Hill's trendy business district Westbourne Grove, and Kensington Palace with it's beautiful gardens and the Orangerie tea room. The building was an old art deco style building that had recently been refurbished, on Palace Garden Terrace, just off Notting Hill Gate. There was a Paul Rhodes bakery just at the end of the street (that's the bus stop in front of the building out the window below). I wasn't familiar with this chain but they are numerous in London. Don't go out of your way, it's nothing extra. We popped in for our morning coffee and a bite several times during the week and I was sort of fascinated by this stack of scones. It stayed there, for several days. I couldn't tell if they were selling them all every day or if it was the same stack. They <i>must </i>have been new ones, but it was a little strange that they never moved.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426238610" title="Scones at Paul Rhodes Bakery by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Scones at Paul Rhodes Bakery" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3894/14426238610_5005f103e4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After grabbing emergency coffee at Paul Rhodes on the first morning, we walked over to Granger & Co. in Westbourne Grove, a popular breakfast spot owned by Australian chef Bill Granger. It had a surprisingly West Coast vibe to it with a boho chic crowd to match.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14612510452" title="Granger & Co. by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Granger & Co." height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2927/14612510452_cdf02cd2d1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
At breakfast they specialize in these velvety looking scrambled eggs. I didn't try them but they do look interesting don't they? Ben said they were good. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14590022716" title="Granger & Co. by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Granger & Co." height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/14590022716_da57fb334a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I chose the chili fried egg and bacon brioche roll with spiced mango chutney and rocket. It tasted just as good as it looks - in other words, damn near perfect. (And I mean, who could resist a chili fried egg??)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426274068" title="Breakfast at Granger & Co. by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Breakfast at Granger & Co." height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3865/14426274068_34344d5aeb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
James had the avocado toast (he was a leetle hung over.) The last time I spent time in London, I don't think I even saw an avocado, but good news travels fast I guess. This was lovely with huge creamy chunks and cilantro - definitely a taste of home. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14610965914" title="Granger & Co. by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Granger & Co." height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5550/14610965914_87e8eac125_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
They have a beautiful display of pastries and cakes piled on the counter near the entrance - this was a popular thing there, often accompanied by a beautiful oversized flower arrangement. We saw it in lots of cafes and at the festival - it reminded me of the desserts displayed at Chez Panisse Cafe in Berkeley. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14613029845" title="Granger & Co. by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Granger & Co." height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2923/14613029845_e225a486e8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The Ottolenghi cafe around the corner from Granger & Co.has theirs right in the window, and it looks over the top amazing. The fact that we didn't get a chance to eat here (or at any of the other Ottolenghi restaurants) was one of the (few) disappointments of the trip. Next time, for sure.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14633025233" title="Ottolenghi in Notting Hill by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Ottolenghi in Notting Hill" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2918/14633025233_5f2efe1e3a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Westbourne Grove is a trendy district of shops and cafes - it reminded me a lot of the West Village in NYC, in terms of the vibe and jewel box shops showcasing the best of everything - like Daylesford Organics - where the picture below was taken. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426274038" title="Daylesford Organic in Notting Hill by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Daylesford Organic in Notting Hill" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2934/14426274038_b2205926bc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
And Nicki Tibbles' Wild at Heart florist shop....<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14612874425" title="Nicki Tibbles Wild at Heart in Notting Hill by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Nicki Tibbles Wild at Heart in Notting Hill" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2929/14612874425_9e9bd7fe05_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
And of course, Ottolenghi. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14633025563" title="Ottolenghi in Notting Hill by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Ottolenghi in Notting Hill" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5509/14633025563_dc4a6ff660_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
One of the reasons I picked Notting Hill was to check out the Portobello Road Saturday morning antique market. I was warned that it was "touristy" - but I figured that was kind of a given. I was completely unprepared for the onslaught of humanity that descended on the place at 8 AM. It was so overwhelming and unpleasant that we didn't make it very far - and the few stalls and shops I saw didn't seem to be offering anything very exciting. We were running a few minutes late, so we bailed out of there and headed on up to Cambridge, where I spent the summer of 1990 drinking beer and Bailey's on the rocks and trying to smoke Silk Cuts. More on that, plus dining at St. John and the Clove Club - coming up. :) <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-42142817464771749712014-08-01T16:32:00.000-07:002014-08-04T17:00:46.712-07:00Borough Market & Tally Ho Bike Tour - London<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426491077" title="Bike ride at dusk - Royal Albert Hall by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Bike ride at dusk - Royal Albert Hall" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/14426491077_c4f073b977_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Before we went to the Glastonbury Festival last month, we spent a few days in London. I hadn't been in a very long time, and I have to say, it's come a looong way since my first visit in 1984. For starters - the food is edible, they put ice in drinks, and the beer is cold. I was pretty much all set - except for the unfortunate fact that everything costs about twice as much there as anywhere else. If anything, I was actually a little disappointed that it doesn't feel very different from the U.S. anymore. Even their sirens make the same wailing sound as ours now. It just doesn't seem right. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426506367" title="Tally Ho Cycle tour by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Tally Ho Cycle tour" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5568/14426506367_effa243037_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We biked a lot while we were in London. We were pleased to find that we could check out the Barclay's Bikes (locally known as Boris Bikes) using a regular credit card - no chip and pin required. For two pounds per twenty four hour period, we could go pretty much anywhere our little legs could carry us. On our first day in town, we grabbed bikes from the station right in front of our Air BnB flat in Notting Hill, and cruised all the way down to Borough Market - on the south side of the river - for lunch. It was about a 45 minute ride through Knightsbridge and Westminster to the Thames, and then over to the South Bank. We cruised past Buckingham Palace just before the changing of the guard - I felt just like <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/2012/03/25/gIQABNnJaS_photo.html" target="_blank">this little guy.</a> Crossing the Thames right by Big Ben and the London Eye was pretty exciting too. We never bought the (very expensive) Oyster transit cards. Instead, for 2 pounds per person per day, we got our transportation, and our exercise too. It worked out well. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426289928" title="Tally Ho Cycle Tour by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Tally Ho Cycle Tour" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3842/14426289928_fe57a2689b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After lunch at Borough Market (more on that later - saving the best for last) we went on a bike tour with <a href="http://www.tallyhocycletours.com/" target="_blank">Tally Ho Cycle Tours</a>, one of a few companies offering cycling tours of London. I looked at other options, but just couldn't resist the vintage Pashley bikes at Tally Ho. I wound up with a pretty pink one. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426506487" title="Tally Ho Cycle Tour by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Tally Ho Cycle Tour" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3851/14426506487_3be9a71b3f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We took the "Old City" tour, which took us along the South Bank to Borough Market again, then across the Tower Bridge (a little hair raising) to the original City of London - which lies within the confines of the wall around the original Roman city of Londinium. We rode through the financial district, ringing our bells at the drunk bankers out for a round on a Friday afternoon after work, and stopped at the one of the oldest continuously operating pubs in London for a pint - pausing to marvel at the gallows used to hang pirates in the 1700's. We also stopped by one of the few pieces of the wall still standing - tucked away in a hidden spot in the business district - where we took the photo above. Our guide, Niall, is an architecture scholar, so he provided a lot of historical background and interesting details about the sites and buildings, which added another level of interest to the whole thing.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14609675181" title="Borough Market by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Borough Market" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2930/14609675181_6f46157b06_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
If you are a food lover, and you find yourself in London, you absolutely must go to Borough Market. That's what I heard over and over again, and it's absolutely true. The market has been around forever, and in recent years it's become a phenomenally popular destination for eating as well as shopping. There are hundreds of stalls in and around the historic Victorian building selling everything from produce and cheeses to sandwiches and drinks. It's not inexpensive, but you can eat very well - it's probably best to bring friends and share a few things, because you'll want to try a lot.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14612891515" title="Borough Market by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Borough Market" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5511/14612891515_2cc5de0635_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We sampled the chorizo sandwich, pictured above, which was good but not amaaahhhzziing - I had heard some raves about it. It tasted exactly as it looks - a firm chorizo sausage on a roll with arugula, soft roasted peppers and aioli. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14589869936" title="Borough Market by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Borough Market" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5033/14589869936_1ac0f4c610_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The other thing I had heard a lot about was the toasted cheese sandwich. It was one of the first things we walked past and we weren't ready to make a selection yet so we missed it, but I'm sure it's popular for a reason. (With the description on the front of the stall there, how could you go wrong?)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14609675351" title="Borough Market by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Borough Market" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2904/14609675351_ae28852605_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After sharing the chorizo sandwich with James (and letting him eat most of it) I got in line for some roast pork at Roast. Roast is actually a fancy restaurant that overlooks the market, serving upscale versions of traditional British food - along the lines of the Sunday roast with yorkshire pud, etc. The market stall serves a takeway version of that cuisine - hog roast and roast beef sandwiches, scotch eggs, etc.I didn't need anymore bread after the chorizo sandwich, so I sweet-talked the girl into putting my chopped pork and cracklin in a box with some arugula, horseradish sauce and applesauce. It was heavenly. There was also another hog roast stall outside that had the actual pig going. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426274228" title="Borough Market by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Borough Market" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3859/14426274228_1f089b6e7d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We walked around all over the market in between and after these repasts, and when I saw these doughnuts, I immediately knew what I was having for dessert. There was a bit too much cream inside (but it looks so pretty spilling out, doesn't it?) I was able to squeeze some out (and all over my hand) to obtain the right custard to pastry ratio. Heavenly. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14610829034" title="Borough Market by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Borough Market" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3878/14610829034_66469f4762_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Interspersed with the stalls selling prepared foods are wine shops, olive bars, cheese shops, produce stalls, the list goes on and on...<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14589885916" title="Borough Market by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Borough Market" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2934/14589885916_0605f2daea_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426254320" title="Borough Market by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Borough Market" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3864/14426254320_d41731542d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426254560" title="Borough Market by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Borough Market" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3907/14426254560_1df4f4717a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Around the edges of the market are a few restaurants and wine bars. We sat down for a glass of wine at a wine bar looking onto the market, but the restaurants and bars outside spill onto the sidewalk making for a lively scene too. It would be a fun place to head for a casual dinner. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14609675291" title="Borough Market by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Borough Market" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2897/14609675291_5c77161329_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We wandered over to the Neal's Yard Dairy cheese shop after the market to check out the shop and sample some English cheeses. It's not just a shop, they make the cheese there too - there was water on the shop floor from them washing the rinds. If you like English cheddar and sharp cheeses, this is your place. Some of the wheels they produce there are just absolutely massive.They also had a dairy case selling butter and cream, etc.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426506857" title="Neals Yard Dairy by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Neals Yard Dairy" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5494/14426506857_313332e35c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
All in all it was a perfect way to kick off our trip - some great food, lots of vigorous exercise to burn it off and some fabulous sights. We had almost as much fun on our trip in London as we did in Glastonbury. Almost. :) I'll be back with more next week - and who knows, maybe I'll even throw in a local post too, just to mix it up! <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-74554841695411651502014-07-30T22:27:00.001-07:002020-02-09T11:08:09.171-08:00Dinner at the Clove Club - London<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14426393900" title="Dinner at the Clove Club by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Dinner at the Clove Club" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3879/14426393900_4534f32c20_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14590022636" title="Dinner at the Clove Club by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Dinner at the Clove Club" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3835/14590022636_1fb3609d0b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14612510762" title="Dinner at the Clove Club by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Dinner at the Clove Club" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5479/14612510762_98cf08999b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-23099075709270698722014-07-24T12:34:00.000-07:002014-11-04T07:26:58.153-08:00Glastonbury 2014, Part III - Wild Meadow Village <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379724150" title="Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3866/14379724150_436edcd664_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I would <i>never</i> get tired of talking about Glastonbury though you might get tired of hearing about it - but I can't let the experience go by without talking about the camp where we stayed, <a href="http://www.woodlandsretreats.co.uk/special-breaks/glastonbury-festival" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wild Meadow Village</a>. As I mentioned before, most people camp onsite for Glastonbury in tents and gear they bring themselves. Coming from the U.S. though, we weren't inclined to go to all that trouble, and as much as we like camping - pitching up in a field surrounded by thousands of other tents in a place we had never been before just sounded like asking for trouble. So once we secured our tickets, we exhaustively researched the pre-erected camping and "glamping" options available.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14566404815" title="Yurts and Tipis at Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Yurts and Tipis at Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3867/14566404815_44776d75cd_z.jpg" /></a><br />
There are actually a pretty wide range of options, with prices ranging from just a few hundred pounds for the whole festival on up to thousands, depending on the amenities, location & type of tent or structure you choose. (Just Google "Glastonbury Glamping" to find them.) I decided that a real bed was at the top of my wish list - given we were going to be there for five nights, and I was pretty sure they would be long nights at that. After thoroughly examining the options, including the Worthy View campsite operated by the Festival, Tangerine Fields, the Pop Up Hotel, Pennard Orchard and a couple of others whose names I can't remember now (but were so wildly expensive it didn't matter) Wild Meadow Village rose to the top of the list, offering the lowest price for the best amenities that I could find.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379747800" title="Yurts at Wild Meadow Village by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Yurts at Wild Meadow Village" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3874/14379747800_df104ea971_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
It was a relatively small site with about 100 guests altogether and three types of accommodations - Tipis, Cadir Tents and Yurts. The Tipis and Cadir tents were quite a bit larger than the yurts and were priced accordingly - but the yurt was relatively affordable and offered more than enough space and luxury for us. The accommodations all share access to "luxury loos" and "posh wash" showers - housed in trailers, and a huge, lovely hospitality tent with a bar, seating area and fire pits, where they served breakfast every morning, snacks in the evening and dinner on the first two nights.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14563024241" title="Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5497/14563024241_637c3a0122_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The interior of our yurt was well appointed with jute rugs, a double bed, electrical outlets and bedside lights, a mirror and even a vase of flowers. The furnishings were roughly the same quality in all the tents - though there were chairs, side tables and rugs in some of the larger ones. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379721740" title="Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2939/14379721740_3fde0240ae_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The bed took up most of the 12 feet of floor space, but we hung our clothes on the lattice walls and used the space under the bed for storage - which worked out great. It rained pretty hard while we were there, but we had no issues with leaks. (Our friend did though, which was a bit of an inconvenience.)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379810989" title="Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2914/14379810989_7619254720_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
One of the best things about the place was it had a nice "family affair" feel. It was staffed almost entirely staffed by the owners with multiple generations pitching in to help - the sons were tending bar, mum was cleaning the showers, and dad barbequed on Wednesday night. They had even recruited friends to drive the Land Rovers to and from the gate. The family actually owns a <a href="http://www.woodlandsretreats.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">few other picturesque farm houses in the area</a> and offer them as luxury holiday rentals - one of them even includes a spa. Wild Meadow Village was set up on the grounds of their <a href="http://www.woodlandsretreats.co.uk/our-retreats/lower-hedge-farm/information-5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lower Hedge Farm</a>, which was also available to rent for the festival for a cool 10,000.00 pounds (not including festival tickets.) <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14563021951" title="Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5577/14563021951_f3f08dd143_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
They have an allotment of "hospitality tickets" that they offer for sale with their more expensive accommodations - they are double the price of the regular ticket but they are available for outright purchase instead of competing with the other million people trying to get one of the 170,000 tickets available. They provide access to some limited areas - mainly viewing areas for the stages and a pass through between the Other Stage and the Pyramid.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379811829" title="Welcome Dinner at Wild Meadow Village by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Welcome Dinner at Wild Meadow Village" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3880/14379811829_4c072bb6da_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We really enjoyed socializing with the staff and our fellow campers. On the Thursday night, they threw a welcome party with champagne and appetizers, and a hog roast dinner for an extra 10 pounds per person. I don't recall ever seeing hog roast in my travels around Britain in 2003 and before, but it's a big thing now. Pork and cracklins served with buns or rolls, applesauce and salad. Can't go wrong with that. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14565578332" title="Welcome Dinner at Wild Meadow Village by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Welcome Dinner at Wild Meadow Village" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5568/14565578332_351a1b1509_z.jpg" /></a><br />
If there was a drawback to the place, it has to be that it was just a smidge too far away for easy travel in and out of the festival. It was on the opposite side of the East car parks - about a 15 minute walk from Gate C without mud - and at least 30 minutes with the mud, since you're slipping and sliding all the way (I had no idea how exhausting that could be!) The transportation was great, but it took about 20-30 minutes, with all the ticket checkpoints, etc. This meant that we generally went in and out only once per day. We eventually settled into a routine of sleeping in, having breakfast, getting dressed and heading into the festival, and not coming back until ... well... late, or maybe early is a better way of putting it. It is shockingly easy to stay up until dawn there. When it doesn't get dark until after 10, and it gets light at 4 AM, and you slept til noon? Trust me, you'd do it too.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14543315996" title="Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Wild Meadow Village - Glastonbury 2014" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2939/14543315996_75aa7cded5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
They ran the Land Rover transport over starting when people were ready - generally in the afternoon. They tried to do it on a half hour schedule, but it wound up being more on demand because everyone wanted to go at the same time and they tried their best to be accommodating. They also started sending several cars over at a time for the night pickups between 12 AM to 3 AM, so there would always be one waiting. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379747310" title="Sunrise over Wild Meadow Village by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Sunrise over Wild Meadow Village" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3895/14379747310_93647c2d35_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We caught the car back on the extremely hectic and crowded Saturday night and it was a godsend, but the rest of the days we had a long, slow trudge back in the early morning. Saying "good morning" to the parking attendants instead of "good night" was a struggle, but we were rewarded with the beautiful views of the sunrise over the tents at the end - and best of all, we slept like babies until it was time to get up and do it all over again. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-29597167693672250962014-07-23T14:08:00.000-07:002020-02-09T11:08:01.720-08:00Formaggio Kitchen - Boston<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8653311375/" title="Formaggio Kitchen - Boston by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Formaggio Kitchen - Boston" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8099/8653311375_182823bffd_z.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-7089475315653957632014-07-22T08:56:00.000-07:002020-02-09T11:08:08.328-08:00Nashville-Style Hot Fried Chicken ala Bon Appetit<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14526422787" title=" by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt=" " height="640" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3892/14526422787_3424aced76_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Let's take a break from all this travel to talk about something else. Namely, one of my favorite subjects - fried chicken. There's a running joke among my friends that I can eat a lot of it. It started at the lunch buffet at Dooky Chase in New Orleans - where, according to my husband - I ate five pieces of chicken. Of course, they cut the chicken into small pieces for the buffet, so it wasn't like I ate a whole bucket of KFC... Yeah, I know - the more I try to explain it the worse it gets... In any event, good fried chicken is a little harder to find around here than it is in NOLA, so I decided to go ahead and make my own after seeing the photos of the <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/nashville-style-hot-chicken">Nashville Hot Chicken in this month's Bon Appetit.</a> (I want to make the cherry pie on the cover too - but haven't been able to find any sour cherries in SD!) <br />
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This is a pretty traditional recipe, right up to the point where you whisk a bunch of spices into some of the frying oil, and brush it over the top. I was a little skeptical about using the cooking oil for this - thinking it might be bitter or greasy, but it was just fine. I changed a few things here to reflect some things I learned in the cooking process. I found the cooking time suggested in the magazine of 15-18 minutes too long. The coating started to burn before that. Around 13 minutes was just right - cooked through but not burnt to a crisp. Since I fried this in four batches I kept the cooked chicken hot on a rack in the oven, where it had plenty of time to finish cooking if it needed to. It actually improves a bit while it sits. <br />
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I reduced the amount of cayenne, because six tablespoons is just RIDICULOUS - it was still <i>plenty </i>spicy with half that amount - and I don't own garlic powder, so I just smashed a clove of garlic to flavor the oil. You could certainly play around with the seasonings to suit your taste too, making it more or less spicy or sweet. The hardest part of this might be finding chickens that are small enough - you want the pieces the right size to cook through without burning on the outside. If yours are a little big, I think you could just crank up the oven to 300 and give them a few minutes to finish cooking in there once the coating is as dark as you want it. Enjoy!<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14709698271" title="Untitled by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3870/14709698271_d238751304_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<b>Nashville-Style Hot Fried Chicken - adapted from Bon Appetit</b><br />
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2 small (3½–4-lb.) chickens - preferably kosher or pre-brined, each cut into 10 pieces (breasts halved) (If you are not proficient at cutting up a chicken, there's a great tutorial <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW5BFvCmV7k">here.</a>)<br />
1 tablespoon finely ground black pepper<br />
2 tablespoons (if not using pre-brined chicken) plus 4 tsp. kosher salt<br />
4 large eggs<br />
2 cups buttermilk<br />
1/4-1/2 cup whole milk (if your buttermilk is really thick)<br />
2 tablespoons Crystal or other vinegar-based hot sauce<br />
4 cups all-purpose flour<br />
Vegetable oil (for frying; about 10 cups)<br />
3 tablespoons cayenne pepper<br />
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar<br />
1 teaspoon chili powder<br />
1 clove fresh garlic, smashed<br />
1 teaspoon paprika<br />
White bread and bread & butter pickles (for serving)<br />
<br />
If your chicken is brined - toss it with the pepper in a large bowl about 1 hour before frying - leave out to come to room temperature. If the chicken isn't brined - toss with both 2 Tbs salt and pepper and chill for a few hours before cooking. Pull out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to start frying. <br />
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Whisk eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce in a large bowl. Whisk flour and remaining 4 tsp. salt in another large bowl.<br />
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Fit a Dutch oven with thermometer; pour in oil to measure a generous 2”. Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 325°. Pat chicken dry. While the oil heats, dip each piece in the buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl, and dredge in flour mixture and place on a baking sheet.<br />
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Heat oven to 250 degrees. Working in 4 batches and returning oil to over 300° between batches, fry chicken, turning occasionally, until skin is deep golden brown and crisp - about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a clean wire rack set inside a baking sheet in the oven to keep warm and continue cooking. It will take about an hour to cook all the chicken.<br />
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Whisk cayenne, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, and paprika in a medium bowl; carefully ladle in 1 cup frying oil and whisk to blend. Brush fried chicken with spicy oil. Serve with bread and pickles.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-55433384353638535072014-07-15T22:44:00.004-07:002014-11-04T07:35:57.099-08:00Glastonbury 2014, Part II - What I Learned<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14566431675" title="From the Top of the Ribbon Tower by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="From the Top of the Ribbon Tower" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3880/14566431675_d43dbb5f89_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
First off, there is no shortage of blog posts and articles out there offering advice and guidance on Glastonbury. The best of the best is probably <a href="http://www.glastoearth.com/">GlastoEarth</a>, with an <a href="http://www.glastoearth.com/the-faq">FAQ</a> that answers every question you could possibly have. His descriptions of the different areas and campgrounds are almost as good as being there. Others are more funny than helpful, like <a href="http://www.nme.com/photos/first-time-glastonbury-goer---a-virgins-guide/130176/1/1#1">this one</a>, and still others are funny <i>and</i> helpful, like <a href="http://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/blog/10-things-every-glastonbury-virgin-should-understand">this one</a>. I've seen lots of blog posts about what to and not to bring and I think <a href="http://vickyflipfloptravels.com/what-do-i-need-to-take-to-glastonbury/">this</a> is an especially good one - particularly if you're camping. Even with all that information though, there are a few things we learned over the course of our five days at the festival that I thought might benefit another lucky duck who manages to snag one of the 170,000 tickets available to approximately 1,000,000 registrants. So here goes... <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379837509" title="The Tipi Field by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="The Tipi Field" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5481/14379837509_16bb713856_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<b>1. Stay on site, or at least as close as possible.</b> We stayed at a really nice <a href="http://www.woodlandsretreats.co.uk/special-breaks/glastonbury-festival" target="_blank">"glamping" campsite</a> just outside the car parks on the east side of the festival. I can't say I regret it, especially since it was our first time. We had no idea what we were doing, and we weren't going to pack a tent and sleeping bags in our suitcase in any case. Even so, I found myself wishing we were staying inside the fence by about the 2nd day. It really is an immersive experience, and we wound up spending about an hour of each day getting to and from the Festival grounds, whether we walked or drove. If pitching your own tent doesn't sound fun or isn't practical, the Festival offers <a href="http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/information/accommodation/tipis/" target="_blank">Tipis in the Tipi Field,</a> and pre-set up camping in <a href="http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/information/accommodation/worthy-view-pre-erected-camping/" target="_blank">Worthy View</a>, conveniently located just above the Stone Circle. You'll still need to bring your own bedding and whatever else you need for the interior though. <a href="http://www.camplight.co.uk/public_html/" target="_blank">Camplight</a> offers pre-pitched tents as well as air mattresses and sleeping bags inside the event in a pre-selected location. They repair and recycle tents left behind in past years and rent them out for between 100-400 pounds for up to 9 people. Medium-level glamping options like<a href="http://www.zooloos.co.uk/glastonbury-2/" target="_blank"> Zooloos</a> and <a href="http://www.tangerinefields.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tangerine Fields</a> set up just outside the fences with showers, breakfast, and different levels of accommodations from two man tents on up to bell tents. If you stay in a place that doesn't have power outlets, pack a solar or battery powered phone charger, because charging stations are few and far between. You probably won't have much data service inside the event anyway though (luckily the app with the lineup and map doesn't require data service to run.) <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14565577692" title="The Bimble Inn by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="The Bimble Inn" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3849/14565577692_ed0c77b41e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<b>2. Don't worry too much about the lineup. </b>Before we went, I read a lot of comments to the effect that the lineup doesn't matter, the festival is about more than that, yadda yadda... Since the lineup is all you hear about from the outside, I didn't understand what that meant, and I was a little concerned that I wasn't super jazzed about the lineup going in. In the end though, I was glad I felt free to explore rather than knocking myself out running around to the stages. The truth is the festival is so huge that the big stages are only part of what is going on at any given time. What I enjoyed most was walking around and ducking into the smaller venues - like the Bimble Inn, Avalon Cafe & Beat Hotel - to hear the huge variety of smaller acts performing. It was so much more intimate and comfortable than standing outside in the rain at the larger stages - though that experience had its charms too.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14586526963" title="Huge crowds surging up to Arcadia & the Park after Arcade Fire on Saturday night by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Huge crowds surging up to Arcadia & the Park after Arcade Fire on Saturday night" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5507/14586526963_4680545d9f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<b>3. Surf ahead of the crowds and get to the late night areas early. </b>One thing that was not fun about the big stages was the crowd surge after they let out. I snapped this picture from the Railway Line on Saturday night. All of the stages had let out and everyone was trying to get to the late night areas - The Park, Arcadia and Shangri La - to party 'til dawn. We were headed the other direction to Silver Hayes to see Fatboy Slim and just had to give up. It wasn't too big a deal since we were planning on going back on the early side anyway but we learned a lesson. Especially on Saturday night, don't get involved in this mess - get where you're going by 10:30 or 11 and stay there. Even during the rest of the day, the stages have about a 45 minute to hour break between artists, during which everyone tries to go get a beer or use the loo. If you go too deep in you could spend an hour trying to get out and back in for the next set.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14470379427" title="Glastonbury Long Drop by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Glastonbury Long Drop" height="427" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5559/14470379427_c2a34013a8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<b>4. Bring wipes and kleenex packs</b>*<b> -</b> Ahh the long drops... an unpleasant but necessary evil. Go when you can, especially if there isn't a line, and go early. They get exponentially worse as the evening wears on. The bank of long drops near Gate C was especially clean and uncrowded - the ones along the railway line are the worst since they are the busiest. Regardless, there will be no toilet paper. I am told you can get some at the property lockups, but I just bought mini Kleenex packets at the sundry stands. There are no hooks in the stalls, but you can hang your bag on the door fastener hook. I figured that out on the last day - until then I was hanging my purse around my neck. Carrying your own hand sanitizer or wipes is a good idea too - it's not always easy to wash your hands. Oh, and one last tip - if you're the kind of person who beer or cider goes right through, hard liquor is the way to go.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379783868" title="The Green Fields by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="The Green Fields" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3915/14379783868_e16e6e2c7f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<b>5. Explore explore explore - then explore some more. </b>There is so much to see - and there are things you will never find no matter how much you look. I really enjoyed the Green Fields and Park areas, they're pretty with a crunchy hippie vibe and look out over the rest of the festival - the high ground, if you will. There are magical little hidden spots - little dug out resting spots with firepits, the secret area of the Rabbit Hole (that really isn't a secret anymore) and the hidden "underground" piano bar. There's a club with an entrance behind a water fall, a bar and dance club in a tree complete with disco ball dappling the leaves, a sauna in the Tipi Circle, a venue high on the hill above the Park, the list goes on. Just spend some time wandering - chances are the best moments you'll have will happen when you least expect them. Talk to people too. People were hugely amused by us Americans coming all the way to Glastonbury "<i>just for this??</i>" One thing Glasto does not lack for is conversation starters - ask people about their favorites places and things, who they saw, how many times they've been, where they're camping, the list goes on. People are generally very open and friendly - it's that "Glasto Spirit!" <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14565579222" title="The Diner in Shangri La by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="The Diner in Shangri La" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3916/14565579222_133e7b6275_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<b>6. Eat and drink on site.</b> I wrote a <a href="http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2014/07/glastonbury-2014-part-i-food-drink.html">whole separate post</a> about the food, but it bears repeating. Even if you are camping, you don't need to bring food, except maybe some minimal snacks. If you're on a budget then sure, bring booze - but if you're not, you won't lack for choices or access in the festival. There are bars everywhere you look. Many of the food stalls offer full breakfast - some all day - and there are literally thousands of choices for meals throughout the day. There are even some sit down cafes in the festival, like the Diner in Shangri La, the Tree House in the Park and the Avalon Cafe, if you get tired of eating standing up or balancing a plate on your knee (it does get old.) DO pack lots of ibuprofen, blister bandaids and whatever hangover cure works for you. (Pink Lemonade Emergen-C with added Vitamin B12 drops for me!) <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14564727684" title="Wellies at the ready by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Wellies at the ready" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3904/14564727684_7ff57612a6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<b>7.</b> <b>Prepare for all kinds of weather </b>- We packed wellies and rain gear and were afraid it wouldn't rain. HA. It started right after I took this picture, and my boots were never this clean again. They were absolutely covered with mud by Sunday. I read some advice list that said don't bring an umbrella. That's bunk - I really wished I had one. You can get by with the plastic ponchos they sell at the sundry stalls if you have to, and you should buy them even if you have a rain coat - they're a good top layer and are great for sitting on when things get muddy. The big problem with the mud is that it gets on things, and then it gets on you. You sit on it or put your hand in it, and suddenly it's all over you. God forbid you should fall in it. I packed a change of clothes in my bag on Sunday just in case - then wound up putting them all on when it got cold late at night. You really don't need Hunter wellies, but make sure whatever you are wearing fits, because you'll be walking in them a LOT. James' didn't fit very well and he was miserable by the third day, while I was totally fine. I also saw a lot of people in hiking boots, which are a good choice as long as they keep your feet dry. Don't worry too much about fashion at Glastonbury. Unless you're Kate Moss or Alexa Chung nobody will be paying much attention - take care of your comfort first! Wear layers and carry a jacket or sweater since it gets chilly at night. They sell warm, fuzzy ponchos for around 15 pounds if you need one. You'll want a sun hat and high SPF sunscreen too - we saw a lot of sunburned people walking around on the 2nd and 3rd days. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14566406355" title="The Dandy Lion Vintage Shop - Field of Avalon by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="The Dandy Lion Vintage Shop - Field of Avalon" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3903/14566406355_959f5a5b87_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<b>8. </b> <b>If you see something you like, buy it. </b> Don't assume you'll be able to find the time to come back and look at something later, or that it will be there if you do. The vintage and flea market shop stalls have the best displays and selection on Wednesday and Thursday before the bands start. If you see something you like, you better grab it there and then. The Festival is so huge you may never make it back there, and you'll have too much going on later to prioritize shopping. If you don't want to carry it around you can check it at the property lockup. (Can you tell I regret not buying that red jacket?)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14566404915" title="Elbow at the Pyramid Stage by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Elbow at the Pyramid Stage" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2895/14566404915_f2b50518b5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<b>9. Spend at least one sunset at the Pyramid Stage. </b>Maybe it was just a lucky break, but the sunset behind the Pyramid stage during Elbow's set on Friday night was so spectacular that it turned their set into a true Glastonbury magic moment. I suspect that sunset behind just about any band would have a similar salutary effect - it's that beautiful. Glastonbury involves a lot of choices, but should one of the bands on your list be scheduled around 9 PM at the Pyramid Stage, take that into consideration. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14564755554" title="The Healing Field by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="The Healing Field" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3895/14564755554_18ff4b2113_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<b>10. Make time for the Healing Fields. </b>Even if you've paced yourself well and you're feeling good, five days is a long time to be on the go, and you'll need to take care of yourself. I had heard about the Healing Fields and I vaguely knew they offered massages, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It turns out it's a field where individual practitioners of the healing arts set up in yurts and tents and offer their services in exchange for donations. You make arrangements with them individually - mostly by just walking up and speaking to them quietly while they are already working on someone else. There's also a larger yurt for craniosacral work that you can just wait in line for. I moseyed up there at about 5:30 on Sunday and found that most of the practitioners were already closed for the weekend - so getting there earlier would be a good idea. I got a massage from a woman who it turns out I had met when at the Tipi Circle camp fire on Friday. I didn't remember her until she recognized me, which she did because I was American. They have a nice little chill out garden and shelter in the center where you can relax for a while if you just need a break There are also two saunas you can seek out - Sam's near the Railway Line, and the Lost Horizon Sauna in the Tipi Field (aka the "naked sauna.") Both were recommended, but I didn't get a chance to try them. Next year, for sure. :)<br />
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* - I didn't take a picture of the loos, so I pinched this one from <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/28/glastonbury-2014-whats-new-lobsters-normcore" target="_blank">the Guardian</a> (photo cred: Matt Crossick.) If they object I'll take it down, or I could just forward all of my profits from this post to them as payment. ;) (p.s. - I actually saw that Korean band and they were amazing.)<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-76807274357192937622014-07-14T01:35:00.000-07:002016-06-14T11:36:45.534-07:00Glastonbury 2014, Part I - Festival Food (& Drink!)<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14565578102" title="Food stalls by the Pyramid stage by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Food stalls by the Pyramid stage" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3861/14565578102_ab3ba294c1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Oh Glasto... I hardly know where to start with you. I thought five days would be so long, and instead it was so short. I fretted that I wouldn't get a chance to wear my wellies - then put them on Thursday morning and wore them straight through until Monday. I worried that there wasn't enough music we would like. I thought we might get <i>bored</i>. Lord have mercy, I had NO IDEA. Two weeks later, having mostly recovered from the "Glasto Blues" I'm ready to talk about it. Seeing as this IS a food blog, I think it only fitting that I start with the food.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14543314416" title="Burrito from Carlito Burrito (& a Cider) by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Burrito from Carlito Burrito (& a Cider)" height="462" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/14543314416_1c758af844_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I read a few blog posts and articles about Glastonbury before we went. Some of them offered great advice and some not so much - but I didn't see a lot of specific information about the food. There was a blog post by a girl who seemed too afraid she might gain weight to actually eat the food, so she just talked about what she saw and wished she had eaten. I got a few good ideas from her, including the burrito pictured above. Beyond that, the message seemed to be "The food is good! Don't bring your own food!" So I at least got that much. Having experienced it now, I can say it is absolutely true that you do not need to bring your own food. Most people camp for Glastonbury, and have to carry or wheel their gear quite a distance from the car. The last thing you want to do is burden yourself with more than you need. We brought some minimal snacks, a bottle of Cuban rum and a few ginger ales/mixers we thought we could use at our campsite, and we didn't even need that. I brought some home and the rest we gave away or left behind.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14543314276" title=""Wrappers Delight" by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt=""Wrappers Delight"" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/14543314276_29da23b5a4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Food at Glastonbury is mostly provided by outside catering vendors who tour around the Festival circuit in the summer, setting up their own stalls. There are also a few venues run by the crews various areas like the Beat Hotel, the Park Bar, Avalon Cafe, and the Greenpeace stalls. A few vendors have only one outlet, some have a few scattered about, and others are all over the place. Scarcity is not necessarily the best sign of quality, but there seemed to be a slight correlation.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379812959" title=""Piggie Smalls" by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt=""Piggie Smalls"" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5487/14379812959_5aac80d4bf_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
One of the first places I experienced was the Jiggery Pokery Parlour in the "Shangri La" area, themed Heaven and Hell. This was clearly meant to be a piece of heaven - offering ice cream, fresh waffles, espresso and cocktails. Despite the beautiful Gaggia machine, the espresso was watery and thin, but the waffles looked great and the ice cream cone I had was lovely.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14565579152" title="Jiggery Pokery Parlour by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Jiggery Pokery Parlour" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3857/14565579152_950417eeaf_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Since the festival is so huge, location is likely to play a big part in your meal selection, whether you like it or not. If you're at the Pyramid stage waiting for a band and you need some lunch, you're not going to hike to the mezze stand in the Park for it, no matter how much you like their hummous (as the Brits spell it). One of the ubiquitous options I liked the best was the "<a href="http://www.efestivals.co.uk/info/food.php?fid=162" target="_blank">Moorish</a>" stall, which makes a delicious, hearty phyllo crusted goat cheese and lamb-sausage stuffed pie called a bourek<i>.</i> I neglected to take a picture of mine, but you can see an example <a href="http://leilaslocallarder.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/img_0671.jpg" target="_blank">here</a>. This was actually a lucky discovery for me because I just asked my friend Ben to suprise me while we were waiting in front of the West Holts stage, and this is what he came back with. It's probably not something I would have chosen on my own but it's definitely not to be missed. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379784138" title="Jerk Chicken in Shangri La by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Jerk Chicken in Shangri La" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/14379784138_e0ca040c8f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Another good option is the jerk chicken vendor - I was drawn here based on the smell and it did not disappoint. The chicken was meltingly tender and the sauce sweet and sticky. This is a great bite with a cocktail - just what I needed at the time. The Hog Roast stands are also popular - it's hard to go wrong with roast pork sliced and mixed with cracklin' skin and applesauce on a roll - but I had already had Hog Roast a couple of times on the trip so I passed it up. The Grand Bouffe was another stall we saw quite a lot of. James liked it, but I was less enthused about the slightly gamey sausage, hearty serving of potatoes and salad. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14563021441" title="Lebanese Mezze in the Park by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Lebanese Mezze in the Park" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5545/14563021441_68374511c7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Speaking of that Mezze in the park... It was a lovely stand, and I was served a good sized plate of very filling food, but the falafel were ice cold and the rest was a bit bland. I feel like there must have been better places for this type of food in the festival, but I didn't have a chance to try them.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14565578452" title="Lebanese Mezze in the Park by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Lebanese Mezze in the Park" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5584/14565578452_02cc282149_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Dotted about the festival you'll also find little yellow little caravans offering cheese toasties (grilled cheese sandwiches) I highly recommend the combo of an aged Somerset cheddar and onion toastie with a tall cold cider. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379988097" title="Tapas Stand by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Tapas Stand" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3860/14379988097_0b99112ac4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The "Tapas Stall" is very popular and picturesque, with the lovely flamenco dancer on the roof. They offer a "tapas platter" with various small snacks including meatballs, pasta, marinated peppers, olives and other bites for around 10 pounds. I liked the sound of it so much I just had to try it, but I wasn't impressed in the end. The churros were a nice idea, but the dough was a bit soggy and the chocolate was bitter and lumpy. Maybe it was an off day, as this place is very popular.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14563048901" title="Avalon Cafe lunch by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Avalon Cafe lunch" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/14563048901_ba1b418039_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
On the Saturday, I stumbled into the Avalon Cafe - a large tented music venue in the Field of Avalon with a popular vegetarian cafeteria. They monitor the access so you can't walk in and sit down without going through the line and ordering something. I was in search of a little hangover relief, and found it in the form of a pie and chips, Greek salad and peppermint tea. They had a selection of nicely displayed desserts, sandwiches and salads as well as the hot food - macaroni & cheese, pies, curry and veg. They also serve drip coffee, which is as rare as hens teeth in these parts.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379810408" title="Pizza Tabun - Woodfired Pizza & Monmouth Coffee by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Pizza Tabun - Woodfired Pizza & Monmouth Coffee" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/14379810408_f3e9175fb9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Just down the way from Avalon near the Greenpeace area I found Pizza Tabun - a festival circuit regular offering woodfired pizzas, Monmouth coffee and cakes. It was the Monmouth coffee that caught my eye - I had heard about it in London but we never made it there since they only have three outlets in town. I ordered an iced cold brew and a brownie - both were terrific and the pizzas looked good too. If we are lucky enough to go back I'll be making a beeline for this place straightaway. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14563049761" title="Woodfired Pizza at Pizza Tabun by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Woodfired Pizza at Pizza Tabun" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2902/14563049761_f2c61c851c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Around the corner in the Greenpeace area I found a glittering treasure trove of stalls selling cakes, fresh fruits and vegetables, meals and handmade drinks. Everything at these stalls looked fresh and plentiful and as far as I could tell they were one-offs - not to be found elsewhere. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14563049721" title="Food stalls in the Greenpeace area by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Food stalls in the Greenpeace area" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2919/14563049721_9c4670d156_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
"Greens of Glastonbury" sold Ploughman's lunches - cheese, onion, apple, butter and pickles? Um, yes please. Next door to that was a stall selling homemade cordials and drinks that sounded fantastic, and then there were the desserts (called "cakes" here). If I wasn't already holding a brownie in my hand, you can bet I would have bought a piece of this Naughty Chocolate Tiffin. I did not make that up, it is exactly what the sign said. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14563049561" title=""Naughty Chocolate Tiffin" in Greenpeace by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt=""Naughty Chocolate Tiffin" in Greenpeace" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3907/14563049561_bcb69b00d6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I am a complete sucker for hippie food so I was loving this little area. Everything was displayed prettily too - stacked on trays with flowers, etc. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14543340746" title="Cakes in the Greenpeace area by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Cakes in the Greenpeace area" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3835/14543340746_aa2f4f1c1f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The little farmers market stall was heaped with fresh fruits and vegetables - a good resource when the fried and/or baked food at the stalls starts to get you down. Another stall offered bulk trail mix, nuts and snacks from big glass jars. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379748310" title="Fruit & Veg Market in the Greenpeace Area by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Fruit & Veg Market in the Greenpeace Area" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3886/14379748310_f338992356_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
As I mentioned earlier, timing and proximity are big factors, and since our campsite provided us with breakfast daily and dinner on the first two nights, I probably only ate four or five meals in the festival altogether. Needless to say, I saw a lot of places that I didn't get a chance to try. One notable spot in this category was the Sushi Bar in the park. I only walked by once when they were open, and snapped these pictures. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14566430955" title="The Sushi Bar in the Park by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="The Sushi Bar in the Park" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2939/14566430955_5fc0a8b7b5_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
There was a little anteroom for boots, and sheepskins on the floor for sitting in the yurt dining room. The menu was small - a sushi platter and a few Japanese specialties, but I would have loved to try it, if only for a break from wearing wellies for a while.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379747350" title="Sushi bar in the Park by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Sushi bar in the Park" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3895/14379747350_c88e6790e0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Another place I heard about but never managed to try was the lobster stand. There was only one of these and I heard on good authority from a crew member that it was good, but they had run out of the lobster by the time I got there and I never made it back. I met said crew member while sharing a stand-up table outside the "Carlitos Burritos" stall, which I believe is another one-off, I only saw one, close to the Pyramid Stage. Being from California I just couldn't resist giving it a try - not to mention, what better recovery food is there than a burrito? We had the pork pibil which is their most popular option - pictured (way) above. It was more Mission style than So Cal - with rice, beans and lettuce inside along with the salsa and guacamole - but perfectly respectable. They have a restaurant in the Brighton area and seem like really nice people too.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14586525843" title="The Lobster Stand by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="The Lobster Stand" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3920/14586525843_24065441bc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Something else I wanted to do but didn't get around to was a Cream Tea. There were a few places offering it around, but this spot in the Green Fields looked the most inviting. We also didn't make it to the Beat Hotel for their pancakes in the morning, and we didn't spend enough time in Silver Hayes to make out much about the options over there. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379837589" title="Cream Teas in the Green Fields by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Cream Teas in the Green Fields" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3894/14379837589_20acf22334_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Now a few words about drinking at Glastonbury... Glastonbury is unlike any festival you will see in the U.S. because you can bring in your own alcohol in unlimited quantities, as long as it's not in glass bottles. They don't allow glass in the festival site at all, primarily because it is dangerous to the cows which graze the land during the rest of the year. They were randomly inspecting bags of people entering the festival to camp and confiscating drugs and glass bottles if they found them.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379721470" title="The Cockatoo Bar - Great Cocktails by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="The Cockatoo Bar - Great Cocktails" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/14379721470_53dc8048e8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
People were swigging from plastic liter bottles and what not - and you can bring your own booze and buy mixers from the zillions of little vans parked around selling sodas and bottled water, but there are also some great options in the festival for cocktails. My favorite bar was the Cockatoo, in the Theatre & Circus field - there's a cage on top of the van and quite often there would be a girl on a swing in the cage. I stuck with the Cockatoo - their signature blend of rum, cherry bitters, port and "other secret ingredients" garnished with a lime wedge and fresh cherry. I will say that they were generally at their best earlier in the day - toward the evening the staff got tired and they started to run out of things. The drink I received at 1 PM was markedly better than the one I received at 10 PM. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14379812649" title="Drinks from the Shangri Hell bar by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Drinks from the Shangri Hell bar" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2935/14379812649_5436716547_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Along the same line, we stopped in at the bar at Shangri Hell early in the day for a round, and I asked for a "Dark and Stormy." Brits are fans of strong ginger beer, and it was on their posted menu so I figured what the heck. When he handed it to me, James informed me that the bartender had used Worcestershire sauce in it. I tasted it and it was delicious. Any more and it would have been too much, but it gave it just the right amount of savory tang. I ordered another one when they were slammed late at night and it was a different story - watery ginger beer & rum in a paper cup - so if you're a cocktail aficionado, maybe start early in the day.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14586501843" title="Avalon Inn - Field of Avalon by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Avalon Inn - Field of Avalon" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5472/14586501843_84085d3708_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
There are bars all over the festival and in nearly every small music venue - most of which serve a short list of cocktails, cider and beer. Thatchers Cider and Carlsberg beer are available everywhere, but a few bars serve a wider selection including "real ales" - notably the Cockmill Bar near the Acoustic Tent and the Avalon Inn (above). There was also a one-off mojito bar right by Arcadia that served a really good, tall, strong mojito. It was cold and refreshing with lots of ice (which is not easy to come by) and I would definitely seek it out again.<br />
<br />
One post down, at least two and possibly three more to go - we did a week in London in addition to the Festival, and I have to tell you about a few things there too! At this rate I'm never going to get caught up from last year, but I guess that's ok! :) <br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-74632763439232920522014-07-08T08:36:00.001-07:002020-02-09T11:08:09.264-08:00London, 2014 - Part IUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-2113962065936010462014-06-13T17:52:00.000-07:002020-02-09T11:08:00.971-08:00Thanksgiving in New OrleansOk, so it doesn't have quite the same ring as "Christmas in Connecticut" but Thanksgiving in New Orleans is just as much fun, I can assure you. Thanksgiving weekend kicks off a six month period of pretty much nonstop partying in New Orleans - from Thanksgiving to Christmas (and Reveillon) to New Years, to Mardi Gras - then the round of spring festivals culminating with Jazzfest at the end of April. It's just after hurricane season (or on the tail end anyway) and the accompanying heat and humidity of summer, but before the chill of winter sets in. A cold snap blew through bringing 40 degree temperatures for the first half of the week, but the weekend after Thanksgiving it warmed up to a balmy 65.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-7841529720385069652014-06-13T14:12:00.003-07:002016-06-13T16:24:41.577-07:00San Francisco with the Girls<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9138013834" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5539/9138013834_c547e6c05e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Last year at about this time, James and I took our nieces Caelan and Emma on their first plane ride to San Francisco, one of our favorite cities. We know and love the City well, and planned what we thought would be the perfect traditional kid-friendly first trip. I think we did a decent job. Not only did the girls fall in love with the City, but it gained some ground on me too. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9138014544" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/9138014544_ebf1f59872_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Fresh off the plane we made a beeline for - where else? The Ferry Building! Honestly, I probably go here about as often as I would if I still lived in the Bay Area, given the lines and the hassle of getting there. They now have Disneyland-style dividers to corral the queuing crowds at Blue Bottle and the new Humphry Slocombe ice cream outlet. Good news is there <i>is</i> a Humphry Slocombe - it replaced the Ciao Bella stand. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9135793115" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="461" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/9135793115_efde2bec24_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
While James and the girls got in line for burgers at Taylor's Refresher<i> </i>I ran around the corner for an Out the Door Bahn Mi. Holy Roast Pork Goodness. Juicy pork, nuoc mam marinated cucumber, carrots and cilantro on a french roll.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9135796959" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2812/9135796959_9b9cba8bb7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We stayed at the Phoenix Hotel in the Tenderloin - not because we love the neighborhood so much, but because they have a parking lot right out front with *hooray!* FREE PARKING. In San Francisco that is huge. Not only that, but they have a pool, and the girls luurvve to swim. They also have relatively cheap rates if you book ahead. The beds are comfy, they have a trendy bar and restaurant onsite and the staff is unfailingly polite - but the coffee is weak, the bathrooms are shoddy and the renovated motel thing only goes so far toward covering up the fact that the place is - in fact - a motel. With kids and a car though, it was the perfect place for us. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9135799663" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7360/9135799663_324eace0f4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
That night we had tickets for a Padres-Giants game. It was our first time at Pac Bell park, and we were thrilled to discover that among the concessions at the park is a mobile Ghirardelli hot chocolate vendor complete with whipped cream. While James and the kids ate hot dogs in the seats, I scarfed one of the popular crab sandwiches with a plastic flute of champagne. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9135801033" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7321/9135801033_7fa97144be_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
The next morning we headed off on one of the most de riguer San Francisco adventures, the trip to Alcatraz. Book early - they sell out several days in advance. The concession has changed hands since the last time I went about five years ago, and they've made changes for the better. The facility is better maintained and the self-guided audio tour is more informative and entertaining than I recall. We could not have asked for better weather, that's for sure. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9138024800" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3765/9138024800_f990d2ab76_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I loved how carefully curated this little display cell was, for example. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9135806039" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="471" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/9135806039_12dff37f3f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The gardens that were once maintained by the staff's wives were planted with blooming flowers. They grew lots of vegetables on the grounds when the island was operational and the grounds are lovely - it's too bad the former residences for the warden and other senior staff weren't left standing - they must have had some amazing views. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9138030090" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7339/9138030090_cae7968f83_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After the tour, we hopped down the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf to another venerable institution, the Franciscan crab restaurant. In the 70's and 80's my parents considered the Fisherman's Wharf restaurants tourist trap ripoffs, and when I lived in the Bay Area in the 90's I only ever went to Scoma's twice (where I once overheard a tourist from Texas say loudly in her twangy drawl "You could hammah nayles with that bread!") Needless to say, I had never been here before - but the visit quickly turned into a looping repeat of "where have you been all my life?!"<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9138033374" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7310/9138033374_8aa0cc86cd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The Franciscan is housed in a lovely art deco building - you walk up a staircase hung with vintage black and white celebrity photos to and an old school white marble bar and soaring open dining room with unobstructed views out to the bay. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14377247462" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2906/14377247462_cfdceecf82_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We *might* have overdone it on the crab - in someone's view. Not mine. We started with an appetizer of crab crostini with smoked salmon and avocado, then moved on to crab sandwiches and a crab louie - with a side of crab claws. (I made up for the fact that this wasn't a food-centric trip by eating crab every chance I got.)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9138036446" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3691/9138036446_705e4b4843_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The girls were disgusted - they can't stand seafood - but I was bouncing up and down in my chair. The Schramsberg and the amazing view were icing on the cake. I love to crack crab but James hates it, so I went to town on these suckers. Cracking and pulling those fat pieces of dungeness crab meat out of the shell and dunking them in melted butter is an experience everyone should have at least once.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9138035762" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3679/9138035762_485f26d204_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After lunch it was time to do what the girls wanted to do - the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum and hot fudge sundaes at Ghirardelli. The museum was a hoot for the girls - there isn't much to it, but they loved the funhouse at the end, and I enjoyed listening to them shriek with laughter and crash into the walls. The line at the original Ghirardelli on the east side of Ghirardelli Square was a block long - so we continued into the complex to the second location which was huge and nearly empty, with views looking out over the park to the bay. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9135823127" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5470/9135823127_096b975eca_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
That night we continued the "San Francisco Cliche" theme with a trip to the Stinking Rose. It was memorable only for the decor in the front room. The food was mediocre at best, but you already knew that, and so did we. It was still fun.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9138044618" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="454" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2860/9138044618_f9fb6f77f9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The next morning we stopped at the Dynamo Donuts kiosk at the Marina Green - a great way to enjoy a gorgeous morning. It's easy to get in and out (and to park) and the donuts and coffee cannot be beat. They have a few tables and chairs overlooking the water and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge beyond the trees. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9137498047" title="San Francisco with the Girls by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/9137498047_e8d2be0159_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We had Maple Bacon, Lemon Blueberry, Vanilla Bean and Spiced Chocolate - they were all delicious and they pull a gorgeous macchiato. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9137494913" title="San Francisco with the Girls by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2889/9137494913_36c8a09e34_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Next up was the Exploratorium - the science museum in its new location on the Embarcadero. It was expensive and crowded, but definitely worthwhile. Give yourself a few hours to make sure you can see it all, because you will have to wait for a turn at many of the exhibits. They had a fun little workshop for kids where they can build things with motors, etc. and an excellent gift shop with a lot of fun and smart kids toys. We had lunch in the cafe, which was expensive with long lines and lackluster food.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9137499757" title="San Francisco with the Girls by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5482/9137499757_2955624bb6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After spending most of the day there, we took the girls out to Golden Gate Park to one of my favorite places in San Francisco as a kid - the Japanese Tea Garden. They fell asleep in the car on the way there, but they were able to revive enough to enjoy walking around the beautiful gardens and have some tea in the pavilion overlooking the koi pond.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9135831807" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3676/9135831807_2538d80fcd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I felt pretty good about the fortune in my cookie. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9138053328" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3672/9138053328_155f7f73ec_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
It was quiet around there and they were closing up the tea pavilion since it was late in the day, but we were able to walk around the garden and take some pictures, etc. It's a really lovely, contemplative place - the perfect antidote to all the crowds and chaos we had been experiencing thus far. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9138065446" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/9138065446_9e684cd1f9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We still had a little time to kill before dinner at the Beach House with friends on the Solstice, so we went over there and had drinks at their downstairs bar while the girls played in the park. The Beach House isn't exactly a pillar of grande cuisine - but it was a perfect spot for a fun group dinner to kick off summer. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9135847577" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5445/9135847577_a9c458a7d2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The next morning we headed over the Golden Gate Bridge to the Muir Woods (after a stop for breakfast at Mel's Diner.)<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9135853479" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="640" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2835/9135853479_1611e22f18_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
We gawked at the enormous trees and did a beautiful short loop hike that took about an hour, then headed into Mill Valley to pick up a picnic, which we took to this beautiful beach location and then had to eat in the car because it was crazy windy. Oh well. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9135859603" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="470" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3766/9135859603_b0313c9a18_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
On the way back, we popped by the Divisadero Bi Rite Creamery - all the fun and flavors of the Mission location with zero line. Win win. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9138089004" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3786/9138089004_70bf174741_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Dinner that night was at the Tonga Room. Yeah, don't do that. We knew better and we did it anyway, and paid the price. My parents took me here to the bar as a kid and I LOVED it, and I knew the girls would at least get a kick out of the rain storms, the paper umbrellas and the music, and I think they did, but the food was flat out awful. I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu in an effort to lessen the pain. It didn't work. At least James got to drink a cocktail out of a real pineapple. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9138091082" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3686/9138091082_b65597f1b7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We capped off the night with a cable car ride down to Embarcadero on the California line. We practically had it all to ourselves - and we almost had a tragic accident when Niece No. 2's glasses fell off and she tried to jump off to get them. I sprouted a few gray hairs on that one - thankfully our cable car operator was a nice guy and stopped so James could hold up traffic and retrieve them. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9135870609" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7362/9135870609_c2c4ca02fd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Our last stop on the way to the airport was Chinatown, so the girls could pick up some souvenirs and presents for friends and family - just like I did when I was a kid. They picked out a few trinkets and I wished we were driving home instead of flying, so I could buy some Chinese firecrackers. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9135871427" title="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="San Francisco with the Girls 6.13" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5469/9135871427_9b36e91fa8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
People always say we're so nice to do things like this for our nieces, but really, it's as much fun for us as it is for them. Not only are they just awesome, well-behaved kids - it was amazing to watch them fall in love with the City - hanging off the cable car for the first time, taking in the breathtaking vistas from the hills, looking up at the massive redwoods in Muir Woods, talking about how they want to go to college there when they grow up. It's one of the best and most beautiful cities in the world, and I felt lucky to be able to show it to them. <br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-80286716159199220592014-06-02T09:49:00.000-07:002015-05-20T07:42:11.454-07:00Italy, 2013 - Capri <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382625440" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2883/9382625440_2650efe563_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
If I'm being honest, I have to admit I don't really have THAT much to say about Capri - mostly what I have, are lots of pictures. We were only there for a few hours, but I think I learned enough about it to warrant a blog post, even if it's mostly just telling you how much I want to go back and stay longer next time.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382625816" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2891/9382625816_e6f0c78345_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The allure of Capri is undeniable. Even now, as overrun with tourists as it is - it's still one of the most popular vacation spots for people who can go anywhere they choose. Just the week before we were there, Beyonce and Jay Z had anchored their yacht in the harbor for a few days, and major Hollywood moguls are regularly spotted in the local restaurants. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379844439" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5470/9379844439_e5e34b254d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
When you step off the boat, you're in an area called "Marina Grande." Marina Grande consists of the funicular station and taxi stand, and a row of shops and souvenir stalls where we found this gentleman making sandals. Capri Town is up the hill - you have to get there by taking the funicular or an open air taxi. The funicular had a long line so we decided on a taxi, and then hired the driver to take us around the island all day for two reasons: one we had a three year old with us, and two, I had given myself a terrible neck spasm that morning. Luckily, it didn't dull my enjoyment of the day, it just gave it a slightly blurry around the edges quality. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379844503" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2820/9379844503_0677768a29_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
At the center of Capri Town is a small town square or "Piazzetta" with an assortment of cafes, a lemon ice stand (heavenly) and a number of cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating. We sat down at one of the cafes for some fresh lemonade and iced coffee (cafe freddo) which cost about 3x as much as it would have anywhere else, but was worth it just to enjoy the people watching and relax in the shade.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382627540" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/9382627540_5bf877bb56_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Just off the square is a little bakery and gelato stand called Buonacore. They're famous for a type of lemon almond cookie - sort of a cakey macaroon. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382627808" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2815/9382627808_39883437b1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We had gelato. It was hot that day. So hot that at lunch, I asked the waiter for some ice for my neck, and just let it melt all over me. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14094266487" title="image by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="image" height="427" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3678/14094266487_e64167dbf8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
A warren of alleyways and arcades leading to the boutiques, shops and restaurants extends off the square in every direction. To help you find your way, they have these lovely tiled signs up at the entrance to each tiny alleyway. It would be fun to get lost in these for a few days.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14097342248" title="image by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="image" height="427" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3789/14097342248_f2df5ba0d0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
There are innumerable boutiques selling gorgeous clothes, shoes, bags, etc. Everything is very expensive, but really lovely - enough that it was fun just to look. This was the Valentino boutique. I didn't get a photo of the boutique where I actually bought something - Carthusia. It's a sweet little parfumerie where everything they sell is scented by botanical products of the island - lemons, flowers, olives. Their Fiori di Capri perfume was worn by Jackie O.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382627600" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5349/9382627600_a676bde874_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Speaking of Jackie O. - they still talk about her here. A lot. We visited the shop where Jackie bought her Capri pants, and lo and behold - they still sell them. They are beautiful and everything about the shop was impeccable. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382628154" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/9382628154_f53573fc0a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I thought this silk pattern was especially fetching. These cost around $300 a pair - not completely outrageous. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379845197" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5450/9379845197_f06d4a0529_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Of course, there are also the Capri sandals. Canfora is where Jackie bought her sandals that launched the trend around the world. There are imitators everywhere but this is the original. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382627956" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/9382627956_4e187a09ce_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Prices range from around $200 for the most simple pair, to upwards of $500-600 with embellishments. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379845029" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3733/9379845029_bccd82ebd4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After walking around Capri Town, we had made arrangements for our driver to pick us up and take us to Marina Piccola for lunch. Marina Piccola is on the other side of the island, and offers views of the famous trio of rocks known as the Faraghlioni. It's also where that <a href="http://www.photographersgallery.com/photo.asp?id=2183">famous Slim Aarons photograph</a> was taken. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379842713" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5346/9379842713_1146c8c43c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We had a nice but not terribly memorable lunch at an open restaurant overlooking the famous view at Marina Piccola and then he took us to Anacapri - the island's "second town." It's a little quieter, and it's where most people live who actually live and work on Capri. There are a few nice hotels there, one of them being the Capri Palace. We killed most of our time in Anacapri relaxing in the lobby there and taking advantage of the air conditioning. The three year old napped, and we drank a cold bottle of Pellegrino.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14283981655" title="image by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="image" height="427" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5542/14283981655_e241cb36ef_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
There are definitely worse places to spend a couple of hours. I snapped a few pictures of the artwork in the lobby and the pool area which was gorgeous. It's a really pretty place. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382625952" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/9382625952_04e1aab2fa_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We popped back into Capri Town on our way out to pick up a package of those famous cookies for our hostess, and some painkillers for me. (Ketodol is good stuff.) Then we hopped on the boat back to Positano. One funny thing about visiting Capri for the day - the last boats leave around 4:30 or 5. It must be really nice to be there after the day trippers leave. I plan to try it next time.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382590528" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5329/9382590528_40b240a92c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I'd also really like to do the hike to the ruins of Tiberius' palace, Villa Jovis. <a href="http://www.capri.com/en/i/the-villas-of-tiberius">This link</a> tells you how to get there, as well as how to visit the famous Grotta Azzura (Blue Grotto) and Bagni di Tiberius - Tiberius' seaside villa. One day was definitely not enough. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-53700899118995302382014-05-23T07:54:00.002-07:002014-08-01T17:35:00.110-07:00Italy, 2013 - Positano Part II<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379817775" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/9379817775_4f33cff254_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
For the last few days of my visit to Positano, we moved down to Fornillo Beach - a cove just north of the main beach (Spaggia Grande) separated from the main part of town by a short boat ride or a lovely 15 minute hike up and over a hill.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382601810" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2891/9382601810_105ec4c715_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Positano is somewhat odd in that significant parts of the town simply have no street access - It's all sidewalks and stairs, similar to some places in Greece (or so I'm told.) When we moved, we hired porters to carry our luggage the approximately quarter mile distance from the road down to the apartment, and when we got ready to go to the beach that afternoon, we walked the 500 steps down to the beach.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14265489053" title="Fornillo Beach - Positano by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Fornillo Beach - Positano" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2914/14265489053_fd093d20fc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We did not walk back up - but even so it was a lot of work. We took a boat around to the main beach dock, hiked up to the bus stop at Piazza dei Mulini, and took the bus all the way around the town (it runs one way in a circle) back to the road above Fornillo Beach. (Now you're starting to understand why I didn't gain any weight on this trip!)<br />
<u><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14058705210" title="Fornillo Beach - Positano by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Fornillo Beach - Positano" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2933/14058705210_009e0faf2a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></u><br />
The beach at Fornillo is divided into several different beach bars all in a row, joined by a boardwalk that runs along behind them. The first one is attached to the Hotel Pupetto. After we were there, I learned that if you eat there you can use the elevator that runs between the Pupetto and their sister hotel the Hotel Vittoria to get back up to street level. This is a big deal - see above. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382626850" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5349/9382626850_f53d4655e7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We did not eat there, because we were smitten with Da Ferdinando, just next door to Pupetto. Ferdinando is related to the owners of Da Vincenzo, so we were treated like part of the family there. He saved us primo lounge chairs right by the water, and we were well taken care of in the restaurant. (You can also make reservations at the beach clubs - or just try to go early.)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382596460" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5340/9382596460_bd8d61a94a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The food at Da Ferdinando and the other beach bars is good, but not like Da Adolfo. They serve coffee and pastries in the morning and sandwiches and salads throughout the day. They had gelato and an espresso bar, and of course, beer and wine. Maybe even cocktails - I'm not sure - though nobody seems to drink them there anywhere but hotels. These alici marinate (marinated anchovies) we had on our first afternoon there were fabulous. Note the hand painted plate - these plates are found in every restaurant and home in the Amalfi Coast. I am sure there is a story behind this but I don't know what it is. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14218248374" title="Alici Marinate at Da Ferdinando by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Alici Marinate at Da Ferdinando" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2911/14218248374_363166998b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The creation below, known as a saltimbocca, is sort of like a cross between a quesadilla and a calzone - cheese and prosciutto grilled on a pizza dough flatbread and folded. I want one right now. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382614854" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3739/9382614854_44eddf7d01_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
On my last day in Positano, I walked over to town from Fornillo Beach to do some shopping for souvenirs and such. I knew I wanted some of the famous custom made sandals, and a few pieces of ceramics.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382602614" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3674/9382602614_cbfb2964e7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I also wanted to check out the <a href="http://www.sirenuse.it/en/153/emporio-le-sirenuse.aspx">Le Sirenuse shop</a> - directly across the street from the hotel. It's by far the chicest boutique in Positano. Out of my league, but still fun to look. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379825459" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/9379825459_81e1ff6c0b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The Carlo Moretti glasses and bowls are displayed in this glass case right in the center of the store. I contemplated picking out one to take home (since that was all I could afford) but it was impossible to decide, and I really think the magic is in the way they all look so great together anyway. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382609912" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3719/9382609912_505d50674d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I loved these swim trunks too - sporting a graphic take on the Le Sirenuse logo, but I settled on a couple of shawls/beach blankets and a <a href="http://store.emporiosirenuse.com/collections/books/products/le-sirenuse-ashtray">small handpainted ceramic Le Sirenuse souvenir dish</a>. When I bought it, I had no idea it was actually an ashtray - it dawned on me while looking at it a few months later. It's still pretty anyway. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382610478" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3707/9382610478_8e8c6a04f9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The clothes were gorgeous - they had their own line of patterned tunics and dresses and a smattering of items from designer labels. I was impressed that the collection was pretty much all ages appropriate.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379826119" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5545/9379826119_f39d27dea3_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I wanted to get some of the famous "Capri" sandals - so I headed to the Safari shop to have some made. These type of shops are all over Capri and there are several in Positano - but I thought this one was the best quality for the price. They measure your foot and pick the size - you choose your heel height and leather and they put it together for you.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14244860801" title=". by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="." height="427" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2927/14244860801_949e461a9d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The prices run anywhere from about $60 to $150.00 depending on the style, and they take about an hour to make. Sandals are kind of the thing here - so I bought James a pair of fisherman's sandals at another shop, also for around $100. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382611796" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/9382611796_a304f22d66_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
While I was waiting for my shoes to be made, I picked up a few little painted ceramic pieces in one of the bazillion local ceramic shops to take back as gifts and souvenirs, and selected an assortment of Italian cookies from the Bar Mulino and had them wrapped up. I toted my shopping bags back up and over the hill, and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon at the beach. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14243097432" title="Fornillo Beach - Positano by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Fornillo Beach - Positano" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5548/14243097432_a9fa58feb9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Before I finish up with Positano and move on to Capri, I want to tell you a little bit about Nocelle, the town we stayed in for a few days before moving down to Fornillo. Before I tell you about that though, I should tell you about the buses. Having a car is really a burden in Positano - you will need to pay for a place to park it in a garage the entire time you're there, and you won't really need it, because you can walk or take the bus everywhere you want to go.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379511389" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5492/9379511389_dc58d1528a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
There are two buses in the area, the SITA bus, which runs along the main highway and stops in Positano (Sponda), and the short little red and white buses that run all around the town. The Interno buses run in a circular route through the town and stop about every fifteen to thirty minutes depending on the time of day. The Montepertuso/Nocelle and Praiano buses run a about every half hour or so. It's not perfect - they're horribly crowded at certain times of the day, they cost a couple of Euro (the price is the same no matter how far you go) there is no air conditioning and they don't always run exactly on time, but generally they will get you where you want to go without too much hassle. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9375570091" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5518/9375570091_0783494e27_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
If you are going to Positano during a hot or particularly crowded time of year, you may want to consider staying in Nocelle. It's about ten degrees cooler, and the accommodations are plentiful and tend to be more affordable than Positano proper. It's a popular jumping off (or on) point for the "Path of the Gods" (or Degli Dei in Italian) a beautiful hiking trail that runs to Praiano and beyond. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9378342280" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7410/9378342280_3eecf65de6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I took a little morning walk out on the trail just to get a feel for it and it was indeed breathtaking. The small town you see peeking around the bend below is the next town over of Praiano. I am told you can walk to Praiano, have lunch at <a href="http://www.ristoranteilpirata.net/">Il Pirata</a>, and take the bus back in the afternoon - that's what I'm hoping to do next time. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9375558337" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7355/9375558337_ce909c8c24_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
At the start of the trail in Nocelle (just follow the signs for the Degli Dei) there is a snack bar with a view that rivals the best in existence - Nepenthe has nothing on this place. And you can enjoy it for the price of a soda. (Note the basket of lemons on the case below. *sigh*)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379517365" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5511/9379517365_1d921f6bfb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I walked down here with the kids one afternoon to get them out of the house, and the owner said he had just opened up this summer for the first time - so it was brand new. It's a lovely addition to Nocelle - which essentially has one restaurant, one pizza bar and one tiny grocery shop. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382297472" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3685/9382297472_f4d4353eca_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
There are other things to do around there that I haven't gotten around to yet, such as hopping among the other towns of the Amalfi Coast (especially Ravello) and going to Pompeii and Vesuvius, and of course there's Capri - which we did do - that's coming up next! <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-11282963476201552772014-05-20T17:08:00.000-07:002015-02-01T10:29:40.741-08:00Italy, 2013 - Positano, Part I<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9378307028/" title="Positano 2013 by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/9378307028_929c40c2f4_z.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
Last July, I flew to Italy and spent ten days in Positano with some <a href="http://www.domesticreflections.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">friends</a> who were there for an extended vacation.* I had long wanted to go to the Amalfi Coast, and I was pretty sure I would like it, but it turns out I absolutely loved it. It is of course a beautiful coastal locale, and for that reason I was expecting more monied excess - the jet set crowd, etc. As it turned out, there was virtually none of that in Positano, and though Capri has been a favorite vacation spot of the rich and famous since at least the 50s, it was suprisingly low key too. Maybe because part of the appeal of the area is its lack of pretentiousness and slower pace of life. My perceptions might be a bit skewed because I did not stay in a hotel, and I was there with friends who had been before and were familiar with the restaurants, beaches, etc. - so that certainly helped - but all of that can be figured out fairly quickly, and I'm here to tell you about it anyway. :)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14237763764" title=". by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="." height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2914/14237763764_1b3eb3738b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The town center of Positano is roughly arranged around Piazza dei Mulini. It's the closest stop for the buses (and cars) to the main beach - about a ten minute walk further down the hill. Around Piazza dei Mulini you'll find our favorite coffee bar - Bar Mulino Verde - a newsstand, a church, and some assorted boutiques. Just up the hill to the south (left as you face the beach) is the famed Le Sirenuse hotel, another much less expensive hotel called La Tavolozza, and a string of shops and boutiques selling ceramics and gifts. (More on that later.) Just a few steps down from the square toward the beach is the Enogastronomia Delicatessen. It's actually part of a two story complex - on the bottom is a shop selling ceramics, homewares and a well assembled collection of all the "limone" products your heart could possibly desire - from soap and candles to candies (which, incidentally, can be difficult to tell apart.) On the top is the "delicatessen" selling prepared foods, produce and groceries. (Protip: the lower floor also houses a bathroom and a back staircase leading up to the deli.)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9375518091" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7345/9375518091_a616c04297_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>Climb the steps and you'll be greeted by bins of beautiful fruits and vegetables, including these local Sorrento Lemons with the leaves still attached. These are everywhere in the area, which I absolutely loved. It turns out the two "mascots" of Positano are already favorites of mine - Sirens (mermaids) and lemons. The reason for the Sirens is that the "Le Galli" Islands just off the coast are said to be their home in the Odyssey by Ulysses.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9375512205" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7306/9375512205_6826f2f468_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The produce in Italy was almost unbelievably wonderful. This was high season for tomatoes and stone fruit, and they were the best I've ever had, anywhere. The tomatoes really are that red. I think it may be the rich volcanic soil - many of the area's tomatoes are grown on Vesuvius for that reason - San Marzanos in particular - but there is clearly something different about them. The nectarines were equally amazing and also come with leaves attached. So beautiful. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9378292486" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/9378292486_d23b4c2b8d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Inside is a large refrigerator case filled with prepared foods like fat, eggplant-stuffed meatballs, marinated anchovies and vegetable salads. We developed a habit of swinging by here on our way down to the beach and ordering food - having them hold it for us for the day, and then picking it up on our way home. When we returned each afternoon, the cases were nearly empty. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382627226" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5475/9382627226_d2a76786ff_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The highlight of the trip though, the place I simply can't <i>wait</i> to go back to, is Da Adolfo. To get there, you go down to Spaggia Grande - the main beach - and walk around to the dock to catch the little skiff boats, which leave every thirty minutes or so. They take you for a fifteen minute ride down the coast to a small beach near Laurito (almost to Praiano) which offers some of the prettiest views of the town you'll see. The picture up top was taken on our way out. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9378304556" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3734/9378304556_a486e07ec0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
You absolutely must have a reservation, so make one the day before. You'll see the La Sirena hotel next door to Da Adolfo - but you don't want to take their boat to get to Da Adolfo. If you use the boat of a restaurant or beach it's expected you'll eat and drink there too and they can get pretty upset if you don't follow those rules. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9375526921/" title="Positano 2013 by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5450/9375526921_002396abe5_z.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
When you arrive, you'll pay the attendant about 15 Euro to rent a lounge chair for the day on the pebbled beach. You can drop your things and head straight in for lunch, or go for a swim. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9375541011" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7319/9375541011_38065cc06c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Lunch is served above the beach under a large awning - the floor is the same pebble surface as the beach, and the menu is on a chalk board on the far side of the dining area. You don't really need to look at it though - just order a pitcher of the house white wine with peaches and ask them to bring you some pasta pomodoro and seafood. They will ask you what you like and suggest some specialties. They're known for the mozzarella grilled on lemon leaves - which is fine, but honestly not one of the best things they offer (don't eat the leaf!)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9375535439" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7404/9375535439_bef9563807_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The spaghetti pomodoro is perfection. I don't know how they make their sauce but I really wish I did, because it's spoiled me for all others. It's a real lesson in the seductive power of a simple perfect dish. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9375591705" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/9375591705_1a9986158a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The spaghetti ala vongole is almost equally good - as is the spaghetti ala cozze (mussels) - they cook their pasta to the perfect al dente every time. (Why is that so difficult for every other Italian restaurant in the world, when a rangy band of handsome beach bums can do it in a tiny kitchen without electricity?)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9378371614" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3698/9378371614_135ca4777a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
They don't need electricity for the crudo plate - with perfect cured salmon, alici marinate and pulpo (octopus). The little fried shrimp are bliss too - eat them whole, the shells are delicate and crunchy.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9378376724" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3692/9378376724_7bb76e5e2d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The people watching is superb too. We took a photo that included some people sitting behind us at a table and posted it on Instagram, only to have the woman in the photo comment - her name is Gillian and she has a <a href="http://www.gillianslists.com/">blog</a> of her own focusing on Rome, though she knows the Amalfi Coast well too - I got some good tips for Capri from her. (This isn't the photo, incidentally, I just loved this picture of these beautiful Italian girls chowing on some pasta at the beach.) <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9378319304" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7387/9378319304_c689b82b8b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After your multi course lunch - revive with some perfect espresso - or better yet - this affogato made with a puck of chocolate chip semifreddo. Pure bliss. Sleep, swim and sun the rest of the afternoon away, and you will understand why Ulysses chose this area for the setting of his Sirens' song. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9375551037" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/9375551037_7d2014deeb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The marvelous thing about eating, is that even if you've already done it once in the afternoon, you get to do it again in the evening. We stayed up in Nocelle - a small village located just above Positano - for the first part of the trip, so one evening we traveled halfway back down the road to Positano to the restaurant La Terra in Montepertuso. The view at La Terra is breathtaking and the atmosphere the simple and elegant. It's completely open and sits perched right over the spectacular cliffside sea view. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9375553519" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5460/9375553519_9c7652663f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
There are no bad tables in this restaurant and my seat was absolutely perfect.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9375554329" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3770/9375554329_9d8cc296b8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The food was very good - the Aperol Spritzes and the view were a bit distracting - but I seem to remember that the spaghetti ala vongole was very nice. I ordered a tomato salad that was a bit wan - only notable because that's unusual around here. <br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379843319" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="640" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5333/9379843319_16191d4205_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
On another night, Jora and I went on a little girls night date - first to the Champagne Bar at Le Sirenuse for cocktails, then back to Monterpertuso to a restaurant called Donna Rosa. Le Sirenuse is probably the most well known hotel in Positano and is definitely the most expensive. (Il San Pietro is also nice - and expensive - but I didn't make it there on this trip.) When you order a cocktail at Le Sirenuse they bring you potato chips, marcona almonds and castelvetrano olives in these beautiful blown glass bowls. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382305474" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3732/9382305474_dcda6824c9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>They also have a gorgeous seafood and oyster bar, but the prices for both the champagne and the oysters were breathtaking - so we stuck with cocktails. My drink was their signature limoncello martini, and Jora had a Negroni. They sell the beautiful hand-blown Carlo Moretti glassware in their boutique across the street for around $100 per piece. God knows how many people try to slip them in their bags. Mine was too small. :)<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382309068" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/9382309068_4175da51be_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
After our cocktails, we cabbed halfway back up the road to Donna Rosa - on the other side of the road a few minutes away from La Terra. This is one of Jora's favorite restaurants in the area - and we had a lovely meal at an outside table in the small dining room. This is another place where reservations are a must - in fact, I think reservations are a must wherever you go. The locals say you don't need reservations, but even if the restaurant isn't crowded, they will always give you a better table and welcome you more warmly if they are expecting you.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382312908" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3688/9382312908_35b3761c23_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Donna Rosa is on the main square of Montepertuso, and was lively and crowded but not too hectic. It's a popular place for good reason. As is common in the region, they have an open kitchen you can see into from the dining room. It really adds to the convivial environment when the barrier between front and back of the house is removed. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379532119" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5519/9379532119_ea0c277123_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The handwritten family recipes handed down by previous generations are on display in a book in the dining room.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9379532925" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/9379532925_b1083b84d4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
One of my last dinners in Positano was at another of my host's favorite restaurants, Da Vincenzo. We also went for lunch earlier in our visit and I thought it was equally good. The only drawback to Da Vincenzo is they don't have one of these terraces overlooking the coast - their outdoor seating is all on the road, and the indoor dining room doesn't have a view. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9382585694" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/9382585694_7a6dcb250c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Don't let that deter you, though. It's a family run place and the fantastic food is enough of a draw in and of itself. We started with a selection of verdure from the bar near the door, then moved on to some alici fritti (fried anchovies) and cozze (mussels). On our lunchtime visit, I had a perfect Caprese salad. Caprese is on the menu almost everywhere here. Most places it is excellent and this was the best one I had. <br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/14031786029" title="Alici Fritti at Da Vincenzo by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Alici Fritti at Da Vincenzo" height="480" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5076/14031786029_e0554301cb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
We had eaten our fill of pasta by this time, so we started with a visit to their "verdure" bar near the entrance, and split these fresh fried anchovies with garlic lemon and parsley, and a big bowl of mussels with tomato sauce.<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/9378370724" title="Positano 2013 by Alice Q. Foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Positano 2013" height="480" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2856/9378370724_201ee16860_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
One of my favorite things about Positano was that despite eating all of this amazing food and drinking lots of wine, I never gained a pound. With all the stairs in Positano and swimming at the beach I had actually lost a pound or two when I came home, which is virtually unheard of. Next time, I'll have to stay even longer! <br />
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There is more, but this post has gotten long enough, so I'll be back in a few days with more about Positano and our daytrip to Capri. <i>Baci! </i><br />
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*Where have I been you may wonder? Well, nowhere special, really. I haven't written a blog post in over a year, but I've never stopped eating and traveling. I am going to do a little catching up and then try to update weekly with restaurant reviews and travelogues, time permitting. If you want to follow my mundane daily doings, feel free to find me on Instagram, Pinterest or my Alice Q. Foodie Facebook page. :)<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-44148059783339130482013-05-01T09:55:00.000-07:002020-02-09T11:08:03.320-08:00Donut Bar - Downtown San Diego<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8610338781/" title="Donut Bar - Downtown SD by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Donut Bar - Downtown SD" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8103/8610338781_de8aec25f3_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
Oh, Donut Bar... I had such high hopes for you. I hoped you would deliver something on the same level as Dynamo Donuts in San Francisco, or Doughnut Plant in New York City... but alas... <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8610705171/" title="March 2013 by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="March 2013" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8254/8610705171_291baa04bd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>On my first trip, I will admit I might not have picked a very good day to visit. Every single doughnut offered was brown. There were creme brulee ones filled with pastry cream, chocolate and maple with bacon, chocolate cake doughnuts and apple fritters. You can see the full selection above. The creme brulee was interesting because of the hard crunchy caramelized sugar top but the pastry cream inside didn't taste like creme brulee.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8611813620/" title="March 2013 by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="March 2013" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8380/8611813620_1e6c48aa10_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>Maple bacon is a stellar flavor combination but the flaccid pieces of bacon draped over the top of these doughnuts were anything but appetizing - not to mention hard to eat. (Great Maple is killing these, by the way.)<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8611798576/" title="March 2013 by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="March 2013" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8405/8611798576_6c14ba265f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
The rest of the doughnuts I tried that day were no better or worse than anything you'd find in an ordinary doughnut shop. The pricing on their basic varieties are reasonable, but they would be better off doing something more interesting and charging more, IMHO.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8610694025/" title="March 2013 by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="March 2013" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8246/8610694025_4db27e0fe1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
On a second visit, I tried the blood orange, the "birthday cake" and a peanut butter and jelly bar. The blood orange was by far the best, with good strong citrus flavor in the glaze and a fluffy tender texture. I'm not crazy about the thick glaze they put on their old fashioned doughnuts, but the doughnut itself was fine. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8690959093/" title="Donut Bar by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Donut Bar" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8263/8690959093_885b48eaaf_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> The "birthday cake" flavor was plain a vanilla cake doughnut with colored sprinkles. The peanut butter frosting was pleasingly salty, but I was chagrined to find the doughnut filled with artifically flavored and colored bulk quality "jelly." <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8692077772/" title="Donut Bar by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Donut Bar" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8264/8692077772_b5b7cc598a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8690961341/" title="Donut Bar by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Donut Bar" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8124/8690961341_d0abf9fcf8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> Honestly, if you're going to charge $3. for a doughnut I just think you should do better than that. <br />
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<a href="http://donutbar.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Donut Bar</a><br />
631 B St<br />
Downtown San Diego<br />
check their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/DonutBar?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> for their daily menu and updates.
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-25001653423894727362013-04-16T20:41:00.001-07:002020-02-09T11:08:01.159-08:00Island Creek Oyster Bar | B&G Oyster Bar - Boston<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8653319199/" title="B&G Oyster Bar - Boston by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="B&G Oyster Bar - Boston" height="474" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8125/8653319199_4c89f2787c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8653319587/" title="B&G Oyster Bar - Boston by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="B&G Oyster Bar - Boston" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8653319587_c2b9f64bcc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8653317973/" title="B&G Oyster Bar - Boston by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="B&G Oyster Bar - Boston" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8653317973_f3d1f49fcb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8653317699/" title="B&G Oyster Bar - Boston by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="B&G Oyster Bar - Boston" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8251/8653317699_989b102e7a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8653318359/" title="B&G Oyster Bar - Boston by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="B&G Oyster Bar - Boston" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8113/8653318359_3eab029a64_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8653309805/" title="Island Creek Oyster Bar - Boston by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Island Creek Oyster Bar - Boston" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8253/8653309805_9fe789ee87_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8654411528/" title="Island Creek Oyster Bar - Boston by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Island Creek Oyster Bar - Boston" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8654411528_fd43356d24_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8653309983/" title="Island Creek Oyster Bar - Boston by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Island Creek Oyster Bar - Boston" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8265/8653309983_ce0840cfa4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8653310249/" title="Island Creek Oyster Bar - Boston by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Island Creek Oyster Bar - Boston" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8106/8653310249_ee157810e6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8654412278/" title="Solas Pub - Boston by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Solas Pub - Boston" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8121/8654412278_86ca782d03_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-51358371560393560172013-03-27T23:52:00.000-07:002020-02-09T11:08:04.118-08:00Fathom Bistro, Bait & Tackle - Point Loma <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8590195336/" title="March 2013 by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="March 2013" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8512/8590195336_0363e5f79b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
Are you a fan of both craft beer and the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362270/" target="_blank">Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou</a>? Well then, I have <i>just</i> the place for you. A bait shack and beer bar located on the west side of Shelter Island, overlooking the San Diego Bay. Not only is the tiny paneled dining room smartly turned out in dark blue with a collection of undersea themed movie posters, a bookshelf full of National Geographic back issues and vintage diving equipment - but the craft beer selection rivals any other establishment in town. That is not surprising considering the owner, Dennis Borlek, was one of the original cooks at the Liar's Club and managed Hamilton's before moving on to the Monkey Paw and ultimately landing here.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8589095799/" title="Fathom Bistro, Bait & Tackle by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Fathom Bistro, Bait & Tackle" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8521/8589095799_74400bcd8f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
When we walked up we were greeted by Dennis, dressed in an elaborate pirate outfit - who stamped our hands with a squid logo. We entered the dimly lit space and felt like we were on a submarine - it's about the size of an RV, with the only light coming from a picture window overlooking the bay and one large yellow industrial light fixture hanging from the ceiling. The bar in front of the window is a perfect place to enjoy the view - especially at sunset - but there are a few blonde wood tables too. Very few - in fact I think three is the exact number. There are a few tables outside as well with a view of the city - and yes - an actual bait shop opening onto the pier. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8590196532/" title="Fathom Bistro, Bait & Tackle by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Fathom Bistro, Bait & Tackle" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8590196532_9a3955a93a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>
I'm guessing it gets crowded on weekend nights, but on Sundays they close at 8, so it was pretty low key with just one or two other tables occupied. We sat by the window and enjoyed a Russian River Damnation and a Bear Republic Red Rocket with a classic blue cheese wedge salad, a burger and an Italian sausage sandwich. They make the sausages in house, and I think they are probably what they do best - though the pulled pork sandwich with housemade kimchi sounded promising too. They also do Baja style hot dogs, including a loaded version with kimchi and pepperjack. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8589993235/" title="Fathom Bistro, Bait & Tackle by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Fathom Bistro, Bait & Tackle" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8226/8589993235_7ec0970538_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
I had a burger craving, so I ordered the Fathom Burger - it was a good traditional burger - but it was a little bit difficult to eat since it was served on a sausage roll. The Italian sausage with marinara and provolone was fantastic and the wedge salad was a classic specimen - chilled and crisp with tangy dressing and chunks of bacon and cherry tomatoes. It would be nice if they offered a few nibble style things to go with the beer - maybe some nuts, pickled vegetables or olives, or even a good grilled cheese. As it stands everything on the menu includes meat, so bear that in mind if traveling with vegetarians. <br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8590197892/" title="Burger at Fathom Bistro by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Burger at Fathom Bistro" height="480" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8246/8590197892_972b70fd9e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a>All in all though, the best thing about Fathom is that it feels special. It reminds me of one of those tiny ski chalets on the mountain that feels like a secret spot. They play great music, they have a killer beer selection and serve good food in a cozy atmosphere. It's a great spot for a date (it was in fact part of a "date day" that I had planned for James) particularly considering you can walk along the water before or after you stop in for your beer. It would also be a fun place for out-of-towners since it kills two birds - the view of the city and the craft beer scene in one swoop. You could even stop by the Bali Hai afterwards for Mai Tais - assuming you have nowhere to be the next morning...<br />
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<a href="http://www.fathombistro.com/" target="_blank">Fathom Bistro, Bait & Tackle</a><br />
1776 Shelter Island Drive<br />
On the fishing pier toward the west end of the Island<br />
across from the Best Western. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28561718.post-31577722106667656422013-03-26T00:57:00.002-07:002020-02-09T11:08:01.861-08:00Because Everyone Loves a Good Sandwich<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42323675@N00/8591468654/" title="Sandwiches! by alice q. foodie, on Flickr"><img alt="Sandwiches!" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8368/8591468654_b106e4f56a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Clockwise from top left: lobster roll at B&G Oysters, Boston; the Sam at Stein's Deli in NOLA; Steak Sandwich at Gjelina in LA; Bahn Mi at Out the Door in SF; Grilled Cheese at Hog Island Oysters in SF; the Schnitzelwich at Tabor in Portland; the Lobster BLT at B&G Oysters; Turkey and swiss with avocado and tarragon mustard at Rubicon Deli in SD, the Tabor cart in Portland.</span></div>
<br />
Nothing but nothing beats a good sandwich for satisfaction. Inspired by Bon Appetit's latest issue, here is my own top ten list of favorite (non burger) sandwiches both outside and inside San Diego. What are some of yours??<br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2013/03/son-of-gun-los-angeles.html">The Shrimp Toast at Son of a Gun in LA</a><br />
2. Momofuku pork buns in NYC<br />
3. <a href="http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2008/07/oysters-for-lunch-at-hog-island-san.html">Hog Island Oyster grilled cheese in SF</a><br />
4. Fried Chicken at Son of a Gun<br />
5. <a href="http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-orleans-part-ii-crawfest-steins.html">The Sam at Stein's Deli in NOLA </a><br />
6. Bahn Mi at Out the Door in SF<br />
7. <a href="http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2010/08/portland-part-ii-ace-hotel.html">Schnitzelwich at Tabor in Portland</a><br />
8. <a href="http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2010/03/tale-of-two-porchettas-il-cane-rosso.html">Roli Roti Porchetta at the Ferry Building Farmers Market</a> in SF<br />
9. Lobster BLT and lobster roll at B&G Oysters in Boston<br />
10. Steak sandwich at Gjelina in LA <br />
<br />
<b>Favorite sandwiches in San Diego: </b><br />
<br />
1. Triple Threat Pork sandwich at Carnitas’ Snack Shack <br />
2. Fried Chicken on a Cream Cheese & Chive Biscuit at Tiger! Tiger! (Sunday only)<br />
3. Crab sandwich at Point Loma Seafoods<br />
4. Turkey with swiss, tarragon mustard and avocado on a dutch crunch roll at Rubicon Deli<br />
5. Roast beef with goat cheese and red onion at Con Pane.<br />
6. No. 9 (bbq pork) bahn mi at K sandwiches (ask for double meat & extra pickle.)<br />
7. <a href="http://aliceqfoodie.blogspot.com/2012/06/ariccia-italian-market-la-jolla.html">Porchetta at Ariccia Italian Market in La Jolla</a><br />
8. <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2005/may/25/food/fo-SOSvegsandwich">Provencal vegetable sandwich at Cafe Zinc</a><br />
9. <a href="http://statigr.am/p/243700600361809941_1466885">ABLT at Prep Kitchen in Little Italy </a><br />
10. Fish Torta at El Pescador.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2