Amsterdam, Netherlands

Pancakes Amsterdam

When in Rome, er, Amsterdam, one eats Dutch pancakes, which are thin like a crepe. This restaurant was founded in 2007 and has been voted "best" for pancakes with a menu of Dutch pancakes, American style pancakes, each with transitional and original flavor combinations. The menu at this popular restaurant that has venues consisted of a variety of options. The traditional combination consists of ham and cheese. Since I am allergic to ham, I opted for one with Jonagold apples with Dutch grated cheese. I also selected the gluten free batter. I enjoyed this treat as the thinness left me feeling satisfied, but not heavy as other pancakes tend to do. It was also a pleasant combination of sweet and savory with the mix of apples and cheese. At each table, there are also condiments including powdered sugar and syrup. Yum.

Fromagerie Abraham Kef

During my limited time in the city, I enjoyed the beautiful skyline with quaint buildings and stopped into several cheese shops. I really enjoyed the engaged and eager interest of the staff at Fromagerie Abraham Kef. This was little shop that I entered with a front door immediately followed by steps down to the cheese cave. The staff excitedly told me about their most unique offerings and I purchased several to take home with me as they seemed to have the best variety of cheese that I found during my wanderings. This was a place I remember warmly.

I walked on an stopped into several other cheese shops, but the only other one where I made a purchase was Tromp, also with a good selection of cheese, whereas some of the other places I perused consisted of primarily Gouda style cheese, which was dominant here as well, but less so than some others. 

Dinner time for me in Amsterdam was at Restaurant Greetje. In my online searching, this was touted as having traditional style faire, but elegant.

The meal began with whole wheat rustic bread that was presented with organic butter with beet juice. I thought the butter was lovely mostly because of the striking color! 

Next, the amuse bouche was a chestnut puree with pumpkin pureed topped with butter.

This dish was characterized as having a fairly plain taste of pumpkin that maintained a thick texture, nearly requiring a knife as it was so compacted into a ball that it required me to press firmly with a fork while focusing on avoiding it flying across the plate! 

To my disappointment, I was not feeling hungry when I arrived for my reservation, likely due to being off schedule as I traveled. Therefore, after the above mentioned items, I limited my order to one, highly recommended dish.

I selected the rabbit, a dish reported to be traditional of the southern end of the Netherlands, by Belgium. I was told it was therefore unusual for this dish to be found in Amsterdam. It was served with mashed sweet potatoes and stewed celery with salsify chips. The flavor is a sweet and sour due to vinegar being used to marinate the rabbit prior to cooking. I cannot say that I would order this again, primarily because I desired more complexity of flavor and this was overpowered by the vinegar to my taste, but it was interesting to experience the traditional flavors.

Chocolatl 

I saved my favorite experience to describe at the end of this post. I LOVED MY EXPERIENCE at Chocolatl. This is a stop for an experienced chocolate lover and novice alike. The experience was wonderful because of the proprietor who had an immense knowledge of chocolate and he eagerly shared it. He provided tastes and a tasting experience, offering pointed questions to educate the taster, such as inquiring about the texture and color as I experienced each chocolate square. The walls of the store were lined with chocolates from around the world, primarily makers from Europe, which are difficult to obtain in the United States. This can be described as a gallery of specialty artisanal chocolate, primarily of single origin. They even offer single estate drinking chocolate. A decadent hidden gem. I purchased several and years later I am still wishing that I would have taken even more! If you go, will you bring me some?

Pisa, Italy

 

I went to see the leaning tower because, doesn't everyone? But while I was in Pisa, I also discovered a few somewhat less tourist driven stops along the way. As I walked through the town, I meandered through a market with many vintage goods of all types for sale. I also found a food market, Mercato delle Vettovaglie, which is well know, but unknown to me until stumbling upon it's many stalls. I admired the cheese and fish and pestos, as well as buying a cannoli, the only one that I can remember eating while in Italy! 

I also made my way down a little side street (although most of the streets in Pisa could be described exactly this way) to a restaurant I had been hoping to experience for lunch. However, they were closed! Although disappointed, a few more steps down on the same street, I enjoyed a remarkable meal of pumpkin souffle and eggplant at Sosta Dei Cavalieri. 

Pumpkin and almond pudding with Muffone cheese cream of the Carai farm, Volterra, Italy.

This is not sweet, but savory, although the presentation is commensurate with a perfect bakery dessert. It was smooth and crunchy and savory and I wanted it to last for longer than it did!

Gratin of eggplant with pecorino cheese and smoked ricotta cheese and Pachino tomato sauce. 

Here is a quintessential food picture from Italy. However, it also fits the bill for the quintessential taste of Italy. Pure fresh ingredients that are so thoughtfully combined that the simple tastes meld into something really remarkable. This was a very memorable dish and certainly what Italian eggplant is intended to taste like. Please make a stop at this restaurant if you have the opportunity. They also boast a lovely assortment of wine offered elegantly in daintily thin wine glasses. I went for the tower, but remember the food!

Owamni by the Sioux Chef, Minneapolis, Minnesota

After a brisk walk to the light rail in the chilly air of autumn in the midwest, I found myself ready for lunch at Owamni, which is situated directly next to the river. There is an outdoor space with a fireplace and, a the time that I visited, a food truck with a limited menu selling tacos from Owamni.

With recent naming of this restaurant in the New York Times "The Restaurant List" 2021, the waiting list was extensive. However, I was fortunate enough to find myself there for dinner on one day and lunch on the next. There are some differences between offerings at the two dining times, so I tasted items only offered at dinner when I was there for that meal. 

Dinner:

Preserved duck with purple sweet potato, balsam fir, rosehip and corn flatbread

I found the flatbread to be very firm, at it was thicker than most chips, but with a similar dry texture. It was a neutral format to deliver the duck from bowl to mouth. The duck was mildly tart due to the preserved nature of the dish. There was minimal spotting of sweet potato chunks with the shredded duck meat the primary item in the vessel, making it dense. I anticipated greater depth of flavor, but it was mildly tart as the dominate experience. 

Game sausage. which is buried under the root vegetables, mustard green pesto, and aronia berries. 

The complexity of the flavor in this dish is challenging to adequately explain. The meat was spicy (the server explained that the meat changes daily based on availability) with the texture of a ground meat in casing rather than the high density of some hotdog or sausages. The warm, rather than intense, spiciness of the meat contrasted beautifully with the bitter mustard green and addictively traditional oil/acid balance of a pesto. There was a sprinkling of aronia berries, which are highly tart, more tart than a cranberry. Finally, the root vegetables with earthy and with a slightly fresh and crunchy the textural contrast against the smooth creaminess of the pesto. Beautifully executed dish that I would have continued to eat had there been more.

NE seafood stew with Quahogs, mussels, smoked scallops, squash broth, nixtamal 

This was a dish of mixed seafood on which the server poured a thick broth, comparable to the viscosity of a stew, but made with squash. The squash provided a mild sense of richness, but remained light. The seafood had a lovely distinct smoked flavor and the spoonfuls were satisfying. Although the dish appeared to be large, it was overall light enough that I felt satisfied by the flavor but not overfilled by the volume. Tomatoes added texture, but minimal flavor contrast, also true to for the herbs sprinkled on top.

Squash puree tart with parsnips within a rice crust atop berry syrup

This squash was beautifully sweetened and was a creamy spreadable consistency. The berries, herbs, and dried parsnips all provided mild flavor contrasts, but the berry syrup was the primary contributor of flavor to enliven the taste buds. A little sweet and a little tart. The base of the tart was a hard and dry rice crust, the taste of which I enjoyed, but when fresh, I found it to make the dessert challenging to eat. The thickness of the crust with the firm texture, similar to a cracker, was difficult to break apart. However, I had some as a leftover the next day and enjoyed it immensely as the moisture from the squash puree softened the crust without making it soggy. On the second day, I was able to appreciate the different varieties of rice adding flavor and texture, nuances that I did not notice when it was fresh and particularly firm.

Lunch:

Bison tartare with duck egg sumac aioli, turnip crisps, aronia berries, wasna, and popcorn. It was served with a savory teosinte cracker.

Anxious to taste as much variety from the menu as possible, I ordered a tartare style meat. The bison was the texture of a traditional tartare and with mild flavor from the meat. However, it was livened by the aioli and wasna, which lent a pleasantly fine dry texture to contrast the smoothness of the tartare. The popcorn was also a texture component, but with few and small kernels, it was less noticeable than the highly tart aronia berries and turnip crisps. Most enjoyable to me were the crackers that provided a slightly oily rich flavor and earthy heaviness that was reminiscent of rye. It, too, was thick and dense, similar to the corn flatbread that was served with the preserved duck. However, the teosinte was noticeably more flavorful than the corn. 

Antelope taco with prickly pear, pickled onion, and fried sage. The tortilla is made by Indigenous Food Lab heirloom corn. 

The tortilla was slightly thicker than tortillas I have had before, even when compared to freshly handmade tortillas. The flavor was mild, but earthy. The pickled onion contrasted with the sweet pickle pear were the primary taste experiences with the fried sage too little or too mild by contrast to play a major role in the profile of the dish. The meat reminded me of a nondescript shredded meat without holding a strong nuance of it's own to make it feel definitely different to other meats I have had and I did not find it to be gamey in nature. 

Turkey open face corn sandwich with duck egg chili aioli and sprouts as well as root vegetables. 

This dish was delivered on a thick corn bread similar in size and texture to an extra dense English muffin. It was crumby and heavy, but mild in flavor. This was slathered in a chili aioli with an addicting level of spice with earthy nuances from the root vegetables, and the sprouts contributing in texture more than flavor. The turkey was mild and shredded and slightly dry, but the aioli provided adequate moisture to negate any concern to prevent the plate from leaving an impression of being overly dry.

Blue Corn Mush with maple and hazelnuts as well as blackberries. 

This is made with Ute Mountain Blue Corn and was comparable to a soupy oatmeal consistency, but very sweet due to the generous pour of maple syrup to make this a desert level of sweetness. The berries were a nice but gently flavor contrast with the hazelnuts lending a depth and richness to each bite, as well as a lovely crunchy texture. 

For both of my visits to the restaurant, I sat at the bar, affording me a view of the open kitchen as well as access to the bartenders to provide extra information and answer any questions that popped into my head as I enjoyed these meals. 

During the two stops that I made at the restaurant, I was able to observe chef Sean Sherman actively contributing to cooking, plating, and delivering dishes to tables, I felt fortunate to be able to talk with him several times and found him to be open, kind, and humble. It was a pleasure to hear him speak about the experience that he has created, not only at the restaurant, but also in the native communities near and far from Minneapolis via the Indigenous Food Lab. He has also been recognized via the 2015 First People Fund Fellowship, 2016 Bush Foundation Fellowship, National Center's 2018 First American Entrepreneurship Aware, 2018 James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook, and 2019 James Beard Leadership Award. And yet, he took a moment to snap a picture with me. This was an unforgettably unique experience.

Sean and I after my second visit to the restaurant. 

 

Cordoba, Spain

My arrival into Cordoba was in the very early morning hours. I first sat from some time at the bus station, as I had looked ahead of time to plan my day and found that everything in the city would be closed for some time after my arrival. After arranging my baggage, putting it in a locker for the day, and resting on a bench in the station, I set out to explore the city as daylight broke. It was lovely to see the sun coming up while looking across this bridge and seeing the natural light overtake the lights along the river.

When the hour came for the Mesquita to open, I stood in a long line that had formed my the many other people hoping to enter. Because it was the start of the day, a significant portion of the line was allowed inside to the empty building, so although the line was long, the wait was reasonable. I had read that there is always a line to see this remarkable building. 

This is one beautiful portion of the ceiling in the Mezquita mosque cathedral. The interior has a number of different textures, materials, patterns, and overall interesting architecture. However, the mere expansive size of the building is remarkable to view, in addition to the building being the only one in the word that is a mosque and cathedral in a shared space. This occurred when one of the largest mosques in the world was converted into a Christian church, but with the intention to preserve the building that was already there. To me, it felt like such a confused identify and clearly the awkward shift of one culture upon another. 

The city was filled with winding roads, so narrow that most would not even accommodate a car, and certainly not more than a single car for those streets that were slightly wider. I was left with the impression that many restaurants and places to board for the night surrounded the attraction brought on by the Mesquita, but that most of the other spaces were homes of locals. As I anticipated little to do in the city, I spent only part of one day there in order to see the Mesquita and then continue on my journey to the next city. 

I did also stop to visit their market, but the one that is promoted on the internet was limited to open air dining options rather than being the food market that I had hoped for. 

One beautiful memory that I have was noticing dates along the side walk that had dropped from trees above. They are one of my favorite fruits and it seemed such a waste to see them trampled on a public sidewalk!

Seville, Spain

Seville was certainly a pleasant place to visit. I recall alleys festooned with large sheets in order to provide shaded relief from the intense sun during the day. Then, at night, the same streets transformed into alleys filled with glowing lights and meandering couples admiring them. I discovered several little gems along my wanderings through the city. 

Contender was a fantastic restaurant that sources local and organic vegetables on the menu with an owner who patiently and enthusiastically answered my many questions. Not only was the menu enticing, they boasted an extensive list of quality vermouths and sherrys. I had so many questions about the differences between them and she explained the unique characteristics of each, displaying easy knowledge of these Andalusian fortified wines.

I ordered their most notable plate, crispy mushroom and duck confit. The complex flavors of the sauce are impossible to explain. There was depth and warmth to the seasoning and it was endlessly enjoyable.

The Plaza de Espania was as mesmerizing as it is said to be with beautiful views in every direction.

The detailed tile and stone work was fascinating to view while slowly traversing the grounds. 

La Oleoteca was an outstanding shop with unusual and highly rated olive oils. They even boasted olive oil with plankton. After many little tastes of the oils, I selected an award winning supremo organic oil. This was the description: Fruity intense green olive oil, with great complexity and clean green leaf tones highlighting first of all green apple, green banana, artichoke and almond essences. As second aromas, citric tones remember the lemon tree leaf. It has a very elegant and complex taste with a pleasant and clean first contact in the mouth, remembering us the same olfactory perceptions but emphasizing the astringency of Cornezuelo Artichoke. With a light bitter and spicy chilly taste typical of Hojiblanca variety that you can taste later at the palate. Complex, attractive and surprising olive oil.

It sounded so enticing? I could not resist! 

I also walked around the largest wooden structure, Metropol Parasol!

As in so many cities in Spain, every direction I looked contained a picturesque vantage point, making the time in the city easily enjoyable and welcoming. 

 

Valencia, Spain

 

Valenica was really a much smaller city than what I had seen before. Lovely for a quiet day of wandering without terribly much to do, but quaint! I managed to keep myself busy just enjoying the beautiful buildings and then I spend an HOURS, basically an entire day...

In the most wonderful food market I have experienced! The Central Market of Valencia is one of the largest in Europe at over 8600 square feet! This picture does not nearly capture the size of the market. It was isle upon isle of specialty stalls to look through! It was like the superstore for markets. 

Spices, olives, wine, cheese, meat, fish, and some prepared foods as well. It was a day of exploring the world of food housed in one building! I first walked through to see what was there, imagining that I would return to the vendors that seemed most interesting. I did do this, but it was very time consuming since it was so large that I lost track of how to return to the vendors that I wanted to revisit! It was a wonderful experience and worth the trip! 

Salt Cured tuna

Saffron

And I even found iberico BEEF. 

True to form for me, although I had wandered around looking at food all day, I had not eaten. I was hungry when I left and found a hole in the wall cafe, Casa Belviz, selling Paella. I was happy to see that it was cooked without some of the meats that I am allergic to. Although it may not have been the most authentic, I did get to taste some without fear of having by body not tolerate. 

The other exciting find for me was a hipster coffee shop. BEAT brew bar.

I felt as though I had stumbled into a coffee shop anywhere in the world with the barista sporting a man bun and modern light fixtures dangling from the ceiling. Also, like most coffee bars, the baristas were eager to share their passion for their trade. I couldn't resist purchasing a coffee from the unusual location of East Timor. At least it was not as heavy as buying another bottle of wine! I would return to Valencia if only to wander through the market once more. 

Barcelona, Spain

I arrived to Barcelona Sants terminal very early in the morning. No businesses were open for the day yet. I decided to slowly make my way in the direction of my AirBNB, hoping to find a few stores on my To-Do list as I walked. It was drizzly and then raining after I wandered through a closed market. I watched vendors setting out their wares for the day, mostly food stalls cleaning and setting up. I also found a bathroom, always a relief when traveling. When I had decided it was time to move on, I found the rain had increased...so I pulled my poncho out of my suitcase and also stepped inside of a plastic bag, covering my foot on which I was wearing a walking boot. I hoped that it might keep it from getting wet...how would I dry it? I hoped for the best. I trudged on and felt cold, wet, and generally somewhat miserable and then I did spot one of the places that I hoped to shop. The shop boasted specialty foods and was quite small and very organized and clean, intended for an upscale clientele, of which I was acutely aware as I opened the door in my bedraggled appearance AND pulling a rolling suitcase along beside me. I hoped that I looked more like a hopeless tourist than a vagrant. I was asked to leave my belongings at the door, but otherwise the employees did not disturb me, although I did feel eyes on me and imagined their relief when I left and they undoubtedly mopped the floor behind me. 

Above I have pictured Percebes (barnacles) a seasonal crustacean considered a delicacy. I had tried to find it on restaurant menus, as it was in season during my visit, but without luck. Then, while wandering through a market, I spotted them for sale. I was so determined to try them, that  I was undeterred by the thought that I would need to learn how to cook them. I took them home and boiled them briefly (60 seconds) in a pot of salted water, careful to no overcook them. They turned out beautifully and I was rewarded with delicate flesh that tasted of the sea, somehow a mix of lobster and clam. I had read that they are the most expensive seafood in the world, due to the demanding and risky task of harvesting them from boulders in the ocean while being slapped with large waves. I won't be retrieving my own, but I would definitely eat them again if given the opportunity! 

Wandering through Barcelona is like being in an architectural museum. I viewed the impressive building by Gaudy and was surprised how impressive the Sagrada Familia is in person.

The Sagrada Familia takes up an entire city block and is surrounded by tourists and vendors selling tchotchkes, but the size of the building is so impressive and so detailed that I didn't find myself distracted by the commotion of the people on the streets. 

As massive and impressive as the architecture was, I also was on my unrelenting mission to continue to gather cheese that would be difficult to purchase outside of the country. I already had a nice stash from Portugal, but wanted to experience the famous cheeses from Spain as well. I found a tiny cheese store and peppered the staff with my questions, pacing back and forth for an embarrassingly long time before deciding. The challenge of gather food while traveling is being able to carry it, so I make my purchases very deliberately. This shop boasted several cheeses with the demarkation of "world cheese award", so I felt confident that they would not disappoint. 

Another day, I was wandering through another market filled with stalls of genre specific food and found some other cheese gems. So much of the fun of searching out my cheese is interacting with the cheese mongers. They are passionate and willing to share their knowledge, with the exception of some of the very tourist heavy markets in which they look unimpressed by the English speaking customers. It goes a long way to at least attempt to speak in the local language. I was told several times that I have very good Spanish and that is simply not true, but demonstrates my belief that the effort to try to communicate does not go unappreciated.

In a large city such as this, it can be difficult to select only a few places to dine when only staying for brief period. I selected Petit Comite. It is fine dining and I stopped for lunch. I selected the gorgeous plate pictured below. The black rice provided a beautiful style of plating for the seafood. I was assured by the waitress that it was a typical type of food for the region. Although it was tasty, I did not find it as exciting as I had hoped. The rice had a crunchy texture, but the flavors were quite mild when I had anticipated stronger seafood or herbal flavors from the dish. The service was impeccable, albeit distant and did not afford the intimate and excited conversations about food that I so enjoy. 

Many of the streets o the city were packed with people as I traipsed around, especially because there was a festival the weekend that I visited, but I also found little quiet corridors that were so serene that I wanted them to be set in my memory, so I snapped pictures of a few, such as the one below.

The city was beautiful to see, but somehow did not charm me, as it does so many.

 

San Sebastian, Spain

Upon arriving to the airport in Madrid, I immediately caught a bus to San Sebastian. This had been a destination I had dreamed about for ages. The famed "foodie" coastal city where no morsel has subpar flavor. Although it was a long bus ride that immediately followed my plane trip overseas, I was undeterred  by the less the optimal schedule because I was so exited about the destination.

Late in the evening, I arrived in San Sebastian and walked from the bus station to the Pension where I was to stay during my time in the city. It was situated towards the end of a narrow street on which there were many little tapas bars. They were full of people spilling into the street since I arrived during a prime time for people to be enjoying drinks. 

The owner of the Pension was friendly and showed me to the simple room that contained two beds with scratchy blankets and flat pillows. Two shared bathrooms were in the hallway and appeared to be kept spotless. This is my travel style. Safe, clean, with a WiFi connection and as close to public transit as possible. Those are my standards. After all, I spend no time at the accommodations that I book aside from sleeping. 

I was exhausted. More tired than I remember being on other trips. I wondered, was the fatigue from the long travel by plane, bus, and then on foot? My energy was undoubtedly somewhat impacted by the fact that I was wearing an immobilizing walking boot on one foot due to a foot injury prior to the trip. Regardless of my exhaustion, I slept only briefly, waking much too early probably due to the time change. I ventured out along the streets that had transformed from the liveliness of the night before to a quiet calm. I began to get my bearings. I love how a place becomes familiar after only a day traversing it and walking is my preferred mode because I get to notice and experience so many more things when I am moving slowly. Here is a local outdoor farmer's market that I meandered by as they set up for the day. 

In general, the city was clean and quaint for wandering, although I found it to feel too much like a tourist city for my taste. Shops were pricey and highly manicured without feeling as though locals use the same businesses that I was walking past. I did find a nice cheese store, Elkano 1  (pictured below). My eyes are always fixed with a lense filtering for cheese stores! I returned later to purchase some of the cheeses that I found, but did to want to care for in the heat of my walk. 

I was somewhat daunted by the multiple places to try tapas and I had carefully pre-selected places that I thought would be of most interest due to reviews that I had read. I primarily wanted unique tastes or authentic combinations. In retrospect, with all of the research I had done, only two places gave me the "unique" experiences, but otherwise I wish that I would have just wandered aimlessly and eaten whatever looked good! Instead, I was intensely reading menus and, more than once, disappointed that what I wanted was not available because they were sold out or the food I wanted was not currently in season. 

Txakoli is an effervescent wine unique to the Basque region of Spain. It was the first wine that I tasted in San Sebastian at a fabulous (and tiny) tapas bar, La Cuchara San Telmo. Pictured below are my Txakoli and veal cheeks. I also tried the cod jowl from their menu. 

One listing factor of the tapas experience is that I do not eat gluten, so I missed out on a number of dishes that boasted tantalizing presentations. For some, when I could not resist, I just ate the topping without the bread, which I saw other people do as well. Obviously, not traditional, but also a method to avoid getting overly filled too quickly with so many tempting options. 

I did not skimp on tasting regional wines! Red, White, Rose. Anything that I had not heard of or tried before! It made me grateful that my Pension was right in the tapas bar area, so walking home afterward was no challenge at all. 

This is the view that I recall when I think of the look and feel of the bars in San Sebastian. Crowded with people and bars bursting with plates of identical bite sized snacks.

There were also hot tapas to be ordered, lest you be lead to believe that every food item on offer is out on the bar! 

Martin Berasategui. 

This was my splurge dinner in the city of food. How beautiful it was to experience. Outside of the downtown area, I took a bus to reach this location, as well as then walking several blocks from the bus stop to the restaurant's front entrance.

The view while dining provided floor to ceiling windows looking out on a calming green garden. I would be remiss if I omitted photos in this post depicting the gorgeous plating!

                 

Dare I admit that the flavored butters were one of my favorite "plates"? They were rich and sublime and unexpected.

San Sebastian is a lovely place to meander while taking in the beautiful coastline and enjoying endless bite sized plates.