Charleston, South Carolina

I found the city of Charleston to be beautiful to explore, meandering up and down streets with historically preserved homes and lovely foliage. The center of the city had a mix of specialty stores and tchotchke stops for tourists. Much of the food was focused on either seafood or fried foods. I found a few gems that I wanted to taste for myself. 

RODENY SCOTT BBQ

Rodney Scott BBQ has been well established as the go to place to experience whole hog barbecue. Being that I am allergic to pork, my experience is not what the typical patron is seeking, but I did want to taste the smoked turkey and brisket. I have to say, the flavors to me were similar to Texas barbecue, which I hope it not an upsetting sentiment for anyone who is an expert in such things. I spoke at length with a local regarding this opinion. He did not disagree with me, explaining that my opinion was entirely plausible as neither of those preparations were considered to be Charleston style, which is focused on the whole hog. 

SORGHUM AND SALT

This restaurant is dedicated to sourcing local products for their menu, which is something I always hope to find. Much of the offerings enticed me and ultimately I ended up with a beet salad titled "chorizo spiced beets". Chorizo flavor was well represented in the spicing of the dish with fennel, pistachios, and jalapeño coulis on the plate. The dish maintained the texture of a cooked beet but with the flavor or a sausage! 

Another item I was intrigued to try was parsnip with black truffle, sunchoke puree, local mushrooms, horseradish, and pistachio gremolata.

I wanted to love this dish. It was described to me as a play on bone marrow with the middle of the parsnip scooped out and filled with the black truffle cream. I did enjoy the pop of flavor from the shaved horseradish, but otherwise I found the texture of the dish to be too uniform, best described as mushy. It would have been great to have a crunchy element. Also, I found the gremolata to be overpoweringly characterized by garlic, which covered any other vegetable flavors on the plate. 

CIRCA 1886

This restaurant is housed in a gorgeous historic building, formerly the Wentworth Mansion. There is an adjacent hotel in the mansion and the restaurant is housed in what was the carriage house. The draw of this restaurant for me was primarily that it serves regional cuisine, but certainly elevated. The menu is somewhat separated by genre including: Influences from Europe, South Carolina Today, Tastes of Native Tribes, and Flavors Brought From Africa. I tasted the following:

 In the beginning, I was served an amuse bouche of Asparagus soup with herb oil and a parmesan ice cream with croutons. The soup was vegetal, but without being simple. The dash of oil brought it to life and had enough complexity on the spoon that I ate the accompanying, slightly chewy, parmesan cream separately, rather than desiring to mix the flavor with the soup. 

Shrimp and rice grits with burden creek diary goat cheese, cabbage leaves. This dish was not the creamy comforting flavors that I imagined.Rather, it had a freshness from the raw vegetables on top, as well as lacking in salt and creaminess for my taste, but rather with the yellow broth being thin and simple. In conversation with a local patron, I learned that this is a typical preparation of the dish in the area, most definitely different from what I had tasted before when in New Orleans. 

Chicken fried duck breast with turnips and tops, orange and grapefruit salad, and buttered biscuit gravy. This was a nicely balanced dish with the citrus giving a nice contrast to the earthy greens and the duck was quite tender. 

Venison with roasted onion, parsnip potato puree, acorn squash, juniper chestnut sauce was another fantastic dish. In my memory, it was the most succulent version I have had without even a hint of tough gamey character. The rich gravy was set in balance with the creamy vegetable puree with beautiful balance in the portions across the texture in the plate. 

Fois gras with cassave pudding, pomegranate strawberry jam, hazelnuts, and lime basil oil.

This was beyond decadent. It was on the menu as an appetizer, but truly served as a dessert. The fois gras had some tendons within it, when in the past I have had fois gras that was entirely smooth like butter. However, I found the flavor and texture combinations to be brilliant. It was like eating the most decadent grown up version of peanut butter and jelly. Creamy. Sweet. Nutty. I ate it in tiny little bits from a spoon, partly due to the degree of richness, but also in part because I did not want for the food to end. 

Carolina gold rice roll and sorghum oatmeal bread 

The house made bread was fantastic. The flavor had such depth and complexity due to the types of grain that were within them, in particular the different tastes within the sorghum oatmeal bread were unforgettable. 

HIGHFALUTIN COFFEE ROASTERS

I very much wanted to try a local coffee roaster and found Highfalutin Coffee Roasters to be my hopeful destination. I was not disappointed and I highly recommend that any coffee geek make a stop there. The shop was tended by owners who were passionate about their craft and with unique offerings. One flavor profile that I found irresistibly unique was a Peruvian coffee that really presented the flavor, and even texture, of plantains. I also highly appreciated an Ethiopian coffee with flavors of cantaloupe and wildflowers. The shop had indoor and outdoor seating and was a very comfortable spot to sit and sip! 

Medellin, Colombia

The diversity of Medellin was striking to me. There were modern buildings and ancient preserved structures. There were areas of nature in the middle of the city as well as bustling crowded streets.

One night, I went to an outdoor market. There were food stalls lining the streets. 

I watched as giant banuelos were being fried and walked by a stall nearby with empanadas being cooked. There were people everywhere! It felt like a festival.

One unfamiliar thing that I tried was a cart with fried cow intestines, but there were many sights and sounds and new foods that I saw that night.

Another day, I had a traditional morning treat of plantains spread with guava paste and melted cheese. It is such a decadent combination to have sweet and salty flavors on the slightly crispy plantains. 

A fruit unfamiliar ot me, tomate de arbol, became one of my favorite treats while in the city. Here I am having some tomato de arbol juice at an outdoor cafe with my tour guide and friend.

COFFEE FARM!

One of my primary wishes while in Columbia was to visit a coffee farm. I was intrigued to see what the plants looked like and to see the processing of the coffee. 

Above, I am picking my first ripe coffee cherries and below is a view of the coffee plants on the landscape.

The landscape of the coffee farm was quite steep and wild with some narrow paths cleared for the farm workers to navigate between the foliage.

After walking all around the farm, I went to a nearby facility where the coffee beans are evaluated, as pictured above, as well as being sorted by size, as shown in the picture below.

Above is pictured the green coffee beans ready to be shipped! 

Another memorable experience was having a genuine homemade lunch provided by the owner of the coffee farm before I departed. It was overflowing with homey warmth and authenticity. 

Cocoa beans are also found in Columbia and I got to see them growing on a tree on another farm. In a little cafe, I tasted the richly thick, but slightly bitter, hot chocolate.

One of my favorite memories was learning how to make Sancocho. This is a soup typically made of yucca, corn, plantain, potato, cilantro, green onion, and a variety of meats, often chicken. Because I am allergic to chicken, my hostess made this without any chicken, carefully demonstrating all the steps to prepare the soup as she cooked.

Finally, she also taught me to make patacones, which is made from a smashed plantain that is then fried. It is a really delicious treat with simple ingredients. 

Medellin was a beautiful and diverse city! I was so fortunate to visit northern Colombia and fulfill my desire to visit a coffee farm. I will always appreciate coffee more than I did before this trip. It is a work intensive crop and important to the economy. 

Bogota, Colombia

Bogota is a bustling large metropolitan area, but I find there are always many little gems hidden within a large city.

As usual, I found my way to the farmers market. It was an expansive covered area. I strolled around slowly and was most intrigued by the many fruits that would be uncommon or quite expensive in the United States, but seemed unremarkable to these vendors. I also spotted several varieties of fruits that I either had never seen, like the lulo (a small type of citrus fruit), or had not seen various types of the same fruit. For example, it seemed that they had multiple types of mangos and passionfruit. 

Driving outside of the urban area, I saw a large open oven with fish affixed on upright skewers receiving an open air smoking.

I pulled over to the side of the road to take a closer look. After smelling the alluring scent of the smoke close at hand, I purchased a fish to taste if for myself. It was delicious and a site I did not expect to see! 

An authentic meal that I experienced in a family home was the highly popular and frequently eaten dish of potato soup. I learned that Colombia has a wide array of potato varieties unfamiliar to me and they create this soup using a combination of different potatoes, boiled in water.

One very memorable stop for food was watching a fresh arepa being made, cooked, and immediately served to me. I watched and waited for a fresh arepa to come out of the oven that is pictured above. This is most definitely the best one I have ever eaten. It had a thin firm crust on the outside and a creamy soft interior. It was addicting and whenever someone refers to an arepa, this is now what I picture!

The final food experience that I will share was at a highly popular seafood restaurant, La Poche Pescadaria, known to be one of the best in the city. I was told that even famous individuals are known for stopping to eat here. I tried a seafood soup with crab and lobster that was served in a deeply flavorful spicy broth! I also tried Bagre, a popular local fish. 

Memories of Bogota are filled with seeing and trying a variety of foods that were unknown to me, which is one of my favorite things to do! I enjoyed learning the variety of foods typical of Colombia, finding out that it was so much more than I anticipated.

 

Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane was a guided city exploration for me. I was beyond fortunate to have met a lovely couple, Joan and Kerry, while in Italy and they offered to host me if I ever made it to Australia. I took them up on that offer and they gave me irreplaceable memories! 

One memorable thing about the city was the "beach" that had been created right in the midst of the bustling downtown! It was  really stark contrast to see it right in the middle of the concrete jungle! 

My hosts were the underpinning of every memory in Brisbane. They were selfless and took such care in coordinating anything they imagined that I would like to do. One key experience that they wanted for me was introducing me to the Aussie meat pie. These could be found in a wide variety of fillings and could be encased in crust or have a slightly toasty mashed potato as a cover.

I was beginning to enjoy the wide variety of cheese that can be experienced from different regions, a passion that has grown exponentially since then. I had the opportunity to find this lovely stop off in a tiny touristy street where I browsed the local cheese to my heart's content. 

My hosts also took me to Eat Street, a foodie marketplace that utilizes shipping containers for the various vendors. It had isles of shipping container stalls with a wide variety of foods, reminiscent of a county fair.

I also learned about and tasted Moreton Bay Bugs, a local crustacean with sweet lobster like meat. I saw someone eating them at a restaurant and we decided to stop on the way home and pick some up from a seafood shop and we cooked them ourselves! 

While in Brisbane, I also learned much about the history of the country, saw the amazing and diverse landscape while hearing folklore about the topography, and I also began to learn about the indigenous peoples and the disadvantages that they continue to face in current society. I was humbled by my kind and generous hosts and I will never forget them.

 

Melbourne, Australia

Memories from Melbourne are pervaded by the plethora of coffee shops. Living in Los Angeles, I thought that I was accustomed to seeing third wave coffee shops as a familiar sight, but this did not compare to the number awaiting my adventures in Melbourne. I stopped at so many! Some that I remember were: 

Higher Ground Melbourne 

Dukes

Gold Drops Coffee

Vacation Coffee

Market Lane Coffee

Much of the fun had when stopping into the coffee shops were the opportunities to meet the welcoming and chatty baristas. They were all willing to share suggestions to add to my list of coffee shops, too!

PRAHRAN MARKET

The city has multiple markets, the most popular of which is the Victoria Market, but this is another with a well established clientele. I enjoyed the various shops while wandering around, but found that I found more distinctive goods at the other markets. I did stop into RIPE the organic grocer and purchase some wine as well as tarts from a vendor at Prahran. 

RIPE the organic grocer

SOUTH MELBOURNE MARKET

Emerald Dell Cheese Room 

This market had many many vendors in the indoor space. I particularly enjoyed finding this cheese room. 

Atypic Bean to Bar Chocolate

At this time that I visited in 2018, this was as of yet a young chocolate company. At the time of this writing, the company is known internationally for exceptional chocolate. I met the young chocolate maker, an entrepreneuring young woman clearly passionate about her business. 

SMS Oyster Bar

There was a constant stream of people lining up to get food from South Melbourne Seafoods, serving casual, but quality, seafood. I decided on some ceviche for a snack! They served it in this bag with a spoon.

VICTORIA MARKET

Hugely popular and ever busy, this market is one that nearly everyone visits while in the city. 

The market is a very large covered area with cement floors with a significant space dedicated to none food wares as well as a very large area with street foods being cooked. The variety of foods on offer is fantastic, ranging from paella to french pastries, as well as places to purchase meats more unusual to the country. There is something for everyone!  

PURE SOUTH

This restaurant felt more of upscale contemporary dining with large windows lining the exterior walls allowing a view of the light making up the city skyline at night. 

I happend to mention that I had eaten Wallaby to some people from Australia and they were surprised I was able to locate this meat on a menu! This restaurant was lovely, but mostly worth the visit for me because of this singular opportunity. 

Flinder's Island pasture fed Wallaby, parsnip, and native pepper berry sauce 

THE ORGANIC FOOD AND WINE DELI

I made a stop here mostly because I was curious if I could find a healthier version of the varies popular pies. I did! A hole in the wall stop off, but boasting a nice variety of quality ingredients! 

Spring Street Grocer

This was one of my favorite unexpectedly enjoyable finds in the city. I knew that they had a variety of cheese and local goods, but did not realize the extent of the cheese varieties! They had an entire cold "cave" under the main storefront that was on street level. I carefully selected local cheese that I really wanted to try and the staff patiently answered all of my questions. It felt particularly special to get to enter the lower area specifically dedicated to careful storage of their cheese. The upstairs also provided beautifully curated goods, both from local and international sources. There were eggs, chocolates, wines, cookies sauces, meats, and all types of dried goods. At the front entrance, there was an outdoor coffee bar that was beneath an overhang, allowing walk up service in all types of weather. 

CHARCOAL LANE

This restaurant was still in the city, but away from the most central area. The restaurant was open and airy and with staff passionate about providing native ingredients incorporated into the menu. The intention is to include Aboriginal people at the restaurant, providing employment and inclusion of their culture.

Roasted emu filet with sandalwood nut salad, quandog, and witlof 

If you can identify which foods align with those words, then anyone would be impressed! I was so thrilled to find a menu from which I certainly was not familiar with the foods! Absolutely one of my favorite thrills when I travel is uncovering a food as of yet unknown to me. As the list becomes shorter with time, I am even more excited when I have this experience! This was a nicely balanced salad with a dance of different textures and flavors, but without any being overwhelming. Delicious and light! 

There were other restaurants and drinks, wine tasting and coffee drinking filling my every moment in the city, but I tried to give some of the most memorable highlights above. Melbourne was an easy and yet invigorating exploration! 

 

Madrid, Spain

Although my trip to Spain was drawing to a close, I had no less energy with which to limp around Madrid in my walking boot. This city certainly felt more modern and congested with foot traffic and vehicle traffic. There was road construction blocking some sidewalks and roads and throngs of people in large city squares, as well as lines at all of the eateries.

Juana Laloca

Pinxtos in Madrid, located in the oldest district, La Latina. There was already a line forming when I arrived before the restaurant opened, a place said to have the best tortilla de patata in the city! 

This was definitely my style menu with a section entitled "Fanciful Pinxtos" for more unusual combinations. Everyone around the packed restaurant looked nothing less than pleased with their food, despite the elbow to elbow crowd in the morning!

Smoked Sardine. No regrets. 

Alabaster

Madrid, Spain

This little high end restaurant was quiet when I stopped in the middle of the day. I enjoyed the peace of a nearly empty dining room. The decor was sophisticated and pristine and the food was delightful, both in presentation and flavor. My only dismay was the challenge of deciding what to order.

Tuna tartare with almond soup and avocado cream

Baby squid with broad beans and mustard

Vides Wine Bar

This wine bar delivers a wide variety of wines by the glass with all wines sourced from Spain, a truly curated list. The menu lists the region from which the wine originates, as well as having a map available to highlight the wine regions. Also, the staff are very engaged with each customer and are knowledgeable to deliver a glass to suite your taste. It is unusual to have such an extensive list of wines by the glass from small wineries around the country. The establishment is run with some sentimentality, as the owner really draws attention to a large picture of himself as a child standing in a vineyard with his grandfather. This is a centerpiece of the decor, honoring his heritage and something he is clearly proud to share. This was a highlight of my entire trip. The wine was superb, there was much to learn, and the staff were welcoming and happy to share their knowledge, with the owner serving most customers himself.

If I return to Madrid, this will be a stop that I will certainly revisit! 

 

Rome, Italy

Rome was where I ended my journey around Italy.

I stayed several days and explored many different areas. Food memories were my favorite, of course! However, I did see the Vatican, the Sistine chapel, and the Colosseum, which was a large stone ruins, with perhaps more ruins in general that I anticipated in general as I walked around the city.

I tasted Giolitti Gelato. the oldest gelateria in Rome, established in 1890. There will always be a line waiting to enter, but it moves fairly quickly, highlighting that the staff is accustomed to a constant inundation of patrons. The flavors seemed endless! I enjoyed my scoop on the sidewalk just outside the store, after which I snapped the picture below. 

It was not my only stop for gelato! I also tasted Fatamorgana, which is also a popular establishment that is entirely gluten free, as the founder has celiac disease. It was delicious! 

There were other unplanned gelato stops, too, such as when I saw this gelato shop and did not leave until I had a scoop in hand. 

Gelato îs one of my favorites, as ice cream was my favorite childhood food, but cheese is where a more recent passion lies! I combed reviews to try to find information on the best places to buy local cheese. I ended up with several stops, only one of which was a little disappointing and I only enumerate my favorite stops below.

ANTICA CACIARA

A little cheese shop that felt local, situated in the Trasteverina area of the city. The store is bursting with cheese, sausage, wine, and bacalao. 

The cheese selection felt very local. Was it the limited English spoken in the shop? The handwritten labels on the goods that were for sale? I am uncertain, but I was very pleased with the pricing and the flavor of the purchases I made here, which was limited to cheese and bacalao. 

VOLPETTI SALUMERIA

This was reviewed as having some of the best selection of fine foods around the city and I was impressed by the variety of offerings as well as the service. I purchased a mountain of cheese that I put into my suitcase to eat back home in California. The store was overflowing with items to make a perfectly elegant charcuterie spread, ranging from meats and olives to artichokes to oils and vinegars, but also freshly cooked items, such as cake and arancini. 

TRATTORIA MONTI

This spot required a reservation, which I did not have, but put my name on a list and returned several hours later to be seated at the beginning of the dinner service. 

Red onion flan in gorgonzola cheese sauce

Tortello, which is a large ravioli with a fresh egg yolk inside

There were rave reviews about this dish, so I ordered it, but have to say it was underwhelming considering the hype. I do respect the art that is put into such a delicate dish, but compared to the flavor bomb offered by the flan that I had just eaten, I imagine that other items on the menu were worthy of attention as well.

PROLOCO DOL

This cheese shop was a trek out of the way, but I am glad that I went. The shop is unique in that it offers all items from small producers in the Lazio region. Below I am pictured with the owner, who was as passionate to tell about his products as I was to listen, especially once I told him that I had taken public transit and walking to reach him from the city! He could not believe it since it is thirty minutes by car, but I was determined to visit! 

This photo of the meat counter does not look like much, but the bresaola (air dried beef), which is to the left side of the prosciutto, was so remarkable that I still recall it clearly years later. It was sweet as it had been soaked in a sweet liquor, such as brandy or port, but I am uncertain which.

TRAM TRAM

This restaurant was another located a small trek from the bustling city center. In fact, when I told a local where I had eaten, his reaction was, "but that is the other side of the tracks where only the Romans go", affirming for me that only those who know the area would venture there. 

Again, I was committed to visit this location, albeit inconvenient to get to, as I had heard the food was remarkable with traditional Roman cuisine as well as Pugliese fish dishes in the S Lorenzo district of Rome. 

The restaurnt felt homey with a bunch of ladies in the kitchen. I had the distinct feeling that they had all been working in the restaurant and cooking up the same familiar dishes for years. 

Puree of dried cod on cream chickpeas with polenta chips. 

Anchovy and indie tart with pine nuts, olives, tomato, and cheese. 

Beautifully executed dishes that had just enough effort put into the plating that it felt more like a nice meal than just a hearty meal from home.

And so I conclude with a nod to the coffee in Rome. Caffe Castroni was a popular spot, as was the highly reviewed La Casa del Caffe Tazza d Oro. Neither particularly wowed me with the quality of the coffee, a pronouncement from an open coffee snob, which many others would certainly disagree with. Nonetheless, it was memorable to stand at the counter with my espresso and sip along with the other patrons lining the counter. Caffe Castroni was a place I visited several times as they boast a wide variety of gourmet goods, so I was spellbound as I wandered the isles and decided what I could pack into my suitcase to enjoy later. 

Rome is definitely a popular destination and I found special niches that were perfect for my trip!