Food Adventuring Around NYC
I had the great fortune of visiting the Czech Republic (officially now known as Czechia) when making a series of promotional videos for the tour company I worked with. Since the company was international, we had amazing partners all over the world and I connected with many of the ones in Europe. One of those …
When we spent a few days on the Istrian Peninsula, I knew I would have to get my fill of truffles. This fascinating bit of mountainous, waterfront land has changed hands between Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia over the years. Since the fall of Yugoslavia, this has been mostly Croatia. And lucky Croatians, they ended up …
My new favorite European city is Ljubljana. Of course, dating back to the 13th century, it’s not new at all. Yet it somehow is still considered “undiscovered” or even “unheard of” by most Americans. I urge you to check out this beautiful European capital and spend a few days here. And while here, of course, …
After exploring the absolutely breathtaking (and crowded) Lake Bled, I knew there was one more thing to do before heading back to Ljubljana. We needed to try some cakes. Given Slovenia’s proximity to Austria, it’s no surprise that just about each town has their own cake. We had to seek out Zima (which means “the …
Our first meal on our recent whirlwind trip around Croatia and Slovenia set the stage for incredible meals to come. Despite our jet lag, we made our way to a modern little hip restaurant in the capital city of Zagreb just outside the city’s market Dolac. Gostinoica Ficlek is a really cute little spot that …
We have been very lucky to have spent some time in Greece and its surrounding islands. One place we have not visited in that part of the world is a country that many Americans don’t even realize is its own country. With lots of influence from both the Greeks and the Turks, Cyprus is very …
Neither Sam nor I have seen an episode of Game of Thrones, but we visited one of the many locales where that epic show was filmed. We explored the southern part of Croatia a few years ago and loved the history, sites, and incredible food. In fact, Sam got to sit on a throne on …
We first tried to visit Dishoom on our quick layover in London the night before, but the laughably long line rivaled anything I have seen in NYC. And that says a lot. I could not believe how long the line was for an Indian restaurant that has been opened and popular in London for over …
When I started this blog, the whole point was to search for iconic foods from New York. Mostly because that is what I do when I travel, so I figured I should have a sense of the most traditional dishes from my own town. I have strayed a bit. In addition to reviewing bagels and …
As you can guess, I take my choice of restaurants when I’m on vacation very seriously. Could you imagine if we just randomly walked into a spot on a touristy street and had one less-than-memorable meal? When we’ve travelled so far? Well, Othonas Taverna was not where I planned to have dinner one night in …
We just returned from a huge odyssey to Greece. When I say odyssey it’s because to get to Crete (where we spent most of our time), we flew to London, caught a second flight to Santorini, where we spent one night, before taking a delayed ferry to Heraklion. But Odysseus didn’t get an extra night …
If you had told me we would be making three vegetarian dishes from Bulgaria, I would have told you that you were thinking of the wrong country. I don’t know a lot about Bulgarian cuisine but I knew that its diet like much of the Balkans consisted of meat. Yet this international cooking adventure continues to surprise …
Before the pandemic, Sam was on his way to having a pretty full passport. We were big travelers (and hope to be again) and Sam was lucky enough to come with us on our adventures for the first three years of his life. The first country on our cooking journey that Sam has actually been to in …
Belgium has always sounded amazing to me. The name itself conjures up images (and scents) of waffles for most Americans. The country’s specialties include beer, chocolate, mussels, fries, and of course, waffles. Sounds like an incredible country. And it’s a fitting finale for this journey in one kitchen. Don’t worry – we are not throwing in …
This week’s country is the closest I’ve come to my roots so far. My ancestors come from both Hungary and somewhere in Russia. Although in fairness, it’s possible my great grandparents may have come from present day Belarus or somewhere else that is now considered Russia. Regardless, there is something about the food this week that …
The number of hearty meat stews on this adventure has so far been overwhelming. We’ve had a sweet beef stew inside a pumpkin from South America, smoky hearty overloaded soup from Europe, and spicy palm oil chicken from Africa. It was time to do something different. We could have easily stuck to the theme in Armenia, but …
So I’m embarrassed to say this but Andorra is the first country we’ve reached that I had never heard of. Have you? I’ve been in the tour industry for over a decade, been eating as much international food as I can find, traveled around Europe, and yet I had no idea this little country ever …
After a less than stellar start with Afghanistan last week (which has nothing to do with the country or its cuisine and more to do with my novice cooking skills), things are really starting to heat up with Albania, the second stop on my worldwide culinary adventure. Not only did I learn from my mistakes …
Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City Someone recently asked me for some recommendations on foods that are black. In New York, I immediately thought of the trendy charcoal ice creams and lattes (which have been banned due to health concerns) or black sesame …
This is the final Locals Know episode (for now) of the whirlwind European tour I did a few summers ago. My last stop is an exciting city that many people visit for all the wrong reasons. Amsterdam is known for many things, but most visitors never get to see the diverse local side of the city. Part of …