I have been neglectful in my Bite-Sized duties, and I sincerely apologize! It has been quite a summer, a busy one at that, but filled with lots of fabulous occasions with family and friends. And, within that agenda was a trip to Europe with my oddly similarly looking sister, Fiona! (HAHA) I fulfilled my foodie mission over there and ate lots of yummy local cuisine with good company, so here is a blurb and just a few pictures about my delicious endeavors.
Ah, London. What to say about London? I have lived there and been here several times and am lucky to have family in good ol' Blighty. It was a nice start to our holiday, seeing family, and not necessarily doing the whole tourist route. Food-wise,...I LOVE British food! I don't know what it is. I know it's not exactly on American Heart Association's list of top 10 healthy cuisines, but I find it comforting and so damn yummy! Of course, I HAD to have a Sunday roast. Since I don't have my parents nearby to cook a traditional roast like we used to when I was growing up, I've been practically drooling for one for the past 6 years. Luckily, we happened to be in London on a Sunday and Fiona and I were on a mission. Roast beef, pork, or lamb were the choices but I was in a beefy mood so I got that. But the sides were where my stomach was truly satisfied: roast potatoes, peas, carrots, and YORKIE PUD!!! Okay, that last one is Yorkshire Pudding, also known to some as popovers. I ate the whole thing (see picture!). And then some.
We ate well while in London and a visit there is not complete without going to Harrods. One might not necessarily associate a luxury retailer with food, but Harrods is absolutely a food mecca. 110% freshness and 110% quality foods. Their Foods Hall is big enough for a day trip and all 5 of your senses will be truly satisfied. They have caviar, seafood, foie gras, breads, chocolates, coffees, teas, fruits, cheeses, and more from around the world including various quick-stop restaurants, including a little sushi bar, oyster bar, pizza bar, dim sum, etc. We ate dim sum and it was smashing!!!Our next stop was Paris. Of course in the city of light, the food was amazing; rich, decadent, and delicious! Along with brasseries and other cafes, there were of course the ubiquitous patisseries. As a result, I needed to eat a croissant everyday and no matter what, I will always think that croissants this side of the eastern hemisphere are better. It's probably the butter, which I'm convinced is much creamier in Europe. We had other wonderful fruit pastries every morning, too! And obviously, you need to stop at a creperie when in France! It was hard to choose a favorite, but I think the Nutella beat out the cheese crepes, but only by a taste-bud!
Another excellent meal was when we got fondue. Thankfully, fondue has come back in the States and resurrected itself (if you ask me, I don't know how anyone let it go... it's a carb dipped into melted cheese and some sort of wine. HELLO?!). In France though, I don't think it ever left. We ate until we couldn't take it anymore and then stared at other diners' fondue. Turns out, there's also a 'la raclette fondue' and it's awesome! Just picture a humongous hunk of cheese with a heat lamp on top of it. As the cheese slowly melts, you scrape off the top layer, eat it with whatever vegetables, starches, and meats you might have, and continue the process. So simple, yet so amazing.
As far as dessert is concerned, you need to go to the following place: Laduree (see picture!). Laduree is MUST. Truthfully, dessert was never my favorite part of a meal (don't get me wrong... I still love dessert!) but you need to go to Laduree whether you have a sweet tooth or not. They specialize in macaroons and they were the best I've ever tasted. It is a restaurant but they also have a large counter where you can buy many of the desserts. The macaroons are sweet, slightly crunchy, but mostly moist and soft with many flavors (pistachio, rose water, dark chocolate, raspberry, to name a few). I was amazed by how good they were, mostly because all of my macaroon experiences prior were terrible-- all horribly dry. Most of their desserts include a macaroon in it, but even if they don't, the confection is still genius. Fiona and I saved room to eat dessert here, after dinner one night, and it certainly lived up to our expectations! I will warn you though- like everything else in Paris, it was expensive, but well worth it.
One of my memorable meals was a simple picnic. Fiona and I walked through a fantastic outdoor food market. It was so adorable and I would love to have one around the corner from me in NY! It had several cheese, veggie, and bread (see picture!) vendors, a few meat vendors, and various other suppliers of delectables. We ended up buying a baguette, each, a wedge of native semi-soft cheese, figs, and pink lentil soup. BEST MEAL! We took our meal over to the magnificent Luxembourg Gardens. It was probably my favorite part of France. Food, people watching, and hanging out with Fee in a beautiful piece of art called Luxembourg... what could beat that? The bread, cheese, and fig made the most delicious sandwich and the perfect dipper to the soup. Even though the soup eventually became cooler, it was still silky and luxurious. I never had pink lentils before, but they are lovely-- slightly less 'beany' than the standard lentil soup I usually have.
Finally, we went to Barcelona and it was absolutely breathtaking. I've been to the south of Spain before but have always wanted to go to this populous seaport. It was such a great finale to our European adventure; relaxing but exciting. My heart swells with love for this city as I think about it. The people are so friendly and have such a zest for life. They truly enjoy their day... and meals, at that. Spaniards just know how to sit back and relish what is going on at that moment and it is something I secretly want, living in the very fast-paced NY. Not to mention, beautiful weather and vibrant food with brilliant flavors! On our first day after visiting La Sagrada Familia, the city's icon, we stopped at a nearby restaurant for a sandwich. Well, let me tell you, I can eat their sandwiches for the rest of my life and be fairly satisfied. Fiona got a sandwich with Jamon Serrano or Iberico... like no other ham you've ever tasted before. It has a hint of sweetness and LITERALLY melts in your mouth. And, they serve it on good crusty bread with their tomato spread seen all over Barcelona--- it's just tomatoes mashed up and spread on bread. The concept is so simple and so flavorful. I had a Manchego cheese sandwich. Manchego is a Spanish cheese that is slightly salty, nutty, sweet, and semi-soft. We traded half our sandwiches and then I combined the cheese and meat.... to die for!
Of course, we had to have tapas... we were in Spain, after all! Fiona was spectacular and found a very local restaurant in Barri Gotic ('Gothic Quarter') called Bar Celta Pulperia Tapa. Barri Gotic is filled with narrow alleys that serve as the streets (quite amusing because upon leaving the restaurant we had to wait a good 7 minutes for a truck who decided to try and squeeze itself in the road) and the architecture is, well, gothic. So beautiful and old... love it! Anyway, we ate fabulous tapas filled with the delicious flavors of Spain I had been anticipating so patiently. It was sort of a hole-in-the-wall place but that's usually where the good stuff is, ironically. The bar was filled with tapas that you choose from, or you can just share the menu on the wall with everyone else in the restaurant. Other days, we ate paella and lots of fish along the water, very fitting considering Barcelona is a seaport. The fish and seafood was so fresh and delicious. It makes an amazing difference and made me want to eat seafood everyday, which can be a rare impulse for me (see picture!).
A MUST in Barcelona is to go to the La Mercat de la Boqueria (see picture!). It is super-de-duperly touristy, but you just have to go. It is the biggest outdoor food market I have ever been to and just the colors alone are enough to make you go back. The food is uber fresh and the vibrant colors of the fruits, vegetables, candies are beautiful. Never have I ever seen bigger lemons or nectarines -softball size. Very intimidating. A great thing about the market, besides getting crisp fruits and veggies, fish, nuts, meats, eggs, olives, dried fruits and more, is that there are restaurants and food vendors! Instead of getting hungry and wishing for a kitchen to use all this great produce, they do it for you! I really enjoyed the fresh fruit juices, such as mango-coco (mango and coconut), and they had the best creperia outside of France (to me, at least). The crepe I had there is another thing I would like to eat everyday: brie, spinach, tomato, and tapenade. Another fantastic food in Barcelona was the famous xiocolata made famous in Madrid. Thick hot chocolate. That's all it is and we found a cafe that did it well and had it practically every morning with a croissant. Bottom Line: This place was such a wonderful experience and I want to go back!!!
Many amazing adventures, three amazing cities, and two very satisfied stomachs. Au revoir until next time!
