On Weekends
The Guide To Traveling and Dining
Archive for the 'Fine Dining' Category
Feb
10
Serious. Say, you decide to go for a dinner at a traditional Chinese, Thailand or any other Far East country’s restaurant (I am talking about traditional place, not the kind of popular bars you’d see in Canada, where the most exotic meal is chicken’s wings in hokey sauce). You got your meal served? Good. Now poke it, to make sure it’s dead.
It’s pretty common in the Far East to server food before it’s, so-to-speak “perfectly” dead. Much as I *love* the cuttlefishes, I still prefer them dead on my plate. Thankfully, due to the “ink” that has to be cleaned before serving or cooking, they cannot be served alive, so basically this is the only “live” food that is always safe to order.
Another “problem” with Far East Food is that you do not know what you are eating. The sea stars that often decorate our bathroom are served in China snacks on the street (normally on a stick, like a lollypop) and a mere knowledge that some Thailand’s eat dogs might keep many Europeans away from the traditional restaurants. Is it really that bad? NO, of course not. In fact, Far East food, especially Chinese, is delicious. Chicken roasted in orange juice and red paprika is an unforgettable experience. Sushi, “fortune cookies”, let alone rice is very safe to eat and of course, very tasty.
read comments (0)Feb
5
In my personal opinion, no food can even compare to the Italian food. Italy is a cradle of culinary; take for instance Pizza, Spaghetti, Lasagna, Pasta, Ravioli… Practically anything you would see in today’s bars and restaurant, Italians have in their menu. Unlike the French cosine, Italians chief knows that food is about satisfying the hunger, not about teasing you some more when you are already hungry like a bull.
Most dishes would include tomatoes, bread or its variation (such as spaghetti) , olives or cheese. I have spoken to a few of my friends who happened to travel much more than myself, and they all say that Italian kitchen is the ultimate food. While the Thai’s ‘Shaomai’ or Mexican ‘Yucatan’ would be a matter of taste, — a plate with hot pasta with freshly baked in mozzarella cheese tomatoes are pretty much able to feed anyone.
Italian people are a happy nation. Did you not notice? They have happy movies, they always dance, smile and celebrate… that’s only because they eat so well and drink in good measures. …and, satisfying the basic instincts is a must!
Jan
28
When it comes to food, most would agree that the more — the better. When it comes to fine dining, sometimes you need glasses to be able to spot what was served to you on the plate. One of my friends use to say that ordering an expensive meal in a French restaurant would mean you’ll get a mushroom’s head on a mountain of salad. Rest assured you will leave the restaurant more hungry than you were before because all these smells and pictures in the menu will tease your stomach but won’t actually feed you.
French food in general is pretty taste, take for instance their traditional bakery - baguettes and chartres and many other tasty edible thing. I am not a big fan of French kitchen, I’d never ever be able to eat a turtle or a frog, but can’t deny they have some delicious desserts. Unfortunately, as said in the title, French kitchen i all about serving little food on a huge white plate. Take a big white plate, which normally used to serve a turkey, place a few strips of semi-raw meat, chaotically spread a bit sauce and place a few stripes of baked carrot in beacon’s oil. You just made a typical French meal from a typical overpriced Paris restaurant. It’s all about minimalistic design, not about leaving the human stomach happy.
Dec
20
New York, in case you are not aware is quite a big city. It’s about 140,000 km square territory, and over 19 million population, so let’s say it’s bigger than your average hometown. Finding a good place to dine at when we are talking about a 140,000 kilometer square area is by all means mission impossible. Travelers guides are likely to “guide” you to some expensive hamburgers bars and people on the street will point at McDonald’s. So, where to go?
If you like Italian food, and believe me, Italian food is quite universal, Barbetta Restaurant would be an excellent choice. Remember we are talking about expensive, fine dining restaurant, not the regular bar where you can grab a sausage. It’s a 100 years old spectacular place, however, it’s located in the center of the city and is very easy to reach, most locals will be able to explain how to get there. You sure will find a wine and dish for your taste, only be sure you will be able to cover even the bread with butter before you step in there!