World Travel

Happenings around the world

Michelin-Star Restaurant Calla Lilies, The Hague, Netherlands

Years ago, Jacques Pepin mentioned that he prefers mainly one-star restaurants when he's across the pond. The food and service are Michelin quality and are reasonably priced. I do the same, generally dining at lunch as I enjoy eating the multi-course, less expensive meal midday.  This time when visiting my family in Den Haag, I dined with my daughter-in-law at Restaurant Calla Lilies, named after the flower 'Calla, an originally Mexican flower and the Greek word for “beautiful.”   We opted for the 3-course lunch menu (€57.50; $62.41) per person. Our aperitifs — along with a glass of Charles Heidsieck, NV Brut Reserve (€17 each; $18.43) — included Dutch cheese crackers [...]

By |2023-12-23T17:10:37-05:00December 28th, 2023|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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Le Domaine du Val d’Argan Winery, Ounagha, Morocco

Our last meal together on our Global Palate Adventures Moroccan trip was at Le Domaine du Val d'Argan Winery in Ounagha, Morocco. A vineyard where they use dromedaries (a one-hump camel) in place of tractors. They also offer bed and breakfast lodging and a pool. After our winery tour (200-300 dirhams, $20-30 per person), we indulged in a fabulous, freshly cooked meal poolside and their wines (250 - 400 dirhams, $25-40 per person). Our lunch was perfection, served family style with lots of fresh veggies and salads, including fresh beets, lentils, cucumbers, cabbage slaw, tomatoes, green beans, carrots and fried zucchini and eggplant. Of course, we also had bowls of [...]

By |2023-12-23T16:45:07-05:00December 22nd, 2023|Bites from the Road, World, World Restaurants, World Travel|2 Comments
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Fresh Fish at Chez Ahmed , Essaouira, Morocco

While we checked into the Suite Azur Hotel in the seaside town of Essaouira, Zachariah headed to the port to pick up fresh fish and deliver it to Chez Ahmed. We were heading there for lunch. Once settled, we zigzagged through our section of the medina to Chez Ahmed in a courtyard full of storefront restaurants. They had set out one long table with fresh olives, harissa for the fish and a basket of fresh pita bread baked in the neighborhood oven, like every resident. In addition to the fresh fish Zachariah had picked up for us, the kitchen served crisp french fries and fresh tomato salad. Our fish included [...]

By |2023-12-17T09:41:44-05:00December 7th, 2023|Bites from the Road, World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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The Beach Club Kanan, Tulum, Mexico

My friend had been in Tulum all week in preparation for her son's wedding. She stayed on the beach at the Ahau, yet ate lunch at The Beach Club Kanan daily. I joined her for lunch the afternoon of the Welcome Drinks and Dinner party. Each day, she ordered the same dish for lunch, their simple shrimp with a white rice garnish and a choice of three sauces. The Kanan offered a garlic mojo, a devil sauce and a garlicky guajillo sauce. We wanted all three, as she did each day. Kenten Marin, their executive chef, had to come from the kitchen to meet us. "Who would order all three [...]

By |2023-01-28T11:15:34-05:00January 23rd, 2023|Bites from the Road, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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Toucan Sur Mer, Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium

During my Thanksgiving visit across the pond, we dined with friends at Toucan Sur Mer, a renowned fish restaurant in Brussels' Ixelles neighborhood. What's remarkable about this friendly fish restaurant is their velvety Soupe de Poissons de Roche (14,00 €), a classic French soup similar to Nice's bouillabaisse. It came with grated Emmenthal cheese and rouille, a Provençal variation on aïoli, the traditional accompaniment with bouillabaisse. Don't miss. Other good selections are their oysters  (2.50 € each) and the salmon tartare a la Japonaise (19.50 €) with grainy mustard. Four of us chose their fish & chips (24 €), crunchy fish pieces with a small salad, tartar sauce and a big [...]

By |2023-01-14T15:27:03-05:00January 14th, 2023|Bites from the Road, World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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Cafe Pomegranate, Zeeheldenkwartier, Den Haag, The Netherlands

We ventured out in the rain for brunch to a new women-owned cafe around the corner. It's a family affair, owned by a mom and her daughters who moved to Den Haag from Australia. The smoothie with bananas, mango and lots of cinnamon was a hit with my granddaughter, as were her ricotta pancakes (11.5 €) with Nutella mascarpone, roasted walnuts and fresh berries. Also tasty are the spicy scramble (12.5 €) with burrata, chorizo and arugula, the eggs benny with bacon and asparagus (14.5 €) and a side of parmesan asparagus (4 €). The cafe offers housemade pastries and a local bakery's pan chocolate and fruit tarts. I recommend [...]

By |2023-01-15T11:59:00-05:00January 5th, 2023|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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Lunch at Ongi Etorri, Saint Jean De Luz, France

On our way to France for the day, we stopped to attend the unique Alarde parade in the charming medieval town of Hondarribia (Spain), where everyone in the city celebrates by dressing in red and white. Afterward, we stopped for lunch in Saint Jean De Luz, where we tripped across the Ongi Etorri cafe. We were thrilled we did. Two had the pot of mussels (15 €), and others ordered the 3-course menu (19.50 €). My friend began with the green salad with fried camembert and grilled sardines with fries. I delighted in eating the sweet piquillo red peppers stuffed with a delicate cod mousse, followed by an unremarkable chicken [...]

By |2022-11-01T09:45:59-04:00November 4th, 2022|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|2 Comments
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Michelin 1-star Nerua at Guggenheim Bilboa Museum, Bilboa, Spain

The Basque country is a must-do for anyone who loves food. My first stop was in Bilboa (Spain) to visit the Guggenheim Museum. Afterward, we headed next door to Nerua, a Michelin one-star restaurant offering local Basque cuisine. We opted for the reasonably priced 85 € multi-course tasting menu with their 35 € wine pairing beautifully described by our attentive server, Asier Llona. Our first delicacies were the labor-intense amuse-bouche: A small glass of tomato-water clear gazpacho and three pintxos on a ceramic bench plate. One was a bread croquette filled with bonito, another a mini quail egg topped with langoustine foam and then the Cricket. That's the name they [...]

By |2022-10-20T08:51:43-04:00October 12th, 2022|Bites from the Road, USA Restaurants, World, World Restaurants, World Travel|2 Comments
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Dim Sum in Hong Kong, Classic vs New-Age, A World of Difference

Dim Sum in Hong Kong comes in many forms, from the traditional with waitresses pushing carts that you simply point to what you want to much more contemporary with offerings filled with French classics like ratatouille and foie gras. We experienced both in our 36 hours discovering this modern city. Our first was at Maxime's Palace Dim Sum in Hong Kong City Hall that had been recommended to us by an ex-pat. It's reminiscent of Jing Fong restaurant in New York's Chinatown with Chinese-speaking uniformed waitresses pushing the carts past the white tablecloths tables in a huge room with windows next to the Hong Kong harbor. Like in NYC, you [...]

By |2020-01-27T07:55:58-05:00March 7th, 2020|World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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River Market Restaurant Chiang Mai Dinner with Global Palette Adventures, Thailand

The River Market Restaurant, overlooking the Iron Bridge, is just a quick walk towards the Ping River from Le Meridian Hotel where our group was staying. That's where we had our welcoming dinner with our group attending the Global Palette Adventures Chiang Mai trip. The restaurant serves substantial portions of Thai food at reasonable prices great for sharing. Our host Lowell ordered lots of apps for the dozen of us to share that included tender skewered chicken satay (4 for 185 THB*) with sliced cucumbers and a peanut sauce with just a bit of spice. The least exciting was the coriander-crusted seared tuna with green mango som tam with chive [...]

By |2020-02-25T12:53:21-05:00February 21st, 2020|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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A Must-Try: L’essential in Périgueux, France

We lucked out as the weather was ideal for dining on the courtyard terrace. That and we arrived early at this tiny Michelin-starred restaurant to be lucky enough to secure one of the outside tables. Magali and Eric Vidal offer impeccably served culinary specialties of Périgord and the region. We started with our aperitif of Lillet blonde that had become our tradition while in the Dordogne. Each dish from the amazingly inexpensive 31 € two-course menu was better than the next and was beautifully plated. For the two courses, we selected either an appetizer or dessert and an entree. A real bargain. First came the ethereal multi-studded amuse-bouche along with [...]

By |2019-10-12T19:22:06-04:00October 23rd, 2019|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|2 Comments
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Ròda at Le Moulin Du Roc, Dordogne, France

We were staying at Maison Rose in the small village of Saint-Jean-de-Côle in the Dordogne not too far from Le Moulin Du Roc, a former Michelin-starred restaurant, where we had booked lunch. Being our first full day in the area, we hadn't a clue how long it would take on the back roads towards Brantôme, the city near the restaurant. We gave ourselves lots of time to get there for our lunch reservation arriving so early it was even before their meal service began. Our hosts welcomed us to the flower-filled garden terrace on the Dronne River adjacent to the elegantly furnished old mill. With a chill in the air [...]

By |2019-10-12T20:33:18-04:00October 7th, 2019|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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Paris and West Village Visits to Jody Williams’ Buvette

So enjoying Jody Williams Buvette when I had eaten there that I decided to head to her Paris establishment when I was there recently. That visit in the City of Love made me hunger for another trip to the West Village one. In the 9th arrondissement in the Pigalle neighborhood of Paris, we shared a croque forestier, Jody Williams vegetarian alternative to the croque-monsieur sandwich with layers of Gruyere with roasted mushrooms and hearty French bread (12 €), some roasted fresh beets  (9 €) topped with Roquefort crème fraîche and a lightly dressed salad with celery olives and tender chicken (15 €). We also indulged in her heavenly mousse au [...]

By |2019-04-24T11:38:10-04:00May 30th, 2019|Big Apple Life, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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Middle Eastern Meal at The Palomar, Chinatown, London + Company

I had been hearing about the new London production of Company — the Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical comedy about life, love and marriage — from my NYC theatre friends who are producers of the show. Company opened at London's Gielgud Theatre in November to rave reviews. And so, while across the pond during the holidays visiting family, I took the Eurostar to London to see it. What a delight! Marianne Elliott’s new production stars Rosalie Craig in the central role of Bobbie, Patti LuPone, Mel Giedroyc and Jonathan Bailey. Before the show, we stopped in at the Palomar for some small plates, each meant to be shared. Once ordered, the food arrived quite quickly [...]

By |2019-01-07T10:37:13-05:00January 6th, 2019|Theatre, World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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Cafe Gourmand at Le Sancerre, De Marais, Paris

After lunch, we walked around going in and out of the shops then headed to Rue des Archives to sit outside under the heat lamp to keep warm while sipping an espresso. Not just for the coffee, but for a special cafe gourmand that's served with treats. The one at Le Sancerre is served with four mini desserts and a chocolate along with the beverage. Ours had a mini muffin, an apple pie, chocolate mousse, a chocolate-covered almond and — my favorite — the crème brûlée (€9). A lovely way to people watch in Paris. Le Sancerre 3rd arrondissement 87 Rue des Archives 75003 Paris, France +33 1 42 72 [...]

By |2018-12-31T07:02:31-05:00December 31st, 2018|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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Lisbon, Portugal Round-Up of Restaurant Recommendations

Last year when my granddaughter Delilah was born in Lisbon, I spent time eating my way around the city. (You may be one of those following her growth on my daughter-in-law's Instagram @TheBestWorldYet.. if not click here to check it out.) I'm sharing a few recommendations that include all of Jose Avillez restaurants. I wrote up a couple that have links to those post but not all of them, as I was off to Peru before I had the time. If you're a foodie who travels to experience starred Michelin restaurants, do make a res at Jose Avillez's two-star Belcanto. It's listed as one of top 100 restaurants in the [...]

By |2018-06-08T10:36:34-04:00June 13th, 2018|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|2 Comments
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Marius a la Plage, at the beach of Gigaro, La Croix Valmer, France

In a small corner of paradise at the beach of Gigaro in La Croix Valmer, we stopped in at Marius a la Plage for lunch earlier this fall. I hadn't yet had the classic fish soup with a side of garlic rouille on this trip to France, and so I ordered that (14 €) plus an octopus salad (15€) that came with fingerling potatoes. The thin fish soup was too fishy for me, while the octopus salad was perfectly cooked resulting in tender chunks of my favorite cephalopod served with arugula, shredded carrots atop potato slices. My friend's Thai Filet de loup (fillet of seabass) came over long shreds of [...]

By |2017-11-10T10:37:59-05:00December 1st, 2017|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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L’Eden Plage, at the beach at Ramatuelle, France

On our first drive to the beaches in the St. Tropez (France) area we ended up L'Eden Plage, at the beach at Ramatuelle. My friend ordered the scallops Saint Jacques (36 €); the flavor was fine but the scallops were neither seared well or cooked through, resulting in a lackluster dish. My selections were much better, including a fresh green salad (6 €) lightly dressed garnished with cheese pieces and a creamy risotto (31€) with lots of truffles in and around the rim. We washing that down with a glass of vin au verre rosè (8 €).     L'Eden Plage Boulevard Des Tamaris 83350 Ramatuelle France 412 047 094 [...]

By |2017-11-19T09:01:22-05:00November 21st, 2017|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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Best World Yet: MOROCCAN FOODIE GUIDE

A unique mixture of sweet and savory made everything we ate in Morocco delightful. Most dishes are spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cumin, paprika and saffron. The combination was one I had not tried anywhere else, and it made my pallet rejoice! Our Moroccan Foodie Guide shares all of our favorite Moroccan treats!  Andrea Josefina Leblang click here to read the complete guide.

By |2017-11-06T09:04:13-05:00October 14th, 2017|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|1 Comment
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Páteo at Bairro do Avillez, Chiado, Lisbon

While visiting in Lisbon, I was delightfully invited as their guest to Jose Avillez more casual patio part (The Páteo) of Bairro do Avillez in Chiado where fish and seafood are said to be king. Their bread service (~$4 per person), not to be missed, of crisp olive bread, corn bread and the chewy-crusted Alentejo region bread comes with marinated Galician olives plus both Azorean and smoked butter. With that, we ordered a selection of three cheese that they picked for us (~$11.25), one cow, one goat and the other sheep. Do not miss the giant coal-grilled tiger prawn with a Bairro's special pepper-spiced butter sauce ($17.50). I also liked [...]

By |2017-09-03T09:05:35-04:00July 26th, 2017|Bites from the Road, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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