The Art of the Go-To Restaurant

There are few things in life that stress me out more than choosing a restaurant (a fridge full of fresh– aka soon to be not fresh — vegetables would definitely be in the running). Ask me what country I want to visit next, if I want to quit my grown-up job to go frolic (ahem, teach) in Spain or what I want to do with my life and I’ll give little pause. But ask me where I want to go for lunch in a new city and I’m thrown into a tailspin of questions that can’t possibly be sufficiently answered by glancing at a menu outside.

I’ll wander for an hour hoping to stumble upon the perfect equilibrium between hole-in-the-wall authentic but not too dingy and modernly elegant but not too pricey. I’m intrinsically driven to try new things, but there are times when, especially after living in a city for a few months, I’m just in the mood for a place I can count on to be delicious, friendly and comfortably fabulous. Sometimes, I just need some stress-free food.

My first stop on every trip back to Austin: a Trudy’s Mexican Martini!

In my hometown of New Braunfels my tried and true go-to is Gruene River Grill (rustic, riverfront, ridiculously delicious Italian margaritas and shrimp wontons). Austin has two go-tos, one for breakfast (Juan in a Million, obvs.) and one for drinks (Trudy’s, someone dame una Mexican Martini por favor!). In Sevilla it was El Tren for coffee (hello free, dependable wifi) and Marcos for dinner (bowl-licking Italian in an ancient arched setting). And in D.C., the candyland of restaurants? Tryst (scrumptious, reasonable, unassuming, close to home and everything I’ve ever wanted in a coffeehouse).

Since unpacking in Sarria I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect sitio to add to my go-tos. The title is a tricky one to bestow. It must be delicious without being pretentious, comfortable without being drab and friendly without being pesky. Turns out, my stress-free eatery was one of the first restaurants I tested out in my little Northern pueblo: Matias Locanda Italiana. One sip of a Matias cappuccino and I was enamorado. One bite of their homemade brick oven-baked pizza and it became my new gold standard of thin crust. The ethically Italian, functionally world citizen, trilingual owner is charming, inviting and hilarious. He takes care of his regulars and has no qualms with me taking up the corner table with hours of typing and free-wifi browsing while savoring nothing more than one of his spectacular coffee creations.

Nestled amid albergues and touristy tapas joints, Matias brings authenticity to the old part of town that usually bustles with pilgrims stopping off for a bite along the Camino de Santiago. It’s the beacon of deliciousness at the top of a seriously steep hill, one I’m more than willing to climb for a scoop of their chocolate mousse (who needs a novio when you have this sinful mousse, Mr. Matias informed us during our last visit). Sarria may be known for it’s pulpo, but it’s these Italian plates of joy that drag me away from my estufa amid the rain and wind of Sarria’s wintery Spring.

Matias chocolate mousse: my new Spanish novio

What is your go-to restaurant? How did you discover it?

East Meets West

My family is many fabulous things, but fancy is rarely one of them. Our idea of a nice family event usually involves University of Arizona t-shirts, bottles of Corona (“the good stuff,” as my Mom calls it) and a buffet table of steaming Mexican food. So when the abundantly elegant invitation for my cousin Aaron’s wedding landed on my doorstep, my eyes bulged, my jaw dropped and my fingers began frantically plugging in dates to every budget airline website I could think of. There was no way I could miss the most extravagant, most cultural and most exciting event in Callaway family history!

We Callaways (my mother’s side of the family) are 100 percent American. We speak “Amurrrican,” the only skin colors we display are Arizona-sun-tanned and (in my case) rainy-weather-white. We eat copious amounts of barbeque and we drink light beer. In other words, we couldn’t be more opposite from Aaron’s bride’s family, much of which flew in direct from India for the three-day wedding extravaganza. Saris were to be worn, curry to be eaten and Sanskrit to be spoken at the ceremony. I couldn’t decide which I was more excited about, watching my traditional Texan grandma tasting shrimp curry or seeing my 7-foot tall uncle twirling a bejeweled umbrella over Aaron as he rode a white horse up to the altar.

As the oldest among us six cousins, Aaron is a trailblazer, a trend-setter and, at least for me, an inspiration. Aaron defines courage, exemplifies determination and embodies adventure. He is a doctor in a family of teachers, a guy who holds his own in a family of all girls and fabulous success in world of too many disappointments. I was in middle school when Arrowhead Sr. set off for a semester study abroad in Madrid. I remember watching him pack over Christmas vacation and thinking that blindly flying halfway across the world to live with a family of strangers for six months was hands down the coolest — and bravest –thing anyone could do. I remember visiting Tucson the summer after Aaron returned and rapturously listening to his tales of cold showers, crowded metros and muddled Spanish. I remember resolving then and there that one day I’d jet across the Atlantic to see for myself what this crazy country was all about. Without the inspiration from my big cousin, I wouldn’t be sitting here now in Sarria, smudging Nutella on my keyboard as I type these words to the rhythm of a Spanish guitar.

As the eldest, Aaron siempre set the bar sky-high for the rest of us, whether it was his Spanish adventure, his specialized medical degree or his sweet dance moves. With a bride whom my family adores by his side, I knew his wedding would be no different. So with a Kayak.com deal on my credit card, two new dresses in my carry-on and enough anticipation to keep me grinning all the way across the Atlantic, I began the 30-hour epic journey to watch my eldest cousin walk down the aisle. I kept my trip secret from my family, knowing how much they all love surprises, and I must admit, I was just as excited to see the look on my mom’s face when I walked in as I was for the main event.

My grandma nearly dropped her crossword puzzle when she saw me! **photo courtesy of JJ Kellner**

The wedding extravaganza was, in accordance with Indian tradition, a three-day shebang. Due to the awesomeness of U.S. air travel I arrived too late to see what I have since heard was a marvelous dinner at my Aunt’s house. Aunt Pam’s Mexican-catered evening was the one Western-themed event of the weekend. From then on out each activity had a markedly Eastern vibe.

I had expected an extravagant show, a heart-strings-pulling ceremony, amazing food and a riotous rendition of “Mony Mony,” but I was absolutely unprepared for how much I would learn about another culture in the midst of my own family. Traveling is my passion. Experiencing other ways of life and other ways of looking at the world is what I live for (that, and of course, the food). I absolutely love flying home to visit my family, but I know what to expect in New Braunfels, Texas or Tucson, Arizona. Rarely am I challenged there to understand new customs or taste tangy, muddy-water-filled chip cups. Aaron and Serena’s wedding was like stepping off the plane onto the Sonoran Desert-themed plains of India. It had all the excitement and newness of one of my best-planned adventures, but I got to experience it all surrounded my my sister, parents, cousins, aunts, grandma and closest family friends. And it. was. awesome.

Traditional American weddings’ve got nothin’ on the drum-beat dancing, hands waving, color-splashed awesomeness that is an Indian wedding. This day is supposed to be one of the happiest day of two people’s lives. At every turn Aaron’s wedding manifested that joy and excitement. There was no solemn organ announcing the couple’s entrance to the church; there was a drum-bumpin’ dance party blaring from wheeled loudspeakers. There was no strict white and black dress code; the bridal party was decked out in vibrant colors and doused in sparkling jewels. It was as if Aaron, Serena, their family and their friends were so massively stoked about this marriage that we couldn’t contain it. If American weddings celebrate a union, Indian weddings shout it from the rooftops while dousing passersby in multi-colored confetti.

Here are a few of the best parts:

1. At every possible moment a drummer drops a beat and the room erupts with dancing.

**photo courtesy of Glenn Bassett**

2. The family is part of the program. At each event the bride and groom enter surrounded by their families. The wedding is truly a fusing of families, a fact that is made a focal point and a cause for endless handshakes, hugs and congratulations.

**photo courtesy of Glenn Bassett**

3. Color is everywhere! No boring white and black, this wedding is a rainbow.

4. Intricate decorations on the altar, the wedding hall and the bridal party aren’t enough. The guests get decorated too! Henna artists jazzed up all the female guests with temporary Henna tattoos.

5. One night of festivities? Lame. Bring on three days of dancing, drinking, smiling and celebrating! 

7 Ways Istanbul Trumps London

Istanbul has an ancient beauty all it’s own.

With an 11-day break from classes (apparently Easter warrants nearly two weeks of celebrations, me encanta España) I finally had a chance to check the two top cities off of my Most-Want-to-Visit list: London and Istanbul. These two titans of European travel topped my list for nearly polar opposite reasons. London seemed to be an obligatory stop.  I’ve swirled Chiantis in Rome, savored croissants in Paris, devoured tapas in Madrid and danced the day away in Barcelona. It was about time I paid homage to the most visited city in the world and got my fish ‘n chips on in London.

Istanbul, on the other hand, was the slow-burning obsession of my travel bug. The city represented everything I crave about international travel: utter newness, total uniqueness, vast history and, of course, fantastic food. Not to mention in my unscientific poll of travel-lovers (aka asking everyone I met), more people raved about Istanbul than any other city. To say I was stoked would be a slight understatement.

My 10-day Easter adventure was split almost exactly in half: four and a half days in England, followed by four and a half days in Turkey. In hindsight, I had booked the perfect cultural comparison. First I would explore the birthplace of Protestantism and modern Western culture, then the epicenter of ancient power and Islamic conquest. And after strolling each massive metropolis, tasting it’s flavors, touring it’s treasures and talking to it’s people, there is no question that if I was booking a return trip, Istanbul would be at the top of my ticket. Here’s why:

1. Flower beds? Try flower murals.

Forget flower beds, Istanbul makes flower clocks!

As far as flowers go, London doesn’t do too shabby. St. James Park near Buckingham Palace features immaculately maintained beds of bright yellow buds and rosy red petals. But from the moment I boarded my bus from the Sabiha Gökçen airport on Istanbul’s Asian side, I was greeted with the most magnificent display of flower landscaping I’ve ever witnessed. Huge swirls of bright pink and purple flowers decorated the hills lining the highway. Abstract murals of shrubs and buds flowed past the bus window all the way into Istanbul.

Sultanahmet Square was overflowing with gorgeous spring flowers!

Inside the city the flowers were even more impressive. At Topkapi Palace a thick blanket of purple flowers enveloped one courtyard in the sweet perfume of spring. Intertwining circles of forget-me-nots turned Gulhane Park into a living work of art. And outside the Hagia Sophia, vibrant rows of tulips filled geometric designs to create the multi-leveled adornments of a cascading fountain. The moto of Istanbul’s seriously skilled landscapers seemed to be “why build beds, when you can create murals?!?”

2. Tea Time,  Aladdin-Style

Turkish apple tea is sweet, tart and all-around scrumptious!

The English may have cornered the market on traditional tea time, but the Turkish have taken tea to the next level. Clear glass vases of piping-hot Turkish tea are confined to no specified time, no organized location and no particular occasion. Tea makers are constantly scurrying throughout Istanbuls cramped and winding streets delivering trays of tea and lumps of sugar to shopkeepers, bazaar-stand workers and tiny stool-sitting customers. In Istanbul, tea (or çay, pronounced ‘chai’) comes in two flavors: Turkish and Apple. The former is an amber brown, bitter tea while the latter is light yellow and, as a friend described it to me, “sweeter than a jolly rancher.” Both are fabulous as are the perfectly palm-shaped glasses they are served in.

3. Treasure Hunting

In London, the treasures of the city are prominently displayed, whether it’s historical heirlooms in the British Museum, adorable and affordable styles in Primark or the queen’s crown jewels in the Tower of London. But in the chaos of Istanbul, the marvels of the city take a bit more searching to discover. For me, the treasure hunting began in the Grand Bazaar, a nearly 600-year old labyrinth of 60 streets-worth of shops, stands and stalls selling everything from Genie-style oil lamps to handwoven cashmere scarves.

Rainbows of scarves lined the streets of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar.

The true treasure, in my flavor-obsessed opinion, is two stops down the tram line at the Spice Bazaar, or as I have re-named it, Heaven. Picture this: a web of arched streets packed with people and overflowing with every color of spice, every type of Turkish delight, every scent of dried tea leaves and every variety of dried fruit. Istanbul sampled it’s way into my heart as I tasted my way down the streets of the Spice Bazaar. Two days of treasure hunting yielded two more items to add to my list of favorite foods: walnut-stuffed dried Turkish figs and roasted pistachio and pomegranate-honey Turkish delight.

Aladdin-style oil lamps at the Grand Bazaar.

Ridiculously delicious pomegranate-honey-pistachio Turkish delight.

4. Energizing (Not Incapacitating) Breakfasts

English breakfasts — with their sausage, ham, bacon, fried eggs, baked beans and buttery toast — may sound good on paper, but after polishing off that heaping pile of goodness, the only thing I want on my day’s agenda is a nice long nap. Delish? Absolutely. Conducive to exploring a new city? No way.

Eggs, baked, beans, sausage, ham and toast, the typical English breakfast.

On the contrary, the typical Turkish breakfast — tomato, cucumber, tangy yogurt, feta-like cheese and bread — made for an unexpectedly invigorating start to a long day of mosque-ogling and treasure hunting. While it’s a far cry from what I typically think of as breakfast food, the fresh and flavorful vegetables paired with the salty cheese and flaky rolls were satisfyingly filling, yet delightfully light.

Two types of cheese, olives, cherry jam, butter, cucumber and tomato, the typical Turkish breakfast.

5. Street Food

I now have a whole new appreciation for street food. While Spain’s street-side roasted chestnuts are tasty, they don’t hold a candle to Istanbul’s sesame-covered simit (picture a thin, breadier bagel) or perfectly charred lamb kebaps.

This bagel-like simit made for the perfect mid-morning snack!

Istanbul’s lamb kebap: street food as street food should be!

6. The Thames Ain’t Got Nothin on the Bosphorus

When it comes to city-dividing bodies of water, the Bosphorus Strait can’t be beat. Not only does it hold the trump card on the awesomeness scale of separating two continents, the Bosphorus is also magnificently teal-blue, is spanned by breathtaking bridges (especially when they are lit up at night) and bordered by an elaborate Sultan’s palace and stunning modern mansions. My day-long cruise up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea was easily one of the highlights of my trip.

View of the Bosphorus from the Topkapi Palace.

7. Top-of-the-World Views

Just steps away from the Blue Mosque’s walls there is a unassuming doorway with an understated sign reading “teras” in neon letters. Four flights above that is the top of the world. Moments before the dusk call to prayer rang out over Istanbul, I stepped out onto the rooftop terrace of Mimar Sinan Cafe. What greeted me was easily the most spectacular view I saw on my entire trip. Stretching out in all directions wast the behemoth city of Istanbul. Directly in front of me the newly-built skyscrapers on the Asian side disappeared into the clouds . To the right the spires of Istanbul’s most famous mosques encircled the ancient city. On the left sparkling bridges held the city, and with it two continents, together. Behind me the intimidating domes of the Blue Mosque lit up as the light faded from the sky. In that moment, I was on top of the world. 

Pictures cannot possibly do this view justice.

‘Feria Gastronomica’: Spanish for ‘Heaven’

One of the three delicious local wines I tasted during the “show cooking” demonstration.

This weekend I died and went to heaven. I apologize for the cliche, but in this case, trust me, it’s appropriate.  Let me paint you a picture… In the southern Galician town of Ourense lies a massive convention center that is cutely named “Expourense.” Last week this dreary, grayish metal beast of a building played host to food heaven. Booth after booth piled with regional wines, traditional tapas and artisan cheeses stretched as far as my hungry eyes could see. Chefs gave cooking demonstrations while tuxedoed waiters passed out tastes of their creations. Photographers, writers and food lovers swirled their tempranillos and moseyed from display to display. White linen tables stood clustered into makeshift restaurants, awaiting the joyous ritual of Spanish lunchtime. It was a paradise of flavor and I had but five hours to devour its wonders.

I’ll take one of each please!

My first stop at the “Xantar” Gastronomic Fair was the Asturian cheese table. Stacks of cheese rounds in sizes ranging from a fist to a serving platter enticed me from all sides of the table. Atop each stack stood a small plate piled with tiny bites and behind each heap were the artisan cheesemakers themselves, each dressed in the traditional garb of their region. I started fresh and worked my way to strong, falling in love with Asturias with each morsel. As a slice of queso fresco melted over my tongue, a woman wearing a dress that looked like the lovechild of lederhosen and little house on the praire explained that this 100 percent cow’s milk cheese was aged only one week and got it’s pinkish-orange color from a hefty dose of spicy paprika. Farther down the table a young man with a Peter Pan hat introduced me to cider cheese. Picture cold, refreshing beer brewed solely from apples (aka cider) infused into a smooth brie-like cheese. I could almost feel the effervescence from the bright, sparkling cider as I sucked every drop of flavor from my tiny tasting bite.

Piles of dark red chorizo from Asturias’ southern neighbor, León, enticed us away from the cheese heaven. After marveling at the distinctly smokier flavor of León’s chorizo (compared to the Galician sausage I’m used to) we stumbled into a free “show cooking.” A young, slightly nervous chef was explaining to a crowd of about 20 feria-goers seated before his cooking-show style kitchen the proper way to scrape a thin layer of cooked egg from the underside of a cake pan, where he had apparently cracked it and backed it into a see-through sheet.

Moments after settling into our chairs (plastic lawn chairs classed up with linen slip covers) the first of our three wine glasses was filled and a bite-sized sample of the chef’s egg creation paired with tuna (from a can, as it always is in Spain) and drizzled with cauliflower purée.

Thin sheets of egg sandwich tuna and peppers. Cauliflower purée ties it all together!

Soft organic cheese rolled in dried, roasted tomato and presented on a wheat cracker stick.

This apple sorbet was made using liquid nitrogen and soda water!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up was what looked like a mushroom but which was actually a smooth, smokey ball of cheese rolled in roasted, spiced and dried tomato flakes and served on a bready wheat cracker stick. This little appetizer packed a serious punch of flavor! Delicious. Next came the manzana sorbet, which the chef created by slowly pouring liquid nitrogen into a huge metal basin filled with about two cups of an sweetened apple mixture. With smoke billowing out of the bowl and cascading down the table the man explained that this light, refreshing dessert would be served in a nerf football-sized white chocolate egg which he had painted with dark chocolate. Ummmm, yes please.

Thus three glasses of wine and three interesting tastes later we sauntered over to wine tasting row, which led us to tapa land and, ultimately, sea food corner. While admiring a table showcasing Galicia’s marisco specialities (sea urchin, barnacles, crab, eel, etc…) Kassandra and I almost took out a passerby when one of the lobsters started walking off it’s plate! Then the razor shell clams started poking in and out of their shells. We scurried away before the eel could start slithering across the table…

Galicia is known for it’s amazing (and rather unique) seafood. It’s completely common to find whole eel and octopus at the grocery store!

After a handful of rather adventurous samples including cured river eel (delicious!), sea urchin paté (less delicious) and barnacle paté (literally taste like a mouthful of dirty ocean water) we began to notice that the crowds around the booths had dissipated into the makeshift restaurants. So with already-full bellies we set off in search of a menú. An enthusiastic (and rosy-cheeked) recommendation from a friend we made on the bus, we settled for the epic lunch menú of a local Ourense restaurant. While the waiter assured us it would be no problem to share a menú, I don’t think the concept of sharing made it all the way to the kitchen. This was, without question, the largest meal of my life. Without further ado, I present to you our lunch:

First first course: this flakey ceviche-filled pastry paired perfectly with our crisp Albariño wine. I say ‘first, first course’ because while the menu gave me the impression would could choose one from a selection of four primero platos apparently I was wrong…

Second first plate: While it is typical to serve bread at every meal in Spain, this place went a tad overboard, presenting us each with a whole loaf. And, obviously, a plate of cured jamón as well.

Third first course: Raxo. This typical tapa is made from the same ground pork as chorizo, only this one has a much stronger flavor and even more spices. It is one of the only Spanish tapas that I don’t like.

Fourth first course: Pulpo with potatoes. A platter of boiled octopus doused in spicy paprika, salt and olive oil usually constitutes a meal in of itself. Not today! Apparently in this meal-size time warp it is a mere appetizer. So full already…. but it’s sooo good!

Just to recap, we’ve now devoured half a bottle of wine, half a loaf of bread, ham, seafood pastries, ground pork and boiled octopus. And that was just the so-called “first plate.” Now it’s time for the actual meal….

Second Course: Beef steak (chuletón de ternera). This not only looked like a work of art, but tasted like one. It was crispy on the outside and ridiculously tender in the center. So lean, yet with so much flavor!

Dessert: Tarta de Caramelo. I didn’t think I could eat another bite, but when this slice of beauty changed my mind. It was like tiramisu topped with a dense chocolate cake and slathered with coffee-infused caramel.

And then I died happy…

Falling in Love with Paris, 8 Bites at a Time

Paris, where beauty, history and heavenly food abound.

Paris is a city I couldn’t help but fall in love with in that sappy, gushing, overly-romantic kind of way, the  kind that happens with one trip-over-yourself glace in every romantic comedy. It’s a city that has perfected all of my favorite things: chocolate, croissants, chocolate-filled croissants, cute cafes, flower-filled parks, fascinating history and specialized food markets.

On my first trip to Paris three years ago, I climbed the Eiffel Tower (yes, literally climbed the 669 stairs), biked the Tuileries Gardens and strolled Champs-Elysées. With the touristy must-sees already guarded in my memory, my second trip to Paris was all about staying off the beaten path. With the help of my good friend and lifelong Parisian, Claire, I delved into Parisian cuisine like a local, buying thick slices of scrumptious smelly cheese from a fromagerie, feasting on classic French dishes from hole-in-the-wall cafes and brasseries and devouring mouthwatering pastries from local boulangeries. While nearly every stop was scrumptious, when in Paris one must be choosey. Therefore, here are the top eight items I am already longing for from my four-day food excursion in Paris.

8. Macaroons from Gérard Mulot

With more than a dozen flavors to chose from, selecting these hazelnut and nougat macaroons was rough but deliciously rewarding.

The windows of Gérard Mulot are sparkling with the promise of happiness, showcasing bright red and white trees of macaroons, neatly-arranged piles of chocolate bonbons and baskets brimming with perfectly-floured baguettes.  Upon entering, my attention was immediately captured by a long, glass counter covered in a rainbow of macaroons. After struggling to choose between the 15 flavor options (spice cake or orange-cinnamon anyone?) I settled on a classic nougat and a Nutella-esque hazelnut. GREAT decision.

Where to find this deliciousness: Gérard Mulot has three locations- 93, rue de la Glacière, near the Glaciére metro stop. 76, rue de Seine in the Saint-Germain des Prés region of the city and 6, rue du Pas de la Mule next to the Chemin Vert metro stop. 

7. Bordeaux at La Fourmi Ailée

This nook of a cafe is nestled just across the river from Notre Dame and is the perfect place to warm up with a glass of wine, coffee or tea.

After a museum-filled morning and a long and chilly stroll around Notre Dame all I wanted in the world was a cozy café to curl up in with my newly-purchased book. Conveniently located two blocks from the Shakespeare & Co. book store (which I highly recommend perusing) I came across the ideal afternoon resting spot, La Fourmi Ailée, or “The Winged Ant” (whose menus for some reason say Les Zéles de la Fourmi, or ‘The Zealous Ant”).

Not in the mood for another 4-times-as-expensive-as-Spain espresso, I asked for a glass of their house Bordeaux  Not only was my globe-shaped glass filled nearly to the brim, but the elixer inside was everything I want from a house red: smooth and smokey with hints of cherry and blackberry and a slight tannin-y finish. Not too fancy and not too pricey, but still tasty.

Where to find this deliciousness: Near the Saint-Michel metro stop at 8 Rue du Fouarre

6. Sunday Night Dinner supplies from the neighborhood markets

Three slices of heaven served with fresh baguettes,  tomato tarts, lettuce hearts salad with homemade vinaigrette and cold prawn salad. Sunday Night Dinner of champions!!

Sprinkled throughout the residential streets of Paris are some of the city’s most prized possessions, or at least what I believe should be considered Parisian treasures: specialty markets. There is the fromagerie filled with more types of cheese than I’ve tasted in my lifetime, the boulangerie that is bursting with the day’s fresh-baked and unimaginably amazing baguettes and the marché which is brimming with counters of seafood salads, pickled artichoke hearts, vegetable tarts and cured meats.

Each shop carries only its specialty. For a diversified meal multiple stops are a must. But biting into that artisan baguette and precisely aged goat cheese and freshly crafted tart I vowed to avoid one-stop shop supermarkets and opt for the master crafts at local specialty shops as much as possible.

Where to find this deliciousness: all over Paris! 

5. Crepes from Le Petit Jocelin

This spinach, tomato and cheese filled crepe was unlike any I’ve ever tasted. It was heaven in crepe form.

There are crepes and then there are crepes. This work of art from Le Petit Jocelin was the real deal: a lightly crispy wheat crepe robustly stuffed with melt-in-your-mouth cheese, tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes and bright green spinach.   In typical French fashion we washed down our crepes with French cider, served here in painted clay pitchers and drank out of small matching bowls.

Where to find this deliciousness: 20, rue Odessa in the Montparnasse area. 

4. Chocolate-Coffee cookie from Laura Todd

Warm, melty and miraculously coffee-flavored, this Laura Todd cookie was one for the record books.

It may look like your average chocolate-chip cookie, but this Laura Todd creation is a work of culinary genius. It somehow melts on your tongue without being warm, envelops you in flavor without being too sweet and is chock-full of dark chocolate chips without being overpoweringly chocolatey. It is, without question, one of the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. And considering my insatiable sweet tooth, that is saying something!

Where to find this deliciousness: Nestled along one wall of La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marche, a stunning and massive market filled with all the amazingness that French cuisine has to offer. Near the Sèvres Babylone metro stop at 38, rue de Sèvres. 

3. Croque Monsieur at L’Escurial

All other croque monsieurs are impostors. This crispy, creamy all-around amazing sandwich is the real deal.

I have tasted an array of croque monsieur in Spain and America but after one bite of the sheer joy pictured above, I decided those foreign impostors should be outlawed or at least forced to call themselves by another name. This croque monsieur, a staple item on most Parisan lunch menus, from L’Escurial in the “gay” area of Paris was an entirely new firecracker of flavor. Hiding beneath the thick layer of  toasted-on-top, creamy-inside cheese were two slices crisp bread, layers of ham and even more smokey cheese. Please import this most perfect lunch to Spain!

Where to find this deliciousness: In the Marais neighborhood – 29, rue de Turenne

2. Brunch at Bioboa

These thick, sweet and fantastically flavorful pancakes were a scrumptious French take on the American classic.

Spain’s one downfall: there is no brunch. I made up for months of brunchlessness at Bioboa, where their prix fixe brunch menu rocked my socks off. The extravaganza begins with a still-warm-from-the-oven basket of baked happiness which includes pain au chocolat, croissants, chocolate cake-bread and lemon coffee cake accompanied by your choice of fresh-squeezed juice and coffee or tea.

Next comes a French omelet (aka scrambled eggs) and smoked salmon which is followed by thick, sweet positively delightful pancakes (accompanied by British maple syrup!). A pistachio-almond yogurt parfait finishes off the meal. And then I died happy.

Where to find this deliciousness: 93 rue Montmartre, between the Bourse and Sentier metro stops.

1. Pain au Chocolat from Eric Kayser, aka the “Favorite Bakery,” (or any boulangerie for that matter!)

This almond-chocolate croissant from Eric Kayser may just be the best breakfast in existence.

Chocolate-filled croissants are, in my opinion, the elixer of the Gods. They are my Achilles heel of desserts and the one item that I can’t help but tasting from every bakery in which I encounter them. Paris, without question, is the magnificent queen of croissants. Here, the magicians that call themselves bakers somehow create croissants that have both a crisp exterior and a fluffy interior, they are both airy and dense, rich yet light. And the fine people at Eric Kayser are, in my opinion, the masters. This boulangerie was my daily dose of good morning (and often afternoon) joy, but just about any bakery in Paris will serve you up an amazing pain au chocolat. Prepare to have your life changed.

Where to find this deliciousness: Eric Kayser has spread his baked-good happiness across 11 locations in central Paris. My location of choice was 18 Rue du Bac, just across the river from the Louvre. 

Which Parisian slice of joy is your favorite? Any typical French dishes I missed?

Madrid, One Tapa at a Time

Living in Spain is amazing. But sharing all the wonders of this glorious country with a first-time visitor, now that is truly joyous. When one of my oldest friends, Andrew, said he could make a four-day pit stop in Madrid  on the front end of his Spanish work trip, I was — to say the least– ecstatic. As this would be Andrew’s first time in my pais de maravillas I was determined to enlighten him on all of the reasons why I feel in love with Spain in the first place. Somewhere near the top of that list: tapas!

Within hours of being reunited at Barajas’ T4, Andrew and I were on the hunt for Madrid’s top tapas.

Andrew and I embarking a three-night tapas spree.

Google translate tells me “tapas” in English means “finger food” or “savories” but both of those words seriously underestimate both the scope and the vibrance of Spanish tapas. At it’s most basic level, a tapa is a size of a dish. They are always small, about the size you create by touching your two forefingers and thumbs together to make a circle. 

But more importantly, tapas are meant to be shared. Going for tapas is as much about tasting a smorgasbord of scrumptious food as it is about socializing. In Spain, evenings revolve around going out to the calle, reconnecting with old friends, striking up conversations with new ones and soaking in the vibrance, beauty and life of the city. Tapas are the method (you could even say the excuse) for meeting and mingling. And with heavenly options like croquetas and jamón on the menu, there are few things in life I love more than an evening of tapas. So without further pontificating, here are the top 6 tapas we fell in love with in Madrid. 

6. La Zapateria- Patatas caseros con morcilla (Boiled potatoes with blood sausage)

These “broken eggs” and chorizo served over fried potatoes were so good I had to go back to the Zapateria twice last time I was in Madrid!

My notoriously bad Spanish is to blame for Andrew and I discovering this new gem of a tapa at La Zapateria. While I intended to order us some of my favorite huevos rotos con chorizo (directly translated: broken eggs with sausage which come served over Spanish-style french fries), I instead ordered us patatas caseras con morcilla (homemade potatoes with blood sausage).

Luckily, it was still delicious! Large medallions of blood sausage, which was hearty tasting with a speckling of rice inside, were nestled among perfectly cooked potatoes drenched in an array of red spices. I was apparently too intent on devouring this new dish (and the perfectly delicious pitcher of Sangria) to snap a picture of it (so unlike me!). Pictured above are the huevos rotos that made me fall in love with La Zapateria the first time I came to Madrid in 2010. This cozy hole-in-the-wall style tapas bar is also where I was first introduced to the tastiness that is caracoles, aka snails!

Where to find this deliciousness: La Zapateria – about 5 minutes walking from Puerta del Sol on Calle Victoria #8

5. El Almendro- Huevos Rotos con Jamón (Broken eggs with cured ham)

Fried potatoes with fried egg and bits of jamón from El Almendro in Madrid.

El Almendro is nestled slightly off the beaten path in the La Latina district of Madrid, the oldest part of the city. Inside, the first floor of the restaurant is dedicated solely to tapas-goers. It’s an order-at-the-bar style affair where the bartender was extremely patient while helping me decide between the fruity, semi-dry or dry white wine (I’d DEFINITELY go with the dry).

The huevos rotos (a Madrid specialty, if you hadn’t noticed yet) at El Almendro came highly recommended by a friend who used to live in Madrid and they were absolutely not a let down. This restaurant takes their own spin on the traditional dish, serving it with chip-style potatoes instead of the usual french fry style. While I prefer the more chunky potatoes, the chips made it much more of a finger food, which lightened the atmosphere and turned into a fun evening of catching up and chowing down!

Where to find the deliciousness: Calle Almendro, 13 in the La Latina district.

4. La Pasa- Croquetas de Boletus (Mushroom Croquettes) 

One of my favorite tapas: croquetas! La Pasa serves theirs as round balls, rather than the traditional log shape.

Croquetas being one of my all-time favorite tapas, I was stoked when a friend recommended La Pasa as the best place to grub on the best croquetas in Madrid.

The vibe at La Pasa can only be described as a mezcla. The tables are glass, the walls are covered in modern-ish art and the best of the 2000s is playing at just the right loudness over the speakers (oh yeah they played Jack Johnson!).

Being, as always, excruciatingly indecisive at ordering, we opted to get half boletus (a type of mushroom) and half seafood croquetas. Initially, I was surprised at how large these La Pasa croquetas were! Usually croquettes are about the size and shape of a thumb – long, skinny  and small. These, on the other hand, were slightly larger than golf balls and perfectly round! One bite into these globos and I understood perfectly the reason behind their unusual shape.

By making them round, La Pasa increased the amount of the gooey delicious filling you get in one bite while decreasing the amount of fried outer shell. The result was a mouthful of fantastic flavor with just a hint of that oh-so-familiar fried olive oil taste. Can you say delicious! These easily put my feeble attempt at homemade croquetas to shame.

After a careful taste test, I have to recommend the boletus croquettes. They were muy suave and packed with flavor!

Where to find this deliciousness: La Pasa, calle La Pasa, 4 (also in La Latina district)

3. Potente- Tortilla y Empanadilla (Spanish Omelet and Empanada)

Caramelized onion tortilla, meat-filled empanadilla and jamon tartas with a hefty cup of Tinto de Verano. Aka HEAVEN.

Deciding which amazing Spanish tapa should be Andrew’s inaugural taste of Spanish food was obvious: the classic tortilla. And just as perfectly, a friend had recommended the perfect place to savor the best tortilla Madrid has to offer: Potente. This Latina-area bar not only has traditional Spanish tortilla (heaven in of itself) but has three or four specialty types of tortilla as well! We opted for the caramelized onion version over one with mushrooms, one with chorizo and one with peppers. It was slightly sweeter than a normal tortilla but just as fantastic. While it may be seriously breeching Spanish traditionalism, I could definitely get down with tortilla innovationism. Yum!

We paired this tortilla heaven with a carne empanadilla, or beef, potato and pea filled pocket of joy. It was the perfect blend of sweet and savory wrapped in a breading that was neither too dense nor too flaky. Galicia needs to get some of these on their menus. I want more!

Slices of bread topped with olive oil, tomato paste and jamon came for free with our glasses of tinto de verano. One of the most refreshing drinks on the Iberian Peninsula, this beverage is a mix of red wine and lemon Fanta. Just try it. It’ll change your life. And yes, they do sell it in juice boxes at the grocery stores. (See why Spain = heaven?!)

Where to get this deliciousness: Potente – Calle Cava Baja, 42 in La Latina

2. La Mallorquina – Napolitana con Chocolate

My favorite food in my favorite place! A chocolate-filled croissant at La Mallorquina!

There are few things in life that are better than napolitanas con chocolate. And there are few (if any) chocolate-filled croissants better than this marvel from La Mallorquina bakery right off of Puerta del Sol in the very center of Madrid. This place was packed with fellow dessert-lovers like myself. While there was seating upstairs, we opted to grab and go for this sweet version of a tapa. (Okay, so technically napolitanas, or any desserts really, are not tapas. But I think they should be and this is my blog so here all things chocolate will forever be considered tapas.) 

The croissants in the napolitanas con chocolate at La Mallorquina somehow manage to find the sweet spot between too fluffy and too flat and bread-like. Unlike many napoltianas that have only a thin smattering of chocolate inside, this delicacy was equal parts chocolate and croissant. It was, without question, the second best napolitana con chocolate I have ever tasted (which is saying something considering my 5-month long goal of tasting every chocolate-filled croissant in Spain while I was studying here!) The best is, and always will be, from my horno in Sevilla….

1. Taberna los Huevos de Lucio- Huevos Rotos con Chorizo (Broken Fried Eggs with Chorizo)

This is, without doubt or question, the best huevos rotos you will ever eat. Thank you Lucio for creating happiness.

In poetic fashion, our last tapa  before leaving Madrid was, without question, the most amazing. At least six Spaniards independently recommended I eat at Lucio’s while in Madrid. That recommendation was always followed by some version of “It is the best place in town!” “The king eats there!” “Bill Clinton ate there!!” Oh yeah, we had to eat there. So after a few unbelievably cheap Mahou cervezas (the beer of Madrid) we squeezed our way into a table at the back of this llena establishment.

If we would have done as the true Spaniards do, we should have ordered our huevos rotos at the bar, along with a couple more cervezas, and parken in this perpetually stunning dance/balancing routine in which you have a beer in one hand, a purse and jacket precariously perched against a wall/wooden nook and a fork in the other hand. Then, the group passes around the plate and somehow the whole thing is devoured over a 30 minute time period all while talking, laughing jostling and drinking. Spaniards are a truly gifted people when it comes to tapas.

Instead, we took our huevos with a side of bread, a seat and glass bottle of water (the only way water comes in Spanish restaurants. Que fancy). They arrived with the smell of heaven: sausage pleasantly smokey and perfectly crispy, eggs fried to exact moment when the whites are solid but the yolks are ready drench a bed of freshly-cut, freshly-fried potatoes in a yellow bath of flavor. It’s official. I could eat huevos rotos every. single. day.

Where to find the deliciousness: There are two Lucio’s – one is the restaurant (the more expensive option) which is called Casa Lucio. The other is across the street and is more for tapas, such as the joyousness pictured above. That one is called Taberna los Huevos de Lucio, which is located in La Latina district on calle Cava Baja, 30.