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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Amsterdam

For a city world-renowned as a den of vice rivaled only by Las Vegas, the casual visitor to Amsterdam would hardly know it save a few tell-tale signs and one very avoidable area. We arrived on a quick one-hour flight from Heathrow into Amsterdam’s Schiopol Airport, and following a walk through customs and immigration and a quick detour to purchase train tickets we were off to the city center. Amsterdam’s airport is clean, relatively straightforward (for a European airport) and connected to the city center by an efficient, comfortable train service. Eight euro for two people into Amsterdam’s Centraal Station was a much nicer option than the 35 euro flat rate in a cab, and the transit time took all of 13 minutes – not too shabby.

We chose to stay along the Amstel River at the Eden Hotel Amsterdam, a small European hotel chain known for clean, quiet, simple accommodations. Following a complimentary upgrade we found ourselves in a perfect oversized room away from street noise and the bustle of the service corridor. Not that we’ll be in the room that much, but it’s nice to have a quiet space!

A quick wander through the city can easily turn into a multi-hour walk once you put away the map and simply enjoy the city. Amsterdam’s quaint and bicycle-friendly roads, intimate architecture, and interspersing of canals really are a treasure to behold, and there’s no shortage of rest and refreshment options as you meander along. 

With the city center being so compact you can easily walk to and through the major parts of the city in half a day, leaving time to explore more thoroughly once you’ve gotten the relative lay of the land (and water.)
 
Going back to that vice bit for a second: sure, there are “coffeeshops” interspersed throughout the city, and most souvenirs are going to center on the crass and vulgar aspects of the Red Light District, but these two things by no means should personify such a beautiful and happy city. 


With a friendly, English-speaking population, a mix of cultures and cuisines, and some of Europe’s quaintest scenery, Amsterdam retains a more romantic and peaceful charm than what popular media and general public perception would have you believe. We say come to Amsterdam and see for yourself!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Game Day – England v USA



After months of anxiety and anticipation, the day has finally come – England v USA for the first time in the World Cup since 1950. Soccer fans already know (as does anyone with ESPN on at any point in the past three months) that our previous match ended 1-0 USA; could we do it again? I thought so, but the English are a strong side…

We decided on a morning diversion away from the games to Borough Market, which lies just south of London Bridge and contains a diverse (and dizzying) array of shops, merchant stalls, and street sellers offering everything from housewares and durable goods to freshly-cut Spanish hams and boutique honeys. Markets generally are a great way to see first-hand the broad range of foods and other delectables being produced locally to a destination, and the Borough Market is no different. Given its size and position as both a tourist spot and local farmer’s market, the depth of offerings here is greater than you’d find at home – it reminds us a lot of Barcelona’s Mercat de la Boqueria, or the morning market in Ubud – and its that breadth and depth that makes Borough and interesting place to visit each and every time.

After a few flavorful samples at Neal’s Yard Dairy, we settled on hunk of Berkswell and a pungent, creamy blue. The Berkswell was approaching the crumbly stages of cheddardom, ripe with that sharpness and tang that only unpasteurised semi-firm cheeses can bring – a few pieces of our decidedly-overlarge was all that was needed, so we wrapped up the rest to carry home. The blue paired nicely with the freshly-baked (and still warm!), slightly-sweet baguette we picked up for next to nothing (bread is an  incredibly low-margin product) and we chanced upon a nice spot beside the Thames to enjoy our finds. After our saunter through the market, a relaxed snack of bread, cheese, and ham, and a wrap-up of cocoa and cranberry brownies we were ready for the game.
 
We decided on an American-friendly pub in Chelsea – Henry J Bean’s – to watch the game. Many pubs we’d passed were explicitly English-fans only, so it was nice finding a place accommodating to our cheering preferences. Henry’s is a small chain here in London, but the atmosphere come game-time was anything but reminiscent of a Ruby Tuesday’s…

By now you know the score – England v USA ended in a 1-1 draw. For our part, we congratulated the England fans after Gerrard’s quick strike, applauded our good fortune on Dempsey’s goal, and held our breath as Altidore’s would-be game-winner caromed off the goalpost. Ties may be boring to some, but this match had it all – and we were exhausted at the final whistle. Just as well, since tomorrow we head to Amsterdam!

Copa Mundial 2010

Friday saw The Gastronomic Traveler welcoming the opening of the World Cup with the rest of the world in the only way we could see fit: with good friends, good food and drink, and hopeful aspirations for the USA over the next four weeks. 

After coordinating the arrival and pickup of friends at London Heathrow, we were soon off to The Fat Badger on London’s Portobello Road for some antipasti and an inventive parma, peach, and mozzarella salad. 

The Fat Badger is truly a gastropub in the strictest sense: the food is orders of magnitude better than a traditional pub’s, yet it retains that casual vibe and low-key sense of process so typical of London pubs.

After enjoying the first two games of the Cup, we headed across the street to the aptly named Galicia for some northwestern-Spanish tapas: our favorite pub food. 

Settling finally on a few seafood offerings such as the squid in ink, grilled octopus with paprika, and white anchovies – all washed down with ice-cold Estrella Damm, naturally – we were back at reminiscing of our Spanish adventures and getting excited for the coming week’s festivities in Madrid. 

While the octopus was a tad chewy and the squid a little more ‘of the sea’ than we’d have preferred, it was all in all a nice way to end the evening, wonder about tomorrow, and get a taste of things to come. 

Techno-Snafu!

First off, many apologies for the technical issues that have prevented us from posting every day; we (hopefully) have things all straightened out today… which means a series of write-ups that haven’t gotten posted since last Saturday! We hope you enjoy!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

An Overnight to Reading

Our first adventure outside the London city limits takes us to Reading, a moderately-sized town in Berkshire just about 40 miles west of London. History buffs will already know that Reading was an important stop along the River Thames during the medieval period, and became a place of pilgrimage with the founding of the Reading Abbey in the early 1100s. The Abbey was all but destroyed by Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in the mid-1500s; the last abbot was hanged, then drawn and quartered in front of the Abbey church.

And where exactly is that church? Why, adjacent to the Forbury Hotel, of course! The Forbury is the top luxury hotel in the area, a classic reuse of the former Berkshire Shire Hall and a beautiful example of townhouse-style construction from the early 1900s. Each of the 23 rooms and suites boast original works of art from the region and around the globe; pieces in the public areas of the hotel are on loan rotation from La Galerie in Pimlico.

Our stay included an overnight in a Superior Room on the first floor (second floor to us Americans); each room in the hotel is lavishly-appointed and no two rooms are the same. As is befitting a true luxury hotel (and that term gets tossed around inappropriately quite a bit) the staff were welcoming, knowledgeable of the area, and happy to assist with even minor trivialities (RJ11 phone cord adapter, anyone?) with a warm smile. And, as you know, a competent and resourceful staff is the backbone of any successful luxury establishment. Couple this with simply prepared, delectable offerings from the kitchen – the Eggs Benedict is my standard rule by which hotel breakfasts are measured, and this one came with a surprisingly lemony-fresh hollandaise (albeit a tad more than needed) and parma ham – and you have a recipe for success.
 
My main goal here in Reading was to explore the Hosier Street market – 60 stalls selling food, flowers, plants, crafts, and household goods – and see how many of the more than 100 pubs in town we could visit (quite a lot of pubs for a town this size…) The sheer number of pubs around the central town square was enough to fill both afternoons and evenings, and as is the case with many pubs in the UK, a diverse array of real ales and local pints were available at each stop. My personal favorite? The Abbot Ale from the Pitcher & Piano…

All in all, the trip was a pleasant diversion from the recent stress of getting the new office established. Up next for The Gastronomic Traveler? Ten days in London, Amsterdam, and Madrid watching the World Cup with local fans. Follow our gastronomic and sporting adventures over the next two weeks with live postings every day as we seek out the classic and the unusual in these three cosmopolitan capitals! 

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Hello, London!

Well, Travelers, after months of preparation and anticipation it’s finally here: our London office. Nestled in a picturesque hamlet just off the Chiswick High Road (and conveniently located near Fuller's Griffin Brewery), our London base is wired up and ready to assist you. We’ve positioned ourselves here to give you an even broader reach into Europe’s hidden gastronomic gems and famous locales as well as increased real-time access to our services while abroad in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. If you’re in the greater London area, drop us a line: we’d love to show off the new digs!

With all there is to see and do, it’s hard not to love London: it’s the global capital, the biggest hub of transport options to every corner of the world, and home to an eclectic mix of people from literally everywhere. Most importantly to us, however, is the direct result of all these things: no city has a greater breadth and depth of unique cuisines and cultures to explore, all conveniently within walking distance of public transport! Whether you’re craving curry or have a hankering for Hungarian, London’s got a choice spot serving up just what you’re after. How about some Ethiopian tej in Shepherd's Bush? Or a whole snout-to-tail experience in Smithfield? You can find everything from the perfect hole-in-the-wall takeaway to multi-Michelin starred gastronomic Meccas, and none are too far from wherever you are. (With the exchange rate so favorable these days, why not consider a trip?)

Because we can never settle on just one cuisine, over the coming months we’ll be featuring weekly a different restaurant, area, or event taking place here in London. We begin with Momo, a North African restaurant tucked down Heddon Street in what has been branded the Regent Street Food Quarter. Every restaurant along this small (400ft long, perhaps?) pedestrian area boasts comfortable indoor spaces and optionally-covered outdoor spaces, many with heaters to ward off that London chill come fall.

At Momo we celebrated the opening of the London office by tucking into briouats (a fine pastry stuffed with cheese, mint, and potatoes) and wood pigeon pastillas (filo filled with lightly spiced wood pigeon, almonds, and cinnamon) with orange confit before enjoying lamb tagine with saffron pears and sultanas. We paired the briouats with a minty cocktail, which lightened the pastry and accentuated the quince compote alongside the little Moroccan cheese puff. It seems like every culture has its version of this cheesy little treat, and there haven't been any as yet that we haven't enjoyed. That being said, pastry can be quickly overcome by oil during frying and end up greasy and heavy: not so with these briouats, which were perfectly crispy on the outside, rich and savory inside, and not even remotely greasy -- a difficult task to accomplish!

For the pastillas, a lovely French rosé added bright acidity and floral notes to what could have been an overpoweringly-spicy dish – a low-tannin Chianti also paired well with the cardamom, cinnamon, and other African spices used to soften the game’s pungency. Altogether a wonderfully balanced dish alongside its citrus confit, and something I wish I could prepare at home!

Normally we’d go for a Pinot or a Rhône-style red with lamb, and this instance was no exception. Choosing a Côte-Rôtie to pair the wine’s floral aroma with the subtle saffron pears – perfectly poached – and peppery notes with the lamb and spices worked brilliantly, accentuating the meatiness of the lamb and drawing out the sweet-savory complexity of the onion confit on top. Unfortunately all this pairing and tasting left us unable to consider the chef’s signature sweets for dessert, but I imagine we’ll find ourselves darkening Momo’s doorstep again soon.  

We’ve celebrated the official opening of the London office, and now it’s your turn: to help you celebrate we’re offering a Currency Exchange Discount -- simply call or email us by 31 July to get your travel planning process underway (and book your trip by 31 December 2010) and we’ll discount our fees by the prevailing USD:GBP markup rate. If you call today, that would be a savings of 44% -- an average of $325 on a seven-day trip!

Happy Travels!

fred

Introducing Our New Blog!

Welcome! We’re glad you made it to the official blog of The Gastronomic Traveler. It’s our intent to use this space as a routinely-updated area where we’ll share with you our recent adventures, interesting products and services on offer, and generally anything and everything relative to food and travel that’s fit to print. We're excited to be sharing not only the trip ideas and unique destinations we'll be working on over the coming months, but also the details of our own gastronomic adventures around the globe -- there's never been a better time to travel, so let's get started!

Please take a few minutes to explore our website if you haven’t yet had the chance to do so. As the seasons change, so will our featured destinations – as always, though, these are merely suggestions to help get your travel bug going. We’d love to help you create your ideal trip to any destination!