Markets & Grocers – Page 10

Lyon – Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse and Lunch at Chez les Gones

November 13, 2019 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Lyon, France, Markets & Grocers, Travel

We were really enjoying our short time in Lyon, from the Silk Festival and Vieux Lyon, to the Basilica and an amazing dinner at Takao Takano. We'd seen a lot during that long first day, but there was another place I just needed to visit.

But first, we decided to take a nice morning walk.

Down to Place Bellecour it's such a vast square right in the middle of Presqu'ile.

There's the Equestrian Statue of Louis XIV, which was an important landmark for us.

We had to catch our train back to Paris from Gare de Lyon-Perrache not our arrival station Lyon Part-Dieu. We had asked for some directions earlier and was basically told to follow Louis's "bout du cheval"…the "horse's butt" straight, ahem, down Rue Victor Hugo. Which were very accurate directions.

We headed toward the Saône and just ambled along……

Right past the Passerelle du Palais de Justice we found a outdoor market…..not very crowded on this rather chilly morning. This is the Marché Alimentaire Saint-Antoine Célestins which runs Tuesdays to Sundays from 6am to 1pm.

The market is located on Quai Saint-Antoine between Passerelle du Palais de Justice and Pont Maréchal Juin.

Being right at Rue Grenette meant it would basically be a straight shot to our next destination which La Part-Dieu neighborhood.

I mentioned Paul Bocuse in my first Lyon post, much revered, especially in his home of Lyon…..a man who was called the "Culinary Pope"; for those who are Anthony Bourdain fans, just look at this picture. 'Nuff said.

I wanted to visit the marketplace that bore his name; Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse.

Plus, I love these market halls……I always get a better understanding of the cuisine of a city, when I get to walk around the marketplaces.

And there were indeed some top notch products for sale.

Visiting made me wish we had more time….as it was, we had meals planned out.

We were getting a bit hungry, so we searched among the seemingly endless stands that wind their way thru the gleaming market hall.

And settled for one that served some traditional Bouchon fare and one dish I had been waiting to try as well.

We were seated at one of the small tables and the Missus ordered some sparkling water and a glass of wine for Herself.

I ordered the food……..which took a while…..actually a good sign to us.

The Missus had enjoyed Her Andouillette so much at Bouchon des Filles that She ordered it here.

Which was served with some mushy vegetables and pretty tasty, but super buttered Gratin Dauphinoise (Scalloped Potatoes).

Like the previous version, this basically exploded upon being touched by a knife. This one was pretty funky and really chewy, the mustard sauce did it no favors.

I ordered the Tablier de Sapeur (The Sapper's Apron).

The tripe was nicely breaded and fried; layers of different textures; the crunchy breading, the chewy layer of tripe, and some additional meaty crunchiness of the rumen. It was very mild in flavor and the sauce gribiche helped things along.

Like with the Missus's dish; I didn't care for the vegetables or potatoes much.

This was an interesting meal; much more rustic than what we'd had two nights before at the Bouchon. Still, it was fairly inexpensive…and I got to have dish I'd been wanting to try.

Chez les Gones – In Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
102 cours la Fayette
69003 Lyon, France

After the meal the Missus had Her eye on dessert.

And we took our sweet time getting back to the apartment.

Stopping to do some shopping along the way.

By the time we got back it was mid-afternoon.

It was time for a nap…..and then….well, dinner of course!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Croissant Files – The French Oven, Bread Bar (Little Italy Mercato), and Prager Brothers (Little Italy Mercato)

October 28, 2019 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants, Markets & Grocers

The Missus and I were planning a trip….well, this one is basically four trips out, and we started ruminating about croissants…..do we miss Paris, and even there, it can be hard to find a good croissant….to be honest, we've had our share of not so good croissants (au buerre) in Paris as well. The discussion reminded me that I had a couple croissant photos just waiting for a post. I guess today's the day. So, "allons y"…..

The French Oven:

Several folks in the office, who live in the Scripps Ranch area kept on telling me about The French Oven, telling me it's run by a fifth generation Boulanger from France. So, a few weekends later, I headed on over to a little strip mall in Scripps Ranch.

Man the place was hopping!

Service was fast, I believe the owner was working the front of house as he and another gentleman were speaking in French. It kinda made my morning.

As for the croissant, while it was the best of the three in post, well, it was okay…..light with a decent flakey-crispness, but really lacking in butteriness, and when broken lacked that hint of yeastiness we love.

Not bad.

You can read Cathy's post on The French Oven here.

The French Oven Bakery
10299 Scripps Trail Suite E
San Diego, CA 92131

Bread Bar (at the Little Italy Mercato):

The following week, I dropped by the Little Italy Mercato to do some shopping. And decided to pick up a couple of croissants for the Missus and I to try. First, was from Bread Bar.

This was more crumbly than flakey and crisp. It had enough salt, but lacked a good buttery flavor and was too dry. It also had that fishiness that pastries in the states sometimes have, usually from the eggs used, which both the Missus and I don't care for.

Bread Bar in the Little Italy Mercato.

Prager Brothers (at the Little Italy Mercato):

We enjoy the bread from Prager Brothers and should probably head up to their bakery in Carlsbad. But until then…..

The croissant was not bad; but lacking in enough butteriness, salt, and yeastiness to us. The texture of the interior was a bit too soft for us.

We'll stick to getting their wonderful breads.

Prager Brothers at the Little Italy Mercato.

So….the search goes on…..

Colmar – Dinner at Brassierie Heydel, a Morning Walk Around Colmar, and Some Self-Catering

October 6, 2019 mmm-yoso Alsace, France, French Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Travel

We'd had a wonderful day visiting the colorful villages of Alsace. Christopher was an amazing guide and even called and made reservations for dinner when I mentioned a specific Alsatian dish called Fleischschnacka.

When we headed out for dinner; it was already fairly dark in Colmar. Looking out from our terrace; Pont de Rue de Turenne was nice and quiet.

The restaurant was centrally located, though not quite in the tourist center.

The folks working were quite friendly and the place was pretty quiet when we arrived. There just seemed to be few regular customers in the place.

Though it filled up pretty quickly as we were ending our meal.

The Missus just had to have Her favorite; the Choucroute and figured my dish was going to be pretty hefty. We also got the Foie Gras entre to start.

This was smooth, rather mild in offal tones, rich, and quite good.

The Missus enjoyed Her Choucroute.

Though She said it was not a crisp and refreshing as the version at Le Petit Venise.

And then there was my "snails of meat" – Fleischschnacka. Man, this was a pretty hefty dish.

Think of ground meat rolled in pasta; the two slices were a bit too much for me and fairly mild in flavor. I loved the potatoes and the green salad.

I'm not going into too much detail about Heydel; because, at least according to their Facebook page as of June 17th, the business is in the process of changing ownership.

Brasserie Heydel
45 rue des Clefs
68000, Colmar, France

As you can see; Colmar is quite stunning at night as well.

It was wonderful waking in the morning and taking your espresso on the terrace.

The next morning we decided to explore Colmar's Old Town. The Pont de Rue de Turenne was quiet at this time of the day. You can see our apartment's terrace at the upper left of this photo.

Things were being set-up for the Christmas Market which was going to start that weekend.

We used Rick Steves walk as a guide. We started at the Koïfhus; the Customs House. Trade made Colmar a wealthy city in the Middle Ages and the Customs House was the center of it all. Colmar had been granted Free Imperial City status by the Holy Roman Empire.

Above the door on the south side of the building is this door. The plaque above the door designates Colmar as being an Imperial City.

Above one of the portals you'll see this plaque.

Jean Rapp, one of Napoleon's chief consuls was born in Colmar; supposedly here in the Customs House where his dad was a janitor.

In the square in front of the Customs House is this fountain.

The fountain statue is of Lazarus von Schwendi. Who supposedly (it is considered a myth) brought the Tokaji (remember our dinner in Budapest) to Alsace. The statue was made by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi who also created something known as the Statue of Liberty.

From here we walked down Rue des Tanneurs. There's a channel right across the street. As we had learned in Modena, you need a close running water source for tanning leather. This is where the tanner in Colmar used to reside.

From here we circled back a bit along the Marché Couvert.

And then up to Rue des Marchands ("Merchants Street").

Right up the street is one of the distinctive buildings in Colmar; Maison Pfister. Built in 1537 in Renaissance style, with biblical stories and figures painted into the walls. It's a beautiful and impressive building.

Right across the way is the carving that folks call the "Meter Man". It's the sign for a drape maker and he is holding the standard measure of length, Colmar's version of the meter.

It's all quite entertaining……..

As you can tell when looking at the photo of Maison Pfister….right past the structure is St Martin's Church, where we spent a few minutes lingering.

I'm always fascinated by clocks in these churches……

We wandered down Rue des Boulangers…..

And since this was the "street of bakers" spent a bit of time shopping for gifts.

From here we took a right on Rue des Tetes (street of heads) and came upon the façade of the Maison des Tetes ("House of Heads"). Now a luxury hotel; this structure was built in 1609 by a wine maker. Many heads, masks, and faces adorn the façade.

The most interesting one is found to the left of the entrance to the courtyard.

There you'll see what looks like a court jester; his belly sticking out, with hoofs in the place of feet. Go figure…..

It's quite a sight…..

Though I haven't spent time on it; I need to mention all the wonderful signs that adorn the buildings…….

From here we turned back and headed down the colorful streets of Colmar.

And back to the Marché Couvert. We were staying in such a lovely apartment that we decided to take advantage of it and do some self-catering.

And combined with the cheese we Riquewihr and the cookies that Christopher had given to us as a gift; we had a very nice meal.

There's much to love about Colmar and Alsace in general. Beautiful half-timbered buildings, history and charm; with some humor thrown in.

I thank you for stopping by and sharing this with us!

Alsace – The Four Wonders of Alsace Part 2. Riquewihr and Kaysersberg

September 21, 2019 mmm-yoso Alsace, Bakery, Cheese, Desserts, France, Markets & Grocers, Travel

Like my previous post yesterday, there's not much food in this one. But I hope you'll enjoy more of the wonderful sights of Alsace!

After leaving Ribeauvillé, we headed a short way south to the medieval town of Riquewihr.

Yet, another charming and beautiful village. During our drive time, we had a nice time chatting with Christopher. And he quickly picked up the fact that the Missus and I both enjoy food. So the first stop on that beautiful cobblestone street was this place.

Where Christopher and the really friendly young man working here plied us with cheese…….

And when we decided to buy; they made sure to give us another round of tastings to make sure we were getting what we wanted.

And what we wanted was Tomme….lots of Tomme; de Brebis (sheep), de Chevre (goat), and the Cave Aged Tomme. Man, it was good!

We'd end up having the cheese for lunch the following day back in Colmar.

Les Caves d'Affinage de Riquewihr
16 Rue du General de Gaulle
68340 Riquewihr, France

I mentioned earlier that Riquewihr is a medieval village. It was and basically still is a fortified town with ruins of the ramparts dating back to the 13th century still surrounding much of the town.

At the top of the main street is the "Dolder" (Belfry). We were told that the tower was originally built in 1291. The belfry was added in the 19th century and used to warn and inform the residents of approaching threats and groups.

There's actually a pretty little street outside the tower that runs along what is the ramparts of the town.

And here is the "Obertor" ("Tall Gate") which helped to protect the city.

You can see that there was once a drawbridge to keep intruders out. The moat area is now a wonderful grassy parklike area.

That statue of the woman riding on a horse; was, if I recall, "La Dame du Parc".

The area along the ramparts is quite photogenic and makes for a nice stroll.

We were really enjoying our time in Alsace…..

We were given some time to shop and perhaps grab some lunch in Riquewihr.

So we headed back down the main street; just taking our time…….

We weren't very hungry; so just stopped by a patisserie on Rue du Général de Gaulle, named Patisserie Chez Chloe and got our caffeine fix, a quiche (which was terrible), and some sweets for the Missus.

Patisserie Chez Chloe
24 Rue du Général de Gaulle
68340 Riquewihr, France

Well, at least the coffee perked me up! We then took to wandering some of the side streets and spent some time in the Christmas shop pictured near the top of this post; Féerie de Noël Käthe Wohlfahrt . Man, the buildings are so colorful here!

We even found a War Memorial down one of the side streets.

Riquewihr; like Ribeauvillé is on the Alsace wine trail. And just walking a block or two down a street; you'll come to a sight like this.

We then headed back up to the Obertor and met Christopher who took us outside the city for a view of the vineyards.

Speaking of wine; our next stop was a fun visit to Bott Frères Winery. We had such a great time that I pretty much forgot to take photos during the tour.

We ended up buying a case of wine and had it shipped back to San Diego. The Riesling Gran Cru was a favorite of the Missus's and also Frankie's Aunt Alle's Mom loved it as well!

While we were driving to our next stop Christopher asked us if we had heard of Kaysersberg. I said yes, and was asked what I knew about the city. I told him Nobel Prize winner Albert Schweitzer was from Kaysersberg. I'd taken quite a few Philosophy courses in college, you could say it was one of my "majors", though I really don't remember much about what I learned all these years later; I recall reading The Decay and the Restoration of Civilization and being quite affected by it. Christopher smiled and nodded; he then asked us if we had heard of Anthony Bourdain…..and then it came to me….I'd totally forgotten that he had committed suicide in Kaysersberg! You can read about the rest of the conversation at the end of this post.

We parked outside the village and strolled in.

The River Weiss runs through town, just adding to its beauty. No wonder Kaysersberg, like Eguisheim, won the Préféré des Français as favorite French Village this time 2017.

Christopher pointed out the details; like the platforms where women used to do the laundry in the river and details on the houses…..

Of course, I was just distracted by the ducks…..

The village is very charming and with Christmas around the corner at the time of our visit; there was a festive air to things…..

Even the Fontaine Constantin was ready for the holidays!

Christopher took us into the Eglise De l'Invention De La Sainte-Croix, Church of the Holy Cross.

The dramatic and impressive altarpiece dates back to the 16th century.

After our visit to the church we checked out some of the shops in the town.

First stopping at the workshop of a shop that made hand blown glass. And then next to a an amazing shop full of Cuckoo Clocks. The really sweet young lady proceeded to set all the clocks to go off while we stood and watched….talk about over stimulation! It was a wall of chaos! Hilarious…..

As we wandered the side streets it seemed that Kaysersberg was much more populous than the published number of less than 5,000!

Like the other villages; take a short stroll one or two blocks down a side street and you're out in the vineyards. In this case with a castle as a backdrop!

As we strolled thru town; Christopher asked us if we wanted to see the hotel where AB died; we instantly said "no", he seemed relieved….apparently many of his customers from the US make visiting the Chambard Hotel their primary goal when visiting Kaysersberg. I understand that Bourdain changed the way many look at travel, food, and culture……but…..

I can just imagine how this makes the residents of this beautiful village feel….most of whom had never heard of the man before his visit.

There's a magical and like I said before, almost fairy-tale like feel to visiting these villages in Alsace. You are transported light years away from the hustle and bustle of big city life. We really enjoyed having Christopher as our guide, he gave us some cookies as a gift, and as we were headed back across the River Weiss, we were discussing various dishes we'd tried or were looking to try in Alsace. Upon me mentioning Fleischschnacka, he smiled and said, "I know just the place for you…." And proceeded to call a restaurant and make reservations for us for dinner! I think that says it all……

Dreamy, fairytale like villages and warm, friendly, hospitable people. That's Alsace.

Thanks for stopping by!

Alsace – The Four Wonders of Alsace Tour Part 1. Eguisheim and Ribeauvillé

September 20, 2019 mmm-yoso Alsace, Bakery, Croissants, France, Markets & Grocers, Travel

Not much food in this, and my next post. But if you love fairy tale like streets and lovely half-timbered houses, you might enjoy this post.

I got up early on our first full day in Alsace. We'd really come to enjoy Alsace the previous winter when we visited Strasbourg. Though it was a week before the Christmas Markets opened in Colmar, we had enjoyed the previous evening. On this day we had arranged for a small group tour from Alsace Original Experiences called the Four Wonders of Alsace, which visited four different villages in Alsace.

But first, even though we were still satisfied from our rather large dinner the night before, we needed some sustenance. While the Missus woke up; I headed down Rue Turenne.

Of course, I had to walk over to the bridge and take a look at our wonderful balcony.

I had seen an Artisan Boulangerie on our street the night before, so I walked on over to Maison Alexandre.

And picked up two croissants for breakfast.

La Maison Alexandre
34 Rue Turenne
68000 Colmar, France

I got back to the apartment and the Missus popped a couple of pods in the Nespresso Machine and we had espresso and our croissants.

Unfortunately, these weren't very good; it lacked a nice crisp flakiness and butteriness. Oh well……

A short while later, we headed downstairs to be picked up for our small group tour. A few minutes later, our driver/guide arrived. We got really lucky as there were no other people on the tour for this day. So, we basically had our own private tour. And our guide, Christopher, was amazing!

The Missus and I felt like we had stepped into a Fairy Tale as we walked the cobblestone street of our first stop; Eguisheim.

The colorful half-timbered houses, the tiny streets, the charming décor just transported us. And, in fact, two of the villages wed visit on this tour, Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr was the inspiration for Belle's hometown in Beauty and the Beast! And while both of those villages were charming and lovely, it's Eguisheim that still stands out in our mind. In fact, in 2013, Eguisheim won the Préféré des Français and declared the "Favorite Village in France". And we could see why.

As we headed up the beautiful Rue du Remparts, Christopher pointed out a ton of little details to us. That cute skinny house in the middle of the photo above, now the home of a business, Le Pigeonnier, dates back to the 15th century.

Even in winter; the street bursts with color and adorable ornamentation.

Christopher went through small details on the structures and I took photos, though I should have taken notes so I'd have remembered what these small details told about the families, vocations, and social standing of the folks who once lived here.

Storks are symbols of fertility and good luck in Alsace. They are treasured and build their nests on top of roofs, steeples, and other high areas.

They were once threatened with extinction in Alsace, but a conservation program in the region has allowed for a rebound in mating pairs. And though they usually migrate South for the winter; Christopher pointed out a couple of stray "couples"(most White Storks are monogamous and share duties for raising their young) still hanging around in late November.

Christopher told us we were extremely lucky to see storks this time of the year and it must be a good omen.

As we made a circle back to the main road, we passed the rather hulking looking Church of Saint Peter and Paul.

Christopher took us in; there was something he wanted us to see.

Off on the "porch" to the side is a wooden Vierge Ourvante, an "Opening Virgin". Which dates back to the 13th or 14th Century.

This is a very rare artifact and is quite striking.

The center of this charming village is the Place du Château Saint-Léon, the former site of a castle. This area had been settled by first the Gauls, then the Romans.

Notice the statue and the church? Well, a former Pope and Saint; Leo IX was born in Eguisheim in, get this 1002! That chapel is named Chapelle Saint-Léon IX and was built and dedicated to Saint Leo in 1894.

It's a quaint, tiny chapel, which houses relics of the former Pope and Saint.

The frescoes in the chapel represent the seven scenes from the life of Saint Leo.

And though it was rather dark when we entered……

A coin in the machine changes that in an instant!

Our next stop on the tour was the charming, but bustling town of Ribeauvillé.

The old town is charming and as you'll quickly notice has quite a few "music" oriented statues, symbols, and icons.

Originally known as Rappoltsweiler, then becoming Rathaldovilare, in the 8th century, the village was passed on to the noble family of Rappoltstein. The Lord of Rappoltstein was the protector of the wandering minstrels of the land, who paid him a tax for protection. In fact, the minstrels had their own chapel in the village and even their own patron Saint! They used to celebrate at the chapel on September 8th and something similar still occurs on the first Sunday in September in Ribeauvillé; a festival called Pfifferdaj ("Fiddler's Festival"), which claims to be the oldest festival in Alsace.

Christopher lead along the main street making stops along the way to tell us stories about Ribeauvillé.

The main square is named Place de Mairie and a large gate and tower; named the Butcher's Tower (Tour des Bouchers), named after the slaughterhouse and butcher stalls that were located at its base.

The gate separates what was once the upper and lower towns of Ribeauvillé.

Speaking of butchers……this wonderful half timbered house……

Sits atop a very popular Boucherie named Siedel Hubert.

We ended up spending some time in the shop and purchasing some foie gras on the way back down.

Siedel Hubert
78 Grand'Rue
68150 Ribeauvillé, France

A bit further up the street was a beautiful square Place de la Sinne and the wonderful half-timbered houses.

Minstrels once used to gather around this fountain and in the inns that lined the square.

Christopher also pointed out various signs along the way……

And then asked us if we'd like to do some exploring and shopping on our own. So, after setting up our meeting place (the piper statue), we wondered around, did a bit of shopping.

And spent a good amount of time at Siedel Hubert, before meeting Christopher at the location designated.

We were charmed and taken in by these villages in Alsace.

And there were still several more stops to go! Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ol’ Rodeo’s Market and The Yogurt Mill- Lunch and dessert in El Cajon (Bostonia)

August 25, 2019 Cathy Desserts, Markets & Grocers, Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read about food here on mmm-yoso!!! today. Kirk is enjoying the weekend and Cathy is writing.

El Cajon has some interesting, local places which have withstood the test of time. I haven't written or even photographed some of my 'little secrets' in over ten years of blogging and finally have gotten around to it.

Located at the South East corner of Broadway at Mollison, this small market is known for its meats, fresh tortillas and small kitchen, located just to the right when you walk in.
The menu is uncomplicated. Everything is fresh and prepared to order, by taking the meats straight from the sales counter over to the kitchen area. There are a few (5) tables in the center of the store (which has a small Produce area, wall of refrigerated beverages, wall of refrigerated staples and one (two sided) set of shelves).

These photos were all taken from my seat at the table. Ol' Rodeo's is small.
Soon enough, our 'Combination Plate' ($6.99) order of birria (choice of goat or beef; this is goat) was brought over (also, four freshly warmed tortillas, not pictured). This flavorful, rich, spicy stew hits all the taste points. The obligatory leftover photo; you can see bay leaf and some bones and gristle. This large bowl of stew had close to a pound of meat in it. The rice and beans here are very good in addition to the fresh corn tortillas.
We also ordered an adobada taco ($2.49), so we had something to eat while the other person was enjoying the birria. As mentioned, the meat for grilling was pulled from the meat counter (where it is $3.99/lb). The pork pieces, marinated in red chile sauce with vinegar and oregano was so fresh and flavorful. I was asked if I wanted avocado or guacamole on top. No extra charge.

Superior quality food, wonderful people working here (it's a Mom and Pop place). Known for its carne asada, which will be a separate post.

Ol' Rodeo's Meat Market 927 Broadway El Cajon 92021 (619) 401-7351

Want dessert? Go out to the parking lot…

This landmark building used to be a pizza place called "The Leaning Tower" (there were two other locations in San Diego; one is still partially standing (last photo) and the other, which anchored Clairmont Square, is gone). This family run frozen yogurt business has existed for 41 years and this location was purchased when the Leaning Tower of Pizza went out of business, around 1988.
The menu changes a bit each day and there is always one dairy free and one sugar free option, as well as two or three low fat yogurts in addition to nonfat choices. There are plenty of topping choices, but we are purists.
Tart Mango and Pomegranate Blueberry, Baby size ($3.60)- a lot of frozen yogurt to share (especially after that birria). Tart, well flavored, quality yogurt.

Yogurt Mill 935 Broadway El Cajon 92021 Open daily Mon-Thur 10-10, Fri-Sat 10-11 Sun 11-10

This is why you can walk from Ol' Rodeo to The Yogurt Mill…

Alsace – Exploring Colmar, Dinner at Winstub de la Petit Venise, and a Kinda Creepy Coincidence

August 20, 2019 mmm-yoso Alsace, France, French Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Travel

While planning our trip to France, I told the Missus that I really wanted to head back to Alsace. I had really enjoyed our time in Strasbourg the year before. And though we'd be a week early for the Christmas Market, I thought having a short break in Colmar would be great! And so, we headed from Reims to Colmar, arriving at around 330 in the afternoon. As we headed to our apartment crossing Rue Turenne we understood why this area was called "Le Petit Venise"; not that it looked anything like Venice, not by a long shot.

But there are lovely little canals and wonderful half-timbered houses, and lovely bridges, like the Pont de Rue de Turenne. Which someone told me was called the "fanny bridge" because at certain times of the day folks would be lining up for photos and selfies with their backs against the railing, so looking from along the way, all you saw was a line of folk's backs and backsides lining the railing!

And to make things even better; we had a wonderful apartment with a balcony that overlooked the bridge. We'd entertain ourselves by heading out onto the balcony several times of the day just to watch folks on the bridge….or even just watch the water flowing by.

This was our view.

Budapest – More Buda, the Great Market Hall, Hold Utca Food Market, and Kacha Belvárosi Piac

July 27, 2019 mmm-yoso Budapest, Hungarian Food and Restaurants, Hungary, Markets & Grocers, Travel

Following a nice break Budavari Retesvar we walked back the half block to the striking Matthias Church. Originally founded in the eleventh century, the current church was built in the thirteenth century by Bela IV after the Mongols destroyed the original structure. The official name of the church is "Church of Our Lady", but the ever popular King Matthias renovated the structure and even got married in the church twice and so the church is called by most, Matthias Church.

While we often spend a good amount of time exploring churches, we decided to just admire this one from the exterior.

Right past the church is the Statue of Saint István (St Stephen) who was the first Christian King of Hungary.

Right past the statue is the Fisherman's Bastion; which was one of the many structures and improvements made for the 1896 Hungarian Millennium Celebration.

While it's normal for folks to enjoy the views from the structure, we really kind of just wandered around and took it all in.

We headed down the stairs, back to the Danube when we ran into one of the sites I had on my list. It's the Péter Mansfeld Monument, the rather disturbing sculpture of a young man hurtling headfirst toward the ground. Péter Mansfeld was one of; if not the youngest victim of the Hungarian uprising of 1956. Mansfield joined the fight for independence at the age of 16. After his arrest by the Soviets, it was determined that he was one of the leaders of a group that were stealing weapons and cars. He was tortured and sentenced to death. In order to look better in the eyes of the world; they imprisoned Péter until he was 18. He was hanged eleven days after his 18th birthday on March 21, 1959.

I told the Missus the story…..it was quite sobering and we walked down the steps to the riverfront in silence.

We walked along the Danube; passing Várkert Bazár, the Buda Castle Park, where we had started up to Catle Hill in the morning.

We were getting a bit hungry; so we decided to check out the Great Market Hall. So, we walked over to the Elisabeth Bridge which we had crossed over on the previous evening.

And of course, in a park near the bridge, is a statue of Queen Elisabeth. There are statues and sculptures everywhere in Budapest.

Instead of crossing on the Elisabeth Bridge, we walked one bridge over and crossed the Danube on the Liberty Bridge.

The Great Market Hall is located steps from the end of the bridge on the Pest side. I'd head a lot of mixed reviews from folks who had been to Budapest. Everything from "it's amazing and fun" to "it's over run with people and tourist traps".

The hall is quite grand; like so many places in Budapest, it was built for the 1896 Millennial Celebration.

So, what did we think?

Well yes, there were quite a few tourists and most of the second floor is full of tourist type shops. But, much like Pike Place Market; there's still much to be seen and bought even for locals.

It's vibrant, alive, with both tourists and locals.

With lots of things to buy. But in terms of food options; we just didn't see anything that appealed to us.

Instead we decided to take the mile-and-a-half walk to a place we had passed on the previous day; the Hold Utca Market Hall. To get there we walked up Vaci Utca which seemed like tourist central…..which we then avoided for the rest of the trip. Up to rather sedate Hold Utca and the market hall.

We both enjoyed the vibe of this market hall. Yes, there are tourists; in fact there seemed to be a group of tourists on a food tour. Still, there were even more locals; quite a few business folks and such eating at some of the shops on the second level.

We had dinner reservations and wanted something small and we found just what we wanted at this shop on the second level.

The shop specializes in duck…..

And so we decided to share a salad and some duck liver.

The duck liver came in a glass; completely submerged in duck fat. It had been slowly cooked in fat at a low temp; think confit. It was rich, not overly livery….and man; dipping the bread into the fat was quite rich and decadent.

The salad was refreshing; the strawberries were sweet; the greens crisp, the light vinaigrette perfect for this salad. Good ingredients; obviously from downstairs.

It was just what we needed to hold us over until dinner. And the woman working in this shop was very warm and friendly

Kacha Belvárosi Piac
(In the Hold Street Market Hall – second floor)
Hold utca 13
Budapest 1112 1054 Hungary

We'd put in a decent amount of mileage and it was just past 2pm! It was time for a nap as I was sure we'd be doing some walking before and after dinner!

Anchorage – New Sagaya’s City Market, Anchorage Market & Festival, and the International House of Hotdogs

May 3, 2019 mmm-yoso Alaska, Hot Dogs, Markets & Grocers, Travel

It's been almost a year since we visited Alaska; I'd better get these posts done!

I had a rather fitful night of sleep in Anchorage. I guess bars close at 4am; which by the way, is when the sun was rising during our visit. Folks got back to the hotel with much banging and noise…no it wasn't the ghosts. So, after a couple more hours of restlessness, we headed downstairs. The breakfast set-up looked rather dismal, so we just grabbed some coffee and headed out. Not sure where. Past schools and houses…I believe on A Street.

We then cut westward and somehow ended up at New Sagaya's City Market, where there is a location of Kaladi Brothers Coffee.

So while the Missus stood in the queue for our caffeine fix.

It was interesting walking those aisles. I was rather surprised to see some of items being sold; like Aloha Shoyu!

We sat and enjoyed our coffee. It was interesting; you could tell who the visitors were; we still felt a bit chilly in the 50 degree weather; while we saw folks in the market walking around in shorts!

After our fix, we headed back out. But not before giving this friendly fella' a nice head scratch.

New Sagaya City Market
900 W 13th Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99501

We walked back up I Street, through the large Delaney Park; an eleven block strip that used to be the airfield. It's a now a vast looking green belt.

We stopped to take a look at the Anchorage Veterans Memorial.

Soon enough we were back in downtown. We did a bit of window shopping; heading down 4th Avenue. We decided to head on over to the Anchorage Market & Festival, which takes place on weekends from 10am to 6pm from Mid-May to Mid-September.

Right at the turn to the head down to the market, is the start of the Iditarod, and this mural.

right down the stairs and across the parking lot was the Market and Festival.

There was of course entertainment…

Tons of shopping…..

Don't you want some "chimes to irritate your neighbors"?

And of course food.

And while we didn't find anything we especially felt like eating; this was a fun little stop for us.

Anchorage Market & Festival
225 E 3rd Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99501
Sat – Sun 10am – 6pm
Mid-May thru Mid September
From May 11th to September 8 for 2019

The Missus had wanted to check out the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. So we headed west on 4th Avenue. I had a stop in mind for lunch. A place called IHOH – the International House of Hotdogs. Basically a trailer set-up right behind the very popular Snow City Café.

They were doing some pretty good business at 11am.

Having enjoyed reindeer in various forms over the last couple of years; I had wanted to try a Reindeer Dog; in this case the McKinley Dog, a Reindeer Polish Sausage. We also got an order of the Cilantro Fries.

For some reason the split sausage had been pretty much griddled to death and was on the tough side, The roll did a nice job and was nice and soft, and the griddled onions did quite well. The chipotle based sauce was a bit much, as reindeer, at least in my experience has a rather delicate flavor.

Loved the seasoning on the fries; but these "crinkle-cuts" were also fried too long, the interior of the fries were dry.

It was enough food for the Missus and I to share and the service was very friendly.

International House of Hot Dogs
415 L Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
Hours:
Tues – Sun 11am – 7pm

Now it was time for me to burn off all those fries……

Monday Meanderings – Beer and Cheese (from Venissimo) Edition

April 1, 2019 mmm-yoso Beer, Markets & Grocers

I was going to do a post on a couple of soup places….but man; it's hitting the 80's today. Let's save that for tomorrow…..how about a couple of brews and getting cheesy.

I noticed that I tend to go with quite a few Belgian style beer when I'm at home and usually get something lighter when I'm out and about; unless there's something I'm really interested in.

The Duval Single Fermentation was quite light and the ABV is lower than the typical Duvel Golden which goes thru a double fermentation. I'll take the stuff in the bottle any day of the week.

I was thinking about our trip to Belgium recently. While the Missus no longer enjoys beer and really isn't into revisiting Belgium. I had a blast. When I saw the bottle of St Bernardus on the shelf, it brought me back to biking to Watou, after going to Westvleteren earlier in the day.

Even though a lot of the Belgian brews don't travel well, the memories last.

Did I mention that I've started keeping a cheese journal? Both the Missus and I love cheese…She especially loves the washed rind stuff like Epoisses (did you know that Epoisses is banned on the metro in Paris?) She actually went and requested Limburger from Whole Foods….they had to go into the back of the shop to get it for us.

Anyway, I hadn't been to Venissimo in a while; but dropped by while the Missus was at work yesterday. I went right when they opened and the Cheese Monger working was amazing! We got four definite winners!

From the left to right Brie Fermier, wonderfully rich, with an awesome mushroom-earthy flavor. It was amazing when served at room temp. Jeff's Select, a Gouda from Minnesota, with a bright annatto colored rind, was mildy nutty and easy to eat. My favorite, Monte Enebro, which Liz Thorpe in her wonderful book The Book of Cheese categorizes as a "misfit cheese", was just love at first bite for me. The cheese is ripened with Penicillium Roqueforti; the mold that is used for blue cheese. But while it does have that "spice" like a blue cheese; there's that definite creamy "barnyard" flavor of a goat cheese, along with a mild tanginess and buttery texture. Man, it was so good. The Missus's favorite, was something I just decided to taste on a whim after I had already picked three cheeses, the Ameribella, a washed rind cheese from Indiana. Oh man, this was so creamy, the mushroom funkiness and pungency turns in an almost buttery flavor at finish. Man, four for four, I can't remember the last time I brought home all winners! Thanks Venissimo!

Venissimo Cheese
754 W Washington St
San Diego, CA 92103

That duck salami I got from one of the vendors at the Little Italy Mercato was a winner as well. I add a couple of slices with the Missus's salad for lunch.

Speaking of the Little Italy Mercato. Ever see this interesting couple around?

On this day, they were both strutting their stuff, with "Wild Thing" blasting on the hand held speaker! You gotta love it!

And thanks so much for indulging me!

I'll be back with something more substantial tomorrow!