Travel – Page 43

Budapest – Jacques Liszt Bakery, By Beans Coffee, and Leaving Budapest

August 9, 2019 mmm-yoso Bakery, Budapest, Caffeine Fix, Croissants, Hungary, Travel

We awoke bright and early on our last morning in Budapest. And of course we took in the view (yet again) from our hotel window.

While the Missus was waking; for some reason, I decided to check on our train that was scheduled to leave Keleti Station at 140pm. I read that Keleti Station was closed for repairs and trains had been routed elsewhere. I told the Missus that I was going downstairs to speak to the Concierge and then perhaps go and grab something light for breakfast.

As is usual for the Marriott, the Concierge was ever so helpful….they checked the schedule, called around and found that our train had been rerouted to Deli Train Station (Southern Station). They got me all the info I needed; told me not to worry, they'd arrange a cab to the station.

So I went looking for a bakery. Right across the street from the hotel in the building which houses the Hotel Zenit I noticed a sign……

It was a bakery….right across the street and we hadn't noticed it at all!

I walked in, and yes, this was a working bakery. You could see the Baker at work.

I recall the prices being amazingly inexpensive for a bakery basically in the middle of all the hotels and tourists.

I ended up getting 2 croissants and a couple of those gougere like items they call "scones" (Pogácsa) here and took them back to our room.

The croissants were a bit disappointing; lacking in the flakiness and butteriness we look for in a good croissant.

The Pogácsa were ok; though a bit more dense than what we'd had the day before.

Jacques Liszt (In the same building as Hotel Zenit Budapest Palace)
Apáczai Csere János utca 7
Budapest 1052, Hungary

The sun rises at around 5am in the morning at the end of May; so even though it was bright and sunny outside; we had the boardwalk to ourselves as we headed out for one last walk.

Passing all the landmarks large……

And small that we'd seen during our short two days in the city.

We loved the sights just as much as we did on our first day……

Though we had learned some of the history, both ancient and some more recent, and of the tragedies that are part and parcel of the city.

Having done some decent walking; we decided to grab a cup of coffee. After checking around a bit, we headed back to the Hold Utca Food Market and that coffee stand where we had seen the sweet pooch lying around the day before. No dog on this morning; but the young lady working was very sweet.

The Missus had a Cortado.

And I had an Americano.

And we sat watching the school kids walking hand-in-hand as they toured the market hall.

It was a nice little break.

By Beans Coffee
(In the Hold Street Market Hall – ground floor)
Hold utca 13
Budapest 1054, Hungary

After our caffeine fix, we strolled back to the hotel and rested for a bit. Check out time was at 11. We got a taxi from the hotel and went across the Chain Bridge again…..this time on four wheels though. We went through the tunnel that bores under Castle Hill and ended up at Deli Station a few minutes later.

Deli Station looks a bit worse for wear, but we easily found a place to sit. And I went to the bakery stand for more Pogácsa and some water.

We had really enjoyed our short visit to Budapest. I'm fairly certain we'll return someday. But it was time to move on to our next stop.

Though I'll always remember the jewel of a city that is Budapest.

Thanks for stopping by!

Budapest – Dinner at Borkonyha Wine Kitchen and the View from Castle Hill at Dusk

August 8, 2019 mmm-yoso Budapest, Fine Dining, Hungarian Food and Restaurants, Hungary, Travel

We headed back to the hotel after having a wonderful morning and light lunch. Remember I mentioned all the statues in Budapest; well, here's another. Located on Zryinyi Utca; this one is known as the "Fat Policeman".

We got back to our room and took a short nap. Of course upon waking; I just had to enjoy the view from our room….again. I mean, this just doesn't get old.

I had made reservations for dinner on this evening at a One Michelin Star restaurant, which wasn't too far from where we were staying. We took our time getting to the restaurant, stopping at Szamos Gourmet to look over the cakes and desserts. The place is very nice and the Missus bought something small for a snack later on in the evening and some cookies as gifts.

Szamos Gourmet Haz
Váci utca 1
Budapest 1052, Hungary

We walked past all the tourist shops and places like the Hard Rock; skirted around Erzsébet Téri Park and crossed busy József Attila Utca, onto rather quiet Sas Utca and our destination; Borkonyha Wine Kitchen. I'd chosen the place because the Missus really wanted to try Hungarian wine.

The restaurant was fairly casual, comfortable, and instead of doing the tasting menu we ordered ala carte.

Things started out with a interesting trio of breads. The version with caraway was a favorite; with the cumin bread coming in a close second.

Of course we had to have the Duck Liver with Tokaji Aszú – basically a foie gras terrine.

The texture was luxuriously smooth; though the cherries and the really sweet wine was a bit too much.

I ordered the Oxtail with Soured Vegetables.

This was wonderful as the beefiness of the oxtail came through quite clearly and the "soured vegetables" helped to cut the richness of the dish. The accompanying tuile was a nice touch, adding a nice textural contrast.

We had also requested a pairing for each dish…..until the Missus tasted the Tokaji Furmint Sec; which She loved. Very floral, nice acidity, it went really well with the cod dish the Missus ordered. So, She decided that this was the wine we'd have with the rest of our meal….except for our lamb dish.

The fish was perfectly cooked; though a bit underseasoned for our taste. The skin was light and crisp and the flesh was moist, tender, and flakey, with the perfect amount of fat. The Kohlrabi puree was a nice match for the fish. A good dish.

I'd ordered the Saddle of Lamb and Tongue with Green Beans.

The lamb, like the fish was prepared well. It was toothsome, yet tender, though really mild in flavor. The tongue however, was amazing! My favorite item of the meal; super gamey, slight offal-ness, it was quite tender as well. The green beans were fresh, though slightly under-cooked for my taste.

The Missus enjoyed Her desserts.

The was a solid; if not great meal. Most everything was prepared well; the service, though a bit spotty was cordial. And the Missus loved the Tokaji Furmint Sec….She has me trying to find this in San Diego!

Borkonyha WineKitchen
Sas Utca 3
Budapest 1051, Hungary

The Missus wanted to head back to Castle Hill during sunset to watch the light of the Parliament Building come on. So we headed back in that direction.

But first; another statue. This one is known as the Bronze Newsboy.

So we headed across the Chain Bridge for the third time. And then up to Castle Hill via the Várkert Bazár, just like we had done earlier that day.

Reaching Buda Castle, we just stood, relaxed and watched.

While the sun was setting behind us; the reflections were still quite beautiful.

And at this time there was no one else around.

When we were leaving folks were just starting to arrive at Buda Castle, so we had the place to ourselves to enjoy this beautiful scene.

It was so lovely to have this little moment to ourselves.

Ok, enough "yakking"; let me just share the photos as the sun slowly set and the lights of the Parliament Building came on.

After which we headed down….but not before taking a last look…..

And headed toward the Elisabeth Bridge to cross back to the Pest side.

Remember I mentioned all of the benches in Budapest? I should have taken more photos of them……

Maybe next time!

The Great Champagne Tour – Visits to Champagne Bauchet, Moët & Chandon, Lunch at La Table de Kobus, and a Visit to Champagne Brugnon

August 2, 2019 mmm-yoso Champagne Region, France, France, French Restaurants, Travel, Wine Bars/Wineries

Our last full day in Champagne was the "big one". During previous trips to other regions of France, I drove or we found train connections. When driving I (obviously) wasn't able to taste the wonderful adult beverages produced by the places we visited. When doing the train or bus; well, I just didn't feel very comfortable partaking in said beverages. As a whole we'd kind of avoided tours as much as possible, but our experience with the Italian Days Food Tour changed our opinion on small group and private tours. I decided to go ahead and book a private tour with The Champagne Tour Company. Dealing with Larry Davis who runs the company was a pleasure and a custom tour was designed for us. We not only wanted to visit a large Champagne house; but also smaller producers and learn a bit about the process.

Our driver arrived on time and we were quickly whisked away to Bisseuil and Champagne Bauchet, where we were introduced to the amazing process of Champagne making.

From the making of the wine. To the blending and ageing……in underground cellars.

To the age old process of "riddling" where the bottles are slowly tilted down over time, while turning occasionally, this is still sometimes done by hand.

To the process called disgorgement.

It was interesting to see the process in a Champagne House like Bauchet, which produces 300,000 bottles a year.

Because on our next stop; we were back in Epernay, on Avenue de Champagne at probably the most well known Champagne House in the World; Moët & Chandon, which by the way also produces Dom Perignon, and is part owner of Louis Vuitton.

We kind of expected what we got at M&C, a polished, professional, and somewhat sterile tour of the cellars and history of Moët & Chandon. You know the deal, "we're walking….we're walking"….

Everything fits within the brand and the image of luxury that Champagne is associated with. That is not to say that the tour wasn't interesting; it was.

The cellars are quite a sight to see; the cellars of Moët & Chandon spans 17 miles under Epernay; the most in the Champagne region.

There are some locked off areas which we were told hold some of the rarest and most expensive Champagne in the world.

At the end; we had a tasting of several variations and vintages.

And of course no tour is complete without a visit to the gift shop afterwards…..

In case you just needed to get that (those) bottle(s) of Dom Perignon.

I'm glad we did Bauchet first as we could really see the stark contrast in marketing and branding.

We were running a bit late, so we were dropped off for lunch at a place Larry Davis had said we'd enjoy; La Table Kobus.

Since we hadn't walked very much on this day; we weren't super hungry. So, even though "Le Menu de l’Ardoise", basically the pre fixe menu for lunch looked great; we decided to share two appetizers and one main for lunch. The staff here are amazing; the service is top notch. And they even split all the dishes for us!

Frog Legs with Favas.

Tender frog legs, very nicely seasoned. The beans had a nice firm texture with a nice, mildly sweet-grassiness to it.

The Foie Gras…..

Beautifully split as you can see. Very smooth, earthy flavors.

And the mushroom "ravioli".

Loved the acidity of what seemed to be a wonderful confit tomato. The mushrooms were wonderful, earthy in flavor, very nice. Not a big fan of the rather brittle wrapper, but this was a nice dish overall.

The Missus had all the confections for dessert.

And a nice stiff espresso got us back on our feet.

A nice lunch. If we'd stayed in Epernay, I'm sure we'd eat here again.

La Table de Kobus
3 Rue Dr Rousseau
51200 Épernay, France

From here we were taken on a short drive uphill to view the vineyards.

And then off to the village of Hautvillers.

And to the Abbey in the village.

Why, you may ask? Well, in this former Benedictine Monastery lived a monk named Dom Perignon. And while sparkling wine existed before Dom Perignon, it surely would not have been Champagne as we know it without his contributions.

You can see the relics (bones) of Saint Nivard who founded the Abbey. But what most people come to see is the burial site of Dom Perignon.

It was an interesting stop….so much history here.

As we were running late; we couldn't make our designated time at our last stop. Instead, arrangements were made to visit a small producer in Rilly La Montagne named Brugnon. It would turn out to be our favorite stop on the tour.

Phillippe Brugnon met us in front of his house; there were no signs that we could see. What followed was an amazing personal tour of his family's production facility.

It was a wonderful excursion. We also found that Monsieur Brugnon is an expert at Sabrage; opening a bottle of Champagne with a saber!

We enjoyed the personal touches and the stories….like how they managed to get all of the equipment and facilities underneath the house. He explained that the peeled away what is the parking lot to get everything in place; then rebuilt and repaved the parking lot above!

We also found out that Champagne Brugnon is not exported to the States……so we bought two bottles…which were delicious by the way. We'd drink one later on during the trip and the other back home on New Year's Eve.

We were dropped back at the hotel after quite a full day. I highly recommend the Champagne Tour Company if you'd like a private, custom tour in Champagne. It was worth every penny and we had a blast.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mexico City – A Walk thru La Condesa and Colonia Roma, Dinner at Pasillo de Humo

July 31, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Travel

After checking out the Museo Nacional de Antropologia and lunch at El Hidalguense followed by a short nap; we headed back out. The Missus wanted to check out more of La Condesa and Colonia Roma. So we headed out on Avenida Michoacán toward Parque Mexico. La Condesa is quite charming with tree lined streets, once upon a time this land was all owned by a Countess ("Condesa"); María Magdalena Dávalos de Bracamontes y Orozco. Parque Mexico is a wonderful park, circled by the street often called the "most beautiful in Mexico City" which circles the park. Once upon an time the street was once a horse race track.

It was quite relaxing watching kids having fun in Foro Lindbergh (Lindbergh Forum).

While it was fairly warm and the sun shone quite brightly; the trees really helped to cool things down. There are quite a few historical houses built in the area and I should have taken more photos, but we were just enjoying the walk.

We took a left up Avenida Mexico; past the very popular dessert stop Churrería El Moro and headed up Avenida Mexico; where came upon quiet Plaza Popocatepetl and its centerpiece, the art deco fountain.

Things got drastically busy when we took the left turn from Calle Popocatepetl onto Avenida Yucatan, followed by another right onto super busy Álvaro Obregón. Crossing over the hectic cross street, Avenida de los Insurgentes we were now back in hip/hipster Colonia Roma. The Missus enjoyed window shopping and we dropped into a few shops that caught Her interest along the street. We even came across a Passage; which reminded us of those covered passages in Paris.

After returning from our trip; I did some research and found that this place is quite well known; El Parian. You can read more about the history of this covered passage here.

We took a right turn down Orizaba, a street lined with restaurants and shops….

I loved the name of this one.

And arrived at lovely Plaza Luis Cabrera; where we took a short break; drank some water we had purchased along the way.

We saw young children trying to track down birds, women sitting and chatting, and some rather interesting "vignettes".

After our break, we turned back around and headed up Orizaba until we came across lively Plaza Rio de Janeiro.

Where we watched parents and their children; of the four and two-legged kind,socializing.

We were charmed. When we thought about visiting CDMX, this was not the mental picture we had……we were really enjoying our time here.

Soon enough, we started feeling a bit hungry. It was time to head back and get some dinner. I hadn't made reservations for this evening, but had a place in mind that was fairly close to where we were staying.

On the second floor of Parian Condesa Food Hall is Pasillo de Humo, which served Oaxacan inspired cuisine. The restaurant itself is roomy and comfortable.

And service was like we'd experienced earlier in the day; friendly and gracious….and they had this hand-truck contraption loaded with Mezcal! My lucky day.

I requested something "fumar" (smoky) and the really friendly gentleman saw that I had the "Eye of the Tiger"…..literally…..

The guy was quite playful……at the end of the meal, when I wanted another, he asked the Missus permission! You gotta love it!

The missus ordered a cocktail, the Oaxaquillo, Mezcal, Crème de Cacao, Licor 43, and Cardamom.

This was so easy to drink, that the first words out of my mouth when I had a sip was; "abunai".

The appetizer we ordered was one of the three favorite items we had on this trip; the Memelitas de Papa de Cerdo (140 $MX – $7.25/US).

Holy smokes….how do I love thee….let me count the ways…. Wonderful pork cheeks that had been fried; the exterior crisp, giving way to a tender, buttery, tongue coating, decadence. The flavor was full on porkiness, perfectly seasoned with a mild chile, salt, and pepper. The griddled masa cakes had a wonderful, savory "corniness". The pickled onions helped cut through the richness, as did the mild spicy – acidity of the tomato and chili paste on the memelitas.

I ordered the Molleja de Terna en Chichilo (239 $MXN – $12.50/US). Fried veal sweetbreads in a mole with Chochoyote, those masa dumplings that look like mushrooms.

The mollejas were very mild in flavor, no tininess or metallic flavors. The texture was a bit more firm than I prefer. The mole was also very mild and not too sweet. I loved the pickled onions and all the veggies. The chayote was good and the shaved chile de agua was really good.

The Missus ordered the Pato en Mole Negro (293 $MXN – $15.30/US), basically duck breast in mole negro. The duck breast was very tender and the skin had great flavor.

Mole Negro is pretty difficult to make well; this was a nice version, smoky – not overly sweet – mild spice. The Missus loved the plantains; especially the texture. For some reason the tamal siete cueros was our least favorite thing; it was a bit pasty and very bland.

This was a wonderful meal overall; I especially loved my dessert…..

Cue up Survivor….heck, enough of these and I'd be hitting (not beating) the meat.

We really enjoyed our meal. Another place we have on our "list" to return to. I think we'll make a meal of apps next time……heck maybe two orders of those memelitas!

Pasillo de Humo
Av Nuevo León 107
06100 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX, Mexico

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!

Budapest – Castle Hill and Budavari Retesvar

July 26, 2019 mmm-yoso Bakery, Budapest, Hungary, Travel

The Missus woke early and was rarin' to go on our second morning in Budapest. I think the cruise of the Danube the previous night had something to do with it….as it displayed Budapest's beauty in perfect form. We headed out fairly early, the Missus wanted to check out Castle Hill before the tourist crowds hit, so we set off from the Marriott, past the Vigadó Concert Hall next door; just another one of the amazingly beautiful structures in the city.

Even beyond all the wonderful buildings, there are two things that quickly come to mind when I think of Budapest. One of them are the benches. I don't recall seeing so many benches in any other city. And folks seem to take good advantage of them.

The second are the sculptures…..which are everywhere as well. Right in front of the Concert Hall is the well known Little Princess statue which was created by László Marton whose inspiration for the sculpture was his daughter.

The one on the right is called Danube Wind. The figure of a woman is leaning against the wind of the Danube River. Not quite sure what she is looking at….though the view is wonderful.

There are also quite a few "mini-statues" hidden about. The Missus found this one close by. At first I thought it was a pile of dog turds; but closer inspection revealed….

A little balloon dog and a bone! you can be easily distracted in Budapest. Perhaps a homage to Jeff Koons?

We crossed over the Chain Bridge yet again; though this time with the intention of heading up Castle Hill. I mentioned that it was too early to catch the funicular up the hill to the Missus…. silly me….the Missus had no intention of catching the funicular. We'd be going up via the Várkert Bazár, the Buda Castle Park. From the park; there's an escalator then an elevator that takes you up to the Royal Palace.

The views from the park aren't shabby either.

And the view from Castle Hill, even on a hazy morning is stunning.

A statue of the Virgin Mary looks over the Danube to the Pest side. The statue was erected fairly recently.

It was nice having this view all to ourselves on this morning. We could really take in the city.

We really took our time at the look-out.

From here it's a short walk along the promontory to the Royal Palace.

According to several accounts I've read; this rendition of Buda Castle, rebuilt after World War II, is a far cry from what it was. To quote Wikipedia:

"The government made a decision about reconstruction only in 1948. According to contemporary photos, all the important interiors were in a damaged state, but their reconstruction was technically possible. The new communist government of Hungary considered the Royal Palace a symbol of the former regime. Therefore, Hungarian leaders chose to thoroughly modernise the interior and exterior of the palace. Architectural trends played a part in the decision, as modernist architects had condemned the Hauszmann style as "too ornate"."

The grand statue in front of the castle is of Eugene of Savoy; who helped to drive the Ottomans out of Hungary.

That statue of a bird above the area where the funicular arrives is the Turul.

This mythical bird is the symbol of Hungary. You can read more about the Turul here.

From here we walked into the Palace Courtyard and viewed the King Matthias Fountain; King Matthias was a very popular leader and is considered the last "true" Hungarian King as all those who came after were foreign born.

This courtyard is also the location of the Budapest History Museum.

From here we headed on out; past the ruins of a medieval monastery.

And of course more statues. This one is of Gróf Bethlen Istvan; who was Prime Minister of Hungary from 1921 – 1931.

This one is of a Hussar examining his saber.

This one is the Statue of the Independence War.

From here we headed toward the nearby Matthias Church. We were getting a bit hungry and started looking for a place to grab something small to eat and some coffee. There seemed to be nothing in sight. And then it hit us. A fragrance we'd been searching for during our walk in the city but had not yet found. The yeasty smell of bread and pastries. We followed our nose to this structure.

Where there was a tiny shop…..

And a young lady with the most welcoming smile…..

I ordered a savory strudel (Rétes) and a couple of the cheese "scones" (Pogácsa), along with some espresso and water. We had a seat at the tiny table.

And enjoyed our snack.

Not a big fan of the cabbage strudel, it was mushy, soggy, and fairly bland. We both enjoyed the "scone" which was almost a cross between a gougere and a scone. It was light and cheesy.

Along with some caffeine and H2O, it was just what we needed.

Budavari Retesvar
Balta koez 4.
Budapest 1014, Hungary

We were ready to get on with our exploration.

Reims – The Significance of 10 Rue President Franklin Roosevelt, Cimetière du Nord, and Dinner at Anna-S – La Table Amoureuse

July 23, 2019 mmm-yoso Champagne Region, France, France, French Restaurants, Travel

After having a nice drive around Champagne, we returned to Reims and dropped the rental car off at Gare de Reims. We took a roundabout way back to the hotel, mainly because there was once place I wanted see. Around the back of the train station is a street named Rue President Franklin Roosevelt. There is a red brick building that still functions as a schoolhouse to this day. You'll see the flags of the UK, US, France, and the Soviet Union flying out front.

Walk up to the doorway and you'll see this sign…..

The top sign basically says: “It is here that on 7 May 1945, was signed the act that ended the Second World War in Europe.” Yes, this is the spot where Germany surrendered. You can read Ralph Morse's first hand account here. This street was renamed for Franklin Roosevelt as was the school it houses which still operates.

Nearby is the War Memorial of Reims (Monument aux Morts de Reims).

And right across the way is the Cimetière du Nord, which had a quite haunting look to us as we walked through it.

From here we walked past some of the more important locales in the city like Place Royale…..

There was quite a bit of road and other work going on so I didn't take many photos.

And the sun seemed to set quite rapidly……

We returned to the hotel, freshened up, changed, and headed off to dinner. I'd made reservations at a contemporary bistro named Anna-S – La Table Amoureuse, which seemed quite low-keyed, had an interesting menu, and seemed just right for this evening.

Of course things started off some Champagne.

We weren't very hungry, so we decided to share an appetizer, the Missus ordered another appetizer as Her main and I got one of the entrees, to share with Her of course.

The service was wonderful and accommodating.

We started with, well, the Foie Gras of course, two ways, the terrine was wonderful, rich and creamy, the fig compote and the brioche proved to be a wonderful foil for the richness.

The Missus ordered the Noix de Petoncles dans son Mini Potirron.

Basically, sautéed scallops served in a pumpkin. The scallops were very sweet and tender, I was a bit leery about the fennel sauce, but the strong anise flavor had been decently tempered and the acidity lifted the dish as did the rather sweet flesh of the pumpkin.

I ordered the Magret de Canard, the Duck Breast.

I was concerned when this arrived as the duck seemed to be cooked a bit past where I prefer, but it was very tender, slightly gamey, the jus had a nice balance of richness, sweetness, and acidity. We both really loved the potato galette.

The dessert was a game-changer for the Missus. It was a cheese course. Over time we've really forgotten what we chose; but we won't forget this specific cheese course.

First off, all the cheese on the cart, which was sliced tableside were at the perfect serving temperature….the flavors were amazing. Second, the Missus had always avoided having the sweet compote with the cheese; but since this was served at room temperature, all the wonderful complex flavors came through and the compote just helped to elevate things. So thank you AnnaS, for setting the Missus off on the interesting "cheese ride" we're on.

The service was fantastic, professional, polished, but not stuffy. This was a very nice meal and we'd gladly eat here again!

Anna-S – La Table Amoureuse
6 Rue Gambetta
51100 Reims, France

Like the previous evening, we took a pleasant little stroll after dinner, in the peace and quiet of Reims.

Thanks for stopping by!

Champagne – Driving to Bouzy and Epernay, Lunch at Café le Progrès

July 20, 2019 mmm-yoso Bakery, Champagne Region, France, Croissants, France, French Restaurants, Travel

While the Missus was enjoying our stay in Reims, She was already itching to do some additional exploring the following morning. Even though we had a private tour of the area the next day (so I could actually sample some champagne), She convinced me to rent a car to do some impromptu exploring.

But first, we decided to walk around a bit, and grab some breakfast. I also wanted to find the location of the restaurant we had reservations for that evening. So we headed down Rue Chanzy and almost right next to AnnaS our dinner destination was a bakery named Le Four à Bois. And the Missus was really excited to see that in addition to our typical Croissant au Buerre, they sold gougeres!

So we got a croissant and a half dozen gougeres. The gougeres were too bready and dense, not light and airy like we enjoy them. The flavor was decent though.

The croissant was a bit too chewy, didn't have enough butteriness, and wasn't flakey enough for our taste.

Le Four à Bois
100 Rue Chanzy
51100 Reims, France

From here we walked across town to the train station and found that Enterprise Rent-A-Car had a nice compact available, which we rented for the day.

And so we headed off through the beautiful countryside.

We stopped at few towns on the way and eventually stopped and walked around the most appropriately named Bouzy. Where we stopped and stretched our legs a bit.

There were a few Champagne houses along the way, but I think many of them are by appointment only. And since I was driving anyway, we thought we'd just wander around a bit.

From Bouzy it was Bisseuil, Ay, and another wonderfully named town, Dizy, before we made our way to the city that is home to what is considered to be the "real" capital of Champange, Epernay. We decided to park at the southern side of town and walk in.

Basically across the street we passed a really nice looking church…

Turns out that this is the chapel of the Auban-Moet Hospital…….if you recognize the name; it's "that" Moet. Apparently, one of the conditions of financing the hospital was that a Catholic chapel would have to be built. Another being that the care was to be provided by Nuns.

We enjoyed the walk into town….the houses were wonderful; each different and original.

As we got to the first major roundabout before getting to the heart of the city we came across this very distinctive structure.

This is the Chateau de la Lune ("House of the Moon"), built in the Art Nouveau style, designed by Architect Henri Clouet.

Near the center of town is the Portail Saint-Martin which dates back to 1540 and is all that remains of the Abbey of Saint Martin.

We did a bit of window shopping, but since we'd be coming back the next day, decided to not visit Avenue de Champagne, where all the Champagne Houses are located.

After doing a bit of shopping we decided to stop for lunch. We just wanted something easy and not fancy and this place seemed to fit the bill.

We enjoyed the al fresco sitting arrangement; Le Progres is what I'd basically describe as a "diner". We just wanted something simple and got the charcuterie and an order of frites.

The baguette was pretty good, crusty and yeasty. The Pate de Campagne was pretty good; the rest rather routine, but really, not bad for the price.

The Missus enjoyed the frites which were nicely fried, crisp on the outside, moist and light inside.

And pretty much what we wanted….

Café le Progrès
5 Place de la République
51200 Épernay, France

What was kind of interesting about this place was that it is located on Place de la Republique, which is the roundabout that I would consider to be the center of the city is.

After resting for a bit, we headed back to the car. We took a different route back. This one along Avenue Paul Chandon. Which we really enjoyed.

The street ended at Église Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul…..

A soon enough we were back at the car. It was time to head back to Reims……

We'd had a fun, yet relaxing time exploring Champagne on our own.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mexico City – Museo Nacional de Antropología and Lunch at El Hidalguense

July 17, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Travel

After making our way thru La Condesa we crossed super busy Avenida Chapultepec into the land of skyscrapers. I've heard Polanco described as the "Beverly Hills" of Mexico City. This is supposedly where the wealthy live and play. It's also where Pujol is located….hopefully we'll be able to get reservations next time.

We'd only be visiting the district. There were only two items on the Missus's itinerary for this short trip. ne of them was checking out the Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Museum of Anthropology) located in the huge Bosque de Chapultepec, which is the second largest park in Latin America.

There's much to see in the area; from the somewhat maligned Estela de Luz, also known as the "Monument to Corruption" because of alleged corruption which inflated the cost to three times what was estimated.

Instead of heading up Paseo de la Reforma, we instead headed into the park, which is a wonderful green space.

Where the Missus could practice taking photos with Her brand new camera.

We headed up to Monumento a los Niños Héroes.

Where the Missus took a good amount of time with Her camera. Then turning right and walking down Calzada Mahamta Gandhi; yep, Mahatma Gandhi, in CDMX. Apparently Gandhi is very popular in Mexico; in fact one of the largest bookstore chains in Mexico is……you got it Gandhi.

And we got to see more squirrels doing their "tightrope act" along the way.

We got back onto Paseo de la Reforma and soon enough found ourselves at the Monolith of Tlaloc, which marks the street to the entrance of the museum.

This sculpture was found Coatlinchan which has quite a story behind it.

We got past security, bought our tickets….man, at 75 $MXN (under $4/US) this is a major bargain. We got a map at the information booth and the really nice women there marked off the "must see" places for us. The museum has 23 halls and is spread over 20 acres!

Once thru the entrance into the wide open courtyard area, you see a huge towering fountain, named "El Paragas" ("The Umbrella").

I don't want to create another monster 1500 word post; so I'll keep my verbiage to a minimum from here on. Let me just say that we loved the museum; there was so much to see. We found the history of pre-Colombian and modern day Mexico to be so interesting. It's one of our favorite museums and we'll definitely be back. The galleries are set-up wonderfully, things are spaced out well.

And it was interesting to see items from places we had been to before.

There are dramatic entrances to galleries.

This is "El Creador".

The Corazon de Tula.

Rings and a ball used for the Aztec ball game Ullamaliztli.

Kinda scary statue of the Goddess Cōātlīcue.

Xōchipilli, the "Prince of Flowers", god of art, beauty, dance, and flowers. According to Atlas Obscura, the base of the statue has symbols of hallucinogenic plants carved into it.

The Disk of Mictlāntēcutli, the god of the dead. This disk was found at the foot of the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan.

And of course the Aztec Sun Stone.

Whew; at the end we needed a break.

Like I said earlier; there's so much to see. We only visited the ground floor. We'll definitely return.

Museo Nacional de Antropologia
Avenida Paseo de la Reforma y Calzada Gandhi s/n
Chapultepec, Mexico City 11560, Mexico

Of course by the time we finished things up, we were starting to get hungry. The Missus was still up for a walk and I'd heard so much about Mercado Roma; so we walked the over two miles back across La Condesa to Roma. The Missus though; wasn't impressed with the hipsterish set-up and available food. So, I decided to check out another place I had on my "list". Just a ten minute walk away was a place that is only open from Friday to Sunday. The place serves Barbacoa; the Missus (who loves Aqui es Texcoco) was instantly sold.

We were warmly welcomed when we arrived and in spite of the place being pretty busy, they found a table for us. The host/server, Juan was so amazingly warm and friendly.

We looked over the menu and decided on two items. After ordering, Juan noticed the Missus trying out Her camera. He asked Her if She'd like to "see the Barbacoa"….of course the answer was "yes". He quickly called over one of the "chefs" and the Missus got Her photo! Check out the barbacoa and the big smile on the chef's face! You gotta love CDMX!

The folks here are so nice…..

And the Missus loved the salsas.

The Blue Corn Tortillas were excellent, warm, full of corn flavor, pliable, but sturdy enough to handle "the goods"…..

First up was the Plato Hidalguense (140 $MX – about $7.25/US).

I'd been wanting to have nopales and thought this would work out well. The Missus and I loved the papalo, something we don't see much of here in San Diego. The powerful peppery-citrusy-tannic flavor might not be for everyone, but it's definitely for us. The Missus absolutely adored the avocado, which looked quite firm and under-ripe; it was however, just perfect, super buttery, and really good.

And of course, the nopales.

Easily the best I've ever had. Look how bright and vibrant these cactus pads are! There was just a nice mild crunch to these; the clean green bean-asparagus like flavor came through so cleanly; and as a bonus the slices of tomatoes were perfectly ripe. Talk about delici-yoso!!!

I'd ordered the Mixiote (155 $MX – about $8/US)….though had I seen the barbacoa before ordering; I'd probably gone for that.

The meat was fairly tender, the seasoning was on the mild side, and the meat itself was mildly gamey. A nice dish. Which led us to believe that Aqui es Texcoco does a pretty darn good job with their mixiote.

It was quite a spread!

With a couple of Ciel this cost us less than twenty bucks without tip! And I did learn the phrase "agrega veinte por ciento por favor"…….which I used liberally during this trip.

Juan was an amazing host; the service excellent and welcoming, the food was delicious, the vibe relaxed and laid back. We can't wait to return.

El Hidalguense
Campeche 155
Roma Sur, 06760 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Hours:
Fri – Sun 7am – 6pm

We decided to take a Uber back to our hotel – Uber is so inexpensive in CDMX, we just used UberX. Our trip cost us 39.90 $MX (with 10% tip) – think two bucks…….sheesh

We decided to take a short break, then head on back out to explore Roma.

Stay tuned!

Mexico City – Taqueria Orinoco and Morning in La Condesa

July 12, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, Mexico City, Taco Shops, Travel

As we were finishing up dinner at Maximo Bistrot; I asked the Missus if She wanted dessert. She said "yes", but not from Maximo. The Missus had something else in mind for "dessert". As we walked out of the restaurant, She told me, "I want tacos for dessert"! Tacos? Well, ok then, I had a place just a few blocks away that was still open in mind. Taqueria Orinoco.

There was already a line forming when we arrived at the taco shop right on busy Avenida Insurgentes.

The line moved fairly quickly and we got up to the counter to order in like 15 minutes or so.

From here, you place your order, are given a number if you are eating in, and if the place is buzzing like on this evening, you wait until a table is ready.

And the place was definitely hopping on this evening.

The tacos here are Monterrey style; that would be Northern….so "trompo" is similar to Al Pastor. We ordered one each of the three on the menu. I think what the Missus enjoyed the most were the salsas; ranging from mild to a really nice and tangy cilantro, to a totally scalding Piquin, which I first ran into during my trip to Paredoncito. The Missus really loved it; but paid the price!

The tres tacos came on a metal tray with griddled onions and really good "smashed" potatoes, basically cooked twice…..my favorite part of the meal.

Our favorite taco was the chicharron, slightly crunchy outside, really fatty, though perhaps a bit on the dry side. The res was dry, chewy, and pretty bland. The trompo, was like Al Pastor, but not nearly as sweet. The tortillas were really good, pliable, but up to the task of enrobing the fillings without breaking. The corn flavor was good and straight-forward.

And while these are considered to be on the expensive side, with water this still came out to just over five bucks US.

As we left there was a line to the end of the block…….

Taqueria Orinoco
Avenida Insurgentes Sur 253, Roma Norte
06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Hours
Sun – Wed Noon – 1am
Thurs Noon – 3am
Fri – Sat Noon – 5am

Needless to say; we were pretty stuffed, and we rolled on back to where we were staying. I slept like a baby, at least until the birds started chirping in the morning. Still, we both fell back asleep after that.

There really wasn't any reason to get up early, the Missus had only one thing on the agenda for the day. We finally rose around 8 and left the hotel soon thereafter.

La Condesa is quite charming. I wish I took more photos. The area is known for murals; like this one across the street from where we were staying.