Travel – Page 83

Brussels: Shopping for dinner, “Chinatown?”, Pierre Marcolini, and Moeder Lambic

June 7, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgium, Brussels, Chocolate, Markets & Grocers, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

Lunch had been a wonderful, but pretty rich meal. Since we had an apartment, we decided to self cater dinner and dropped by a couple of the nearby shops.

Some nice cheese from the cheese shop, tomatoes, head cheese and prosciutto from the nice gourmet shop on Rue St Catherine. There's a good sized Delhaize Supermarket on Anspach where we picked up greens for a salad……we just needed some greens after all of this. And beer of course……

And so we headed back to the apartment with dinner all set. It would be nice to relax since we'd bee flying to Prague in the morning.

Funny thing, I hadn't even heard of a "Chinatown" in Brussels, but then we passed a short strip of Chinese restaurants and markets right across the Stock Exchange Building (the Bourse), so of course we had to check at least on of the markets out…..man, it was sticker shock.

Try almost 17 Euros for a small bag of frozen Jiaozi…..

The Asian vegetables seemed pretty scarce and did not look in very good shape as well…..

The Missus couldn't help but laugh when She saw this……

Man, it would be tough if we lived here……

We also checked out the menus and offerings of some of the Chinese Restaurants on the street…..

And decided to stop after seeing the 6,80 Euro ($9.25) price for 4 pieces of Shiu Mai…..then of course those places that serve Chinese-Vietnamese-Thai-Sushi……

We headed back to the apartment and took our usual afternoon nap, awakening a short while later. It was time for us to shake off our grogginess. The sun was out and wasn't scheduled to set until almost 10pm, so we headed back to Place Poelaert and the Upper Town.

We passed by several sections of Brussels' midievel city wall and Eglise Notre Dame a la Chappelle, which is Brussels' oldest existing church.

We got to the Marolles neighborhood and took the elevator up to Place Poelaert. All the rain and dreary weather had been chased away, it was now a bright and sunny afternoon. Too bad we were leaving the next morning.

The view from here when the sky is clear is quite nice. You get to appreciate Brussels….

We strolled around the Upper Town area, antique and designer shops, and some interesting cafes and restaurants as well. Love Joel Robuchon, not sure about his sushi though…..

My MIL loves chocolate….we were in Belgium, so we decided to get her a collection of chocolate from our travels….but not just ordinary stuff…i.e. Godiva, Neuhaus, Leonidas….no we'd try and get her a variety with a little meaning, not just the usual tourist stuff. It just so happens that Pierre Marcolini's flagship store was right along our path back to the apartment.

Winner of the 1995 World Cup of Pastry and known as a master chocolatier, this would be a good start for my MIL's collection. The variety of flavors and chocolates of various regions made this quite an interesting experience for us, which would suite us well later on.

The shop actually looks more like a fine jewelry shop, boutique, or gallery than a chocolate shop. So we made our first purchases for my MIL here.

I think it was a nice start…..

The day was so bright and beautiful, folks were out and about, the cafes (the beer cafes) seem to be doing great business with folks enjoying the weather. It was a perfect chance to check out the Fontainas location of the legendary Brussels' beer bar Moeder Lambic.

The Missus and I immediately loved the place….there are no airs…what few tourists who came in and stared in awe at the beer list of unfamiliar and familiar brews were treated graciously and there was harmony with the locals….who seemed to appreciate the fact that folks were making the effort to find the place…which isn't hard, but like Le Fin de Siècle, you pretty much either just run into the place or have to seek it out.

It's easy to just stare off into space at the listing of beers familiar and unfamiliar. The Servers were really nice with the 2 parties of tourists we saw….

The Missus and I, knowing how analysis-paralysis would be, just went for it. She ordered a Gueuze Tilquin and I a De Ranke Guldenberg.

We've had Tilquin here in the states, but this was a bit different; you could make a out a bit more fruitiness, though it was still pretty funky and puckery-dry. The Guldenberg was a nice tripel, a bit more hoppy than what I expected, with almost the feel of a boozy saison. A very nice beer. This place should be on any list if you're in the area and enjoy beer. We'd go to the original location of the Moeder Lambic on our way back, which we laso loved.

Moeder Lambic
Place Fontainas 8
Brussels, Belgium

It was a beautiful afternoon. On the way back to the apartment we passed a bar that had a street musician playing an electric violin, I wish I recorded it…….he started playing as we passed…I recognized the music right away. I Love Rock and Roll…..a Joan Jett classic! It seems like all the places we visited (in both the Czech Republic and Belgium) loved American and English music…whether rap, death metal (Moeder Lambic in St Gilles), Jazz, or good 'old Rock n' Roll. Honestly, I think it might be our greatest export. As the violinist hit the chorus, the entire street broke out and sang with unbridled joy and spirit:

"I love rock and roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock and roll
So come and take your time and dance with me….."

It was just the cherry on top of the sundae for us…..ending a very nice afternoon.

We returned to the apartment we were staying at smiling. Like most of these type of units we've stayed at; there's no lift, the stairs can be narrow and somewhat steep. We were rewarded in that this was a single unit above a a gallery that was closed the two days we were staying there. There was also a wonderful, older cat named "Sushi", mellow and sweet, he was a good ambassador for the place. The bedroom and bathroom was on one floor with a kitchen nook above.

It was a nice place to make a quick breakfast, or do a quick post, like I did, or have a nice little dinner, like we did on this evening.

With of course, some beer…….most stores sell singles here; and those Belgian's go for less than 2 Euros a piece, so how could we resist?

The Missus prepped a quick breakfast for us, we'd be heading out early for our next stop…..Prague and the Czech Republic…..

Brussels: Morning at Grand Place, Upper Town, and Viva M’Boma

June 6, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Brussels, Travel

Morning's are our favorite time when we travel. We're usually early birds, so we get going fairly early to check out the the sights in the peace and quiet. Speaking of peace, as much as we found amusement in Manneken Pis, we kinda enjoyed "Manneken Peace" a lot as well. This street art is about a block from MP, just around the corner from where we were staying.

Wanting to see Grand Place in the morning, we headed back up the three blocks. A pleasant walk without the crowds and the smells of waffles in the air.

The buildings of Grand Place looked so stately at this time of the morning.

The most impressive building is easily the Town Hall (photo right) with its 300 foot tall tower. It's quite difficult to capture the entire building in a single shot. The photo above is of the "Maison du Roi" or King's House, which is also called the "Broodhuis" in Flemish since buildings in this spot served both as a bread market and an administrative building for the rulers of the House of Hapsburg. This structure was built in 1890 and now houses the City Museum.

Each of the guild houses surrounding the square has it's own statue crowning its roof. Many of the buildings are named by the statue or some detail or decoration on the building. This is probably how people found these buildings before the advent of the address. On the bottom right of the photo below, you can see a swan above the doorway. This place is known as the Swan House. All of these places have a place in history. In 1847 – 1848, this building contained a bar, which was the place where Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx met and drafted the Communist Manifesto.

We had pretty good timing. Just as we were leaving delivery and sanitation trucks invaded the peace and quiet of Grand Place. We headed back to the apartment and had some tea and planned our morning walk. After checking out some of the markets in the area we headed uphill and a few streets later we were staring at the Palace of Justice and the Infantry Memorial.

We turned and headed down the rather busy Rue de la Regence at a leisurely pace until we came to one of my favorite little parks in Brussels; the Place du Petit Sablon. There are 48 columns surrounding the park. Each one is topped with a statue which represent the ancient craftsmen of Belgium.

Within the park there are 10 larger statues of Belgium's great thinkers of the era. I was surprised that I actually knew some of these; especially Gerardus Mercator, the great cartographer whose Mercator Projection revolutionized accurate navigation in its time allowing for "true direction" calculations. I'd read about some of these folks over the years but have to sheepishly admit, I didn't know they were Flemish/Belgian.

The garden itself is quite beautiful and peaceful, a nice oasis to relax and recharge; even on a overcast and drizzly morning.

The two fellows adopting the rather Shakespearean pose above the fountain in the park are Lamoral, Count of Egmont and Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn, simply known in Belgian history as "Egmond en Hoorne", who stood against the Spanish Inquisition and rule. Both were executed; beheaded on June 5th 1568 in front of the Town Hall in Grand Place. One of the events that sparked the Eighty Years War which eventually led to an independent Dutch Republic.

Across the street from Place du Petit Sablon resides the very gothic looking Notre Dame du Sablon which took about 149 years to build. Along with the wonderful stained glass, there is a small wooden statue of Mary, a copy of the original which was destroyed by Protestants that had healing powers. In 1348, the statue was located in Antwerp, it spoke to a woman named Beatrix. It instructed her to take it….she snatched the statue, boarded a boat, and headed to Brussels. When a crowd of Antwerpen citizens tried to stop her; the statue froze them in their tracks! The statue arrived to great fanfare in Brussels and this church was built in its honor…..you'll see several images of boats around the church.

After this short visit we headed down (up?) the street, past the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, which ended with us staring at the Royal Palace.

We actually enjoyed the view looking down from the Mont de Arts Steps which started across the street from the Royal Palace.

After this it was window shopping in the areas surrounding Grand Place, then off to the neighborhood of St Catherine for lunch. Initially, I thought we'd grab unch at the very popular Nordzee Seafood Bar, but the Missus was interested in something more substantial….I knew just the place.

Located close to where Rue St Catherine become Rue de Flandre, a street full of cafes and shops, in the former location of a butcher shop resides "Long Live my Grandmother", the very well known and recommended Viva M'Boma, which was described as a shop that creates dishes from all parts of the animal except the "squeeks…moo's….and baaa's".

We were seated right at the front window….we had arrived right when they opened.

The biggest dilemma for us was what to order……the veal kidneys? Horse steak? Steak tartare…..Lamb tongues???

The one thing we did know was that we'd be having some beer….though we were still showing a bit of restraint at this point, it was just one, the 1882 Gueuze Girardin (white label).

Funky to the nose, typical gueuze flavor, the finish mildly dry.

I love head cheese, so we had to start with the "Homemade Pressed Pork Head", which was the best head cheese (and we had quite a bit) on our trip.

The mustard vinaigrette was such a nice foil for the porky goodness…….I finished every little crumb of meat on the plate.

The Missus went with the Pot au feu with Veal Cheeks, Oxtail, and Marrow.

The Missus marveled at how each different cut had retained its own flavor….each different from the other The flavors just popped in the very clean well prepared broth. I loved the perfectly rendered bone marrow. It was just the perfect texture of meltingly globby. It's not the under roasted piece of pencil erasure that is the norm here in San Diego.

I really enjoyed my Veal Sweetbreads in Mustard Sauce.

While the mashed potatoes were velvety smooth, they were a bit too much of a "butter wonderland" for me. Those fantastically steamed, firm yet creamy sweetbreads were just plain delici-yoso! The mustard sauce added just the right amount of ooomph to conteract the rather rich texture of the sweetbreads. You got a nice, slightly metallic finish that seemed pleasant. Even the Missus, who is not a big fan of sweetbreads just loved this.

This was a wonderful lunch stop for us. The service was professional without being stuffy….our server had a sense of humor and was quite efficient. We'll gladly return whenever we're in Brussels again.

Viva M'Boma
Rue de Flandre 17
Brussels, Belgium

After lunch it was time for some shopping….we'd be self-catering dinner, then a nap of course!

Thanks for reading!

Brussels: Grand Place, t’ Kelderke, and Le Fin de Siècle

June 5, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Brussels, Gastropub, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

I'm not sure exactly when the Missus and I decided on Belgium as a destination, but somewhere after the New Year, the Missus's love of Belgian brews ignited, and airfare to Brussels seemed reasonable…Prague had always been in the picture, but Belgium, well, that decision was a rather late one.

Which is how we found ourselves in a terrible line at passport control. Honestly, it wasn't even a line at all, just a mass of people in a hallway, more of a cattle pen perhaps, for what seemed a distinctively unorganized entry to the "Capital of the European Union". We basically stood an hour and half in a huge blob of people before making it the actual line for passport control and customs. The folks here are very friendly and nice though. You also seem to have to walk through the entire airport to get to baggage claim (luckily we only had carry-on). It was a slam dunk from there. We found that public transportation in Brussels, like most big cities in Europe is an absolute joy. Down to the lower level and the Express Train to Brussels Centraal Station. The folks at the apartment we were staying at, above an art gallery just a few blocks from the station, perfectly situated for us, gave us impeccable instructions. Within a few minutes we had the keys, gotten some good tips on the area, had climbed up the rather narrow stairway, showered, and were on our way.

We were but three blocks from what became our landmark……

The famous Manneken Pis. You know how they say, "you can't miss it"? Well, in this case, you could miss it if not for the crowds that surround this tiny statue of a little boy peeing…..

The only other constant in the area is the cloying smell of waffles and chocolate, so thick that you can almost see it.

In spite of all the tourists, we quickly noticed that the pace here was quite laid back, unlike Rome, things were low stress, no hard sell, seemingly no scams…..

Grand Place, the former central market square, UNESCO Heritage site, the heart of Brussels, is just a few blocks from Manneken Pis. Also known as Grote Markt in bilingual Belgium, it is indeed a grand sight, even as the clouds rolled in and drops of rain started pouring down.

With the rain falling, it seemed like a good time to get something to eat. Both the Missus and I were starving after our long flight(s). We had been for warned about the "restaurant row" on Rue de Bouchers, by guides, online, and even the folks at the apartment. However, we didn't want to be slogging around, a bit groggy from lack of sleep (I can't sleep on flights), in a city we weren't familiar with. Enter t'Kelderke, located in Grand Place. Yes, it's a tourist restaurant of sorts, downstairs in the cellar right on Grand Place.

I really came to enjoy this type of cellar restaurant. I think there's something rather comforting and cozy, in spite of the darkness…..

Our Server was a rather nice fellow, not overly friendly, but amicable……

Hey, we were in Belgium, right? So it was time for a beer. Not much on the list here, so we started with a Grimbergen Tripel. Kind of light for a tripel, mild citrus tones, not very boozy, and fairly thin tongue feel.

Much like the restaurant itself, it was agreeable, nothing that would challenge you in any way.

The Missus started with the Carbonnade Flamande, the classic Belgian Beef and Beer stew.

And stoemp of course. The stew was ok, the flavor beefy but a bit too sweet, the beef also had a decent flavor, but several pieces were much too tough and fairly dry. The stoemp tasted of too much parsley.

I ordered a Horse Steak medium….which was cooked to a perfect medium.

While the frites were something that could have out of a bag with SYSCO on it; definitely not up to what I would consider Belgian standards, the horse was pretty good. Perhaps not the most gamey, nor sweet horse I've had, more like a powerful grass fed beef sirloin. The Missus absolutely loved it. The Server recommended a mushroom sauce which was served on the side. It had a nice flavor, perhaps a bit heavy on the butter, but not bad.

One thing we quickly noticed, which was a recurring theme was that things weren't overly salted….a nice change of pace from what we're used too.

Overall, a decent meal in a very high tourist area.

T'Kelderke
Grand' Place 15
Brussels, Belgium

By the time we worked our way back up to daylight, the rain had long passed and things had dried up a bit. Before we headed back to the apartment for a nap we headed out the other end of Grand Place and to the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. Built in 1847, this place claims to be the oldest operating shopping mall in Europe.

I really loved the neo-classical design which bestowed a sense of elegance to the glass covered arcade. You really expect great works of art to be lining the walls instead of windows to various chocolate shops and cafes.

We then headed through Rue de Bouchers, wall to wall restaurants waiting for tourists and past the Church of St Nicholas.

Running right into the huge building known as the Bourse – The Stock Exchange Building. Here's a photo of the front form across busy Boulevard Anspach.

Funny thing, we'd just arrived and in the matter of minutes had seen most of lower town sights!

We headed back to the apartment and took a well earned nap. In spite of the rather heavy lunch (and beer), we awoke hungry. We headed on out, walking past all the places we passed before. You notice much more the second, and third time around. Near MP there's this mural of Tintin, the world famous cartoon created by Brussels born cartoonist Hergé.

The Missus and I really enjoyed the murals and street art of Belgium.

Crossing Anspach and past what we call "Brussel's Chinatown" (more in a later post), we got the area known as St Catherine. We really enjoyed the vibe of this area, which seemed even more laid back. The area is dotted with cafes, restaurants, food shops, and such.

Just south of the area on a rather non-descript street is a place I really wanted to check out.

Not much of a sign to speak of, communal seating, the menu is written on a chalkboard (in French – but I heard the Servers explain the dishes in English to some folks), nice selection of beer (served at the perfect temp), this is the type of no-nonsense places I love….though if you'd move this to San Diego it would be full of hipsters and called a Gastropub. And it would make a killing. The prices are right, the service can be on the brusque side…..until they understood that we really appreciated the food and drink. You don't hesitate here….you spot an opening and you go for it.

Decisiveness wins the day here. If they are busy feel free to walk up to the bar and politely order your beer; which in my case was a Trappistes Rochefort 10, a wonderful brown quadrupel with a slight raisin and a wonderful, smooth, tongue coating texture. Man, now this was a beer to sit and savor. As you can tell, I was really starting to get into this.

The Missus ordered what might be Her favorite Gueze of the trip; a Mort Subite. This seemed to have the right combination of a mild fruitiness along with all the sour attributes of a Gueze without being too dry. Something interesting we found was that folks were somewhat surprised that the Missus, a woman, enjoyed sours.

Of course we ate……this time I ordered the Carbonnade Flamande(made with Chimay) which we both really enjoyed. The beef was perfectly cooked, very tender, but not falling apart. The flavor was a nice beefy, with a balanced sweet and savory thing going for it.

The Missus just had to order the Sausage and Stoemp.

Without a doubt the best Stoemp I've ever had. The Missus really enjoyed this, especially the sauce, which I believe was also made with beer, mustard, and probably beef stock.

This was one of our favorite meals of the trip….

The price at 34 Euros ($45) we thought was very reasonable.

Le Fin de Siècle
Rue des Chartreux 9
Brussels, Belgium

After dinner we walked around a bit, enjoying the public art.

We stopped by a Carrefour Express and picked up a couple more bottles……just for a nightcap, right?

The Belle-vue Gueuze was very basic, not too sour, middle of the road, with nothing that really stood out.

The Brugge Tripel was quite effervescent for a tripel. Kind of boozy, with some mild fruit. Not the nice texture that I like in a tripel, but not bad.

Yes, we were having a heck of a time….can't you tell?

I realize this was a long one. If you hung around 'til the end, I thank you for reading!

Where in the world are we – the home stretch

May 30, 2014 mmm-yoso Belgium, Travel

We leave for home in the morning. This has been a heck of a trip…..

Perhaps not as challenging as Tunisia or amazing as Peru or Angkor, but this trip has been pure joy for us. We've learned so much.

And also seen quite a bit.

We visited several cities and even took a short trip into an area not in most guides.

In a search of the "Holy Grail" of beer.

We've been having blast and doing a ton of walking.

And even though it's been overcast and even rainy most of the time, it hasn't dampened our spirits.

For some reason we didn't visit many museums…..just a few.

Yesterday we returned where everything started.

We ate rather well on this leg of the trip. We didn't go for anything particularly fancy, but had some great meals.

Well, our glasses are empty….

And we're missing Da' Boyz, so it's time to come home.

Thanks for reading!

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Where in the world are we (Part 3)

May 26, 2014 mmm-yoso Czech Republic, Travel

We've moved on from this wonderful, colorful country. But here's a round-up. Most folks only visit the one popular location, with good reason. We, on the other hand, decided to get out and visit some of the other larger cities.

We found the folks much more friendly, helpful, quick to smile. We visited three different cities and there was a ton of history. We learned about Plague Towers.

Visited cathedrals…

We travelled first by train….

Then later by bus….which turned out to be better.

We took a day trip to one of the smaller, but popular towns for tourists. Though the town was pretty quiet on a Sunday….

There was local music being played and sung for visitors….

We moved on to the second largest city in the country….which we loved. Perhaps the place isn't in many guides, it's well worth a visit.

Rick Steve's, the well regarded travel guide institution, doesn't even have a mention of this city, but should.

Much of the weather we encountered to this point had been wet, cold, and drizzly. On our last day here, the sun came out. We enjoyed sitting on the square and watching scenes of daily life. The Square, like in other countries is the center of social life. There was a band playing, dogs (lots of really well behaved dogs walk leash free), and folks generally enjoying life.

We also started noticing the little twists…..each story or landmark has a little "story", some little twist that adds color….

Eventually, we returned to where we started here….the weather was now bright and sunny, the crowds adding color to everything. Not that places like the "Lennon Wall" needed any more color.

The views and sites were amazing.

And of course there's the food. Some of which have interesting "names" which I'll go into later on.

We're now on our last third of our trip and still enjoying ourselves….everyday is something new. I'll try to get one more post in before we get back home.

Thanks for reading!

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Where in the world are we?

May 14, 2014 mmm-yoso Belgium, Travel

Yes, it's that time again. We needed some time off to recharge. So where are we?

Well, this city claims to have one of the grandest places….

And for the shoppers, also claims to have the first enclosed mall in the world.

The weather has been pretty cold and drizzly, but the sites are still wonderful.

This afternoon the sun peeked out giving some sunshine, which really made everything that much more photogenic.

It also brought the locals out. The folks here are very laid back and really enjoy taking their time nursing their favorite brew(s).

Since this is a food blog, here's a couple of things we've had so far.

Horse steak and frites

Veal sweetbreads in mustard sauce.

A specialty is beef stewed in beer. I won't give you the name of the dish, that'll make this way too easy.

It's 3am as I type this out. A bit of jetlag this time around.

We're headed to our next stop this morning. Hopefully, I'll have the time (and the wifi) to do another post. Thanks for reading, and, as always, thanks to Cathy for holding down the fort!

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Porto: Clérigos Church and Tower and Restaurante Antunes

May 3, 2014 mmm-yoso Porto, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Travel

After dropping off our provisions at the apartment, we headed up to Clérigos Church and Tower.

The tower, which you can see from almost every vantage point in Porto and the church took over 30 years to build and has become one of the enduring symbols of the city. The tower stands at 250 feet tall and since it stands on a hill, the views are outstanding.

The entire structure is built in the baroque style, designed by Italian architect Nicolai Nasoni. The facade of the church is quite imposing as it stands against the clear blue sky of Porto.

The tower stand behind the church and is the main site along with the famous Lello and Irmoa Bookstore (which we didn't visit) are the two main sights in the area.

Instead of heading right in, we took a walk around the tower. We saw folks having their morning coffee, the produce stand, which also conveniently sold postcards and other knickknacks was doing a nice business. I always wonder what it's like living in the shadows of a fairly busy monument….all those tourists like us wandering around….

There are 225 stairs to the top of the tower, which start fairly innocently, but soon things start getting kind of cramped. There's room only for one at certain points….you'll have to stop and let other pass you. One woman seemed to be having a bit of a claustrophobic attack.

Looking down from above provides a view that's almost Hitchcockian, or depending on your point of view, perhaps MeL Brooksian. Either way, I'm not a big fan of heights……..

There are portals….hey Porto portals, has a nice ring to it….along the way, which you can use to see the views and how high you're going. These too get smaller as you get higher.

One more thing, when you reach the top; you see that bell? Well, it does ring on the hour….it went off, quite loudly, and I almost jumped out of my shoes. It's very, very loud.

The payoff is a wonderful view of the red rooftops of Porto. Very nice on one seemed a typical, clear day in Porto.

And even if you're not a big fan of red rooftops, the others views aren't too shabby either.

The interior of the church is small, but very ornate. You'll find the tomb of Nocolai Nasoni in the church as well, as he asked to be buried here.

We wandered around a bit, then decided on grabbing lunch.

Along the way, we passed Ingreja do Carmo…Carmo Church which had some beautiful tile work (Azulejos) which depicts the founding of the Carmelite Order.

I had a place picked out for lunch, but the Missus really made me work for it……we headed up Rua Martires Liberadade, down another, and yet another street, until we hit Rua do Bonjardim and eventually Restaurante Antunes.

Noon is early for lunch on a weekend, so the rather small, but elongated restaurant belonged totally to us.

About 15 or so minutes later, the place started filling up, mostly with older, very properly dressed locals…for a nice weekend lunch I assume.

This restaurant is well known for their pernil…..pork leg, which, of course we got. It was a bargain at 15 Euros…..

This of course, was a load of food as it came with a ton of roasted potatoes and spinach which was much like esparregado. In terms of "pork pump", it was a decent dish, but a bit on the tougher side and it could have used more flavor.

The one dish that blew both of us away was the classic Porto dish Tripas à moda do Porto (8 Euros). This was so good…..

The smoked pork and chicken were basically garnishes; this was a hearty stew, thick and rich, with amazing flavor, the beans, cilantro, oh my….. The tendon was nice and tender, the tripe perfectly prepared. The Missus declared this one of Her "desert island dishes" and wants to go back to Porto just to find the best version. It is, without a doubt one of the best things we ate on this trip.

What was really funny is; our Server spoke no English, but it's obvious they push the pernil (pork leg) here. When we ordered this, he immediately protested, "no….no!" But we persisted; heck we had a kitchen, leftovers were welcome! Truly, they should be pushing this instead of the pork leg….but I guess folks are afraid of tripe, tendon, and a gooey stew. The supposed history of this dish is also quite interesting. According to legend, during the Conquest of Ceuta in 1415, Henry the Navigator commandeered all of the best provisions of Porto; which included all the best cuts of beef. All that was left was offal to feed the residents of Porto. The rest as they say, is history.

We left….fat and happy….

Antunes
Rua Bonjardim 525
Porto, Portugal

Knowing that we didn't have to eat all the food (we wiped out the tripas), made things so easy for us as we headed back to the apartment to drop things off.

The downtown area of Porto, away from all the shops was very quiet except for the occasional student excursion group.

The Missus decided that it was time to cross the river and have a taste of Port wine!

Stay tuned!

Porto: Mercado do Bolhão and A Pérola Do Bolhão

April 18, 2014 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Porto, Portugal, Travel

After a light breakfast at Confeitaria do Bolhao we headed across the street into Mercado do Bolhão. Like the similar markets we visited in Coimbra and Lisbon, either folks get up pretty late in the day, or these places are slowly fading away…..I'm saying that because the Minipreco across the street seemed quite busy, but this older market still display quite a bit of charm.

Albeit a pretty quiet charm on this morning…..

The busiest area was the second floor where fruit and vegetable vendors were arranging, then rearranging their displays. Many were working the special grinding machines used for kale…..for folks to make caldo verde I assume.

The rest of the place was pretty sedate….not much going on at 9 in the morning.

After stepping out of the market, we decided just to wander around a bit, through Rua Catarina, very quiet on a Saturday morning.

Somehow, we ended up in a little square, which we found out was named Praça da Batalha after a battle that took place between Porto and Moors in the 10th Century…..unfortunately, the Moors won that one.

We ended up chatting with a very nice woman from the Phillipines who was attending a conference……funny who you meet during your travels!

There's a beautiful chruch on the square, decorated in the style of many churches in Porto with Azulejos….beautiful tile work.

This is the Igreja de Santo Ildefonso, built in 1739. I loved the tile work on this one…..and another eye catching chapel, the Capela das Almas de Santa Catarina, The Chapel of the Souls and Saint Catherine.

The tilework on this chapel depict scenes from the "Death of Saint Francis of Assissi" and "The Martyrdom of St. Catherine." Quite stunning.

The sun was starting to shine brighter and folks were starting to wake and hit the streets…..

It was back to Mercado do Bolhão. We had decided to make use of the kitchen in our apartment for dinner after having a big lunch (think, well, pork of course) and wanted to stop by one of the shops that was not yet opened when we first walked by.

Why did we come back……well, the window display is a carnivore's dream…..

Man do I love the smell of cured meat in the morning! Combined with the "milky-feet" smell of the cheeses and you have my version of Disneyland…..

I guess we'd call this place….a deli? Meat Market? Both??? The folks working here are very friendly, though none of them spoke English. Still, food is the international language.

This was one of those moments where I wish I was one of those television personalities, with "handlers", "fixers" and teams to set everything up so I could learn what everything was……but maybe not. There's nothing like randomly stumbling across a place like this that gives one such joy.

And honestly, cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen, I didn't want anything too challenging……

A Pérola do Bolhão
Rua Formos 279
Porto, Portugal

Meat wrapped up, we headed across the street and had our second espresso of the the day to celebrate…..what, I don't know….joy over buying a sausage in Porto? That's a good enough reason for me.

We stopped by the Minipreco for some water and a couple of other items, then headed back to the apartment. I was enjoying the moment and looking forward to some "pernil de porco" for lunch. But deep inside I just knew that the Missus was going to make me earn that pork leg! The question was….how?

Thanks for reading!

Porto: Avenida dos Aliados, Imperial McDonalds, and Confeitaria do Bolhao

April 12, 2014 mmm-yoso Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, Porto, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Travel

We'd had a pretty busy first day in Porto and I really slept soundly. As is typical for us, we awoke pretty early in the morning to stretch our legs and do some exploring. We'd found that mornings are almost always the best times to see things……you'll be in less of a rush and, especially in Portugal the streets are quiet and empty.

We headed up to the area that seems to be the heart of Porto; the Avenida dos Aliados, the "Avenue of the Allies". The street commemorates the marriage of King John (Joao)I and Philippa of Lancaster, creating an alliance between Portugal and England.

The avenue and promenade is lined with some nice examples of Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings. A statue of King Pedro IV on a horse stands at the lower end of the street and City Hall the top.

I'm sure everything here has a story. It's a nice place to stroll on a cool morning, all the grand buildings around. I wondered about the statue to the right. I could find very little, at least in English on "The Naked Girl – Youth" by Henrique Moreira, sculpted in 1929.

This is also the location of McDonald's….yep, McDonald's. What's the big deal? Well, they call this location, "Imperial McDonald's" and it's supposedly the most ornate and beautiful McDonald's in the world. In case you're wondering….it's not Imperial by declaration. I was told that this was the former site of Imperial Cafe, which became derilict and run down. McDonald's took over the space in 1995.

Man, talk about fancy-schmancy…..I'd feel down right uncomfortable getting my McNuggets on here!

Still, this was just a McDonald's, so we headed back up to the area near Rua Catarina and the large Mercado do Bolhão. Before heading in, we decided on getting breakfast at Confeitaria do Bolhao right across the street.

A large case of pastries, both sweet and savory, a large area to have you espresso and a pastry, this was very "tipico" of what we encountered everywhere in Portugal.

We were mainly after some espresso, but also had a few other items, which were decent, but rather non-descript. The prices were very good….if I recall, two espressos and pastries for like 5 Euros.

We also picked up a Broa de Avintes for later on…..

Confeitaria do Bolhao
Rua Formosa 339
Porto, Portugal

A cup of espresso, carbs in our belly….we were ready for the world, or at least a visit to the Mercado do Bolhão.

Thanks for reading!

Rhodes: Our (second) lunch in Stegna and the sunset of the year

April 4, 2014 mmm-yoso Greece, Greek Food, Rhodes, Travel

After having our (first) lunch at Mavrikos in Lindos, we backtracked and then took a side road. Our destination, the beautiful coast and the quiet village of Stegna.

Compared to Lindos and Rhodes Town, this was a peaceful, relaxing piece of paradise.

At the end of the road was a Taverna that Vassos, from the Saint Michel recommended to us named Antonis.

There's a ton of charm and the folks here are very friendly. However, we really found the food to be bland, and not prepared well. It was also our most expensive meal on Rhodes at over 70 Euros.

The Octopus was just grilled to death and rubbery.

The fish was not seasoned, not grilled very well……and cost us 50 Euros to boot.

It was really weird, like the grill wasn't hot enough, the skin of the fish like rubber…… such a beautiful fish….ruined.

We were finding that getting a nice meal on Rhodes was kind of tough……

Still, it was a nice, very relaxing change of pace.

Antonis
Stegna, Rhodes, Greece

We drive back to Rhodes Town and returned our rental car. As evening got closer, the cruise ships left, and Rhodes Town again became quiet.

We took a walk up and down the back streets of Rhodes Town, away from the main tourist sites….where the residents of Old Town lived.

We'd had two lunches and decided on just chilling. We stopped by one of the little shops and bought a bottle of wine……Chris had given me a list of nice drinking wines to try. We also saw some stuff being stocked on the shelves of the little market and the Missus was thrilled. It was one of Her favorite things from our time in Crete……Cretan Rusk (twice baked bread). We also brought some cheese. Funny, we even brought back some rusk all the way from Rhodes….and it was still good.

We settled in on the patio of our room, which we called "the penthouse", since it was situated on the roof of the Saint Michel….we had the whole place to ourselves.