CHICAGO

We were there for two photo shoots and eating.  Ok… we go everywhere for food.  I had one of the best breakfasts EVER at a little place called The Bongo Room.  BANANA BACON PANCAKES.  Yes, you read that right.  AMAZING stuff. We also had an decadent breakfast at Orange (try the pancake sampler!) and fabulous steaks at Gibsons Steakhouse. Also, for ridiculously good barbecue and blues music, try Smoke Daddy’s… Amazing ribs and they had a huge selection of beers.  Lastly, I know this is bloody tourist of us, but we had a blast on the Wendella Boat tour around the city.  Highly recommend!

GERMANY

We enjoyed most of our meals at Casa Maloman (my inlaws home) because my mother in law is a great cook.  We had fresh Germany Brochen (little buns) every morning with an assorted spread like cheese, salami, preserves… etc.  We did check out one of the most adorable pastry shops I’ve ever seen, Iimori Patisserie. This bakery was a fusion of Japanese flavors and very typical French pastries.  Needless to say, I was in heaven!  It is very pricey… 4 euros for a tiny sliver of cake, but well worth it.  Quality, not quantity!  A definite must if you ever find yourself in Frankfurt, Germany!

AMSTERDAM

Yup, all the rumors are true… Amsterdam is one wild and crazy place.  I do admit I was quite confused at the large selection of… ahem…. teas in the coffee shops.  They sure smelled funny and had odd names like laughing buda and california haze.  And that’s all I’m going to say about that.  :P  Instead of staying in the city, we stayed in a tiny fishing village, Volendam, a few kilometers from Amsterdam.  I highly suggest anyone that goes to Amsterdam check out this place.  It is only a 20 minute bus ride to Amsterdam.  There were sheep everywhere.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen sheep other than at a petting zoo.  We ate in Volendam at a little restaurant called De Dijk the first night.  I had the Pan Sauteed Sole with lemon Butter and Stephan had the pan sauteed Cod.  Talk about fresh fish!  Of course we also had pomme frites and pancakes while in Amsterdam. Schmoke and a pancake?  We had yummy soup at a carry out place called the Soup Kitchen.  For tourist things, we went to the Sex Museum and the Anne Frank House.  Both highly interesting in their own special way.  We also did the boat tour in Amsterdam… best way to see the city!

The “teas” in Amsterdam Coffee shops… what?

PARIS

Stephan and I went to Paris for our honeymoon almost 6 years ago.  It was in December and was so cold that Stephan swore he’d take me back in the Spring.  Well, he delivered and we added Paris to our Euro Road trip.  It was much more enjoyable this time since I could feel my toes and didn’t have snot-sicles.  We had several amazing dinners, starting with tiny place called A la Petite Chaise where I had Sea Bass with Chervil Marinade and a bitter chocolate tart.  Then we have a funny little story about our second dinner.  Online, I found a restaurant called Cafe Constant, a reasonably priced Christian Constant place that was rumored to have fabulous food.  Well cheap and good?  Yes please!  So walking along, we found a place called Les Cocottes de Christian Constant.  It was in the right location and I just assumed it was the right place because of his name so we sat down and had the BEST Provencal beef stew I’ve ever had.  I loved the whole vibe of this place… they served all dinners in little Staub cocottes.  We also split a tasty Country style pate and pistachio Creme Brule.  When we left the restaurant, we decided to walk in a different direction.  So then two doors down, we passed Cafe Constant.  I found out that Christian Constant has three restaurants on Rue Dominique in Les Invalides. Really?  So of course, the next night, we went to Cafe Constant and I wasn’t disappointed!  I had the Sea Bass a la Plancha with sweet potatoes.  So good!  Then we split the Profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce.  This should be outlawed it is so good.  I was so impressed with Christian Constant and his restaurants that I purchased one of his cookbooks.  I’m a fan!

You can see many more photos of our travels on our Flickr PhotoStream.

As per the usual, we ordered different things, so we could try more stuff. First course: Stephan chose the empanadas (one beef and one chicken) and I had the blue cheese, arugula and roasted beet salad.  Although I’m not a big fan of beets, this was a wonderful salad.  Perhaps I should give beets another chance? Yes I should.





For the main course, Stephan had the Grilled Flap Steak with Chimichurri and mashed potatoes.  The steak was grilled perfectly and the chimichurri was very fresh tasting.  I had the Mahi Mahi with kalamata tapanade and warm arugula, tomato and feta salad.  Both very good.  The tapanade was a bit on the salty side, but still quite tasty with the mild tasting grilled Mahi Mahi.

We were completely stuffed and could not finish our main courses.  However, we rested a little and made room for dessert.  The dessert was my favorite part of the entire meal.  Stephan had the Warm Chocolate Truffle Cake with Chocolate Ice Cream.  Utterly decadent and delicious.  I ordered the Dulce de Leche filled Crepe.  Wow… what a simple thing that is simply outstanding. It tasted like they bruleed (burned) a little sugar on the top of the crepe, which resulted in a crackly sugar crust.  Holy schnikes.  Good friggin stuff.  I can tell you by the time we left, we were both in pain from overeating.

Novecento is a definite must try for anyone looking for a Miami Spice Lunch.  We had a top notch three course meal for a mere $23 each.  You just can’t beat that.  Good times!

We stayed, literally, in the middle of nowhere. That was exactly what we wanted. The hotel, Waldsagmuhle, was wonderful. Its a tiny (30 room) hotel, but the service is beyond impeccable. I also think it was the cleanest hotel room I’ve ever stayed in. Fabulous, simply fabulous.

Our original plan was to eat dinner in nearby Baiersbronn, as there are not one, but THREE Michelin starred restaurants there, some of the best in Germany. When I saw the menu at our tiny hotel, I knew I had to try it instead. The giant spoon and whisk at the entrance also helped make my decision to try the fare there instead. Another good decision we made! The food was wonderful. Although they had my favorite fish (Angler fish) on the menu, I decided to try the regional specialty, Maultaschen or Swebian Pockets. It is a house-made pasta filled with herb infused veal, served with a red wine sauce. AMAZING! I always like to try the regional specialties, as they must be good and you really can’t get it elsewhere.

And yes, of course, I had a nice big piece of Black Forest Gateau from a small bakery. Unfortunately, it was so good, I didn’t think of taking a picture until I was almost finished eating it. Oh well… You’ll just have to believe me that it was the best piece of Black Forest Cake I have ever had!

On the way home, we stopped in Heidelberg, and for you South Floridians, no, not the restaurant in Ft Lauderdale! :P It was such a great city, right on the side of a mountain. We walked the city, and stopped in a little cafe for Flammkuchen. This dish is the specialty of the French Alsace region, which is right on the German/France Border. It resembles a very thin pizza, but has creme fraiche instead of tomato sauce, and is as thin as a tortilla or crepe. I had the traditional topping for the region, which was ham and cheese. Good stuff!

We started with the famous meatballs. So good, that Gourmet Magazine has written about these meatballs. Next, we had the giant shrimp scampi, which are the size of small lobsters. Another fantastic choice. Our main courses were both chicken, and my absolutely favorite pasta dish… the white bean and kale with sausage. Amazing, simply amazing. By the time we got our main courses were were all completely full, so most of it came home in a doggy bag. We also forgot to keep taking photos, as we had 3 bottles of wine for 4 people. :p As for dessert… what can I say? We were being gluttons!

Hope everyone has a safe and very happy New Year! See you in 2008!

How do you like my hat? Every time I put it on, I immediately speak with a Swedish accent and think my name is Helga. hehe. Its not easy for a South Floridian to spend time in a cold climate, as “cold” for me is when it dips down into the low 60′s.

Yummy mocha cappuccino from a little coffee shop we stopped in when my toes were frozen.

After walking the city, we stopped in at Restaurant Bartholdi for dinner. The food was wonderful, but it was a bit difficult to order as the menu was only in French and Dutch. There was no English or German menu, and the server only spoke French. So we relied on my father in law’s basic French and my culinary schooling. I ended up having an amazing veal escallope with mushrooms served over spatezle. It was a good choice, although I would have loved a Boeuf Bourguignonne. Next time….

If you want to see some more pictures that we took in Colmar, check out Stephan’s blog.