http://www.chow.com/boards/87 Tue, 21 May 2013 14:02:30 GMT Keep track of the lastest threads on Chowhound http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/902733#8088926 I'd like to add some thoughts about Split, Croatia: Konoba Tinel and Konoba Matejuska are both very good and very fresh. If you are looking for a more modern setting, I would strongly recommend Trattoria Grego levante - the atmosphere is unique! Also - across both countries, don't forget to feast on some burek (for breakfast/lunch) - stuffed cheese, spinach or meat pies and Ćevapi - a grilled dish of spiced minced meat, not unlike mini-kebabs. Enjoy Enfantsdoc Tue, 21 May 2013 23:15:57 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/902733#8088926 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/902658#8086453 Hi! First of all, I am sorry to inform you that in Holland we only have food and no cuisine. Luckily we do have great restaurants serving not so typically Dutch food. If you want to try something Dutch, order 'bitterballen' (little beef croquettes) with your beer!! There is a new place near dam square called 'de bierfabriek' rokin 75. They serve very good beers (home brewed!!), they have a very small but good menu! Their specialty, a grilled spatchcock with fries, is great. A good local pub in the center is 'de engelbewaarder' they have a very good selection of beers. Their food has always been really nice, but they recently changed chefs, and I haven't been their since. The Burgemeester is still a great place to have a burger. There is a relatively new burgerplace called 'the butcher' it is at the albert cuyp (pijp neighborhood), not far from the center. I still have to go there myself, but I have heard great things. I hope you enjoy your stay in Amsterdam! aniNNina Mon, 20 May 2013 21:10:15 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/902658#8086453 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/902183#8083531 Many thanks for the tips, I think food halls may be the way forward for trying a lot of the local produce I want to. Actually staying in Ostermalm so that should allow easy access to the hall there. stanleyk Sun, 19 May 2013 09:23:36 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/902183#8083531 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/900293#8082586 A CH-friend turned me on to this link/blog. The places she mentions all sound great. http://www.parlafood.com/where-to-eat-in-istanbul-turkey/ c oliver Sat, 18 May 2013 18:31:48 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/900293#8082586 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/891784#8082156 We had now a chance to visit Konstantin Filippou and to order the six-course tasting menu. It was quite an experience, and Filippou definitely has to be put on the list of Viennese high-end dining places worth a detour... As I wrote before, Filippou has been chef in two other restaurants in town, and we had the chance to sample his cuisine at Weibel 3 and at Novelli. It these places his style has been quite different from what he is offering today, and we were quite surprised in what direction he has grown. His own place is now exactly what he has in mind, and not what the patron of an Italian-style/Austrian owned place such as Novelli had asked him to provide. It seems that the local gourmets have not yet found out what spectacular dishes he is now offering, and therefore it is still possible to get a table at this small and intimate restaurant at short notice... Let us go into details: Filippou created a new restaurant right from scratch. This does not sound spectacular, but everyone who knows local building regulations and the high rents in the inner city understands that opening a new place is quite a financial risk. The place is rather small, about twelve tables only, a small bar in front and large windows opening to the street, but without any outdoor dining area. The dominant colors of the place are black (also the cooks and waiters wear black), grey and white, contrasted only by the wooden tables which are not covered at all. There are two six course tasting menues to choose from, and you can also decide to get four courses only. The six course menues are 75 to 85 Euro, which is quite a bargain compared to Steirereck (6 courses 125.- Euro) or Silvio Nickol (168.- Euro). You can find sample of the two menues at Filippous here, but the short lists do not give any hint of what to expect: http://www.konstantinfilippou.com/menukarten/konstantinfilippou_kw20_2013.pdf We had menu 1, but it differed from the menue online by a single detail, the fish was not a mackerel but a whitefish, not a bad switch. The most spectacular course was the snail: there was a snail ragout served in a roll made from a sheet of beetroot, a few baked snails and a foam made from bone marrow and lovage. Snails seem to be a favorite menu item, and maybe he is just taking the chance from the new snail farm operating in town, which has given local chefs a great opportunity... http://www.wienerschnecke.at I am not going to describe every dish, simply because I did not write down all the details and rather just enjoyed the experience of dining with our friends. Let me sum up the general feeling: here is a great master at work, who is able to make compositions of great harmony without changing the authentic taste of the produce used. He offers a lot of foams, sauces and stocks, which are always poured on the center of the plate right in front of you, the rest of the dish presented in a half circle at the border of the plate. On the other hand all these stocks, foams, soups are very simple preparations, no molecular cuisine, just the authentic taste of the mushroom, fruit, spice or vegetable used. There are just a few minor points which could be improved: the chairs are quite low and soft, and sitting therefore gets a little bit uncomfortable over time. And the white wine is served at perfect drinking temperature, which rapidly turns to too warm when you are comforting your glass and not emptying it right after getting filled. We discussed this with the sommelier and he assured us we could ask him for a colder bottle next time. It was a great evening, and therefore I am quite sure we can be found at Filippous again quite soon !! Sturmi Sat, 18 May 2013 08:26:39 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/891784#8082156 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/901216#8081452 Many options here. Check the following names: Invincible - for just plain and simple products done with no fuss, wonderful wine pairings La Veranda - serves a fixed menu only, but sensational, hard to book Nuance - probably among Belgium's best restaurants, but you need a car Lam and Yin - chinese, but not as you know it Het Gebaar - lunch only with improbably sensational deserts and for drinks, before or after SIPS - hard to explain, a must book cocktail bar Enjoy and report back. hblnk Fri, 17 May 2013 21:36:25 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/901216#8081452 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/901202#8078137 Schweizerhaus is a great experience, especially the "real" Budweiser beer from the tap, served within seconds after you sit down... The pork knuckles are OK, a little bit tasteless. I prefer the tripe soup and the fried chicken... Glacisbeisl is nice and authentic, especially their outdoor dining area, Cafe Prückel is an authentic Kaffeehaus, Onyx Bar a spectacular view and Figlmüller is Figlmüller, a Viennese institution. Orlando is just another new style burger bar, nice for a quick bite, but nothing special (any more). And Zanoni is maybe the WORST (not the best !!) ice cream in Vienna !! There are at least three much better ice cream shops around, e.g. the Italian ice cream shops on Tuchlauben, Hoher Markt or Schwedenplatz, and the - partly vegan - Eisgreissler on Rotenturmstrasse. Eisgreissler is within spitting distance of Zanoni, and always has a queue in front which might be mixed up with a queue in front of the Zanoni shop ;-) http://www.eis-greissler.at/index.php But wait: Zanoni has a nice outdoor table setup, and their Italian Espresso is great. This is the only way I eat their ice cream, as a " cafe affogato ", a ball of vanilla ice cream topped with a double espresso... Sturmi Thu, 16 May 2013 06:57:56 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/901202#8078137 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/900367#8076811 thank you SO much for these recos! hubby's not on CH but i'll make sure i get his feedback and report back!! lilaki Wed, 15 May 2013 18:10:02 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/900367#8076811 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/901937#8073693 Hi there!!! I am visiting Amsterdam really soon and have a strong craving for a pastrami sandwich. I would really like one from Katz in New York City. Since that won't be happening, and I can't get one where I live now, can someone please please recommend a place in Amsterdam? Let's make my dream a reality :) Thank you in advance for any assistance you can give I grok Tue, 14 May 2013 03:49:38 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/901937#8073693 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/748679#8073646 I did go to planetrose and it was amazing!!! Thank you so much Klary :) You Rock!!! I grok Tue, 14 May 2013 02:57:59 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/748679#8073646 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/900571#8072211 If you are near to Rijeka it is well worth going to the daily market there, biggest and best in the whole region and full of spices and other delicacies Aishling Mon, 13 May 2013 14:35:43 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/900571#8072211 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/901714#8071199 The only chicken restaurants in Berlin I can think of are Henne and Kleine Markthalle. Neither of them, however, have a chicken liver appetizer, so this place must be defunct now. linguafood Sun, 12 May 2013 18:22:57 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/901714#8071199 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/901358#8071105 I would think that any cab driver in Berlin knows that Winterfeldtmarkt is located on Winterfeldtplatz. Also, there may be plenty of other markets, but none of them even come close to W. It's a destination. linguafood Sun, 12 May 2013 17:24:34 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/901358#8071105 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/853840#8063582 I found this thread very helpful for my long weekend in Krakow last year. My thoughts on places we enjoyed is the last addition to the thread. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/534358 I was on a pyrogi hunt the entire time I was there and my thoughts were primarily focused in that direction. vanderb Wed, 08 May 2013 10:36:57 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/853840#8063582 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/783909#8063571 Bistro Franz - Veveří 461/14 Finally got a chance to try Bistro Franz last week, it is quite trendy and popular in the foodie area on Veveří. The menu is seasonal and appears to change very frequently, if not daily, and was quite unique in that it was Czech inspired but not your traditional/standard Czech dishes as most restaurants produce. We started with the seasonal asparagus soup, a good idea given the season has started but a rather poor execution. The soup was thin and stringy, it lacked seasoning and to be honest good flavour. Not that I would want to cover up the asparagus flavour but the soup did lack cream/milk/fat of some sort to give it body and heft. For mains SO had a potato dish with jellied medvedi cesnek (bear's garlic) in a creamy cheese type sauce. While this sounds perhaps a bit boring the potatoes were of excellent quality and the jellied medvedi was very unique. This is the first year we've really noticed local restaurants using medvedi cesnek in special seasonal menus; this is great progress as it is one of the greatest produce finds we've made in Southern Moravia. I chose the gravlax main with salad; how the gravlax was cured was not on the menu so I was a bit surprised when it showed up a purple/red colour. Based on the flavour/colour I had to assume it was cured in blood orange juice and beet juice or possibly grapefruit and beet juice. Either way the salmon was very good, although inelegantly cut (1 pin bone found as well), but the salad lacked any real reason on the plate as it was mostly generic cabbage with little dressing. While this may not be a rave review, we were happy with dinner and because of the unique seasonal menu we do plan to return. vanderb Wed, 08 May 2013 09:58:55 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/783909#8063571 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/901242#8063364 Lived there for 3 yrs: best are ML = 1 star Michelin (restaurant-ml.nl), Fris nice & comfortable value for money (restaurantfris.nl), de goede mannen (degoedemannen.nl) simple nice food & wines and Truffels ( hvdmeeberg Wed, 08 May 2013 03:39:54 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/901242#8063364 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/900833#8056898 Sounds like a splendid food vacash. I can't wait to try Lokal myself, it wasn't around last summer. Weinbar Rutz is a great place for fabulous food, even if one can't afford the "upstairs". As for Mustafa, its popularity escapes me. I've had their döner twice (drunk & sober), and it just wasn't worth the wait for me. I am continuously amused at the people waiting in line whenever I pass by the place. linguafood Sat, 04 May 2013 17:56:59 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/900833#8056898 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/900743#8055328 My husband and I love to travel and we love to eat. I've scoured these boards for ideas of where to eat and have never been disappointed with the recommendations. For our next trip, I'm having a a bit of a harder time. This summer, late July, we are having three generations traveling to England, France and Belgium. This trip includes kids as young as 6 and my in-laws who are in their 70s. So ... Anyone have any suggestions for good places to eat in Paris and/or Brussels that is kid friendly? Something moderately priced with really good food and wine/beer but casual atmosphere? Thank you! Andi1066 Fri, 03 May 2013 18:53:41 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/900743#8055328 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/900706#8054574 Family wedding in Keflavik, and an excuse for my first visit to Iceland. Plenty to do on both family and tourism fronts, but I really would like to find a food tour there, presumably in Reykjavik. And are there any farmers' markets or street markets? I'll be there in late June. Thanks! lemons Fri, 03 May 2013 14:14:03 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/900706#8054574 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/898455#8054263 I had dinner with my SO at Gaumenspiel last week, in the court yard. The court yard was splendid, even on a late April evening as it had been about 28 degrees that day. I was greatly intrigued with their pre-built menu recommendations but as we were not sure of the portion sizes and were not starving we chose to pick a few different dishes instead of taking the full menu. Next time I'll go with the full menu. I started with the crab and avocado salad which was excellent and wonderfully crabby with a light and very tasty vinaigrette. Next up was their pink saddle of lamb with cilantro and lime crust. Hands down the best lamb I've had in a long time, perfectly cooked and the lime/cilantro crust was an outstanding addition to the lamb and complimented the flavour beautifully. At the end I had a couple of bites of my SO's desert which included a cherry ice cream and chocolate dome. The ice cream was good but lacked real depth of cherriness, the chocolate dome was right on the spot. Dinner was excellent as were the surroundings, the service was a bit slow but not enough to disrupt the evening. We will definitely return. As an aside the rooms available at Gaumenspiel were quite nice, especially as the price is about half the rate at the nearest Mercure branded hotels. The bed was very comfortable and the room well laid out. The room opened onto the court yard which seemed it could be a problem with all the people dinning and the noise, but in the end the restaurant cleared the court yard around 22:30 leaving us with a very peaceful sleep. I wonder if it could get too hot later in the summer as there is no air con, we'll see as I'm sure we'll be back for accommodation and dinner in the future. vanderb Fri, 03 May 2013 07:47:50 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/898455#8054263 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/899934#8052065 I agree that La Galette serves delicious food. However I don't agree that they're in the cheap category considering you end up paying upwards of 65 DKK (11 USD) for one simple ham and cheese galette. My experience is it takes at least two to satisfy a grown man for dinner bringing the total price up to twice the amount. In Petanque on Rømersgade you get similar Galettes at the slightly lower price of 58 DKK (10 USD) for ham and cheese: http://www.lapetanque.dk/menu.html joergen Thu, 02 May 2013 12:45:28 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/899934#8052065 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/898792#8049729 I was told by my Belgian colleagues afterwards that the pizza chef was in the running for the top prize in a Belgian national culinary competition - he's among the top 5 Belgian pizza makers :-) klyeoh Wed, 01 May 2013 12:04:19 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/898792#8049729 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/898697#8049707 A great place for lunch in Istanbul is Sultanahmet KÖFTECISI (not the one with a similar name right by it). There was a queue when we went but it moved fast. Great food, and a good price. BritInDC Wed, 01 May 2013 11:38:52 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/898697#8049707 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/899726#8047465 Unfortunately Pierre Herme has not got any stores In Germany, Austria or Czech R. You can find him in a future trip to Paris, Lyon, Stransburg, London, Tokyo. he really makes the best macarons I have eaten along with Laduree, You can see my review about macarons here, in one image there is the foie gras macaron with chocolate. http://gastrotrips.blogspot.gr/2012/10/macarons.html In hotel Sacher In Vienna I have tried their sachertorte, it was good nothing so special but worh the try as something local and traditional. :) Giannis Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:20:54 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/899726#8047465 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846641#8046457 My husband is Danish and when we go to Denmark I pack my suitcase with these local preserves http://www.dengamlefabrik.dk The orange marmalde is the best i have had anywhere. We also enjoy the raspberry (the onlybrand we serve aebleskiver with) and the black currant. Availibility is U.S. is spotty and very expensive. My family and friends now expect a jar upon my return. janeanec Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:40:05 GMT http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846641#8046457