Our Vancouver Visit

Over the past few years we’ve been making our way through the Pacific Northwest and this fall we finally completed our exploration with a trip to the city that will be hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics – Vancouver, Canada.

From the moment we landed, we could see why Vancouver is often called one of the most “livable” cities in the world. The people are friendly, the landscape is beautiful and nature surrounds you. We enjoyed walking the city in the bright sun (and, of course, pouring rain). And along our treks, we found some outstanding places to eat, drink and be merry.

Right outside of Gastown (one of our favorite neighborhoods in the city) was Medina Cafe, a warm, elegant, little spot serving a mean cup of chai and out of this world waffles (they’re prominently displayed in front window and it’s hard to resist their appeal as you walk by). You can order your waffles with a variety of sides, and we got each ours with a side of maple syrup and a thick scoop of plain yogurt. We found ourselves there every day and we tried some of their lunch fare, which was as delicious and well-prepared as their waffles. It’s the perfect place to start out your day.

Medina Cafe Waffle

One of the standout dinners we had was just next store, at Chambar, the nighttime Belgian restaurant counterpart to Medina, which certainly embodies the same charm and good taste in design.

Though we ventured all around the city, we often found ourselves spending a lot of time in and around Gastown, trying out the highly acclaimed Boneta for dinner, and afternoon drinks at So.Cial, a french restaurant where we discovered that a “Bloody Mary” is called a “Ceasar” in these parts.

View from the bar at So.Cial

We also tried  lunch Salty Tongue Cafe, which was a great little spot serving comfort fare like and soup and sandwich combos. With a central 40 ft. communal table, exposed brick and large pop-art paintings on the wall, it’s bright, fun and comfortable and the food was light and tasty as well.

Soup & Sandwich at the Salty Tongue Cafe

One great place we tried that we had read about beforehand was Bin 941, which turned out was right around the corner from your hotel. We especially loved their kalamata olive hummus (thick and served like a cake) that comes with fresh hot Navajo bread, a must-have if you ever visit!

Poconos Getaway

I bid farewell to August with a delightful “Gilmore Girls” getaway with my mom, sister and her new baby boy back on the east coast in Pennsylvania. As if plucked straight from the Gilmore Girls set on the Warner Brothers lot, we enjoyed visions of antique shops, diners, a quaint bed and breakfast and a picturesque gazebo to boot.

My sister planned a great itinerary for the weekend fit for 3 generations of interests. On our way to the Poconos, we stopped in Milford, PA to visit Old Lumberyard Antiques (established in 1999), which turned out the be quite a treasure trove.

Old Lumberyard Antiques

Chairs for sale

Raggedy Ann and Andy

Mondale/Ferraro

After a few hours shopping, we headed down the street for lunch at the WaterWheel Cafe, which was dripping with old-fashioned charm (it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places). A great place for families and kids, it offers s self-guided tour of the restored mill, where you can watch the wheel in action. We each ordered sandwiches for lunch, but were surprised to see that the menu also included a few Vietnamese offerings, such as Cha Giò, crispy shrimp spring rolls.

The Waterwheel Cafe…

…and cookies!

After we finished lunch, we made our way to our lodging, The Settlers Inn, an Arts & Crafts style bed and breakfast located in Hawley, PA, in the Pocono Mountains. My sister was lucky enough to book the last room available that weekend. We had a spacious room that could easily accommodate a family of four, with two pullout sofas and a walk-in closet. The charm was certainly in the details–from the bedding to the small wooden desk by the window and the crackers and local cheese that greeted us upon entering. There’s also a lush garden and large yard in the back, which make it a great venue for special events as well. In fact, while we were there we saw an intimate wedding ceremony take place with no more an twenty guests.

The Settlers Inn

The Potting Shed store and garden behind the Inn

Craftsman-inspired room

Our room’s periodicals, including “This Week in the Poconos”

The Settlers Inn also offers an award-winning farm-to-table restaurant. We ate dinner there that evening, and a pianist performed for the diners in the main dining room. With a sleeping baby in tow, we opted to dine on the back patio which was more quiet and offered a breath of cool fresh air. The staff was friendly and the food was very good. We had the rack of lamb and the sea scallop entrees, but the dish that knocked our socks off was the Blooming Grove Brook Trout with a lemon garlic sauce.

Rack of lamb with summer bean cassoulet, mint gelée, braised fennel and sun gold tomatoes

After a restful evening, we awoke to find that the weather finally picked up after the rain from Hurricane Danny and we spent a gorgeous sunny Sunday enjoying the antique shops and park in Hawley.

Grand ol’ flag at the gazebo across the street from The Settlers Inn

As we left the Poconos, we walked down to the rocky beach at Lake Wallenpaupack, a must-see if you’re in the area. We spied a few other families playing, relaxing and fishing along the shore, enjoying their weekend getaways as well.

Why We Go to Ojai

One thing I love about LA is not even about LA per se, but its proximity to so many great options for places to take a day trip. One of our favorite places to go on a Sunday is Ojai, located 1.5 hr. north of LA, east of Santa Barbara. We’ve been going there about once a year for the past six years and we always find it to be a relaxing getaway for us and the dog. Ojai’s main street is Ojai Avenue, and it has plenty of places to eat, a few cute shops and Libbey Park.

Every time we go we always seem to stop by Azu, a Mediterranean restaurant that serves tapas. We had a few bites there, and enjoyed their beet salad.

We also spotted a welcomed new addition to the neighborhood. Knead is a cozy, bright bakery with a nice, enclosed outdoor seating area. Apparently, Knead used to sell its baked goods at the Ojai farmer’s market, but since has opened a permanent location earlier this year. We ordered a delicious slice of a cheesy galette and paired with a light wine grape soda, it was a phenomenal snack.

After a nice walk through the neighborhood, we always spend a few hours in Libbey Park, which is dog-friendly and also features tennis courts and a theater too. It’s a perfect place to take a nap under a tree after filling your stomachs with good food.

Finally, we headed to Bart’s Books, the “world’s greatest outdoor bookstore.” You may be starting to worry at this point, asking the same thing I did, which was, “Doesn’t the outdoors absolutely destroy the books?” Luckily, amidst the shaded outdoor stalls, there are several enclosed areas with temperature controls that protect the art books and special editions. And again, dog lovers, this place lets you bring your pooch in with you, so no need to tie her up outside in the hot sun. It’s a pleasure walking around the grounds and certainly on a rainy day, this would be an ideal place to come and snuggle up with a favorite read.

See you next year, Ojai!

Macrobiotic is Seriously Good Stuff

We’ve been frequenting a recent addition to the neighborhood, Seed, which is right around the Venice circle, located behind the post office. There’s been a lot of change in that area over the past couple of years–had to say goodbye to the dog-friendly Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and the $12 rack of lamb entree at Cafe de la Plage–but Seed makes those losses hurt a little less. This eatery offers delicious macrobiotic, organic, vegan food and we especially like that they’re open until 9pm daily, so we can even grab dinner from there. Their crispy yam fries are really good and are a deal at $4.50.

Their vinaigrette coleslaw is nice and light, that tastes more like a crunchy sauerkraut. We also like their bowls–today we shared the Japanese vegetable curry bowl and sasai donburi macro bowl:

Servings are pretty substantial too, so it’s a great value while being satisfying and delicious!

Seed
1604 Pacific Ave.
Venice, CA 90291
Map
Phone: (310) 396-1604

Budding Budapest

Though we’ve been back from our trip to Budapest for over a month, we’re still raving about this wonderful city to everyone we’ve talked to. We had so many great eating and cultural experiences, that it’s been hard to write about it all, but here’s some more highlights from our trip. Budapest has so many terrific food finds, from retes, to old cafes, and of course their restaurants. I was pleasantly surprised to discover their burgeoning food scene. Many people here in the States, when asked to name a Hungarian food, might come up with goulash and when asked to describe it, many might say it was a heavy thick meaty stew. Turns out, the popular versions we found in Budapest were none of those things. Goulash was actually a light broth, flavored with paprika, diced veggies and some meat, usually beef. One of the best we had was at Bagolyvar, located right around the corner from the Museum of Fine Arts. The waitstaff was fantastic and the decor was rustic yet very elegant.

There were so many great restaurants we went to and would highly recommend, like Callas and Tigris, and another restaurant we loved (and visited twice!) was Klassz, a bistro and wine bar owned by the Budapest Wine Society. The decor was modern, bright and cozy, with floral wallpapers and colorful tiling on the floor. They don’t take reservations, but both times we went, we only had a minimum wait time before we got seated. We had their consomme which was absolutely delicious, the pike perch, and the butterfish, which were all expertly prepared.

One of our favorite cafes was Central Kavehaz. Over 100 years old, it was one of the great coffee houses of old Budapest and serves up a great coffee and pastries. It’s a huge cafe, with two floors, and so we always had our choice of seats and plenty of room to relax and take a break during our walks.

Bagolyvar
Allatkerti ut 2
Budapest 1146

Klassz
Andrassy ut 41
Budapest 1061

Central Kavehaz
Karolyi Mihaly utca 9
Budapest 1053

Yonah Schimmel by Mail

Feeling a little nostalgic for some NY knishes we ordered some from Yonah Schimmel, located on the lower east side. Yonah Schimmel started selling knishes almost 100 years ago from the current location in Manhattan, and since has become a NY landmark and icon. During our last trip to NY, we discovered that they delivered orders overnight by mail, so we knew that we’d have to order some when we got back to LA.

We ordered four dozen this month for a little get-together we had, and at 11 lbs per dozen, that equaled 44 pounds of potato product delivered to our door! We tried all eight varieties that they offered, which included spinach, broccoli and plain potato, but our favorites were the red cabbage, sweet potato and kasha. Slightly warmed with some yellow mustard, these knishes transports you to NY at first bite!

Yonah Schimmel Knish Bakery
137 East Houston Street
Between 1st & 2nd The Lower East Side
Phone/Fax: (212) 477-2858

Remembering Retes, Hungarian Strudel

The Great Market Hall

Retes is Magyar for strudel, and is a common snack/lunch among Hungarians that we found in several different styles all over Budapest. Typically, they come in a variety of sweet and savory fillings, and are baked in thin, flaky pastry sheets. Poppyseed was a popular flavor we found in several bakeries, but the best one we found was at a stand at the Great Market Hall, located south of our hotel, off of Vamhaz Korut by the river. One perk of visiting Budapest right now is that it’s on the Forint, the Hungarian currency (they’ll be switching to the Euro in 2010), so it’s a surprisingly affordable city to visit. After roaming through all of the cured meat and paprika stalls, we stumbled upon this retes stall on our way out.

Other varieties of retes available included cherry, cheese, apple and potato–there were about 2 dozen kinds to choose from.

English is commonly spoken in Budapest, so ordering of of their menu was a snap. And for under a dollar a piece, these snacks were a steal. They are served slightly warm and served to go. We ordered poppyseed, which was amazing–it wasn’t too sweet and was chock full of filling, and very light on the dough.

My favorite was the cabbage, which was warm and slightly vinegary, and very light.

Great Market Hall
Nagy Vasarcsarnok
Fovan ter, Budapest
Open 7am – 6pm, Mon-Fri
7am – 1pm, Sat
Closed Sundays
Map & Panoramic View

Gerloczy Cafe & Restaurant

We got back from our 10-day trip to Budapest a few weeks ago and we took so many photos we are only now able to finally edit them down and begin posting!

We were very lucky in finding lodging at the Gerloczy Cafe and Restaurant, which is not only one of Budapest’s top cafes but it’s also a great new boutique hotel. Located in a quiet little square right off of Vaci Utca, this place has old world charm, great food and beautiful rooms. Conveniently located across the square was an adorable tapas wine bar and a gourmet supermarket. At about $130 a night, it’s a great deal and includes an off-the menu breakfast per person. One dish we became addicted to was a simple rocket salad. There wasn’t much to it, but the high quality of ingredients–the aged balsamic vinegar, olive oil, cheese and greens made all the difference. In fact, I think there was one day we ate three of these salads between the two of us.

If you’re going in the summer, ask for a room with a balcony which rooms offer gorgeous views of the city. However, if you have bad knees or vertigo, beware because this place is a walk-up. They offer a porter service, which helps to ease the pain. The staff was very nice and helpful and we often saw the same staff there for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Lunchtime at the cafe.

The stairwell.

Our room.

Our view at night.

Gerloczy Cafe & Restaurant
1052 Budapest, V. Gerlóczy u. 1.
T: (36) (1) 501-4000
F: (36) (1) 501-4001
E-mail: info@gerloczy.hu
Reservation: reservation@gerloczy.hu

Russian Kit Kat

While in Santa Barbara, we came across the Grapevine Fine Food Market, a new shop that opened up next to the upcoming site of the new Chinatown Museum on Canon Perdido. It’s a nice addition to the neighborhood, filling a food gap in the area. We found a wide selection of soft drinks and specialty foods, and a surprising assortment of Polish and Russian proucts and confections.

I picked up a few of these sweets, beautifully wrapped in vibrant retro packaging. My trusty companion recalled days of yore upon feasting his eyes on the bright wrappers, decorated with an illustration of a bear family (sharing a pot of honey together,). Bears, to no surprise are quite a common motif in many things Russian. Peel open the paper jacket and you’ll find a light version of a Kit Kat, a chocolate covered wafer bar. It’s just a tad fatter and nubbier than its counterpart. Still, it’s a nice little pick-me-up on your journeys. Stop into Grapevine and pick out your own treat.

Grapevine Fine Food Market
126 E. Canon Perdido Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Santa Barbara Food Must #1: D’Angelo

I have two places that I have to go to whenever I visit Santa Barbara. First up is my breakfast pick. We’ve tried the rest and truly, the best a.m. place for us is D’Angelo Bread. It’s as much about the food as it is location. It’s off State Street (on the far west end of it, right as it begins) which means that it is an escape from the heavily-trafficked main thoroughfare. It has ample outdoor seating options, and is dog-friendly, a perfect place to sit in the shade and enjoy a fresh, peaceful morning. It’s a bit of a splurge, with pastries going for $5.50 a pop, but the variety of baked goods and breads is extensive and are homemade. Our favorites orders are the multigrain scones and the sandwiches, which are served all day. On this particular day we went for the turkey and fontina sandwich with a side salad and some organic poached eggs.

D’Angelo
25 W. Gutierrez St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93190