In the morning, we climbed the steps of Mont Saint Michel. In the afternoon, we slurped oysters in Cancale. And by nighttime, we had reached Saint Malo, a paradisiacal port city alongside the English Channel in Brittany. Monumental granite walls surround the charming historical center of a city that’s not just about tourism, despite its…
Dinner with the girls. Exploring Bordeaux’s culinary scene. Didn’t take too much convincing me to decide on Jean Pince, a seafood restaurant specializing in the “democratization of lobster,” whose concept and star dish was inspired by none other than good old Luke’s Lobster in Boston’s Back Bay. The four French friends behind Jean Pince dug the…
Hovering over Slussen in central Stockholm like a gigantic construction crane is Gondolen, a walkway forged in black metal, leading to the historic Katarinahissen (Katarina Elevator). Originally built in 1881, this passenger lift once served as a shortcut to the various levels of Södermalm Island. To understand just how old it is, imagine: it originally ran on…
Planning a trip is just a tad less stressful when my uncle and aunt host. On our most recent trip to Stockholm, they literally thought of everything. Just the right amount of sightseeing, some shopping and exactly the right restaurants for experiencing what Stockholm’s food scene has been up to recently. Our trip to Rosendal’s Trädgård…
Djurgården, there are few places like it. I wouldn’t mind getting lost here for hours, breathing in the remarkable freshness and quiet of the place before returning to the noisy city. One of the 24,000 scattered islands and islets making up Stockholm’s massive archipelago, the place is home to a vast array of historical buildings,…
A peaceful stroll through the grounds of Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm brought us to the scenic lakes, parks and gardens influenced by the lifestyle of Louis XV in his Versaille. What counts as a private residence of the royal Swedish family has been largely turned over to the public as a gorgeous little park in…
Faded wooden benches and tables, simply set and decorated with inventive French fare, artfully plated. Boasting a privileged location on a grassy bluff that overlooks the untouched Plage de Cenitz in Guéthary, Restaurant Le C. is a great choice for a long lunch or sunset dinner, ocean-side. Order a frosty bottle of rose to share…
I’m not quite sure whose birthday we were celebrating back in the August of 2014 at the restaurant terrace of the esteemed Savoy Caste in Ráckeve, Hungary. I remember my niece being there, my brother, his wife, my cousin? But while the memory of faces has long since faded, I remember the mood and food…
At around this time every year I get homesick for Hungary and nostalgic about the dishes I regularly enjoy there. I get to daydreaming about lángos by Lake Balaton, salted goose cracklins (libatepertő) on toast for breakfast, mixed Vecsési pickles on the side of all classic meat-and-paprika dishes, my grandma’s chilled sour cherry soup… And, although I don’t…
This is one of those meals I’ve been wanting to resurrect from my Drafts folder for quite some time now. Here goes. About a year ago, the beau and I rented a car and drove out to Benasque to spend some time enjoying the Spanish town’s gorgeous natural surroundings with my brother and his wife,…
“Elle connaît? Est-ce la première fois qu’elle en mange?” he asked my Frenchman with a half-assed nod in my direction. He wasn’t the best waiter, or even a very good one at all. But I get why he asked. “Oui, elle le connaît très bien,” came Ben’s answer. A lie but a well-placed one. When, on…
Passing through the endless aisles of Auchon on a Saturday morning a few weeks back, we collected essentials. Yoghurt and butter, milk and coffee, laundry detergent and Brita filters, salmon and steak. But when we got to the poultry case, a cellophane-wrapped package of flesh caught my eye. On a styrofoam tray 3 x 2…
