Another favorite fast food meat in Slovenia is Pljeskavica, often referred to endearingly as “Balkan burger.” Originally a Serbian dish, Pljeskavica can be found in pretty much any former Yugoslavian country. It’s a patty of ground pork and beef flavored with minced onion, garlic, salt and paprika and grilled over charcoal. It can be served as a hamburger,…
On the last day of our road trip in Slovenia my two sisters-in-law took off to Lipica, Sežana to visit the breeding ground of the famous Lipizza show-horse and ride a bit as well. The Lipizza stud was originally developed during the reign of Hapsburg Maria Theresa of Austria. These horses are fancy and white and as regal-looking as they must have been…
…And the place to do the Overpriced Seafood Tourist Shuffle in Portorož is on Obala. We chose Stara Oljka. The restaurant is on the beach and a few steps leads to water, yet this is a place to put your shirt and shorts on for. Wet bikinis and sandy bare feet are not part of the dress-code. A gorgeous terrace…
For me life doesn’t get much better than a plate of čevapčiči and ajvar with a solo of Laško on a sun-licked beach in southern Slovenia. The combination of juicy sausage, smoky veg spread and light Mediterranean lager on a hot summer day was enough for me in April to respond a resounding “Yes!” to my brother’s invitation to…
It was on the second morning of our road trip to Portorož, a sunlit beach town on the Adriatic coast of Slovenia, that the word burek was first uttered by my my sister-in-law in the context of local breakfast specialties. My brother, who studied abroad in Ljubljana in his college years and was perhaps too well acquainted with the dish winced at…
I type atop the lowered tray table of aisle seat 20-C on Aeroflot flight SU105, Moscow bound. At this point, all of my worldly possessions are either stored away in the garage of a family friend’s Takoma Park home or stuffed into suitcases in the belly of this former Soviet vessel. I’m leaving D.C. for a few months at least, setting…
“I do not have a favorite restaurant or bar in D.C., nor in any city I’ve ever lived in.” So goes my answer to a question I get asked far too frequently. I have a favorite mood though, and it’s one I’ve been lucky enough to find myself in quite often lately. Relaxed on a late summer afternoon, thirsty for something shaken and…
It was love at first sight. Goofy, silly puppy love. On a recent wine hop my friend recommended Boundry Road “for cocktails, for wine, for pretty much anything.” We spilled out of The Pursuit (a.k.a. that new place with the grilled cheese and wine) into Boundary across the street, nabbing a seat at the bar. I asked for a…
“Smell my hands,” I insisted, reaching forward from the back seat of my friend’s car on Tuesday night. They smelled like ground corn, earthy and dank in the heavy summer heat. The sides of my mouth sizzled pleasantly from residual salsa, marred by aggressive little bits of habanero hidden amidst garlic and cilantro. Three tacos for…
A few weeks ago I found myself on a train to New York, with no concrete plans other than to stroll lazily around in the brutal summer heat of the city with my oldest childhood friend and her boyfriend, who were visiting the States for the first time. Fortunately, they had checked off the Empire State Building,…
That Best Bite 