Not a very long drive north of Barcelona is the coastal town of Calella de Palafrugell, one of the three coastal towns forming the Costa Brava. The seashore boasts a beautiful string of pebble-floored coves, naturally U-shaped beaches that look as if small bites of coastline were taken by a hungry sea. Bright beads of sunshine glitter white…
In discussing the myriad of culinary experiences I’ve been part of in the past few years I generally make it a point to avoid delving into the quality of the service, especially when it does not significantly affect the atmosphere of the venue or the quality of the food. I’d like to avoid being mistaken for the narrow-minded, overprivileged snob tourist…
As another summer approaches I instinctively get to thinking about returning to Hungary to visit the family and sinking my toes into the sodden, silken sludge of Balaton Lake. I think perhaps too much about where and what I’d like to eat: velős pirítós (herbed calf brain on toast) in Balatonfüred with a crispy cool glass of Irsai…
A visit to Château Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape during my recent trip to Provence was a major check off the wino bucket list. The boo and I toured the impressive estate, learned about the various Grenache-dominant blends of thirteen varietals, heard the spiel on the region’s history, traditions and terroir. I badgered our knowledgable guide with an endless…
We crossed the French border and arrived in the sleepy Pyrenean town of Vernet-les-Bains about one hour later. As he shuffled around bananas, snack bars, pyjamas and warm gear in the backpack that rested in the trunk of the car, I set about changing in the backseat, slipping on my tight but supportive sports bra, airy trail pants and hiking boots.…
WRITTEN IN NOVEMBER, 2014 IN PRIORAT, SPAIN I haven’t been to too many restaurants in the past month but I’ve been eating well for the most part. On some days it’s defrosted ragout dumped over still quite crunchy pasta cooked on a stove whose gas source doubles as a hot water heater for the shower.…
Out on the bank of the Guadalquivir river, in one of the most hip, if touristy, neighborhoods of Sevilla is the Mercado Lonja del Barranco, a modern gourmet market housed inside of a building supposedly designed by Eiffel, constructed in 1861 and declared a World Heritage Site. As you enter this almost clinically clean and brightly…
“I will never move above Diagonal,” I solidly declared back in January. “That’s where old people and families live.” Maybe. But, as it turns out, El Barri Gòtic is for the most naive of tourists, Erasmus students and the shrewd, local pickpockets who rob them with ease. It’s the Disney World of Barcelona; far from the typical Catalan neighborhood for which…
It was our last day in Sevilla. Our trip had, unfortunately, come to an end. We only had one Andalucían meal left to enjoy, so we chose to have it at a restaurant recommended by my boyfriend´s old Erasmus buddy and local Sevillan. He had assured us that the price to quality ratio and authenticity of…
A few weeks ago my father came to Barcelona to attend a neuroscience symposium and to visit me in my newest city of residence. I met him in the hotel lobby at midday and he brought me down a colorful array of conference canapés wrapped in cocktail napkins. (Not the first time he’s done that. It’s become a bit…
That Best Bite 