Porto, Portugal

I have been lax in my blogging about our trip to Portugal. You all know most of the photos I take are of the food we eat, but here I took some pictures of the area.  This is still a work in progress but I wanted to get it up so you could see some of the photos.

Portugal and specifically the city of Porto is right on the Atlantic Ocean.  New York City is literally across the ocean, just on the other side!!!! Most of the buildings are very old and have the typical mosaic tile covering the fromt.

We began our trip in London and then flew to Portugal for three days well 4 if you count the day wasted in the Porto airport because they didn't have a crew for our flight.  Ohhhh, don't ask,  just take my word and when someone tells you what TAP airlines stands for "Take Another Plane", trust me, they aren't joking.

Our trip to Portugal was based on a Vino Verde (Verde is prounced Veard the e at the end is silent) my friend O had 1 drank several months ago from a wine producer called Casa de Mouraz. They use a ladybug symbol on their labels that signifies their wines are biodynamic.  The wine was so unlike a typical Vino Verde in that the grapes tasted like Riesling.  We were so enamoured of this wine not only did we want to get more we wanted to meet the wine makers.  After some difficult investigating O finally found them.  This trip was about meeting the wine makers and visiting their vineyards with the hope of bringing back some of their wine.

My friend O also has an American friend living in Porto for almost 20 years, she plays Violin in the local orchestra so it was also a great excuse to visit her. She is amazing, a plethra of information about the city and the best tour guide ever.  She is fluent in Portugese and told us all about the history past, present and possible future of the city.


Porto is a very poor city and every where you go you can see the remnants of history in the local ruins (which are mostly old homes with mosaic tile covering the front and in some cases sides as well).  The people of Porto and maybe most of Portugal are very laid back and don't seem to realize it, they are also very friendly.

Along the Atlantic coast of Porto is a beach lined with a few cafes and restaurants.  Each restaurant has a deck where you can look out on the ocean or view it from the dinning room.  These restaurants seem to be a little on the pricey side for the locals but for visitors they are reasonable.  The food isn't spectacular but it's good. One of the restaurants Shis has a view of the beach and gives the impression of being on a boat.  We had a delicious meal of Duck with black pepper and vanilla.   The best meal we had in Porto was at the restaurant Cafeina.  They also have a wine bar up the block on the corner where a glass of wine runs about $2.50 a $3.00 glass is considered expensive.  Almost everyone you come across speaks English and they love the chance to practice. By the time we got to the restaurant I must have been more inebriated than I realized.  Looking back on my notes I only noted 3 things.  The first was an outstanding smoked duck and chestnut soup. Then we had an appetizer a Bacalou Carpaccio with arugula and parmesan cheese.  This was served with chickpeas and I've never known I could like baccalou before.  (No matter how it's been prepared for me in the past I've never liked it.  It's always much too fishy for me.) This dish was delicious. I don't know what I ordered as an entre but it might have been  Nero Pasta with Shrimp, Octopus and tomato.  And then my notes just end just like that.  All I know is that the wine we ordered something from the Beiras area went well with everything.  Apparently from my notes it had a full fruity nose with a sort of buttery finish but not much in the mid range.  Sorry I can't add more to that.  Unfortunately the lighting was very low in the restaurant and I didn't want to rudely use my flash so none of the photos came out either.

The morning after we arrived in Porto we met the wine makers, Sara & Antonio, at a local restaurant in Porto I think the name was En Casa- but not to worry if you're going to visit there are some better restaurants to try. Though I enjoyed this meal it was on the expensive side and the food was very Mom & Pop mostly fried and served with 3 different rice dishes and mediocre bread.  I don't remember most of the food except the fried squid and some other local fried fish were very tasty.  During lunch we tasted Sara & Antonio's wines.  Of course the one we were looking forward to was the Vino Verde.  I'm going to say upfront that Sara & Antonio know how to make wine and many of their wines taste like they will need some aging though even young I enjoyed most of the reds. I preferred the Vino Verde.  If you get a chance look for the Casa de Mouriz label.  They are small producers so each year their wine can be significantly different.  Their current Vino Verde doesn't taste anything like the Vino Verde we had from them.  Of all the wines we drank I think I preferred their Vino Verde above the others.

Sara and Antonio are lovely people who took us to lunch and to dinner and spent 2 days driving us around the Duoro area of Portugal where the hills and mountains are composed solely of vineyards with a sparse few trees here and there. They use 3 vineyards- the story of which I don't fully remember but it's shared land.The hills of the Duoro also contain the vineyards of the worlds top Port Wine vineyards.  In my opinion the wines of Portugal though they may work with the local foods are not as sophisticated as the wines of say Italy or France.  The Portugese wine makers have some refining to do.  Though they have many hidden gems Grape and Apple juice for two.  Unlike any you have ever had.  They should be exporting the juice which is not your kids apple or grape.  These juices are great, unfortunately they are not exported to the U.S. but luckily in Portugal they can be found in local supermarkets.

The view driving through the Duoro is magnificent as the  river flows through the vineyard clad mountains.One place to stop overnight is the Hotel Folgosa Duoro right across the street, literally, from a fantastic local, modern, delicious Portugese restaurant (which at first it looks out of place in mountain side town but at the same time it fits perfectly nestled along the river) Rui Paula which by the way has two locations the other being in Porto. The chefs expression of local cuisine is taken to a new level and for the discerning traveling palate this is one of the places to go in Porto. On of the dishes we had here was a sausage called Alheira. It's a traditional dish we saw in many restaurants.  The sausage is made of various poultry and smoked to imitate the flavor of pork and you'd never know it wasn't.  The smoked meat was wrapped in a filo type pastry served with a port reduction and mushrooms.  The smoked flavor was outstanding.

All in all I am happy I visited Portugal the highways are pristine mainly because they are new and almost no one uses them- the tolls are very expensive.  I would like to return but I may visit Spain first.  My experience in the airport still reminds me that I lost 24 hours I could have spent in Paris eating and drinking amazing food and wine.  And yes that can happen anywhere but for me it happened in Portugal so don't fly TAP.

We will definitely return to this area and spend some time in Spain as well as continuing to explore the food and wine or Portugal.

London, England

What a cold week it was.  It's a good thing the food scene in London is taking off.  Stayed with some great new friends and had a ball.

To begin with London has some great new places to get coffee.  And in fact the world barista champion lives in London.  His company Prufock is now serving coffe in the men's clothing store Present. Not only is the espresso outstanding the men's clothes looked cool too.

There are 6 new coffee shops including Dose , if you go into one they will give you a card with all the addresses so you can make the rounds.

They've even got a pizza scene going on but in my opinion it still has a ways to go.  Mostly in the cheese department. Franco Manca has the beginnings (and again I stress this is my opinion) of what could be the best pizza in London.  But they're using some very dry mozarella which is as yellow as butter and is plastic tasting to me.  As you all know I've been making and experimenting with my sourdough pizza so I think I know one or two things.  I think their oven isn't hot enough but what do I know...The place is busy and is the real deal.

London has some very nice wine shops. Planet of the Grapes on Oxford Street (they also have a wine bar). We tasted a lovely Flaccianello 2000 from them.  Went to Borough Market for dinner, fresh meats, produce, seafood, spanish ham, breads etc and, fabulous cheese next door from Neals Yard Dairy and to top it off more amazing coffee from Monmouth Coffee which all makes a trip to London worth the cold spring weather.

There are now so many wonderful places to go I've just included links to the places we went.  I highly recommend a good map and get yourself an Oyster card for the metro (their version of the metro card sort of).

Restaurants have also picked up the pace.  Restaurant St. John has been around for a while setting the pace (thought it's taken a while to catch on), by owner and writer of the book Nose to Tail.  Eat at the bar, not only are the prices a steal compared to dinner, the food is outstanding, the bread other worldly - worth the trip for lunch and they're a few blocks from the Dose coffee shop.

We had dinner at a Moorish restaurant, Moro located in the Exmouth Market.  This lively place serves tapas with a great variety of sherry by the glass.  I had an Amontillado, a Tio Diego Baldespino Jerez de lat Frontera for 4,25 pounds a glass.  The aroma typical of sherry but oh the flavor wonderfully nutty with a great dry finish that went incredibly well with the selection of tapas: fried chickpeas, syrian lentils, anchovies, and of course amazing olives.

To accompany the first course a Martin Berdugo Joven 2008 of Sweet breads and peas (I never knew I could like sweet breads), Salt Cod with Fava beans this was not fishy or salty at all.  These people know how to cook.  Followed by a Ballabrign 2007 Somontano with an earthy deep berry to go with the Lamb, Pork, Chicken and even Sea Bass.  The staff is friendly and accommodating and sat two of us before the other 6 arrived, now isn't that nice.

Eating good food and drinking amazing wine is more fun when you can share it with friends who enjoy it as much as you do.

London has a lot to offer so plan your day.  Stop at the Tate Modern, Yay it's free to get in and you can walk over the Millenium bridge and see the history all around you..

I just wanted to get this out since just arriving home.. There's more to come on Porto and Paris.

Gramercy Tavern Bar & The Modern Bar Room

Two of my favorite places to go are the Gramercy Tavern Bar and The Modern Bar Room.  The food is consistently good,.  the atmosphere inviting and the staff knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. I have no reservations about recommending either of these places on a consistent basis' I bet most of you don't know that if you ask you'll find The Modern has a no corkage policy on Sundays.  The staff loves to see what the clientele is bringing in next.

Just so you know, I"ve eaten in the Gramercy Tavern restaurant many times and always enjoyed the food.  The bar is just more relaxed though it might be too noisy for some, I enjoy it more.  I've never eaten at The Modern restaurant aside from the bar room.

At Gramercy Tavern Bar, not all the dishes are excellent all of the time.  Sometimes a dish isn't quite up to expectations.  I've had a pork chop a touch over cooked now and then but the melding of flavors and other ingredients adds another dimension that makes up for it.  I'm always satisfied and happy after a meal.

The menu at The Modern Bar is full of small plates I love to share. Generally the dishes are the same. But the chef changes them up by substituting a different fish or a new preparation. If you have any dietary restrictions ask your waiter, they will help you out, if the kitchen can leave something out or put it on the side they are very accommodating. This is what I love about this place. The sausage with house made sauerkraut has become my new comfort food. Sunday has become the best time to get together with friends for no corkage Sundays.  It's a great place to get together and do blind tastings as a couple of my friends love to do.

Not sure what to have or what something is?... ask the staff,  Debating between two dishes, share, you might find the kitchen gives you more than you actually ordered.  It's customer service at it's best.

These two places have become my 'go to' places whether in a pinch or not in the mood for anything else. It's best to make a reservation in advance if going to The Modern, though they do take walk-ins. Gramercy Tavern Bar only takes walk-ins but the restaurant takes reservations.

Gramercy Tavern Bar
42 East 20th Street
New York, NY 10003-1300
(212) 477-0777

The Modern Bar Room
9 West 53rd Street
New York, NY 10019-5401
(212) 333-1220

Eating Tacos in Corona Queens

This past Friday night my friend and I decided to head out to Corona, Queens for tacos.  We hopped on the 7 express and took it to 103rd street. Corona must have the highest concentration of Mexican and Latino food, anywhere in the 5 boroughs (please forgive me if I'm wrong). Walking along Roosevelt Ave between 104th and 90th Streets there were so many Taco StandsTaco Stands, Equadorian Food Tucks, Mexican and Latin Restaurants,. The area looked like it was getting ready for partying after a huge sports game. You can find taco stands on every corner and the only way to find the best... follow you nose. And, oh yeah, and see how many people are lined up out front.

We wandered the area eating for about 2 1/2 hours.  Our first stop was Tortilleria Nixtamal on 104th Street and 47th Avenue known for making fresh tortillas. They are very friendly and clean.  The skate taco and carnitas taco are both delicious and I enjoyed the red and green salsas. Then we headed to a place formerly called La Espiga Bakery  that had been written up in the NY Times back in 1998.  It's not clear as to it's current name but it's still the same place. It might not be anything to look at, it's a bit run down and looks as though it hasn't been painted or had the menus replaced since it first opened. The tables are communal and the prices dirt cheap.  We ate tamales, tacos and something I don't remember the name of.  It was a flour tortilla filled with beans, grilled and then topped with cheese- I'll call it delicious! This place has fabulous, authentic food. The next time I'm in the mood for tacos I'll take a trip out here.

Walking around at 8pm the barber shops and beauty salons were still busy. The area had this feeling that the streets were about to be jam packed with people and the taco stands were just getting set up. The atmosphere was on the verge of being almost electric, but not quite.

Next we headed back to Roosevelt Avenue and began to walk under the elevated train back towards Junction Blvd.  At 99th street and 39th Avenue there's an island where a typical looking taco truck is parked, except this one is making exceptional food.  They had a plastic entrance covering the front with 3 people standing behind the grill.  The woman on the right took our order and our money (she also seemed to be taking orders on the phone). The woman on our left was making fresh flour tortillas and the man in the middle was helping her cook.  If you've never had fresh tortillas let me tell you they are nothing like the ones you buy in the supermarket or are served in most restaurants..  Fresh flour tortillas are light and delicious, nothing like the heavy leaden ones that wraps are made from.  I never knew they were so delicious. We ordered a zucchini flower quesadilla and an al pastor taco.  The quesadilla was divine.  Light and cheesy,sweet and just delicious. The pastor, tender and tasty!  I wish we hasn't eaten so much at the other places.  This taco stand is worth the trip here alone, if just for the quesadilla.  I'll be back to this stand for sure.


Best Taco Stand (in my opinion)
99th Street and 39th Avenue
Under the Elevated Train on Roosevelt Ave.

La Espiga
4213 102nd St
Queens, NY 11368
(718) 779-7898

Tortilleria-Nixtamal-Corona
104-05 47th Ave
Corona, NY 11368
(718) 699-2434

Roman's Fort Green Brooklyn

Last week during the snow storm (you know the one to dwarf all others -heeheehee), my friend and I hopped on the B train and headed out to Fort Green, Brooklyn to Roman's, (named for owner, Andrew's younget son).  They've only been open for about 2 months. 

Yes, the trains were empty and the streets in Brooklyn, unlike Manhattan, were snowy & the wind was icy cold but nothing someone from the boros couldn't handle. The residential streets off Dekalb looked magical with the snow draped over all the big trees and the stoops, it was the perfect time to have this adventure. 

Late last summer we took a trip out to this area just for some ice cream at the General Green Ice Cream cart, also on Dekalb.  Roman's hadn't opened but there were some other restaurants that looked worth trying. I plan on coming back to this area to check them out, so I'll let you know.  On your way up or down Dekalb Ave you can also stop a Bitter Sweet a hole in the wall coffee shop that also has some very interesting ice cream flavors as well  (Momo Milk Bar eat your heart out).  

When you first walk into Roman's you notice the walls at Romans are mostly white tile (except for the colorful mosaic tile in place of a painting).  This place has a lovely atmosphere, the music is inviting and hip and  you can still have a conversation and hear the waiter too. The staff is welcoming and friendly and the feeling is easy going. The lighting is romantic, the tables and chairs are very comfy. And on our way out I counted the tables and including the bar this intimate place seats 47.  This is also one of the few times we didn't take a seat at the bar which looked grand.  The kitchen is a large open room with a wood burning stove similar to the one they're using at Vinegar Hill House  (only wood fired no gas).  Even the bathrooms have character. 

I know I'm blabbing about things other than the food so yes, yes, yes the food is outstanding.  The menu is hand written and yes, that can be a little hard on older eyes too but as my eyes adjusted to the light I was able to read it. So far this is a dream restaurant for anyone who likes simple delicious food, or someone who eats out a lot or a little and like to have the chefs tasting menu without the huge expense. As I've read in other reviews dishes don't repeat on the menu.  My response to that is, so many restaurants have their menu staples & here's a place that so reminds me of the restaurant scene in San Francisco.  They're innovative and I'm all for it. (I wanted to say "lovin it"  but I didn't want to sound like a commercial!) It's all about farm to table, seasonal and local foods and that's alright by me. The locals have a star here in Brooklyn.  I wish this place were in my neighborhood.   

The waiter was friendly and very easy going. Unfortunately he really didn't know much about the wine we ordered.  It was a Barbera that we'd never tried before and the waiter didn't know that it really needed to be decanted before drinking. Apparently someone was paying attention because he came back to decant it.  As you all know I'm just starting to learn about wine and I'm very grateful to have had this experience.  Some red wines have a slight effervescence to them that some people think is a flaw but in some cases it adds something to a red wine in this case it didn't. This bottle probably shouldn't be on the menu or it should only be by the glass.  This in fact is my only real complaint about this place.  I'm sure the owners will be expanding their wine list as most of it is French.  For a place serving local and organic foods they need to step up the wine list to reflect the smaller producers out there making amazing wines.

 Ok, so back to the food, we started with the puntarelle (chicory family) salad, with a delicious yet simple tangy lemon dressing.  We moved onto the Maine shrimp, which are in season right now, this very moment, I'm sure they will be on the menu for at least a couple of days.  The most delicious shrimp I've ever eaten, fried so delicately, drizzled with a lemon aioli the shells so crispy and tasty, were a pleasure to eat.  The pasta must be homemade if not in house by someone nearby served with a pork ragu to showcase the pasta, The prices on the menu we saw ranged from $5-$18.  Items off the menu can run on the high side $48.  But $48 gets you two Veal porterhouse steaks that are one and a half inches thick, served with a fabulous local creamy polenta.  In fact we were full enough to take 1 home.  We ordered the cookie plate for dessert and took most of them home. I ate the fig newtons for a snack before lunch the next day.

When it comes to dessert I can't eat it right after a great meal.  It pushes me over the edge and makes me feel over full and uncomfortable.  So, I'd rather have something an hour or two later but not always.  Some might complain about the small dessert list which in other reviews seemed to only be chocolate sorbet.  In fact I think the desserts at Romans will reflect the seasons as well.  So let's give them a break here and see what happens.

 Romans
243 Dekalb Ave.
Fort Green, Brooklyn

718-622-5300

Open Tuesdays - Sundays 5pm-11pm
Corkage is very friendly, hey'll probably waive it if you buy a bottle..... but don't quote me on that!

UPDATE Thursday March18th, 2010
Had dinner the other night with some friends visiting from Italy.  I've also been following the reviews on this, and I commented on the  New York Times review.