The Winding Stair, Dublin, Ireland

January 20, 2012
Restaurants
Leave a comment

Our two visits were almost three years apart, but there seems to have been no dip in the (very high) quality of food and service at the Winding Stair.

Right on the river, and attached to a bookstore, a meal there was the first thing we booked when we knew we’d be heading back to Dublin.  And we were not disappointed. The ingredients are local and artisanal and beautifully prepared.  

What also struck on our last visit was the smart service – to the point that our waiter politely but firmly told one of us the glass of dessert wine we ordered was a bad idea for the dessert we’d requested, and set us on the right path. Of course choosing the wrong dessert wine is a tiny thing, a ridiculous luxury ‘problem’ – but that interaction also demonstrated the level of respect the staff have for what the restaurant does.  If you’re going to invest in a good meal out, it’s great to invest in people who clearly care enough about what they’re doing to know the customer isn’t always right.

Peak Restaurant, Llanberis, Wales

November 16, 2011
Restaurants
Leave a comment

After a day of hiking in Snowdonia National Park, it was an absolute delight to come back to town and find the Peak Restaurant waiting for us.  There is nothing pretentious about the restaurant, but it serves food of a quality and creativity that you would have to work to find, even in a much larger city. Some locals thought the place was ‘expensive’ but ignore any such comments because: 1.  It’s very affordable; 2. You’d pay three times as much in any major city for this kind of quality; and 3. It would still be worth it at three times the price.

They take a great deal of care in sourcing products locally, from the best producers who specialize, for example, in different cuts of meat.  Sausages and pates are glorious, and you can find some great local beers to wash them down.

Plenty of hikes end with a freeze-dried dinner out of a packet, or worse.  While in Llanberis, take advantage of the opportunity to go visit a very talented chef, and have a top-quality dinner instead.

Piccolo Restaurant, Minneapolis, MN, USA

November 4, 2011
Restaurants
Leave a comment

So right off, I need to confess that I’ve known Piccolo’s Chef Doug Flicker for a long time.  Nonetheless, I think it’s safe to say that Piccolo is something remarkable.  A small restaurant, with small, intricately designed plates of food, which often leave you with no clear idea of what’s going to happen on your table.  But in the hands of people as capable as Doug and his team, the experience will be something unexpected and delightful.  They’re very good at what they do.  Just trust them.

The menu changes regularly, in accordance with what’s interesting and available, but the one dish that has remained since the start is “Scrambled brown eggs with pickled pig’s feet, truffle butter and Parmigiano.”  Sounds a bit weird, tastes excellent.  I had this for dessert because I just had to try it and needed to squeeze the extra course in somewhere.

And, finally, if you think my personal connections may be swaying the coverage, check out what this guy has to say at about 6 minutes 50 seconds.

Coppa Restaurant, Boston, USA

November 3, 2011
Restaurants
Leave a comment

While we love traditional Boston-style Italian food (read: heavy and red-sauced), it’s great to find some places like Coppa that are moving things along. We only wish we had a chance to try more than pizza and some antipasti, though both were brilliant. Carote (Marinated baby carrots with ginger and dahlia) and Cavolfiore (Marinated cauliflower with shallots, thyme, Ricotta Salata and sea salt) were both unexpected and clever.  The pizzas prompted a discussion of our short list of five-best-ever – they’ve in that territory.  We went for the Buratta Bianco (White pizza with buratta, heirloom squash and Calabrian chili oil) and Salsiccia (Tomato, spicy pork sausage, ricotta, and red onion).  Great food is complemented by an Italian wine list with some unusual varieties (e.g. our Carignano Surrau “Rosso Juannisolu”) arranged geographically, from north to south.

Another thing we love is that half the seats are held for walk-ins, so you always have a shot at getting in, although you might have to wait for a little bit.  But it’s worth the wait.

Fontana Park Hotel, Lisbon, Portugal

July 29, 2011
Hotels
Leave a comment

This gallery contains 2 photos.

One of the many benefits of Lisbon’s inexpensive taxis is that they make staying at slightly out-of-the center hotels like the Fontana Park Hotel a viable option. The Fontana Park is more than viable – it’s stylish, comfortable and the very reasonable rates – at times well under €100 per night, make it worth a …

Read More