Portland’s Voodoo Doughnut is not your mom and pop establishment. Irreverent and quirky, its doughnut art embodies the “keep Portland weird” motto and the joke that Portland is stuck in the 1990s – on steroids. Yet it also delivers on freshness, creativity, and flavor just as does Portland’s food scene. You just won’t see many…
Month: July 2015
Beer diplomacy: A LoCo, Virginia brewery tour
Northern Virginia’s horse and hill country has joined the global craft beer craze, and local breweries are fast becoming alternatives (or threats) to wine tourism in the region. Today, peek inside Loudoun County, Virginia’s intriguing and growing craft brewing industry. Sharing a meal is a great way to share or experience one’s culture – whether…
Belgium’s Westvleteren 12: Going great lengths for the Holy Grail of beers
Travel by car to the western edge of Belgium, and encounter the Trappist beer aficionados have coveted for decades – one of the few remaining true Trappist monastery owned and operated breweries left unspoiled by marriage to the corporate world: Westvleteren. I first learned of Westvleteren, or “Westie” as its cult following affectionately refers to…
Steinernes Haus: Steak on a hot stone
Steak on a hot “lava” stone is a fun, interactive way to enjoy a meal. My one and only introduction to the genre left me wishing it was common outside of Germany. When you think about it, it’s a bit odd that we humans seek out restaurant experiences in which we pay to cook our…
Fontana di Trevi: Italian at its best in Frankfurt
Perfectly balanced beef carpaccio accented with chanterelles; ethereal angel hair pasta with shaved black truffles; gnocchi with tangy gorgonzola sauce. Those dishes were irresistible at Frankfurt’s Fontana di Trevi. I have to admit that despite my German ancestry, I’m not a huge fan of German food. It’s too much pork and potatoes for my taste…
The Rhine Wine Cruise
The best adventures are those born of the unexpected. That absolutely came to pass when a group of us took a day cruise up the Rhine (Rhein) river in search of an authentic Rheingau winery experience. After a great experience at the Rheingau Wine Festival in Wiesbaden, my friends decided we would make it a full…
The Rheingau Wine Festival
Germany loves its festivals. During summer months, you can’t throw a rock without hitting a new festival. And a German wine festival is a sight to behold. Or, rather, an extravaganza for all of the senses to behold. If you’re looking for happy people, interesting if not great music, refined festival cuisine, and every nuance…
Watermelon frozen Greek yogurt
Delicate, light, and refreshing, this easy frozen yogurt is a guilt-free dessert you’ll love. Whether you’re looking for a novel idea for a baby shower or cookout, or just a Tuesday night, try it out. Start to finish in under an hour! Watermelon is easy is fresh and easy to come by in the summer….
Sweet and spicy Thai-inspired chicken sausage and arugula salad
Sweet and spicy. That might describe my own personality a bit, but it definitely fits this salad. An easy, healthy meal for a hot summer day, or if you’re like me, year round! Another salad? Isn’t this kind of cheating? Perhaps. The cook-from-scratch purist in me is embarrassed to pass off my go-to salad as…
Simple watermelon salad with feta, arugula, and mint
Watermelon is one of summer’s most refreshing fruits. When paired with salty feta cheese, it becomes a gourmet centerpiece of a refined meal. Add mint and arugula, and you have yourself a simple but striking example of fusion. As a belated homage to the USA’s July 4th Independence Day, I bring you an all-American, “salad bowl”…
The Culinary Diplomat 