This post is the first in a series about Tunisia, a small country on the Mediterranean Sea in North Africa. To many of you in Europe, it may be familiar as a budget-friendly tourist destination at its beach resorts. To much of the rest of the world, Tunisia took on importance as the birthplace of…
Category: Travel
The best grits you’ll ever eat – and make yourself
Often in life, the best ideas are the simplest. The best dishes are not necessarily the most complex – like molecular gastronomy, for example. Nice to look at, but really? These grits, quite the opposite, are insanely good. I promise you that you will never taste grits as good as this recipe. I also bet…
Wedel chocolate cafe: Polish confections for a chocoholic
Women and chocolate. Few food stereotypes are more appropriate – at least in my case. I am someone constantly in search of my next chocolate fix. In Krakow, Poland, I did not have to look too hard to find Wedel, a chain of chocolate cafes that feel like the perfect spot to celebrate girls’ day…
Zielona Kuchnia: An organic experience in Krakow
Classic continental European dishes take on organic, Polish interpretations at one of Krakow’s best modern restaurants. I’ve found that I can visit any city in Europe and find menus that put the city, region, or country’s spin on dishes from throughout the continent. The more I travel, the more I notice the culinary influences of…
Pod Aniolami – ‘Under the angels’ and underground for Poland’s best
Step back in time for an underground (literally!) feast of some of Poland’s finest cuisine deep in the heart of Krakow. A colleague who knows Poland well highly recommended Pod Aniolami (literally “Under the Angels,” translated) for both the excellent food and a walk back into medieval Poland. Not one to ignore such an enthusiastic…
Exploring food and beverages in Lesser Poland
What is Polish cuisine? While it is always tough to define or pigeonhole any country or locale’s food, Polish cuisine is not vastly deviant from that of other eastern European nations or groups. Traditional foods are well suited for its bone-chilling winters. Sausage, pork, potatoes, cabbage, beets, and sour cream are a few of its…
Mutabel: The Arabic twin of Baba Ghanouj
A creamy eggplant dip with the bite of garlic and an almost airy fluffiness, accented with nutty olive oil – sound familiar? Think of Mutabel as the fraternal twin of Baba Ghanouj: nearly identical ingredients, expressed just a bit differently. If you didn’t have them side-by-side, one could easily mistake them for one another. This…
Barcelona – an upscale Spanish wine and tapas chain captures the East Coast
In the world of food writing, restaurants with multiple locations (dare I say ‘chain’?) are portrayed often as second class. Reviews or endorsements of those types of restaurants, more often than not, tend to be more along the lines of press releases and paid marketing. I absolutely believe in the power of promoting a small,…
Bourbon Brown Sugar Caramel Ice Cream
Looking to America for culinary inspiration, I bring you an ice cream to wow your friends or guests. Brown sugar, caramel, and cream accentuate the Southern charm of bourbon. Crumbled caramel-cashew cookies add buttery sweetness and crunchy texture to this grown-up dessert. I wrote my first blog post several months before the launch of The…
Nonna’s Kitchen at Alphonse: An Italian experience on Washington, DC’s U Street Corridor
When fine dining becomes a memorable and entertaining experience worth savoring and you feel that you aren’t simply a number at a table begging to be turned over to the next reservation, that’s when the bill is worth every penny. When foods you would just as soon avoid become bites you can’t get enough of,…
The Culinary Diplomat 