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,…
Tag: #restaurants
Shiraz: An Iranian feast in Muscat
When a country is right across a narrow gulf from another, it is reasonable to assume the two countries’ cuisine should influence one another’s. In Oman, Iranian (or Persian) food is not as visible as one might expect, but Omani food certainly benefits from a history of Persian/Iranian trade and culture. During my visit to…
50th Post: Mumtaz Mahal, sumptuous Indian in Oman
Welcome to the 50th post of The Culinary Diplomat! Thank you to all of you – friends, family, or the fellow bloggers from Word Press – for checking us out, following this blog, and offering feedback. Thank you to my two CD Ambassadors (guest bloggers)! To the rest of you, please consider submitting a guest…
The best – and most expensive – lunch I ever ate: Le Parc at Les Crayeres, Reims
Imagine eating lunch in a museum dedicated to food. The walls and soft pastel furnishings have the regal feel of a palace. The food is presented as a series of exquisite courses, each a work of art; each outdoing one another. The atmosphere in the dining room is one of pure reverence, silence as each…
The best (restaurant) Indian I ever ate
The best restaurants tend to be those recommended by locals. For a foreigner, I think it’s safe to say that a recommendation from a native who happens to be an expat or immigrant to your own home country is an even better bet. I call this the restaurant that is the best of both worlds:…
Eating Thai…Or a version of Asian in Bolivia
If you’re a foodie, frequent traveler and tend to have longer stays in a particular city, at some point, your objective might shift from “let’s try good local food” to “let’s try something different.” Perhaps you’re sick of your limited choices and just want anything you haven’t already tried. Perhaps you don’t like native dishes….
Gaston Acurio, Peru’s famous culinary diplomat
Who is Gaston Acurio? If you are Peruvian, travel throughout South America, or read The Washington Post (USA), Wall Street Journal (USA), or Telegraph (UK), you may have heard about Gaston, the Peruvian celebrity chef and restauranteur known to most by only his first name. Parisian Le Cordon Bleu trained, Gaston has become the emissary…
Profile: Bordeaux’s Glouton, Le Bistrot
If I were to conceive the quintessential French bistro, it would look very much like Bistrot Glouton in Bordeaux, France. On a recent trip to Bordeaux, I had the pleasure of a lovely Saturday lunch there. A small, simple, and modern interior houses small wooden tables that place one in close proximity to fellow patrons,…
Two days in Bordeaux
If you have been looking to plan – or just dreamed about – a trip that includes hops around Europe or France, make sure to add Bordeaux to your bucket list. Wine is only a starting point. Whether or not you are an oenophile (wine lover), Bordeaux has a lot to offer visitors. A cosmopolitan…
Stockpot Riga: The Latvian spirit of The Culinary Diplomat
There are moments when I’m reminded why I started this blog. Moments that inspire me to share the joys of food – from the exotic to seemingly mundane Americana – with everyone. The first experience – well, ok, let’s be honest; all four visits – made me positively giddy with excitement to be able to…
The Culinary Diplomat 