Prague - Praha August 2011

Prague Praha

There are a million tourists in the old town. This place is worst then Xmas shopping on Dec 24th. I am absolutely blown away by the crowds, this is something that I did not expect. But then it is the middle of the summer tourist season. Happily, I am also absolutely blown away by this phenomenally beautiful picturesque city. Think old town Europe in your imagination an this is what it's like. It's like Xmas miniatures under the tree (this time of year without the snow).

One beautiful old building after the other. An architecture lover’s paradise. Walk the narrow streets and let your imagination take over. What was it like here back in the day?


A1000 years ago?


500 years ago?


The wars?


The Nazis?


What was the Jews ghetto like?


The communists?






Walk and walk and walk and explore. The streets are cobblestone with large mosaic rocks bring sensible shoes.

Kate wants to buy an expensive marionette. Please no!


Even in the rain the city has charm. In the sun it's spectacular. I'm curious what the city would be like covered in snow? Yes exactly like those Xmas European town miniatures under the tree. I hope that someday I have the opportunity to return the winter.






We went back and forth across the Charles Bridge countless times. The river flows the tourists pose for photos the buskers play 30's American jazz and the crowds crowd.


Head up to the Prague Castle and check out how the well to do used to lived back in the day. The St Vitas Cathedral is a must see, go inside its mind numbingly grand.






All the restaurants serve practically the same thing. Be prepared to eat lots of meat.


Streetfood is sausages sausages and more sausages. Huge hams rotate on spits over burning logs. The tourists flock for a shaved chunk of ham from the spit.

Trdelnik are pastry rings roasted over an open flame wrapped around large wooden cylinders and then covered in sugar and nuts. I've never seen anything like this before. I'm thinking this would be a huge draw back home on the fair circuit or as local street food.


Pork anyone? A giant pig knee perhaps? Yummy, pass the Metamucil.


Every country I visit has pizza.


Pizza is truly the universal food. The Czech version is pretty good, thin crust Italian wood oven style.


Beer please. The Czech people drink more bear per capita then any other people on the earth. And it's good the original pilsner. You can't leave Prague without having at least many.

The City
The Food

A weekend at Longbeach, Vancouver Island, BC Canada

The rain beat down on the windshield like plywood boards. We can image the cold and dampness outside from inside the car. Wisps of cloud cling to the tops of the trees between the mountain ridges and then rise and disappear into the dark rainclouds obscuring the peaks. We are in a rainforest.


Summer and Murphy are not doing so well in the back seat. Murphy just lies there, obviously, feeling sorry for himself. Summer is panting hard. We need to get to Longbeach as soon as possible.


Cox Bay. I love the west coast. I love the thunder of the waves as they beat down on the sand beach and the vastness out over the horizon. Can you see China?

The surfers seem to be immune to the weather. There are dozens of them. They are insane the water temperature must be about 4°C. I wish I was there with them. Covered head to toe in neoprene which really doesn’t keep the cold out it just delays the inevitable. Eventually your body aches from the cold as your core temperature slowly drops. Your face and lips have long ago lot their feeling. Your fingers and toes are numb. I wish I was out there with them and then a cold beer afterwards to celebrate the experience.

Summer and Murphy love the beach. Summer is OCD and chases her ball. She would collapse from exhaustion before stopping. Murphy, my old man, is having hip issues but has put that out of his mind for the time being; there is too much excitement at the moment. Both are soaked and their fur is impregnated with sand and they are the happiest mutts in the world.


Sobo Tofino


Sobo is a much talked about restaurant in Tofino. Evolving from humble beginnings as a truck stop the restaurant now is a modern comfortable establishment. Enroute named it one of Canada’s best new restaurants in 2003. I’ve heard read great things about their fish tacos. I love fish tacos. I hated the Sobo version. Salmon the main ingredient had a strange flavour. Far from fresh it tasted as if the fish was boiled or braised in a light tomato sauce. The taco shell is crunchy not soft, another issue for me and there were huge pieces of pineapple and melon on top. The whole thing was just strange.

One more complaint; wilted herbs. Here’s the thing, you know when you cut herbs and add them to something like coleslaw and then you put the coleslaw in the fridge for a couple of days. When you bring it out the herbs have turned into pieces of unappetizing black slimy oxidised things. That was my coleslaw, which was a shame because the cornmeal crusted deep fried oyster it came with was outstanding. Fresh fresh fresh. OK, they got that right. They also got the Civiche absolutely right, it was also outstanding. Soft tender morsels of halibut, tomato, onions, lime juice. I love Civiche if it’s on the menu I order it and this one was a home run.

Sobo, a couple of misses a couple of homeruns. I can see why the hype, when they get it right they do great.

Also an award they need to add to their list: I personally give them the award for most outstanding men’s washroom sign.



Sunday morning. The sun breaks through the clouds. The air is fresh, sweet and salty. What a great contrast from the day before. What a truly magical part of the world.

 

Pied-à-Terre Vancouver Canada

Pied-à-Terre on Cambie is a small classic French 30 seat neighbourhood bistro. In true bistro style the place has a menu, but really doesn’t need a menu because all the good stuff, all the fresh stuff, is written on the chalk board by the kitchen.

The staff are professional, nice, yet a bit edgy. Maybe I’m just getting a bit old?

We were there for lunch and the other dinners were older, perhaps some business types out for a business lunch and maybe some neighbourhood retirees out for a leisurely group lunch. Not the grey haired type of retirees, more like the well off mid 50’s type that made a few bucks and are now enjoying life. There seams to be a lot of those in Vancouver. I’m on the freedom 95 plan myself so just feeling a bit bitter right now. Let’s get to the food.

Appetizers:

Salad frieze with bacon and poached egg; completely respectable. Is it me or are a lot of restaurants doing salads like this lately, creamy egg, smoky bacon, crisp frieze? On second thought, never mind, I can see why!

Scallops with pea shoots; nothing to write about but completely respectably yummy.

For the main I had the Beef bourguignon, classic French bistro; it tasted great, but threw me off a bit on the presentation. I was expecting something akin to a goulash or beef stew but this version is more short ribs and thick sauce. The Bourguignon paired great with a nice uncomplicated house red selection.

Special thumbs up for the frites and the extra truffle oil.

Pied a Terre is a nice cosy neighbourhood place, I wouldn’t hesitate going back in a heartbeat.

West Restaurant. Vancouver BC

I've been to West a number of times. Each time the food was great. The service impeccable. The atmosphere comfortable. West is consistently on Vancouver Magazines list of best restaurants. Why then did it feel just a bit off this time? The whole thing was just a bit Foo Foo. Maybe my tastes are changing? Maybe West is not really a lunch time destination? Maybe its more of an evening local? An entertain your potential client and make that million dollar sale type of place. (And spend a few dollars in the process).
It just didn't feel right. The food was just ok. The company great.I was here for lunch with a couple of friends. We shared some appies and ordered our own entrees.

The photos are below with a few comments.

TUNA CARPACCIO OF YELLOW FIN TUNA, YOUNG VEGETABLE ESCABECHE, AVOCADO MAYONNAISE GINGER AND CILANTRO GREMOLATA

Tuna was average. The fries were great. You know what Foo Foo mean? It means stacking your fries in little piles on the side of your plate.

TENDERLOIN 4 OZ PRIME BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH POMME FRITESGARLIC ROASTED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS, TOMATO AND ONION MARMALADE

Tastes just like the photo.

CRAB TIAN OF DUNGENESS CRAB AND SAFFRON COUSCOUS, SMOKED TOMATO GAZPACHO PORK

I love dungenous crab. Didn't like this so much. Tiny amounts of crab lots off couscous.

BACON WRAPPED FRASER VALLEY PORK LOIN, CRABAPPLE PUREE, BROCCOLINI 

SAUTEED SPAETZLE WITH AGASSIZ HAZELNUTS

 Nice!

Lima Peru

July 2nd, 2009
Mariel Hotel, Mira Flores District.

A friend of mine called Lima the “Armpit of South America”. A bit harsh? Let me explain. Lima is a desert city on the Pacific Coast. It never rains. The mist from the ocean and the pollution of the city form a layer of cloud cover that almost never leaves. Sunshine - almost never. So the Armpit of South America, certainly not an indication of the people, architecture or the food, but rather just a general gloom that exists because of the lack of sun. I’m also told that Lima has the dubious distinction of highest per capita suicides in all of South America. I don’t know? To me, it’s on the coast. Show me the ocean and I’m happy.

Lima is home to 9 million people, a third of the population of Peru, a giant sprawling maze. The buildings are a mixture of modern and colonial Spanish architecture. The traffic and the thought of actually driving in this city - brutal. And yet, there seems to be this casual calm atmosphere. Consider our bus driver, who thinks nothing of taking a right hand turn from the centre lane (3 lanes in). No stress, on his part anyway, I along with the other non locals in the bus were a wee bit anxious. To him it’s just another day in traffic. Even the other drivers in cars all around us were totally calm. This must happen all the time. And there you have the general feel of the city, laid back, casual. Man, if I drove like that back in Vancouver there would be major fallout.

A Small tour of the city:

First stop, Parkue de Amor, “Lovers Park “situated on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the park is dedicated to the old Peruvian custom of courting in public gardens. Lovers Park has a statue of a “kissing couple” by sculptor Victor Delfin. If I lived in Lima I would come here to hang out, look at the phenomenal views of the ocean, sit on the Guadi inspired mosaic benches, and take in the atmosphere. It’s a nice place except, that really, it’s a tourist trap. Bus after bus pull up, tourist stream out, walk around the small park, take pictures of the “kissing couple” and the mosaic benches, look at the pacific and then get back into their buses and drive away, just to make room for the next bus. I know, I was one of those tourists. Still, a very nice place.
Plaza Major

This is the spot where Lima was founded. Currently the oldest feature in the plaza is the bronze fountain in the centre dating to 1651. At one end of the Plaza is the “Palacio de Gabierro” the president’s palace. Someone important lives there, I can tell, by the military presence.

Kitty corner to the presidents’ palace is the Palcio Arzdsispal, (great Moorish styled carved balconies) home of the Archbishop of Lima. Nice to see church and state are separated by at least a road.

A few blocks from the Palaza Major is the Church and Convent of San Francisco. I’ve visited a ton of churches in my travels. It’s almost always the same thing, over the top design and decoration, overt decadence. They really tend to go for the wow factor and back in the day guess who had all the money? This place had a lot of that as well but it also had some truly unique and interesting things:

I loved the Guinea Pig Last Supper painting by Marcos Zapata, 1656. (sorry I couldn't sneak a picture).This is a take on the Da Vinci Last Supper with a few local alterations. Inca cups on the table for Chicha (Inca corn beer) and for the main course; a cuy chatactado (roast guinea pig – the local delicacy). Also for dinner, papaya and hot peppers. The original last supper painting, you may remember, is a portrait of Jesus and the apostles sitting at a long table. Here, Marcos has added a few people. It seems that in order to curry favour with the church, to make sure you gain access to heaven, it was advisable to fund religious works such as this. However, since I’m funding the thing, I might as well be in it as well - right? Hey Marcos, my left side is my good side. Priceless.

The Catacombs. Under the church there are mazes of interconnecting Catacombs. Used as a cemetery during colonial times it is unknown how many people have actually been buried down here. Somebody, well probably a few people, tried to count and that’s why the majority of bones are separated a stacked. Femurs, tibias, skulls all neatly pilled high. The best estimate so far is 70 000 corpses lay buried here. Check out the artistic design on the round sinkhole, 60 meters deep. How’s that for the wow factor.

The Covenant Library dating from the 17th century, houses 20 000 rare books from the 15th to 18th century. This place was gorgeous. (Sorry I could not sneak a photo). This library makes me think though. Yes, I want a beautiful place for all of my books, but you know what? I think I’ll go out a burn all the Inca ones. Yup, that makes sense.

The food in Lima is world renowned especially the seafood.
The best part of traveling for me is often the local cuisine. The problem on tours like the one I was on is that you never know if you are going somewhere good or somewhere were the guide gets a kickback. The answer to this question, although not answered today, was none the less all good.
Lunch: Las Tegas.
Just a small local restaurant serving fresh local food. I love that.

Cebiche de Pescado (Fish ceviche): Phenomenal. Looking back, I don’t think I had a bad Cebiche anywhere in Peru and I ordered it anytime I saw it on the menu.
Chupe de Camarones, river shellfish in a deep seafood broth. Totally great.
Check out a review of Las Tegas on the Fodors website:

www.fodors.com/world/south-america/peru/lima/review-144193.html

Dinner: Café Café at Marina del Larco
This place feels like a chain restaurant. Maybe it was the local or the Tony Romas and Hooters in the same complex. No worries though the food quality was far from chain restaurant crap. The food here, or at least what I had, was outstanding and worthy of any high end seafood restaurant I’ve visited.

Grilled Octopus with roasted potatoes. The octopus was a bit chewy, but the sauce made up for it, heat from chili’s and a citrus twang.
Mixed Seafood Cebiche: Like I mentioned before, the Cebiche rocks, great heat from the Chilis and just enough acid from the citrus. I can never replicate Cebiche at home. It never has the depth of flavor I’ve experienced here.
I purchased a Peruvian cookbook: The Art of Peruvian Cuisine. This is an outstanding cookbook.
Visit: http://www.artperucuisine.com/ all the recipes are online.

How to make a pisco sour, (from the Art of Peruvian Cuisine), we drank a ton of these :

Ingredients:
To make the sugar syrup:
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tbsp water
For the drink:
• 7 ½ oz (225 ml) Pisco
• 2 ½ oz (75 ml) key lime juice
• 1 egg white
• Ice
To serve:
Angostura Bitters


Preparation
To prepare the sugar syrup:
Put ½ cup of sugar in a small saucepan with 3 tablespoons of water, just enough to moisten the sugar. Bring the mixture to a slow boil and while stirring, cook until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

To make the sour:
Pour the key lime juice and the Pisco into the warm sugar syrup and stir thoroughly to blend the ingredients completely. Pour the mix into a blender jar and add just enough ice to double the volume of liquid in the glass. Blend on high for an additional 30 seconds to crush the ice. Add one egg white and blend on high for one minute. Transfer to a pitcher and serve immediately in either old-fashioned or white wine glasses. Traditionally, a drop of Angostura Bitters is placed in the middle of the foam in each glass.

The essential mix is 3 parts Pisco to 1 part key lime juice and 1 part sugar syrup: you can use this proportion to increase the recipe to produce any number of drinks.

Tip: A fourth measure of pisco may be added for a stronger drink. If you like, the “edge” can be taken off this stronger version by adding a touch more sugar syrup.

That’s it from Lima. Off to Cuzco.

Blue Water Café and Raw Bar, Vancouver. BC



I bought the Blue Water Café cookbook at Costco for a couple of reasons; I like the restaurant and I like cookbooks with pictures. Start the peanut gallery comments but I like to see the finished dish before I start to cook it. The photos and food looked outstanding and it became pretty darn obvious pretty darn fast that I had to go back and eat there.
Blue Water Café is one of the best, upscale Vancouver restaurants. A huge space, a bar where you come just to be seen and were the beautiful people hang out. OK, no more peanut gallery comments about what I was doing there.
And a much talked about (read expensive) sushi bar headed by cut master Yoshi Tabo . I didn’t have any sushi, but it sure looked good coming out to other tables.
The overhead for this place must be huge and that often worries me sometime on the price side. And yes, this place is expensive but they deliver. I haven’t had a bad meal or for that matter a mediocre meal here yet.
There a re few things I tend to order 90% of the time when I see them on the menu. One is ceviche.
Here the Mixed Ceviche, cucumber, grapefruit, ginger, fresh coriander was outstanding. In fact I just saw it on a list in Vancouver Magazines 101 things to eat in Vancouver before you die. I have to agree on this dish. There were some other questionable choices in the mag. Nobody ever asks me.

I’m waffling between a B+ and an A- primarily, because the main dish, the Big Eye Tuna
braised fennel, artichokes and green olives, veal jus with roasted garlic and anchovy did not blow me away. Not to say that it was mediocre, but you sometimes expect a bit more from a place like this. Sorry.
Overall the BLue Water Café is the Type of place that I wouldn’t hesitate recommending and visiting often.
Check them out at: www.bluewatercafe.net

Au Pied du Cochon

Au pied de Cochon, Montreal, Quebec

Oh My God, this was the richest, biggest most decadent restaurant meal I have ever had. This place believes in “everything in excess”. I must have had 10 000 calories in my meal and I loved every single one of them. I asked the waitress for a nutritional breakdown of the menu and she laughed at me. I smiled back. This is not the restaurant to ask foolish questions like this. Do not come here if you are on a diet. Come here if you want blow your head off, not to mention your belt buckle, good food. I mean, what restaurant serves “pig head for two”? That’s right; a big honking roasted pigs head served on a platter and brought to your table so you can pick at all the good chunks of head meat. I hear the cheeks are good. This is not a place for the squeamish.
I had to of the restaurants signature dishes. Both highly recommended:
Poutine with Foie Gras. Poutine is a Quebec specialty. Fries, cheese curds and gravy. Done right this is stick to your ribs good food. Sticking to its “excess is best” policy here we add foie gras. Like I said, OMG, just shoot me know because I’m going to have a coronary shortly anyway. This place should have emergency resuscitation paddles at every table. For those experiencing dizziness, nausea and shortness of breath, just reach under your chair for the paddles.
Duck in a Can: Once again rich beyond explaination. Winner of best canned anything I’ve ever had. This is what they do. Take a regular tin can, stuff it with cabbage, bacon, duck, foie gras, herbs and spices, seal it tight, and put it in the oven. Bring it to the table, open it with a can opener and then just dump it, with a big glug, on a mound of mashed potatoes and toast. Never mind, just watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KItyF7XyfFQ

A most outstanding recommendation for Pied du Cochon. A must visit when in Montreal.
www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca