food

London Pubs

March 24, 2017 by Notourguideneeded 1 Comment

While in London, we visited quite a number of London pubs (for research of course). I talked to several people about the difference of a London pub to a bar anywhere else in the world. Here were some of the responses that are worth noting:

It started with the Romans

When the Romans brought public roadways to England, they also brought with them public inns that would serve wine and food. These were called tabernaes or “taverns”. However, ale was the king of England and these tabernaes were quickly replaced with Ale Houses.

A tavern and an Inn – What is a London Pub?

There are very different terms for the different drinking establishments. Some still mean things today but many date back to historical laws or culture.

A tavern is any place that is licensed to sell alcohol. There might be a meeting room or other things on the premise as well as a bar.

An ale house is someplace that is exclusive to selling ale. They now may have other things, but Ale will be served.

An Inn is an alehouse that also has a few rooms for rent. It may not be as large as a hotel (but it could be). However, quite a few places would call themselves an Inn even if that wasn’t their main (or ever) purpose because alehouses in many regions couldn’t sell beer on Sundays unless they were an Inn.

Alehouses, taverns, inns etc all make up what is called a Public House, aka Pub.

Beer in Public Houses

There are two types of Pubs: A Tied House and a Free House

A tied house is required to buy at least some of its beer from a certain brewery. A free house can serve any beer that it chooses.

Try to know a bit of beer before you go

The pub might be crowded and you will need to order quickly. If it isn’t the bar keep will help you if you tell them it is your first time in a pub.

One of the things I heard over and over in London from people was that beer tastes different depending on who serves it. It is true. No scientific basis but something like karma or attitude goes into the brew. The bar keep will keep you entertained with stories and information as long as they are not serving.

Read here on types of beer and what to expect.

Timing matters

I was told over and over that the pubs close at 11pm. At 11:30 I asked the door guy when they close and he said around 2am. He said you could not stand outside and drink after 11pm and technically the bar is closed, although they still served and let people in or out. So, no standing outside but inside was just fine.

and that is another thing to know….

You get your pint and then can stand outside if you are not wanting to have a seat. It is kind of like the smoking area but not everyone is smoking. It is just nice to stand out with your beer on the street and people watch.

What else do you know about London Pubs?

Top Places to Eat in Paris

March 23, 2017 by Notourguideneeded 4 Comments

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People are always asking me my favorite places to eat in Paris. These are my favorite, or reliable, ones as of March 2017. Please comment below if you have additional favorites to add!

La Trattoria di Bellagio

If you find yourself near Port Maillot, stop by this nice Italian place. They have a great pizza, good wine and if you are lucky someone will make you a Lemoncello as well. When we stay at the Meridian this is our go-to late night dinner place. One trip we ate there almost every night. Map it

Paris-London

This is a nice little place that I can spend (and have) hours just sitting there watching the world pass by. They have the best croque-monsieur and fries in all of Paris. The wait staff here is actually rather accommodating so you generally do not have to wait awhile like you would in other places. Map it

Cafe Di Roma

Near the Franklin Roosevelt station on the Champs Elysees, there are two pizza places next door to each other. They are both good. One usually has a line and I have never figured out why because I like both. Ask for the spicy oil and be prepared for a life changing event! Map it

Relais Enctrecote

You arrive and generally stand in a line for maybe an hour. You take your seat and are given a very basic menu. The only real option here is what type of wine to have. The waitress will come by and ask how you like your steak. Just say medium because that is probably what you are going to get. They bring you a simple salad. Then heaven arrives. It is a steak smothered in a sauce that will drive your taste buds wild. They will give you a second portion too so pace yourself. The deserts are good too so go slow.

A quick note. There are many places like this in Paris. Only go to the ones on this site. I can’t speak for the others.

Allard

Once I was in love with Allard. It was my go-to french cuisine. I still recommend it to everyone and like to go back once in awhile. However, now that I have been to Paris many times to not be intimated, I do not need a menu in English. The place caters to tourist but is not touristy/fake. The food is good, especially if you want to try something new for the first time. Here is their site.

Renault

Yes, the car place. Go upstairs and have a coffee. The view of the Champs Elysees is fabulous. The cars are cool to see too! Check it out.

Rue De Buci – Street

I have several restaurants that are really good all along this street. Just wander in the area and you will find something that satisfies you. I can say that I had a memorable cheese plate at L’Atlas that was so good that I want to fly 10 hours back just to have that cheese. Go here.

I’ll add more as more suggested arrive. What are your favorite places to eat in Paris?

Why can’t I have just a little slice of Spanish tortilla?????

June 2, 2016 by Notourguideneeded 4 Comments

Traveling brings you closer to humanity. You get to see people outside of your culture and hopefully you expand your little box of understanding the world a bit more. The more you travel the better the box you are in gets and the more engaged you are while traveling leads to better experiences. That’s why I love tapas bars in Madrid.

In other restaurants you sit at a table and formally eat. In a tapas bar, one you are in a bar, you generally are standing or resting your butt on a barstool and it is usually crowded. It is crowded because it is small. How many people can you fit into a small area? A tapas bar owner is an expert.

Cleanliness isn’t really a priority. I don’t mean this badly. Wipe your mouth with a napkin and then throw it on the floor. Then remember we are in a bar. There will be beer spilled.

And there are no decisions to be made. When you go to a regular bar: what kind of beer do you want, what do you want to eat. No.. not in a tapas bar. You want beer, you get a beer. You MIGHT be able to say what size. If you want wine, you get red. Maybe white. and then you get what you get when they give you the food. Generally the more beer you order the better the food.

First round is chips, second olives, then maybe potato, etc. I mean, you can order food in some places but that defeats the purpose of letting someone give you a little food. If you want to order food, go to a restaurant. Unless of course, you are done drinking and just want more food. But even then, get going so someone else can have your space at the bar. (did I mention the good tapas bars are packed?)

So, the hubs and I are in a a tapas bar in Madrid on our last trip. He loves Spanish tortilla. He asks the very angry looking owner if he can have a very small slice. She tells him “no, slices come in one size only”. Now if you don’t know what Spanish tortilla is, you basically make a cake using sliced potatoes and eggs. If you were in a bakery and said you want a small slice, they’d probably smile and think of the amount of money they were saving.

The angry woman only wanted to sell one size – large. We hate wasting food.

Then we saw her take the customer’s uneaten olives and put them back in the main jar. Glad we didn’t get the slice. Ugh.

But my point is that you cannot go imposing rules in a place that is by its nature supposed to be casual and laid back. She lost money that day. She could have charged the hubs a full amount and had extra to give someone else. Or she could have just given him a small sliver that he wanted. Rather she drove us away.

If you find yourself in Madrid in a tapas bar with an owner that won’t compromise on a slide of tortilla, remember not to eat the olives either.

Additional Bonus

BTW… When I got home, I made a delicious one for us. It was really easy to make and the hubs gobbled it up. I even cut him small slices to eat :).

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/spanish-tortilla-recipe0.html

Let’s discuss the Pizza situation in NYC

May 12, 2016 by Notourguideneeded 3 Comments

Pizza in NYC by the slice doesn’t get much better.

I have had pizza in several different countries. While they are all the basic foundation things: some sort of dough plus a topping, they can be drastically different in different countries, different cities, even different blocks within a city.

As our cultures melt into one big mess, it is hard to say what is true NY pizza, verses the pizzas you find in other parts of the world. So many cultures have influenced the NY pizza that you can get almost anything. Chicago has the deep dish, but even there you can get thin crust. California pizzas have veggies on them but even there you can find any topping you want.

So, I went in search of the best NYC pizzas. Now, before you jump down to see if your favorite place is on the list, remember these are MY favorite.

And before we get to my list, I want to start off by saying that the 99cent pizza is good. Very good after a long evening. Even better if you have just paid your rent. But this isn’t about good cheap pizza. This is about pizza that I crave as I sit in my kitchen 2000 miles away. This is about pizza that you really cannot get anywhere else.

(not in any real order other than to tell my story)

Nizza on 9 and 44th.

When I go to New York, this is where I eat. The pizza is wonderful and the atmosphere is warm and cozy. Ask for the bread and it comes out lightly salted with some oil. The calamari (because the pizza takes a while to cook) is fried with slices of lemon. (my mouth is watering just thinking about it).

Favorite pizza – Piccante, switching the sausage out for pepperoni. (YUM)

Lombardis – Spring & Mott

Lombardis will be on most tourist lists. It is historical as it became the America’s first pizza place when it was licensed by NY in 1905. The pizza here is good. They cook it in an oven that turns the crust crispy on the bottom and you probably will have some parts slightly burnt.. yum! This is not the fold in half kind of pizza. This pizza is hot, simple and delish!

The wait is usually long, although they did expand awhile back.

Very casual. Only takes cash.

RubirosaNYC – On Mulberry between Spring and Prince

The hubs and I were in the mood for pizza but the big places all had an hour wait. We stepped into this little place and spent the whole afternoon there. The best attraction (besides sitting at the bar and talking to the bartender) was that we had pizza by the slice. This means variety. However, I could have easily had anything in a whole pie. The place is cozy, and they have more than pizza. We ended our meal with cannoli. Good grief.

Serafina Fabulous Pizza, 79^th and Madison

We again stumbled into this fabulous restaurant while wandering around. This place was full of locals. Families were getting together here. A few tourists, but really felt like I was eating in New York. The people that work there were great and the food was excellent.

Famous Famigilia – they are everywhere. It is also in the airport.

However, they are still good. And easy to find. So, if you find yourself starving while walking around, you can bet this will be a good stop. They used to be small, opening their first store in 1986. They now are world wide. They are still good.