Restaurants to visit, recipes to try.
A Well-Kept Secret in Vienna
In a recent trip to Vienna, my husband and I discovered Plachutta, more than a restaurant, an institution; well-known by locals but a well-kept secret from tourists. You can savor Wiener-Schnitzel and apple strudel anywhere in Austria, but Tafelspitz (boiled silverside of beef) is unique to this area and the main reason locals fill this restaurant on a daily basis.
A passion for olives
He carefully pours a small quantity of the unctuous liquid from the dark green bottle into a tiny spoon, lifts the spoon to his nose and sniffs the contents. "It smells of fresh cut grass", he proclaims. He then moves the spoon to his mouth and inhales, letting the juice roll around in his mouth before swallowing. The taste, he says, is reminiscent of "artichokes, almonds, with a pepperiness& It's long on the palate."
SLOW FOOD, DONE WELL - 5 restaurants in central Tuscany you shouldn't miss
When I was a young traveler in Italy, a quick piece of pizza to go or a sandwich of prosciutto and cheese and a soft drink was all I needed for fuel between dashes from museum to museum. Sadly, I completely ignored one of the things that make Italy the treasure it is: the food and wine of an area. Later, when I reached a "certain age", I realized what I had missed during those years, and for years I've been correcting my error. Now, rather than rush around, I tend to go to one or two places and explore them slowly, happily eating and drinking as I go.
Tally Ho: Strasbourg Sausage Search
Rumoured as the sausage capital of France, my taste buds piqued themselves in anticipation of these wondrous delights. I found sausages in sausage trolleys, some restaurants, and the Kirn.
Different Dining In Paris
Ninety-five-year-old Yvonne Lehouchu and her friend, Genevieve Charbonnier, 75, dine out together in Paris, their hometown, two to three times a month. The two women, have a favourite locale for meals: École de Paris des Métiers de la Table du Tourisme et de L'Hôtellerie, a school for apprentice chefs and food service personnel with a bargain-priced restaurant...
Tasting in Tuscany
Everyone knows Chianti, Tuscany's famous red wine that was once bottled in straw-covered flasks. However, there's much more to Tuscan wine as my husband and I discovered on a recent trip. With its vine covered hills, silvery olive groves and ancient Renaissance towns, Tuscany is an ideal place to combine sightseeing and wine tasting...
Germany's White Asparagus: The Prince of Vegetables
To the uninitiated, the excitement about something comprised of 94 percent water might seem baffling. The undeniable mystique of Germany's white asparagus (spargel) is the sheer difficulty in growing such a demanding crop...
BIG ISLAND, HAWAII : Kona coffee country
When you finally tire of lazing on a perfect beach on the enchanting Big Island, doing nothing more than gazing out at the horizon or, if particularly energetic, perhaps reading a bit of this or that, perk up with a leisurely drive into the scenic Kona coffee country...
