NYC Tastes

Thursday in Copenhagen was a big day.  All of my NYC friends had finally arrived, the city was bustling with amazing brewers to kick off the Copenhagen Beer Celebration and we had a fabulous birthday lunch booked at Noma for our friend Steve. Noma is run by René Redzepi, a 36 year old Danish chef who currently has two Michelen stars and has kept Noma ranked as The Best Restaurant in the World four out of the last five years. Rene is all about New Nordic cooking and the tasting menu he unleashed upon us that afternoon was a prime example of foraging at it's finest.  The meal begins with an array of "Snacks"... Red Currant and lavender verbena Nordic Coconut with quince and cabbage soup Moss and Cep- Reindeer Moss seasoned with mushrooms and served with juniper creme fraiche Elm leaves and yeast Surf and Turf Tarts- flowers from the land, seaweed crust from the sea Caramelized Milk and Cod Fish Liver ...

Tuesday we left Denmark for a day trip over to Sweden.  My good friends moved here a few years ago and I was itching to get some catch up time with them.  We hopped on a train right near our hotel and 50 minutes later we found ourselves in the center of Malmo.  Unfortunately my friend couldn't meet up until later but she pointed us in the direction of the one thing I'd been absolutely dying to try- Kebab Pizza.  It's not a well known fact but the Swedes put some crazy toppings on their pizza and the most popular happens to be the Kebab made with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, thin slices of gyro beef and creamy garlic sauce.  It's not exactly pretty to look at and eating such a sloppy pie can be bit challenging but it was so worth each and every bite.  I've seriously been dreaming of this pizza ever since. After I demolished my Kebab Pizza we walked down the street to Peter Beier Chokolade and picked up some incredible chocolate truf...

Our first night in Copenhagen we didn't do very much.  Mr. T. was feeling pretty wiped out again from the flight/illness so we just chilled at the hotel. Tuesday morning we awoke bright and early, both feeling pretty darn awesome.  My jet lag was gone and Mr. T was feeling the best he had in days!  We spent the morning exploring the city.  We walked past Tivoli and the National Museum, over to Christiania and then back through the Assistens Cemetery which lead us to our first food stop in Copenhagen Manfred's and Vin. Manfred's is the sister restaurant of Relae, one of the highest rated restaurants in the world.  In fact it sits right across the street from Relae with a more casual atmosphere and  friendlier price point.  We got a lovely table on the cobblestone street out front and ordered the "Small Lunch Hunger"...a Chef's Choice tasting menu of five dishes to be shared between the two of us.  Over the next hour Mr. T and I would receiv...

Our last morning in Brussels we woke up early so we could fit in one more brewery...a quick but fascinating visit to Cantillon. Cantillon is a family brewery, much like Drie Fonteinen, that has been producing Kriek, Lambic, Faro and Gueuze since 1900. (Edit: You'll notice Cantillon spells it Gueuze and Drie Fonteinen Gueze- they mean the same thing just different variations on the spelling)  While Drie Fonteinen has brought in new equipment over the years, Cantillon has remained the same.  In fact most of the copper kettles and barrels are over 100 years old.   When we walked in the front door at 9:00 AM (opening time) I was immediately struck by that strong barnyard aroma I get every time we open a Cantillon gueuze.  The walls, floor, tables...everything exuded that classic Cantillon smell I've come to know so well.  We got a brief overview of the brewery from a staff member and then we were off to do a self-guided tour.   The Bar...