Idaho No Udaho

Potatoes…. who doesn’t love them? Mashed. Roasted. Fried. Scalloped. Baked. Anyway you want to prepare a potato is fine with me. Those who know me best though, know my love for mashed potatoes. My dad even went as far as dedicating half my bat mitzvah speech to mashed potatoes, but being that I permanently blocked that horrifying memory out of my mind, I don’t have the details to talk about it. 

On a happier note, Ed Levine posted his top 10 favorite potato dishes and I just about died over all of them. Now I officially have something to look forward to on my arrival back to New York. Below are my "must gets." Enjoy!

Warm Garlic Chips @ the Union Square Cafe

Pommes Anna @ Minetta Tavern

Hash Browns @ Joseph Leonard

Potatoes and Pepperoni @ Torrisi Italian Specialties

Carnegie Deli Knish

Angelina Who?

Tourist trap? Yes… Overpriced? Yes…. Amazing food? Do I even need to answer that?? Angelina is a go to for brunch when in Paris. The place is the epitome of what I imagined Paris to be. Pastel colors, over the top décor with gold accents, and the smell of pastries fill the restaurant. When you first walk in you are greeted with a display of macaroons and pastries that can should be considered works of art. 

Just as my mouth started to water, we were taken to our table towards the back of the room. Without hesitation we immediately ordered croissants, brioches, and pan au chocolates. We also ordered Angelina’s famous hot chocolate, or should I say melted chocolate bar. Yes, I used the same description for Peel’s hot chocolate, but this was on another level. The creaminess and richness was indescribable. I probably should have stopped after my 4^th cup, but I couldn’t resist!  

On top of my pastry & hot chocolate overload, I got Angelina’s leek quiche. Leeks + Eggs = Love. Leeks + Eggs + Pastry Crust  = Death. Someone should have pre-warned me of the richness of that crust. After the chocolate, the quiche and the croissants, I needed to be fork lifted out of that place. Food coma to the max! 

Still love ya Angelina <3

XOXO

Happy Valentines Day

מזון

This doesn't need much explanation. L'as Du Fallafel in Paris's Jewish Quarter is the best falafel I've ever had, and yes I've been to Israel. Don't get me wrong, I love Florence, but I am obscenely jealous of everyone abroad in Paris that gets to eat this whenever they want. 

The falafel wasn’t the only amazing meal I had in the Jewish Quarter. We went to Mickey’s Deli and ordered the chicken burger. Don’t be fooled by the name! This “burger” is a piece of fried chicken with a fried egg on top and it comes with a side of baba ganoush. MmMmmM!!! Hands down two of the best (and probably the only kosher) things I've eaten so far abroad.

Check the Spec

Sometimes I have the hardest time figuring out why some things I come across here in Europe, are nowhere to be found in the States. Example 1: SPECULOOS. You need to try this at least once in your life. It’s difficult to explain, but if I was to put it in words, Speculoos is cookie spread. It’s the consistency of peanut butter, but tastes like a speculoos cookie, or for those who have no clue what that is (like me), it tastes like a gram cracker. 

My friend Lindsay introduced me to this delectable spread while I was visiting her in Paris. Of course you can’t find this stuff in Italy, so my friends and I insisted on bringing back jars of it back with us. After having all our bags searched at security, we were informed that we weren’t allowed to bring our new best friend Speculoos with us on the plane via carryon. My friend Jamie was disappointed, but assumed we would have to leave the Spec behind in Paris. I would not let this happen! With no time left to waste I sprinted to the Air France counter to check my bag. There was no way I was letting go of my Speculoos! 

*Breaking News* After doing some research, I found that the Wafels & Dinges truck in NYC (amazing wafles!) has Speculoos! It's labeled on their menu as "their favorite"...how I never realized this before is mind boggling to me. Speculoos on a warm belgium waffle. That's love right there!

Sweet or Savory?

I will throw down $5,000 euros right now and bet that the first thing you think when someone says Amsterdam is marijuana. I was the same exact way until I visited last weekend. We pull into Amsterdam via 2009 C-class to see what might be the most underrated city ever. All the buildings in Amsterdam look like gorgeous brick townhouses you would find in Manhattan.  It is all set on canals that run throughout the city. Amsterdam also has amazing art, interior design, and flower shops, but most importantly they have amazing…. FOOOD! Why the abroad lists compiled from previous years recommend the fucking Hard Rock Café is a mystery to me. Amsterdam is filled with upscale delicious restaurants. The variety of foods here also came as a surprise to me. I saw everything from Indonesian to Indian to Mediterranean to Italian to Japanese to American and the list goes on and on. 

Pringles Vending Machine

I’ve also officially come to realize that in seeing things like the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum as become equally as important as making sure I fit in as many meals as I can. My friends and I slowly started to realize that our days were revolving around food. We would think about what we were eating for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night. It all started at The Pancake Bakery, where we were recommended by other girls to order at least 4 pancakes for the three of us. Let’s just say it was 1-2 too many. We ended up ordering 1 sweet and 3 savory. The one that was so good we went back the following day for another was the Chilian Pancake. [Moment of Silence…………..] YES! It was that out of this world that it needed a moment of silence. The Chilian was simple and unreal. It consisted of a thin crepe underneath flavorful perfect chili with a crispy layer of melted cheese. It basically deserves to be on every Food Network or Travel Channel show. 

Store Front

The Chilian

Mushroom Omelette

The Greenlandic

Pancake w/ Ice Cream, Whipped Cream & Chocolate Sauce

Mama Burr

I’m never one to brag ;) but I do have one thing I feel comfortable boasting in other’s faces…My Mom’s cooking. Eating well isn’t something many have the opportunity to do. I know so many people whose parents can’t cook and either order in or just microwave a meal, but I was lucky enough to have a Mother that knows how to tear the kitchen up. Some might think it’s sad that I miss her cooking even when I’m in Italy, but it’s truly hard not to miss. I jacked these pictures from my dad of a meal my mom recently cooked and I felt they needed to be shared with the rest of the world. 

 french bread sauteed in extra virgin olive oil

seared tuna with sesame seeds on a rice cracker w/ spicy mayo

mushroom brushcetta

roasted peppers  w/ parmesan and toasted bread crumbs, handmade mozarella, & anchovies marinated in oil and vinegar

roasted dates w/ monchego cheese

Danke Schoen

Thank you Switzerland…not only for being obscenely overpriced & not only for helping me find my inner teenage rebellion [hayy canyon jumping!], but for allowing me to gain an extra 20lbs from eating your ever so wonderful Swiss chocolate! It all started during our 10-minute pit stop in Milan. There I found my favorite candy ever: CRISPY M&Ms…. forget pretzel, crispy was always and will always be the best M&M ever to be made. Why they ever decided to discontinue it in the States is a mystery to me.

Next we stumbled across a chocolate store in Interlaken West that we smelt from miles away. It had walls and walls of different types of chocolate. My friends and I all agreed that it was 10x better then being in Willy Wonka's factory, even though none of us have ever been there [awks]. We all branched out and got something different. Jamie got a mousse chocolate bar, Ilana got an airy chocolate bar, Katie got a dark chocolate bar, and I got an amazing Lindt bar! And yes, the chocolate is so much better in Switzerland!

All chocolate aside...the one borderline healthy thing I ate in Switzerland this past weekend was Muesli, which is now potentially my breakfast of choice. I actually woke up and looked forward to my Muesli with bananas. Who knew uncooked rolled oats with fruit and nuts could be so tasty?? What scares me though is that it was originally made for patients in a hospital. Guess it’s safe to say I now have a liking for hospital food.

PS: don't go to McDonalds in Interlaken....2 medium fries & 4 mini cokes will cost you 20 franks