Barcelona week: churros y chocolate

What better place to start in Barcelona than at Granja La Pallaresa? Our late afternoon meal of hot chocolate, 

which was essentially a bowl of hot thick pudding, and fresh, greasy churros.

Southbank Airstream

An Airstream in London. Of course I had to photograph it.

London week

The lovely floral display at The Hereford Arms, a short walk from our lodgings in South Kensington.

Falafel at Chez Hanna

Our falafel wraps at Chez Hanna in the Marais were superb.

Lunch at Chez Janou

We had a great meal at Chez Janou on my birthday.

Burritos à la suisse

This sign caught my eye as I was walking to school yesterday.

Mexican burritos -- Swiss beef and red beans

Indian burritos -- Cold chicken with curried mayonnaise

Chinese burritos -- Swiss honeyed pork and bean sprouts

Oriental burritos -- Lamb

Lunch at Osteria Ruggera

Carlotta from the vinegar tour directed us to Osteria Ruggera in Modena for lunch. We ate delicate gnocchi and the traditional local pumpkin tortelloni in a butter and sage sauce, and drank lambrusco, the local sparkling red wine.

Piazza by night

At night, the piazzas become public living rooms, complete with tables, chairs, and couches, with food and drinks served by the surrounding restaurants and bars. This is the Piazza S. Prospero in Reggio.

Swiss tacos

The menu at the only Mexican restaurant in town.

Vegetarian burrito: CHF 23.20

Soft corn tacos with beef: CHF 29.10

Shrimp fajitas: CHF 35.20 (about $46 at today's exchange rate)

Outrageous.

Cioccolata calda

Our morning hot chocolate from a different shop. The chocolate was so thick, it was like drinking rich, 

hot chocolate pudding. Yum.

Coffee shops

We got hot chocolate every morning from local coffee shops, which were uniformly elegant places. Getting

your drink, however, was chaotic. Shops charge one euro extra for seating, so most customers stand in the area 

just in front of the counter to consume their morning beverage and pastry. (I was at the edge of the crowd 

photographing the rear of the shop.)

Risotto milanese and pasta with pesto

Food in restaurants is most likely to be served in this way: one item per course, rather than American-style

with two or three items on the same plate. The pasta and risotto were served before our salads.

Crêperie

The Bach et Buck Crêperie last Sunday night.

Köleves restaurant

 

We ate our best meal on Monday at Köleves (Stone Soup) restaurant, a few blocks from the apartment. I 

ordered the daily vegetarian special, which was a creamy onion soup and mascarpone and vegetable risotto 

for 1000 Hungarian forints, a little more than $5. Zak had eggplant stuffed with jasmine rice and pear, seasoned

with star aniseed for 1680 forints ($9).

Café Vian

We ate at Café Vian in Franz Liszt square on Sunday evening. As soon as the weather permits, restaurants begin

to set up their outdoor tables and chairs with blankets. Europeans love to eat outdoors.

Tokyo lunch

I went to the eastern side of Tokyo one day with Hiroko, a friend Zak made while in Japan. She and I visited

the excellent Tokyo-Edo Museum, and got a traditional Edo-period lunch there afterwards. The meal consisted

of hard-boiled egg over rice soaked in broth, pickles, and tea.

Nidelkuchen

We visited Morat on Friday. It was very cold, so we warmed ourselves at a tea shop and sampled 

the local pastry called Nidelkuchen: a springy bland cake covered in an eggy custard.