Dining with Celebrity Chefs

by Neil Woodburn on

Celebrity chefs. Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re here to stay.

We’ve all seen them tossing, chopping, and pureeing their ways into our living rooms, but how many of you have actually been to their places of business? In other words, eaten at a celebrity chef’s flagship restaurant?

An interesting article in The Sunday Times (UK) picks seven celebrity chefs from seven different countries and gives you the lowdown.

You probably haven’t heard of most of these chefs, but they are undeniably famous in their own home countries. The Sunday Times tells us who they are, where their restaurants are located, how to get a reservation, what to eat, and how to get there.

If you’ve ever wanted to fly somewhere just to stuff your gullet, this is the perfect article for you.

Red Corner: The Beer Trails of Bohemia and Moravia

by Neil Woodburn on

Czech beer is some of the best in the world–or so claim the experts.

One such self-described authority on the subject is New York Times writer Evan Rail who recently traveled to the Czech Republic to imbibe his way through a tour of the country’s finest beers. And what a beer-loving country it is! The small nation, according to Rail, is blessed with 100 breweries producing 450 types of beer. If this seems excessive, consider for a moment that the Czechs consume more beer per capita than any other nation–a whopping “320 pints annually for every man, woman and child.”

As you might imagine, a trip to the Czech Republic is something of a pilgramige for beer aficionados.

Rail’s journey takes him to Ceske Budejovice where the original (and far superior) Budweiser was first brewed. Although the Czechs are currently locked in a legal battle with their American imitator and can only release their product in the States under the Budvar name, the real stuff can be had for less than a dollar back in the homeland.

Rail also visits Plzen, the home of the Czech Republic’s most famous beer. Pilsner Urquell has been brewed since 1842 and is credited as being the world’s very first Pilsner. Its taste is impressive, award-wining, and expertly captured by the words of Rail who writes that its “unique bittersweet taste” is “a combination of the town’s soft water and regional ingredients like Moravian malt, Zatec hops and proprietary strain of yeast.”

If this is making your mouth water, check out the rest of the fine article as Rain discovers microbreweries, brewery hotels, and a variety of tasty beverages strewn across the Czech landscape.

Turkish Food: Borek

by Adrienne Wilson on

When I put börek in as my only word for my Google search, I was almost positive I would retrieve an extravagant amount of information on: Börek; the disco/hockey star, Börek; the factory in insert city (here), or Börek; the new fragrance from Will Ferrell (the latest star gone / perfume maker). Without having to narrow my search I found the börek I was looking for listed at the very top. It is the same börek I’ll be munching on in the city of Istanbul in 22 more days. Honestly, I hadn’t a clue what börek was a month back, but a friend of mine told me to try some when I land in Turkey. And it looks like I will.

Börek is a Turkish term for filled pastries, which means while börek may not be any of the other items listed above there is still a handful of börek to choose from. This Turkey Travel Planner defines several types of filled pastries, where the filling is usually white sheep’s milk cheese and a chopped veggie such as parsley or spinach. For a break down of the different types of börek to inquire about in at your local Turkish restaurant head over to Turkey Travel Planner. I’d like to learn how to prepare something like this at home, but I haven’t mastered some of the simpler pastries, therefore I’ll leave the ones filled with white sheep’s milk cheese to the people that know how to make it taste best.

Taco Road Trip on Highway 1

by Neil Woodburn on

I’m not sure why the New York Times is running more and more stories about travel and eating on the West Coast, but what ever the reason, it makes me very happy. I was particularly pleased with the latest serving: Cruising Highway 1 in search of great tacos.

The scenic coastal highway from Los Angeles to San Francisco is perhaps the most written about stretch of road in America. And, deservedly so. But to focus solely on tacos instead of the amazing view, cool accommodations, and various tourists sites is abnormally strange. It’s even stranger from my point of view due to a certain prejudice: I love Mexican food but snootily turn up my nose at anything cooked north or east of Los Angeles.

Nonetheless, writer Cindy Price did eventually win me over with some rather mouth-watering descriptions of various taco joints she discovered on the drive. Over the course of five days, she consumed 49 tacos at 28 taquerias. That’s just one short of ten tacos a day; my kinda gal!

France Reclaims Culinary Namesake

by Neil Woodburn on

The entire nation of France breathed a collective sigh of relief last week when the cafeteria at the U.S. House of Representatives finally ended three years of culinary disrespect and changed Freedom Fries back to their original Franco moniker.

In 2003, when France opposed the war in Iraq, a couple of hapless congressmen with nothing better to do petitioned for France’s namesake finger food to be renamed Freedom Fries. The nom de guerre failed to last as long as the war itself, however, and the fatty, cholesterol filled wedges eventually reverted back to their original name.

No word if the policy will also affect “Freedom Kissing” on Capitol Hill.