Moldova Wine Festival

by Kelly Amabile on

Want to sample Moldavian wines during their annual National Wine Festival? The
republic of Moldova really wants you to visit, so they will
waive visa fees from October 1st through the 15th.

This land-locked nation just north of the Black Sea, depends heavily on agriculture and the wine industry for
economic development, since the country is forced to import all energy and fuel resources from Russia. The tradition of
winemaking dates to ancient times in Moldova, and Moldavian
wines, have earned an excellent reputation. Earlier this month, the Guinness Book of World Records named
the Moldavian wine collection Milestii Mici as Europe’s largest. The
sprawling underground complex, located not far from the capital city, Chisinau, contains over two million bottles of
wine. The area is home to the largest natural wine deposit in the world.

The Moldova Tourism Board has an extensive list of tour groups
that lead excursions to vineyards and underground wine cities throughout the region. If you can take advantage of this
free entry ticket and get yourself there soon (the actual Festival is October 8th & 9th), please do so, it looks
like a fascinating region to explore. And if you have any tips on which vineyards are the best or what else there is to
do (besides sipping tons of tasty wine) please drop us a comment or a tip.

Pizza Tourism

by Kelly Amabile on

In honor of
Slashfood’s Pizza Day, here are some
travel-related pizza tidbits:

Pizza farms are all the buzz these days. About a week ago everyone was talking about Walt Gregory’s
pie-shaped
farm in Alton, Illinois. There’s another at the
Madera Fairgrounds in California. Each slice of
these farms represents a food product used to top a pizza.

I’m completely biased of course, but we all know the best pizzas are made in NY, right? I’m partial to Pizza City,
the local joint in my hometown of Pearl River — no website, just awesome thin crust pizza. And you have to fold it when
you eat it!

Two great ways to learn more about pizza in NY: take the A Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour or do
a five-borough-in-a-day tasting, like A Year in Food
did earlier this year.

And here’s a cool story about a pizza-making hero in
Perth, Australia, who is gearing up to defend
his America’s Plate pizza title. The competition will take place
during the NY Pizza Show in early November.

Finally, NewYorkology tells us about a
pizza place in Louisiana that is
looking for Brooklyn memorabilia so they can eventually reopen their flood-damaged pizza joint. Help out if you
can.

And eat some pizza today!

Bangladeshi Foods

by Adrienne Wilson on

This morning I took a little time to think about places I normally never think about, the ones that cross my mind every blue moon or maybe one we’ve never blogged much about. If my memory serves me correct we haven’t focused too much on Bangladesh in the past, so today I’m providing a small sampling on Bangladeshi foods.

The first thought that comes to mind when hearing Bangladesh is another border country a lot like India. (I could get blasted for that one.) The people, the food, the culture, etc. Though my assumptions could be very wrong it doesn’t appear that the food strays too far from the Indian foods I’ve had in the past. This Virtual Bangladesh site is a wonderful place to start if you want to start fine tuning your Bangladeshi cooking skills. Rice, bread, poultry, fish and sweets recipes are all listed with the level of difficulty if you’re worried about totally messing things up. Start with the Bangladeshi Egg Haloa or the Shandesh, a fresh cheese dessert, which are both rather easy to prepare.

Photo of the Day: (9/24/05) Market

by Erik Olsen on

This is a shot from inside a typical market in
Yerevan. The market is the place where fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and as assortment of Armenian foods are bought
and sold. Like most local markets in foreign countries, it’s a very cool place to hang out and to get some great
shots.

Hong Kong’s Mizu

by Adrienne Wilson on

Wallpaper* knows how to sell interiors of hot new restaurants that may
possibly have the nastiest food on Earth, but would surely get most of us there based on appearances alone.
Just as I’m a sucker for over-priced, neatly lined, folded and color coordinated clothing in department stores, great
interiors have my mouth salivating before I ever see the menu. With that being said I couldn’t tell you much about
Hong Kong’s Mizu restaurant other than what the folks at Wallpaper* have
already mentioned.

The Japanese-style pub combines industrial design and retro style. Bamboo baskets, silk lanterns, and sunken seating
help create the enticing atmosphere for patrons waiting to smack their hungry gums on sashimi and grilled fish dishes.
Sounds like a winner. I couldn’t find a website for Mizu restaurant, but I did find this
extra tid-bit which may
help influence your decision to dine or not to dine?