When you travel a lot, you run into a huge variety of funny looking (and tasting) foreign foods. Of course, we all think of Japan as the home of weird grub, but Flickr user Steve Portigal has collected photos of food from all around the world.
His collection includes some real gems; Barbie Spaghetti in a can, Crispy Curry Pringles and “Collon” chocolate. Do you have your own photos of weird foreign food you’d like to share with us? Leave a link in the comments section!
(Via: The Consumerist)
Burger King is expected to open a bar in Miami’s South Beach sometime in mid-February.
The aptly named Whopper Bar will sell beer from 8 a.m. to 5 a.m. seven days a week. Beer ordered at the walk-up window, which stops selling alcohol at midnight, has to be consumed on the patio or inside the restaurant (sorry, Miami is still no New Orleans when it comes to open containers). You can expect a Budweiser or Miller Lite to cost you $4.25 a pop.
More Chipotle than typical fast-food fare, the Whopper Bar will also have an assembly line where you can customize your burger and add toppings such as guacamole, bacon, or steak sauce. Burgers will be available 24/7 inside the restaurant, at the walk-up window, and through some local delivery options.
There are already Whopper Bars in Orlando at the Universal CityWalk and overseas in Munich, Singapore, and Venezuela. New York City, Vegas, and L.A. could be next. With all the amazing bars in those cities, it’s kind of like recommending a McDonald’s in Rome. Then again, who can argue with 4 a.m. cravings or the novelty of it all?
Tip: Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack, which has two locations in New York City, already features an affordable selection of beer and wine. According to the Shake Shack website, five more branches will open this year, including one in Miami.
[Via CNN]
Some things are just necessary for survival, and some of those things come dipped in chocolate. There’s something to be said for the local delicacies in foreign destinations, and as Scott mentioned earlier, the Gadling team would travel around the world for their some of their favorite food. Me? I’ll take chocolate.
While few things will ever top chocolate squares from Belgium, or tiramisu from Italy’s hidden cafes and best restaurants, we can’t always get to our favorite places for our favorite foods. But, if you look close enough in your own backyard, you might be able to taste some of your favorite comfort foods without needing your passport. Enter: The Ritz-Carlton’s decadent chocolate bar.
I’ve made myself comfortable on many a Friday night at Boston’s Ritz-Carlton dining room with a glass of red wine and a plate of goodies from the hotel’s chocolate bar, so when I heard the Ritz was redefining their dessert menu I immediately went into panic mode. I caught up with George McNeill, Ritz-Carlton’s corporate chef, to get a sense of what the new menu will feature. Seems the chefs have taken a new approach to dessert and put a bit of flair on some of their local favorites. From English bread butter pudding to an All-American strawberry shortcake, Ritz-Carlton is giving our classic desserts a bit of a culinary makeover.Why the change? What was the motivation for reinventing the menu?
This is part of our overall strategic direction of making the Ritz-Carlton a more approachable dining experience – our goal is to have a market driven restaurant in every one of our hotels. “Classic Desserts Redefined ” is another example addressing the needs of our evolving customer. The motivation was that as we navigated our way through the economic downturn in 2009, we saw a clear gravitation from our guests to a popularity of more comfort items on our menus. “Classics”, by definition, are items that have stood the test of time and appeal to guest as much today as they have for generations we challenged our pasty chefs to submit their best “classic” dessert recipes, of which were eventually whittled down to what we have today.
The Ritz-Carlton is known for indulgence and luxury – how do these new creations fit within the theme?
In this instance, luxury and indulgence relate to the quality of the ingredients and the flavor profile of the desserts, they are rich and flavorful which translates into a satisfying experience. I believe that we will see an increase in dessert sales and that our guests indulge themselves in desserts that that they may have passed up on due to the recognition factor, if only from childhood memories.
What is your favorite new ‘classic’ on the dessert list? What is the one item you’ll never remove?
My favorite is Bread and Butter Pudding. it is something I have not seen on a menu for a very long time, it congers up childhood memories of sitting at the dinning room table with all of my brothers and sisters for Sunday dinner, which was the only day we had dessert with dinner. What item will never leave the menu? That is difficult to say only time will tell and our guests will be the judges.
My personal suggestion? Enjoy some quality time with the chocolate fountain, then order up some bread pudding, a hot cup of espresso (or the martini version, if you choose) and enjoy yourself a fine dessert on a Friday night.
One of the best parts of traveling, is discovering new and exciting food. Of course, adventurous travelers will be on the lookout for the most exotic dishes they can find. Personally, I’m not that adventurous, and I stay away from any food that could be part of Fear Factor.
For our “foodie travel” theme day, I asked our team for the dish they would travel the world for. The kind of dish you are already craving when you get on the plane to return back home, or the dish that reminds you of your fantastic trip just by smelling it, or hearing its name.
Once we have whetted your appetite, why don’t you share your own “will travel for food” in the comment section – you know we love hearing from you!
Scott: My favorite is the Indonesian Rijsttafel. A table filled with up to 30 different Indonesian dishes. You don’t even need to fly to Indonesia to get one – the dish was invented by the Indonesian population in The Netherlands (Indonesia was once a Dutch colony). I’ll also admit that I once flew from Amsterdam to New York just to buy chocolate chip cookies, but I’ll save that one for “most insane trip day”.
Tom: Hot dogs!
Catherine: Curry: green, red, massamam, thai, indian
Grant: One of my big traditions is drinking espresso like crazy when I’m in France — if not for the espresso, proper, for the atmosphere.
Melanie: I’ll swim across the Atlantic and trek my way through Europe for pizza from a cafe in the Piazza Navona in Rome
Annie: Black pepper crab in Singapore is the best thing ever.
Katie: Icelandic hot dogs. Really good jamon from Spain. Pesto from Cinque Terre, Italy. Beer from Denver.
After years of the same old New Year’s Eve parties, singing Auld Lang Syne, counting down at midnight and kissing as the clock strikes 12, it may be time to shake things up a bit. With some creativity, you can host an international-themed New Year’s Eve party that incorporates traditions from around the world. Here are a few ideas.
Say cheers
As you clink champagne flutes with your guests at midnight, try saying cheers in another language. Offer a “cin cin” or “a votre sante” as a toast to the New Year.
Food and drink
Branch out from the typical offerings and add some international flare to your food and beverage service. Incorporate drinks, wines or beers from around the world and serve some traditional foods from other countries. If you hang with an international crowd, ask each person to bring a food or drink from their home country.
Count it down
If you live in the US, it may be harder to pull this off, but depending on the hours of your party, you can start the night by counting down each time another timezone passes the midnight mark. If you chose a different country, countdown in the local language and toast with a native drink. Help everyone keep track of the countdowns by hanging clocks around the party space, setting them to the time in another location, and labeling them with the name of the country of city they represent.
Celebrate cultural traditions from around the world
Every country seems to have its own special way of celebrating the passing of the old year and the welcoming of the new. In Germany and Scandinavia, Herring is served on New Year’s Eve while in Denmark, people eat marzipan cake for dessert. In Greece, it’s customary to eat Vasilopita, a cake baked with a coin inside. The person who bites into the coin will have good fortune for the next year. In Mexico, Spain and Portugal, people eat 12 grapes as the clock chimes 12 times at midnight. Each grape represents one wish for the coming year.
In many cultures, wearing red underwear on New Year’s Eve is said to bring love, while yellow will ensure money comes your way. In Hungary the people burn effigies known as “Jack Straw”, who represents the misfortunes of the past year. Burning the effigy is supposed to get rid of the bad luck. In several cultures, it is also believed that carrying a piece of luggage at midnight will ensure that you have many safe travels for the coming year.