Well-Educated Mushrooms

I wasn't to sure what to think when I saw this on the menu at Wisniowy Sad.  Well-educated mushrooms.  What the heck can those be?  There was no description to go with it, so you just have to order and hope for the best.

Well-Educated mushrooms turned out to be mushroom caps that had been baked with herb butter in the center and put on top of toast.  They were actually very good and, yes, they had been well educated that butter makes it all better.  Lynn opted for the caviar with pancakes as a starter.  It doesn't look like it from the picture, but the pancakes are huge and the amount of caviar on that would make any sane person blush.  Or get filled up on caviar, which would be pretty hard to do.  The starters were good.  My main course wasn't that great.  I opted for the beef stroganoff.  The beef itself was cooked well, but it hadn't been trimmed well.  The potatoes and salad were better than the beef.  Lynn opted for the salmon with peas.  The salmon was done perfectly and while the peas were frozen, they were still eaten.

The interior, once again, reminded you of a grandmother's living room.  Small tables with lace coverings, red walls and old photos on them.  They did have a nice outdoor seating area that was small.  It would have been nice to sit out there and enjoy our meal, but once again, with 90 being the high that day, we opted for the inside.

It was a bit pricey for the city of Krakow, but given the portion sizes, was justifiable.  Just as a side note, if you do go there, don't order the Georgian sparkling wine (from the country, not the state).  Not the best, and way over priced for what it was (pretty bad).  

That time the car got a boot...and Chuck Norris

Thankfully, the cops came five minutes after we called them out.  They then gave us the option of a 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500 zloty fine.  I'll take 100, please.  Then, as soon as it was there, it was gone.  Just be careful where you park on the sidewalks in Krakow.

When the eyes of a ranger are upon you...you better deposit your money into the bank he tells you to.  In addition to Chuck Norris advertising banks, Mike Tyson sells energy drinks called Black Energy.  You just can't make it up.

Klezmer Hois- Jewish Cusine

We were lucky enough to be in town for the Jewish Festival that takes place every June-July.  We got tickets for an event one night at the Temple Synagogue in Kazimirez, the Jewish district of Krakow.  We were able to hear an American Jazz band performing their take on some American Jazz classics.  They also played background music while a Cantor sang some verses from the Torah.  It was a fantastic evening, and even the rain couldn't dampen our spirits.

We ended the evening with our first taste of authentic Jewish food at Klezmer Hois off the main square in Kazimirez.  The inside looks like your grandmother's sitting room.  Squashy chairs and lace covered tables.  Red walls and a freshly baked apple pie on the counter.

We had thought to just get some drinks, but the lure of the menu proved to be to much to bear.  So, we broke down and got some soups.  I opted for matzo ball soup and Lynn opted for the chilled beet soup.  The matzo ball soup had a perfectly clear broth that was well seasoned.  The matzo ball was just a matzo ball- nothing more or less.  But somehow it was just what I needed then.  Comforting (although I don't think we have ever made matzo balls at home) and filling.  I was told that the beet soup was very good as well.

While the food was good, just don't ask them to make a martini.  It didn't turn out so well (see top two photos).

Wesele- Krakow, Poland

Our next good meal in Poland came from Wesele.  It is located right off the main square, Rynek Glowny.  It was again chosen because of it's food (not Italian food) and the fact that the inside was air conditioned.  You may be wondering why AC was a factor.  It was 90+ outside.  And since I am a Texas girl, I enjoy AC when it is that hot.  There were some crazy people eating outside, but I was not one of them.

This was some of the decoration that we sat under.  The Polish do enjoy their flowers.  There were stalls of flower sellers all over the place.  The restaurant was decorated with light wood and dried flower bundles.  There weren't so many to make you think that you were in someone's living room, but enough for tasteful decoration.  We shared the potato pancakes with sour cream.

Sorry for the shadow, but as soon as I put the camera down, I chowed down.  We were so hungry.  The pancakes were ok.  They got a little burned, but were still edible.  We chose salads for the main course.

My salad had four different types of cheese on it as well as fresh berries.  Lynn's had steak and a balsamic glaze on it.  Both were very large portions and both were very good.  The berries were as fresh as could be and the dressing wasn't to heavy.  The greens were also fresh and the cheese was in the perfect amount.  Lynn's steak salad looked just as good as mine did and the meat was cooked perfectly on it.

After lunch, we couldn't stand the heat anymore, so we headed back to our apartment to do laundry and relax in the cool, dark apartment.  Yeah, I know, the end of the day was very anti-climactic, but you can't have a fun-filled, packed day every day can you?

Welcome to Krakow

When Lynn first told me that she wanted to stay in Krakow for a month, I had no clue what I was getting into.  I had no notion of what Poland would be like at all.  I was very glad she chose Krakow.

Going from place to place each month lends a lot of surprises to be had.  What will the apartment/house be like?  Will we have issues working things like the washer?  Will there even be a dryer or just a drying rack?  What will the kitchen be like?  Will it be fully kitted out or will we resort to eating out for every meal but breakfast?  Our place in Krakow was a surprise.  The place was designed by a man and made for short term stays of people who don't want to or don't know how to cook.  The kitchen was tiny and had very few things in the way of amenities- knives, pots, etc.  I cooked one meal and then gave up.  It was a good meal to be sure though.  I digress though.

In one word, how was the food in Krakow?  Good.  Actually, great.  It was great.  And it was affordable.  Especially when you have just come from two countries that charge $100 for lunch for two with a bottle of wine.  Lunch here, with a bottle of wine?  $40.  Yeah, that's right.  $40.  That was an average.  Of course, there were meals when we spent more.  But, really, you don't need to.  The food at the smaller, cheaper places was just as good as the food at the more expensive places, if not better.

Our first meal was at a restaurant that proved to be the last place we ate at in Krakow as well.  It was at Amadeus just inside Old Town from where we lived.  One glass of wine, a lamb shank and ice cream later, we left feeling full and happy with our choice.  It wasn't a well thought out choice by any means.  Normally, we do research into places (for the most part)- TripAdvisor has become a very good friend.  Frommer's (who we rely on for hotel and cities to visit) not so much since restaurants change very quickly.  For this meal, we were hot and tired.  We had just driven and unpacked the car.  We had to get organized.  We had to find the closest grocery store and do a shop.  It can make for a long day when you have to get settled in a short amount of time and it's hotter than hell outside.

We wandered into Old Town and chose Amadeus because it had the two things we required- food and air conditioning.

We were surprised when we got an amuse bouche.  It featured local smoked cheese, tomato and currants.  It was very nice and a great way to start the meal.  The cheese did have a strong, smokey flavor, but it was very tasty.  This was followed by a lamb shank with broad beans and a wheat bread souffle.  It was amazing.  The lamb shank was well seasoned and was done to perfection.  The beans weren't the best, but that can be overlooked.  The bread souffle was just what it sounds like.  It was a great method to soak up the juices that were coming out of the lamb.  To finish off the meal, we shared some ice cream.  I had just wanted one scoop of the rose ice cream that came with something else, but I got more than I bargained for.  It, of course, was eaten.

This meal was a great way to start off our stay in Krakow.  Not expensive and very well done.  It's no wonder that we went back.

Back in the Czech Republic

This title may be a little confusing to some of you.  On this trip, we haven't yet been to the Czech Republic.  However, several years before, I had the chance to travel around this great country and look at and experience all it has to offer for almost two weeks.  I loved it here and coming back was almost like coming home.  We stayed at the Chateau Mcely, which is about an hour outside of Prague in the middle of nowhere.  We were here for two nights.  The first of which was spent relaxing and watching a movie.  We ate in their restaurant for lunch and it was a nice treat.  The food was good, but what made it was the wine.  Czech wine is fantastic and for it's price, it's like winning the Olympic gold.  Sorry...couldn't resist that.  I've been watching way to much of the Olympics.

But I digress.

We ended up buying 11 bottles of the chardonnay that we had at lunch (of course priced with a very steep markup) and some red and rose for $111.  That's right.  11 bottles.  For $111.  That's $10.09 a bottle.  One of them was given away.  The rest was taken with us.  Sorry, I don't have a photo of it.  But I can tell you the name.  It's a 2010 Chardonnay from Vinarsvi Volarik Mikulov.  It is amazing.  Lynn and I tend to shy away from Chardonnays because many of them have a strong oak flavor.  Not my most favorite thing in a wine.  The red we bought is a 2011 Cabernet Moravia from Milan Sukal.  Also a very excellent wine.  We did buy two bottles of rose.  They aren't my favorite.

Before you head on out to your local Spec's, I should tell you, you can't buy it in the US.  How I have tried to buy Czech wines there.  The sad fact is, that they make enough to sell in their own country, but not enough to export.  I can also imagine the prospect of trying to figure out export deals for the US is daunting.

The next day was also spent relaxing during the day and heading into Prague that night for dinner with some new friends on my part, and old friends on Lynn's part.  We met them for a drink at their hotel and then headed for dinner at U Modre Kachnicky (The Blue Duckling) in New Town.  The inside seems almost like someone's personal dining room- intimate and dim.  It was somewhat hot inside, but thankfully it wasn't crowded.  We were entertained by the piano player who reminded me of someone that you would see in Vegas.  The food was very good there.  The specialty of the house was of course, duck.

We started with several bottles of a local Cabernet Sauvignon (well, one, but we ordered several more as the evening wore on).  It was a great wine, not to heavy of a red wine.  Perfect since it was hotter than can be outside.  Also included for your viewing pleasure is a rare shot of me "working."

For starters, we all got the vegetable salad.  It was light and refreshing.  The vegetables all had taste and weren't dressed to heavily.  The portions on the salad were huge, so Lynn and I split one.  Trust me, it was a good call.  For my main course, duck- what else?

Before I get to far, let me just say that I have eaten more duck in four months than I have in my time on this earth.  Duck just isn't a big thing for us back home.  It can be trick to prepare, so we avoid it altogether.  Some of the duck that I have had hasn't been great- in fact it's been terrible.  Dry with terrible sauces to provide moisture.  Ugh.  However, this duck was done perfectly.  One would hope so since the name of the place had duckling in it.  The skin was crispy and the meat was tender and juicy.  The sauce that went with it complemented it.  It was served with garlic potato pancakes and bacon Brussels sprouts.  Two things that, as strange as it is, I really do enjoy.  My mouth is watering just looking at it and writing about it.  Yum.

Sadly, the night was soon over and we headed back to our hotel to sleep, pack and get up early the next day.  We enjoyed our last breakfast in the Czech Republic and soon headed off on our next great adventure- a month in Krakow, Poland.  What's in store?  You'll just have to come back and find out, won't you?

Nyborg and Odense- Denmark

All right, sorry for the long break there.  It's just that it is summer- heat and all that.  It also means that I haven't had much of a desire to write anything since I have been having to much fun eating, drinking and sightseeing.  Right now, we are in Bulgaria on the Black Sea just chilling out with all the Brits (more on that later).  But, I do know that you are missing a month and a half here, so let me take you back.

A long, long time ago in a city (and country) far, far away...

Odense, Denmark- home of Hans Christian Andersen.  We actually stayed in Nyborg, Denmark, another town about an hour and a half away from Odense.  It was right on the water, so we were able to see all the boats and cars coming across the loooong bridge.  It was actually beautiful.  We got there just in time for their celebration of Midsummer.  There is a witch burning (a doll with fireworks in her head) on a bonfire.  We ate dinner at the hotel that night.  The food was good, but not great, so there is no need for me to tell you all about it.

On to the villagers with torches!!

It was a fun evening.  I even got to throw my torch into the bonfire.  Anyway...back to the food and drink.

The next day we headed into Odense to see the home of H.C.A.  It was raining and chilly out, so it didn't make it a really fun day for sightseeing.  For lunch, we ended up at Den Gamle Kro, which has been serving people since 1683.  I forgot to take pictures of the food, but hopefully you can all find it in your hearts to forgive me.  I did remember, though, to take pictures of the restaurant.

The food was very good.  I had schnitzel with some roast potatoes that were shared and a salad.  We just opted for a glass of the house wine instead of a bottle/glass of something else.  The restaurant had a certain charm to it and was very nice.  It did take you back in time.  All in all, a place that I would go back to.

The next day dawned and with it our last full day in Denmark.  We headed out for more sightseeing.  Of course, it rained some more, but that can't really be helped, can it?

For our meal that day, we ate at one of the few restaurants in Nyborg (apart from the hotel restaurant), Central Cafeen.  The inside is covered in various sailor style hats from high school graduation caps to work hats.  It also is very dated and seems in need of some sprucing up.  But don't let that fool you!  The food was some of the best that we had in Denmark.

Quick side note- since winters are very harsh, when it is summer people are outside in full force.  If people can sit outside to eat, they will.  When we went inside, our waitress kept insisting that we sit outside.  We didn't want to and she just didn't get it.  She kept giving us strange looks as if to say, "What the heck is wrong with you people."

We had some Italian wine that wasn't very memorable, or so much like the others that we have had, that it didn't leave an impression.  It was good though.  I had the fried trout with a brown butter sauce.  Lynn had the salmon with roast veggies.  We also got some boiled potatoes to share between us.  My fish was whole save for the head and the insides.  And it was so good.  The fish was done perfectly and really didn't even need the butter that was on the side.  The salmon, I was told, was done perfectly as well.  The potatoes were potatoes...what can you really say about boiled potatoes?  For dessert, well, at first, we weren't sure what we ordered.  Our waitress didn't speak English all that well, and we of course, speak no Danish.  We knew it had rhubarb in it.  It was a rhubarb puree on top of whipped cream with amaretto cookies at the bottom.  It was gone in a few seconds flat.

Let me just say that I have never eaten that much rhubarb before.  In fact, while I have seen it on sale in the US, I have never bought it nor felt the need to.  This isn't because I don't want to, it's just that it can be so tricky to prepare.  However, eating as much rhubarb as I have in this trip has turned me into a believer.  So much so, that I will try my hand at it when I get back.

For the most part, I have enjoyed Scandinavian cuisine.  They take what they know and add different twists or just keep it as simple as they can.  Next stop: Czech Republic for two nights.  

PS- Be sure to check back everyday (follow me!).  I have scheduled a bunch of blog posts for the next few weeks.  All through the power of the internet.