Tag: Danish

M’s Recommends More Good Eats in the DMV

M's Adventures
L’Ardente’s famous 40 layer lasagne.

You know a place is good when it transports you to your mom or grandma’s kitchen.

Last year, I mentioned my recommendations for where to eat in the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area. But I didn’t add photos.

L’Ardente’s pappardelle pasta was pure comfort.

Now I have a new recommendations. From that list, have you been to Cielo Rojo and Y Noodles? Try them!

Y Noodles signature spicy noodle dish.

Now, on to other recommendations.

Cheese and wine at the Italian Store.

The Italian Store: Having lived in Italy, I am obnoxiously picky about my pasta. Luckily most grocery stores in this are now carry good brands of pasta. But, if you want, you can go to the Italian Store. They now have a second location in a off the metro area of Arlington. The original location a few miles away was famous for getting New York City style bagels delivered fresh every morning (New York city is about a four hour drive from here).

Imagine how much sugo gets sucked up by that great pasta shape!

The Italian store also makes fresh pizzas and sandwiches. Plus they have fresh baked bread.

There are seats inside along the front window and they have a few tables and chairs outdoors.

Bread presented in a fun way at the Italian Store.

Sidamo Coffee and Tea: It’s an Ethiopian coffee shop in Washington, DC. (Coffee as a drink was invented in Ethiopia about 500 years ago). The Sidamo cafe serves coffee but what I like is their breakfast sandwiches and the side of banana and honey.

Loved my breakfast sandwich. It tasted homemade.
The giant coffee pot makes for a good photo op.

Good Company Doughnuts: Speaking of breakfast (was I?) and good friends, the Good Company Doughnut makes great breakfasts and doughnuts. They have two locations, one in Pentagon City and the other in Ballston. They make ‘mini’ doughnuts of a good size and of those, I think that the espresso cream is the best. No custard. Just frosting, inside and out. With chocolate glaze.

Look at that espresso cream…

Good Doughnut Company also makes great breakfast sandwiches and meals for any time of the day. Really delish. One time, I was sitting next to a French tourist who said that she came back two days in a row! Mainly for the espresso cream doughnut…

This is a salad of chickpeas. So good you won’t want to share.

Villa Yara: This Lebanese place is so good that it transported a Lebanese person to their childhood and made them cry.

Thin ice cream strands.

While I am not really into desserts, I did enjoy the variety of desserts at Villa Yara. Not only the baklava. I can’t recall what they were called, but one was a sort of floss of ice cream (this is the one that made the Lebanese person cry as they recalled eating this dish in their grandma’s kitchen). The other was a cardamom ice cream, but much more complex. The baklava was excellent too.

I’m a sucker for dairy and the labneh, with olive oil and pepper, served like a scoop of ice cream — made me really happy.

A ball of pure dairy joy.

Misha’s Coffee: The pastries are much better than at many other bakeries. It’s a feel good kind of coffee shop. Independent. Quality. A nice place to be.

The Danish at Misha’s.

Get the “Danish” and the “coffee cake.” I’m sure the rest is good but the Danish was exceptionally so.

2Fifty Barbecue: If you want the most tender barbeque meat, then go to 2Fifty barbecue in Washington, DC. This is the softest moistest meat in this area. Nope, the other places do not compare!

So juicy it fell apart.

Lai Lai Malatang (inside 99 Ranch): Inside the 99 Ranch store in Fairfax, there is a stall where you can choose your own hotpot or dry noodle dish. It’s spicy in a good way.

Lai Lai Malatang where I chose what they stir fried for me.

Truong Tien: This northern central Vietnamese place was trending for a hot moment last year. The food is good. Go for the mini taco style Vietnamese omelet crepe. This blogger described his experience there.

Those small round things are open face dumplings.

As I find other places, I’ll write about them. Happy eating!

Nordic Christmas Bazaars in the Washington, DC Area

M's Adventures
Icelandic.

As I have a hankering for Nordic food all the time (Cinnamon and pearl sugar buns, anyone? Liver pate and smelly cheese, no?).

Icelandic.

I wanted to make sure that I visited all the Nordic (There are five Nordic countries which include the three Scandinavian countries, just so you know) Christmas bazaars between last year and this year. Last year, I managed to go to the Finnish Christmas fair.

Christmas in Icelandic.

This year, the Danish and Icelandic bazaars were on the same day, November 9. So I went to those.

The Danish flag.

For those interested, the Finnish bazaar is on November 23 this year. The Swedish and Norwegian ones are on December 7.

Danish meatball open faced sandwiches. $7 bucks.

The Icelandic Christmas fair was out in Fairfax, Virginia. It is the only one of the Nordic Christmas fairs held out in Virginia. It was extremely busy which surprised me because I had no idea there were so many Iceland-o-philes in the area. Maybe everyone else realized that you have to go early if you want to get the good stuff.

Danish open faced fish filet sandwiches.

Then, I raced off to Rockville to the Danish Christmas bazaar. Wowza, were there a lot of people. Who’s left in Denmark?

I immediately got in line. It was the bakery line. Luckily someone came out to tell us that there was a separate line for the food… yes! Oh, but it was still a line. Just not as long as the bakery one.

The Danish Christmas bazaar only takes cash or personal check. Um. Oh. Kay. So I bought what I could get for the cash I had managed to find.

Danish apple cake.

I was delighted by the “apple cake” which is a legit thing but is so easy to make. It’s a trifle basically and you can make it anytime. This one was homemade with good sized chunks of cooked apple in the apple sauce.

Cheese, liver pate, curry herring, pickled gourd, and tinned fish for sale at the Danish bazaar.

As I was trying to buy cheese and liver pate, I heard some folks discussing if they should buy the “strong” cheese. I dissuaded them. Maybe it was wrong but I am fairly sure that they would have hated it. The cheese was a Danbo which is like havarti in texture. But the strong one has high uric acid making the umami part taste a bit like toe cheese. I didn’t explain it that well. But they thanked me. I wish there had been samples. But, these Christmas fairs are for a targeted audience who know what they want. It’s hard if you have no idea. Danish smelly cheese is a unique thing and I can’t really explain it except that it’s stronger than any other cheese out there. Forget the stinky bishops and French blue cheeses. But I digress. I got my chunk. And I will have it all to myself.

Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, there is still lots of stuff for you at these Nordic bazaars/fairs.

The Greatest Souk in the World?

M's Adventures

I often write about markets, perhaps because as a a child, my imagination was fired up by stories about exotic markets with fluttering fabrics and adventures down narrow alleyways. The result is that, in every city I visit, I visit the market. The great market of Cairo, Khan el-Khalili, is extremely touristy, but maybe I should have appreciated getting away from the traffic.

I think I prefer the one in Istanbul. When I lived in Colombia, one of my favorite places in Bogota was the Paloquemao market.

In Peru, I went regularly on field trips to explore the markets. One thing I recall is that they always had a bathroom. I went to a couple of “dicey” ones including the fabric market near Sodom, Gamarra. When I visited the fish market, it seemed like it would be something from a Tarantino film but the reality was more late night shopping channel.

Another surreal place was the market in Caracas. There was an abundance of food but no one could afford it.

When I moved to Bangladesh, I had no idea what the markets would be like.

Another market that I return to all the time is Torvehallerne in Copenhagen.

Torvehallerne – Copenhagen’s Food Hall and Market

M's Adventures
A shrimp sandwich and a fishcake sandwich.

Torvehallerne is one of the best food hall markets I’ve been to. I always come here when I visit Copenhagen. They even sell their smorrebrod/open faced sandwiches at the airport.

Sold at the airport as well.
Roast pork sandwiches are some of my favorites.

There is a mix of local produce stalls, local Danish food stalls and restaurants, and international food options. The market consists of two covered halls with about 25 vendors in each, a mix of food stalls and eateries. There is also seating around the edges of the halls. Danes love to sit outside and eat.

One of the stalls at the market.
In season in June, these strawberries are hand picked.

The market is in a square with a facing skate park square, and located on the metro line. Just north of the walking streets and oh so perfect.

Fresh fish.
Fried fish filet. Yum.

The stalls will vacuum pack your food for you so can take fresh meatballs or cheese with you.

Menu at the open faced sandwich stall.

A plus is that almost all Danes speak English. The prices are steep but what cost for edible art?

One of the national types of sandwich.

Danish Bakery in New York City

M's Adventures
Raspberry “snippets” like Poptarts but less dry. Copenhagener/Tebirkes coated in poppyseeds. And cinnamon slice.

A danish is a pastry and my favorite one is not too sweet.

Normally, when I fly out of Copenhagen, I get a final danish at the airport. The bakery at the airport in Copenhagen is a branch of Ole & Steen, which is a franchise version of the old venerable Lagkagehuset (layer cake house).

But, New York City has four branches of this franchise! I had to visit.

Obviously, the dough and bread is different (like with NYC pizza, it’s the water, don’t ya know). The menu was also different. They still had my favorite pastry so I got two. My favorite is called “tebirkes” in Danish but they have changed it to “copenhagener” in English. It is in the first photo, covered in poppyseeds. It is a basic pastry with a subtle almond sugar paste layer inside.

The roast beef sandwich that I got was awesome with horseradish cream and rare pink roastbeef (a bit cooked in my photos because it traveled in a bag for six hours). I also bought rye bread and rye bread rolls. My eight rolls were so dense that they had to go to secondary screening at the airport.

Tak is thanks in Danish. Some Brits say, “ta” and I wish that was part of American English as well.

I Dream of This Ice Cream – Was It That Good?

M's Adventures
The style is retro.

Recently, some friends and I were discussing ice cream and gelato, again. One of my friends reminded me of that place in Denmark that we had visited… I was sure that I must have blogged about this place… But, somehow I had not. So now I will.

The ice cream place that is still on my mind is called Ismajeriet, and it now has two locations in Denmark.

One day, several years ago, when visiting Copenhagen, we were at a lunch party. After eating smoerrebroed (open faced sandwiches), a cooler tub was taken out of the freezer, and inside were four flavors of ice cream from Ismajeriet. It was so delicious that we had to visit the actual shop. My friend and I grabbed bicycles and off we went, in search of ice cream. This was a few years ago when the shop was located out among the summer houses of Amager, the island south of Copenhagen. The Ismajeriet (translates to “the ice cream dairy”) has a large selection, including sorbets. The style of the shop was in a retro design (a bit like an ice cream parlor of old) but the ice cream was fresh! I was delighted to see that they had many flavors, including licorice (I understand that licorice is an acquired taste but I acquired it a long time ago). The shop also has sorbets.

Licorice and mint flavor.

Why is this in my dreams? Because it was so creamy. The ice cream has a high fat content so it is creamy, really ice cream. Cream is the fat part of milk and fat on the tongue adds a creamy texture when it melts. In contrast, most gelato is made with milk. Gelato’s creaminess is derived from how it is made. Some gelato is actually ice cream (which must have a fat percentage of more than 3.5 percent). There are gelato shops where they will advertise that their plain flavor is “fiore di panna” (panna = cream) and not the usual “fiore di latte” which is the “milk flower.” Basically, calling something the “cream flower” is like saying that it is the “cream of the crock” — the best.

In Denmark, gelato is quite popular now, but the Danish style ice cream lives on in places like Ismajeriet. In Italy, one can add whipped cream on top of one’s gelato (most places will do it for free and it should be unsweetened freshly whipped cream). In Denmark, that is the norm. Another thing is that the Danes like to add a “floedebolle” on top. This “cream ball” is a meringue topped wafer covered in chocolate (the one in the photo has coconut flakes on it) that can be eaten on its own, or used as the cherry on top of the ice cream cone.

One thing that the Danes and Italians share in relation to their ice cream/gelato is that any time of the year and day is a good time to eat it. In Italy, gelato shops are some of the food shops that are open almost all day long, some open as early as 8 am and close after midnight.

As for Ismajeriet, I will be back some day to see if it is as good as in my dreams.

Italian for Beginners

M's Adventures

The title of this blog posting refers to a Danish movie from 2000, and my current activity. “Italian for Beginners” is a lighthearted entertaining movie about Danes who want something a bit more interesting in their lives so they go to Italian class. Romance and “viaggio” to Italy ensue.

Learning Italian is a bit topsy turvy for me as Italian is, in many ways, the opposite of English and Spanish. For example, the “che” is a “kah” sound and the “ci” is “cheh” sound as in “ciao.” The double ell in Spanish is spelled with a “gli” in Italian but the double ell like in “bello” is a really forceful ell sound. The ñ in Spanish is spelled “gn” in Italian so that “gnocchi” is “ñ-o-key” — and so on.

Actually, the phrase I’ve learned the best is “attenta su pronuncia” – watch your pronunciation.

But, it’s most important to say hello, goodbye, please, and thank you. So far I’ve learned that the Italians are very formal so one should not use “ciao” unless you are family or you are close friends. (Also, “Ciao” derives from an old Venetian saying for “I’m your slave.”)

Hello: “buongiorno” (bwon-jorno) until sundown and then it’s “buona sera” (bwon-ah sarah)

Goodbye: “arrivederci” (a-riv-eh-dare-chi)

Please: “per favore” (pear fa-vore-eh) or “per piacere” (pear pah-chair-ee)

Thank you: “grazie” (gra-ts-ee-ay)

Excuse me: “scusi” (skoo-zee) is the formal form and “scusa” is the informal.

One thing I have learned about Italian is how to say “good luck!” Contrary to direct translation, it is not “buona fortuna!” Instead, it’s “jump inot the mouth of the wolf!” Or “In bocca al lupo!” This is the equivalent to “break a leg” in Italian.

Danish Pastry

M's Adventures

IMG_3797.JPGIn Danish, a danish is a “viennese bread” because it was brought to Denmark in the 19th century by immigrants from Vienna. There are many names and many types of pastry sold in Denmark and the bakeries, although no longer on every corner, are still to be had (today, 7-11 bakes fresh every few hours).

My favorites are actually not the well-known pretzel shaped “kringle” or the “duck breast” or “snail” but, one that is hard to find and the other that is more common. My favorite one is so popular that it’s sold at the airport. It’s called a “tebirkes” or “tea poppy seed” and it’s a rectangular shape with a covering of poppy seeds. Inside, the bottom layers are held down by a thin layer of almond paste mixed with sugar. The tebirkes isn’t overly sweet and I like to splice it open, slather it with Lurpack butter and a slice of smelly strong cheese. The second pastry that I always get, if I can, is called a “rosenbroed” or “rose bread”and it’s made from the basic kringle puff pastry but in a long plank shape. It’s covered with a thick layer of icing and sliced into long strips. Pure sugar, butter, and puff pastry!

Denmark is known for its Danish and in the U.S., there are a few places that claim to do the original kringle or Danish. But, Danish pastry is like New York pizza… it’s something in the water… if you can, go to the source.

 

 

Danish Strawberries

M's Adventures

Once upon a year, in a little tiny land, at the top of Europe, there are strawberries so ruby and sweet. They arrive just after the sweet pea season. Visit Denmark in late August and you may may be able to get both. The strawberries are red like claret in the sun. Eat them fresh or covered in fresh cream. img_3802

Then, if you can find sweet peas in the pod, enjoy them as they are as succulent as crisp morning dew. But nuttier.img_3834

Oh, and they are healthy for you. How sweet is that!

The Bread Lover’s Guide to Dhaka

M's Adventures

From King's.
From King’s.

As someone who loves good bread, I find it hard to find European-style yeasty bread in Dhaka. There is plenty of pillowy naan, stretchy rhumali, chewy paratha, and flaky dhosa. When I want European style bread, I go to the following places:

Kings Confectionary: This is where to get long baguette-like hoagie or subway rolls. Plus, the sugared doughnuts are chewy, doughy, and sugary.

German Butcher: They bake their own bread. They call it black bread but it’s more of a whole wheat blend. You can even buy a half loaf if you want to start out with that.

Do Mi Ok: The best sliced white bread in Dhaka. It’s doughy. If you squeeze it, it will hold your finger imprint. They also sell a few other types of fresh bread but it’s the white that I like.

Le Souffle. It is slightly ridiculous how expensive they are. They have a bakery and sell French baguettes and other types. The bread is hard crust sourdough style. They sell croissants and cakes as well.

Nordic Club: They do great cinnamon rolls… the black bread has too much molasses and tastes slightly off.

Antique bread tins.
Antique bread tins.

Airport Reality

M's Adventures

A real bed-like bench in Copenhagen airport.
A real bed-like bench in Copenhagen airport.

Having been to a fair number of airports, I wish many things of them. One is a flat padded surface for sleeping. Copenhagen Airport is actually one of the ones that is beginning to address the realities of travel. Kudos to Copenhagen for providing padded leather benches the size of a bed. Plus, they have good shops. Singapore airport is another great airport and not just because of its free foot massage machines. Sometimes, a completely bed-like bench is all I need. That, and free WIFI. Please, my deep veins beg you.

Bucket List Foods – Fresh Hazelnuts in Denmark

M's Adventures

Some people have places they must see before they die on their bucket list. To me, certain interesting people and certain foods are the destination. Fresh hazelnuts in Denmark is a destination.

Hazelnuts in shell and two ready to eat (one I have started…). These are not completely fresh.

Fresh hazelnuts are juicy and crisp. Try them. Make it a part of your trip if you are in Denmark in September.