City Night #3

Having already tried Brazilian and Americana BBQ, it was time to come up with something brand new.   The whole concept of the city trips to go out was becoming very popular.   And in an effort to maintain the uniqueness of my attempts to educate and create new experiences for everyone, I chose to pursue a trip to a Russian restaurant.   A colleague on the project is Russian so I solicited his assistance in picking a place.   Due to the need of authenticity, he chose a spot in Brooklyn.   So not only would everyone experience Russian cuisine for the first time, they would also get a chance to go to Brooklyn which was also a new experience! 

We went with a fixed price menu which is the typical way to enjoy a Russian dining experience.   This particular restaurant – Café Izba – was completely empty as our group of twelve was seated.   The cold appetizers were our first course and these completely covered all available space on the table.  These ranged from seafood to sliced cow’s tongue.    It was during these first courses that the true meaning of the experience was introduced – drinking a shot of Vodka.   The Vodka started coming out at different intervals but the idea was to have a shot and eat food and then eat more food, have another shot and eat more food.    The second course of hot appetizers also hid the table beneath with the bountiful delicacies – one of which was a small piece of bread with a half pineapple slice on top and covered with a small portion of cooked calf liver and marinated with strawberry sauce.   Let me say this was fantastic.   After more Vodka and more food, the main courses appeared which included Chicken Kiev, ground Lamb kebabs and rabbit.    By the time the main courses arrived, a lot of Vodka had been drunk and most people were already filled up from prior courses.   However, the eating continued.

By the time we walked out the door 3 hours later, I think everyone had eaten and drank more than they ever thought humanly possible.   The proprietors of the restaurant noted that we were the wildest group they had ever had in their restaurant.   Good thing we were the only ones in that night!

Saga of Iceland

I am half way there already in this year for reaching my annual personal goal of visiting at least 2 new countries each year.   Being in New York makes winter European travel very accessible for 3 reasons – a bountiful number of available flights on every imaginable airline, the cheapest fares known to North America during winter for European flights and of course, the journey time from New York is the shortest (or close to it) in North America.

This weekend jaunt to Reykjavic, Iceland met all 3 prescribed criteria – direct flight on Iceland Air, $400 round trip and under 5 hours over and approximately 5.5 hours back.   One word sums the planning up – fantastic.

I arrived on Friday morning at 6:30 a.m. and with a very short flight, one can imagine not a lot of sleep was gained.   It was still very dark on the bus ride to my hotel.  Normally Hotels do not allow you to check in until the afternoon but after only waiting for 1.5 hours, I was able to get a room that had become available.   It was nearing 10 a.m. and the dawn was just occurring on this windy and rainy day.   During the course of my hike around Reykjavic, I noticed a few peculiarities.   All the cars were making loud clickity sounds as they drove by me.  After a brief moment of thought, I realized that they were all wearing special metal studded tires to enhance winter traction.  Iceland being surrounded by water is very damp and thus with cold temperatures and dampness, roads and sidewalks are invariably very slick.    The other thing I noticed was that a lot of the places that I went into had automatic doors.  You would approach the door to walk in and it would just start opening.  Or you would start to pull it open and soon it was occurring by itself.  I had to adapt so I didn’t look so startled each time this happened.  The sun disappeared from the sky around 5:00 p.m.   During the shortest days in winter, the sun does not rise until 11 p.m. and sets at 4 p.m. However, on the reverse, the longest days in summer contain 24 hours of light so they experience both extremes with daylight.

Saturday involved hopping on a tour bus for a journey around the island to see some of the plethora of natural phenomenons.   One of the first facts we were presented was that Iceland is the youngest European country as far as the existence of the land mass.   It was formed by volcanic activity well after the main continent had formed.   The topography of the island was carved by the glaciers as they melted and moved off to sea.   This is definitely evident as you drive around the island.   Strangely you notice the lack of forestation everywhere.  This is explained by the unsuitable soil – lava rock – that covers the majority of the island.   However, they have successfully begun planting several forests in an effort to provide more trees.   With this current lack of trees, the uninhabited parts of the island make you feel as if you are the moon where you would see very little natural life.   Another stop was the Gulfloss waterfall which was amazing.   We then went to the sight of some active geysers.   The main geyser – strokkur, remains active today pouring forth bursts of water every 3 to 4 minutes.   I believe it is the 4^th largest (height of water spouting) in the world.   We continued on to see the riff caused by shifting tectonic plates that separate the European shelf and the North American shelf.   At one point you can see where the European shelf is sinking.  It is quite amazing to see.

Of course, no trip would be incomplete without sampling the local dining. The first evening, I went to a restaurant in my hotel which is one of the best in all of Iceland.   I already knew that whatever they had on the menu that involved Lamb, would be selection.   The lamb (and other animals) are raised on the island and are free of any kind of hormones.  Also, Iceland maintain s very strict laws about absolutely no other animals are allowed to be brought to the island in order to prevent the introduction of diseases and other petulance.  This combined with the natural pure and pollutant free environment, produces some of the best, if not the best, meat in the world – especially lamb.   You will know you have arrived when you have a lamb shoulder butchered, packaged and overnight via air to you for use at a party you host!    Surprisingly another item considered a ‘must-have’ was a good old hot dog!  Yes, these are everywhere and it is in all the tour books that you have to have a hot dog.   I of course indulged and will say that they are good – the casing gives the ‘crunch’ when you bite into much like an authentic Chicago-style Vienna hot dog would.   Unfortunately due to one not being in close proximity of where I was, I was unable to sample the local McDonald fare. 

The return flight was delayed a bit due to mechanical issues but also due in part to the 20 inches of snow that New York received late Saturday and Sunday morning.   Thus, my next entry will most likely involve the challenges of returning to my home country in the throngs of a blizzard and trying to travel 45 miles to a hotel.  Stay tuned…

City Night #2

The second trip of the year into NYC for a new ‘cultural’ experience for us was at a BBQ place called Virgil’s.   The recommendation for this came from a Texan who moved to NYC so I figured it was a safe bet if someone who knows good BBQ recommended the place.   The group for this outing grew to 14 people.   It was a diverse group again and we even had one courageous person who was a vegetarian tag along just for the entertainment factor.   Of course, no one was shy when it came to ordering food so we had many plates of the trifecta – Memphis ribs, Carolina pulled pork and Texas brisket.   Let me tell you this was a feast that most mortals could not finish which was my situation for the evening.   However, after much carnage being consumed and a few beverages, this evening ended with another successful social outing to the city.

Slovenia in New York City

Tonight I made a trip to the city with a colleague and friend of mine for dinner at a restaurant in the Meatpacking District called 5ninth.   We arrived prior to our reservation so we went to the bar to order a glass of wine before dinner.   Upon perusing the wine list, one particular wine caught my eye – a Merlot from Slovenia.   Needless to say I was very excited as this was the first time that I had ever seen Slovenian wine on the wine list anywhere I had been in my homeland.  

For those of you that know me, Slovenia is very near and dear to my heart.  I have very good friends there and even wrote a monthly article for a magazine in Ljubljana for 2 years.   My very first trip to Slovenia involved an evening of sampling the indigenous wines that Slovenia produces.  One particular variety is called Teran.   In subsequent trips to Slovenia I was able to explore some of these vineyards as well as sample the local wine in some of the countries finest restaurants.   I am definitely not a Wine Spectator wine scorer but definitely felt that some of the wines I had there were fantastic.   So the next time you are dining if you come across a wine list that has wines from Slovenia, give it a shot.