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Search for lists of the world’s oldest distilleries still in operation, and you’ll see a few names coming back over and over. Of course, several Scottish whiskies go back to the late 18th century. Buffalo Trace in Kentucky, dating from 1775, is America’s oldest. Further south, Jose Cuervo was first granted a permit to produce tequila in Jalisco, Mexico in […]
You’ve probably never heard of Somlói galuska, and yet it is one of the Magyars’ favorite desserts. For some unfathomable reason, it doesn’t even appear on the menu at André’s Café. The name translates as “Somló dumpling” in English, Somló being a town near Lake Balaton, famous (moderately) for its hill and its wine. Calling […]
A note about my restaurant reviews: New York City counts many Eastern European restaurants scattered across the five boroughs, most of them ignored by restaurant critics and diners alike. I intend to visit as many as I can and report! Hopefully, Bohemian Spirit, on the Upper East Side, will still be open when you read these […]
Like nearly every European country that’s been invaded by Muslim Turks at some point in its history, Albania counts pilaf in its culinary repertoire. This is a rice dish that can be as simple as little more than plain rice, or, on the contrary, combined with many other ingredients to constitute a full festive meal. […]
Absinthe in Czech Republic, really? Yes! Unbeknownst to most, the country has a substantial and long-standing absinthe tradition. This shouldn’t be all that surprising, considering Central Europe’s taste for funky herbal liqueurs (recall, for example, Becherovka). There is evidence that absinthe was produced in Czech Republic as early as the second half of the 19th century, […]
This is one of my recurring ramblings: why do we see so little shellfish in Russian restaurants outside of Russia? Oh sure, you can have seafood fettuccine, lobster bisque, snails in garlic sauce, or softshell crabs at Tatiana or Volna in Brooklyn. Maybe even some shrimp cocktail and mussels vaguely marinières. But only in the lengthy salad section of […]
A note about my restaurant reviews: New York City counts many Eastern European restaurants scattered across the five boroughs, most of them ignored by restaurant critics and diners alike. I intend to visit as many as I can and report! The culinary gransploitation continues! After Babushka Café, we’re visiting Baba’s Pierogies in Gowanus, Brooklyn. And it’s starting […]
Recent visits to Yugo restaurants like Kafana left me craving more grilled meat. Something slightly different from my usual Caucasian and Central Asian kebab experiments, yet not completely unrelated — after all, the region was part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries. So this summer I decided to skip the trip to Buffalo and just make […]
Now that we’ve explored Dushanbe’s cultural attractions, we’ll head to the central market. Shah Mansur Bazaar, also called the Green Bazaar, is easy to find: it’s a bona fide landmark, alongside club Port Saïd and the beer factory. “The heartbeat of Dushanbe trade,” says Lonely Planet. In a city literally named after a market, expectations are high. […]
A note about my restaurant reviews: New York City counts many Eastern European restaurants scattered across the five boroughs, most of them ignored by restaurant critics and diners alike. I intend to visit as many as I can and report! Culinary gransploitation is trendy, this we know. With Babushka Café in Greenwich Village, the phenomenon is brought […]