Thank you, Jully

Thank you, Jully, for all the amazing places and restaurants you have taken me.

Max Brenner

Everybody that knows me knows of my addiction – I am absolutely crazy about chocolate! How can you resist such a moment of indulgence, as you feel the cocoa and the milk melting a fudging in your mouth? And that takes me to one of my favourite spots in New York – for those who don’t know of it, welcome to Max Brenner, chocolate by the bald man.

I only know one of their restaurants. Next to Union Square, its location is ideal for anyone staying in lower and middle Manhattan – it is a quick metro ride away from wherever you might be. When you get in, you understand the place is dark – chocolate dark! Another thing you notice is the smell. Though not sickening, you can still feel the sweet chocolate odour in the air. And chocolate is wherever you look – in the small shop at the entrance of the restaurant, in the large cans and tins and tubes in the bar and throughout the ceiling, in the clients tables – there is no turnaround, this place is dedicated to chocolate lovers! Like me!

I went there usually for brunch. There are several delicatessens in the menu. But I am very loyal to a WOW Chocolate and Granola Surprise – a mix of granola cereals, rice crispies, yogurt, fruit (strawberries, bananas, caramelised nuts), honey and… chocolate! A huge sweet bomb for brunch – but an incredibly tasty one! Other options include crepes, waffles and bagels, always with chocolate around or within. Or then, you can go for the eggs or bagels. Or more stuffy meals – including hamburgers, salads, wings,… – but that, you can have anywhere, can’t you?

What you probably can’t skip is one of the hot chocolates. Actually, chocolate drinks are another great reason to visit! They name their chocolat as the cappuccino of chocolates – and they are delicious, believe me. You can add ingredients, flavours or alcohol shots. Or you can have your chocolate concentrated, as an expresso – short and intense. If you are a traditionalist, you can go through a list that is not traditional at all and pick combinations with toffee, marshmellows, chai or spices. But, you can’t miss the hot mug – the delicious and light mug which is responsible to get the chocolate from the table to your mouth (with a little help from your hands…).

I started by saying it – chocolate is the nightmare of my diet! But such a tasty one… If you are like me and heading to New York – don’t miss Max Brenner!

Where: New York – United States of America

Address: 841 Broadway (between 13th and 14th Streets)

Reservations: http://www.maxbrenner.com/online_reservation_ny.html

Website: http://www.maxbrenner.com/home.aspx

Expensive: My usual brunch (chocolate + WOW) is around 25 to 30 USD.

Last visit: September 2011

Brunch at Isabella's

Upper West Side in New York. Huddled between Central Park and the Hudson. Small restaurants, ethnic food here and there, wine bars. And among them all, let me give you a short recommendation for a good (though expensive) Sunday brunch.

Isabella's is close to the Central Park and closer to the National History Museum. It sits in a pleasant and sunny corner (at least on a late summer Sunday morning, as when I visited) and has a very enjoyable outdoor space - though a bit overcrowded... It was a good experience to go there, bath in all the sun, sip on a lemonade and... taste some good benedicts'! Believe me, I am someone who usually runs away from eggs in the morning (I try to save my liver...), but I couldn't resist those benedicts. I would recommend the salmon or the crab cake ones - delicious! And great to break your fast in the morning!

Where: New York City - United States of America
Address: 359 Columbus Ave, NYC 10024
Phone: +1 212 724 2100

Site: http://www.isabellas.com/
Expensive: Around 25USD for the simple brunch described above

Last visit: September 2011

Mar do Inferno

Do you like seafood? I am talking about shellfish, fish,… Do you like? My (maybe biased) perspective is that Portugal is the best country in the world to eat fish. It is probably an inheritance from having a long Atlantic coast – and it would be a shame to waste it… One of the best places to eat fish in Portugal is in the Cascais Coast, namely the stretch that goes from the village to the Guincho beach – it is home to a number of great (and expensive) restaurants. Mar do Inferno is my top choice amongst them.

It is a top a 20 meters high cliff, and, from the outside, it doesn’t promise that much. The truth is, it is very close to a local attraction (a fond of part of the coast) and a small number of selling huts make a queer impression of that zone. The restaurant on itself is different – but the outdoor impression still lingers. But its location also means you can sit by an outdoor table, enjoying the sun and looking at the vast blue ocean in front of you. And feel at peace.

Though, to feel even more at peace and happier, you should start eating. Mar do Inferno, depending on the time of the year, boasts an incredible (and always fresh) sort of shellfish. You can go for great clams and ‘percebes’ (the exquisite small animal that lives clammed to the rocks and it is a Portuguese and Spanish-Galician delicatessen), “santola” (a specific kind of crab), lobster (or a soup made out of it) or very good prawns – the truth be told, you can’t get it wrong ordering shellfish here. And, if you want, you can always complement them with a few fresh oysters, with a stir of lemon on them – delicious!

Then you are ready to order a good fish – a fine tasting Portuguese one, and let me assure you again, our waters are ripe with good fish. And at Mar do Inferno, they know how to cook it. Ask to have a look at the catch of the day, and decide then. And go for a nice and fresh grilled fish. And don’t forget to ask for a fine white wine to go with your sea food – it is probably the best way to honour a good meal. And a tasty way to do so…

Where: Cascais - Portugal

Address: Av Rei Humberto II de Itália, Boca do Inferno - Cascais

Phone: +351 21 4832218

Website: http://www.mardoinferno.com/

Expensive: Around €40 – but it can easily go a way up!

Last Visit: August 2011

Tancat

Writing about Tancat is hard for me. I simply consider it the best restaurant in Buenos Aires – which means I am biased, and I don’t like it, but also means I am afraid of not communicating the full experience of being in this restaurant, and I don’t like it either. But, to put it very simply – this is the restaurant I always bring my girlfriend to, whenever we are in Buenos Aires. And that will have to sum it all!

Tancat is located near Calle Florida and Plaza San Martin, a few hundred of meters away from Hotel Plaza and its century of charming stories. And a convenient 5 min cab ride or 20 min walk from the major theatres in the city (including Colon). Which makes it a great place to have a charming dinner after a play (but this is just a suggestion).

Tancat mixes the Buenos Aires atmosphere with a flavor of Spanish ambience and cuisine. Which actually ends up blending quite well. Starting with the cozy (and sometimes unfortunately overcrowded) dining room, dressed in brown and red, with a big bar and small and comfortable tables.

The menu is tempting. You can go for some starters and an entrée. Or, then, maybe you can stay only in the starters, playing the tapas game. You can choose “garlic prawns” (probably one of my favorite dishes, “gambas al ajillo”), a fine combination of manchego cheese and Spanish ham, sauted mushrooms that melt in your mouth or “galician octopus” (“Pulpo a la galega”). Let me tell, your mouth will appreciate any of those choices.

On the entrees side, let me first start by telling you a precious information – this is a great place to eat fish (actually, that was how I discovered it, when I was carving for a good Portuguese fish). It is probably one of the few places in Buenos Aires where you can choose a good sea fish and be happy for it! And we are talking about “Argentina, the meat land”! Oh! By the way… of course you can still pick up a great “bife chourizo”, “bife ancho” or a “Ojo de bife”, and still enjoy a great meal! Just, don’t forget to do it with a nice Malbec red wine – whatever you pick on the tapas or meat section will even taste better. And, to wrap it up, don’t skip desserts…

I started by saying it, and will say it again. This is my number one restaurant in Buenos Aires – and the one I would really recommend as part of a romantic evening. (just don’t forget to book a table before-hand…)

Where: Buenos Aires – Argentina

Address: Paraguay 645, Buenos Aires 1067, Argentina

Phone: +54 11 43125442

Expensive: Yes, sorry. Quality has a price. If you go the whole way, you can count on around €50 per person – which is actually not that expensive if you are not living in Buenos Aires…

Last visit: August 2011

Sholken

El Calafate is not the most vivid city in the world. Though one of the most important of Patagonian cities, it is only 20000 inhabitants, and is as far away from being a cosmopolitan town as a neon sign is from a Patagonian lamb (though, the lam tastes great!). It is mainly sought by tourists that are on its way to visit Perito Moreno Glacier – an icy beauty that is really the landmark of this region. Still, there is good food to be found – and I really challenge you to go and have a nice Patagonian lamb (see? I am already talking about it, so, it must be good) in one of the restaurants around – there are many, and, let me tell you, I didn’t feel I was in a tourist trap in any of them. Still, I will be writing about something very different – and, actually, a lot more down-to-earth than the last restaurants I have been talking about…

The place I am going to tell is… a small nice brewery. Really small! It probably doesn’t sit more than 20 people inside. It actually resembles a lot more a small bar – the way the tables are organized, the bar at the left side, the good 70’s music and the TV displaying Charles Chaplin movies help a lot on that feeling… and on my good impression. That was capped by a nice waiter, keen to talk with us but also to leave us alone when he understood we want it that way.

When I went there, the first thing I ordered was my beer – well, this was a brewery after all, so, beer should top the list. I went to the full menu – a combination of 3 glasses of homemade beer, a blond, a dark and a red one. A bit rough, as is intended of a small brewery and expected in Patagonia. And, then, food – and here, let me tell you, you should team with someone and go for the ham, sausages and cheese platter - 2 small table-wooden planks full of… well, several types of cheese, sausages and hams… And it is incredible how such a combination of simple and relaxed food, drink and ambience (and good friends will only boost it) will make it such a perfect way to wrap up a Perito Moreno day-long visit!

Where: El Calafate - Argentina

Address: Av. Libertador 1630, El Calafate 9405, Argentina

Phone: +54 29 02496096

Expensive: Under €10

Last visited: Aug 2011

Lola

I must say I don’t really like cemeteries as a tourist attraction. Still, Recoleta cemetery is usually advertised as one of the biggest attractions in Buenos Aires. Around it sit public gardens, museums, a cultural centre and… restaurants! Including Lola!

First and foremost, let me give you a warning – Lola is a posh restaurant. Last time I went there, with 2 friends at the end of a very touristy day, we were thoroughly looked from head to toe… Snickers and old jeans… It seems they don’t match that well with candles and roses on a perfectly white table, with red napkins… But it all works together for the ambience – traditionally sophisticated and expensive.

Still, the food is really good! Whether it is a “Ojo de Bife” or a “Bife Chourizo” or some pasta, you can’t get it wrong – though, again, my preference here would be the Argentinian tender meat. Better combine it with a good Malbec (delicious red wine – and I am from a wine producing country, so, if I say it…) or a white Torrontes, that will really cap a great dinner.

This is the kind of restaurant where you will go for a business dinner, or a “dinner to impress” your future girlfriend.

Where: Buenos Aires - Argentina

Address: Roberto M Ortiz 1805, Recoleta, Buenos Aires

Phone: +54 11 4804 5959

Expensive: 30 Euros per person

Last visit: August 2011