EuroFood

OK (drum roll, please), here it is. We know you´ve been waiting for it. Our favorite foods/meals/dining experiences (since they´ll vary some from place to place) of the trip thus far...which is almost over (boohoo). Enjoy...

LONDON - At our hosts´, we all enjoyed Martyn´s homemade spaghetti bolognese (LOADS of garlic...mmm...). In town, we found a great little Indian restaurant near Leicester Square, where we had butter chicken and other curry-ish things.

PARIS - Terri - tiramisu at Cafe du Marche. Nelson - fried duck/potatoes (with dijon mustard...I officially like dijon mustard now)/salad/wine/tiramisu and cafe au lait at Cafe du Marche. Pam & Chad´s presence made all of the above extra special.

CINQUE TERRE - Terri - roast chicken with broccoli and carrots at the Porto Rocco hotel with Graham & Ros & family. Also, pesto foccacia was a snack highlight for her (the Cinque Terre are, after all, the birthplace of pesto). Nelson - swordfish (!) at the Porto Rocco, along with good wine and good friends. Amazing how much the people you eat with mean just as much as what you´re eating!

MELE/GENOVA - I wrote about this already in a previous post, but it´s worth mentioning again. Our Italian host Andrea (the sweetest guy you´ll ever meet...and he is single, ladies ;) took us to an incredible pizzeria atop the hill overlooking the town of Arenzano. Followed by gelato and a walk along the Mediterranean, of course. It doesn´t get any better.

ROMA - We both agreed that the "cat alley cafe" (see a previous post regarding this) was our favorite dining experience in Rome. Terri wanted to add her LEAST favorite: after we saw the Colossuem, we were all starved, so we looked around for whatever was nearby. Big mistake. Terri got a chicken burger from a street vendor that was mostly cold. She confesses she should have known something was up when the vendor guys both laughed when she ordered this, but alas. Terri swears it was actually made of pigeon meat (from one of the many pigeons gracing Italy in general and Rome in particular).

VENICE - With Pam & Chad, we were fortunate to stumble on this little cafe in a little out-of-the-way square in Venice that met our budget and also tasted good! Terri had a great pasta dish and Nelson had veal cutlets with spaghetti. Mmm.

AUGSBURG - Well, it first needs to be said that our hosts Colin and Marlene fed us VERY well the whole time we were with them. Our favorite meal at their place was what Terri calls Olly Olly Oxenfree. Its real name is Alio et Olio con pollo et pepperonchino. In a moment we´ll explain what it actually is, but first try to guess without looking. Done trying? OK. It´s an olive oil garlic pasta with chicken and spices. A-freaking-MA-zing. In Munich, Nelson says it´s a toss-up between Haxe (pig knuckle) and currywurst. (And of course the beer.)

SALZBURG - Again found a great cafe we both enjoyed. Nelson had a great Indian chicken curry dish, and Terri especially enjoyed the apple strudel, a local specialty.

VIENNA - We wrote about this one already, too, but Nelson and Terri both really enjoyed the evening when they went to the supermarket to get food and had a picnic in the Volksgarten. Special mention also to the Eiscafe we found one night. Terri had an After Eight sundae and Nelson had a thing involving chocolate and bananas.

REUTTE - On our hotelier´s recommendation, we found a small restaurant specializing in local traditional fare. Nelson had trout cutlets with almond butter sauce and a fabulous local red wine. Terri had wienerschnitzel, but especially enjoyed the little potato/broccoli appetizers that came beforehand.

Thanks again for reading. Stay tuned for more on our Reutte/Bavaria/Tirolean experience. It´s been great!