But let’s cut to the chase.

The tiny community located in the heart of what is called, “Germany’s finest Gourmet corner,” boasts 40 restaurants. These range from wine-focused taverns to homey country inns to fine-dining establishments starred by Michelin and most offer must-try specialties.

Although the cornucopia creates the classic foodie conflict—so much to eat/so little time—not to worry. Forward-thinking Sasbachwalden restaurateurs have come up with a totally pleasing program that allows visitors to sample four different restaurants in one fine meal.

“Dinner jumping,” works like this: you reserve and prepay (65 Euros—about $84), by phone or online at least 14 days in advance of the dinner, and then pick up your dinner voucher at the tourist office when you reach Sasbachwalden. The voucher lists four restaurants, all within walking distance of each other, each serving a different course of your extravagant four-course meal. You don’t order specific dishes, but vegetarian options are available and the “surprise” menu represents the best of the chef’s repertoire using the freshest ingredients available that day.

My dinner jumping started at Gasthof Zum Holzwurm with the house-specialty Flammkuchen. The pizza-like bites of heaven served as an appetizer to the appetizer course, so as soon as I devoured the Flammkuchen I was served a generous first-course salad of greens topped with topped with vegetables and fish. Next, at Restaurant Sonne, I gobbled the second course (a rich barley risotto), before moving on to Hotel-Restaurant Engel for the main course  (perfectly cooked lamb with all the trimmings).  Dessert at the Restaurant Fallert included five exotic-flavored ice creams and mousses followed by a plate of the chef’s most divine candies and miniature pastries.  OMG. Sehr gut!

Mineral water and appropriate wine (usually the region’s famed Alde Gott) accompanied each course as did warm attentive service.

Four restaurants/four courses/flowing wine/ fabulous experience—foodies, you need to get yourself to Sasbachwalden.

For more information or to reserve, click here: Sasbachwalden Dinner Jumping.

For a sampling of the wunderbar Flammkuchen, read on.

FLAMMKUCHEN

Yield: 1 flammkuchen, 4 large pieces.

1/4 pound thickly sliced smoky bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick lardons

1 small to medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup quark

1/2 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons chopped chives

Salt

Pepper

Crust (You can use packaged thin pizza crusts, or thawed frozen pizza or bread dough or homemade pizza dough. If using dough, roll it 1/8-inch thick into a 12-inch circle.)

Start heating oven to 450°F.

Put bacon in a medium skillet and set over a moderate heat until the bacon renders its fat and just starts to brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel to drain. Add onions to bacon fat in skillet and cook until just softened, but not browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer onions to a paper towel to drain. Set bacon and onions aside until cool.

Combine quark, sour cream and chives.

Spread mixture over crust coming to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle onions and bacon evenly over the crust.

Set flammkuchen on the bottom rack of the preheated 450°F oven and bake until the crust turns golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Theresa Nemetz on a Food Tour

A Milwaukee native and tourism ambassador with a passion for the city, Theresa showcases the food of Milwaukee through Milwaukee Food Tours, a business she runs with husband Wade.

The various 2-1/2 hour tours take participants on walks through Milwaukee’s historic, food-laden neighborhoods, stopping at restaurants, bakeries, and other specialty food outlets for sampling and savoring.

According to Theresa, “Milwaukee has a rich history, and the city’s cuisines are reflective of the many German, Italian and Polish influences of its immigrant past.”

Theresa looks to delicious ethnic Milwaukee when not only designing Food Tours, but also choosing restaurants to recommend to visitors. When asked for a list of personal favorite Milwaukee restaurants, Theresa replied:

MADER’S RESTAURANT, 1041 North Old World 3rd Street 414-271-3377

To sample the city’s German cuisine, step back in time and visit Mader’s on Old World Third, a cobblestone street once considered the heart of Milwaukee’s German activity.

Mader’s offers an extensive menu and you can’t go wrong trying their most famous German dishes, two of which are the Pork Shank with an apple demi-glaze and  Rouladen, a beef tenderloin rolled with pickle spear, smoked bacon and caramelized onions. Or if you just can’t decide, go with the German Sampler, which includes Wiener Schnitzel, Kasseler Rippchen and Rheinischer Sauerbraten with potato dumpling, sauerkraut and red cabbage.

CARADARO CLUB PIZZA, 5010 W. Vliet, .476.7700

Milwaukee was strongly influenced by the Italians and Sicilians, and so how could you visit Milwaukee without a sample of excellent cracker thin crust Sicilian pizza? Any of the local favorites, such as Balistreri’s, Barbiere’s, DeMarini’s and Zaffiro’s, are divine, but for a special treat, try stopping at the The Original Caradaro Club for a slice of pie using the original recipe for the first pizza ever served in Milwaukee.

RISTORANTE BARTOLOTTA, 7616 West State Street, 414-771-7910 

My personal favorite of the Bartolotta Family restaurants, is Ristorante Bartolotta, located in the quaint village of Wauwatosa, just outside of downtown Milwaukee.

Ristorante Bartolotta’s menu features hand-made pastas, (I especially like the Pappardelle al Ragu d’Anatra, a hand-cut Tuscan ribbon pasta tossed with a traditional slow-braised duck ragu) and seafood dishes (my favorite: Grigliata Mista di Mare, a seaside-style assortment of grilled seafood).

THREE BROTHERS, 2414 S Saint Clair St, 414-481-7530

Tucked away on an unassuming corner of the Bay View neighborhood you’ll find Three Brothers, a charming Serbian restaurant owned by Branko Radicevic, a 2002 James Beard award winner. The signature Serbian dish, burek, requires 45 to 60 minutes of attention in the kitchen before arriving at your table, but it is worth every minute. While waiting, be sure to nibble on the stuffed grape leaves as well as the Serbian hors d’oeuvres platter. (Please note – cash only.)

POLONEZ, 4016 South Packard Avenue, 414-482-0080

George and Aleksandra Burzynski

Another great place for Eastern European food is Polonez, owned and operated by Polish immigrants George and Aleksandra Burzynski. George cooked alongside his grandmother as a child, learning how to make her traditional Polish dishes, which he put on Polonez’s menu.  In my opinion, the Pierogi – Polish dumplings – and Czarnina soup are a must.

COMET CAFÉ, 1947 N. Farwell Avenue, 414-273-7677

Comet Café offers a wide lunch and dinner menu, but their passion is firm in everything bacon. Don’t miss their Sunday brunch complete with FREE bowls of bacon at each table,  Bloody Mary’s topped with bacon and Bacon Cakes (you guessed it – pancakes with bacon in them).

SANFORD, 1547 North Jackson Street, 414-276-9608

Chef Sandy D’Amato presents an ever-changing menu to his guests at Sanford on Milwaukee’s East Side. Sandy has received accolades both locally and nationally in Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, Wine Spectator, Milwaukee Magazine, Chicago Tribune, New York Times and Esquire. He was one of 12 chefs in the nation to be personally chosen by Julia Child to cook for her 80th birthday celebration in her hometown Boston, and he won the Perrier Jouet Best Chef Midwest award in 1996 from the James Beard Foundation.

What to order?  Just ask for the Seven-Course Surprise Tasting Menu where caution is thrown to the Sanford kitchen and a custom tailored menu is created for you!

ROOTS RESTAURANT & CELLAR, 1818 North Hubbard Street, 414-374-8480

Arguably offering one of the best views of downtown Milwaukee, Roots Restaurant & Cellar sits high above the city and offers a farm-to-table menu. Ask for seating on the patio with a view and dine on some gourmet favorites, such as the Sesame Mock Duck (made with mushroom rice noodles, pickled plums and marinated bean sprouts) and Truffle Seared Tenderloin (with chevre whipped potatoes and madeira~black truffle glace).

Casual, lighter fare is served downstairs in the Cellar.

KOPP’S CUSTARD, 5373 N. Port Washington Ave., 414-961-2006

Known equally for their jumbo butter burgers and frozen custard, Kopp’s Custard is a must  when in Milwaukee. Nothing can fully describe that overwhelming taste of buttery goodness with your first burger bite, or the deliciousness of any of their rich custard flavors. Although there are multiple locations, be sure to visit the Glendale location just north of downtown Milwaukee – it is on the site of the former Milky Way drive-in restaurant, which is rumored to be inspiration for Arnold’s Drive-In of Happy Days TV fame.

LAKEFRONT BREWERY, 1872 N. Commerce St., 414-372-8800

You can’t leave Milwaukee without experiencing a classic Friday Night Fish Fry, and what better place to do so than Lakefront Brewery, complete with polka music by Brew Haus Polka Kings and of course, a pint of Milwaukee-brewed beer. Consistently voted the #1 fish fry in Milwaukee, chose between the beer battered cod or the lightly breaded perch. While you’re there, be sure to stick around for a tour of the brewery – cheers, from Milwaukee!

If you guessed Switzerland you are only half right.

I am in “Little Switzerland,” the affectionate name given to New Glarus, a Swiss-settled community in Green County, Wisconsin.

More specifically I am at the New Glarus Hotel Restaurant gorging on Swiss dishes and watching a fondue demonstration—but more about that later.

New Glarus isn’t new. The town dates to 1845 when immigrants fleeing a famine started arriving from the canton of Glarus in Switzerland (the real deal) to settle the Wisconsin land that so resembled their native alpine farmland. The colony became an official village in 1901 and remains the major Swiss center of North America, welcoming Swiss immigrants, upholding Swiss traditions and celebrating Swiss heritage.

So here are a few things you might not know about New Glarus and its surroundings (in no particular order):

1. In 1905, the New Glarus area sported so many cheese factories (22 to be exact) that the village was called “the cheese Capital of the World.” Production has slowed; nevertheless Green County still claims to have the largest concentration of specialty cheese factories and award winning cheese makers in the United States. The County hosts the National Historic Cheesemaking Center and a plethora of shops selling cheese as well as restaurants serving cheese-based dishes.

2. The first woman to operate a brewery in the United States was/is Deborah Carey, who with her husband Dan, opened the New Glarus Brewing Company in 1993. The brewery rocks on today and is well worth a visit.

3. At one time over 100 cheese makers around New Glarus produced Limburger cheese and the stinky stuff

Serving Baumgartner's Limburger sandwiches.

was considered so important to the community that it was used as legal tender. Today only one Limburger plant remains and that’s in Monroe, Wisconsin. The best place to try the cheese is also in Monroe at Baumgartner’s Cheese Store and Tavern, which opened in 1931 and is considered the oldest cheese store in Wisconsin. Baumgartner’s servers it’s Limburger sandwich on rye with raw onions. Talk about aroma…well, let’s not! I much prefer the scent of fondue, which brings us back to the New Glarus Hotel Restaurant.

Built by Swiss immigrants in 1853 as a rooming house for travelers, the New Glarus Hotel Restaurant now functions primarily as a restaurant serving authentic Swiss dishes and sometimes staging Swiss-style concerts, dances and even cooking demonstrations for tourists who come by the busloads.

The following recipe comes from their fondue demo led by Chef Roland Fürst. Should you like, you can add a dash of dry mustard to the recipe and it would still be authentic. Yodel-ah-ee-OOOoooo

CHEESE FONDUE

Chef Roland Furst making fondue.

Yield: About 4 servings.

1 cup plus 1/4 cup dry white wine, divided

4 cups (about 3/4 pound) shredded Appenzeller, Gruyere or Emmentaler cheese

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1-1/2 teaspoons very finely chopped fresh garlic

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Pinch nutmeg

About 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons Kirsch

Crusty French bread, cut into bite size cubes

Put 1 cup wine in a heavy fondue pot.

Set pot over high heat and bring wine to a gentle boil. Reduce heat so that wine simmers.

Gradually stir cheese into wine. When the cheese melts and is smooth, stir in the lemon juice, garlic, dill, pepper and nutmeg.

Combine cornstarch with remaining wine. Add to cheese and stir well. Let cook a minute or two, stirring constantly, until fondue is thick and smooth. Stir in the Kirsch.

Serve immediately with bread chunks for dipping.

Marion Busacker

Although Marion Busacker has lived in Stuttgart, Germany,  only three years, she knows the city inside and out. As the Stuttgart Tourist Office’s press and public relations representative, it’s her job to know what the city offers and to showcase the best of the best to the press.

She says that she worked as a journalist for a TV production company in Cologne for 13 years before switching jobs and that she decided to work in Stuttgart as she had visited many times and believes the city is well worth seeing and promoting.

She especially likes the Stuttgart restaurants, coffee houses, cafes, beer gardens and other pleasure places—and many for reasons that have to do with ambiance as well as food and drink.

Although picking favorites might not be politically correct for a tourist bureau ambassador, that didn’t stop Marion from generously supplying a short list of her personal musts. In her own words (in English not her native German), Marion says she likes:

Cube Restaurant  

View from the Cube Restaurant

Kleiner Schloßplatz 1

70173 Stuttgart

Tel.: +49 (0) 711-280 44 41

This glass-enclosed restaurant is located on the top floor of the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart (Stuttgart Museum of Art), which is located at Stuttgart’s most beautiful place: Palace Square. If you get a table at the window bank, the view of Palace Square and the hills in the background is served with your menu. Business people like the Cube for lunch and at noon the price is more moderate than in the evening. But in the evening when the sun goes down and the lights in the city are switched on the view is extraordinary. The restaurant serves very good international cuisine and has an extensive wine list. You can combine a visit to the museum, which holds the world’s most important collection of the German artist Otto Dix, with lunch or dinner at the Cube. The museum is open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Sunday and from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Wednesday. The Cube is open Monday to Sunday from 11:30 a.m. until midnight.

Restaurant Fässle

Löwenstraße 51

70597 Stuttgart (Degerloch)

Tel: +49 (0) 711-76 01 00

At this special restaurant, Eva and Rudolf Schmölz combine tradition and modernity. This is my favorite restaurant in Stuttgart. The food is fantastic and, although the restaurant is not inexpensive, in my opinion, it offers a very good value for the money. The restaurant is open on Monday from 6:30 p.m. until midnight and on Tuesday through Saturday from noon until 2 p.m. and then again at 6:30 p.m. until midnight. Closed on Sunday.

Weinstube Lowen

Weinstube Löwen 

Trollingerstr. 4

70329 Stuttgart (Uhlbach)

Tel: +49 711-32 60 322

This cozy, Swabian restaurant is located in the vineyard surrounding Stuttgart-Uhlbach, next to the Viniculture Museum. My advice: Take the S1 (subway) to Untertürkheim. Walk the wine path, climb the Württemberg up to the Grabkapelle (burial chapel) and then walk through the vineyards down to the restaurant, which is located in a landmarked house built in 1690. Be sure to order a Viertele (a quarter) of local wine and sample the local food specialties, which include Maultaschen (a large ravioli-type pasta stuffed with all sorts of fillings), Käsespätzle (spatzle with cheese) and Zwiebelrostbraten (roasted beef with onions).  Weinstube Löwen is open from 11:30 a.m. until midnight each day except Wednesday when it is closed.

Weinstube Fröhlich

Leonhardstraße 5  70182 Stuttgart

Tel: +49 (0) 711-24 24 71

A popular historic wine tavern located in the red light district, but you don’t have to fear to go there. The kitchen offers traditional Swabian food as well as creative dishes such as ostrich and chili crème brulée with chocolate. The wine list includes a wide range of local wines but also wine from Italy, France, Spain and South Africa.  This great favorite with locals is open daily from 5:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. and until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant also has a little garden where, depending on the weather, you can sit and eat from May to September until 11 p.m.

Gelataria

Marienplatz 12

70178 Stuttgart

Tel.: 0 711-633 83 83

This ice cream parlor, at the Marienplatz in Stuttgart-Heslac, belongs to the Café Kaiserbau (near the Park Inn Hotel) and offers a range of fancy ice creams with creative flavors such as licorice, basil, caramel & salt, curd cheese & quince. In winter the flavors might include cinnamon, Schwarzwalder Kirsch (black forest) and Spekulatius (almond biscuit). Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., even in the winter.

Eis-Bistro Pinguin  

Eugensplatz 2a

70184 Stuttgart

Tel: +49 (0) 711-263-7973

Ice cream parlor at the Eugensplatz where you combine your ice cream with a fantastic panoramic view over Stuttgart. To get there, climb the Eugenstaffel (Duke Eugen Steps).  Open Monday through Friday from at 11 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. until 10 p.m. each day. Closed in winter.

 Café Seyffer’s

Vogelsangstr. 55

Stuttgart

Tel. +49(0)711/935 59 90

My favorite café, hidden in Stuttgart-West, is yet undiscovered by tourists. It’s a good place to go for breakfast, for sitting in the midday sun, and/or for drinking a beer in the evening. The café is tastefully furnished with Andalusian touches and has a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling.   I go there to drink and usually have a Prosecco or Aperol Sprizz. The café is open from Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. and on Saturdays, Sundays and some holidays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 Hüftengold  

The cake display at Huftengold

Olgastr. 44

70182 Stuttgart

Tel: +49 (0) 711-248-6988

A very nice, uncomplicated bistro in the Bohnenviertel (Bean Quarter, a relic of historic Stuttgart which has managed to survive until the present day). Not far from the city center, Hüftengold is only about a ten minutes walk from the Schlossplatz (Palace Square). Decorated with candles, working fireplace and flowers, this charming café serves Indian curries, pasta, Sauerbraten, salad and homemade desserts. I think that anybody will find something on the menu to like. It’s a lovely place to linger over afternoon cakes and coffee. Open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. until midnight; Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 a.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.; and Friday from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Vineyards surround Stuttgart

Tschechen & Söhne / Karlshöhe  

Humboldtstraße 44

70178 Stuttgart

Tel: +49 (0) 711-284 68 78

A great place to escape, this beer garden is located on a hill called Karlshöhe and is surrounded by a park and a small city vineyard. There you have a scenic view of the south of Stuttgart. From May through September you can combine a visit to the beer garden with a visit to the city lapidarium. Although in the middle of the traffic noise of the city, the park invites you to meditate under its mighty old trees. The colonnades, terraces and lawns, which reach to the Karlshöhe, have a tranquil magic. The park grounds, which were built according to the model of Italian renaissance gardens, contain portals, columns and parts of architecture of what were once famous Stuttgart buildings, offering the visitor a clear image of the former Stuttgart city culture.

Opening hours depend on the weather. In good summer weather the beer garden is generally open every day from 11 a.m. until midnight. In doubtful weather it is best to call in advance. Closed in winter, more or less from October to March.

Teehaus Stuttgart im Weissenburgpark  

Hohenheimer Strasse 119

70184 Stuttgart

Tel: +49 (0) 711-236 736 0

Wonderful art nouveau pavilion built in 1913 with a restaurant inside, beer garden, huge terrace, pond and fountain outside. It’s open from March to October and the rest of the year only at the weekends. I like to sit outside in the sun and drink a Radler (beer mixed with Sprite) or have a cup of coffee and a piece of cake.

Waldheim Heslach   

Dachswaldweg 180

70569 Stuttgart

Tel: +49 (0) 711-6872271

Considered the largest beer house in Stuttgart, the restaurant is more than a place to enjoy good food. It is the idyllic place to go with kids, because they have a children’s playground. You can sit inside the restaurant or outdoors, on a meadow under old fruit trees, and order a range of popular specialties including Schnitzel, different kinds of Maultaschen, fish, steak, salad and the like. This is a popular restaurant in a lovely setting and is especially nice on beautiful days. Open from May 1^st through August 31st from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. and from September 1^st to April 30^th on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday until Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Bier, Trollinger and neuer wein---just a few of Stuttgart's drinking delights

I look for diners wherever I wander and recently lucked out in Manhattan, where a Roosevelt Hotel bellman, whose body said he knew food, gave me the tip. “Try The Comfort Diner,” he said. “Great place. Right down the street (at 214 E 45th).  Breakfast can’t be beat. You’ll like it.”

Lynn Septoff

And was he right! The Comfort Diner is the epitome of what I like in a diner. The ambiance, complete with both booth and counter seating, radiates a worn, unpretentious vintage charm. The kitchen produces made-from-scratch basic dishes with some upgrade touches, and, last, but never least, the staff aims to please.

The diner’s manager, Lynn Septoff, used to be the diner’s pastry chef before she burned out, now she’s upfront greeting and seating guests, schmoozing with customers and welcoming all with a big smile.

Knowing I was interested in food, Lynn suggested that I order the house specialty red flannel hash and even brought a sample taste to tempt me.

Order I did. Loved it of course. And when I moaned that I couldn’t bear to wait to next time I was in NY to enjoy it again, Lynn disappeared into the back room and typed the recipe for me.

When it comes to simple diner pleasure, the Comfort Diner is as good as it gets—and so is their hash.

COMFORT DINER’S RED FLANNEL HASH

Yield: about 6 servings.

3/4 pounds beets, (about 5 beets)

Olive oil

1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1medium red potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup diced scallions, (1/4-inch dice)

3 pounds cooked corned beef, trimmed of all fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Poached eggs (see note)

Wheat toast (for serving)

Trim stems from beets, wrap in aluminum foil, and put in a preheated 350°F oven.  Roast until tender, about 1 hour. Set beet aside to cool and then rinse them in cool water, peel them and cut into 1/2-inch cubes; set cubes aside.

Put oil in a wok or heavy fry pan and set over moderated heat until hot. Add red potatoes and sauté, just until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove red potatoes from pan and set aside.

Add sweet potatoes and sauté until tender, about 12 minutes. Remove sweet potatoes from pan and set aside.

Add more oil to the skillet if necessary and sauté onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, beets, beef and scallions to onions in skillet and sauté, until heated through and potatoes are slightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve topped with poached eggs and accompanied with wheat toast.

NOTE: TO POACH EGGS IN ADVANCE AND REHEAT JUST BEFORE SERVING

Bring a small pot of water to a full boil. Break egg into a small measuring cup. Make a whirlpool in center of the boiling water with the handle of a wooden spoon. Carefully lower egg into center of whirlpool. Reduce heat to a simmer. Let egg simmer until white is cooked and yolk is set but still runny, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon remove egg to a bowl of cold water.

Repeat with as many eggs as you need.

When all eggs are cook, one at a time lift egg from water with your hand and trim scraggly edges with a sharp knife. Put egg in fresh bowl of cold water. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate overnight.

To reheat, fill a bowl with hot water. Drain eggs in cold water and transfer to bowl with hot water. Replenish hot water if necessary. Let eggs sit until warm, then drain and serve.

Lucy says that she took the recipe from a “redneck-lawyer, rouge-gourmand friend,” gave it a twist and put it on her menu where it thrives. Today she makes it in 20-gallon batches and still has trouble keeping up with demand.

Although Lucy serves the L.A. Caviar as an appetizer, the dish would shine as a crowd-pleasing side dish at barbecues and casual family gatherings and/or as a contribution salad at potluck parties and tailgate picnics.

L.A. (LOWER ALABAMA) CAVIAR

Yield: 20 to 25 servings as an appetizer; about 8 servings as a side dish or salad.

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper

1 cup chopped red onion

1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Saltine crackers or tortilla chips

1. Make dressing by combining vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a jar. Cover and shake jar vigorously to dissolve sugar. Set aside.

2. Place black-eyed peas in a large glass bowl. Add tomatoes, green, red and yellow peppers, onion and parsley.

3. Pour dressing over pea mixture and toss well to combine ingredients.

4. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight before serving.

Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

From the center of Durbuy, Belgium

is large enough to have a restaurant serving what my traveling companions claim is one of the biggest taste treats in all of Belgium. Considering the nature of our trip, this is super-size praise for any size town.

I was traveling with four fellow food writers through Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, enjoying a luscious sneak preview of the up-and-coming Belgian 2012 Year of Gastronomy.

Local beer---good accompaniment to local food.

The day we landed in Durbuy for lunch (day three of our trip), we had already devoured a huge breakfast at the Auberge du Sabotier in Awenne (our previous night’s stop), followed by a generous beer and charcuterie tasting in Rochefort.

By the time we settled into Le Victoria Restaurant and Grill, I had so overindulged that I could only manage to order a small salad. My colleagues had more fortitude; they ordered grilled chicken.

Le Victoria is a pretty place with several dining areas. We chose an indoor table, near the open grill, and from my seat, I could hear the sizzle when chef Koen Timmerman put the chickens on to cook. Lured by the sound and scent, I stood to watch.

Koen Timmerman grilling chicken at Le Victoria's open grill.

One half chicken constituted an order and Koen grilled the halves, over a medium high flame, basting and turning them often, until the skins were nicely browned and crispy. He then transferred the halves to a large bowl, tossed them for a few moments in what he called a “marinade.” and sent them to the table hot, fragrant and chin-dripping juicy. The whole process took about 20 minutes.

My colleagues raved. They raved after the first bite. They raved when they finished eating. They raved the following day. And they raved at the end of the trip when asked to remember their favorite meal.

They raved so much, that as soon as I returned home, I adapted Koen’s recipe (which he had given to me in restaurant proportions and European measurements), and made the chicken for a casual dinner party. My guests raved. My husband raved. Chances are you’ll rave too.

GRILLED CHICKEN

(Adapted from a recipe from Koen Timmerman. Le Victoria Restaurant and Grill)

Yield: 4 large servings.

2 frying chickens, halved

Basting ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1-1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1/2 bay leaf

Finishing ingredients “marinade”:

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

3/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put basting ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combined; set aside.

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add remaining finishing ingredients and stir well. Set aside. If necessary reheat mixture to melt butter before using.

Set chicken halves on a grill over hot coals. Grill, brushing often with basting mixture and turning as necessary, until halves are cooked through, but not dry, and skin is well browned and crispy.

Transfer chicken from the grill to a large dish. Pour finishing mixture over chicken and turn halves over several times to coat with mixture. Serve immediately.

Som Tam (spicy papaya salad)

Granted, I enjoy hyperbole, but when it comes to Bangkok’s food scene, I can’t find an exageration to do it justice.  Bangkok is bursting with fabulous food. North, south, east, west, up, down, all around, Bangkok is stacked, jam-packed, overloaded and overflowing with good places to eat. The choices are nothing short of overwhelming.

Pad Thai (fried rice noodles)

Kai Med Ma Muang (stir-fried chicken with cashews)

As knowing where to begin exploring the feast is a task beyond the average tourist, I asked the lovely Vimolpatra Tunganaga for help.

Vimolpatra lives in Bangkok, comes from a Thai restaurant family and works for The Crown Property Bureau, the agency responsible for managing the personal wealth of the King of Thailand and his immediate family, so she knows the ins and outs of all things Bangkok, particularly its food.

Vimolpatra suggests the following three restaurant chains, because, she says, each has multiple locations, is reasonably priced and serves high-quality Thai (and fusion) foods that are popular with both Thais and faràngs (“foreigners”).

Popular Thai appetizers: shrimp cakes, spring rolls and satay.

KALPAPRUEK

This independently owned chain has several branches with the three most popular being:

the original Kalpapruek Restaurant Silom: 27, Pramuan Rd., Suriyawong, Bang Rak;

and

Kalpapruek on First, on the 1^st floor of the Emporium shopping complex;

and

Ghang Keow Wan (green curry)

Ging Kalpapruek in the Siam Paragon shopping center.

GREYHOUND CAFÉ

Tourist can find this popular restaurant in eight different locations including:

the original on the second floor of the Emporium shopping complex;

at the Siam Paragon shopping center;

and on the ground floor of the Siam Centre.

Khao Neow Ma Muong (coconut sticky rice with mango)

SEEFAH RESTAURANT

One of the oldest restaurants in Bangkok, Seefah boasts about 20 branches that are still family owned and operated.

A good choice for tourists is one of the earliest Seefah’s at the Siam location, No. 434-440, Siam Square, Soi 9, Rama 1 Rd.

Recipes:

PAD THAI

CHICKEN SATAY

Chef Jason Greene

husband and wife team, Jason and Lauren Greene, the property is part restaurant, part coffee house (great espresso) and part shop (selling artisan food products, culinary gifts, table-top items and books). It is open only part of the day (breakfast and lunch) and part of the week (closed on Monday).

Even the Café menu breaks with tradition. In a city where chiles dominate and food specialties lean to the Native American and Hispanic, The Grove’s food inclines towards the French. But only part of the menu wears French names, and even that part deviates from traditional classics, as Chef Jason likes to add personal twists to his repertoire.

All and all, the sum of The Grove’s parts equals a whole lot to admire, not the least being wholesome food (based on locally grown, organic and natural ingredients) that is wholeheartedly delicious. Perfect example: The Grove Café’s Croque Madame.

CROQUE MADAME

Yield: 1 serving.

1 large slice whole-wheat sourdough bread

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Black pepper aioli (recipe follows)

3 thin slices Black Forest ham

3 thin slices heirloom tomatoes

1 ounce shredded Cheddar cheese

3 thin slices French Gruyere cheese

1 egg

Chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Brush bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set in oven until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Spread a thin layer of black pepper aioli on one side of toasted bread. Add slices of ham. Top with tomato slices. Lightly salt and pepper tomato. Sprinkle shredded Cheddar over tomatoes and top with slices of Gruyere.  Set sandwich in oven until cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put a little olive oil in a small skillet, set skillet over medium heat and fry egg, sunny side up.

Remove sandwich from oven. Cut sandwich in half and stack one half over the other. Top with egg. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

The Grove is located at 600 Central Ave

BLACK PEPPER AIOLI

Yield: 1 cup.

1 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon whole-grain mustard

1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

Combine all ingredients.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Chef Jim Leonardo

So my favorite winter recipe is turning out to work magic on summer grills.

I’m talking about a coffee rub recipe from Jim Leonardo, chef of Vinology, the spiffy wine-bar and restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Chef Leonardo uses the rub to season bison sliders that he puts on Vinology’s late-night menu and serves at receptions and parties that Vinology caters. Topped with an onion marmalade and boursin spread, the sliders are nothing short of fabulous (you can find the full recipe in an article that I wrote for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch if you click HERE ). Take away the toppings and the sliders would still be terrific, thanks to the coffee rub.

Last winter, I used the seasoning to perk up stews and slow-cooking roasts (both pork and beef) and I gamely slathered it on game.

This summer, when unusually hot weather provides grounds for not cooking indoors, I’ve use the coffee seasoning to beef up the flavor of hamburgers, steaks and ribs cooked on the outdoor grill. Trust me, the coffee seasoning is no grind to make and renders grilled beef, pork and other fatty meats pig-out delicious!

COFFEE RUB SEASONING MIX

Yield: about 1-1/2 cups.

1/2 cup finely ground decaffeinated dark-roast coffee

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

2 tablespoons granulated onion

2 tablespoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup salt

Combine all ingredients and store , at room temperature, in an airtight container.