Tag Archives: international food

A Culinary Renaissance in Quebec City

Poutine at Le Chic Shack, Quebec City
Poutine at Le Chic Shack, Quebec City

Perhaps poutine is an apt example of a half-century of culinary evolution in Quebec City. Invented in the 1950s, this fast-food combination of French fries topped with fresh cheese curds and smothered in beef gravy became virtually the Quebec national dish and for years the butt of jokes in other parts of Canada – that is until the 21st century. In recent years poutine has changed under the talented hands of imaginative chefs and has migrated to major North American food centers from Philadelphia to Vancouver. From cafes to fine dining restaurants, additions from smoked bison to wild mushrooms and even foie gras now grace hand cut fries, squeaky organic cheese curds and lighter herb flavored gravies.

Mini lobster salads at Quebec Hilton
Mini lobster salads at Quebec Hilton

That same evolution in cuisine under both the talents of seasoned chefs and a new generation brought up on the media’s internationalization of tastes are transforming Quebec City into a sought after dining destination. Yet traditions remain; they’re simply being tweaked. The same incomparable food products Quebec agriculture has always produced now take center of the plate as the following nine city restaurants so admirably prove.

Read more at Eat Québécois in Quebec City

 

Blue fin tuna at Toast, Quebec City
Blue fin tuna at Toast, Quebec City

 

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Andean Cuisine in Quito, Ecuador

Flaming black clams, Los Milagros Restaurant, Centro Historico Quito
Los Milagros Restaurant, Centro Historico Quito

Only a few restaurants in Quito still serve cuy (roasted guinea pig) anymore, and it has become an exotic food. Although still common in remote village cuisines, even in urban Ecuador the sides would include potatoes, corn and grains in a variety of forms.

Giant shrimp stuffed chicken breast, Opera Restaurant, Hotel Dann Carlton
Giant shrimp stuffed chicken breast, Opera Restaurant, Hotel Dann Carlton

Giant shrimp do not belong in the central Andes of Ecuador, but they do on the long Pacific coast. Modern transportation provides the means today to easily market foods within geographic regions.

pan fried corn nuts & toasted beans are a common garnish/snack
pan fried corn nuts & toasted beans are a common garnish/snack

Quinoa, potatoes and corn are but three of a copious number of food stuffs indigenous to the Central Andes. Spanish conquest in the 16th century spread both these and many other agricultural products worldwide and introduced pigs and beef to South America. Today highways allow Ecuador’s Amazon River and Pacific Ocean fish and seafood to be served fresh in Quito at 9,000 feet elevation.

Los Milagros Restaurant, Centro Historico Quito
Los Milagros Restaurant, Centro Historico Quito

In a recent trip to Quito I explored seven restaurants that firmly base their menus on traditional cuisine yet take a liberal hand their reinterpretation for the 21st century plate.

Read more at:

Evolving Andean cuisine at seven Quito restaurants

 

El Patio Andaluz, Centro Historico Quito
El Patio Andaluz, Centro Historico Quito

 

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Gold, God…potatoes…in Quito, Ecuador

 

 

Iglesia de San Francisco. Quito, Ecuador
Iglesia de San Francisco. Quito, Ecuador

 

La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, Quito, Ecuador
La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, Quito, Ecuador

Since the start of history gold has been connected to the divine and the boundaries of people, state and heaven have intertwined in myriad and mysterious patterns.  In post conquest 16th century Quito (Ecuador), An A-list of priests, monks and nuns from four of the Church’s most influential religious orders provided the patronage for a celebrated era of artistic expression.

La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, Quito, Ecuador
La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, Quito, Ecuador

Sumptuous interior decorations, intricate carvings and golden altars express prominent Moorish geometrical figures, Italian Renaissance style and European baroque architecture. In the 1970s UNESCO dubbed it “Quito Baroque” in their 1978 designation of Quito as a World Heritage Site.

 

 

 

 

Just click the link to see many more photos and read the article…

To the glory of gold and God in Quito, Ecuador

 

The iconic soup of Ecuador: Locro de Papa
The iconic soup of Ecuador: Locro de Papa
One of 200 varieties potatoes in Ecuador
One of 200 varieties potatoes in Ecuador

At least 4,000 varieties of potatoes grow in the Andean Highlands that encompass territory stretching from northern Argentina through Ecuador. An important food staple for all pre-Columbian Andean cultures, the Incas created chunu – dehydrated potatoes that could be stored for up to a decade.

Read how a vegetable becomes a national icon and follow a simple recipe for an Ecuador national dish:

The iconic soup of Ecuador: Locro de Papa

 

rich soil in the crater of Pululahua Volcano just north of Quito
rich soil in the crater of Pululahua Volcano just north of Quito

 

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Where Asia and Europe flow together: Kavala, Greece

 

Kavala, Greece
Kavala, Greece
the Imaret (early 19th century) now boutique hotel.
the Imaret (early 19th century) now boutique hotel.

The twisting streets of Kavala’s old city reveals its recent past. The architecture is a mosaic of historical patterns befitting a port city serving empires. Known as Neapolis for its first thousand years, Kavala has born witness to dreamers and emperors since the 7th century B.C.  It’s easy to marvel at the 16th century engineering beauty of the Kamares aquaduct from the fortress.

 

The Kamares aquaduct (15th century)
The Kamares aquaduct (15th century)

Adding to the charm of the city are important and entertaining sites in the nearby countryside – the impressive remains of Philippi,  Lydia, the Krinides Therapeutic Clay Baths and vineyards on the mountain where Dionysus resided in the Pangaion Hills.

Ktima Biblia Chora vineyard on the slopes of Mt. Pangaion.
Ktima Biblia Chora vineyard on the slopes of Mt. Pangaion.

 

To get there, stay at, go to and dine please read…

Kavala: still fresh after 2,700 years

 

N 40° 55' dining room at the Lucy Hotel, Kavala
N 40° 55′ dining room at the Lucy Hotel, Kavala

 

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Alonissos, Greece: Touch the Soul

 

robetiko musicians at To Kamaki
robetiko musicians at To Kamaki

 

Alonissos Island
Alonissos Island

“Alonissos is a close knit community,” British expats Dave Court and Gerry Ivison said. For me it’s the robetiko ballads that touch the soul of both Alonissos and Greece.

Not all Greek islands are similar. In this most northerly of the Sporades islands, the towering pine forests tumble down the rocky cliffs to the sea.

 

Tsoukali beach windmill
Tsoukali beach windmill

 

Palio Horio, Alonissos
Palio Horio, Alonissos

Secluded beaches, historic towns, lush pine forests, the land gives way to solitude as one drives north from the port capital of Patitiri to Gerka. Cafes, tavernas, museums, hotels, artists all make Alonissos home, and so did pirates.

At the Museum  of Alonissos
At the Museum of Alonissos

 

Read more in my Hellenic News of America column on this alluring central Aegean island…

Alonissos Island is a floating spoon sweet

 

Sunset on Alonissos
Sunset on Alonissos

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Tsikali Taverna, Sifnos Island, Greece: Tradition

 

Flora and Nikos Kratzeskaros
Flora and Nikos Kratzeskaros

 

a community wood fired oven in Vathi, Sifnos, Greece
a community wood fired oven in Vathi, Sifnos, Greece

A community wood fired oven…producing cheese from goats and sheep from your farm…serving these dishes on the beach mere feet from the Aegean. Welcome to the 21st century Greek style.

ingredients for caper salad
ingredients for caper salad

The village of Vathi is a classic beauty. The winding road descends from the hills and one’s first glimpse is the gleaming white buildings clustered in a crescent on a white sand beach in front of the interminable clear aqua water of the Aegean. Read all about Nikos, Flora and Tsikali Taverna at…

Tradition is the norm at Tsikali Taverna on Sifnos Island

 

Vathi, Sifnos, Greece
Vathi, Sifnos, Greece

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The Flegra Beach Boutique Apartments opens Asterias

 

Grilled squid at Asterias
Grilled squid at Asterias
Chef Kostas Tsoutsas & Yannis Laspas
Chef Kostas Tsoutsas & Yannis Laspas

The Asterias is the flagship restaurant of Yannis Laspas’ new Flegra Beach Boutique Apartments.  Like the airy decor of the dining room, Chef Kostas Tsoutas has a light modern touch with traditional Greek ingredients.

Asterias Greek seafood restaurant
Asterias Greek seafood restaurant

 

Flegra Beach Boutique Apartments
Flegra Beach Boutique Apartments

The waterfront Flegra Beach Boutique Apartments and Asterias are located in Pefkochori on the Kassandra peninsula with window walls looking onto the pine tree shaded beach and Aegean Sea.

You can read the review with many more photos…

Asterias: Greek seafood at the new Flegra Beach Hotel

 

 

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Tweaking tradition on the Greek Islands

 

Theodora Tziamali & Chef George Katseas partners: Katogi Cafe
Theodora Tziamali & Chef George Katseas partners: Katogi Cafe

“We’re romantic,” says Chef George Katseas and that’s evident by both the decor and the manner in which George and partner Theodora Tziamali treat their customers like family.

Elia
Elia

“I want to marry the modern with tradition,” says Harris Boukas the young owner of Elia.

 

 

 

Nightlife on the Greek Island of Ios can certainly become lively during the summer season, but dining in the following seven tavernas and cafes put a smile on my face. Read more at…

Marrying trends with tradition in Ios dining 

Chora, Ios island
Chora, Ios island

 

Ionnis Trinas & his windmill, Sifnos island
Ionnis Trinas & his windmill, Sifnos island

Windmills tell stories of the drive for labor saving devices even in the pre-industrial age.

Harnessing the near steady breeze of both coast and hills was a technological breakthrough akin to present day electric wind generators.

Building a windmill was no easy task.

 

Windmill on the island of Alonissos
Windmill on the island of Alonissos

Mr. Ionnis Trinas has constructed what very well may be the first fully functioning windmill in the Greek islands for over a century. Read the rest at…

Savoring windmills in Greece

Ionnis Trinas Sifnos windmill
Ionnis Trinas Sifnos windmill

 

Mrs. Annezio Bouritis and her son Mixαlis Famelitis. Annezio Bakery
Mrs. Annezio Bouritis and her son Mixαlis Famelitis. Annezio Bakery

Mrs. Annezio Bouritis and her son Mixαlis Famelitis operate the traditional Annezio Bakery located in the port town of Merichas. Set in a typical white washed stone building with a view overlooking the harbor, the cars of customers are usually double parked on the narrow street.

cheese tarts
cheese tarts

Greeks positively revel in sharing their food, especially with visitors. Mrs. Bouritis and Mixalis were equally enthusiastic to share recipes for cheese tarts and pastel. Read more at…

      Kythnos recipes from Annezio Bakery in the Greek Cyclades

Kythnos island
Kythnos island

 

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Driving Halkidiki

harbor, Neos Marmaras, Sithonia, Greece
harbor, Neos Marmaras, Sithonia, Greece

Sitting at a beach side café in Possidi on the Halkidiki peninsula of Kassandra, this North American was struck by an unfamiliar scene. People were reading.

Driving Kassandra unplugged and tuned into Greece

Nea Fokea:14th Century Byzantine tower and church
Nea Fokea:14th Century Byzantine tower and church

Fingers of land jutting into the Aegean, Kassandra, Sithonia and sacred Athos have, like all of Macedonia, been at the center of turbulent times since the 4th century B.C.E. In the 21st century the only turbulence seemed to be the long lines of cars every summer weekend that bring holiday seekers from Thessaloniki and Eastern Europe.

water sports in Sithonia
water sports in Sithonia

Family owned since it opened in 1989, the rooms surround an opulent pool that is the focal point of the Flegra Palace Hotel including the Soleil Bar with its dramatic glass floor jutting over the water.

Soleil Bar at the Flegra Palace Hotel
Soleil Bar at the Flegra Palace Hotel

Flegra Palace Hotel plans new venture in Pefkohori, Greece

Fortunately mere mortals can dine at Ambrosia, the open-air dining room at the Flegra Palace Hotel in the Halkidiki seaside resort town of Pefkohori, Greece.

Ambrosia, Flegra Palace Hotel
Ambrosia, Flegra Palace Hotel

Chef Aphrodite Balanou makes Ambrosia in Pefkohori, Greece

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Beach in Ouranoupolis, Athos, Greece
Beach in Ouranoupolis, Athos, Greece

Hotel Rafayel: new London on the Thames

Banyan on the Thames restaurant, Hotel Rafayel, London
Banyan on the Thames restaurant, Hotel Rafayel, London

The Hotel Rafayel is part of the remarkable 21st century transformation of the Docklands, the East End and South London from post industrial wasteland into the vibrant, upscale, multi-ethnic residential and commercial city London’s east side of the Thames  has become.

Lobby of the Rafayel on the Left Bank, Falcon Wharf, London, UK
Lobby of the Rafayel on the Left Bank, Falcon Wharf, London, UK

Hotel Rafayel on the Left Bank has garnered praise for its attention to environmental details. From components for the actual building’s construction to its water catchment system, its eco-conscisousness only adds to its 21st century 5-Star charm.

The Hotel Rafayel on the Left Bank: sustainable luxury on the Thames

Banyan on the Thames restaurant, Hotel Rafayel, London, UK
Banyan on the Thames restaurant, Hotel Rafayel, London, UK

Rapid urban change has remodeled the river scape along the Thames recreating the bustle of a modern port of international commerce. Except now the product is more than likely to be transported by computer or jet than freighter.

The ArcelorMittal Orbit, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Olympic Park, London, UK (scheduled to open 04/2014 )
The ArcelorMittal Orbit, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Olympic Park, London, UK (scheduled to open 04/2014 )

With a city as cosmopolitan as London, there could only be more articles appearing shortly on Travel with Pen and Palate.

London from the observation deck of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, London, UK
London from the observation deck of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, London, UK

The Tate Modern Gallery is housed in a converted art deco power plant within walking distance along the Thames River walk  just up from the Globe Theater. The clean lines of the sprawling space gives justice to both the subjects and size of many great and imaginative works.  A voiceless short documentary from the Tate is an urban ballet.

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