new orleans festival food

(New Orleans, Louisiana).  Sometimes I get so wrapped up in planning meals when I travel to New Orleans that I end up depriving myself of one of the greatest pleasures there - which is simply enjoying festival food.  In New Orleans, the variety and quality of festival food is on par with the best in the world.  Most of it isn't healthy but then who is eating festival food for health?

This year I tried to control myself and left enough meals open to allow myself more time (and tummy room) to enjoy more of the delectable festival food at the French Quarter Festival.  To be honest, the food was so delectable that I forgot to take a lot of pictures ... or by the time I remembered, I had already devoured the evidence.

The French Quarter Festival has several stages through the entire quarter, and each "section" has different food vendors - most of which are well-known establishments in New Orleans.  The website contains a map detailing the vendors and their offerings at each stage, so if you are a pig like me, you can schedule your day based on the food you want to eat (instead of the music you want to listen to)...

the uber situation in colombia

Medellin.

Good news for travelers who want to use Uber in Colombia. You can do it!

For those unfamiliar with Uber, it is a ride sharing app that allows anyone to hail a car to get them from point A to point B. While there are plenty of arguments pro and against using Uber (such as the cheaper cost compare to a taxi or how drivers are not as well vetted as taxi drivers), there is no dispute that Uber has been very popular in a lot of communities.

Based on my trip earlier this year, I can report that Uber is available in Colombia.

In Medellin, I found an option for Uber English, which ensured that the driver spoke English. The option came with a bit of a premium (say a $4 ride vs $2) but, it was useful for me (I lack the local language skill) when I wanted to chat, get to know some people and get local recommendations.

Unfortunately, the Uber English option was unavailable in Cartagena and Bogota. That being said, I was still able to get from Point A to Point B with the non-English speaking Uber drivers so long as I had the destination inputted in the Uber App.

Happy travels!

travel zen on friday: lush puerto rico

Puerto Rico is not just beaches, although it certainly has a lot of beautiful ones. Its interior is lush and green. I took this picture in the town of Morocovis, and this is the view from Los Amigos on the Ruta de Longaniza.

Puerto Rico's interior.

restaurant review: doris metropolitan in new orleans

(New Orleans, LA).  The moment I heard there was a restaurant called "Doris" I had to try it!  I was even more intrigued when I overheard some locals telling a group of ladies that Doris Metropolitan was one of the best new restaurants in New Orleans.  

So on my most recent trip to NOLA, I made reservations for dinner and hoped for the best - and I was not disappointed!  The food, service, and ambiance were all splendid - particularly the steaks. 

Below are some of the tasty things we had:

Amazing bread bag.  It's hard not to fill up - but do try to resist!

Hmmm I think this was grilled artichokes with lemons - quite refreshing.

Plump octopus.

Tuna tartare with fish roe.

The amazing steak with fancy colored salt.

Doris Metropolitan is what I would consider a special occasion restaurant.  But then everytime I'm in NOLA is special ...

puerto rico's ruta de longaniza

During our visit to Puerto Rico in 2015, we visited the Ruta de Lechon (Roast Pig Route). This year, we decided to check out the Ruta de Longaniza (Sausage Route). 

Unlike the Ruta de Lechon, the Ruta de Longaniza comprised of two different main highways. And, at least two towns host sausage-centric restaurants along the road. 

travel zen on friday: central park

One of my favorite places in Central Park.

restaurant review: peche seafood grill

(New Orleans, Louisiana).  Peche Seafood Grill is an utter delight!  No wonder it has not one, but two James Beard awards!  I've been here a few times and every time, I'm blown away by the delicious food - fun and upbeat vibe - and friendly and competent service.

 

Fun, buzzworthy bar scene.

There is so much good food in New Orleans that my list of must-haves continues to grow.  Peche immediately made it on my list and it's not getting knocked off anytime soon.  Obviously I'm not the only one since the place is packed every time I visit and reservations are highly recommended.

fine dining recommendation in san juan, puerto rico

If there was one restaurant I would recommend in San Juan for fine dining, it would be Bodegas Compostela. The food there is fantastic and the proprietor is super friendly. 

During our last visit to San Juan, Mr. Sazy Rock and I wanted to try the fine dining scene. Local chefs recommended that we check out Bodegas Compostela. I am glad they did.

The cuisine is Spain Spanish, which we adore. The owner, Rey, and his and chef partner are from Galicia near Santiago de Compostela. That is why they called their restaurant, Bodegas Compostela. It has been around for 33 years. 

The Scene

travel zen on friday: escambron beach in san juan, puerto rico

The lovely Escambron Beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Fun fact: Saborea Puerto Rico (or Taste of Puerto Rico) is usually held here. So not only do participants get to try good food, they also have this great view.

Escambron Beach.

hotel review: sheraton new orleans

(New Orleans, Louisiana).  I've been to New Orleans many many times, but this is the first time I've stayed at the Sheraton New Orleans on Canal Street.  Normally I prefer staying in the French Quarter at a classic New Orleans hotel such as the Hotel Monteleone with its famous Carousel Bar or a charming airbnb rental, preferably with a balcony.  But it was French Quarter Festival and I mistakenly believed there would be a lot of vacancies.  Boy was I wrong!  Most of the hotels and good condos were booked, and the remaining rooms were surprisingly expensive.  I settled on the Sheraton for three reasons - first, the price was still reasonable (averaging $260 a night), second, it was a Starwood hotel so I could get extra points, and third, the location was actually very convenient to many of the festival music stages.

Awesome view of the river and the festival.

So how was my stay overall?

restaurant review: dinner by heston blumenthal

On my last trip to London, I had the pleasure of dining at Dinner for lunch. Did that make sense? 

Dinner.

Yes, the restaurant is called Dinner, and I dined for lunch (apparently, the dinner and lunch menu were the same). What most attracted me to this restaurant was that Heston Blumenthal spent some time going through the archives to research British food from centuries ago, and then made it his own. British food had a good reputation before World War II, which was when rationing and food scarcity earned British food a bad reputation. So, I found it interesting to see what British food was like back in the day.

To be honest, Mr. Sazy Rock and I tried dining here before on another visit but they canceled our reservation because of some norovirus outbreak. But, I figured, that after such a publicized issue, Dinner would be the cleanest restaurant ever.

The Scene

View of the kitchen.

Located in the posh Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the space was bright with a great view of Hyde Park on one side and the glass-walled kitchen on the other. By virtue of its location and reputation (the restaurant has three Michelin stars and is on the 50 Best Restaurants in the World list), it was inevitable that there were lots of food tourists. But, it also looked like there were locals of the rich variety in the dining room.

View of Hyde Park.

I found it odd, however, that for a fine dining joint, there were no tablecloths. 

The Food 

• The tasty bread made by the Fat Duck Group was very chewy and doughy, and the crust was crunchy. 
• I found it interesting that there was no amuse bouche. 
• The Roast Bone Marrow had snails and pickles. It was served lukewarm and a tad underseasoned but it was still good. 

Bone Marrow and Meat Fruit.

• The Meat Fruit was amazing. It was basically shaped like a mandarin but was really chicken liver parfait enclosed in a fruit jelly that was supposed to be the outer layer "fruit rind." It was a fantastic parfait with a hint of mandarin. 

Meat Fruit.

• The Iberico Pork Chop was cooked sous vide. It was so juicy and rich with a bit of sweetness (perhaps a teriyaki -ish sauce?). The spelt with ham hock was rich and textured with pork rind. 

Iberico pork chop.

Look at that perfectly cooked Iberico Pork Chop.

• The Hereford Ribeye was perfectly cooked (sous vide) medium rare. It showed signs of aging, which was good. It was topped with rich bone marrow. 

Hereford Ribeye.

• The Triple Cooked Fries were so good. Each square area was crunchy, and the inside of each fry was a bit fluffy. 

Triple Cooked Fries.

• The Tipsy Cake was very rich and sweet. It was basted with white wine and butter. The pineapple was spit roasted for four hours. 

Tipsy Cake.

• The Chocolate Ganache, and Orange Blossom and Caraway Biscuits for our Petit Fours was very nice. It just had a tiny taste of orange. They used dark chocolate so it was not so sweet.

Chocolate and Biscuit.

The Service 

The service was great. Upon our arrival, I was provided a purse holder. I believe that service is all about the little things.

Our server, Michael, was friendly and informative but was not familiar (which I find typical of "hip" restaurants). All the other staff were similarly amiable.

I should also note that the servers were definitely paying us attention when they gave us fresh toast for the meat fruit when we finished all the bread. 

The menu had information about the year the dish was likely served, and the napkin was tied together by a paper that had some other snippet of food trivia. It was fun.

The menu.

Trivia with the napkins.

The Price 

Our meal was not cheap. But, with wines and tip, compared to some fancy restaurants in the US, it was competitive at under $300.


The Verdict 

I definitely recommend eating at Dinner it at least once.


What do you think of British food?

travel zen on friday: on a random stroll in new orleans

The French Quarter is so picturesque.  

I love just walking around and taking in the everyday charm of the place.

favorite cheap eats in new orleans

(New Orleans, Louisiana).  I love visiting New Orleans, and after more than 5 trips, there are a few places that I keep going back to time after time for reliably delicious and reasonably priced food.  On a recent visit, the following places really stood out - many are old favorites, but there is one new gem worth a mention.

Mother's Crawfish Etouffe - before and after....

In no particular order: