Three Glorious Gustatory Weeks

We spent most of Sept. in Italy and Greece, eating our way from Rome--through Pompeii and Naples--to the Amalfi Coast's Positano to Athens to Rethymno, Crete. Here are the 30 best foodie photos out of over 2,000 total shots by the hubby.

Caprese salad with the best mozzarella ever, Obika, Rome:



















Mercato Trionfale, Rome:















































































Late-afternoon espresso pick-me-up, Rome:














Multitudinous espresso and cappuccino makers, Roman outdoor market:














Street vendor at night, Rome:














Figs, Chez Black, Positano:














Tiny neighborhood market, Positano:














Chicken souvlaki, Savas, Athens:














Central Market, Athens:









































































































Gyros, Rethymno:














Outdoor market, Rethymno:








































Octopus vase, National Archaeological Museum, Athens:














Piglet sculpture, National Archaeological Museum, Naples:














Bacchus (god of wine) sculpture, National Archaeological Museum, Naples:














Restaurant awning, Rethymno:














Pomegranates, Rethymno:














Needless to say, it was a glorious trip, giving us lots of memories--gustatory and non--but it seems that the ones I go to every day are the ones involving food. Maybe it's because I'm always hungry, and remembering all those terrace breakfasts, afternoon picnics, and moonlit dinners makes me feel full. Yes, that, and that remembering all those meals and market strolls conjures the sights, smells, sounds, and tastes--the sensuousness--of it all like I'm there again.

Note: If you're planning a trip to any of the places we visited, and you're looking for some advice, just leave me a comment. I kept a journal so I'm ready and waiting to give restaurant suggestions, must-have dishes, and more.

Coming Right Up...

...spectacular food photos (courtesy of the hubby) from our three-week European excursion along with some notes from my travel journal. A teaser:



Also, my first posting since moving to Washington, DC, probably involving all the cooking we've been doing in our new place. The farmer's market is only a block away--how could we not be cooking constantly?

You probably notice the new look. Orange is my favorite color, but I was getting tired of the Halloweeny vibe. Plus this shade of yellow makes me think of butter.

Last Suppers

We've come down to our final week in Philadelphia. (Sigh.) Even though our last days will be filled with packing and making various arrangements, we're fitting in some last suppers. So far we're doing drinks at Southwark (a Sazerac and an Old-Fashioned, both for me, because they're my favorites and because the bartenders make them perfectly, though I don't really think I need reasons) and dinner at Coquette. Another night it's The Greeks, a small-town tavern with a place in our hearts (and solid comfort food with icy Sierra Nevada on draft to wash it all down). There'll also be yet another cafe afternoon for moi, spent job-searching on the old laptop while downing iced coffees. Chapterhouse is my cafe of choice (because they make funky iced tea/Italian soda combos), but I'm going to try out Red Hook before we leave.

And just to keep everybody up-to-date, over the past couple weeks we've hit Pumpkin and Chicks from the list below. We enjoyed Pumpkin's five-course Sunday-night tasting menu and highly recommend it. It doesn't include wine because it's a BYOB, but, at $35 for a lot of really well-executed and yummy food, it's a steal. Chicks wasn't out-of-the-park good, but it was tasty. And we liked the old-timey tavern feel. We'd go back for drinks and a couple apps.

"Welp, that about does her, wraps her all up" (for all those TBL fans out there). For now anyway. With the upcoming move, unpacking, setting up the new digs, and then--don't hate me--our long-awaited trip to Greece and Italy, KFW's on hiatus. But stay tuned for tales of our culinary adventures in our nation's capital and abroad. And more recipes, rants, raves, and ramblings.

And The Winner Is...

...Tony Luke's, with Dalessandro's coming in second and Jim's third. Next in line was Chubby's then Pat's. Geno's got no votes. And the seven of us are full, but still wondering how Mama's and Paesano's might have fared. Well, there's always next time.

(We decided not to do it blind. We tasted each cheesesteak in turn then voted for first, second, and third places. Because at least one of our group is adverse to onions, we ordered two provolone steaks from each place, one wit and one wit-out, as the Philly lingo goes.)

Sampling Pat's:



Only wrappers left:

What's Cookin' 2

This past weekend, in between turning the basement upside down then right side up, we ate at Tinto (with an aperitif at one of our fave's, Monk's). Surprisingly the service at Tinto was just so-so, but the food was outstanding, especially the creamy gazpacho and perfectly tender octopus. We'd definitely go back, even knowing that we could have a disinterested server.

This week it's Grace Tavern, which isn't on the narrowed-down list below, but it is on our larger list. I'm looking forward to the fungi-laden Kennett Square Burger.

And next week, oh next week! How I long for thee... It's the ultimate blind cheesesteak-tasting with sandwiches from Dalessandro's, Geno's, Jim's, Mama's, Paesano's, and Pat's. Oh yeah. I'll let you know how we fair - and how our pants fit afterwards.

All this talk's making me thirsty...



Above, the delightful brewski I enjoyed at Monk's. I could go for one of those right now. Yes, at 11:25.