Month: August 2018

The White Room, Amsterdam, 7/6/18

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hotel building
hotel building

The White Room was a large one star Michelin restaurant located in the NH Collection Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. The lovely room re-opened in April 2016 after extensive restoration of the room and paintings.  Gold and white dominated the very ornate room with white upholstered chairs and banquettes, white walls with gold trim, white table clothes and frilly chandeliers.  The panel paintings in the walls date back to 1885. Windows look out onto the street but have opaque sections at head level whereas the windows facing the hotel have gold stained glass patterns.  The menu offered 4, 6, and 8 course tastings, a la carte options and 2 and 3 course surprise lunch menu with wine pairings available.  The lunch is interesting because different tables will get different things.  We chose the lunch menu with the wine pairing and portion control was good and the wine pairings a generous pour.  I would call it technically perfect food served with some flavor.  Service was friendly and timing was good.   Continue reading →

212, Amsterdam, 7/5/18

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building
building

212 has only been in business since January 2018 and surely will become a hard reservation to get once word gets out, so get to it now.  The seating was at a u-shaped counter (with drawers for extra flatware underneath) surrounding the open kitchen, where Chefs Thomas Groot (there that night) and Richard van Oostenbrugge work their magic,   The chefs and some of the staff previously worked together at Bord’Eau.  A couple of high-top tables on the sides are available for larger groups.  A lovely wood ceiling, dance music in the background, comfortable bar seats, two walls of windows looking over streets and canals and a hum from the happy crowd set the ambiance.  The atmosphere is casual rather than formal and even a bit noisy.   It was a fantastic meal and service was out of this world- really friendly, fun and welcoming.  It all adds to an unconventional and memorable dining experience featuring a spectacular meal.   I would easily go back.   Continue reading →

Calla’s, The Hague, 7/5/18

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building
building

Calla’s was in The Hague, just a short train ride from Amsterdam.  It has been in business for 20 years and has a one star Michelin rating.  The red brick exterior did not prepare me for a very modern interior.  The white interior and linens were highlighted by a number of different red blooms and all of the nine dining tables, except for the chef’s table, were located upstairs.  Downstairs were the kitchen, waiting area and bathrooms.  Windows to the exterior let in natural light in the daytime and the windows within allowed you to catch glimpses of the action and plates coming out of the kitchen.   Some modern music played in the background but the tables were well spaced enough that noise was not an issue.  The menu included an a la carte section, 2 tasting menus and a lunch special.  The special’s options sounded best to us and so we chose it.   Continue reading →

Librije’s Zusje, Amsterdam, 7/4/18

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hotel
hotel

Librije’s Zusje is a 2 star Michelin restaurant located in the lovely Waldorf Astoria hotel.   Chef Sidney Schutte has been in this location for 3 – 4 years having  worked at Zwolle Librije for 10 years.   The medium sized, well-spaced tables were fully draped with nice linens and set with comfortable leather chairs and purse stools, rhythmic music was in the background and the lighting is lowered.  Smaller velvet chairs match the banquette seating along one wall.  Windows look out to the beautiful grounds,  paintings and mirrors tastefully decorate the walls and a huge arrangement of gorgeous flowers graces the center staging table.  The room has a wonderfully elegant feel.   Continue reading →

Restaurant De Kas, Amsterdam, 7/4/18

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building
building

Restaurant De Kas was located in a park like setting.  The grounds are used for some of the gardens that supply the restaurant and you could watch folks planting while we ate.  More of their farms are located about 20 miles away.  There is a large interior dining room but the day we were there the weather was nice enough to allow use of outdoor tables.  At lunch they offered a tasting menu of 3 or 4 courses with an optional cheese platter.  A special that day was oysters which you could add on – priced per piece.  Wine pairings were available of 2, 3, or 4 glasses.   We chose the 4 course lunch and the wine pairings.  Service was friendly and helpful but the pacing of the meal was really slow.   Continue reading →

Miyake, Portland, 6/28/18

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building

Miyake was a medium sized place off the tourist path.  There was lots of counter seating as well as tables.  The counter does face the preparation area, thus lots of lights illuminate your food there.  We were fortunate to have the seats right across from chef, Masa Miyake who had been in Portland since 2006.  Previously he worked in a number of NYC and Tokyo restaurants.  Some music played in the background in this very stylized place.  The menu offered several types of tasting menu options as well as a la carte.  There is also a separate Nigiri and Sashimi menu with another offering market features.   We chose the Kaiseki Omakase or Chef’s tasting menu, which included a number of off-the-menu items, and had their sake pairings to go with it.  They do offer some wines and beers along with a huge sake menu.   Continue reading →

The Holy Donut, Portland, 6/28/18

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donuts of Maine mashed potatoes
donuts made with Maine mashed potatoes

The Holy Donut was recommended by many as a great place for donuts and the crowds there would certainly affirm that.  The sign said they close when they sell out or by 3:00.  The twist here is that the donuts are made from Maine potatoes.  They offered about 20 flavors of donuts and iced and hot coffee.  We tried 3 different flavors and they all seemed dull to me. The donuts were more of the cake variety as opposed to being yeasty.  The resulting texture was heavy and although they did have a nice amount of sweetness they just didn’t live up to my expectations.  Maybe too much hype made it impossible to measure up.  They are fairly large and many quite colorful, though.  They also sold souvenir items.   Continue reading →

Central Provisions, Portland, 6/28/18

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entrance
entrance

Central Provisions is a small place with some tables and counter seating.  The main room is on the second level with a street entrance and another entrance is below that leads into a bar and some tables where you can eat the same menu.  The bathroom and check in are upstairs so there’s a fair amount of traffic up and down.  The upstairs is where the open kitchen is and the ambiance is way better than in the downstairs portion.  Windows to the street add to the already adequate lighting for the small, close tables.  Service is friendly but timing of food is uneven at this very casual place.  However, in their defense the place was packed with lots of people standing around waiting for a seat to open up.  We were lucky to get a couple bar stools overlooking the main cooking areas so we got to see lots of the food going out.  There was no interaction with those cooking, though, they were just too busy.  The menu has plates that are ideal for sharing and we did just that so we could sample more items.   Continue reading →

Back Bay Grill, Portland, 6/27/18

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building
building

Back Bay Grill has a  medium sized dining room and a good sized bar that you enter through.  At the end of this room is a large opening where you can see into the kitchen.  The seating arrangements included some banquette seating and tables that were able to accommodate a number of large parties the evening we were there.  The tables are not large and a tad close together but not so much that you didn’t feel like your conversations were private and you could hear the people at your table.  A few windows on one wall allow you to look out to the street, but the location is away from the most touristy zone, which made it appear that local residents made up most of the guests.  Low lighting, soft instrumental background music, white tableclothes and napkins and a large long mural  on one wall all add to the ambiance of the place.  There is a feeling of “old school” elegance, the food was really good and the staff were all super friendly and welcoming.  Chef Larry Matthews Jr.  has been here 30 years and been the owner for 20 years.  The menu is all a la carte.   Continue reading →

Isa, Portland, 6/27/18

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building
building

Isa was a medium sized interior with additional seating available on the outdoor patio.  The patio was against the building on one side and fenced on the other along with being covered by awnings.  Inside there was a tin ceiling, a striking black and white tile floor and small bare wood tables with adequate space between them.  There were windows to the street on two sides of the building and the back wall had a large window into the kitchen where food was passed through.  Some faint music played in the background and nice sized cloth napkins were set at the tables.  It had a casual, friendly vibe and our server was particularly welcoming.  Chef Perez could be seen in the kitchen fixing plates as well as inspecting them before they were served.   Continue reading →

Fore Street, Portland, 6/26/18

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exterior
exterior

Fore Street was a large place that opened in 1996, with an open kitchen and grill area in the center of the space.  There was a good sized bar area also where you enter.  In the dining room the lights were kept quite low with a little natural light coming in the windows on 2 sides until the sun went down and then it was all candle power.  The small tables were nicely spaced and there were a number of large booths that could hold up to 6 people.  Although I could hear no music in the background the room hummed, probably because it was packed with tables turning over during the early part of the evening.  The staff were friendly, helpful and willing to let us split many of the dishes.  The crowd was pretty casual.  Their “sister” place is a bakery below them where they also get their bread.  The specialty was seafood cooked on a wood grill or rotisserie and I’d say it was a mixed result.  Some items were wonderful but others had some huge flaws.   Continue reading →

The Highroller Lobster Co., Portland, 6/26/18

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exterior
exterior

The Highroller Lobster Company is a good sized very casual place.  The menu featured Maine lobster in numerous formats but also has burgers, salads and hot dogs.  A number of their options come with a container of sauce.  They offered a number of locally made beers also.  It had a combination of booth and counter seating.  A counter where you enter takes your order, gives you a number flag that you place on the table and then they bring you your food and beverages.  You pay at the same counter on your way out.  The people working there were friendly and service was very efficient.  We tried a couple things and then went back to the counter and ordered a couple others so we could try a number of their offerings.  Also tried several of their local beers.  This place gets lots of people but I saw it more as a lunch/snack place than a serious dinner option.   Continue reading →

Rico’s Restaurant, Zürich, 6/2/18

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building
building

The evening we visited Rico’s, a 2 star Michelin restaurant, a sign on the front door indicated that they were seating people on the patio rather than the inside dining area.  It is a heavily decorated place with lots of quirky objects both inside and out.  The small tables are set closely on the patio that was covered with a straw/wood  roof.  Lots of plants surround the cloth covered tables that sit on a stone floor.  The servers are dressed in casual black clothing and wear red spiked sneakers on their feet.  There is soft music in the background and lighting is natural then gradually blends into candle light.   They offer an a la carte menu as well as a 3 – 7 course tasting menu.  We chose the 7 course menu and while service was friendly the pacing of the courses was off.  It slowed to a crawl at one point, however the portion size was well done.  The chef was in house and came out to visit with some friends but did not make it around the room. Continue reading →

La Zagra, Zürich, 6/2/18

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building

La Zagra had a large outdoor patio where we enjoyed lunch.  The view across the street is not too scenic but the patio had lots of greenery surrounding it and nice tenting to block the sun.  It was very pleasant.  The good sized tables were well spaced and cloth covered.  The restaurant has been in this location for over 6 years and was recently taken over by two brothers from Italy.  One brother is in the kitchen cooking and the other runs the front of the house.  Everyone who worked there was super friendly and the food is honest, fresh and full of flavor.  I would put this one on your list if you’re nearby.  They offer an a la carte menu and also had daily specials.   Continue reading →