WHAT AND WHERE TO EAT IN STRASBOURG

I only had a day in Strasbourg, which is a total disgrace for any serious traveler or food lover. I had been before, so I did a quickie catch-up tour of the city by walking around the postcard-perfect Petite France historic quarter, ogling the fairy tale houses stretched along the waterways formed by fingers of the Ill River.

I also checked out the magnificent Strasbourg Cathedral (although skipped the clock show).

That’s it. Enjoyed. Then I cut to the chase.

Alsace is a region that ping pongs between Germany and France depending on which country won the last war. Influenced by both French and German tastes, Alsace’s cross-culture food specialities are hearty, a bit rustic and filled with unique flavors and Strasburg is the city for one stop sampling. I was especially eager to try the top trifecta of Alsatian specialties:

TARTE FLAMBÉE or FLAMMEKUECHE, a flatbread slathered with creme fraiche and topped with a variety of ingredients, most commonly onion, bacon and cheese.

CHOUCROUTE GARNIE, slivered cabbage (sauerkraut) pickled in Riesling and served in a mound surrounded by a variety of sausages, potatoes and slow-cooked pork products.

and

PÂTÉ DE FOIE GRAS, a dish invented by a Strasbourg cook around 1780 and made from fatted-up (force-fed) geese or ducks. (I know. Horrible animal abuse. I hate it too. On the other hand, eating pâté de foie gras is a centuries old Alsatian tradition and who am I to deny history.)

With so much to savor, so little time and so many restaurants, I asked several savvy-seeming locals where to eat. I requested a restaurant serving all three dishes, but not a hushed temple of gastronomy or an artisan darling of the hip and trendy. I wanted an unpretentious place seeped in history and popular with locals, where the food is not only authentic, but also delicious and not too expensive.

I took the advice of several rather plump locals and landed at Le Gruber.

Occupying a very beautiful centuries old building, Le Gruber sits in the historic center of Strasbourg and is filled with all of the congenial bustling charm of an old-fashioned Alsatian winstub. The large spacious restaurant is divided into several dining areas, all filled to capacity with paintings, dusty knickknacks and people.

An outdoor terrace provides tables for pretty-day dining.

Although it may not be the highest rated Strasburg restaurant, I loved the atmosphere and the food.

As advised, my husband and I ordered three different tarte flambées and shared so that we could taste a variety of toppings.

Keep in mind that this is NOT a pizza. The crust is thin as a dime and crispy around around the edges. Our toppings were all white and not ever over-stacked. Flavor profiles changed depending on the type cheese sprinkled on top. (For a good Flammkuchen recipe click HERE.)

As to choucroute garnie, I must say that I am addicted to the dish served at Brasserie Lipp in Paris, but Le Gruber’s was a bit better than the Paris version.

Le Gruber’s pâté de foie gras was make of duck. I like goose better. And I wasn’t crazy about the fruit compote that came on the side, but when spread on crispy toast, the creamy, rich, flavor packed foie gras was a luxury beyond compare.

I drank a dry, crisp local Riesling. (Oh sigh! Heaven.)

Nearby Riesling Vineyards just after harvest.

My husband enjoyed the local beer.

Colorful Beer Statue Decorating Le Gruber

For desert we stopped at Salon de the Christian for pastry and ice cream and then strolled over to Pain d’Epices Mireille Oster, a family-owned shop said to sell the best gingerbread in all of Europe.

All was perfect! If ever I get stuck in my own Groundhog Day—this is the day I want to repeat.

PENCK HOTEL DRESDEN GERMANY

I just stayed in a most interesting hotel.

The Penck Hotel Dresden (Germany) features art, sculpture and the spirit of artist A.R. Penck.

A.R. Penck

It’s hard for me to get a handle on Penck (also known by birth name, Ralf Winkler and pseudonyms Mike Hammer, T. M., Mickey Spilane, Y, and Theodor Marx). The man of many names is also an artist of many talents. He’s been described as a painter, illustrator, sculptor, printmaker, filmmaker, jazz musician (drummer), neo-expressionist, “pioneer of non-conformist artistic self-assertion in the GDR,” and “a creator working with aesthetic resistance to artistic repression.” Whew! The hotel is easier to explain.

Located just a few minutes walk from the historic Old Town of Dresden, Germany, Penck hotel sports six floors, 174 rooms and suites- all profusely displaying original Penck art.

Lobby in the Penck Hotel

Although built in 1995, the hotel was renovated in 2019 and all is sleekly modern and comfortable. Amenities such as a cosy bar and pleasant dining room serving a plentiful buffet breakfast and international as well as Saxon specialties add to the stay, as does the free Wifi and agreeable English-speaking staff. But it’s the unusual design and immersion in art that adds excitement.

Room elements include TVs embedded in large black sculptures, double beds with thick white comforters and bathrooms with yellow tile centered with turquoise polka dots, glass pedestal sinks and large egg shaped bathtub/shower combinations (good looking, but a bit dicey to climb into and out of).

Bedroom Penck Hotel

Bathroom Penck Hotel

The whole hotel serves as a museum to Penck. His colorful canvases and sculptures, often described as simplistic stick figures with protruding phalluses, fill walls and halls. Stairways, and corridors wear elements taken from Penck’s designs.

Lobby lighting leads to a bullet-shaped structure accented with plaques describing the life and work of Penck. Information in both German and English tell us that he was born in Dresden in 1939 and died in Switzerland in 2017 and that he used his career as a social protest.

A plaque also explains that the enormous statue topping a corner of the roof extends a middle finger towards City Hall where CDU ruled back in the 1990s. (There is no written explanation for the other appendage that is so apparent in the piece.)

I have stayed in other art hotels with great pleasure, but this one is a bit above and beyond. The hotel allows guests a personal and immersive look at a world-famous Dresden native son, his life and the disturbing times in which he worked. Although it might not be to everyone’s taste, I found the art hotel wildly innovative and strangely attractive as well as welcoming and agreeable.

For more information click here: Penck Hotel Dresden.

Click below to read about other particularly wonderful art-filled hotels:

21c Museum Hotels

Hotel Saint Louis (St. Louis, MO)

The Santa Maria Hotel & Golf Resort (Panama City, Panama)

Mabel Dodge Luhan House (Taos, NM)

¶ Posted 05 November 2019 † Susan Manlin Katzman § ACCOMMODATIONS § ARCHITECTURE § ART § DRESDEN § GERMANY § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: A.R. Penck, Art hotel, Germany, Penck Hotel Dresden

THE PANAMA HAT COCKTAIL

Our pick for today’s happiest of happy hours is the luscious Panama Hat cocktail served at Salsipuedes Restaurant & Bar in the lovely Bristol Panama, a luxurious boutique hotel in Panama City, Panama.

(Notice the Panama hats suspended from ceiling.)

Panama Hats Ceiling Art

Policarpo

Invented by bartender Poli (Policarpo), and named for Panama’s iconic head gear—the cocktail is heads and shoulders above other of the city’s cocktails. It’s refreshing, somewhat sweet and full of flavor.

But don’t take my word for it. Try one with this recipe, which was given to me by Poli himself.

THE PAMAMA HAT

Yield: one serving.

Ice cubes

1/2 ounce Seco Herrerano

1/4 ounce Mandarine Napoleon Liqueur (or other Mandarin liqueur)

1/2 ounce simple syrup made with fresh ginger

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

1/2 ounce fresh mandarin juice (tangerines and clementine are mandarins)

Splash club soda

Orange twist, garnish

Fresh mint, garnish

Put ice cubes in a tall glass, filling glass half full. Add all other ingredients except club soda and garnish. Stir gently. Top with club soda. Garnish with a twist of orange peel and fresh mint.

SALUD!

For more about The Bristol Panama, click HERE.

For more about Salsipuedes, click HERE.

For an iconic Spanish pintxo (upscale tapa) to serve with this cocktail, click HERE.

¶ Posted 04 October 2019 † Susan Manlin Katzman § ACCOMMODATIONS § BARS § BEVERAGES § COCKTAILS § DRINKS § HEADS UP TO HAPPY HOUR § PANAMA § PANAMA CITY § RECIPES § RESTAURANTS § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Bristol Panama, cocktail, Panama, Panama City, Panama Hat, Salsipuedes

THE SPA AT GRAND VELAS RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO AND SPA RECIPES

Drum roll please. And the grandest of them all—the winner—the best of the best resort spa in all of Mexico is…ta-da: SE Spa at Grand Velas Riviera Maya.

Not that I’ve been to all the pampering places (unfortunately, something I must correct), but have been to enough to know that this one would be really hard to beat.

Of course I love the facility, the Water Ceremony and the menu of dreamy treatments. In addition, I adored the refreshments offered while waiting for treatments. I’m talking candy here. More about that later, but first, let me tell you about the pure bliss of the spa pampering.

First comes the incredible Water Ceremony (free for guests who book a spa treatment of 50 minutes or more or $80 for those just wanting to use the spa facilities).

I double dipped, treatment and ceremony and here’s how it went:

Walkway to Grand Velas Spa

Reception Desk

I arrived 80 minutes before my treatment appointment, signed in and was greeted by my personal spa valet (yep, there is such a person)

Spa Valet

Men and women have separate facilities at Grand Velas Spa and my valet took me to the dressing room to change into a bathing suit and then on to the woman’s (literally totally hot and really cool) Water Ceremony circuit. First stop: the Sensory Pebble walkway which consisted of two long pebble lined corridors, one hot, the other cold. It was suggested that I walk three rounds to stimulate the feet and legs, but I only managed one—not feeling warm and fuzzy about cold.

Next I plunged into the super sensational Dynamic Pool which was comfortably warm and outfitted with jets to massage shoulders, neck and back (to help circulate blood) and bubble beds (for super relaxing).

I could have lingered forever, but was eventually guided to a hot tub followed by a (quickie) cold plunge. Then came the sauna infused with cinnamon for relaxing aromatherapy. So nice! After heating up in the sauna, I cooled down in the aptly named Ice Room (yipes), then heated up again in a steam room followed by a Sensation Shower—a bi-thermal shower alternated hot and cold sprays. Last stop was the warm Clay Room where I slathered my body with clay and my hair with fragrant seaweed and white tea conditioner to be removed after awhile with a hand-held cool shower.

Each room diffused a different scent (lavender, eucalyptus and lemongrass among them) enveloping the body with relaxing aromatherapy. And the alternating hot-and-cold, sweat-and-shiver experiences balanced body temperature, stimulated circulation and detoxified.

So surrounded by lovely scents, relaxed, detoxified, with body temperature balanced, hair conditioned, skin smoothed and blood circulating to the max I was shown to a relaxation area to await the spa’s signature Organic Kaab Honey Experience.

I could have stayed in the waiting room for several hours, drinking tea and eating candy, but I was collected for my treatment, which began with a secret ancient Mayan Ritual of healing and concluded with heaven-on-earth massage and tub soak.

I am not going to tell you how divine, pleasurable, fabulous and pampering the treatment was as jealousy can rear its ugly head and there is nothing remotely ugly associated with Grand Velas Spa. Suffice it to say, that the first thing to do when you get to Grand Velas Riviera Maya is book this honey of a treatment.

Although it’s a case of you have to be there to get the full benefit of Grand Velas Spa, here are two ways you can enjoy the spa’s pleasures at home. Grand Velas shared two candy recipes served in the spa’s relaxation/waiting rooms. I have not tested either recipe, but I devoured both candies and can certify that they promote mind, body and spirit well-being. The Cacao Energy Bites, made with “super foods” are good for the body. The Toffee, enriched with butter, sugar and corn syrup, lusciously feeds the spirt and mind. And both are hot stuff to snack on when you want to chill out (my kind of chill thrill).

CACAO ENERGY BITES

16 dried dates

4 cups cashews

½ cup rolled oats

1/3 cup powdered cocoa

7 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon maca root powder

1 teaspoon acai

For toppings: amaranth, chia, hemp seeds and/or grated coconut

Chop the dates and nuts in a food processor until they are crumbly. Add the oats, cocoa, honey, coconut oil, maca root powder and acai mix well. Pour the mixture into a bowl and mix until all ingredients are well combined.

Form mixture into balls a little under an inch in diameter and coat with the topping of your choice.

TOFFEE SPA

1-1/2 cups unsalted butter plus additional butter to grease pan

2 cups brown sugar

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

About 2 cups chopped almonds and/or other nuts, toasted

Butter an 11″ x 17″ baking sheet and place on a heat-proof surface.

Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Stir in the sugar, water and corn syrup. Stir mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once the mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, wash down the sides of the pan to prevent any undissolved sugar crystals from coming into contact with the syrup. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan (do not allow tip of thermometer to touch the bottom of the pan). Without stirring, continue cooking to 300°F (hard crack stage).

When syrup reaches the hard crack stage, immediately remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet. Evenly sprinkle the toffee with chocolate; as soon as the chocolate is melted, spread with a spatula to cover toffee completely. Sprinkle evenly with the toasted nuts.

Cool completely and cut into bite-size pieces.

For more information about the AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas Riviera Maya ultra-luxury resort, click HERE.

For a cocktail recipe from the wonderful Grand Velas in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, click HERE.

¶ Posted 17 September 2019 † Susan Manlin Katzman § ACCOMMODATIONS § CANDY § CHOCOLATE § DESSERTS § MEXICO § RECIPES § RESORTS § RIVIERA MAYA § SPAS § TRAVEL § Uncategorized ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Energy Bites, Grand Velas, Grand Velas Spa, Riviera Maya, Toffee, Water Ceremony

WHITE WINE SANGRIA HEADS-UP TO HAPPY HOUR

Friday feels like a fine time to share recipes for cocktails—-TGIF and all that. This is the first in what I hope to be a regular Friday high-spirited heads-up to happy hour featuring one luscious recipe from a hot/cool bar/restaurant.

We start with White Wine Sangria from Mita’s Restaurant/Bar in Cincinnati.

This gorgeous refreshing and unusual sangria seems the perfect summer drink and the recipe is enough to serve a party—big party.

Chef Jose Salazar

The sangria is also classic Mita’s, as Prize winning Chef Jose Salazar fills his 130-seat Cincinnati restaurant with menu items that are Latin American inspired, beautiful, delicious and creative.

Here let me show you his stunning paella:

So here’s the recipe. Happy happy hour. DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE

For more information about Mita’s click HERE.

For other amazing cocktails click HERE and HERE and HERE.

¶ Posted 16 August 2019 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BARS § BEVERAGES § CINCINNATI § COCKTAILS § DRINKS § HEADS UP TO HAPPY HOUR § OHIO § RECIPES § RESTAURANTS § WINE ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Cincinnati, Jose Salazar, Mita's, sangria, wine

21c Museum Hotels and Granola Recipe

They are contemporary art museums

and

boutique hotels

and

chef-driven restaurants

and

small shops

and, almost always, spas.

Of course, I’m talking about 21c Museum Hotels. Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, married art collectors, founded the 21c hotel chain in 2006, opening the first in Louisville, Kentucky. Others followed (more 21c hotels and also a variety of copycat hotels that incorporate art into their offerings). In 2018, the couple sold the 21c chain to AccorHotels, a French-based hospitality company. After the sale, Laura Lee and Steve promised to stay involved, and I sure hope they do, because right now, 21c (for 21st century) Museum Hotels are delightful in every which way.

Today there are eight 21c Museum Hotels and more opening soon. Each property is unique, with contemporary art, cool style and sweet hospitality the brand’s unifying thread.

Here, Let me tell you about 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati.

The hotel is located in the city’s art-rich central business district and built into a 100 year old structure that was the former Metropole hotel (listed on the National Register of Historic Places). Designers strived to keep the historic character of the grand hotel alive while transforming the space into a stylish 21st-century cultural center.

Much of the hotel’s public space is devoted to art—fun, interesting, thought-provoking, surprising, unsettling, dramatic art in the form of sculptures, paintings, videos, installations, film, photography…well the whole shebang. Art fills walls, halls, floors, ceilings and dedicated galleries, which are open to the public 24/7 with free, docent-led tours on specific days.

As if to counteract the art’s high-energy pizzazz, the hotel’s 156 guest rooms (some pet friendly) remain subdued and soothing with furniture custom made for comfort and decor colors that run to light natural wood, whites, beiges and grays.

Guest room delights include: Malin & Goetz bath amenities, a Nespresso coffee machine, a 42 inch HDTV flat screen television, a stocked minibar and free (yes free) Wi-fi. A rubber duckie plus sculptured body parts embedded in a few of the shiny white tiles lining bathroom walls add playful whimsy. I spied a nose, lips, a woman’s breast, an ear and something that looked quite private, but was said to be a collarbone (still not convinced).

Chef David Kelsey

As with everything associated with 21c Cincinnati, the unpretentious Metropole bar and restaurant pleases on many levels. The bar stocks craft beers and excels in house invented cocktails, bourbons and good wines. Executive Chef David Kelsey fills his menus with farm-fresh dishes described as constructed with a “contemporary take on old world techniques.”

Metropole

I have to confess that Metropole’s food had me at good morning—or breakfast, where I became addicted to granola with berries and yogurt. Here’s the recipe so you can see why:

Last and but not least, penguins. All 21c hotels have a flock of large penguins made of recycled plastic that guests move about as they desire. Color defines the penguins at each hotel and bright yellow penguins add sunshine happiness to Cincinnati’s space.

Guests can buy the hotel’s signature rubber duckies, body part tiles and penguins in the small shop adjacent to the hotel’s lobby.

For more information about 21c Museum Hotels, click HERE.

For more information about 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati, click HERE.

For more information about what to eat in Cincinnati click HERE.

¶ Posted 07 August 2019 † Susan Manlin Katzman § ACCOMMODATIONS § ART § BARS § BREAKFAST § BRUNCH § CINCINNATI § MUSEUMS § OHIO § RECIPES § RESTAURANTS § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: 21c Museum Hotels, AccorHotels, Art, Cincinnati, David Kelsey, granola, Metropole, museums

TEQUILA: 10 TIPS FOR BUYING AND DRINKING

Tequilas sold in The Market at Grand Residences Riviera Cancun

I was lost, but now I’m found. Lost in a murky, all-is-acceptable-when-it-comes-to-drinking-tequila-sort-of-a-way. But now my cup runneth over with knowledge. I credit Javier Moreno, the charming sommelier at the Grand Residences Riviera Cancun resort (located on the Caribbean coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula). Javier conducted a tequila tasting seminar for a few guests of the resort and, like the resort itself, the seminar couldn’t be better. Nor could the tequilas that we sipped and sampled in the tasting. (Thank you Javier).

In the spirit of generosity, here are takeaways from the classy class. Of course, you’ll have to provide your own tequila for tasting, or even better (much much much better), get yourself to Grand Residences Riviera Cancun and do your tasting surrounded by resort glory.

Villas at Grand Residences Riviera Cancun

Javier says:

1. Tequila is distilled from the juice of blue agave plants.

2. The best tequila comes in bottles labeled “100% de agave” or “100% Puro De Agave Azul.” Labels stating just “tequila” contain a mix of agave and various sugars. Check labels. Buy and drink 100 percent blue agave tequila.

3. Tequilas are classified according to age. Blanco is not aged or aged only up to two months. Reposado is barrel aged, but not more that a year. Añejo sits in a barrel for at least a year, but no more than three years. Extra Añejo describes tequila aged three years or more. Tequila takes on color, flavor, smoothness and price as it ages.

4. Some people drink shots in 2-ounce “caballito” glasses. Not Javier. He is picky picky picky about glasses and about shots. He claims that glasses for tasting superior tequilas should be as finely crafted as good wine glasses and brandy snifters. High-quality tequilas are best appreciated when slowly sipped from glasses large enough to allow fragrances to be released and flavors to unfold.

5. As to shots with salt and lime. No. No. NO. Tequila aficionados don’t go the shot/salt/lime route.

6. Steps to tasting prime tequila: Pour a small amount of tequila into an appropriate large and finely made glass. Notice the color of the tequila by holding the glass over a white background. Tip the glass and notice the “tears” or legs; If the tears are slow to dissipate, the alcohol level is high. Swirl the tequila in the glass. Then sniff, first at one edge of the glass, then in the center, and then above. Take your time. Take a sip. Swish a bit in the mouth. Swallow. Take a breath. Try another sip for a more developed flavor.

Javier Moreno sniffing, sipping, smiling.

7. Don’t drink too fast.

8. Don’t drink too much.

9. As to Mezcal—being made from the agave plant, all tequilas are mezcals, but not all mezcals are tequilas. Confusing huh? Unlike tequila, mezcals are made from a variety of agave plants and have distinct smoky flavor due to the processing method of roasting in pit ovens.

10. Blanco tequilas are fine to use in mixed drinks being inexpensive and sporting a strong agave flavor. Which brings us (at last and never least) to the ever-popular margarita. Javier says that he favors the habanero margarita, so I scored Grand Residences’s recipe for you.

Word of warning, habaneros are a very hot variety of chili pepper. To tame the heat, Grand Residences seeps the peppers in simple syrup to make habanero margaritas.

GRAND RESIDENCES HABANERO MARGARITA

Yield: one serving.

2 lime wedges, divided

Tajín (a seasoning mix of chili peppers, salt and dehydrated lime juice) (See NOTE)

2 ounces blanco tequila

1 ounce fresh lime juice

1 ounce triple sec or other orange-flavored liqueur

1 ounce habanero simple syrup (recipe follows)

Rub one of the lime wedges around the rim of a rocks glass. Put tajín in a small bowl and dip rim of glass in the tajín to coat rim. Shake off excess Tajín. Fill glass with ice.

Put tequila, lime juice, triple sec and habanero syrup into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into prepared glass. Garnish with remaining lime wedge.

HABANERO INFUSED SIMPLE SYRUP

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 habaneros, each halved

Put ingredients in a small saucepan and set over low heat. Cook and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Set saucepan aside to cool. Strain syrup into a jar, removing habanero pieces. Cover jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

NOTE:

OTHER TEQUILA-RELATED RECIPES

To make a tequila mojito margarita, click HERE.

To make tequila infusions for flavored margaritas, click HERE

To make a Loopy Lu with mango-flavored tequila, click HERE

¶ Posted 26 June 2019 † Susan Manlin Katzman § ACCOMMODATIONS § BEACH § BEVERAGES § CARIBBEAN § COCKTAILS § CONDIMENTS § DRINKS § MEXICO § RECIPES § RESORTS § RIVIERA MAYA § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: agave, Anejo, Blanco, Caribbean, Extra Anejo, Grand Residences Riviera Cancun, habanero margarita, Mexico, Reposado, tequila, Yucatán Peninsula

SAN SEBASTIÁN, PINTXOS, AND THE GILDA

For those who have never been to San Sebastián, Spain, put it on your bucket list. If you have already been—then you know. You’ll return.

What makes the city so appealing?

Food, glorious food, and more food.

Of course the setting is lovely. Once a small fishing village, San Sebastián now spreads from the sea up over verdant hill-like mountains and offers a cornucopia of tourist pleasures that includes: unusually beautiful urban beaches,

graceful promenades and pedestrian-only streets,

Belle Époque architecture and enough museums, monuments and activities

to win the title of European Capital of Culture, 2016.

But the city amenities provide only a tidbit of San Sebastián’s draw. Food is the main magnet.

The region boasts more Michelin star restaurants per capita than nearly any other area in the world and is considered the epicenter showcase of avant-garde cuisine.

Superstars of San Sebastian’s Gastronomy

But it’s not even the overload of palaces of haute cuisine that makes San Sebastián a gastronomic goldmine.

Foodies love San Sebastián pintxos (pronounced “peen-chos”). These high-flavor, low-cost, two-bite size snacks, often described as upscale Spanish tapas, were born in San Sebastián and the city remains the best place on earth to sample the bounty.

Bar after bar, especially in Old Town, stack their counters with the little culinary jewels and the local custom is to enjoy a movable feast, going place to place devouring one or two pintxos along with a small drink.

Favorite beverages include zurito (a small beer), txakoli, a semi-sparkling young white wine, and cider, that bartenders pour from a high arching curve hitting the bullseye of a small glass.

Pintxos translates “to poke or skewer” thus some of the pintxos are skewered on wooden picks. Others towered on a base of bread. Some are hot. Some are cold. Some are fancy (think foie gras, fish cheeks that all time delicious old cow) and some are simple to the core (for example the iconic Gilda, served in every bar).

Gilda pintxos show up in most San Sebastian pintxo bars.

Whatever the individual pintxo’s characteristics, it takes on added pleasure when enjoyed in an atmosphere of congenial chaos of a San Sebastian bar.

THE GILDA

Like its namesake, Rita Hayworth’s femme fatale character in the movie Gilda, this pintxo is bold and spicy, well-put together and well-loved. The blend of salty spicy flavors plus the ease of preparation make the Gilda a perfect party appetizer.

To make the Gilda: skewer Guindilla peppers, Cantabrian anchovies and Manzanilla olives onto a wooden cocktail pick and serve. That’s all there is to it. Easy. Delicious.

The three ingredients can be purchased in jars or tins, online or in food stores that specialize in Spanish products. Be sure to order the real things:

Guindilla peppers, the traditional pepper of the Basque region, are yellowish-green with a narrow, elongated shape. They are typically pickled in white wine vinegar and sold in jars.

Cantabrian anchovies are wild-caught in the spring in the waters of the Cantabrian Sea. They are cured in a brine of water, fat and sea salt and then hand-filleted and packed in olive oil in glass jars or tins.

Manzanilla olives are plump, lightish green olives— the best of which are handpicked in Andalusia, pitted and packed in glass jars or tins in a high-quality brine. They are sometimes sold stuffed. If you buy the stuffed variety, poke out the stuffing before skewering the olive in the Gilda.

And now:

Where to stay in San Sebastián: Hotel Maria Cristina

Favorite places to eat in San Sebastián:

The Michelin three-star Arzak

and the great pintxos bar

La Cuchara de San Telmo

¶ Posted 30 May 2019 † Susan Manlin Katzman § ACCOMMODATIONS § APPETIZERS § BARS § ENTERTAINING § PRODUCTS § RECIPES § RESTAURANTS § SPAIN § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Arzak, Cantabrian anchovies, Guindilla peppers, La Cuchara de San Telmo, Manzanilla olives, Pintxo, San Sebastián, Spain, The Gilda

GEAR TO GO

Of all the travel products and paraphernalia that Sweet Leisure sampled and scrutinized lately, two rise to the surface like cream. Take one to the beach, the other on the road. But before I tell you about these useful products, I have to add a disclaimer. These are not ads. I am not paid (Damn!).

FOR THE BEACH

The CGEAR TOTE II SAND-FREE BAG

is strong, sophisticated and stylish, but even better, it’s practical. Here is a good looking beach bag that offers enough space for towels, sunscreen, wine, books, picnic edibles (cookie recipe below), and other beach essentials. As to the unique part, the bag has a woven-base that sheds sand, crumbs, dirt like a sieve. Put it on the sand. Unpack. Repack. Pick it up and the sand (and other small particles), flow out the bottom of the bag. NICE! And once home, the bag folds for easy storage. A tote that gets our vote. For more information, click HERE.

FOR THE ROAD TRIP, BOAT RIDE, CAMPING ADVENTURE

The JUMPSMART

is a multi-useful tool to jump start most cars, trucks, SUV’s, ATVs…well…just about any vehicle including motorcycles and can be used on boats and lawnmowers to boot. The cables are tucked into a compact heavy-duty carrying case that includes a powerful 330 Lumen LED flashlight and a Power Bank for charging mobil phones, tablets, cameras and other travel necessities. Cool, compact and multi-useful, the JUMPSMART can help cope with a variety of emergencies when on the road. Safe and sound all around. For more information, click HERE.

And now to add to your gear to go—a cookie to take to the beach, on a road trip or enjoy any time you want a sweet that is awesomely delicious, easy to make and good for the body as well as the spirit.

FOUR INGREDIENT CHOCOLATE CHIPPER

Yield: About 20 cookies.

3 ripe bananas

About 1-1/2 cups oats

About 2/3 cup chocolate chips

About 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Puree bananas in a blender. Transfer puree to a bowl. Stir in enough oats to make a dough that is moist, but not runny (amount of oats depends on size of bananas). Throw in a generous handful of chocolate chips and nuts. Drop 1 heaping tablespoon mounds of dough onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Press top of mounds to flatten and press lightly around edges to make compact. Bake at 350°F until deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from parchment paper. The cookies are good eaten warm, at room temperature, or frozen—without thawing.

¶ Posted 07 May 2019 † Susan Manlin Katzman § BEACH § COOKIES § DESSERTS § PRODUCTS § RECIPES § TRAVEL § Uncategorized ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: beach bag, CGear, chocolate chips, COOKIES, Jumpsmart, jumpstart, oatmeal, tote, walnuts

BEST EVER SUGAR BAKED HOLIDAY HAM RECIPE

Ta-Da! Drum roll please! And now, dear readers, I’m going to share my secret family recipe for the best ever (really really succulent and delicious) sugar baked holiday ham.

BEST EVER SUGAR BAKED HOLIDAY HAM

Yield: Plan on serving 1/2 to 3/4 pound per person, but buy enough to have leftovers. This ham makes fabulous bean soup and sandwiches. (See NOTE below)

1 large, bone-in, fully cooked ham (or half a fully cooked, bone-in ham)

Whole anise seed

Paprika

Granulated Sugar

Preheat oven to 325°F.

If necessary, trim any tough skin and excess fat from ham, leaving about 1/4-inch fat around ham. Cutting through fat and slightly into meat, score top of ham in a diamond pattern and place ham, scored side up on a rack in a large roasting pan. (If roasting half a ham, place it on the rack cut side down.)

Add 1 inch water to bottom of roasting pan (water can touch bottom of ham). Sprinkle ham generously with anise seed, paprika and sugar.

Place roasting pan in 325°F oven and bake for 30 minutes. Then open door of oven and baste ham generously with water from pan. Again sprinkle ham with anise seed, paprika and sugar. Continue baking, basting and sprinkling with anise seed, paprika and sugar every half hour or so until ham is browned, glistening with sugar glaze and warm throughout. (As a general rule, bake about 18 to 22 minutes per pound. Remember the ham is fully cooked, you are just heating it.)

Let ham rest 15 minutes before slicing.