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CFB for masochists: The winter guide to the best coffee, food and booze in Montreal

Masochists that we are, we love Montreal in January. Every year we come for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day long weekend to play hockey and hang out with our friends Derek and Tanya. Derek, being Canadian, is a valuable resource for us, but just in case you don’t have your own personal Canadian tour guide, here are some of our favorites around the MTL, whether you visit in the summer or the winter. (Honestly, the winter really isn’t so bad once you get past the 0-degree–Fahrenheit–high temperatures and double-digit inches of snow!)

The great thing about Montreal is that it so perfectly straddles the line between foreign and familiar, between casual and passionate. You can fly seven hours to Paris for that quintessential European charm and excitement, or you can fly one hour-plus (from New York) to get the same feeling in Montreal. And as soon as you start exploring, you sense the excitement: the city is still inexpensive enough for young, creative types to do their thing, whether it’s cook, mix, brew or make. It creates a place that is a great joy to explore, where the high-end is just as high as any other place like New York or Paris, but the low-end is also elevated, making it hard to have a truly bad experience when dining or drinking out.

Pro-tips

Language barrier
Does not exist. Next question. In all seriousness, I can probably count on my two hands the number of people I’ve met in Montreal that didn’t speak English, and half of them were taxi/Uber drivers. French is the official (and only) language of Quebec but you definitely wouldn’t be able to tell from visiting Montreal. I usually try to be polite and ask Montrealers in French whether they speak English, but I am totally stunned if anyone ever answers “non,” especially if they are in the service industry.

Where to stay
Also an easy question: Le Plateau is basically the epicenter of cool stuff in Montreal. Not only in the sense that there is tons of good stuff in the neighborhood, but also in the sense that it is pretty much equidistant from whatever cool stuff is outside the neighborhood. Basically if you stay somewhere around Rue Rachel or Ave Mont-Royal in between Parc Jeanne-Mance and Parc La Fontaine you will be in good shape. There are plenty of Airbnbs and it’s a very walkable part of town.

You could also do well in Mile End. In my opinion there is not quite as much cool stuff and it’s not quite as walkable as Le Plateau, but it would also be a good choice. Same goes for Little Burgundy/Griffintown; there is enough to keep you interested especially for a short stay of just a few days, but it’s not quite as central, not quite as walkable as Le Plateau.

Getting around
The main downside to staying in Le Plateau is the public transportation options are limited. The Montreal subway is clean and fast and efficient but it’s not very useful if you want to move around Le Plateau or in between Le Plateau and Mile End (which is a common trip for us ; ) Walking or learning the bus routes are pretty much the only options you have if you want to save money.

Ubers are plentiful and cheap in Montreal however so it is usually not a problem, especially if you can split with another couple or other people. And while in the summer months a 30-minute walk to the restaurant may seem like an enjoyable option, I’m sure $8-10 CAD for an UberX is going to seem like a great deal when it’s minus 3 degrees Fahrenheit outside in the winter.

Don’t miss

Pâtisserie Au Kouign Amann – Pastry Shop – Le Plateau
If you only listen to one recommendation from this post, I would suggest you to make it this one. We look forward to their killer croissants all year long.  Everything here is delicious but the almond croissants, the ham and cheese croissants, the quiche Lorraine and the namesake pastry are the highlights. It’s tiny inside so there is almost no seating but if you are lucky enough to snag one of the three tables and especially if the snow is coming down in buckets outside then it is such a homey and comfy place to chill.

  • The namesake pastry
  • Croque monsieur and fresh juice:
    breakfast of champions

They have a homey interior with wooden floors that get worn down by every ones snowy boots and  2 large picture windows with tiny tables in the front and a large chalkboard menu with all of the beautiful pastries scrawled on the board in French.  In the back, the pastry chefs carefully make these little yummy pieces of eatable art.   Their ham and cheese croissant have the perfect amount of béchamel inside to their signature kouign amman that melts in your mouth, its just perfection. A kouign amman is also known as a Breton butter cake.  The New York Times called it the fattiest pastry  in all of Europe (sorry mom, it’s only once a year).    Oh… and the almond croissant and the croque monsieur that is warmed on the panini press that gets the most perfect hatch marks on the buttery surface.

Dispatch Coffee – Coffee – Le Plateau
This place is a temple to good coffee. Still, it is welcoming and not oppressively geeky. They make mean espresso and have many single origin coffees to choose from; easily some of the best coffee in Montreal. I just wish it were a bit closer to the part of town we usually stay in : )

Le Chien Fumant – Dinner/Brunch – Le Plateau
We found this little neighborhood gem after partying late night at Igloo fest a few years ago.  We read it is where all the chefs eat when they get done work, so we knew it had to be good and I also knew that there was so way that Tanya and Matt would read a description like that and not go. It’s a tiny spot with a few cozy tables and a long bar. It is surrounded by lots windows and a large chalkboard menu with the food offerings. We had an amazing dinner that night with great food, wine, and great company.

  • Scotch Egg brunch “salad”

We have also been for brunch and boy was it a meat lovers dream. Matt got the pork belly gyro and I got the scotch egg on top of crunchy tortilla strips, pickled veggies and a salad underneath.

Derek and Tanya got every breakfast meat known to man, blood sausage, ham, sausage, and bone marrow… I think I’m missing some too! Everything was perfectly fatty, salty and delicious. I’m not much of a brunch person, so I would tend to recommend it more for dinner.

Arts Cafe – Brunch/Lunch – Mile End
This place has the trifecta covered – great coffee, food, and ambiance! They have a great shakshuka here with merguez sausage & polenta and a duck poutine that is delicious (fyi… this is more of a russet potato breakfast potato hash than fries situation, just warning you so you’re not disappointed, which by the way you won’t be…). This time we all shared the roasted cauliflower on top of hummus with a garlic labneh and pistachios, this is definitely something that we will try to recreate at home.
For dessert, they have a homemade ring ding, one of my favorites! Eat your heart out Drakes : )

Arts Cafe interior

Fete des Neiges de Montreal – Festival – Parc Jean-Drapeau
Takes place for 1 month from mid January to mid February on the weekends in the Parc Jean -Drapeau in Montreal. Tanya and I went a few years ago and had a ball! First of all, any place they have a sugar shack where they pour pure maple syrup into the snow and make a “pop” out of them is a place for me. They have so many cool activities at the snow festival…dog sledding, axe throwing, sled racing to name a few. They have an awesome free outdoor ice skating path that is super fun to skate on and people watch.

Gypsy Cafe + Bar – Brunch – Le Plateau
This cafe and bar has the perfect bohemian chic, vibe. They have another location in Bali and you definitely feel that influence inside the different nooks of this spot. I love the variety of the different seating areas, rattan lighting and a gorgeous bar surrounded by fresh, fragrant ingredients. We went for coffee & brunch, but they also have dinner & cocktails. They make a solid avo toast here with grapefruit, radishes, tomatoes and a perfectly poached egg on top. Other highlights were the the breakfast sandwich and frites & their cassolette with mushrooms, sausage, and eggs.

Ile Flottante – New Canadian – Mile End
Vegetable-forward tasting menus with killer wine pairings; this place was a total revelation for four meat loving Americans (or I guess 3 meat-loving Americans and 1 meat-loving Canadian). Honestly of the seven courses the two meat dishes were my least favorite. Not to mention the wine pairings were slightly weird, obviously natural and quite delightful. Definitely one of the best meals I’ve had in Montreal.; I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts – Museum (duh) – Downtown
An excellent art museum and I’m not normally much of a museum person. The collection of paintings in the Pavilion for Peace is the perfect size and very well-curated as to not be overwhelming but still be interesting. I especially enjoyed the modern art (which is extremely unusual for me) as well as the third floor Golden Age of Holland and Flanders. It’s an especially nice place to pass a few hours on a freezing winter day.

Ma Poule Mouillee – Poutine – Le Plateau
In our opinion this is the best poutine in Montreal. Portuguese rotisserie chicken are big in Montreal (see Rotisserie Ramados, below). Ma Poule makes the most perfect, smokey rotisserie chicken, cooked over open flame and perfectly seasoned the chicken is super flavorful and moist. You can get the chicken by itself with a green salad and some french fries on the side, but the pro move is to get it put on top of those perfectly crispy fries with some sliced Portuguese sausage, loaded up with gravy and topped off with fresh cheese curds. C’est parfait!

Larry’s – Breakfast – Mile End
Oh man, we love it here. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee break, happy hour; they do it all and do it all right. The food is eminently delicious, somehow simple and interesting and addicting all at once. If you’re there for breakfast DO NOT miss the pikeletes. They are out of control delicious when slathered with real maple syrup. The only thing you need to be aware of is it is SMALL in here. I mean like tiny. Go early or late or be ready to wait. In fact, maybe they could just take over Lawrence (see below) next door and make one big Larry’s; I’d be ok with that ; )

Pikeletes (behind the syrup): small but mighty (delicious)

Provisions Restaurant – New Canadian – Outremont
This place is so good it makes me upset. There is no menu, just a board with the names of all the ingredients they bought at the market that morning and that will go into the dishes they are about to bring you. The food is seriously ridiculous and the wine pairings are actually *perfect* pairings with the food; they are definitely firing on all cylinders. It’s not cheap but it’s so worth it. Just go; you won’t regret it.

Provisions Bar a Vin – Wine Bar/Butcher Shop – Outremont
Just down the street from Provisions Restaurant (above), this is a more a-la-carte experience. The salad here was so good we ordered a second; made of fresh bib lettuce, ribboned carrots, tomatoes and cucumbers in a fresh yogurt dressing with mint – I want to recreate this at home. As a (part) butcher shop, their homemade sausage is a must-do. This night, it was served with pickled onions and a homemade mustard and was definitely on point. The steak frites were great, but the thick steak fries stole the show, they were absolute perfection super crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. The food and service at this place were both winners.

Aliments Viens – Charcuterie – Mile End
Fantastic cured meats and cheeses. Everything is homemade and has so much flavor. If you need provisions for a picnic (or just a snack at home before dinner) you could do a lot worse than this place. Be sure to head down the street to Hof Kelsten (below) to get some delicious bread to eat with the meaty goodies you just spent all your money on.

Hof Kelsten – Bakery – Mile End
The bread here is what’s up. Their croissants can seriously give Au Kouign Amman (above) a run for their money. They have coffee here too but to be honest I haven’t tried it since we usually get so distracted by the breads : )

Bar Le Lab – Cocktail Bar – Quartier Latin
Well-made drinks with unusual flavor profiles and interesting combinations of ingredients; they obviously take cocktail making very seriously and I appreciate that. Service had some hiccups when we were there, but overall this is one of the better choices (if not the best choice) for cocktail-geek cocktails in Montreal. Bonus points for the amazing popcorn–trust me, just buy a bag to snack on with your drinks.

Café Neve – Coffee – Le Plateau
Great cappuccinos and single-origin filter coffee. Seems small from the outside but the is a long communal table with ample space for drinking your coffee and even space for parking your bike. It’s very homey and comfy and would be a tempting place to lazily spend the day while it is dumping snow outside (which happens from time to time in Montreal ; ) NB there are two other locations, one on Rue Rachel and another (apparently) inside clothing store Frank and Oak on St. Viateur.

If you have time/are in the neighborhood

Bar Le Sparrow – Brunch – Mile End
Fried eggs with sage served with a pile of bacon, perfectly crispy potatoes and freshly toasted bread – this was delicious, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit I was diving into Matt’s plate for more of the Zatar sandwich, which is a totally genius breakfast. The only downside is the coffee kind of sucks.

Joe Beef – Quebecois Restaurant – Little Burgundy
This one is more like “if you manage to get reservations” than “if you have time” but in my (admittedly limited) experience it can be very hit or miss so don’t feel too bad if you can’t get reservations. I’ve been twice and one time it was terrible. The service, the food and the wine were all exceptionally disappointing. However, I came back a second time and found it a much more satisfying restaurant experience.

I believe the difference in my experiences may have a lot do with the time of my reservation. The pro move apparently is to make an early reservation because no one ever leaves their table on time and the servers are more likely to be helpful early in the evening. This is more important than it may seem because there is no printed menu, so you are either at the mercy of letting your server choose for you (yeah right, not this control freak) or you will have to make them read the entire menu to you while you scribble it down on the napkin in front of you.

Overall I would go back if I ever managed to snag a reservation (the DINR app comes in great handy in this regard if you are flexible about making last-minute plans), but I can’t say I count Joe Beef among my favorite restaurants in Montreal, and so I don’t usually get too upset if I can’t find any reservations.

Café Melbourne – Coffee Shop – Le Plateau
A good spot for espresso drinks and toasts with typical Australian toppings. The espresso is solid enough, but the filter coffee isn’t the greatest and the staff is a bit aloof (in that charming if frustrating Australian way). It’s a good spot but I prefer some of the other coffee shops in the area because they align more closely to my tastes. If you’re Australian I’m pretty sure you’ll love this place.

Le Bremner – Seafood Restaurant – Old Montreal
Very good service, cool ambiance and good wines. The food was also technically proficient but nothing that changed my life. I would return if someone else invited me since it is overall a good restaurant experience but I would probably not run back.

La Banquise – Poutine – Le Plateau
This is our favorite late night poutine spot (and everyone else’s too, including locals).  Note the emphasis is on the phrase ‘late night’. If Ma Poule Mouille (above) is open; go there instead : )

Looks better at night : )

Unlike Ma Poule however, La Banquise is open 24/7, so whenever you feel the need to warm up with some cheesy, fried goodness (i.e. whenever you are drunk), this is the spot.  They have endless topping combinations.  As if fries covered in gravy and cheese curds weren’t a gut bomb enough for you, you can add everything from hot dogs, to bacon or guacamole on top. 

Igloo Fest – Festival – Old City/Harbor
If you happen to be in Montreal at the end of January/beginning of February and you are into EDM, make sure you head to Igloo Fest. Every year for three weekends on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights people get dressed up in ski gear and dance the night away in the outdoors. There are live DJs and ice sculptures, drink luges, and outdoor games. We had a blast dancing under freshly falling snow outside all night!

Zone Maison – Shopping – Le Plateau
Adorable furniture and home shop. This is a must visit on our annual trip to Montreal. They have great small scale furniture and accessories and always makes me jealous that we don’t have a place to decorate in Montreal.

September Cafe – Coffee – Little Burgundy
Very solid coffee (drip coffee and espresso from their La Marzocco) in a cool atmosphere with friendly people. Pair that with a stupendous chocolate chip sea salt cookie and you’ve got a great place to warm up on a cold winter’s afternoon. They also have some good-looking breakfast options that we unfortunately didn’t get a chance to try. Not necessarily worth going way out of your way for, but definitely a good option if you’re in the neighborhood.

La Dependance Espace Design Gourmand – Coffee – Le Plateau
Hipster haven coffee shop. They have decent cappuccinos here and more millennial pink and light grey than you could imagine. Cozy atmosphere with a separate room for people that want to camp out with their computers. They also have a great little shop that sells books and home goods. Mostly it is a nice, comfy place to pass the time with a book in case it is snowing buckets and freezing cold outside.

Time Out Market – Food Hall – Downtown
I think it is in a mall so maybe it is technically a mall food court but it is definitely the best mall food court we’ve ever been to. Instead of Panda Express, they have quick food (not fast food) from some of the city’s best chefs and restaurants.

Matt got a pork belly on top of a parsnip purée and carrots from Le Club Chasse et Peche which was a bit too fatty for Bryn, but definitely looked and tasted like an entree from a high end restaurant like Le Club Chasse et Peche, and for $16 it was a great deal. They also had a seasonal carrot salad with grapefruit and dates with some of the carrots shaved into long strips and some roasted to perfection, topped by a cumin vinaigrette giving it a slight heat.

Eat your heart out, typical mall food court

Bryn had an awesome fish ceviche served with small sweet potato chips from Paul Toussaint. It was an acid bomb and she loved every bite! Overall, everything we ate was beautiful and delicious and reasonably priced for the quality. Our only complaint was the drinks situation; given the food selection I would have expected the bar to have a much more curated and composed selection of beer and wine, but it was very pedestrian. Hopefully they can change that and make Time Out Market a can’t-miss destination in Montreal.

Pullman – Wine Bar – Downtown-ish
Perhaps it’s not quite fair to pass judgement on Pullman since the power went out (on the whole city block) about an hour after we got there. The wines we tried (a very old-vine orange wine from Chile and a full-bodied but funky natural white wine) were very good, and the meat and cheese board was also real solid, but that was about the extent of our experience. The service was friendly and helpful though so I think that is enough to warrant a “go there if you feel like natural wines and snacks” in this part of town.

  • Some real “out there” wines btg : )
  • Cheese and olives? Yes please!

Monarque – Fancy Canadian – Downtown
The food at Monarch was very well executed and the wine list is solid if expensive. Actually, come to think of it, everything here is expensive. The restaurant is huuuuge and there are two distinct sections. The back section is much more of a white tablecloth, borderline stuffy experience which I was not the biggest fan of. I would recommend going back, but be sure to book the front section of the restaurant and be ready for a bit of a higher bill than you might otherwise expect. Some dishes though are totally worth the price; in our case we had a killer salt-baked celery root with coffee foam, but overall it doesn’t score super high on the value front.

Regine Cafe – Brunch – La Petite-Patrie
Eh. Not sure what all the hype is about; it’s good but not worth the wait in my opinion. The œuf et bœuf was the standout of what we tried. If there is no wait or I had reservations (which they accept–but are probably not necessary–on weekdays only) then I would come back, but otherwise I would probably pass.

Fromagerie Atwater – Cheese Shop – Little Burgundy
Great selection of artisanal products, especially meats and cheeses from the counter for very reasonable prices. Huge selection of craft beer too, at least at the Atwater Market location. Basically everything you need if you are planning a picnic and are not close to Aliments Viens (above). Note there is another location just below Parc LaFontaine.

O-Thym – Quebecois Restaurant – Gay Village
Very delicious and creative menu for dinner at very reasonable prices. The tartare du moment did not disappoint and my main course of venison was very good. The star of the show however might have been the apple bread pudding with black beer ice cream which was to die for! Since it’s BYOB it helps keep the cost of a fancy dinner in the realm of “we could do this every week”, which we totally would if we lived in the neighborhood. However, since it’s BYOB it may not be for everyone since it is somewhat hard to buy good wine at retail in Montreal.

Don’t bother

Lawrence – New Canadian – Mile End
I don’t normally black-list places after one visit, but I really had a bad experience here. We went for dinner–we had reservations for 3 at 8:00p. They sat us (party of 3) at a cramped 2-top right by the door; not off to a great start. I asked about the beers available–it didn’t seem like our waitress had much of an idea, so we went with cocktails. Bryn’s sazerac came in a rocks glass with no rock(s)–odd. We had some questions about the menu–which dish should we choose between these two, what are some of the more popular dishes, what is this particular dish like, etc. Our waitress’s explanations could not have been less helpful. In some cases she didn’t seem to know the menu, in other cases she basically just read the menu back to us. It was almost as if she had not ever eaten or even really seen any of the food being served. She made choosing our dinner very difficult, and not in a good way. In the end we trusted our own judgement of the menu and enjoyed supremely the charcuterie board, an appetizer of grilled heart and liver as well as an appetizer of octopus and eggplant and an entree of aged steak, cooked absolutely perfectly. The only miss was the whelk and sausage stew which was very heavy on the whelks and light on everything else. The food was so delicious it’s a shame our experience was ruined service that was sorely lacking. I could be persuaded to give it another try, especially since Larry’s is so good, but I won’t go back on my own accord.

Patati Patata Friterie de Luxe – Diner? – Le Plateau
If you are a hipster you will probably love this place. The servers are nice and helpful but everything else about this place is not making me want to run back. It’s small (I mean SMALL), cramped, the food is good if you’re drunk but not really otherwise. I will probably be looking elsewhere for my late night poutine cravings.

Bar Big In Japan – Cocktail Bar – Le Plateau
Cool ambiance but at the end of the day I want to drink when I go to a bar and their whiskey selection was very small: just two Japanese whiskeys, four scotches and a small number of bourbons. And given the prices I would not say any of them are really special; it’s pretty expensive. They do have cocktails but nothing too exciting or cutting edge. This place might be a good idea if you have a date to impress and you are pretty sure he or she cares more about pretty people and cool scenes than drinking and eating. Otherwise there are more interesting and exciting bars in the neighborhood and Montreal in general.

Romados – Rotisserie Chicken – Le Plateau
Charcoal grilled rotisserie chicken, fries and a salad are just what the doctor ordered on a cold winter day in Montreal. Or a warm summer day. Or any day in between; this chicken is always in season. Get the spicy sauce and use your fries to sop up the spicy goodness. It’s actually quite good; the only reason I say don’t bother is because it’s not quite as good as Ma Poule Mouille, which is literally right down the street and even if the line is longer at Ma Poule I would still go there instead of Romados.

Montreal Pool Room – Diner? – Downtown
Come here for the poutine and nothing else and you will be happy.

Café Myriade – Coffee – Le Plateau
Sadly, this place has gone downhill somewhat in my last few visits. There is still promise but the espresso has lately been bitter and dirty-tasting. Unfortunate because the location is pretty excellent, and the pastries are good but the coffee is just not great like it used to be and there are definitely better coffees in the neighborhood.

Hurley’s Irish Pub – Irish Pub – Downtown
Ok, this may not not be a popular opinion, but I think this place sucks. Mostly that is because the last thing I want to do for my once-yearly Saturday night in Montreal is spend the night drinking crappy beer and watching the Habs on TV. Unfortunately this is exactly what the Wild Turkeys (the hockey team which is the reason we come to Montreal in the first place) always want to do. Not only are there better places to drink in Montreal, there are also better places to watch the Habs. I say skip it.

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CFB: Copenhagen

Whether your passion is coffee, food or booze, Copenhagen is a wonderful place to spend a long weekend. Heck, Copenhagen Airport is a wonderful place to spend a long weekend! I feel confident saying it is the best airport I’ve ever been to. Anyway, if you do decide to venture outside of the airport, here is a handy guide to where to (and where not to) eat, drink and be merry while you are in Copenhagen.

First though, a few things about getting around. Everyone says Copenhagen is very walkable, and that’s true to an extent, but if you will be making trips to and from Refshaleøen and Norrebro (which you should!), you will quickly find Copenhagen is not as walkable as everyone says. Everyone rides bikes for a reason ; ) You should also ride a bike if you can (or want to) but the biking culture is pretty serious about following the rules of the road so take a second to learn them if you are planning on biking.

If you don’t want to bother with a bike, all the buses and trains (there are subways as well as something more like a regional commuter train) and ferries run on the same ticketing system, somewhat like the MTA. If you are staying for a while you can pay 80 DKK for the Metrocard equivalent and then put money on it whenever you need at subway stations. Alternatively you can buy multiday passes. Finally, you can pay per ride on the bus, but note that the bus drivers are not able to make a ton of change. There aren’t any turnstiles for any of the transportation, you just need to have your ticket on you in case anyone asks to see it.

Riding the public transportation is relatively expensive compared to most other public transportation systems I’ve seen, but it is pretty useful and pretty reliable, which is good since there is no Uber in Copenhagen. They have plenty of taxis, but the public transportation was so reliable we never had the need to use a taxi. Even getting to and from the airport is super easy; the M2 subway goes from the airport to stations in the Indre By (“center city”–don’t ask me how to pronounce it though : )

If you do decide to go for a walk, take the opportunity to walk through one of the cemeteries. Danish Cemeteries are absolutely stunning; they have big gorgeous trees everywhere in them and people seem to sit under big trees just enjoying the cool breeze. It’s much more like a great city park than a cemetery; it just happens to have some tombstones around.

Note also that Denmark is almost a cashless society. Many shops do not even accept cash and the only thing we needed cash to pay for was the bus fare if we were paying on board (rather than buying a ticket from the train station as I mentioned above). Trust me, unless you collect foreign currency as a souvenir, you don’t need any Danish Kroner : )

Where To Stay

Hotel SP 34
As I always say, if it’s good enough for the New York Times, it’s good enough for me. Our room was tiny, with a Juliet balcony, but it was well decorated like a West Elm catalog. This cozy boutique hotel, had a cool, casual, relaxed vibe. It was in in a great location – near the Torvelhallerne market, and close, but not too close to shopping areas. They are a part of the Brochner hotel group which offers complementary Portuguese red, white & sherry wine from 5-6 pm everyday (& the best darn potato chips you’ve ever tasted). They have 5 other hotels in Copenhagen (soon to be 6), they all have a different vibe, and as a guest of SP 34 you are welcome to visit the other hotels during happy hour.

Don’t Miss

Amass – Modern European – Refshaleøen
Can I give it six stars? A fantastic evening where the food, wines and service all came together perfectly. Everything we tasted was amazingly delicious (which is not as common for a tasting menu as you might think), the wines were interesting and paired perfectly with the food and the service was fun but not unprofessional. It isn’t cheap but it is worth it.

The chef, Matt Orlando, has had a lot of fine dining experience–including at Per Se in the late 2000s with some other very special people who just happen to own our favorite restaurant–so it’s perhaps no surprise that he would be good at this, but the dinner we had was really on another level. To borrow an analogy from baseball, they pitched a perfect game. We will definitely be back when we are in Copenhagen again.

Broaden & Build – Brew Pub – Refshaleøen
If you can’t get in to (or don’t want to shell out for) dinner at Amass (above) then you could do a lot worse than this. The beers are all amazing, creative but still well balanced. The food is taken just as seriously as at Amass (even if the food itself is a bit less serious, which is perfect for the setting). It’s a great place to spend an evening with friends, eating dinner and having great beers. I promise we are not paid spokespeople; Matt Orlando is just really killing it in Copenhagen right now.

Kyros & Co. – Cocktail Bar – Indre By
It may not look like much from the outside but this is really a great cocktail bar on the inside. Vodka-tonic types need not apply, but for any true cocktail aficionado this is a must-do. If Ana is on staff, tell her you want to go crazy and she will sort you out. The cocktails are as bespoke as possible and many of the ingredients are of the homemade, genius mad-scientist type. They distill their own gin, have small-batch rums that smell and taste like no other rums you’ve ever seen. A really fantastic, personal cocktail experience in Copenhagen.

Coffee Collective – Coffee Shop – Various Locations
This is probably the best coffee in a city with a lot of good coffee shops. The nitro cold brew is the bet I’ve had; normally nitro cold brews are not flavorful or texturally pleasant but this one was both. I finally felt like I understand what a nitro cold brew is all about. The flat white is also top-notch and at the Torvehallerne location they don’t have any food so you can bring a pastry from Laura’s across the aisle to enjoy with your coffee.

Reffen – Outdoor Food Market – Refshaleøen
Think of it as the Smorgasburg of Copenhagen, but really chill–even on a Saturday night–with a great view of the sunset. There are so many cool food booths representing many different cuisines here that we couldn’t try them all but those we did try definitely did not disappoint. For sure this is one more place to add to a long list of great places in Copenhagen to hang out with friends, eating and drinking and having a good time.

Arket Store & Cafe – Cafe – Indre By
I’m not much of a shopper, but there are not too many places I’d rather be having a coffee while Brynnie is looking around the store. The espresso is on-point, silky and rich in a cappuccino and the cold brew was actually one of the better cold brews I’ve had, period. Well done for a cafe inside a clothing store. Also note they have a location in the airport, which is not only a good choice for a last-minute shopping spree but also definitely your best option for coffee in terminal.

Admiralgade 26 – Modern European – Indre By
Great little spot for dinner and wines right around the corner from Ved Stranden 10 (which are owned by the same people). The food is excellent, the wine list is very good and the service is too. They have a lot of good choices by the glass (even some that aren’t necessarily on the menu) and can definitely help you find something you’ll love.

Sonny – Cafe – Indre By
Great coffee from a slick La Marzocco Strada and great smørrebrød for breakfast. Potato bread was great but the avocado bread was even better! Breakfast does not seem to be much of big event in Copenhagen, so this may have been the best choice for a good breakfast (even if it’s just smørrebrød and pastries) that we found in the center city.

Mirabelle – Cafe & Wine Bar – Nørrebro
Cute little spot for all day dining, right next to Bæst and BRUS. It’s a bit on the expensive side, but this was the place that we found that by far took breakfast the most seriously in Copenhagen. The pastries and breads are made in house (you can literally watch the bakers do their thing through the glass wall that separates the dining room from the bakery) and hoo boy are they delicious. The breakfast portions are very generous–one plate of eggs and a pastry or two is definitely enough for two people. They have a good-looking selection of wine too in case you are too late for breakfast.

John’s Hotdog Deli – Hot Dogs – Vesterbro
Located in Kødbyen (the Meatpacking District) among a bunch of other really cool stuff, but definitely don’t overlook this hot dog. The dogs and buns are of course good and even the slightly surly (or maybe just Danish) service can’t take away from the magic that is the toppings table. 20+ creative relishes and pickles turn this into a hot dog extravaganza. You’ll need a few dogs to try all the toppings…and you’ll definitely want to try all the toppings. My suggestion for the perfect Kødbyen afternoon with your best buds? Grub up here and then go brew up next door at Warpigs. You can thank me later.

ROAST Coffee – Coffee – Indre By
Coffee shop in the center city with a strong coffee game. They roast their own beans and make a mean cappuccino. They only have coffee, but there is something to be said for doing one thing and doing it well.

Steff’s Place – Hot Dogs – Airport
I know, I know, it’s a hot-dog stand in the airport, but it’s seriously really good. If you have ever been to Iceland then you know Scandinavians know how to do hot dogs right. Maybe it’s just because you can get it to take on the airplane, but in my book Steff’s Place is just a notch or two below Bæjarins Beztu in Reykjavik. This is a totally brilliant alternative to the usual airport food; you can’t go wrong with two regular dogs with everything on ’em–most importantly those fried onions and pickles!

Illums Bohlighus – Shopping – Indre By
In the city center, there is Illums Bolighus, this beautiful Danish Department store. Filled with Danish art, furniture, home goods, and clothing–I could have spent hours here. The Danish design is just stunning.; the perfect combination of function & fashion.

If you have time/are in the neighborhood

Hija de Sanchez – Tacos – Torvehallerne
From a stand in between the two market buildings at Torvehallerne, the tacos were technically proficient, but some of the flavors were just a bit…off (the cheese taco was not nearly as delicious as it could have been—too much crema). On the other hand, some flavors were off the hook (cabbage taco sounds weird but was so good). The tacos fly out of the kitchen though so if you find one you like it won’t take too long to order another one. Overall a good–if somewhat overhyped–spot for a quick snack.

Speaking of Torvehallerne Market, it’s part farmer’s market, part food hall, and while that sounds really cool (and probably is really cool if you live right in the neighborhood), we never figured out how to love this market. The stalls are all interesting enough, but none of them make you go “omg I haaave to try that”. Like I said, it’s probably more of a local’s market than a tourist’s market.

Den Økologiske Pølsemand (DØP) – Hot Dogs – Indre By
Solid, organic hotdogs from these two streetcarts in the middle of Copenhagen. The dogs are a great snack overall but the buns are a bit hard since they are made from whole grains and sourdough. Unfortunately I think I’m just too partial to good ol’ fashioned white or potato bread; sometimes you just shouldn’t mess with a classic.

CUB Coffee Bar Boldhusgade – Coffee Shop – Indre By
A comfy and cozy coffee shop down a flight of stairs in between Ved Stranden 10 and Amiralgade 26. It’s just a coffee shop, with a few pastries and a solid if unspectacular flat white, but the real draw of this place is as a place to hole up when the weather is not so nice and do some work or read a book.

Cafe Atelier September – Cafe and Wine Bar – Indre By
Super-cute all-day cafe that has good coffee and a few typical breakfast options like avocado bread or a soft-boiled egg with cheese and rye bread. There is not a ton of seating so try to go a bit on the early side. Very good coffee–filter and espresso were both solid–though confusingly there are no bathrooms so maybe get that second cappuccino to go.

I’m pretty sure this vintage Porsche is part of the decor ; )

Warpigs Brewpub – Barbecue/Brewery – Vesterbro
GIANT brewery and barbecue place in Kødbyen. Lots of great beers on tap, both from the brewery and guest taps. It’s a great place to hang out–outside if it’s nice (though there is no shade) or inside if it’s not so nice. Either way there is plenty of space. The barbecue is good if not great, but then again Denmark isn’t Texas. The pulled pork–always the safest bet–is smokey and moist and delicious. The brisket however was dry so I would skip it next time and go with some of the more non-traditional BBQ dishes on the menu.

Prolog Coffee Bar – Coffee Shop – Vesterbro
A small shop in the Meatpacking District, they have a nice espresso machine and make a good if not great flat white. It’s not necessarily worth going out of your way for, but if you need a coffee after a day of eating and drinking in Kødbyen then this is probably your best option.

BRUS – Brewpub – Nørrebro
A giant pub that has some good snacks and a big list of great beers. It’s really well-decorated and comfy on the inside. The food portions are on the smaller side and the beers are on the expensive side but it is a good place to hang out with friends and a good place to pick up some beers to go in case you are having a picnic.

Kompa’9 – Cafe – Indre By
A cute little place, with a vintage chic interior, good coffee and a solid breakfast. They had a great avocado toast topped with a tomato powder (!) and accompanied by a few roasted tomatoes. They also had some perfectly cooked scrambled eggs served with spinach and mushrooms. Nothing mind-blowing but a solid option to start your day right.

Mikkeller & Friends – Beer Bar – Nørrebro
There are plenty of Mikkeller-owned places to drink great beer in this city but the original is a pretty good setting to do so. Lots of taps, good Mikkeller beers and guest beers, helpful service and–if the weather is nice–some tables across the street to sit at and people watch. Since they don’t have any food, you are welcome to bring your own. Note also there is a Mikkeller in the airport in case you weren’t yet convinced it is the best airport ever.

Malmo – Day Trip – Sweden (!)
Malmo is the third largest city in all of Sweden but (at least on the Sunday morning we visited) it felt like more of a small town than a major city. Malmo is only a 40-minute train ride away from Copenhagen. Even though the trip is short, make sure to pack your passport (they do check it on the train)!

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Once in Malmo, check out the Malmo Saluhall a great food hall in the center of the town. It was the only spot we found that actually got crowded on a Sunday! Inside, there are quite a few good choices, including wood-fired pizza place, tapas and seafood, but our favorites were Pink Head, the Asian noodle bar and Poms Mackor, a beer and sandwich bar.

Gro Spiseri – Supper Club – Østerbro
Tucked on a side street in a neighborhood and up a long flight of spiral stairs is the rooftop farm restaurant, Gro Spiseri. Gro has a gorgeous rooftop farm filled with organic flowers, herbs and vegetables. It even houses some chickens and two rabbits. We were greeted by two big bonfires, the setting sun, sparkling wines, and new friends. There are twenty-four seats at one long table inside of a greenhouse. There are three chefs that talk you through each of the four courses and one person at the front of the house serving great wines. Of course, with any tasting menu make sure to tell them in advance if you have any dietary restrictions, and they are more than willing to accommodate. Gro is just one of those rare, special places where you are able to sit with strangers and have fantastic food and share great conversation with people around the world. The world needs more restaurant experiences like this.

Manfreds – Wine Bar – Nørrebro
On one of the cutest streets in Copenhagen, this place was a wonderful spot to enjoy a beautiful farm fresh lunch. We had the Zucchini topped with olive oil, fresh figs and toasted nuts. Chicken sausage with pistachios, street corn with a tomato butter and cheese and a tomato pesto salad. They had beautiful wines to pair with the courses.

Ved Stranden 10 – Wine Bar – Indre By
Cute wine bar on the canal. They are also importers are Austrian wines, so they serve a lot of Austrian wines. On Monday nights they have a Monday night meal. Which by American standards is a snack. It apparently rotates every week. When we had it we enjoyed a Roast beef slider with a horseradish sauce, crispy onions and crunchy lettuce and a pork sandwich with a spicy mayo and cracklings. Both were absolutely delish!

Den Vandrette – Wine Bar – Indre By
The food is here is pretty hit-or-miss but the wine is for real. Bryn even recognized some industry people on the Monday night we visited, so you know it’s good. They have some communal seating but if you want to be the most comfortable be sure to make reservations. They have a good selection of wines by the glass, but the pro move (as we witnessed firsthand from the pros in attendance) is to go with friends and order some bottles from the cellar.

Nebbiolo Winebar Wine Bar – Indre By
This is a cozy, modern spot with great outdoor seating as well. We were there on a Monday night around 10:00p and it was pretty crowded. There isn’t a wine by the glass list at this bar, but the Italian staff is super knowledgeable and let you sample a few wines they think you’ll enjoy because, they want to make sure that you are getting a glass that makes you happy. Bonus – You get a small plate of truffled sausage, cheese, olives, and bread sticks included with your wine.

Don’t Bother

Restaurant Barr – Modern European – Indre By
Much ado was made about this place’s beer bar. Well, much ado about nothing, I say! We showed up around 5:00p on a Saturday and somehow there was only a small outdoor section of maybe 20 seats that were being offered for people who just wanted to have a drink. There was no one at all inside the beer bar but apparently all the tables were reserved (even though the website said no reservations for the beer bar are required). At any rate, the beer wasn’t even that good; Bryn’s session pale ale was decent, but my IPA had a definite flaw, a very off taste, somewhat like cheesy old hops. The only saving grace was we didn’t have to stick around that long.

Det Vide Hus – Coffee – Indre By
This place came highly recommended from many different and reliable sources, but I thought it was just ok. I only had the filter coffee–I didn’t try the espresso–but overall it was nothing really special. Maybe their breakfast is good? For coffee though, I would much rather walk a few extra blocks to the Coffee Collective in Torvehallerne.

Democratic Coffee – Coffee – Indre By
Based on the coffee only it was somewhat disappointing. The flat white was a bit thin and sour. It was drinkable but just not quite what I expected since it seems like a legit coffee shop. Maybe it was just an off day?

OC Depot – Coffee – Torvahallerne
I had high hopes for this coffee shop as the underdog in the market, but the flat white was somewhat bitter and thin and lacked the richness that Coffee Collective achieves. If this location were in another part of town, especially a part of town which is a coffee dead zone, it would be worth a visit, but with Coffee Collective less than 100 yards away it is an easy choice to make.

Christiania – Run-down and over-grown nonsense – Christianshavn
In case you have done literally no research of any kind on Copenhagen, Christiania is a hippie commune that has been around since the 1970’s. They are “against” hard drugs, but then they “sell” a lot of weed on the one main street. For that reason, they “don’t want you taking pictures”. It all seems made up and kind of fake for the sake of all the tourists. The rest of the neighborhood is just run-down and boring. We could have easily passed on this one, but if you do go, I would hit it up during the day as it’s obviously pretty sketchy.

Stefano’s Pizzabar – Pizza – Nørrebro
We ordered a pizza to-go to enjoy with our beers at Mikkeller & Friends, just down the street. Stefanos was the only place (in the whole country!) where we encountered Danish people who didn’t seem to want to speak English to us. The guy at the counter seemed like I was wasting his time by asking him to take my order and in the end the pizza wasn’t even anything to write home about anyway. Skip it.

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CFB: Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota

If you think this post is going to be about Mt. Rushmore, think again! Ok, yes, we went there, because it is basically a requirement in the Instagram era to put some Mt. Rushmore selfies on the internet, but ultimately this part of South Dakota is about much more. The beauty of the landscape is quintessetially America and many of those beautiful places have historical significance too. This is the kind of place to come and be outdoors as much as possible.

On that note, make sure you come dressed and prepared for the outdoors. Real hiking boots, moisture-wicking socks and undershirts, sunscreen, a jacket and a pack will all come in great handy, even on short day hikes since the weather can be fickle. Also make sure you pack plenty of water.

One more thing that is important to note, this is an early-to-bed, Sunday-is-a-day-of-rest kind of place. I don’t think we saw a single restaurant that was open for dinner past 8:00p, and very litle is open on Sundays, even in Rapid City. Grocery stores will be open, but very few restaurants, so either reserve well ahead or plan to make your own dinner (a great idea in my opinion if you have access to a grill!)

Don’t miss

Dakota BBQ LLC – Barbecue Restaurant – Custer
Really friendly people making great BBQ. Gotta get there early, especially if you want ribs, but even if you miss out on ribs you won’t be disappointed. The pulled pork is awesome; so moist but still distinctly porky. Get it naked or on a sandwich and don’t skip the baked beans—homemade of course—which are sweet and saucy and super delicious.

Black Hills Burger and Bun Co – Hamburger Restaurant – Custer
Really delicious burgers and fries. Patties are juicy and the buns are perfectly soft. Malted milkshakes are great too. All in all a great place for dinner. Minus one star for not being open for dinner on the weekends though. What’s up with that?

Red Shirt Table Overlook – Vista Point – Hermosa
A really crazy view of the Badlands within (relatively) easy striking distance from the Custer area. A great place for otherworldly photos, especially at sunset. Also a decent place to do a little stargazing if you have a blanket or a pickup truck bed ; ) On a clear night the stars are magical. Visiting at sundown and staying until the stars came out was possibly my favorite experience of the whole trip.

  • South Dakota Badlands
  • Waiting for the stars to come out

Canyon Lake Liquors – Liquor Store – Rapid City
Great place to buy good wine in what seems like an otherwise wine dead zone. Prices are high but where else in South Dakota are you going to find wine that doesn’t have a picture of a cartoon donkey on the front.

The Custer Beacon – Event Venue – Custer
A pretty cool spot in an otherwise not particularly cool little town. It feels like the sort of place that would be almost like a de facto cultural center—it definitely has a lot of potential. Lots of fun shows and even an annual air guitar competition (?!) Acoustics could be a bit better but the atmosphere and decent selection of craft beer is hard to deny.

Skogen Kitchen – American Restaurant – Custer
Amazing find in sleepy little Custer, SD! It’s small, so make reservations, but it’s worth the extra leg work. Highlights of our meal were the morel risotto daily special, the veal sweetbreads with aji amarilo, the free-range chicken with muhammara and the pork chop with green papaya salad. Plus they have by far the most sophisticated wine list maybe in the whole state. It’s a small list that skews mostly American but there are wines at every price point and definitely some good deals. As if that wasn’t enough it is one of the few places open on Sunday for dinner. They also have a killer brunch with amazing pancakes.

  • Veal sweatbreads and morel risotto
  • Scallops, pork chop, and good wine
  • Delicious brunch…
  • …with fried chicken and pancakes!

Cream – Ice Cream Shop – Hill City
This ice cream shops pulls their espresso from a LaMarzocco so you know they mean business when it comes to their coffee. In fact it is the only legit coffee shop we found outside of Rapid City. They make a well-made 8-oz (“small latte”) and also had French-pressed coffee brewed and ready to serve. Plus the homemade ice cream comes in a number of inventive flavors and is *real* good.

Lost Cabin Beer Co. – Brewery – Rapid City
Great beers (very well made and a large and diverse selection) and really friendly staff. It’s not huge inside but a nice place to hang out with friends and have a pint over tater tots from the food truck in the parking lot. I’d definitely be back for more smoked coffee stout and tater tots!

Pure Bean Coffeehouse – Coffee Shop – Rapid City
Strong coffee game for sure; in fact the best we found in all of South Dakota. Good single origin drip coffee and an excellent cortado (8 oz) pulled from a Mavam espresso machine. I would definitely come back for coffee and a cookie anytime I’m in Rapid City.

N.B. If you are in the market for coffee and aren’t sure about the fact that the bags have no indication of the coffee’s roast date, I am told that all the coffee is freshly roasted and none of the coffee bags on the shelf should be more than a couple days old.

Custer State Park Wildlife Loop Road – Wildlife Viewing – East Custer
This is a really beautiful drive through the park with lots of opportunities to see native wildlife like bison, pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs and even donkeys (!) The drive is beautiful and there is a good chance to see wildlife but the part that I would recommend not to miss is the hike on the Prairie Trail. There is a small parking lot and a bathroom at the Prairie Trail Trailhead on Wildlife Loop Rd. Hiking through the wilderness is a much better way to experience the beauty of this area than driving, and you might even happen upon some bison!

If you have time/are in the area

Black Elk Peak – Hiking – Sylvan Lake
The trail was snowy and muddy as all get out in late May (!) but it was a fun (if wet) slog to the top. The top was slightly underwhelming though; the views are spectacular but the top can be crowded. Also we had a really hard time finding the USGS high point marker. Overall it wasn’t bad just not the most exciting high-point experience of my life.

Baker’s Bakery & Café – Breakfast Restaurant – Custer
I would describe it as a fairly standard diner-type spot. The breakfast and pastries are homemade but lacked the artisanal touch I was really hoping for. Bryn thought the doughnuts reminded here of her childhood, I thought they reminded me of Dunkin’. There is one shining star of the breakfast menu though, the the western omelette with a side of green chile sauce that is the bomb.

Mt. Rushmore Brewing Company – Brewpub – Custer
Some of the beers are really good, but others still need some work. The oatmeal stout, the cranberry juniper (!) special ale and the scotch ale are all strong choices. The IPAs and porters left a lot to be desired. Similarly for the food, stick to traditional bar food: the chicken wings are super-duper and the bratwurst is solid but I would not order the pizza again. Overall it is a place to eat in Custer that may be open when other places are not open, but it is definitely not worth going out of your way for.

Don’t bother

Wind Cave National Park Visitor Center – Cave Tour – Hot Springs
Unless you manage to get on the Wild Cave tour (crawling required) or potentially the Candlelight tour (some off trail travel) I would definitely skip this overly touristy stop in Wind Cave National Park. The park itself is cool and there is lots of great-looking hiking as well as a herd of bison you can see from the road, but the cave tours are pretty lame. There is nothing natural about the Natural Entrance tour–everything has been widened and paved for ease of access and it feels too manicured and a bit like waiting in line for some sort of Indiana Jones-themed ride at Disney World. Plus almost no real information is given about the caves and their history and significance to the native peoples, which would have at least made the tour more interesting if it wasn’t going to be very exciting.

Knuckle Saloon – Gastropub – Sturgis
First of all, this is NOT a Gastropub. Tricked again by Google Maps, I guess. In reality, it is just your average dive bar with tons of tchotchkes and junk all over the place, which makes it feel a little too much like a Disney World version of a dive bar. The food is just regular bar food. Perhaps it is just not my type of place but I would skip it next time.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial – Memorial Park – Keystone
This may be blasphemy but just stick with me here. It’s Mt. Rushmore. You know it, you (probably) love it, but it’s just a bunch of heads carved into a rock. It is actually kind of cool up close, and $10 for one carload is somewhat reasonable, but you don’t realy *need* to do this to have a great time in South Dakota. If you do decide to come here there is no way I can see that you would need anymore than 20 minutes at the monument. In a way it’s kind of a victim of its own fame; it looks exactly like what you expepct it to look like. There is no mystery, no wonder, no real interest unfortunately. Snap those selfies and get on to the good stuff!

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CFB: Everything you need to know about Asheville, North Carolina

  • Appalachians: Mount Pisgah

Asheville is a vibrant city in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains known for its local breweries, outdoorsy lifestyle and art scene. There are over 25 different breweries and an amazing foodie scene. Unlike other Southern towns definitely has a more of hippy dippy rather than preppy vibe.

Within the past year, I have been lucky enough to head to Asheville, North Carolina for two very happy occasions. First, Matt’s best friend got married in the mountains right outside of Asheville (as pictured above) , and then most recently, my future sister-in-law’s bachelorette party. I had two completely different experiences there, but both were a blast.

How do you get there? – They do have direct flights into Asheville, but they can be expensive! We flew into Charlotte and then took a 2 hour drive to Asheville. Nothing like a good roadtrip 🙂 Along the way if you get hungry make sure you add Bridges BBQ as a pitstop for food. Their Carolina pulled pork can’t be beat!

  • Carolina BBQ!

Must Do:

Flora & Forage – Coffee & Flower Shop – West Asheville – This place is everything I look for in a coffee shop and shopping experience. It is part coffee shop/part flower shop and was just adorable. They have so many cozy nooks that I could envision myself enjoying a cup of coffee here while getting work done or a glass of wine in the afternoon. They have adorable planters for sale and it was an Instagramer’s paradise.

City Bakery- Breakfast – Asheville – Delicious breakfast sandwiches–including the fresh foccacia with sausage, apple butter, spinach and eggs! I also had the mushroom and swiss quiche which had a cornmeal crisp on the bottom rather than a thick pie shell. It was accompanied by a side salad, which I loved since it didn’t feel too heavy and was a good way to start a long day of stuffing ourselves. They had a lavender latte that had the perfect floral element to it.

  • Sausage & cheese breakfast sammie
  • Mushroom & swiss quiche


Sunny Point Cafe -“Blunch” – West Asheville – They’re big on the “Blunch” front in Asheville. Lest you think they are being different for difference’s sake, there is a difference between “brunch” and “blunch”: “blunch” is much heavier on the lunch front whereas “brunch” implies there will be more breakfast-type items. (Seriously.)

Either way, you will love this super busy local spot in West Asheville, starting with the best bacon you’ve ever had! It was thick and super crunchy (aka Hartzell-style). I had the pimento, tomato, bacon omelet with foccacia. Pimento cheese is the perfect omelet cheese since it melts all over everything! I got the salad with a hemp dressing to go along with it. Mom got the pecan encrusted fried green tomatoes with goat cheese and a chipotle remoulade. They were perfectly fried, and didn’t feel too heavy.
Grab a cup of joe while you wait outside! No reservations, it might take a little while, but take a seat on a bench under the big trees and dog watch! Try to get David Jones as a server, he’s got a great energy! If it’s monkey bread day definitely grab one for the table.

  • Fried Green Tomatoes
  • The Southern omelet

Rhubarb – Dinner – Asheville – This farm to table restaurant is a tough one to get into, so make sure you make reservations. We ordered a bunch of small plates that we shared. The highlights included their cassoulet with foraged mushrooms, pesto, and beans which was superb. The other stand outs included the Mongolian barbecued lamb ribs with collard green kimchi and the goat cheese burruta with rhubarb jam and crunchy onions

  • Buratta – So yummy!

The Rhu – Breakfast – Asheville – Around the corner from Rhubarb is their little sister restaurant “The Rhu.”The Rhu also features farm fresh ingredients just like Rhubarb, but is done in a more casual atmosphere. They have good coffee and freshly baked pastries if you want to grab and go quickly. They also offer breakfast toasts, homemade granola and breakfast sandwiches.

When I was there the first time around, I actually got a breakfast salad, which seems to be a big thing in Asheville. Mine included a frisee salad, a soft boiled egg, bacon, and other roasted veggies. They also had a bunch of lunch options and you can even order picnic baskets to go here.


New Belgium Brewing Company – Brewery – Home of Fat Tire beer, this place is no stranger to the craft beer scene. It actually began over 30 years ago in Denver and made its way over the the east coast in 2016. New Belgium Brewing has a huge beautiful facility right on the river which was perfect way to unwind after the week and spend a Spring afternoon. They have over 25 taps on location and were launching special releases every few hours while we were there, luring you to stick around longer to try out the newest creative draught.

They had a huge lawn spread out with picnic tables, a couple of food trucks and friends and their dogs just hanging out enjoying some good beer and sun. We didn’t take one, but they offer tours as well. If they happen to have the Passion Fruit Kolsh on tap do it! It was so refreshing.

Burial – Brewery – Asheville – Burial has a great mix of different inventive beers. Fabulous outdoor space with lots of different seating areas. Picnic tables with big umbrellas and a large stage where bands play and they have beer brewing talks make for a great place to hang out during happy hour and on the weekends. I got a flight of four beers that included a pineapple beer (that even my mother found palatable) and a wildflower saison that was super unique.

Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar – Bar & Store – Asheville– We stumbled on this little gem late Saturday afternoon before heading to dinner. We were all tired from a day of shopping and over indulging all day and were in the mood for a relaxing environment where we could grab a drink and a seat for six without struggling. All of a sudden, we turned the corner and stumbled upon this place. They have a beautiful assortment of used books that focus on North Carolina, the South and the Civil War. The place is super cozy and had so many nooks that you could sit in on a date or with friends. It was gorgeous out, so we opted to sit outside while a live jazz band played in the background. They have over 80 options of beverages to choose from that from what I’ve heard rotate frequently.

The Biltmore Estate – Museum & Wine Tasting – Asheville – Absolutely stunning estate. Those Vanderbilts really knew what a vacation home should look like… wow. I went to the Vanderbilts’ other house in Newport, Rhode Island and it’s hard to believe that they only vacationed in these estates for a few weeks the entire year. The Biltmore estate was very well organized and their headset tours made it a much more educational experience. We visited at the end of March and even though the gardens weren’t in full bloom yet, they were starting to look stunning.

If you drive further down the road on the estate you will drive past their farm including new little baby sheep. We had a nice lunch sitting outside next to their winery. They had a wine tasting that featured 22 different wines that was included in the price of admission to the estate. Make sure to save a little time to check out their cute boutique near the winery.

We thought that it was a little crazy that all of the literature we read talked about spending the entire day at the estate. However, we did just that! We arrived around 9:30am and didn’t leave until 5:30pm. Sure beats a day at the office.

If you have time/If you’re in the neighborhood:

White Labs Kitchen & Tap – Dinner – Asheville – This place was a bit out of the way… the location almost felt like we were going to a doctor’s office in a neighborhood instead of a hip brewery. But once we were inside we had a great experience. We had heard great things about their kimchi fries and man oh man they were delicious. The Lactobacillus-brined fries were perfectly crispy with acidic kimchi and crispy brisket on top. They had an awesome spicy mayo on top too.

We also shared the duck pizza and a Brussels spout pizza. We had a some interesting wheat wines made with Australian and California strands of yeast. They had a great outdoor space out front as well as upstairs. They apparently also offer a lot of classes there as well which I would definitely try to check out next time I’m in Asheville.

Chestnut – Dinner – Asheville – We stayed at the Marriott Aloft directly across the street from the restaurant Chestnut which made for a great commute home. The food here was delicious. I had the shrimp and grits which were peppery and delicious. They did a great job of having different sized options on the menu. For instance, you could get a filet mignon with mashed potatoes and green beans for only $16. All of their food was delicious, but we were coming off of all day eating spree, so to be honest, I just wasn’t as hungry as I wanted to be while dining here.

Hole – Doughnuts – West Asheville – These yeast doughnuts are made to order and get covered in delicious toppings like vanilla glaze, orange cardamom, sesame seeds, and cinnamon sugar. The doughnuts are super fresh and melt in your mouth. The staff is really friendly and nice to be around and they have both indoor and outdoor seating. It’s a little off the beat and path, but if you are in West Asheville it’s worth making your way over to grab a doughnut or two.

Twin Leaf – Brewery – Asheville – Thursday night is karaoke night… it was fun at first, but then, the same people kept singing over and over again. I tried two of their more unique beers, the “Pink Peppercorn Gose” which was delicious and very peppery and their “Like the Moon”- plum and blue basil sour farmhouse ale which tasted just like it sounds. I would give this place another shot, but on another night.

Oyster House Brewing Co – Brewery – West Asheville-Directly across the street from Sunny Point Cafe known for their “Moonstone Stout” made with oyster shells to give it added brine. I thought that these were good, but to be honest, I’m not much of a stout person, so I might not be the best judge.

Wicked Weed’s Funkatorium – Brewery – Asheville – Wicked Weed is a pretty famous brewery in Asheville. It’s so popular that they actually have a second location in Asheville called the Funkatorium… it’s focus is really on their funkier beers – like sours. This place would be awesome to meet a large group of friends here on a Saturday afternoon. It has a lot of indoor and outdoor space to order food, brews and enjoy some good company.

  • Like sucking on a lemon 😉
  • Sour Power!

Take a hike….

If you decide you want to get out into nature…. head to the Pisgah National Forest, where you can hike and spend time in the fresh air. Matt’s best friend got married at the Pisgah Inn, overlooking the mountains and it was just stunning. It’s only a 1/2 hour drive from Asheville, so getting there gives you the perfect mix of city/nature life.

  • What a view!
  • Getting my hike on!
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CFB: The Finger Lakes

What if there were a place nearby to New York City where the people are friendly, the food and booze are delicious and the scenery is beautfiul? Don’t believe it? Neither did we. That’s why it’s been almost 12 years that Bryn and I have lived in New York but have not visited the Finger Lakes region. Not because we thought it would suck, but just because it we figured it couldn’t really be as good as it sounds.

But on this account, we definitely stand corrected. We drove up just for a short weekend, but everywhere we stopped we found friendly, genuine people who are passionate about what they do. Everywhere we looked we saw Norman Rockwell-worthy scenery.

It’s easy to feel a connection to a place that seems so full of genuine and frinedly people and even in just a short visit I think Bryn and I felt that connection to the Finger Lakes region quite strongly.Don’t miss

Don’t miss

F.L.X. Provisions – Wine Store – Geneva
There is a mini-empire of related businesses all across the Finger Lakes; the “F.L.X.” empire is probably the thing about the Finger Lakes that impressed me the most. While we could not get one of the coveted spots at F.L.X. Table, we did discover this gem of a wine store basically next door (it’s connected to the F.L.X. Fry Bird, which is a fried chicken restaurant–see below–that is next to F.L.X. Table). Not only has this great little shop done the hard work for you to find the best wines from the best wineries in the Finger Lakes–if you see a bottle of wine in this shop it is going to be a good bottle of wine from a good winery–but because they have a Coravin hooked up to a huge tank of argon (I guess it’s argon?) you can taste any wine they have in the shop at very reasonable prices, including wines from Element Winery, which is the winery owned by the F.L.X. team.

I really loved F.L.X. Provisions–it’s my kind of shop–and loved chatting with the manager Donovan who led us through our tastings and geeked out hardcore with me about all things booze, much to Bryn’s chagrin. They also have a great beer selection and you can drink anything you buy in the store at the Fry Bird restaurant too. I can’t really recommend it highly enough. The only drawback is it’s pretty small so there is room for about 4 people to do a tasting at once. During high season it might be worth calling ahead to see if they can slot you in at a specific time.

F.L.X. Wienery – American – Dundee
In case you can’t tell from above, I am a big fan of what they are doing at the “F.L.X.” family of companies, and especially what they are doing at the Wienery. Yes it’s a hot dog restaurant, but it’s also so much more. The wieners and sausages are delicious of course, but the real gem is their crazy and amazing beverage program (yes, it’s a hot dog shop with top-notch booze) and their Saturday night specials (known as “Dundoit Socials” they are basically crazy ideas for a party that come to life every Saturday night, with different themes like Tequila and Tacos or Ramen with a Master Sommelier).

  • F.L.X. Wienery: don’t judge this book by its cover

Maybe the coolest thing about F.L.X. Wienery (or in fact any restaurant I’ve ever been to) is their “Secret Wine Fridge”. It’s a wine fridge in the middle of the restaurant that has no printed list of what’s inside, but you are welcome to look through it and if you find something you like you can buy it and drink it, and there are some serious bottles of wine in there. Their actual (non-secret?) wine list is also legit and they even have DRC on the list, as if it’s not weird to have a $1500 bottle of wine with your $5 hot dog. They have a super-legit beer selection and in case somehow you are not impressed yet they have a crazy good spirits menu with some of the heaviest hitters around (Pappy Van Winkle 23-year-old and George T. Stagg for example). This is exactly what a restaurant should be–cool, casual and welcoming but still pushing the envelope with impeccable taste in everything they do.

Kemmeter Wines – Winery – Penn Yan
If you only visit one winery in the Finger Lakes, I would make it this one. Johannes who owns the winery with his wife, is such a fantastic guy who makes really excellent Rieslings. Make sure you call ahead to schedule an appointment since tastings are by appointment only. You won’t regret the effort since spending time with anyone so genuine and passionate is an unfortunately rare treat these days. In case that is not incentive enough, you will also get to taste some cracking-good wines at the same time. How can you go wrong?

Our tasting of 4 fantastic Rieslings at Kemmeter Wines

Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard – Winery – Dundee
If you only visit two wineries in the Finger Lakes, I would stop here after (or before) Kemmeter Wines (see above). You can call ahead to setup a special Riesling tasting but you don’t need to make an appointment. All their wines are very good but some of their wines–especially the single-vineyard rieslings–are truly excellent and worth tasting at any opportunity. My only (minor) complaint is the wines are more expensive than you might expect when buying direct from the winery, but not so expensive that I would not go back.

  • Tasting room at HJW
  • Just a part of the Riesling tasting at HJW

Argos Inn – Hotel – Ithaca
Staying in Ithaca is not necessarily the best choice for exploring the Finger Lakes region, especially if you are planning to spend the majority of your time visiting wineries–the best of which are mostly clustered around Seneca and Keuka Lakes. But Ithaca is a slighlty more reasonable driving distance from NYC and it is the location of the Argos Inn, which is a totally great place to stay. We normally do not put too much stock into where we are staying–rarely do we need (or care for) more from a hotel than a bed and a hot shower, but we really loved the Argos Inn.

Not only is it a big, cool old house with nicely appointed rooms and heated bathroom floors (a great feature for an Ithaca winter), but it also has a great cocktail bar (Bar Argos) on the ground floor and across the parking lot there is another bar/lounge space (Argos Warehouse) that has a good (and different) cocktail menu plus snacks (including a really fantastic charcuterie plate). Overall a great hospitality experience that I would recommend to anyone staying in Ithaca. Even the coffee served at breakfast was acceptable, which is basically unheard-of for coffee from a free hotel breakfast.

  • Cocktails at Bar Argos
  • Cocktail and charcuterie at Argos Warehouse

Press Cafè – Coffee – Ithaca
If you do stay in Ithaca then make sure to start your mornings here; their coffee game is strong here. Single-origin drip coffee brewed and ready. Plus an an excellent flat white and a cool space to hang out as well as fresh, locally roasted beans for sale. It’s basically what every coffee shop should be. I’ll be back for sure next time I’m in Ithaca.

Flat whites and local beans at Press Cafe

Heart & Hands Wine Company – Winery – Springport
Small little tasting room on the east shore of Cayuga Lake that specializes in Pinot Noirs (they also make Rieslings, but their focus is the red grape). The Pinot Noirs are very good, the Rieslings are good, and the tasting room staff is friendly. When we were there on a Sunday afternoon the co-owner herself was pouring our tasting flights. Their attention to detail and vineyard knowledge is obvious and even though I am fairly skeptical of the weird glass corks they use, I am bullish on their wines and would stop by just to try them any time I am back in the Finger Lakes.

If you have time/are in the area

F.L.X. Fry Bird – Fried Chicken – Geneva
It’s a pretty small place so it can get packed at peak times. The popcorn chicken was fine; it had a somewhat funny, almost cheesy taste that I couldn’t get past although it may have been the dipping sauce and not the chicken itself. The collard greens side was excellent though and so is the drink selection when you consider you can bring something in from F.L.X. Provisions (see above) next door. I’d give it another shot next time I’m near Geneva and need a fried chicken fix, though maybe I would go for a sandwich rather than the popcorn chicken.

Nickel’s Pit BBQ – Barbecue – Watkins Glen
We came very early on a Saturday evening after visiting wineries and got seated right away, but by the time we left there seemed like there was quite a wait. The no reservations policy can make it hard to time this place right and I would not say it is worth waiting for, but if you can get seated relatively quickly then I’d say go for it. If you do decide to wait a bit, they have good beers from Rooster Fish around the corner to help pass the time ; ) We had the pulled pork sandwich and an order of the smoked chicken wings. Both were perfectly cooked and very delicious, although somewhat lacking in that essential BBQ smoke flavor that is pervasive in really great ‘cue (although the room itself basically smelled like a campfire so maybe my senses were thrown off).

Prison City Pub and Brewery – Brewpub – Auburn
Auburn does not seem a likely stop on your tour of the Finger Lakes region, but if you are in the area (Heart & Hands Wine Company–see above–is relatively close) then I would definitely recommend stopping here for some delicious craft beers, including an excellent chocolatey porter and a solid, fruity and hazy New England IPA. But don’t sleep on the food, as their burgers are real good and they make an awesome, if slightly non-traditional, poutine. A great place to spend an evening watching a game with friends.

Dope poutine and beers at Prison City Pub and Brewery

Thompson and Bleecker – Pizza – Ithaca
Apparently this brick-oven pizza place is a big deal for Ithaca since they have been wandering through the pizza desert for a long time, at least that’s the impression I got. At this point I think Thompson and Bleecker is more mirage than promised land, but that is not to say it doesn’t have any potential. The space has nailed the hipster vibe with mismatched china pattern plates and tight spaces between tables. The wine list is intriguing but it always drives me crazy when there are no vintages printed on the wine menu (since I am a pretty severe age-ist when it comes to wine) and since we had basically been drinking all day we didn’t order any drinks with our food.

Hambo pizza: crispy on the outside, but not quite in the middle

Speaking of the food, the Prasini salad had good flavor but needed some textural element to break up the monotony of chopped lettuce, dill and scallion. The Hambo pizza–which we split–also had good flavor components but the large slices of ham coupled with the fact that the pizza was slightly undercooked in the middle meant that all the cheese and toppings came off in one bite–the ultimate pizza fail. That said, the flavors were good and the crust was nicely charred ad crisp on the outer edge like it’s supposed to be, so if they can figure out how to get the middle of the pizza cooked perfectly then they will really have something worth seeking out.

Don’t bother

Seneca Lake Wine Trail Deck The Halls Weekend – Event – Seneca Lake Region
We did not do this, but we were in town at the same time as this event and in tasting at various wineries that were not part of the event it became very clear that not being a part of it was a good idea. It’s basically old-people SantaCon with Finger Lakes wineries instead of New York City bars. If that sounds good to you then I think you are probably reading the wrong blog?

Other than Old-people SantaCon I don’t think there was anything else that we did or saw that was out-and-out not worth our time. Which, frankly, seems impossible. But maybe that’s the cynical New Yorker in me speaking–maybe it is possible in a place like the Finger Lakes where people are friendly and genuinely care about what they do. Shame on us for not making that discovery sooner.

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We’re Not In Kansas Anymore…

THE LONG WEEKEND GUIDE TO KANSAS CITY, MO & KS

My friend Allison and I both have a shared goal of making it to all 50 states.  We take a girl’s trip every year together and this year we thought we were genius when we picked Kansas City and could knock two states from our list for the price of one.  Kansas City has a great happy hour scene, good food and some quirky activities to enjoy.

Don’t Miss

HOTEL INDIGO – Our hotel in the Power & Lights District was in the perfect location and was gorgeous. It had the perfect mid-century modern feel to it and had nice details and touches everywhere you looked.  They offered complimentary coffee in the lobby by Messenger a local KC coffee shop.

MADE IN KC – Cafe and Shop  – Cute store with several locations around Kansas City. They had their Made in KC Café location around the corner from our hotel.  I got a great flat white and their pumpkin cinnamon roll was yummy too! They love to pair up with local artists, bakeries, and gifts and feature them in their store.

CONVIVIAL – Pottery Studio – I found them on Instagram prior to heading to Kansas City.  They make the most beautiful modern pottery.  As someone that took some pottery classes (and wasn’t that great at it), I am super impressed with people that can make such beautiful artistic pieces. They have tours of their facility, but unfortunately one wasn’t happening the weekend that we were there. They sell some of their pieces at MADE IN KC, so I was lucky to snag a piece to bring home with me. 

BANKSIA – Australian Bakery and Cafe – Adorable atmosphere with big wooden shutters inside and a French country, cafe flair. It was casual, yet still polished.  For breakfast, the corn zucchini cilantro fritters were fried to perfection topped with refried beans, a perfectly ripe avocado, and a fried egg that ran all of my plate. It was accompanied by a slice of bacon and roasted tomatoes that popped in my mouth.  They made a delicious flat white as well.

IL LAZARRONE – Pizza Restaurant – They have a wood-fire oven that was shipped in from Naples, Italy to make these 11’’ personal size pizzas.  Since the oven is 800 degrees, it only takes 60-90 seconds to cook. One of the best drinks that I had in KC was the Dracanea which was made of Old Overholt rye, Maurin Quina, pineapple and walnut bitters,and a spicy citrus simple syrup.  It was the perfect balance of smoky, spicy, nutty, and fruity and all of their drinks during happy hour are 20% off, so you have your pick of whatever you want to drink.  Their Happy Hour is Monday-Friday from 3-6pm.  During Happy Hour they have 2 pizzas that are $6 each– the Margarita and the Marinara which only has San Marzano tomatoes,oregano, basil, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt but was really well seasoned.  I can’t believe that I am going to say it, but I liked the Marinara pizza better than the Margarita and it doesn’t have any cheese on it!  I know, I couldn’t believe it, either!

JULEP – Cocktail Bar – My favorite happy hour spot in KC.  They have happy hour Monday – Friday from 3-6pm they have $6 Old Fashioneds, Sazaracs, Manhattans, and Whiskey Sours.  I love a good library ladder especially when the climb up is to get some good bourbons and whiskeys and boy did they have a selection.

As for food, we got the BBQ potato chips which were smoky and almost tasted like they had a hint of curry powder on them which paired perfectly with our bourbon cocktails. The cheese board included pickled cherry tomatoes, onions, pickles, fresh bread, salami, pepperoni, & bologna. On the cheese front there was a super soft chèvre and a sharp yellow cheddar.  Yum!

GRINDERS – Lunch – Eclectic dive bar feel with a delicious Philly cheesesteak with provolone sauteed onions and green peppers. They are even served on fresh Amoroso rolls. I mean… I know my cheese steaks (as a Philly girl). Crinkle fries cooked to perfection with Cajun spices and the tater tots had the perfect amount of crunch!

TROLLEY TOUR – This hour and a half long trolley tour starting from Union Station was a great way for us to get the lay of the land on our first day of the trip. Make sure you stop in to look around Union Station since it is stunning.  We were able to get some great tips of other activities to do while we were in KC. We learned that the art museums were all free and that Hallmark was founded in KC.  Can you believe it?  All of my love for Hallmark movies and I didn’t realize their headquarters were right around the corner from me! **BONUS – We found out that the cable car is free all around the city (we took it and it’s super easy).  

OUR DAILY NADA – Restaurant/Bar/Booktore – This place was adorable – part bookstore part bar/restaurant. They have 4 drinks on their happy hour section for $7.  I got the Velvet Nights which was a well-balanced cocktail that had Ford’s Gin, Honey, and Ginger Beer.  Allison got the Huckleberry, made with Reiger’s Whiskey, lemon, and fresh muddled blackberries. Allison is more of a lover of whiskey than fruit, it wasn’t her favorite, but I always love a good blackberry whiskey combo.

THE TOY & MINIATURE MUSEUM – Museum – This is the best $5 you will spend in KC.  The entire first floor is filled with mini furniture, rooms, etc. Many of the miniatures were made in the past 20 years by artists recreating famous pieces of furniture and art in super miniature scales, it is very fascinating.  The second floor holds all kids toys from the 1880’s on.  It was fun to see all of the toys that my parents and I played with over the years. 

THE NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART – Museum – Gorgeous (free!) museum with a good mix of impressionist pieces (my favorite) along with modern art.  I love the juxtaposition of the shuttlecocks outside of the old museum set back along the great lawn. 

If you are in the neighborhood…

GRAM & DUN – Restaurant – Breakfast at this place starts at 9:30 am and it’s no surprise that we were the first ones there.  This is a cozy little spot that has table side cocktail service and yummy skillet breakfasts.  I had the short rib and potato  hash and Allison had the hash brown skillet.   Next time I would like to hit up this place for happy hour, they had a beautiful outdoor seating area with a fire pit.  There is a ton of great shopping around here, so make sure you save a little bit of time to window shop around this neighborhood.  

THE FARMHOUSE – Restaurant – Cheese curds were a must, they were basically the most perfect mozzarella stick you could ever eat… perfectly gooey on the inside with the perfect amount of crisp and crunch on the outside.  I ordered the happy hour drink wasn’t the most balanced, so I would skip the cocktails and grab a glass of wine or beer next time to drink with more cheese curds.

CHAR BAR – Bar –  A casual bar that would be a great place to hang out with a big group of friends.  They have a nice big outdoor section as well.  I had the KC Bier Co. Hefeweizen which was enjoyable. Lots of beers on tap and an extensive bottle list as well, they have lots of snack options during their happy hour from 3-6pm on weekdays. We had the deviled eggs with charred lobster and pea shoots for $5 (4 eggs per order).

BEER KITCHEN – Bar– Good if you’re looking for duh, beer! I had the Rise & Pine Dark Ale from Uinta Brewing Co. based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. It was dark, piney and very seasonally appropriate.  Allison got a Manhattan here that tasted more like pine, but they were super nice about switching it out for a glass of vino instead. 

TAVERNONNA – Restaurant – Allison and I shared the Nonna’s meatballs that came with 2 brisket meatballs both the size of tennis balls in a rich, thick red pomodoro and a lemon ricotta. This was one of the highlights, along with our waiter, Dylan, who was hysterical. Inside the Hotel Phillips.

P.S. – Bar – Beautiful speakeasy underneath the Hotel Phillips.  In order to get to the speakeasy, you need to go to the reception desk and they will lead you downstairs.  The bar itself is everything that you want a speakeasy to be.  Dimly list, dark wood paneling and dark green velvet booths.  We sat at the bar and had our carefully curated drinks. I’m not sure if it’s because we were expecting live jazz music or if it was because it was our last stop of the night, but I was a little underwhelmed. 

STROUDS – Lunch – This place is like stepping back in time with the wooden paneling on the walls and the red and white checked table cloths.  Allison and I shared the fried chicken lunch along with bowls of mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, cinnamon buns and a salad covered in homemade ranch dressing (I was in heaven). This was one of our stops on our “Best Thing I Ever Ate tour”, I wouldn’t necessarily give it that title, but we were glad we tried it.   Thank goodness we shared because it looked more like a Thanksgiving dinner spread than a lunch for one.  We had the sweetest waitress named Elaine that really made us feel welcome. 

JOE’S KANSAS CITY BAR-B-CUE – This is the famous BBQ spot that is in the gas station.  We had to wait about 45 minutes to an hour to get our food, but it was ok because we still had bellies full of fried chicken. I was impressed at how friendly and efficient they were when you finally got to the front of the line to order your food.  We shared the ribs, brisket, and the coleslaw.  It was tasty, but I’m not sure if would have wanted to wait in line for an hour if I was super hungry. 

EXTRA VIRGIN – Restaurant – We came here because it was on the “Best Thing I Ever Ate” for their Duck Tongue Tacos with slaw and queso fresco.  It was good, but honestly, I was hoping that it would be more flavorful. I enjoyed the Persimmon and Garfunkel cocktail (great name) which was a persimmon, sage spritzer that was light, and bright, but is still seasonally appropriate for late fall.  We also had the charred Brussels sprouts with feta, lemon, and bacon and a Greek salad dressed to perfection. 
We ended our meal with the ahi tuna ceviche with rice cracker and Calabrian chili.  It was good, but the chili on this really took over the dish.

SoT – Bar – Adorable cocktail bar with carefully curated drinks.  Trendy decor and cozy seating areas make for a comfortable environment to sip away and catch up with old friends or a spot to make new ones.  

THE BELFRY – Restaurant – Small cozy bar/dinner spot.  We had the cauliflower with a miso-walnut sauce, hot nachos, and I guess it was finally time for some greens.  

WORLD WAR I MUSEUM – There were so many interesting things about this museum, but there was a lot of ground to cover.  The museum was big and where were so many little signs to read that I feel like I missed some of the bigger picture.  I wished that there were a few more videos that would have given more of a refresher as to what WWI was all about.  

Don’t bother…

GATES BBQ – We had heard a lot about Gates both from the “Best Thing I Ever Ate” fame and while around town.  To be fair, we only had the item suggested on the BTIEA, the Burnt Ends on a Bun. But overall it wasn’t my kind of sandwich.  It was very saucy and filled with little chunks of fat and gristle.  Inside, the atmosphere was very dark and dated, many locals and tourists alike  seem to really love this place, but it just wasn’t for me.  

THE KANSAS CITY AIRPORT – Unfortunately, you have no choice but to hit this spot unless you are diving into Kansas City.  However, this was a source of some travel frustration for us…. they didn’t have TSA pre-check and we didn’t realize that the only thing past security was our gate. Leaving us unable to get a coffee prior to boarding our 7am flight (watch out world).  Even our Starbucks sandwich got a TSA patdown. If you’re thinking about coming to Kansas City consider yourself warned. : )

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What did we drink in Iceland?

What beer didn’t we drink I guess is a better question! In a country where brewing didn’t become legal until 1989 …. These guys are all killing it! There are now 21 craft beer breweries/bars in Iceland. 

The key to affordable drinking in Iceland is happy hour. Grapevine–a local Reykjavik magazine (think like Timeout NY) has a app called “Appy Hour”. Before you leave for your trip, download this friendly app that gives the low-down on happy hour specials in real time. Since beers in Iceland run about $ 15 a pop this will help you to save some scooties (*Hartzell-ism for money).

MUST GO

Ölverk Pizza & Brewery – Hveragerði – Good luck pronouncing that town’s name correctly, but the effort is worth it for this place. Three-and-a-half stars for the beer, plus one-and-a-half stars for the delicious food. Don’t miss the fantastic za’atar bread with beer cheese app (they should definitely make that combo into a pizza!) and the devils on horseback were excellent too. We also tried the pizza with pepperoni and bacon and hot chili sauce which was amazing. FYI –  the pizzas are on the small side but two appetizers plus one pizza and a few beers was a perfect amount for two people. I would definitely come back next time I’m in or near Hveragerði.

Skúli Craft Bar – Reykjavik – Solid selection of craft beers, mostly Borg on the day we were there but that’s okay because Borg makes great beers. Best happy hour specials of the craft beer bars we visited. Borg has an amazing beer called Snorri Nr. 10 that has arctic thyme in it which was included in the happy hour special.  This beer is awesome and can be found in the duty free store at the airport (we were super happy we were able to take this baby home with us)!  The bartender in our case was very friendly and the place was relatively empty for a Saturday afternoon during happy hour. Bonus points for the card games inside and food trucks outside that are a pretty great combo with the beers.

Kex Hostel Reykjavik – Reykjavik – Didn’t stay here but did have happy hour drinks and dinner at the bar. A totally great atmosphere to meet other travelers plus a great food and drink menu. The beers are evenly split between guest taps and Kex’s own brews. I’m not normally a big IPA guy but the Kex Thunder Session IPA was my favorite; it is a great beer. I’d definitely be back for happy hour. Plus they had great chicken wings that were a happy hour special for $6.50.

  • KEX Hostel – Reykjavik

IF YOU HAVE TIME / MAYBE NOT FOR EVERYONE 

RVK Brewing Company – Reykjavik – Sick beers. The Smoked Gose is perfectly balanced between sour and smokey and the stout is light-bodied and bitter enough to hide the alcohol but still roasty and delicious like a good stout should be. Balance is the name of the game here, super well-made beers. Minus one star for being pretty small, out-of-the way with weird hours and no great food options, but the beers by themselves are definitely worth the trip.

Ölvisholt Brewery – Selfoss – It is located in a weird place and definitely has a feeling from the outside like you’re not supposed to be there, but inside the taproom couldn’t be more different. They have a warm space with books and games and picnic tables to enjoy the eight excellent beers on tap plus more by the bottle (if you like stouts, definitely don’t miss Lava, their Smoked Imperial Stout). The staff is also friendly and welcoming, especially Stein, and may even give you a tour of the brewery if you’re lucky : )

My only two complaints are the off hours (I get that it’s a working brewery and they are not trying to stay any later than they have to but midday only is kind of weird) and there is no food at all anywhere around. Those two are a bummer but the beers and people alone would make me come back any time I’m in the area (at the appropriate time of course ; )

Session Craft Bar – Reykjavik – Solid if expensive beer selection. Happy hour beers were ok but just kind of the most boring options they had available. Happy hour or not though, this is the place to taste Malbygg beers, which are some of the best in Reykjavik. I tried the Pale Ale which was very delicious and super drinkable and straddled the bitterness line between piney and tropical very well. Plus on a Saturday afternoon during happy hour when we were there the place was barely half full.
P.S. In case you are not a beer person, they have a couple actually decent wines on the happy hour specials as well.

Bjórgarðurinn – Reykjavik – Fairly big “beergarden” space inside the Fosshótel Reykjavík. Pretty good happy hour specials and a large, good selection of craft beers (mostly Borg, which is not a bad thing) plus Stella and Guinness for some reason. Friendly bartenders and on a Sunday afternoon during happy hour we basically had the entire place to ourselves. They have food too but we didn’t try any of it. Would definitely go back for a drink at happy hour.

DON’T BOTHER

Bryggjan Brugghús – Reykjavik – Didn’t try any of the food, but the beers brewed here were nothing special—the best choices on tap were all guest taps, especially the Mango Pale Ale and Icelandic Ale from Borg (which is pretty awesome). It was pretty crowded on a Saturday night and had much more of a club/bro bar feel than a brewpub feel, which is obviously a turn-off (for me). Minus one star for the creepy old guy at the bar who hit on my wife like basically the entire time.

SUPER BUMMED THAT WE DIDN’T GET TO GO

Mikkeller & Friends – Reykjavik – They share the same space as Hverfisgata 12, right around the corner from Dill Restuarant. Even though Mikkeller is Danish and there is one in NYC we heard really good things about the beer and the pizza and wanted to go. Unfortunately they were closed for a private event and since we saved this spot for our last night we were out of luck. I would definitely try to go back if I were in Reykjavik again.

WANT TO DRINK SOMETHING OTHER THAN BEER?

Port 9 – Reykjavik – This cozy spot had pops of a rich emerald green that was very relaxing and inviting! We had a great time talking to the owner of the bar. His passion for good wine and food really showed in the products he was serving. They had good wines by the glass for happy hour and he was happy to accommodate Matt’s finicky tastes in wine as well. The brie with mango chutney and cashews was the perfect balance of salty, smoky, and sweet. It’s going to be in my new dinner party rotation when we entertain!

Port 9 – Reykjavik

As we mentioned at the beginning, drinking in Iceland is not cheap. It’s important to make sure you choose wisely and plan ahead. Hit up the happy hours, drink local beers as much as possible and enjoy yourself–after all it’s vacation, right?

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California Dreamin’: The OC

If you’re a New York-centric east-coaster like Matt, you probably think this post is going to have some cool LA stuff in it, and you’re probably pretty excited to see what the heck is so great about this city on the other side of the country. Unfortunately for you (and Matt), Newport Beach is almost 45 miles from Los Angeles, which means if you’re visiting your friend in Newport Beach there is basically a zero percent chance you will see any part of LA. (Because of traffic, 45 miles is like an hour and a half on a good day.) But there is good news–it’s not as bad as it seems. The OC is not just a series of sad strip malls filled with chain stores and restaurants (well, not entirely) and there is actually some cool stuff in those strip malls if you know where to look. Luckily for you we have done the looking.

Unlike Matt, Bryn spent her teen years watching all things “OC”.  I mean hello… The OC, Laguna Beach…I felt like these characters were my friends… therefore,  I was pretty well versed into what I was getting into when heading out to this west coast vacation.  Life has been extra hectic lately, so Bryn was psyched to have a slower west coast change of pace and spend time with our friend Alli, who graciously hosted us for the long weekend in her oceanfront condo… that view (as featured above – front row sunset view every night)!

Starting the day off right

Tupulo Junction – Newport Beach – Breakfast – Great fried green tomatoes. Bloody Mary was on point with a great meaty crab claw and a spicy creole shrimp and grits.

Honor Coffee – Lido Village – Everything about this place was beautiful.  I loved the California chic aesthetic of the interior.  It was filled with beautiful oak tables, contrasting with the white marble and shiny gold fixtures. The exterior was just as gorgeous and welcoming.   I think we went there everyday of our trip.  As you can tell, I was on sensory overload in there… they make fresh batches of Indian chai everyday in a big metal pot and the smell of the warm cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg just hit you when you walk in.  Bonus – they also made a good flat white as well and had some yummy pastries.

Eat Chow – Costa Mesa – Breakfast – despite the silly name of this place, the food here was yummy! We are suckers for chilaquiles, so we have to get them when we see them on a menu.  Chilaquiles is a Mexican dish comprised of tortilla chips covered in salsa and cooked on the stovetop until they chips get a little soft.  They are then topped with cheese, queso fresca (like sour cream) and black beans and of course a goey fried egg. I had the beef brisket tostada which is basically a crispy tortilla sandwich covered in black beans, tons of brisket, cheese with the most perfectly ripe avocado to top it all off. Skip the coffee, but make sure to dove into the food!

Sidecar donuts – Costa Mesa – Breakfast –  This place has some wild combinations – cookie dough, milk and cereal, and pb & J.  But the more we ate the simpler  donuts, the more we seemed to like them.  The Saigon Cinnamon crumb and the Butter and Salt were two of our favorites. We had to wait in about a 5-10 minute line, but it was worth the wait.  Plus – they have beautiful packaging for buying the donuts in bulk 🙂

Vacancy Coffee Bar – Newport Beach – Very good to excellent flat white from Toby’s Estate beans and their La Marzocco machine. Good looking cronuts and breakfast sandwiches too. Minus one star for paper-only cups but still a solid option.

Outpost Kitchen – Costa Mesa – Don’t be distracted by the siren song of the farmhouse skillet—it’s almost certainly healthier that what you are expecting and if you’re trying to recover from last night then it won’t be what you want. Instead, the various iterations of avo toast are the way to go. Espresso pulled from their La Marzocco is real solid—especially in the form of a flat white—though I’m not sure what is the deal with the all-paper cups. Minus one half star for the skillet full of undercooked vegetables and and minus one half star for not having a proper cup for people to drink their coffee out of.

Common Room Roasters – Newport Beach – Totally legit coffee in such a cool space. I can’t say enough about the decor and design of the space—it’s super hip. The only complaint I can find to lodge is it’s only open till 3:00p or 4:00p; so make sure you get your caffeine fix early.

Something for lunch?

BearFlag Fish Co. – Lido Village – Lunch – this is a much more traditional style poke – almost more of a ceviche style that is served with fresh tortilla chips.  When we ordered it, I was thinking we were getting a poke bowl.   We got the spicy tuna that that had an Asian flair to it with sesame seeds and oil.  We tried the salmon as well, but I think I could eat the tuna poke one everyday and be perfectly happy.

Malibu Farms – Lido Village – Lunch –  We weren’t hungry, but we couldn’t pass up eating at this cute little farm to table overlooking the water.  We shared a cauliflower pizza.  We weren’t quite sure what to expect, but the crust was crispy and delicious and was a great base layer for this fresh lunch.  They also make a mean Arnold Palmer.  I was feeling under the weather, but their cocktail ingredients all looked fresh and delicious – Lots of citrus and herbs to be added to them.  Right now they are only serving brunch and lunch, but dinner is coming soon.

  • Cauliflower Crusted Pizza  – arugula-bail pesto, fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomoatos, fresh arugula and lemon

Wild Tacos – Lunch- trying to get our SoCal taco fix before making our way back to the east coast.  I had the catch of the day which was a red snapper taco, and Matt had a carnitas taco and a beef taco.  My corn obsession continues, so we ordered an elote as well.  The tacos here were good.  They have a casual outdoor patio area with umbrellas to relax on.

Saigon Beach – Vietnamese – Newport Beach – They have a green curry rice with crispy pulled pork on top that is phenomenal.  The Pork and Beef buns were good, the Bahn Mi was good, but, I would like for the bun to have been a little lighter and fluffier and I’m a sucker for all of the fresh veggies and cilantro, I was hoping for some more. 

Ending the day on a high note

Lido Bottleworks – Lido Village – Dinner – We weren’t super hungry, when we went here for dinner, but we got the buratta and chicken wings and it was the perfect little dinner that we needed so we didn’t wake up  starving in the middle of the night.
Jidori Chicken Wings – had a beautiful glaze on them, fresh herbs and peanuts
Buratta – Smoked peach puree was underneath a beautiful burrata paired with perfectly ripe peaches and pistachios.  It was served with crispy rosemary flatbread crackers – which gave it the perfect crunch.

Manhattan Beach Post – Manhattan Beach – Definitely had some strong points but also had some weak points. The food was generally good; the Brussels sprouts and green beans were pretty dope, but some things were lackluster and some things were just not good (crab, gnocchi and a Meyer lemon cream sauce?) They have a very strong selection of wines by the glass including 3 oz pours so you can try a bunch of different wines, but then our server seemed to lose interest in our table about halfway though the meal and I basically had to flag her down to order another glass of wine. It was not bad but also not good enough that I would feel the need to come back here next time I’m in Manhattan Beach.

What about in between all the food?

Hi-Time Wine Cellars – Costa Mesa – In between all the food? Why not try drinking? : ) Hi-Time has a giant selection of booze of all kinds, spirits especially. Also a fantastic selection of (self-serve) wines by the glass and really good tastings for fair prices on the weekends. We had a great wines of Burgundy class that was one of the highlights of our trip.  Eight tastings for $35 and three of the pours were from bottles that retail for over $100.

Daydream – Newport Beach– In case you need a new surfboard, some insanely expensive (I think?) ceramics and some really solid coffee, this is your spot. Sight Glass espresso pulled from their hip white La Marzocco results in a very good flat white. The shop is cool if not necessarily practical (though I guess a lot more people buy surfboards in the OC than I imagine) and it is merchandised very coolly so if nothing else you can look cool on Insta : )

Gunwhale Ales – Costa Mesa– Friendly bartenders, mostly good beers (the Hazy IPA and the Watermelon Grissette were the best we tasted) and a cool space (I’m starting to sense a trend in SoCal that they take very great pride in their interior decoration), especially the outside patio. Not a ton of room so it may get crowded at prime times but on a sunny Sunday afternoon it was a good place to hang out.

Barley Forge Brewing Co. – Costa Mesa– Good food and beers, though mostly the beers were not stylistically in my wheelhouse (though the Coconut Rye Stout is right down the middle of my strike zone—don’t miss it!) The space is not as big as you might be imagining; it was pretty busy during the Chargers game on Sunday afternoon but not so busy our party of three couldn’t find a seat. I’d definitely come back for burgers, tater tots and beer. Their BLT was solid with perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes and the creole creamed corn was awesome.

Lido Marina Village – Newport Beach –This is a great little find on the peninsula! Great mix of shops and restaurants, trendy and cool spaces to shop and hang out. The shops are high-design and so they are on the expensive side but it is a fun place to just wander through with the wife; a great place to kill an afternoon.

Lido Village Books – Newport Beach– Very cute little book shop in Lido Village. A great curated selection of books of all kinds, a wonderful place to spend an hour and find something you never knew you needed to read.

Alta Laguna Park – Laguna Beach – Good facilities leading to great hiking/biking/riding trails with spectacular views. Can be somewhat crowded on the weekends so if you’re biking the trails (wear a bell) be sure to find somewhere off the beaten track—I’m sure you’ll be able to.

  • Car Wreck Trail 

The Butchery Quality Meats – Costa Mesa –This place is my Graceland. This is the place in Newport Beach to buy your meat/beer & wine/snacks/spices/prepared sides/wood for your smoker(!)/pre-made sandwiches/everything a self-respecting man needs to have a good time. Sure it isn’t cheap but it’s good quality and a great selection. As long as you know how to cook it, you won’t regret it.

Rent a Duffy –The Newport thing to do is to rent a duffy (a small boat with a surrey on top) and bop around looking at houses on the water and other boats or more appropriately yachts I should say. Matt wasn’t sure about this idea initially (since he can’t sit still – ever), but came around to it when he realized we would have good wine and meats and cheeses and would get to spend time with friends too. I didn’t need any convincing, the boat goes slow, I get to sit in the shade and watch the world go by, it sounded perfect to me.  I love getting to see islands from a different vantage point, it is something I always loved when we had a boat growing up and I loved it probably even more in Newport Beach since there was just so much to watch!  Seals barking, a floating tiki bar, yachts that belong on the bravo show, below deck. There was just so much to take in.

Bike Ride – They have great bike paths in Newport Beach that take you along the ocean and some of the back roads/alleys.  It’s  an easy ride down to “The Wedge”, which is a spot along the jetty known for great surfing and breathtaking sunsets.  Another great idea is to take your bikes on a short ferry ride over to Balboa Island.  On Balboa island there are some cute restaurants and shops.  

All in all, the OC is a pretty great place to spend a long weekend, especially during the off-season. Typically great weather, good outdoor activities, decent restaurants and good coffee shops make it pretty easy for city-slickers like us to assimilate and have a good time. It does also help to have ocean-front accommodations of course, but you’ll have to talk to our friend Alli about that one. Hang loose!