Local Czech food with locals!

When it came time for a final Czech meal, I really wanted to try out a more decidedly local restaurant. Oh boy, everyone had the same idea.

U Parlamentu is a favorite among locals and now travelers alike for they serve authentic Czech food with local beers at bargain prices.

Service is fast for what it is. There were only two waitresses I saw servicing the entire floor and it was very packed!

We started off with the crispy garlic bread - normally you think toasted bread with butter and garlic minced - baked to a buttery goodness, no?

Czech garlic bread

Not according to the Czechs. Their bread is browned and very crispy. You get garlic cloves - 3 of them - 1 for each slice of crispy bread. The garlic has to be mashed against the toast until you feel there is enough garlic flavor. There is no butter with it. Once you get the garlic juice onto it though, it tastes pretty good.

Pork medallions with sauerkraut and bread dumplings

The best part of this simple Czech meal was its pork, which is really good in Prague. Very moist, tender and  the sauce's blandness is matched by the sauerkraut's pickled taste. The bread dumplings were just like montau - chinese steamed bread! I found it reminiscent of home.

Marinated beef in creamy sauce

Barb was not too impressed with this dish at all. It was too bland for her and there was nothing to cut that - not even sauerkraut.

Service was a bit short but we got cheap, traditional Czech fare fast. 

U Parlamentu

Valentinska 8, Prague 110 00, Czech Republic (Praha 1)

tel. 420 721 415 747

Opera District with Escargots

The last morning of the last full day in Paris, we went to Sainte Chappelle, a gorgeous chapel with the most beautiful stained glass windows.This was on the same island as Notre Dame so we walked north to Hotel de Ville, where you find the city buildings. Somewhere around is Mariage Freres, a tea salon with lots of loose leaf teas. And since I had tasted the lovely white sakura tea at lunch the day before, I wanted to purchase this for myself. 

Well, the map they give you is vague and so we ended up looking for someone to ask. We found a friendly Parisian who along with his friend gave us the directions!

On the way there, we spotted a Savon de Marseille shop and I absolutely had to go in. And it was as dangerous as I thought it would be. I ended up with a good 8 bars of their soap - 2 of the lait (milk), 1 citronelle, 1 lavender, and more that I can't even remember at the moment. The shop smelled great - they had a lot of items and also the lavender sachets were half off so of course, I bought a pack. I also spotted a soap umm in the specific shape of a specific part of the male anatomy in flesh tone... That stayed in the store. ;)

After I got my soaps, we walked on to look for the street where my tea awaited.

Mariage Freres has several storefronts on the same street. One contains an tea museum that you can actually enjoy the history of tea in. All of their folks are knowledgeable in the type of teas they sell and are helpful and polite, regardless of what and how much you buy. I bought the Sakura blend - white and green. Since I was in Paris, I figured I'd just buy my tea here - as there's no real guarantee I'd find it in NY.

So after we walked around, with me having amassed oh, about four bags...of Marseilles soaps, Mariage Freres' Sakura teas, and shoes, looking for food. While I found a place using tripadvisor city guide, Barb went around because there were so many bistros around where we were already - having started in Marais, we ended up going into Opera. :)

At any rate we passed by several bistros and found Grille Montorgueil, with some seating outside and more inside along with a bar. We opted to sit indoors. There were several tables already full inside - they also had a downstairs.

Grille Montogueil -

We perused the menu and of course Barb had questions but our waiter, very nice bald dude, spoke everything *but* English which was evidenced by his broken English phrases. The younger, cute waiter spoke English and was very helpful.

I got the escargot - which traditionally is from Burgundy and sauteed in garlic and butter. Barb refused to try even one and so I ate the lot of six. I found the garlic not too overwhelming and actually quite good. At about $10 USD, not bad. I did not use the gripper because it needed a lot of force and I was able to just hold it with 1 hand and pull out the tasty bits.

Escargot with garlic butter sauce - green sauce you see.

Then we picked some dishes off the menu. I couldn't find the items on the menu they posted at their website...

Beef with potatoes

Barb chose their beef with potatoes dish. She finished quite alot of it but I was not sure she enjoyed it that much.

Some sort of fowl with rice and sauce

I picked the fowl with rice - but see, I forgot to log what they named the dishes but when I looked at the regular menu posted at the website, I did not see this dish.

In any event, the sauce lent the breast a good taste and I did drench each bite I took of both rice and fowl in the sauce. I was able to polish off my entree with a glass of reisling, another drink I forgot, and cuba libre.

Like all restaurants in Paris, service is relaxed and you have ample time to enjoy your food and company. The wait staff was very friendly and we were able to rest our weary feet for a while until we got to a metro to return to our hotel to drop off my packages.

Oh, I must mention Jeff de Bruges - a chocolate shop we found on Rue Mouffetard, where there are lots of places to go get wine, cheeses, and chocolate! Well, this gem of a shop makes all sorts of pralines and chocolate bars with a nice variety of different cocoas in different amounts. I did quite enjoy the Papua chocolate milk blend and the Tanzania milk blend was also great. They also had Peruvian, Tanzania dark, and a few others. I think they are a pretty decent chocolate shop! They had some great chocolate treats for kids and a gelato stand outside. Too bad for the young man working the shop - he was the only one and it was empty as he worked with us but soon got busy! :) But we got to try a free treat for being patient, I guess. Maybe I'll see the shop in Amman when I am in Jordan. ;)

Mariage Freres
30 rue de Bourg - Tibourg
Paris 4me
tel. : +33(0)1 42 72 28 11
Metro Stop: Hotel de Ville
Hours: Check website for all locations and hours

Savon de Marseille Boutique
17 Rue de la Verrerie, 75004 Paris, France
tel. 01 42 71 40 21
Metro Stop: Hotel de Ville

Grille Montorgueil
50 Rue Montorgueil, 75002 Paris, France
tel. 01 42 33 21 21

Jeff de Bruges
112-114 rue Mouffetard, 75005 Paris, France
tel. 01 43 36 77 82
Hours:

Monday	Closed
Tuesday	09H30-19H30
Wednesday	09H30-19H30
Thursday	09H30-19H30
Friday	09H30-19H30
Saturday	09H30-19H30
Sunday	09H30-13H30

Refuge from the rain at Sushi Time

Picture this. A gray sky. No hint of rain. You go next door and wait for Victoria to come downstairs. She does. You're outside. A few drops of water hit you. It's still bright gray, not dark. You both decide to trek onwards - undeterred so you could go to the Fresh Market on 46th.

Quite suddenly, the sky's a dark, threatening gray and you feel the rain start dripping down. You flip your umbrella out and up - still determined to carry forth.

That's when the wind starts whipping about and the drops become plops and you're now completely soaked.

And that's how Victoria and I ended up at Sushi Time - a Japanese restaurant on 2nd Ave - our port in the storm.

Like most "sushi" places in the city, this was also a Chinese owned place. I could tell because the wait staff were speaking Chinese, not Japanese.

The place is typical Asian restaurant decor of wooden tables and chairs. The coolest thing is the tiling at the entry way. They also had bags for your wet brollies there.

It was decently packed - not totally packed but it was still early.

We both asked for hot tea and later ordered the beef negimaki and chicken curry bento boxes.

They came with soup and salad - Victoria had to eat my salad because I hate the dressing - she loves it. Miso soup was typical of fake Japanese restaurants.

Our bentos came just after they remembered that we had ordered tea. Very slow and forgetful service.

Beef Negimaki

So the box is: Top Left to right: California roll, shumai, rice
                      Bottom left to right: beef negimaki, wasabi paste and ginger slices, and mystery mochi packet



Victoria got the beef negimaki bento box which was just delicious she claimed. They were hefty rolls and the serving of six was more than enough.

I got the chicken curry bento box which, you can see is the same as the other bento box - only with chicken curry.

Curry Chicken

I can attest to the tastiness of the chicken curry which was a rich curry flavor, with fresh veggies and chicken, perfectly seasoned and cooked.

The shumai was ok but it was not as good as I've had before. The california roll was typical fare.

The mystery mochi which is rice cake for anyone who doesn't know the term was actually green tea ice cream encased in a mochi casing. However, it was brought out at the same time as the bento box and suffered meltiness by the time we were able to eat it. The casing was a bit tough to eat but the ice cream was delicious.

Overall, the service was inefficient and slow - not really standard for busy Midtown. The curry was delicious but they should hold off and giving you the dessert until you are ready.

Tasty fare but would I make a special trek to this restaurant? Not really.

Sushi Time
821 2nd Ave (between 43rd & 44th streets)
New York, NY 100
Tel. 212.883.8983
Hours:
Same as Delivery hours.
Delivery Hours:

Sun

12:00 PM - 10:45 PM

Mon

11:00 AM - 10:45 PM

Tue

11:00 AM - 10:45 PM

Wed

11:00 AM - 10:45 PM

Thu

11:00 AM - 10:45 PM

Fri

11:00 AM - 10:45 PM

Sat
12:00 PM - 10:45 PM

Another dinner at Chimu's!

Once again, I am behind on posts but as I am the only contributor and also free, you get what you paid for. Ha!
So a few weeks back, another trip back to Chimu was in order. So my BFF and I got ourselves back to the familiar intersection of Metropolitan and Union for more.

Pisco Sour, fried corns, and empanadas

As usual, Pisco Sour was the first thing we ordered along with one each of their beef and chicken empanadas. Just like the first time, they were most delicious.

Unlike last time, we did switch out the main courses.

Tallerin Verde

This time, Barb opted for the Tallerin Verde with skirt steak and more minced garlic in oil. It looked tasty and was served with potato. It seems Peruvians eat lots of carbs.

Aji de Gallina

Take for instance my own order of Aji de Gallina, which with the aji sauce over rice is just divine except there were more potatoes and rice than of the shredded chicken.

Tres Leches

Of course there were leftovers for the next day since we saved room for the dulce de leches crepe and tres leches cake. Both were extremely satisfying for my sweet tooth and sends one into sugar highs for the night.

Dulce de leches Crepe

As usual, service is quick and friendly. But I totally would come only when I feel like getting starchy foods.

Chimu Peruvian Cuisine and Steak
482 Union Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Tel. 718.349.1208
Hours:
Monday 3:00-11:00 pm
Tuesday 3:00-11:00 pm
Wednesday 3:00-11:00 pm
Thursday 3:00-11:00 pm
Friday 12:00 pm - 12:00 am
Saturday 12:00 pm - 12:00 am
Sunday 12:00-11:00 pm

Hudson River Cafe

Hudson River Cafe in Harlem, looks like nothing special - even a bit like a dive, peeking out from its spot under the overpass by the river.

Inside, it is sleek and modern and empty. Christmas Eve, we came here, looking for good food and drinks to celebrate Barb's birthday. We scored 1 of 2.

The hostess was a little weird but the busboy and waiter made up with plenty of attention - we never lacked for water, for clean plates or anything else that we might normally have had to wave down for but due to the slow night, we had plenty of attention.

Downstairs, was a smaller area set up with a bar, seating, hostess stand and kitchen. It was expanded by promise of seating outside in an enclosed space with another bar.

We chose to sit upstairs and spied a room closed off - it might have been a dance floor but we don't know.
Just the drink menu was confusing enough as we just had no idea what to choose. Barb got a sampling of their sangria but it wasn't the best so she opted out of it. Finally we settled on the Pomegranate Martini for Barb and the Very Berry Caipirinha for myself.

Pomegranate Martini

Barb was not thrilled with her pomegranate martini. I expect it didn't have pizazz one might expect from pomegranate but it was clear she was not enamored of the drink.

I concurred. My Very Berry Caipirinha was not the tastiest drink nor was it strong. I am not an alcohol enthusiast by any means but this was one big disappointment. I am not certain it was the drink itself or bartender but something tells me that the bartender was not into his job that night.

Very Berry Caipirinha

After sipping our drinks, we concentrated on getting some food order in. As we could not decide, we finally chose two appetizers (luckily not four) - the empanadas and the buffalo shrimp.

Empanadas

The empanadas came in a trio. There was beef, chicken, cheese w/ collard greens. Interestingly enough, I have never tasted collard greens in my life. I think it's lack of southern cooking in my life...(Melba's?). :)

Collard Greens with Cheese

The Collard Greens was surprisingly good. It reminded me of spinach and cheese. Then again, I doubt that anything you fry would taste bad...so these empanadas were already delicious because of the crispy crust.

Beef Empanada

The beef was very good. Again, very flaky crust; good seasoned meat inside. It was hard to cut in half but we did it.

Chicken Empanada

This was just as good as the beef one. I admit a love of empanadas to begin with - mostly the one I found called "Argentinian Empanada' but empanadas are good. No matter what. :)

Buffalo Shrimp

Buffalo shrimp. Need I say more? After liming it up, these tasty and well cleaned shrimps paired well with the bleu cheese dip. It had the right amount of spice cut by the citrusy lime and cooled by the dip. Needless to say we polished off this plate - just the shrimp though.

Costillas de Buey

Barb ordered the Costillas de Buey, which are braised short ribs, pomegranate & rioja red wine reduction, manchego yucca mash. However she subbed the yucca mash for mashed potatoes instead. These were plated as seen above with a lovely orchid.

Seafood Paella

I should have ordered something less daunting but I went for the full monty - half lobster, various seafood as you can see and squid ink rice.

As expected,  I couldn't finish the massive plate. I tried to pick off as much shellfish as I could - meaning my favorite lobster and mussels but I managed some rice, clams, and squid. :)

We had to get ours in doggy bags to go. :X

However, because it was Barb's birthday, we had to get dessert in. Even if it meant, unbuttoning the jeans and praying not to explode. :)

They disappointed us with not having flan - by that I meant me...but they had the tres leches cake (3 milk cake) so we shared that.

As the waiter knew it was Barb's birthday, she got a candle too. (sorry, I only use my iphone now since I hate carrying lots of items).

Tres leches cake topped with candle

Luckily no singing was involved! Barb made a wish, blew out the candle and cut the cake in half. It was good - not that sweet but it was not as good as Agozar's.

I have to admit - all latin places are compared to Agozar's in my mind. :)

Hudson River Cafe

697 West 133rd Street 

New York, NY 10027-7303
T.  (212) 491-9111

Hours:

Happy Hour 4pm to 7pm (Subject to change due to private events)
Dinner Tuesday thru Saturday 5pm to 12am,
Sunday and Monday 5pm to 10:30pm
Saturday & Sunday Brunch 11am to 4pm, Dinner 5pm to 1030pm
Live Music Schedule (Sat and Sun From 11am to 3:30pm)

Happy Hour 4pm to 7pm (Subject to change due to private events)
Dinner Tuesday thru Saturday 5pm to 12am,
Sunday and Monday 5pm to 10:30pm
Saturday & Sunday Brunch 11am to 4pm, Dinner 5pm to 1030pm
Live Music Schedule (Sat and Sun From 11am to 3:30pm)