In the weeks leading up to my trip to Argentina, I spent hours looking for recommendations on what's a fish-loving pescetarian to eat in the land of steak, asado and dulce de leche. I combed through Argentinian blogs, looking for the tried-and-true. I sat with Argentinian friends over steaming cups of yerba mate, writing down phrases in broken Spanish that I could not pronounce even five minutes after. I dreamed and took down notes and made lists.

And then, my trip to Argentina resulted in this sort of eating.

So to prevent you from finding yourself hopelessly lost in the kosher McDonalds, or not sure what to order in a typical steakhouse, here is the list of the top 10 vegetarian foods to eat in Argentina. I'm warning you - these babies are enough to make any avowed meat eater set aside the steak, at least for one meal.

Ravioles (verdura, de calabaza, de ricotta, hongos) 

Everyone I knew told me to eat the pasta in Argentina, but I'll admit that I was rather sceptical - I've eaten at some of the best restaurants in Italy, how different can Argentinian pasta be? Very, very different, as it turns out. Having also tried regular handmade fettucini and gnocchi, I have to say that the true pinnacle of perfection in Argentinian pasta is the ravioli. Silky, translucent and bursting with more filling you could possibly imagine being squeezed into this paper-thin envelope, Argentinian ravioli alone is worth the trip to Buenos Aires. Whether you go for verdura (vegetables),  de calabaza (squash), or hongos (mushroom), they'll all be exquisite.

Provoleta

The best vegetarian main to order in an Argentinian steakhouse is the provoleta. A whole round of ooey, gooey provolone cheese, grilled to perfection and placed right on your plate - what could be better?? Make sure to cut through all the richness with a salad... that you'll dress at the table with lots of vinegar, in true Argentinian fashion.

Tartas saladas

What sounds like 'salad cake' is actually the Argentinian name for a multitude of pies with savoury fillings. These include everything from cebolla y humita (onion and corn), to spinach and hard-boiled eggs, or calabaza (pumpkin) - my favourite. Each restaurant and home cook makes theirs a little differently, and I encourage you to try as many as possible!

Ice cream (Dulce de leche, vainilla, maracuya)

Whether you are a purist who likes plain vanilla ice cream, a tourist who wants to try dulce de leche EVERYTHING in Argentina, or an adventurous foodie who will combine maracuya (passion fruit) with sea salted caramel in their cone, you can't go wrong with helado in Argentina. Whether it's the cream, the milk from the local cows, or just some secret magic powder they sprinkle into the water, the dairy in Argentina is out of this world... and the ice cream is definitely the cherry on top.

Empanadas (Queso y cebolla, humita, quatro queso)

I have a terrible secret to tell you: I didn't try Argentinian empanadas in Argentina. We were on a group tour, there was little time, yada yada yada, we ended up eating at a kosher McDonalds at a food court. But everyone I know has said you simply must try at least one of the many vegetarian empanadas combinations. Unlike in North America, in Argentina they'll put almost anything into an empanada, and it'll all be delicious. Queso y cebolla (onion and cheese) or humita (corn) are rumoured to be especially good. I also like some vegan empanada fillings, like my mushroom and kale combo.

Dulce de leche flan

Turns out that flan is as ubiquitous to Argentina as ice cream! Everywhere we went, people offered us quivering globs of pudding, topped with a generous helping of dulce de leche... and once I overcame my initial textural aversion, I have to admit that I became quite smitten with this simple dessert. It may lack the pizzaz of alfajores or the devil-may-care scrumptiousness of ice cream, but flan is not to be passed up in Argentina.

If you're looking to try a simple version of flan, my Argentinian bread pudding is a good place to start.

Alfajores de chocolate

Ah, alfajores. I actually thought I didn't like them before I went to Argentina - what in the world was wrong with me?? Turns out there is nothing better in the world than a chocolate-covered alfajore cookie, alongside a cup of bitter yerba mate (which I feel no need to introduce as you'll see it everywhere in Argentina). Except maybe a gluten free alfajore alongside a good espresso...

Espresso with a thimble of soda water

The first thing I put in my mouth in Argentina was a short, bitter, perfectly made espresso, served alongside a thimble of bubbling soda water. It was pure perfection, the soda helping cut through the acidity of the coffee and making the whole experience as enjoyable afterwards as it is during the process. I was then told that in Argentina, if you see a thimble of soda served alongside your coffee, you know it's going to be good... and that rule of thumb did not disappoint. Look for small, packed coffee bars that serve only desserts and cafe, and you'll be satisfied every time.

Oh, and if you want some milk in your coffee, go for a cortado, or a cafe con leche if you want a really milky concoction.

Medialunas de Manteca

My breakfast every day in Argentina consisted of a medialuna and a strong cup of espresso with soda on the side, and I couldn't have been happier (though my waist definitely noticed the extra sweet). Medialunas de Manteca are tiny little Argentinian croissants, baked and brushed with a thin layer of sugar syrup, and they are so much more than the sum of their parts.

If you eat fish: Cornelitos fritos, calamari, rabas

If you are a pescetarian like me, there is so much fresh seafood in Argentina to try. My favourites were the cornelitos fritos (little fishies fried whole, and served with just lemon on the side), the red Argentinian calamari, simply grilled, and any local fish 'a la plancha' - off the grill. The really is a huge variety of seafood in Argentina, and a lot of the fish is even kosher, if you worry about that sort of thing.

Looking for more Argentinian recipes?

• Authentic Argentinian vegetarian empanadas, three ways
• Argentinian bread pudding with caramel sauce
• {VIDEO} Passover dairy-free and gluten-free alfajores

Looking for more Argentinian travel posts?

• The Young Jewish Travel Guide to Argentina {the Food}
• {TRAVEL} The Young Jewish Travel Guide to Argentina: The people
• The young Jewish travel guide to Argentina {Day One}

The post Top 10 vegetarian foods to eat in Argentina appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

First off, full disclosure: my trip to Argentina ended up being less about food, and a lot more about people. To illustrate, I didn't take out my big camera even once, and stuck to smartphone photography.

However, as this is a food blog, I think the Young Jewish Travel Guide to Argentina would not be complete without a sampling of everything I tasted. Especially as I think you'll get a kick out of reading how I searched for yeast-free/grain-free/dairy-free food in  the land of carne, asado and pasta (read: unsuccessfully).

To give you the best alongside the worst, here are the food places I tried in Argentina.

Buenos Aires

T-Bone

Av. Sta Fe 2979, C1425BGE, Buenos Aires

When I was told that our first meal in Buenos Aires will be in a place called T-Bone, I have to admit I wasn't exactly excited. Though I've heard that Provoleta (a huge chunk of grilled provolone cheese) was a thing in Argentina, I wasn't relishing the thought of eating an entire cheese block for lunch. However, upon entry to T-Bone, we were served a barrage of the famous Italian-Spanish fusion style dishes for which Argentina has become known. From potatoes in cheese sauce to delicate mushroom ravioli in walnut sauce, and the best ice cream of my life, T-Bone ended up not disappointing. The stomach pain that ensued was well worth it.

El Lazo

There isn't much I, as a vegetarian, can say about a kosher steakhouse. Those of us who ate meat (97 per cent of the group) said it was decent. I enjoyed a meal of deep-fried olives and grilled vegetables, which was surprisingly filling. It's important to note this was where I discovered that a) Argentinians do not season their salads, but serve you olive oil and vinegar to do the job yourself, and b) Argentinian fries are the gross, seemingly air-fried pieces you get in any typical Israeli fast food place... except unsalted. My heart broke when I discovered I would not be able to gorge myself on fries as I would in every other steakhouse.

Dashi

Fitz Roy 1613, Buenos Aires

Though most of you will wonder why I went to a sushi restaurant in Buenos Aires, I'll say that by day four of the trip, I wanted something clean, fresh, and unadulterated; sushi was it. Dashi was recommended to us as one of the best sushi places in Buenos Aires, and it did not disappoint. The fish smelled like the sea, the combinations were inventive, and the atmosphere, bolstered by delicious cocktails, couldn't have been better. We had an incredible raw sashimi salad with passion fruit sauce, vegetarian rolls with mango that blew my mind, and a caipiroska maracuya (passion fruit caipiroska - more on these in the next post!) that was to die for. The prices were higher by local standards, but at $40 for the meal, nothing most North Americans aren't used to shelling for good sushi.

Abasto shopping mall

Av. Corrientes 3247, 1193 CABA, Buenos Aires

Abasto shopping mall has the world's only kosher McDonald's outside of Israel, and that's about its only claim to fame. I have nothing more to say about this place, expect - just don't.

Mar del Plata

Manolo

Rivadavia 2371, Mar del Plata

Ah, Manolo.

By day two of the trip, following a six-hour bus ride and a (surprisingly nice) lunch eaten at a care home for the elderly, I was starved for some real food. Sadly, this wasn't where I was going to get it. Instead, Manolo was where I threw my first tantrum of the trip, as my first meal in the seafood hub of Argentina took me to a place with laminated menus, photographed placemats and cheeseburgers, pizza and cheap pasta on the first few pages. It felt wholly inauthentic, and I was tired of stomach aches. I also felt like we were being infantilized like stupid Americans, whose only desires in Argentina was to eat the familiar foods of back home.

In hindsight, I know now that Manolo actually IS one of the most popular restaurants in Mar del Plata, and that they're famous for their churros, deep fried dough sticks stuffed with deliciousness like dulce de leche (which I sadly didn't get to try). At Manolo I ate a grilled local fish filet (sadly, I can't tell you what type of fish it was as I ordered off the menu, asking for something local) that was fairly delicious. I also split the biggest seafood platter I've ever seen in my life, overflowing with succulent pieces of fried white wish, rabas (breaded and fried calamari), WHAT (little fishies that are friend whole), and, the highlight of the evening, grilled Argentinian squid pieces (they are not breaded, red, and incredibly delicious).

All in all, Manolo wasn't a complete bust, but it wouldn't be where I'd send newcomers to Mar del Plata.

La Guapa

A fancy steakhouse, La Guapa delivered on decor, atmosphere, cheap but excellent red wine, and vegetarian options. I had the zucchini sticks and gnocchi verdura (gnocchi with vegetables), and I was blown away by the pillowy texture of the little pasta bites, the veggies' perfect level of doneness, and the balance of flavours between the earthiness of the sauce and the saltiness of the Parmesan cheese (Argentinians don't salt anything with just salt, apparently). In truth, the food was so good I nearly forgot to photograph my pasta (blogger crimes).

Dessert was the only let-down of the meal - we tried thin crepes with dulce de leche and chocolate, as well as the more traditional flan with dolce de leche, and neither was stellar.

La Fonte D'Oro

Peatonal: San Martín esq. Córdoba, Mar del Plata

Though this coffee shop belongs to a local chain, the coffee and alfajores at La Fonte D'Oro did not disappoint. Served with the requisite soda and a debonair spirit, this was a place you'd be as comfortable lingering as just shooting back an espresso at the bar. One of the trip's highlights.

But in truth, the best thing I ate in Mar del Plata were the pickled whole anchovies you buy in jars at the port. Don't miss those.

To read more about my time in Argentina, see here and here. Next week, I will provide a round-up of dishes you should look for in Argentina if you actually want to eat well - don't miss it!

I was in Argentina for a week as part of the first-ever JDC Entwine mission for Russian-speaking Jewish young professionals. My trip, and this entire JDC program for Russian-Speaking Jews (RSJs) is made possible by the generosity of the Genesis Philanthropy Group.

All opinions expressed here are my own. 

The post The Young Jewish Travel Guide to Argentina {the Food} appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

Just when you think you might be alone in a foreign country, a friend comes along. These are the people that made my Jewish travel guide to Argentina.

I sit on a tiny chair in an endless row of seats at the Pittsburgh airport, tightly hugging a backpack to my chest. Sobs wrack through my body, and I can do no more than bury my face in the rough, unpleasant canvas, trying to stop myself from hyperventilating. There are people all around me, and yet I feel completely, utterly alone, perhaps for the first time in days.

Welcome to the low point of the Young Jewish Travel Guide to Argentina.

But I'm not alone. A girl holds my hand, stroking back wet strands of sweaty curls from my forehead. She whispers that it will be OK, that we'll make it work, that she'll give up her seat for me if need be. Another girl is speaking urgently into a phone a few metres away, stealing furtive glances at my direction and continuing to repeat, "but there's five of us, and they're telling us there are only four seats. What can be done?" Behind me, a boy is standing at the flight attendant's counter, pleading with her to make it work, to find us all room on an overbooked, overcrowded flight to New York, the last of the day. Another boy is on the phone yet again, talking to another travel agent.

And when, ten minutes later, the wheels of the plane finally depart off the tarmac, I am with them on the plane. I'm not alone, I repeat to myself as I close my eyes with exhaustion and relief.

***

But first, let's back up a little bit.

Nine hours earlier, I am at the Buenos Aires airport, in the arms of a girl from North Carolina. We are embracing tightly, aware that in a day, we will no longer see each other each morning, no longer hear each other's dry, sarcastic comments, no longer belt out Russian songs from bygone eras in random moments throughout the day. I look at her brown hair, clipped in a fashion so familiar from the old country, but that looks so chic around her heart-shaped face. I recognize something of myself. I savour.

We are all waiting to board our flight back home. Thirteen of the 15 people who came on this trip are here. Thirteen of the bravest, smartest, strongest young adults I have ever met are all around me, lounging on uncomfortable airport chairs, charging their phones, trying to get ready to say goodbye without feeling any pain.

After a week spent speaking Russian, hanging out on buses and rooftops and in synagogues and Jewish day schools, sharing the innermost parts of ourselves with people who just recently were strangers, we are all detoxing. Trying to get back to being Americans and Canadians, girlfriends and boyfriends, colleagues and supervisors, setting aside our Russian Jewishness for a bit.

It's no easy task - but at least we have 11 hours of flights, with two layovers, to do it.

The first leg of our trip goes smoothly. I fall asleep after another heartfelt conversation, another thirty minutes of intellectual discussion with a boy whose Russian accent has become as familiar as an old blanket. I wake up in Miami. We all rush through the ticket counters, run through the halls, board shuttles, switch them, realize we made a mistake and get back on the first one, run on the tarmac, get on the bus. A couple of hours later, we're in Pittsburgh. The end is near.

And then, our last flight is cancelled. Disoriented, dishevelled, we all file off the plane. Some get on their phones right away, arranging alternative flights that are quickly booked off. Others are walking around in a daze. I am still hoping things will work out, calling agent after agent, asking each one to examine yet even more complex flight routes, all in an effort to get me to Montreal before Monday morning.

Eventually, the last five of us are told there's room on a 7pm flight to La Guardia.

We laugh, we cry, we embrace. We hold each other for a long, long time. Longer than necessary. Longer than it should take to say goodbye to someone who was just recently a stranger.

And then, we go for drinks. For the next two hours, we let out everything: our anger and frustrations, our disappointments and hopes. We curse, more than we have all week. We make promises to meet again. We raise our glasses and salute each other, drink to the bright light we saw in each and every one of the 15 people who were part of this mission. We let ourselves be vulnerable, and strong, and feel loved.

We know it won't last forever, this fairytale. We know there's life on the other side, some of it better, some of it worse. We know there are other people. But for the next two hours, we just have each other, and that's more than enough.

Before we know it, it's time to board. A last hug, we walk down the airport aisles locked in an embrace tighter than handcuffs. But as we near the gate, our hands let go; the end is in sight.

But as in all good stories, nothing is as simple as it seems. As we reach the counter, ready to get our assigned seats, we are told that two of us will not fit on the plane. Mistakes were made, baggage is somewhere, and all seats are booked.

It is at this point that I completely break down.

I am officially done arguing, done pleading, done feeling the emotional roller coaster of the last week. I am done being strong and eloquent and stubborn. I retreat to my shell, holding onto the sense of loss, the sadness of goodbye, the despair of not knowing when I'm going to be home. If I can't board this flight, then so be it.

But they don't give up. You know how this story ends: my friends get me on that flight.

And when, twelve hours later, I finally get off the bus in Montreal and hug G, I remember a different set of arms: those of the four other Russian Jews who wouldn't give up on me.

And I know I am not alone.

To read more about my time in Argentina, see this. Please check back on Friday for more updates from my trip, and a detailed account of everything I ate, the good and the bad.

I was in Argentina for a week as part of the first-ever JDC Entwine mission for Russian-speaking Jewish young professionals. My trip, and this entire JDC program for Russian-Speaking Jews (RSJs) is made possible by the generosity of the Genesis Philanthropy Group.

All opinions expressed here are my own. 

The post {TRAVEL} The Young Jewish Travel Guide to Argentina: The people appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

Stepping off the bus onto the main street of La Boca was like getting punched in the face by a storm of colours. The shouts of children playing soccer in an abandoned field to my right intermingled with the soft clapping and tapping of the tango dancers to my left. The two movements were side-stepping each other in a complicated embrace of the modern and the traditional, the low-brow and the exquisite, the market and the palace.

At that moment, I fell in love with Buenos Aires. Hard. And so began this Jewish travel guide to Argentina.

Our day in Buenos Aires began at 12pm at our hotel in Palermo Soho, the BA Sohotel. We were told that young professionals usually end up in nicer hotels on their trips, but after spending most of my travel in Airbnb apartments, I was honestly unprepared for the classy, understated modernism of our suite at the BA Sohotel. In a large white room outfitted with wooden furniture in light, neutral hues, the only splashes of colour come from the traditional woven blankets and the red tile in the bathroom - and the result couldn't be more striking. I was genuinely impressed.

From the suite to the first cup of coffee at the hotel cafe, I could see I was going to like Buenos Aires. But it wasn't until we got off the bus at the Recoleta Cemetery that I realized just how right for me this city was.

When our tour guide told us that our first stop in the city was going to be a cemetery, I have to admit I was a bit surprised. As a Jew, I find the concept of ostentatious burials and extravagant monuments bizarre at best, and undignified at worst.

Jewish funerals are usually simple but achingly beautiful, full of heartfelt keening and the raw physicality of each person lending their hand to personally "bury the dead" by throwing a stone on the dead loved one's body, a body that is naked except the holy talit in which it is are wrapped. Suffice to say, the concept of a beautiful cemetery seemed anachronistic to me.

All that changed when I stepped onto the cobblestoned path of Recoleta. Surrounded by phantasmagorical structures that look like a cross between an Edgar Ellen Poe nightmare and a modernist reverie, I walked straight into a memorial procession for one of the country's heroes, the wife of Argentina's founder (whose name, sadly, eludes me now). As I gazed around me at mausoleums so elaborate that they cost more to upkeep than my annual wage, listening to the ear-splitting sound of the trumpet, I started to gain a deeper appreciation for the Christian honouring of life after death.

Not saying I want a mausoleum as my burial ground... But perhaps I could do with a plaque.

From Recoleta cemetery, we continued on our way to the neighbourhood of La Boca, whose raw beauty I already described in the first paragraph. There are honestly few words that can transmit the onslaught of colourful houses done-out in corroded metal, painted wood, and intricately ornate signs. The smells of the river and sewage, intermingled with the sizzle of Asado from nearby restaurants. The sounds of street hawkers and paddlers, advertising their wares to all those who would listen. While our tour guides were busy warning us not to go to La Boca at night, all I could was dream about living in an area so alive, so vibrant, so full of contradictions.

And then I realized I live in Montreal, and my heart rejoiced.

But wait, I have yet to tell you about food! So far, I have experienced only one meal in Argentina - a dairy-style lunch at T-Bone restaurant. Some of you may wonder, why start my visit in Argentina, the land of steak and red wine, with a dairy meal? But Argentina is actually renowned also for the quality of its Italian food. But as this meal demonstrated, a steakhouse may not be the best place to try it.

From the starter, a plateful of potato wedges topped with parsley and garlic and served with Romesco sauce, I knew the theme of the meal would be richness. And, true to form, everything came loaded with creamy, cheesy sauces, including the delicate mushroom-stuffed ravioli that could have done with a lighter hand. Sadly, I have to admit that in both those dishes, the cheese was the worst part, a distraction from the main focus of the dish and from the clean, fresh ingredients we were eating. But the overall impression was of good food, albeit on the heavy side.

Then came the dessert: simple ice cream with fresh blueberries, and I forgave T-Bone all of its cheesy transgressions. The clean notes of this understated dish hit me right at home, and it reminded me more than anything of the vanilla ice cream of my Russian childhood, plombir. I licked my bowl clean, lactose-intolerance be damned (and suffered the resulting stomach ache all afternoon).

At the end of the day, it wasn't the clean streets of Palermo Soho, where we are staying, that made me love Buenos Aires. It wasn't the taste of T-Bone's delicate ravioli, stuffed with mushrooms and greens and smothered with unnecessary cream. It wasn't the sounds of the tango on the streets of La Boca.

It was the life that I saw pouring out of everyone I met - the stoic Europeans on the streets, the dirty ruffians running around La Boca, the metalsmith whose jewelry I bought on a dusty alley in the Recoleta neighbourhood.

It was the spirit of Buenos Aires, and I just couldn't wait to taste more of it.

I am in Argentina as part of the first-ever JDC Entwine mission for Russian-speaking Jewish young professionals. My trip, and this entire JDC program for Russian-Speaking Jews (RSJs) is made possible by the generosity of the Genesis Philanthropy Group.

All opinions expressed here are my own.

The post The young Jewish travel guide to Argentina {Day One} appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

I guess you could say I'm shy.

Stepping through the entryway of the first Meet, Eat, Collaborate! in Montreal wasn't so different. My basic instinct was immediately to turn around, leave, get some air, hug a tree or something. But then I smelled the dahl cooking in the corner, at the table of Special du Jour. I heard the clink of ice and the fizzle of locally made Cola 1642 as it got poured into glasses alongside a generous splash of rum. I saw the mounds of gluten-free, vegan baked goods in an hidden corner of the room (sadly, I seem to have misplaced the card of whoever made them! ARGH!). And as my mouth began to water and my camera to involuntarily snap photos of all the action, I realized I was no longer afraid.

In fact, I couldn't wait to dive into all of the deliciousness.

There was just something about being in the same room with like-minded people, who were just as excited about the latest berry to make nectar from (the argouille), or the different ways to pickle kohlrabi (I have a recipe in the works, but it's so easy I wasn't sure if I should share it...). Looking at all of the different entrepreneurs and their delicious local food businesses, all so immensely proud of what they do, I was filled with a sense of hope for the future of North American food production. And as I found myself talking to strangers about the level of acidity in strawberry salsa (usually not enough) or pondering about whether it's OK to feed organic, wholesome doggie treats to husbands (it's not), I knew that Mangeons Montreal/Let's Eat Montreal, their partners for the event Rhizome MTL (headed by Laura Howard, formerly of Provender) and other communal dining entrepreneurs were onto something.

Food brings people together. It's a simple premise that people have internalized for centuries, and to which they clung ferociously through poverty, plagues, wars and misfortune, in royal courts and in paupers' houses.

And now, it looks like it's the basis of the hottest social trend this year, that of communal dining. And from my year living in Montreal, it's clear that this is the perfect place to experience the renaissance of sharing food with strangers.

With Jewishly themed dinners by my friends at The Wandering Chew, unique food explorations by 'Round Table Tours, free cooking workshops with grandmothers and grandfathers through Santropol Roulant and now, this new series of food-themed meet-ups and tastings from Mangeons Montreal/Let's Eat Montreal, it seems like you could eat well with like-minded people nearly every day of the year in Montreal.

And apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks that (surprise surprise). I recently discovered Eventbrite's Food & Drink project, which mapped out the top food and drink trends across the U.S., and couldn't wait to see what communal dining events are taking place in my neck of the woods. Wherever you may live in North America, Eventbrite is a great platform that assists you in finding events in your areas. They also have free event management tools to get the word out about your event, sell tickets, and track your event progress. I've used them before for events that I've put on through the Jewish Food Project, and was impressed with the easy interface and flexibility.

And what's next for Mangeons Montreal/Let's Eat Montreal? A focused list of local food & wine-themed communal dining and other social events that just may give the big guys a run for their money. I look forward to seeing what's next in store for this new intiative!

This summer, I urge you to go check out a communal dining event in your area. If like me, you suffer from heart palpitations each time you are near grilled cheese AND strangers, then why not combine the two together and see if it helps? Or if you thrive on the excitement of meeting new people, then all the more reason to take in one of the many exciting foodie events in your area.

If you're in Montreal, come say hi at a Wandering Chew event, or the next Mangeons Montreal/Let's Eat Montreal communal dining, chatting and networking gathering. For other locations in North America, check out Eventbrite's nifty search engine.

P.S. - In the interest of full disclosure, I was invited to the Meet, Eat, Collaborate! event as a blogger. However, as the night really was a lot of fun, I wouldn't have hesitated to have gone by my own initiative - and will continue to do so in the future. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The post Sharing food with strangers, or the renaissance of communal dining appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

Nestled amidst the mountains of Colorado is the rustic Devil’s Thumb Ranch. It is a small, picturesque resort made up of log-cabin-like buildings, an outdoors swimming pool and endless rolling hills, blue lakes that reflect the sky, and as much mountain air as you can stomach. Cowboy paraphemelia like spurs and Stenson hats is scattered around the premises like the cast-aways of a bored Westerner who moved on to California in search of shinier gold. And early this month, for a glorious 48 hours, it served as a host to myself and 60 other young-at-heart, starry-eyed Jewish chefs, food writers and other food professionals who took part in the Harvest Gathering.

Friends, I must apologize for the two-weeks-long absence. I have spent the last 14 days travelling, going between Denver, Colorado, to New York, Poland and now, Israel. I will stay here for the next two weeks, working and resting and telling my mother I love her as often as I can. I have a lot of recipes prepared for the next few weeks, so I hope to not disappear again! Or at least, go as short a while as I can between postings.

But today, I’d like to tell you about an incredible food learning experience I took part in: The Harvest Gathering. Put on by The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation in partnership with Hazon, this retreat enabled Jewish professionals who work with food to come together, explore the shared grounds of their passion, and push the boundaries of what we all consider as Jewish food.

The array of talent present here was mesmerizing. From chefs like Lior Hillel (Bacaro LA, Nature's Brew and Bacari PDA in LA), Daniel Asher (Root Down, Linger in Denver, Colorado), and Josh Pollack (Rosenberg's Bagels), to writers like Alix Wall (The Forward, The Organic Epicure), and bloggers like Amy Kritzer of What Jew Wanna Eat and Lilly Shor of Three Silver Spoons, the opportunities for meeting incredible, inspiring people were unlimited.

One moment, you found yourself debating the merits of gluten-free crusts; the next, you were discussing methods of cooking bull testicles. Five minutes later, there was fly-fishing. From kosher butchery to anarchism in food businesses and cooking with cannabis, the workshops we covered were as diverse as the participants - and opened my horizons to new ways of approaching food in intentional, inherently Jewish ways.

For you see, beyond the networking aspect, there was a single unified thread going throughout the Harvest Gathering. This was the arch that brought all the disparate parts of the puzzle together, the schmear that bound bagel and lox into one incomparable creation. The Harvest Gathering had one single theme: that Jewish found is food that is grown, cooked, sourced and eaten intentionally.

Whether we spoke of how we ran our businesses, where we bought our vegetables, how we butchered our meat (or if we chose to eat it at all), or how we celebrated Sukkot, Pesach or R0sh Hashanah, we all agreed - it requires thought, care and intentionality.

Good food, Jewish or not, doesn't just come from thin air; it requires conceptualization, excellent ingredients, and meticulous execution. And so do our businesses, relationships, and Jewish lives.

At the Harvest Gathering, we made new friends and business connections. But even more importantly, we reminded ourselves of what it meant to do things with care and attention; what it meant to practice what you believe in, consistently, despite the effort it required. What it meant to live in an inherently Jewish way, regardless of your religious beliefs.

So at the end of the day, I'd like to thank the Harvest Gathering for giving me the chance to get back to the basics. To breathe. To stretch. To reflect. To ask for advice. To explore discomfort. To taste. To criticize. To discover. To harvest and to gather.

To see more photos of the food we ate at The Harvest Gathering, check out my social media galleries on Facebook and Instagram.

I took part in the Harvest Gathering thanks to the generosity of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. However, I received no financial compensation for this piece; all opinions expressed here are my own.

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It is a cold Montreal evening in February. You are bundled up in layers, and your breath visibly fogs up around you. But when you arrive at Tu B'Shevat Under the Trees, all that fades away. Your eyes take in the yard around you: it's a magical wonderland, with a long table overladen with candles, fir branches and dried fruit. People are milling about, heated by the warmth of portable space heaters and blankets. Fairy lights twinkle overhead, and soft music wafts through the background. You smell sage and rosemary and thyme, and you know: this is going to be a good night.

Photo by Marianne Helm

Sunday, February 7, I am going to be hosting my first large-scale dinner in Montreal. It will be a family-style, pescetarian five-course meal with a signature cocktail... all served outdoors, under the light of a bright moon, dozens of bright fairy lights, and the gentle flow of candles. There will space heaters and blankets, warm compote and the company of your neighbours to keep you warm, and I promise - no one is going to be left hungry that night.

Some of you may be thinking I'm crazy, planning an event outdoors in early February. But I see it all so perfectly: an unforgettable night under the stars, a chance to recapture the magic of the season in this Jewish celebration of nature with good food, good music and a showcase of local Jewish makers. This will be a celebration of bounty: of nature, good food, and of local talent, and outdoors is exactly the right place to hold it.

And the best part is, I'm not alone in this endeavour. For this special Tu B'Shevat under the stars, I am partnering with Allison Sklar, the classically trained baker and pastry chef behind The Bacon Eating Jewish Vegetarian Blog & Recipes and Savoury Sweets Bakery. A seasonal craft cocktail will be developed by two other Montreal foodie superstars, The Wandering Chew. The work of two local artisans will also be showcased at the event: paint and clay, a perfect union of natural elements.

The Tu B'Shevat Under the Stars menu will showcase the 7 Minim, and include:

And in true At the Immigrant's Table form, we will respect dietary restrictions (gluten-free, vegan). If you suffer from any food intolerances, please let me know in advance of your needs, and we will do our best to accommodate them.

This event was made possible by a #MakeItHappen Micro Grant from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. 

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Growing up in Israel, Tu B'Shevat was a time to go outside and plant saplings, bask in the first rays of the hesitant spring sun, and marvel at the awakening of nature. But in Montreal, Tu B'Shevat was often a throwaway holiday, a time when no one dared to peek outside for fear of freezing. At most, people would eat some dried fruit, bake some muffins and call it a day.

I wanted to use this year as an opportunity to celebrate Tu B'Shevat as it was meant to be celebrated, under the trees, and to help Montrealers rejoice in this pernicious season and in the bounty of our city.

So I invited you and many of my friends to meet me outside on a cold February night. I rented space heaters, hung up some fairy lights, and had blankets custom made for the occasion. But mainly, I just tested a lot of recipes, and hoped and prayed that the weather will take it easy on us that night (you can see the dinner's menu here).

And somehow, due to a lot of hard work and a great deal of magic and fairy dust, it all came together.

My favourite moment was when our host, Rabbi Avi Finegold had just finished his introduction, weaving together the themes of sustainability, Judaism and food security, and everyone toasted the first glass of the Tu B'Shevat seder. The twinkling of the fairy lights above and the candles strewn across the tables was caught in the wine glasses, the tinkling of the crystals and the laughter of our guests weaved together to create the perfect background melody, and altogether, the moment encapsulated in it everything I sought to capture with this evening: love, joy, and pride at the bounty of nature, local food, and local talent. At that moment, I knew my event was a success.

When I looked around and saw the smiling faces, the sighs of happiness at a bite of food, the hugs and handshakes exchanged by people who didn't know each other only hours before, I knew that there was some logic in the madness that brought everyone out together on that cold night.

But don't get me wrong - it wasn't all fun and games getting to that point. Undoubtedly the biggest challenge to the success of my event was the weather. As the day of Tu B'Shevat Under the Trees crept nearer and the temperatures continued to drop, I became increasingly worried that the blankets and heaters I had ordered would not suffice.

Then, three days before the event, the heater rental company told me they don’t think the heaters will be enough and I *must* rent a tent. I called every rental company in town, all along doubting the validity of this assertion and the need for a tent. When every quote came way over budget, I called the heater company back and insisted we needed to make it work as planned.

When the heaters were delivered on the day of the event, the owner of the rental company took one look around the yard and agreed with me: everything would be fine. He gave us a free extra heater, and later on told me how impressed he was with the professionalism and the overall look of the event! So it just goes to show that if you believe something is possible, even if everyone else is doubting you... You just might be right.

Tu B'Shevat Under the Trees was truly an unforgettable experience that was as much fun setting up as it was to take part in. I look forward to many more similar endeavours... Though perhaps under warmer circumstances.

Want to join me at the next event? Follow me on Facebook to find out about things as they happen! To see more photos from this magical event, check out our photo album. 

*This event was made possible by a #MakeItHappen Micro Grant from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.

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And now, I can't wait to do it again. Will you join me for the next one?

Kvartirnik is a traditional Russian apartment party. A play on the word kvartira, or apartment, it's a celebration of good food, friendships and music, where everyone is welcome and the tea flows like vodka. The food varies, but there is always a lot; the music is live, and the guitar is usually passed around in a circle at least at one point in the evening. But most importantly, the atmosphere is warm and inviting, and everyone feels like a member of the family.

I have been taking part in kvartirniks ever since I can remember. At first, it was with my father's friends, bearded men with a chip on their shoulders and a talent for humoristic poetry. They sang original songs and borrowed tunes, drank and smoked a bit too much and occasionally made inappropriate passes at me.

Then, the kvartirniks I attended were organized by my friends. Teenagers with the early signs of a mustache, they sang earnest songs and rebelled against any institution that would have them, drank and smoked a bit too much and often made inappropriate passes at me.

And then I moved away. For years, I heard no awkward awkwards strummed on guitars, heard no raspy voices pick through the repertoire of Russian musical giants like Kino and Mashina Vremeni and Vladimir Visotsky. No one made inappropriate passes at me, and I forgot what a curtain of cigarette smoke tastes like on your tongue.

Life dulled just a little bit.

And then on a chilly night this fall, I walked from a kosher restaurant in the Upper West Side to a friend's apartment. Guitars were dragged out of closets, and voices cleared. There was awkward shuffling and earnest singing, hot tea with lemon slices and dancing in slippers. Young adults with some chips on our shoulders and little rebellion left in our souls, we sang original songs and borrowed tunes, drank just a bit and smoked none at all, and occasionally, made inappropriate passes at each other.

There was magic in the air, the kind that can only be weaved from Russian camaraderie, good music and excellent food. And I remembered why life is so much better with kvartirniks.

My first kvartirnik was a part of Restaurant Day Montreal, a quarterly celebration whereby everyone can open their doors to strangers and run a restaurant for a day. I had so much that I am now planning on throwing something like this monthly; so if you're in the Montreal area, join me for my next kvartirnik.

To find out about my next event, follow me on Facebook and Instagram! 

The post {EVENTS} A Montreal kvartirnik, or the time I turned my apartment into a Russian blintzes restaurant appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

The RestoMontreal app, the city's newest restaurant finding, reviewing and social sharing mobile app, launched in late May with an impressive line-up of partner restaurants (note that the website RestoMontreal has is actually quite the veteran, working to fill Montrealers' stomachs for over 11 years!). From vegan macaroons to Southern-style BBQ, wood-fire oven-cooked Italian pizza or fragrant Indian samosas, at any given moment RestoMontreal enables you to find pretty much anything you crave. Accompanied by glossy photos and a simple and easily navigable design, this baby really delivers everything you need from a restaurant finding app.

I first learned about the RestoMontreal app at their launch event, La Fête des Restos. Held in the popular Terrasses Bonsecours on a clear, blistering hot summer day, Fête des Restos brought together the usual suspects: some of the city's top restaurants, chilled white wine and chic Montrealers. Add to that a few unique touches -  an artfully arranged custom candy bar, vegan macaroons dispersed on silver trays, and fresh roses for everyone - and you've got the recipe for a great summer launch party.

Yet Fête des Restos did not stop there. Beyond the wow factor, this was one foodie event aiming to  do good through food. Between May 20th and May 27th 2016, for every download of the new iPhone or Android app, RestoMontreal donated $2 to the Food Banks of Quebec. With each download providing six (!) meals to those who need them, this was an easy way to give back to the community while discovering great new eats in Montreal. 

I'm going to leave you with some snaps from the evening, highlighting the great food and beautiful people who make Montreal such an incredible foodie city. Hope you have a bright, tasty and sun-filled weekend ahead!

In the interest of full disclosure, I was invited to Fête des Restos as a blogger. However, I received no monetary or product compensation for writing this piece, and as always, all opinions expressed here are my own. It's my pleasure taking part in making the foodie community of this great city a bit more connected!

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I was shvitzing from the heat. It was the Montreal version of chamsin, an Israeli sand wind that sweeps everything in its path. Here’s some advice: avoid outdoor cardio workouts during a heat wave. Especially biking uphill. One thing that you really shouldn’t do is rent a bike for the day - and that’s the one thing I did. I rode a Bixi (part of the Montreal public bicycle sharing system) over the mountain and parked it slightly too far uphill. I ended up half-jogging down the street to make it on time for the event. Sweaty, smelly and thirsty, I finally arrived at Fletcher’s Beyond the Bagel tour on Standard Jewish Time (which is somewhere between 5 and 30 minutes late… I won’t specify which one).

Walking into Fletcher’s cafe, all I wanted was a drink. Aviv, the resident bartender, heard my prayers. Mixing seltzer with unsweetened homemade blackberry-rosemary nectar, she turned the heat wave into a summer breeze.

Then came the food. I was so ready for it. The gefilte fish sandwich was the perfect balance between light and filling. It was so delicious that one wasn’t enough. The gefilte fish was nested on top of a piece of lettuce over sliced challah. The challah was spread with a subtle layer of horseradish and mayo. The whole was sprinkled with shredded carrots and parsley, giving it a pleasant crunch. The gefilte sandwich was a pleasant mix of soft, chewy, crispy and crunchy, gently salted... and rich in tradition.

Mini-sized lox and cream cheese bagels were the next item on the menu. Fluffy and light cream cheese, thin and tender gravlax, the bagel was sure to satisfy any Montrealer craving an authentic lox and cream cheese experience. Your bubbe would have been jealous.

“Why Fletcher’s?” the question seemed to float in the air from the start of the evening, and was finally asked by one of the curious participants. The answer was simple. Fletcher’s cafe took its name from Mr Fletcher, a farmer who would bring his sheep to graze at the foothills of Mount Royal (a practice which to this day is done in some countries, like Switzerland). At some point, Fletcher’s Field was renamed as Jeanne-Mance park, which is how it is known today (also as the “Tam-Tams/ let’s smoke some weed and dance park” or the “huge angel statue park” or … I’m getting sidetracked!)

After snacking, we were led onto St. Laurent boulevard to begin the Beyond the Bagel tour. We did a quick pit-stop outside of Moishe’s steakhouse. Moishe, legend has it, acquired the restaurant by winning a poker game. His wife must have been thrilled. Here’s my imagination having a little fun:

• Moishe, it's 30 minutes past midnight! Were you out gambling again?
• Raizel, dear, please don't be mad… I have some good news! I won a whole restaurant! We are going to be rich!
• Oh, that's just wonderful, Moishe! What about your shmata business? And raising our 6 children? And the two hens Leslie and Barbara adopted? And your poor sick mother? And you want a restaurant! Oy, when poor mama hears this, she'll have a heart attack!

We were surprised to stop in front of what looked like an empty gap between two stores. Turns out that it wasn’t just an empty gap. The alleway running into this “empty gap” used to be a bagel shop. In fact, this was the location where the famous Montreal bagel was born.

Turning left on Roy, the Beyond the Bagel tour stopped near Santropol Roulant as they were taking down their tents and packing up from their Thursday market. The air was still laden with moisture from the fruits and vegetables, and a mild smell of dirt wafted through the street. It was hard to imagine that a half century ago that street was filled with putrid smells of flesh and blood. Roy was known for its slaughterhouses. Sometimes change is good...

Stopping at what is now a music store, our attention was directed to the floor tiles, which revealed the existence of yet another Jewish bakery - the St. Lawrence Bakery, which closed its doors in 2002. The floor tiles are the only thing remaining from this legendary spot.

We returned to Fletcher’s, where we seated ourselves next to new faces. We definitely earned the meal that was about to come, a flight of tastes through Fletcher's menu selection. Tealights in jars illuminated each table, setting a cozy and relaxed ambience. We were served wine. Whispers grew into conversations.

Then, the main course was served. It consisted of an eggplant & feta boreka, served alongside a hard-boiled egg, olives, tomatoes and a kale salad. I grew up eating bourekas and yet, in my entire quarter century life, I have never tasted an eggplant boreka. It was eggcellent. (Sorry, I just had to.) The phyllo dough melted in my mouth and the eggplants were smooth and juicy. Miam!

For dessert, we enjoyed Massafan cookies (almond flour, cardamom and rose water) served with vanilla ice cream on a plate decorated with rose petals. The taste was at once exotic and familiar. It brought you to a distant land and pulled you close. It sang to your heart and spoke to your imagination. Cardamom always brings back memories of that night in the desert, under a bedouin tent, when I just couldn’t refuse that 9th glass of sweet cardamom tea…

The evening drew to an end as we finished our plates. We thanked our chef, Kat Romanow, and the entire team who worked tirelessly to make the event such a beautiful, time-transcending, tradition-blending success.

If you ever find yourself walking on the St Laurent boulevard, try to remember Mr Fletcher’s and his sheep - and swing by Fletcher’s cafe. Or better yet, sign up for a delicious overview of Montreal with the Beyond the Bagel tour.

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This time last year, F and I took a trip to Northern Europe. What started as a mission to spend Christmas in Northern Germany became a week-long jaunt through Germany, Denmark and Sweden. The butterflies of new love aside, it truly was one of the most magical trips I've ever taken, and I am excited to finally tell you all about it!

Our trip began in Berlin, or more accurately, the Berlin Schonefeld (SXF) airport. I had taken an overnight Wow Air flight and one sleeping pill too many, which resulted in a half-dazed walk through the Keflavik (KEF) airport... where I managed to misplace my passport and wallet while eating a vegan yogurt and talking to F on the phone (he had already been in Germany for a week for work at that point). Thank God for Icelandic airport security! Icelandic layovers aside, I was only too pleased to meet F and our rental car at the Berlin Schonefeld airport - not to be confused with the Berlin Tegel airport, as we discovered on the morning of our return flight (we ended up having to leave from two different airports. Sigh, travel confusion).

Brandenburg an der Havel

From Berlin, we drove to Brandenburg (also known as Brandenburg an der Havel) - the first destination in our Christmas in Northern Germany trip. The magic of the trip started when we parked our car immediately next to the city's old Jewish cemetery, which has been heavily bombed and then transformed into a wartime memorial for the city's Jewish population. Ending up there by complete mistake, I couldn't help but feel that this trip was going to be special.

This little German town was neat, compact and quite picturesque. We enjoyed a two-hour stroll along the city centre, and the Havel river that runs through its heart. The most prominent landmarks in Brandenburg were the 14th century St. Catherine's Church, and the beautiful Gothic cathedral whose roots go as far back as 1165. We enjoyed exploring the latter, and getting lost in the little streets around the former.

Brandenburg favourite stops: St. Catherine's Church, Brandenburg Cathedral.

Brandenburg favourite eats: We made a stop for coffee and German pastries in the first open cafe we saw, but we didn't get its name. Honestly, you can't go wrong with German pastries.

Hanover

From Brandenburg an der Havel, we continued making our way northwest, arriving at nightfall at Hanover. I admit that we had low expectations from this mid-sized German town; we knew it lacked the entertainment of Hamburg, the charm of Bremen, and the history of Potsdam. But we booked ourselves an Airbnb with an outdoor garden run by a young German couple, and bundled up for our first night in Germany.

Well, let me tell you - we couldn't have been more wrong about Hanover. Our Airbnb was small and well-equipped, and our host Lena was lovely. We opened our trip with a walk to a well-reviewed Mexican restaurant close to our neighbourhood, Fischers (which was decent, but not the best Mexican I've ever had). The next morning, we got up early and walked Hanover by foot, following the Hanover Red Thread Path to landmarks like the new City Hall and the majestic Herrenhäuser Gärten. We also had our first glass of Glühwein (or red mulled wine for the rest of us folks) in the just-opening Hanover Christmas market. And if you haven't heard about German Christmas markets, you've been missing out on the best part of life (or at least the best part of Christmas in Germany). But don't worry, because this post is all about them.

A few words about my favourite ritual at every international trip: a stop at a large supermarket to stock up. We do this on the first day of every trip, getting the necessities for breakfast and lunch - bread and GF bread, local cheeses and spreads, yogurts and soy milk, and alcohol - and we always bring a packed lunch with us. That way, even if our breakfast isn't provided, we avoid spending money on two main meals, thus allowing us to splurge on dinners. And more than that, we also get to discover new products and taste new local delicacies! We also make another stop at a local supermarket on the last day of our trip, stocking up on edible souvenirs and our favourite products to take home.  I strongly recommend making these stops a part of your travel routine.

Hanover favourite stops: City Hall, Herrenhäuser Gärten, Christmas Market in the Old Town.

Hanover favourite eats: Gluhwein at the Christmas Market (it wouldn't be Christmas in Germany without it!), and Harvest Moon coconut yogurt in mango and passionfruit.

Bremen

After finishing our afternoon in Hanover, we began our drive towards what was the most anticipated part of our trip: Bremen. When we first came across Bremen when planning our route through Northern Germany, I immediately thought of one thing: Bremenskie Muzykanty. As a Soviet child, I grew up listening to the exploits of the Bremen Musicians, put into cartoon form, song, and books. Excited, the mere mention of the name 'Bremen' in a guidebook made me break into song, fully expecting it to be cataloged as 'another weird thing Ksenia does'. Yet imagine my surprise when I discovered my Colombian-born boyfriend also knew of the Musicians; having studied German in university, he came across their tales and remembered some. So as you can guess, Bremen immediately became a Must-See stop on our Christmas in Northern Germany tour.

The other reasons we were excited about Bremen were simple. As an important maritime port, Bremen had an illustrious history and some immaculately preserved medieval houses. When looking for a place to stay, we sought something more historical than the streets of Hamburg or Hanover would allow... and we found our heart's desire in this little Airbnb in the Schnoor. This cozy, red little house, built in the 16th century, was a perfect slice of the past. The caretaker, Brigit, was kind and reserved. Our room on the top floor was cozy and dreamlike, featuring a little ladder and a window overlooking the cobblestone streets of Bremen's most legendary quarter. All in all, it was one of the best places from which to explore the mysteries of this fairytale city, and one of the best accommodations I've had on any trip, ever.

Our first night at Bremen included a wander through the Schnoor's streets, which had charming little stores and art galleries and tucked-away gluhwein carts. We had dinner at the famous Bremer Ratskeller, a 600-year old wine cellar that used to belong to the city's Townhall and is now a stand-alone restaurant. Unsurprisingly, it had an impressive wine list; curiously, it also had an extensive list of little house-made liqueurs that could burn through your esophagus (naturally, we tried one). The food was also delicious, if you even care about such things after all the wine, liqueurs and historic ambiance. After dinner, we wandered around the Aldstadt and took about a million photos with the famous statue of the Bremen musicians. Because fangirl. 

The next morning held our most awaited part of Christmas in Northern Germany: the Bremen Christmas Market. This was its opening day, and though it looked decidedly less magical during the day than it does at night, we had an unforgettable time walking through its maze of shops. But the best was yet to come, for we were to have the best meal of our trip in the market. We were drawn to this small stall by a haze of smoke and the most appetizing smell. We came upon a scene that could have been lifted straight from the log driver's waltz: a group of burly, plaid-dressed men, roasting whole salmons arranged in a lean-to triangle shape over an open flame. Every few seconds, a drop of jus would come dripping down the salmon and onto the coals, making a lovely hissing sound that made our mouths water. We immediately cued in line to wait for this manna from the gods, and were not disappointed to receive a generous chunk of salmon, served atop steaming potatoes and covered in a creamy mayonnaise sauce with herbs. This decidedly Nordic meal was perfect for the cold, gloomy day Bremen was having, and it was made all the more magical by our Christmas-like surroundings. I can't wait to recreate this at home one of these cold days (that is, if F braves the cold to turn on the coal barbecue for me)!

Bremen favourite stops: Aldstadt, The Schnoor, Bremen Town Hall,
 Bremen Christmas Market (and the musicians' statue!).

Bremen favourite eats: Bremer Ratkseller, and the Nordic salmon cooked over an open fire at the Christmas market.

Hamburg

After a magical morning in Bremen, we made our way northeast, to Hamburg. Now, all the guidebooks promised us that Hamburg would be the highlight of northern Germany, a bustling city with endless options for nightlife, great food and entertainment. We therefore set aside two nights - the longest portion of our trip to be spent in one place - for exploring Hamburg. Instead, we found a fairly dirty (by German standards), crowded city whose main (dubious) claim to fame was the Reeperbahn, its red-light district. Suffice to say, I was underwhelmed.

I suppose our time in Hamburg wasn't aided by the Airbnb we rented. Small, musty and feeling decidedly unlike someone's actual home but rather like an unclean hostel (there were five other people staying there, none of whom were the "host"), this place was the lowpoint of our trip. I felt uncomfortable and couldn't wait to leave... And the location of the Airbnb left much to be desired.

Our time in Hamburg was mainly spent on the bikes we received as part of our Airbnb rental (it was its only asset, truly). As a very recent and inexperienced bike rider - F taught me to bike a mere four months ago - I was terrified to explore an unfamiliar city on two wheels. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by Hamburg's bike infrastructure, and had a great time driving from one corner to the other. The fun slightly wore off when we got caught in heavy rain and had to cross four lanes of traffic at night, but I guess it's all part of the experience.

The highlights of our time in Hamburg were mostly around our time with F's university friend, who met us on our first night. With him, we:

• rode the water taxi along the river Elbe (part of the regular transport system and accessible with a regular metro ticket);
• sailed along the Hamburg harbor and checked out the beautiful Opera house (where we went back during the day);
• walked through the area of the city's still-functioning warehouse district (the largest in the world), which at night look like an eerie nod to Interview with a Vampire (we also went back here during the day);
• sipped beers (them) and white wine (me) and a traditional beer hall meal (hot and meaty for them, cold and fishy for me) at one of Hamburg's most well-known breweries; and
• of course, visited the Hamburg Christmas market.

During the day and on our bikes, we also explored Hamburg's alternative underbelly, finding shelter from the rain while enjoying delicious sweets at Herr Max. As tourists are wont to do, we also checked out the red-lights district, where yours truly felt greatly uncomfortable and couldn't wait to leave (what can I do, I'm a grandmother). The best part of our visit to the area was the SANTA Pauli (see what they did there?), Reeperbahn's Christmas Market, which was as different from the rest of the Christmas markets as you can imagine. Being the prince that he is, F skipped the infamous and secretive Herbertstraße just so I wouldn't have a heart attack standing on the street alone (women and children aren't allowed there). We grabbed an excellent veggie burger at Quentin's Burger Bar and went home to sleep before 9PM - wild nights, I tell you.

Hamburg favourite stops: The century-old Speicherstadt, Hamburg State Opera, the Schanzenviertel area, the Santa Pauli and the  'green lungs' park that overlooks the Heinrich Hertz Tower.

Hamburg favourite eats: Groninger, Quentin's Burger Bar, and desserts and tea at Herr Max

Lübeck 

On our way north from Hamburg, about to make the transition into Denmark (more on that in a separate post!), we made a pitstop at what we thought of as a small, unassuming city - Lübeck. Instead, what we found was a perfectly maintained medieval, Gothic paradise in which we enjoyed getting lost for a few hours.

From the steeples of St. Mary's Church, to the arches of Holstentor, the ciy's ancient gates, and finally culminating on the the cobblestone streets of its little alleys and enclosed yards, Lübeck was an ode to German Gothic architecture. The city's illustrious history as a key port in the Hanseatic naval empire meant that its rulers and denizens had a lot of money, and the results of centuries of investment (and mindful modern preservation and restoration) were visible wherever we went. We later found out the city is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and with good reason. 

Lübeck's Christmas market was also one of the best we have visited, with a wood-fired oven baking fresh breads, a myriad of little handmade gifts, and countless stalls serving all manner of German delicacies. We opted to try the ubiqutous German Eierpunsch here, a concoction many compare to eggnog with its combination of egg yolks, white wine, cinnamon & cloves, vanilla and citrus juice. We found it a bit revolting... and my apologies to all Eierpunsch lovers here. We also ate a big serving of fried potatoes with onions, and another dish of sauteed mushrooms with garlic. I'd be hard pressed to choose a favourite among the two. 

Lübeck favourite stops: St. Mary's Church, Holstentor, Lübeck's Christmas market, Lubeck Town Hall and surrounding areas. 

Lübeck favourite eats: We only spent a couple of hours in this city, and ate all of our foods at the Lübeck's Christmas market. However, we strongly encourage you to visit the Niederegger Marzipanerie, home to Lübeck's legendary marzipan shop and museum. You can stock up on typical Lübeckian marzipan in every German grocery store, so save your pennies and just enjoy the store's atmosphere - unless you want to buy one of the specialty products only available in the flagship store.

Potsdam

Our last day in Germany was spent in Potsdam, and specifically - in the beautiful German palace of Sanssouci (meaning, worry-free or no worries in French). Sanssouci was the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, who was a huge Francophile. It is often considered to rival Versailles, the French palace after which Frederick modeled his summer home. We loved exploring its every nook and cranny, and particularly loved the inlaid mosaic ceiling in its Grotto Hall. 

Though there are arguably many things to see and do in Potsdam, we spent our day in the palace and its gardens (which are evidently a lot more impressive in summer), and therefore can't recommend too much else in this city. Wanting to capitalize on our last chance to eat at a German Christmas Market, we grabbed dinner in Potsdam's Old Town Historical Christmas Market. It was a dinner of best hits, where I ate my favourite cooked salmon, F had a currywurst, and we both shared sides of potatoes and mushrooms.

I couldn't have been happier to end our trip on this note.

Postdam favourite stops: Naturally, Palace Sanssouci. Any of the Potsdam Christmas Markets would have been good, but we explored the Old Town Historical Christmas Market for its ease of access to our parking spot. The Bohemian Christmas Market sounds particularly charming!

Postdam favourite eats: We ate at the gigantic Potsdam Historical Chrismas Market, Blauer Lichterglanz.

In short, our Christmas in Northern Germany exploration was a magical combination of history, architecture, and great food. To see glimpses into a previous trip to Germany, look here. If you'd like to try your hand at making German food, check out my recipes for mulled wine, German roasted cauliflower curry bake, and spelt glazed cinnamon buns. This sauerkraut soup offers a German-inspired take on winter fare. I'm sure you'll fall in love with German food like I did. 

The post {TRAVEL} Christmas in Northern Germany, or my foodie guide for traipsing through Northern Europe around the holidays appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

My foodie guide this time focuses on the best coffee in Winnipeg: from the perfect micro-foam to the best danishes, Winnipeg's independent coffee shops are simply unforgettable.

To see more of my foodie travel guides, check out my travel section. For a focus on Winnipeg, check out some of the best new restaurants in Winnipeg guide and my Winnipeg-inspired beet latkes recipe.

The moment when...

There's that moment when you're standing in line at the counter, your hand reaching out to clasp around that long-awaited cup.

You can just feel the heat emanating through the sleeve, enveloping the tips of your fingers.

Sense the smell, wafting from your cup just as much as from the bags of coffee strewn all over the place.

Hear the clanking of a thousand little spoons on a thousand little cup edges, heralding the coming of that first sip.

And you feel secure with the knowledge that you are not alone in your love of coffee.

These are the markings of a good independent coffee shop: and in Winnipeg, you are never too far from an excellent cup of java.

This is my foodie guide for the best coffee in Winnipeg. What are your favourites?

Thom Bargen

Thom Bargen, 64 Sherbrook St, Winnipeg, MB R3C 2B3

When Thom Bargen opened down the street from my old apartment in Winnipeg, I knew it was love at first sight.

My first cup from Thom Bargen was purchased mid-fight with G, when I left our apartment in tears and in serious need of a pick-me-up... and then I discovered that I left my wallet at home.

Despite (and perhaps because of) my disheveled appearance, the guys behind the counter let me grab the two coffees to go on credit. I still credit Thom Bargen for saving my relationship on that day.

Parlour

Parlour, 468 Main St, Winnipeg, MB R2H 1E9

Parlour was the first independent third-wave coffee shop to open in the city, and in the eyes of many, it is still the best coffee in Winnipeg.

This minimalist shop has a clean, uncluttered look, strange opening hours and a limited menu, but the quality of the ingredients and the seriousness with which these guys take their coffee knows no equals.

Little Sister Coffee Maker

Little Sister Coffee Maker, 470 River Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3L 0C8

Buoyed by the success of big brother Parlour, Little Sister Coffee Maker opened less than a year later to a collective sigh of relief. 

With more seating space and a welcoming atmosphere, Little Sister offered Parlour's great coffee, with none of its pretentiousness.

Fools & Horses

Fools & Horses, 379 Broadway, Winnipeg, MB R3C 0T9

The new kid on the block of Winnipeg's indie coffee scene is Fools & Horses. With a decor slightly reminiscent of a Greek bath, this place is a stunner.

Add to it a decaf selection that has expectant hipster mommies squealing with joy, Fools & Horses is a beautiful reprieve from the busy professional life that will have you wishing you lived right around the corner.

Forth

Forth, 171 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0S1

The newest venture from the Parlour team, Forth is their biggest gamble - and it just may prove to be their biggest success.

The beautiful space on McDermot avenue is not just a coffee shop, but also a co-working office, an art gallery, a subterranean craft cocktails bar and a roastery.

In other words, it's a freelancer's wet dream. So if this gorgeous new space doesn't get your creative juices flowing, you just might be in the wrong business.

Cafe Postal

Café Postal, 202 Provencher Blvd, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0H3

The only independent coffee shop outside the Downtown-Osborne-West Broadway triangle, Café Postal has all the pizzaz and craftsmanship of its brothers (and sister).

It's located in the heart of Winnipeg's French area, and if you close your eyes and ignore the harsh Franco-Manitoban accent, you just might think you are in the 9th arrondissement.

The post {TRAVEL} My foodie guide to the best coffee in Winnipeg appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

On Easter / Passover weekend, we took a quick trip down to Quebec City for a bit of quiet time, a lot of meandering down cobblestone streets, and the best food the Quebec capital has to offer. These were our favourite finds, in my Quebec City Foodie Guide.

You can see other Foodie Travel Guides similar to my Quebec City Foodie Guide here, here and here. My entire travel section can be found here.

Day I: Quebec City

Our Quebec City Foodie Guide and roadtrip to Quebec City start with the best way possible: treats from my favourite Montreal gluten-free, vegan bakery, Audacieuse Vanille.

After that little pick-me-up, our first stop was at Trois Rivieres. The second oldest settlement in New France, the city went through a huge fire in 1908 that wiped out most of its original buildings (remnants of the original French architecture can be found at the Ursuline Monastery and the De Tonnancour Manor).

In Trois Rivieres, we stopped for a quick and dirty comfort-food lunch at Bureau Du Poste Trois Rivieres, where I stuffed myself with gluten-free chicken fingers before Passover starts. In hindsight, this meal was a bit heavy for my stomach, but if you're looking for a filling meal at an unbeatable price (each dish here is $5.95), this is a good place to stop.

Another two hours later, we were in Québec City - and officially ready to start our Quebec City Foodie Guide!! Beautiful and impressive as always, the impenetrable city met us with gloomy streets and drizzling skies... but none of that deterred from our enjoyment.

As this was not our first time in QC, we didn't spend too much time doing the usual touristy haunts (the Plains of Abraham, The Citadel, the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre shrine, Chateau Frontenac are among the top). Despite this, we went down to the Boardwalk and got caught in the drizzle.

We walked the cobblestones of Old Quebec and feasted our eyes on beautiful architecture. We traipsed in mud through the Citadelle grounds, making a convoluted path down to the city.

But above all, we dreamed of when we get to come home and curl up at the lovely Hotel Le Clos St. Louis, our home for the next two nights.

The Accommodations

Let me tell you about the Clos St. Louis. We found this charming little hotel on Groupon, when looking for affordable accommodations in the city. We compared it with Booking.com, my fave Airbnb, and Air Canada vacations. NOTHING came close in charm nor price, at least upon face value online. We booked our stay, and were cautiously optimistic. For a hotel located in the heart of Quebec City, how bad good it be?

Well, turns out it wasn't bad AT ALL. The location on rue St. Louis was superb, about 5 minute walk from the Chateau and the boardwalk. There was an all-day underground parking for $22/day no more than 3 minutes away. The little hotel, which has 18 rooms, is made up of two joined and converted family homes.

Everywhere you look there are antiques and portraits that make you feel as though you are among the descendants of that grand family, information about whom you can find in a booklet in the main lobby (we read it all. Nerds, I know).

Our room was cozy and sweet, and the newly renovated bathroom actually felt luxurious. The tall bed was so comfortable that I never wanted to leave it in the mornings, which made for some later starts to our day. And they even served a freshly made little breakfast, which had gluten-free options to boot.

All in all, I'd highly recommend Hotel Le Clos St. Louis for anyone coming to stay in Quebec City.

But now, let me tell you about my favourite part of our stay: the food (as you would expect from a Quebec City Foodie Guide).

The Food

We began our afternoon in Quebec City with a stop for tea at Maison Smith. A local coffee chain with outposts in L'Isle D'Orleans and Quebec City, they roast their own beans and serve Camellia Sinensis tea. The drinks were great and though the baked goods weren't spectacular, there were gluten-free options as well.

We got our treat a bit later, when we went down for dinner at the Saint Roche neighbourhood in Quebec City. An up-and-coming area that still retains a lot of its original charming grittiness, this neighbourhood is home to some of the best coffee and food in the city of Quebec. Dinner on both nights was here, and with time to kill on our hands, we naturally gravitated to a little bakery before our dinner reservation became available.

Little did we know, La Croquembouche is considered one of the top bakeries in the whole city. The only gluten-free treat they had left was one lone Black Forest Cake, and this confection of six layers of three kinds of chocolate and cherry cream was so divine, we nearly inhaled it.

The Dinners

Then, came dinner. And at one of our most awaited stops, it didn't disappoint one bit. Eating at L'affaire est ketchup was like listening to a modern, experimental symphony: surprising, ad-hoc, familiar but also falling flat at times - but overall, spectacularly comforting.

Entering the space feels like visiting your slightly nutty grandmother. The art is out-there, the books haphazardly filling the defunct fireplace space are in dire need of a dusting, but a pleasant aura of familiarity reins over it all like a warm shawl.

The waiters, who also double as kitchen staff during service, talk to you like an old friend. The chalk-scribbled menu is read and explained out-loud to the whole room in two languages in a slightly-louder-than-necessary voice, which, considering the fact there are only ten tables in the room, is really not that loud.

The wine is poured liberally. Champagne corks pop like you're at a 50-cent concert. Cocktails are expertly mixed upon requests, and local options for beers and cider and non-alcoholic sodas abound.

Everyone is focused on giving you a good time, just like when you come for a dinner party at a good friend's.

But of course, the real raison d'être here is the food. And with a HYPER, hyper-local menu (even the shrimp here was from Quebec) focused on comfort food favourites executed with a Quebecois flair and at a haute cuisine level, the food really is just exceptional.

We had the Nordic shrimp cold salad (with fresh bread and butter for F), and the sautéed wild mushrooms in a mountain of butter. Both were excellent. The shrimp were refreshing and delicious, speckled with fennel and thinly sliced cucumber, and melting in your mouth.

F raves about the shrooms, though I admit it's hard to wow a Russian with sautéed mushrooms (sorry, we make them better). Yet there were times when we looked at each other and thought - this is great, but is this it?

And then came our main: pan-fried trout, its skin perfectly fried to a crispy shell, its flesh falling apart at the merest prick of a fork. It rested on a bed of Puy lentils, cooked with little slivers of sautéed peppers and local tubers and came with a little pool of herbed cream that was simply... WOW. I'm not ashamed to admit - my palette loved every moment.

And then I got it, though of course I knew it before. Good food doesn't have to come on starched linens, or be entirely shocking and surprising. It can be just comforting, a homage to good local ingredients, and cooked on a home stove by two amazing chefs and served to you by a waiter who also likes to act as the town crier. And at L'Affaire est Ketchup, that's just enough.

This concluded our first day in Quebec City, and we made our way back to our lovely little hotel for a long, restful sleep.

Day II: Isle D'Orleans

The second day of our Quebec City Foodie Guide consisted of only my favourite things: great food, the great outdoors, and the company of my favourite person.

The Tourist Attraction

To start off, we headed towards one of Quebec's top natural wonders, the Montmorency Falls. A combination of early 20th century development and promising natural resources made this area a tourist hub, with falls taller than Niagara Falls. I have always wanted to visit them, and in the midst of Quebec's dreary early spring and early flooding, it was the perfect time to see the Falls in all their glory.

We visited the Falls and Montmorency Manor, learned some local history and marvelled at the miracle of nature and human ingenuity that created this magnificent display.

The Wineries

We spent the rest of our late morning and early driving around Isle D'Orleans, a lush island off the St. Lawrence river overlooking Chutes De Montmorency. We visited farms, wineries and cidreries (Cassis Monna & Filles , Vignoble Sainte-Pétronille and Cidrerie Verger Bilodeau).

I ate my body weight in confitures, while F tried ALL the ciders. We had a simple lunch at Resto Pub L'O2 L'Ille, which was a decent enough meal, though nothing to write a blog post about.

(If you're looking for other lunch recommendations, we were hoping to eat lunch at the Restaurant at Cassis Monna & Filles, but it was closed for the season; another highly recommended restaurant, La Goeliche, served only a prix fixe Easter lunch, which was a bit heavier than we were looking for at the time - though everything sounded good and I would recommend checking it out in the future).

Though this fabled agricultural paradise is definitely more abundant in the summer, we enjoyed everything that early spring had to offer - despite the mounds of snow still covering the ground.

Day II Dinner

Then came the best part of the day: dinner. For this night we went on a voyage to the far east, tasting the flavours of Thailand and Cambodia at Bati Bassac . We ordered the Table d'hote menu for one, and split it between the two of us (we weren't very hungry).

Between the Thai soup, fragrant spring rolls, The Bassac main (chicken and shrimp tin a sweet pineapple sauce) and the incredible dessert of sticky rice, passion fruit syrup and fresh fruit, we were swept on a journey of flavours.

We came out incredibly full and satisfied, and I highly recommend a visit to this place.

Day III: Drummondville

On our last morning, we celebrated Easter with lemon and pistachio macaroons and a vegan almond milk hot chocolate at Baguette et Chocolat. It felt like the perfect Easter weekend treat! We then went for one last walk in beautiful Old Quebec, our way to say goodbye to this historic city.

The Surprise Stop

On the drive back, we stopped for a meal of local flavours and ingredients at L'Odika Restaurant , a surprisingly cute little bistro in Drummondville. Tucked in a stripmall in this largely nondescript Quebec town, L'Odika was the perfect way to cap off our Quebec City Foodie Guide.

The restaurant relied heavily on local ingredients and products and most dishes were available in vegan and or gluten-free form (including a raclette! If you don't know what this is, you haven't lived).

With a juicy Beyond Meat burger on a gluten-free bun, a tempeh poke bowl and a luscious raspberry chocolate brownie for dessert, it was a perfect ending to my Quebec City Foodie Guide.

Then we came back to Montreal and were greeted with +20C temperatures. What could be better in life?!

Have you ever been to Quebec City? What were your favourite finds? What's missing from my Quebec City Foodie Guide? And how was your Easter/ Passover weekend?

Tell me all about it in the comments, drop me a line on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, or follow me on Pinterest to see what I'm craving and eating these days.

The post {TRAVEL} My Quebec City Foodie Guide appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

Last week, I spent a couple of days in Toronto, wining and dining my way through the city. I present to you my favourite finds from that week in my Toronto foodie guide.

No place was immune from my repertoire: from a smoked fish counter to one of the top restaurants in the city, I tasted some incredible dishes, at times of dubious provenance. I saw Toronto in a brand new light: lively, diverse, experimental. These were my favourite finds.

To see more of my foodie travel guides, check out my travel section. For a focus on Canadian cities, check out these pieces.

But first, I need to tell you something. I would love to tell you about the Olivier salad I made for Russian New Year's. I would love to tell you about the great, fast, simple curry G made last night. I would love to tell you about how after I wrote my last post, the one about intentions, I went out there and quietly, mindfully conquered the day.

But instead, I want to tell you about how I (almost?) got hit by a car that very same morning. On the way to work, In my attempt to catch a red light, I hurried through an intersection in direct antithesis to everything I committed to in my resolutions that very same morning. I let the morning rush get the better of me. I let myself forget about caution and intentionality.

---

An oyster stall at St. Lawrence Market

92-95 Front Street East, Toronto, ON

First off on my Toronto foodie guide is a mandatory stop at the St. Lawrence Market.

Though I have been to it countless times, I still love the tourist trap that is St. Lawrence Market. I love the mustard shop, G loves the famous bacon sandwiches, and together we like to stroll around the place unnoticed by the hundreds of other food gawkers.

If you ever find yourself looking for a lighter meal at St. Lawrence Market, or maybe you're on a paleo diet yourself, just head straight to the oyster stalls (there are two; I don't remember which I got mine from).

They will let you choose your oysters, crack them for you, and even give you some lemon wedges to go. Cheap and incredibly delicious.

Insomnia

563 Bloor St West, Toronto, ON 

The brunch at Insomnia is worth the wait. Their eggs benedict were really great, especially when had on the gluten-free rice cakes... But the chief delight at the meal are the spice-coated hash-browns: they are tomatoey, zesty and a bit spicy, and not at all what you'd expect from your run-of-the-mill breakfast potatoes.

Green Beanery Coffee

565 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON

While waiting for your table at Insomnia, we popped next door to Green Beanery for some coffee. We ended up liking it so much that G's dad, who was with us on this trip, got his breakfast there and gave up on Insomnia (a mistake, in my eyes). We then went back there the next day for more coffee. Fair trade and made with compulsory hipster disdain, the cups here are good and generous, for a very affordable price.

Ella's Uncle

916 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON

Some of the best coffee I've had in Canada was hiding at Ella's Uncle. We ducked in there while waiting for a table at legendary Saving Grace, which we never got into at the end, and were surprised by the cute atmosphere and the truly delicious brew. G went for the Red Ella, which included cayenne peppers and a double shot of espresso, and I got something with maple syrup... His was better. Oh, and he loved his chocolate chip cookie.

Sneaky Dee's

431 College St, Toronto, ON

Full disclosure: We walked in here in the middle of a huge fighting, red eyes puffed from crying. The last thing we wanted is a stuffy meal where waiters hover over you... And that's the last thing you'd get at Sneaky Dee's. It was grungy and large, anonymous enough that you could sit at your table and just have fun with you company, and the drinks were cheap and generous. We also ordered a serving of vegan nachos that was fairly decent, though I wouldn't come here just to eat it (mind you, the cheese topped nachos looked drool-worthy).

Fresh

326 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON

I own all the Fresh cookbooks, and have long been dying to eat here...  But my experience was a bit mixed. The Bloor location was a bit loud and impersonal, and I didn't feel comfortable or cozy. The food was delicious, but we really got the sense that they were trying to cram as many people as possible into a small location (which, given Fresh's popularity, is definitely likely). All in all, I wouldn't recommend it for a fancy meal, but I'd say this is a sold brunch/lunch/dinner option for a couple or a boisterous young bunch.

Fat Pasha

414 Dupont St, Toronto, ON

I tried Fat Pasha on a weeknight, and the place was packed to the brims (hence the terrible smartphone photos). They serve Middle Eastern, almost Israeli food, and though the prices are on the higher side, the food was spot on. Especially the smoked eggplant dip. We started the night with arak shooters, an experience I wouldn't wish upon anyone who doesn't truly love anise flavour - it's like getting punched in the face by a bowl of anise floral water. Nonetheless, this place is definitely recommended! Sitting at the bar here is also truly enjoyable.

Schmaltz

414 Dupont St, Toronto, ON

Schmaltz is a part of the Fat Pasha empire, yet it couldn't be further apart from the nightlife, slightly hipster atmosphere of Fat Pasha with its bold Israeli flavours. Schmaltz pays homage to old world Jewish delicacies, chief among them the smoked salmon it makes in-house. The bagels are excellent, and the eat-in lunches are very generous. Take note that this tiny place is often packed during lunch hour, so try going at a different time.... or get your food to go.

Airport food at Boccone

Toronto Pearson International Airport

One thing I didn't expect to include on this list would be an airport restaurant... Yet Boccone surprised me on all fronts. The house wine was crisp, the gardiniera salad generous and very well-balanced, and the overall atmosphere during the crazy Christmas flight schedule was actually enjoyable. The prices are typical of an airport restaurant - higher than they should be, but at least the food is good. I would be interested in checking out Boccone's city location, on Yonge St.

The post {TRAVEL} My Toronto foodie guide appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

As part of my decision to travel somewhere every month since September 2016, I went with three girlfriends for a week on the Island of Maui, Hawaii, in late January 2017. These are the photos and tales of my Hawaii adventures - and my budget-friendly Maui food recommendations.

Despite the seeming abundance of incredible, fresh produce, food in Hawaii can be expensive. The reason for that is that many products have to trek a long, long way to get to the islands - and anything that isn't produced or grown locally is actually rather pricey, in terms of dollars and greenhouse gas emissions. Hell-bent on enjoying an affordable vacation, my friends and I scoured blogs, racked the brains of our friends, and relied on a healthy dose of luck and Yelp! reviews to find the best cheap eats on the island of Maui. These are my favourite restaurants, coffee shops, fruit stands, DIY cheats and other budget-friendly Maui food recommendations that will help you feed yourself well for under $20 a day.

THE BIG CITY: Food around Kihei, Maui

Eskimo Candy Inc.

2665 Wai Wai Pl, Kihei, HI 96753, USA

There is nothing fancy about this little neighbourhood favourite, a dusty little hanger that looks like the home of a particularly tacky middle-aged fisherman and sells freshly caught local fish to go. Tucked alongside a slew of garages and garden wholesale centres, Eskimo Candy was closed every time we were in the neighbourhood - but when we finally made it a point to go there during their opening hours, it made it all worth the wait. The tuna-and-salmon mixed poké bowl here was fresh, aromatic and generous, topped with a piquante-sweet spicy mayo sauce and a savory seaweed salad that smelled like the sea and looked like the greenest grass. And at a price of under $10, this was some of the best store-bought poké I've ever had.

808 Grindz Cafe

225 Piikea Ave, Kihei, HI 96753, USA

We stumbled across 808 Grindz Cafe early morning of our first day in Maui, when we were ravenously hungry for breakfast and exhausted from a night of pitiful sleep. What looked like a grimy chain breakfast diner in the middle of a sleepy strip mall proved to be one of the best breakfasts I've ever had - the seafood omelette here was herbaceous, creamy, and full of some of the sweetest fresh crab meat on that side of the island. The potatoes on the side were perfectly seasoned with dried seasoning, bits of succulent onion and specks of garlic. The breakfast cost around $10, was entirely gluten-free, and, when slathered with hot sauce and paired with a Starbucks Americano, was as satisfying as only cheap food eaten out of styrofoam take-out container on the side of the road could be. 808 Grindz Cafe is the defition of budget-friendly Maui food!

Akamai Coffee

1325 S Kihei Rd Suite 100, Kihei, HI 96753, USA

Akamai Coffee is what hipster dreams and #instaready moments are made of. A light, airy space with white wicker hammocks hanging from the ceiling, it just invites you to grab a cup of almond milk cold brew and settle in with your Mac for a while. The coffee here is fresh, fruity and distinctly third wave.

Surfing Goat Dairy

THE SCENIC ROUTE: Food on the Road to Hana

Braddah Hutts

5305 Hana Hwy, Hana, HI 96713, USA

A food truck with rows of tables in front of it may not inspire foodie associations for most of you, but Braddah Hutts does one thing, and it does it extremely well - tacos. The choices are relatively limited (there was no strictly vegetarian option there when we visited) but the flavours are on point, the sauces are mouthwatering and the protein is cooked expertly and left succulent. One of the best options around this touristy region for excellent, budget-friendly Maui food. Have a lot of napkins on the ready for those slurping accidents.

Hana Harvest

800 Hana Hwy, Hana, HI 96713, USA

Nestled off the side of the Road to Hana, Hana Harvest differs from the million of other tourist-drawing fruit juice and coffee stands. First off, it comes with its own fairy light-strewn backyard; second, all food prepared and sold here is entirely local - from the vicinity of the island and preferably the Hana region; and third, the proprietors here couldn't be more charming. The prices are expensive, but do yourself a favour and try the affogato - it's what dreams are made of.

Fruit stands

Everywhere along the Road to Hana (and elsewhere on the island, but never as cheap as here) you will find little boxes with fruit lying in it. Sometimes they are wooden, sometimes they are metal, sometimes connected to a house, sometimes to a fence, and sometimes they're just plain old cardboard containers - but they always have some local choice fruit like citrus, avocado or mangoes for the lucky passersby. It took us a while to figure out how to pay for these, because you just leave your money! Most of these homemade fruit stands belong to typical Hawaiian families, and the honour system is the modus operandi on the island. So in the spirit of aloha, pay from the heart and enjoy your fruit.

• There are, of course, more traditional food stands that consist of a table with merchants behind it, and sometimes even some signage. These tend to be more expensive - though still cheaper than the stores, and the product is entirely local! We also had great luck with fruit sold from the back of trucks.

STOCKING UP: How to feed yourself anywhere on the island

CostCo

540 Haleakala Hwy, Kahului, HI 96732, USA

There is one secret to surviving in Maui for less than $20 a day without a properly operating kitchen: CostCo. The gas here is cheap, the fish is fresh and often local, the meat is as good as it's going to get and the liquor is so affordable, it might as well be given away: all the necessary requirements for budget-friendly Maui food. All other canned and dry products are also priced a lot more reasonably than in local stores, so we strongly encourage you to arm yourself with a CostCo membership and a cooler before your trip.

Times Supermarket

1310 S Kihei Rd, Kihei, HI 96753, USA

Times Supermarket is a local Hawaiian chain with outpost throughout Maui, but we only tried the Kihei location. The products here aren't cheap, but the prepared salads and raw poke bar is excellent and diverse. It's an easy way to stock up on some interesting poke preparations and try some local fish that you wouldn't have otherwise experienced.

For more of more Hawaii travel guides:

• my hawaii adventures: maui, day i + avocado and passion fruit tuna carpaccio
• my hawaii adventures: maui, day ii + the perfect cup of maui estate coffee
• my hawaii adventures: maui, day iii + black lava rocks, doggie kisses and letting it all soak in
• my hawaii adventures: maui, day iv + la perouse bay, and the beauty that is in the grotesque
• my hawaii adventures, day v

The post {TRAVEL} My Hawaii Adventures: My budget-friendly Maui food recommendations appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

Copenhagen is a riot of colour, modern architecture and design, is captivating in its Wild West approach to opportunities. Yet it's hard not to fall in love with both. This is my Copenhagen Foodie Guide, the first part to my tour of Southern Denmark and Sweden, or how to find the little gems and must-see sites and tastes in each of the twin cities.

It's hard to imagine a more perfect city than Copenhagen. Long winding streets full of little boutiques and hipster coffee shops, all gleaming with delicate yeasted pastries in their windows; rows of bicycles competing for space in the most orderly line, their seats a leather paean to comfort; colourful homes nestled tightly against another, adorned with flowerpots jostling for windowsill space. The enclave of Christiania lies in its heart like a gaping wound, a raw explosion of colour, grafitti, cannabis, art and music where misfits rule the day and barter and cash are king. And throughout it all, little canals connect Copenhagen's two parts, its harbour, and the Øresund Strait to the east.

This is my Copenhagen Foodie Guide to visiting this wonderful city and my favourite spots in it. If you've been to Copenhagen, I'd love to hear your thoughts - just leave a comment below or start a discussion on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Where we stayed

Our first Copenhagen adventure started two months prior, when F and I went online in search of affordable accommodations. Unlike Germany, where we had our pick of cute (and less cute) Airbnbs, Copenhagen seemed to be a wasteland for Airbnb. There were options, but the few that were downtown were priced so out of our reach that we quickly gave up on the option. Instead, we chose to stay in the Urban House Copenhagen, which had private rooms for about $120, and which we knew to be clean and quiet from a previous experience. Our room was clean though sparse, and the check-in procedure was simple. We also rented a bike for a full day, which turned out to be a great way to experience Copenhagen. What wasn't great was the lack of parking... We had no luck finding street parking and ended up parking in an underground lot. This experience cost us $84 for 24 hours, a shocking price that made us realize we would have been better off paying $200 for a nicer hotel with a parking spot. If you're planning on travelling to Copenhagen, I strongly advise you take parking costs into consideration.

Tivoli

The first stop we planned in Copenhagen was the magical Tivoli Gardens, which we visited at night. This was one of the most anticipated parts of our trip for me, and I won't be exaggerating when I say that it turned out to be one of the most enchanting places I have ever visiting. The shining lights, the Christmas-time decorations, the bakery with the quaint mechanical elves silently doing their work along the walls - it all added up to a place that felt like it had arisen from my favourite childhood novels. It all came to a perfect ending when we witnessed the light and music display over Tivoli Lake. We didn't get on a single ride, and I barely even noticed.

Host

Our big Copenhagen meal was to be at Host. Specializing in modern Nordic cuisine and set up in a historical red-brick Danish building, Høst is a work of art from its decor to the presentation of its plates. Sitting in the foliage-wrapped garden room and feeling like we were on a picnic in a fairy-filled Danish forest, our adventure in Høst began from the first amuse-bouche and continued through nine (!) courses down to the dessert of milk chocolate with cherries. We ordered the five-course $90 menu, making a special note of my gluten-free dietary requirement, and with all the free bites, the inclusion of service (we ended up adding a bit extra because the waiters were so attentive) and the incredible level of taste, it was one of the most affordable meals I've ever had at this caliber. Here is the Google review we wrote about it a year ago:

"Entering Høst is like stumbling upon your very own Nordic fairytale - enchanting, surprising, full of moss, twinkling lights and unexpected twists and turns. 

As you sit down in a dining room teeming with trees and simple iron-clad candles that invite you to make your way through the woods in search of adventure, it's impossible not to feel like the story is just beginning with the first surprise amuse-bouche (in our case, a rosemary bush studded with crispy cabbage and a bowl of mustard foam). From that first bite, your eyes open in bewilderment as you anxiously await the next surprise to hit your palette. 

And at Høst, the surprises just keep coming. From parsley oil served alongside specially-requested gluten-free bread, to fish swimming under a foamy cover of the most fragrant melted cheese, or a pre-dessert ice cream  that tastes of sour milk and cherries and days spent lazing by a Danish fruit orchard, we were constantly left guessing what else lay in store behind the doors of the Høst kitchen.

And like every good Nordic story, the journey into the minds of these chefs was also frightening at times. A bowl full of black lava rocks was the bedrest for a hollowed bone, the perfect receptacle for a single potato chip topped with the silkiest fish; splashes of sour cherry dust made our dessert look like the aftermath of an unfortunate encounter with a troll. And yet each bit, each allegory to a fairytale moment also felt like the warmest embrace - the true embodiment of Scandinavian hospitality. 

Høst was the adventure of a lifetime - one that we would gladly repeat again and again."

Downtown, Christianhavn and the canals

The next day, bright an early, F and I set out on our rented bikes to explore Copenhagen. We rode on the Cykelslangen, or Cycle Snake; continued past the open-air Havnebadet Islands Brygge, where people were bathing even in the deep of winter; stopped for coffee with whipped cream at Kafferiet in
Christianshavn; and then ended up parking our bikes for a stroll through Christiania (more on that later).

After our visit to Christiania, we continued along the canal to PapirØen - Copenhagen Street Food market. This hanger-housed streetmarket was a colourful gathering of little artisanal food halls offering the best bites from all over the world. We had a blast strolling through it and picking our favourites, finally settling on pulled duck with frites from Duck It (though a quick internet search now shows me I should have also tried the duck fat fries from Copper & Wheat). Alas, when looking for information on PapirØen now, I was disheartened to find it closed! But worry not, you can find many of the same incredible food stalls in the newly christened Copenhagen Street Food Market, Reffen. Don't skip this cornucopia of deliciousness on your next visit to Copenhagen. (If you're looking for the Netflix-famous Hija de Sanchez taqueria, this isn't the market it's at - you'll have to head to Torvehallerne, which we didn't do.)

Downtown, Christianhavn and the canals favourite stops:  Cykelslangen, Havnebadet Islands Brygge, the whole route along the canals.

Downtown, Christianhavn and the canals favourite eats: Kafferiet in
Christianshavn, Duck It, PapirØen (now Reffen).

Freetown Christiania

Under the famous helix spire of the Church of Our Saviour lies the entrance into Freetown Christiania. Arguably even more famous than Copenhagen itself, Freetown Christiania is the hippie enclave that declared itself a city-within-a-city, and which has been surviving under its own autonomous rule of anarchist law and order since 1971, when a group of hippies took over an abandoned army barracks and turned it into a squat.

First known for its Green Lights District - a zone where cannabis was once freely, though not exactly legally, sold - Christiania has since become known for its permissive politics, its absolute insistence on pacifism and the lack of violence, and the uninhibited atmosphere it provides for artists, musicians and writers to create all kinds of work. Christiania is home to 850 people, including old hippies, families and young people, runaways and those seeking to permanently follow an alternative lifestyle. We were there during the morning, and we were quite low on cash, otherwise we would have been happy to try a sampling of the many restaurants and cafes available here, all for comparably low prices (however, cards weren't accepted anywhere that we've seen).

I personally loved the atmosphere of freedom and lack of rules in Freetown Christiania, even if I got a serious headache after a 2-hour walk through it. If you don't feel comfortable wandering around here by yourself or simply would like more context, there are $10 60- to 90-minute guided tours of Christiania running daily at 1pm and 3pm from late June to the end of August, or 3pm on weekends only from September to late June. Tours set out from just inside Christiania's main entrance on Prinsessegade.

Freetown Christiania favourite stops:  Church of Our Saviour, anywhere your heart desires (we just went wandering around and loved exploring the different nooks and crannies).

Freetown Christiania favourite eats:  Morgenstedet and Grønsagen for vegans;  Månefiskeren for coffee; Spiseloppen for everything else; and Bastionen + Løven and Restaurant 56° for higher-end Danish and Nordic cusine.

Nyhavn

One of Copenhagen's most famous sites (and sights) is Nyhavn. The original port of Copenhagen, this 17th century site has become a colourful banner for the city and one of the most recognizable tourist attractions around. The good news is that it's just as cute and picturesque as you'd imagine; the bad news is that it's crawling with tourists and on warm days can become almost untraversable. That being said, I would still recommending a visit here, albeit brief.

Original Noma

After our delicious lunch at Duck It, F and I continued on our bikes down towards Nyhavn. On the way there, we came across an unexpected bonus: the original building that housed one of the world's most lauded restaurants, Noma. I got a special kick out of seeing this picturesque location, enjoying the views of the boats, and imagining myself dining in this Michelin-starred establishment. Since our visit, Noma 2.0 has reopened in another location, and I hope that one day I will be lucky enough to visit it!

Kastellet

The Copenhagen Citadel is one of the world's best preserved fortresses, an impressive star-shaped fortress that was built in 1626 to guard the Danish King Christian IV. Today, it houses military barracks and offices, an arguably less impressive task... But the area of the Kastellet provides a beautiful walk and is considered one of the city's best green spaces.

The Little Mermaid Statue

Just past the Kastellet was another of my anticipated sights: the statue of Hans Christian Andersen's most famous creation, the Little Mermaid. Andersen was a prolific Danish author who is responsible for an absurd (Wikipedia states it as 3381!) number of the world's most well-known fairytales, including a few of my favourite: The Little Match Girl, The Snow Queen and, of course, the heart-breaking Little Mermaid (any relation to the Disney classic is completely accidental). Having shed a fair number of tears over the pages of Andersen's books, and imagined the Little Mermaid's likeness a myriad of times, standing next to the famous statue was a special experience that the child in anyone would have appreciated.

Kobenhavn K

The last part of our bike tour through Copenhagen was Kobenhavn K, the oldest part of Copehagen (you may also be interested in checking out the other Kobenhavn K, a fabled vintage shop).

The impressive Amalienborg Palace is home to Denmark's royal family, and the actual place where the current queen still resides. We happened upon it just in time for the changing of the guard ceremony, and stood in awe for a few minutes as the perfectly coordinated soldiers did their rounds (well, F stood in awe - I was too busy snapping photos).

We cycled past Frederiks Kirke (Frederik's Church), also known as the Marble Church for its impressive marble-clad interior. As the sun's rays bounced off the church's magnetic copper rooftop, I took in a breath and caught a moment to appreciate all the beauty we had witnessed in just a short day.

Mountain Dwelling & 8 House

After returning our bikes to our hostel, F and I continued in the car to our two last sights in Copenhagen: Bjarke Ingels' creations, Mountain Dwellings and the 8 House.

First learning of Bjarke Ingels and his works on the Netflix show Abstract, we immediately fell in love with the unique creations that manage to balance clean Danish design with nature, modern comfort and the illusive concept of hygge, normally absent in modernist design. We were excited to see them in person during our visit to Copenhagen.

A short drive from the city, Mountain Dwellings is a suburban project unlike any other. It consists of 80 apartments spread across 11 floors, all of which have their own backyard and parking spots. How is that possible, you'd ask? By placing the entire building atop of a giant parking garage. As the floors climb up and apartments scale the diagonally sloping roof, they create an artificial, south-facing 'mountainside' where each apartment has its own secluded corner of vegetation. Oh, and each apartment's "bakcyard" also comes with a built-in roof garden, with plants changing in accordance with the seasons. The gardens are watered through a huge central watering system, thus reducing the risk of eyesores and uncared-for spaces. Seeing this in person was truly humbling, and believe me that my explanation does not do the project justice.

Next, it was onto the 8 House. Similarly to Mountain Dwellings, here the Bjarke Ingels Group has once again played with definitions of private/public space, green space and continuity / infinity. The 8 House is akin to a long racetrack that curves into the shape of a bowtie, 61,000 sqm in size, allowing people to bike all the way from the street up to its 10th level penthouses alongside terraced gardens. It's a mixed-use project that takes a traditional neighbourhood and flips it on its head. Rather than having all the ingredients of a vibrant urban block lined neatly side-by-side, the 8 House "stacks all ingredients of a lively urban neighborhood into horizontal layers of typologies connected by a continuous promenade and cycling path up to the 10th floor". One can walk the length of the entire "neighbourhood" without ever entering an elevator, or even getting off their bicycle. In the heart of it all is one giant communal courtyard where neighbours actually - gasp! - have contact with one another.

Suffice to say, I was mightily impressed with both projects - and I'm sure it comforts you to know I have interests other than food.

Now, if you've made it to the bottom of this lengthy post, once thing is clear - I truly enjoyed my visit to Copenhagen. This lively, modern city is full of idiosyncrasies and opposites, low and high class moments, old and new buildings and interior spaces that are just as green as any forest. It's a dense, compact urban centre that can be seen in one very full day, or taken in slowly over the span of a week. If you're looking for a modern European city that is as inspiring as it is delicious, Copenhagen is it.

Have you been to Copenhagen? Planning a trip there yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments below, or join the discussion on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

The post {TRAVEL} My Copenhagen Foodie Guide appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

Fall, with its crown of fiery foliage, ripe blood-red apples and sweater-perfect weather, is the best time to explore the Quebec cider route. Stretching from the north to the south, cidreries and wineries dot the landscape as far as the eye can see - and a day's drive can open you up to a world of flavours, en francais.

The first time I met the man who would become my husband, he took out his phone, showing me the locations of Quebec's cider route and top cider breweries, and said, "Maybe this fall, when it's apple picking season, I can take out a car and we'll go." I looked at him and thought, "well, maybe this one could work."

It only took us a year, three seasons and a joint house purchase to actually get there, but it's the thought that counts? Yet now that we have done the Quebec cider route, in two different trips, I'm here to report to you on what I think are Quebec's top cider breweries (or "cidreries," as they're known here). So now that it's fall and the perfect season to visit, pour yourself a tall glass of chilled cider, sit back and start Google mapping your next vacation.

THE SOUTHERN REGION: Circuit de Paysan

Located south of Montreal and running largely within a 20-minute drive from the U.S. border, Le Circuit de Paysan (the Farmer's Circuit) is a large region encapsulating some stunning hikes and especially fertile lands. A number of top-tier Quebec cidreries are nestled here, alongside farms, wineries and apple-picking orchards. A trip to this region can take half a day, and include within it some top Quebec cider route landmarks, including the birthplace of ice cider.

Domaine NEIGE

617 Route 202 est, Hemmingford, QC J0L 1H0

Though it is not the first cidrerie to open in the region, the inventor of ice cider is perhaps the gem in the crown of this beautiful route. Rebranded today as Domaine Neige, this beautiful cider house and adjacent family home was for years known as the  La Face Cachée de la Pomme (the Hidden Face of the Apple). Now famous for its slender bottles and snowflake logo, the Neige ice cider has won many awards the world over. Yet even more inspiring than the range of ice ciders on offer is the house's commitment to sustainability, artisanship and community involvement - Domaine Neige's winter harvest is a celebration for nearby residents, who are invited to take part in the picking, but also the feasting, drinking and overall merriment. Our favourite sips here was the rose wine and the house amber. We were also impressed that Domaine Neige offers many unique products that could only be purchased on location.

Cidrerie du Minot

376 Chemin de Covey Hill, Hemmingford, QC J0L 1H0

Cidrerie du Minot's roots date back to the 19th century, with a history of cider making that starts in Bordeaux, France. Visitors to the property can even see the original 19th-century apple press that the current owner's great-great-great-grandmother received as a wedding gift. But you wouldn't guess any of it by tasting the Cidrerie du Minot's most well-known product, Mystique cider, the most popular sparkling cider sold in the province, and a markedly modern, fun drink that is perfect for the hottest days of the year. If you're familiar with Mystique, however, it is no reason to skip the rest of the delicious discoveries on offer here - and especially our favourite Cremant de Glace, a 58-time award winning ice cider that is produced in winter through the cryoextraction process, which consists of freezing apple must in barrels outside and then extracting sweet, flavourful and concentrated syrup that is then fermented into the finished product.

Vergers Écologiques Philion

389 Route 202, Hemmingford

Closed on the initial day of our visit, Vergers Ecologiques Philion nonetheless deserves a worthy mention on our list. This organic farm is hyper-focused on one thing, and one thing only: great apples. Visitors can take a leisurely pick through a few apple and pear varieties, enjoying a true day on the farm. Philion then turn their ecological fruit into two ice ciders, one apple, one pear, as well as a host of apple goodies, including homemade apple pies and jelly, offered for sale during harvest time alongside maple and honey products from right here in the region.

Where to eat: 

Local goat cheese makers Fromagerie Ruban Bleu or the Swiss-inspired Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser both provide excellent options for sampling fine local cheeses, along with a slew of other delicious products like scrumptious spreads and breads.

The Montérégie cider route

The ultimate, northern Quebec cider route is home to 12 cidreries, some of them world-famous. Local farms, apiaries and cheesemongers dot the landscape between them, offering a world of tastes to complete the perfect culinary journey through Quebec's original cider region. 

Cidrerie Michel Jodoin

1130 Rang, La Petite-Caroline, Rougemont, Quebec J0L 1M0

Cidrerie Michel Jodoin was one of the original cidreries to receive a public license in Quebec in 1988 - yet its origins date back much further, with illegal cider brewed on the premises since the early 1900s. Today, Cidrerie Michel Jodoin is now a (legal) powerhouse with an incredible range of products. From its attention-grabbing, graphic aluminum single-serve bottles to its own impressive line of spirits (mistelle, vermouth and brandy are only some of the liqueurs on offer), Michel Jodoin is a household name in Quebec - and now, the world over, thanks to its unique naturally rose-coloured ciders, made from the red-fleshed Geneva apple. A fun fact is that the cidrerie is home to a stunning walking route you can take even if you're not interested in cider - or if you need to walk off a few too many tastings. 

Coteau Rougemont

1105 La Petite-Caroline, Rougemont, QC J0L 1M0

With its picture-perfect background of rolling hills, the family-owned Coteau Rougemont would make a beautiful setting for a wedding. It's a good thing its wine and cider selection is good enough to accompany this lady's catering! Though we enjoyed the entire selection of still, sparkling and ice ciders on offer, our favourites were the pear ciders. Come here for lunch, grab a cheese and charcuterie plate and a bottle of your favourite sparkling, and enjoy an al-fresco meal from one of the picnic tables available on the property, overlooking nearby orchards and grapevines.

Domaine de Lavoie

100 Rang de la Montagne, Rougemont, QC J0L 1M0

Driving past an entrance lined with apple trees and grape vines, the red rooftops of Domaine de Lavoie paint a picturesque scene of bucolic idyll. Though their ciders are great, the standouts for us were the Effehl, the fortified Trappeur Cider (an aperitif to be had by a crackling fire if ever there was),  and the fortified cider. And with a great range of wines and even beers to choose from to boot, Domaine de Lavoie really tries to have something for everyone visiting. 

Where to eat: 

Au Gre de Champs is a little piece of paradise at the foot of a large farm range. With a range of fine, locally produced cheeses, available for snacking in the form of a formidable cheese board that will leave no one unsatisfied, this is the perfect ending to a beautiful tour of Quebec's cider route. After you've eaten, we recommend following the short path to the forest in order to enjoy the scenery - and maybe check out the latest litter of piglets. 

The post {TRAVEL} My guide to the Quebec Cider Route appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

John's of Bleecker Street

278 Bleecker St, New York

First opened in 1929, John's boasts an old-fashioned brick oven, and those booths you carve your name into for posterity (there are thousands of names already scribbled into the wood, so feel no shame about adding yours to the list). Despite it's prodigy, this place is laid back, affordable, and friendly - a true institution. And the taste? There are no words to describe how much we enjoyed these slices: thin, with just the right amount of cheese and a generous amount of sauce, they were perfect NYC-style pizza. The only problem I had was the bad light; that's why pretty much the only testimony that remains of this NYC wonder is this blurry photo of me having a food orgasm.

Ippudo Westside

We arrived at Ippudo Westside, conveniently located a five-minute-walk away from our Airbnb, after a very unsatisfying night trying to find a place to eat after missing our dinner invitations at Dirt Candy. We were full of gross pizza, cranky, and a little wet from the piles of snow still on the sidewalks in March. And then, there Ippudo Westside was, with its beckoning centre bar table and small side tables for group, the watiers shouting in Japanese as you walk in, and the most flavourful ramen broth I've ever had in my life - and to make it even more impressive, it was vegan! It's on the pricier side, and a bit hipster... But the food is delicious, so give it a try.

Sylvia's

328 Malcolm X Blvd, New York

Recommended by every travel guide, Sylvia's in Harlem really is the haven of soul food they make it out to be. The price of brunch includes a drink, two eggs, the most butter-laden grits Paula Deen could make, and perfectly cooked eggs. You also have to try the homemade hot sauce. And if you come after 12pm on Sunday, you'll also get a gospel concert... But I would recommend avoiding the crowds and coming earlier (save your gospel for Red Rooster - more on that to come).

Red Rooster

310 Malcolm X Blvd, New York

Just a few doors down from Sylvia's is Red Rooster, Chef Marcus Samuelsson's hyped Harlem-revival, '20s style restaurant. Though we didn't eat there, but only had drinks on the bar while listening to their incredible Sunday gospel show, I have to say the place seems legit: jars of pickles and strange alcoholic infusions line the walls, there are no tables left to be had, and people were genuinely licking their fingers after finishing their fried chicken. And for what it's worth, the drinks were incredible.

12 Chairs Cafe

56 Macdougal St, Brooklyn

Strongly recommended to us as one of the best dining experiences a fellow foodie has had, ever, I had high expectations of 12 Chairs Cafe, the Brooklyn outpost of the Manhattan original. The Israeli decor, Hebrew street signs, and all-Israeli staff also instilled confidence. But the breakfast food, in truth, fell short of the mark; however, I would still urge you to try the original 12 Chairs in Downtown Manhattan, and let me know how you liked it.

Candle 79

154 E 79th St, New York

I have owned the Candle 79 cookbook for many years, always planning on cooking things from it and then resorting to making carrot-ginger soup (which is, by the way, amazing). Understandably, I was looking forward to trying this place, even on a full stomach, and it did not disappoint. We started with the vegan seitan nachos, and my meat-eating boyfriend was blown away. We then had the mezze platter, and I wouldn't recommend that again... But only because it was just great and not out-of-this-world. I will definitely be coming back here for a fuller meal.

Jacob's Pickles

509 Amsterdam Ave, New York

Jacob's Pickles may now be my favourite restaurant in New York. First off, they have a wide-selection of homemade pickles that you can try in a sampler. Second, they make ridiculously good biscuits. Third, this was where I tried my first sunny-side up egg, and I liked it. Fourth, the drinks here are genuinely knock-outs, each one. And fourth, when my dress ripped on one the restaurant's chairs, our drinks were comped and I was given a free Jacob's Pickles shirt - and if that's not hospitality, I don't know what is.

Gimme Coffee

This Brooklyn-based brewer and coffee shop had the best brew we tried in all of Brooklyn. Strongly recommended.

Honourable mentions:

• Sweetgreen - with an ever-changing menu based on what's fresh at the market, this place is a hipster's and locavore's heaven... But with a beautiful decor, a cafeteria attitude, and reasonable prices, it seemed like a great place to grab lunch. Sadly, we arrived there extremely full and just couldn't bare to eat another bite.
• Bouchon Bakery - The baked goods at the Rockefeller Centre location were every bit as amazing as you'd expect from Thomas Keller's cafe. 'Nuff said.
• Barcade - Nice beers on tap, a carefree environment and some old-school video games made this place G's favourite bar in Brooklyn.. And because the machines accepted Canadian quarters, he got a discount. Bonus.

The post {TRAVEL} My favourite New York eats appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.

• Don't compare yourself to others. We are all already filled with self doubt, and comparison will only lead us to a spiral of despair - Deb Perelman, Smitten Kitchen, FBC 2016 keynote speaker.
• Do ONE THING every day. Whether it's photographing, or writing, or posting on Instagram, or just eating a bowl of oatmeal, if it feels like it's getting you closer to where your goal is, do it. Every single day. - Dennis Prescott (Eat Delicious), Joel MacCharles and Dana Harrison (Well Preserved, Batch)
• There will be days in your life when you feel like you're not where you want to be... But you're not where you were, either. - Dennis Prescott.
• If you're into photographs...
  • Photograph something other than food, but do it for yourself. Not for IG, not for your mom. For you. For your craft.
  • Take a step back from your subject. Up close and personal is fine sometimes, but for variety's sake, try foodscapes. Set a high aperture, use a tripod and shoot the hell out of your scene.
  • Move around your subject before you decide what is the best angle to shoot it. Don't get complacent.
  • Use odd rather than even numbers of props in photographs. It will ALWAYS create a more dynamic scene.
  • Create contrast and break apart groups of the same - or similar - colour.
  • Have things peeking out of the frame.
  • Add the human element - a hand, a just-used napkin, crumbs. It helps create movement, and is especially crucial with smartphone photography.
  • Empty space is your friend. Helps lead the eye to where you want it to go.
  • People view images from top left corner to bottom right. Remember that when planning your layout.
  • Identify "The Drip" moment - the perfect imperfection in your shot.
• Make friends. Create connections. You never know when you're going to need them. - Pretty much everyone at FBC2016.
• There is a story in everything. Don't be afraid to reach out, explore and tease it out. - Shayma Saadat, Spice Spoon.
• Think of your Proust moment - what made you want to come? Your North Star - what is your goal? Always remember why you're doing it all. - Shayma Saadat, Joel McCharles and Dana Harrison.
•  Writing a cookbook is damn hard work. However long you think it's going to take, triple that and that add about 1,000 hours of emotional anguish on top of it. And then think again of whether you really, really, really want to do this. - Zoe Maslow, Appetite by PenguinRandom House
• Sometimes, you have no idea where life is going to lead you. You may think you have the job of your dreams... until one day you wake up in the morning and discover that it's become anything but. - Claire Tansey, former food editor for Chatelaine and author of upcoming cookbook Uncomplicated.
• Sometimes, you think you know what your dream job is. And you work and you work and you work for it. And then, you discover you are actually exactly where you need to be. - Noelle Chorney, Amazon in the Kitchen and Tall Order Communications.
• Never stop dreaming, for dreaming is a form of planning. - Me, based on this weekend and on Gloria Steinem.

What do you think? Have you learned anything new about your passions and dreams lately? I'd love to hear your lessons!

I took part in Food Bloggers of Canada FBC2016 as a volunteer. I received no monetary compensation in exchange for this post, and as always, all opinions expressed here are my own; you can always expect me to be honest with you guys!

The post Things I learned at FBC2016 appeared first on At the Immigrant's Table.