One day/walking/history tour we took took us past a farmers market where I are the best pie-thing ever. It was a chicken pot pie with spinach inside topped with sliced potatoes (of course…it’s Ireland) and sliced almonds. There was a lovely glaze finish on top and it was served with a delicious chutney made from tomatoes, raisins and cumin. I think the chutney could have used more spice, but the locals don’t eat almost any spice.

Water’s tagline is “a pint’s a pound the world around.” I think Guinness’ tagline should be “a pint’s a pound…just drink it you clown.” it really does taste better at the source in case anyone was wondering…and so light! I want the beerlines in the picture below installed in my house instead of water.

Jameson was great too, but I do love my scotch above all else. Still, it was great to see a whiskey distillery for the first time.

I went on this trip with one of my best friends and the goal was to just relax ad see the sights. If you cant relax in Amsterdam, there’s something wrong…I’ll just leave it at that. Surprisingly, there were some nice food bites I tried, which I would like to share.

I’ll start by exclaiming my appreciation for delicious cheese. There are not that many small scale cheese makers in the Dutch countryside, but the ones who exist do it right. I visited a farm that made those funny wooden shoes AND cheese — crazy I know. The smoked gouda was incredible, and the maker claimed it he ages it and stores it without the need for refrigeration at any point…pretty incredible.

After a few days of wandering around, it was my birthday in early June, so we decided to go all out on a crazy dinner. We went to De Kersentuin, under Chef Michel van Dijk. The cuisine was very good and quite playful…

Amuse Bouche of mint-gel shot, something with yogurt chips (here’s where my memory fails me!), and watermelon puree with some creme.

Next were scallops with brown-butter cauliflower on top of a parsnip (i think) puree with frisee salad and baby shrimp

Alongside we ordered a seafood (don’t remember if it was crab or lobster) salad served between slices of watermelon within pepper wafers served with a few drops of a cream or yogurt sauce. I remember this was excellent, ad surprisingly the dish did not fall apart when I tried to cut it as I thought it would.

The next dish I remember very well — a deconstructed lobster ravioli with a lobster broth. Honestly the way the “wrapper” sort of gelatinized and stuck to the fork, I would leave it. But the lobster and the broth were phenomenal.

Next was a grilled filet of fish — sorry again I forget which kind, but it looks like it could be branzino (I doubt it though because I don’t see the black flecks) or tilapia? Who knows. It was served with a great butternut squash puree topped with white asparagus and halved peas and I believe some potato-type poppers (taro, other root veggie?).

The last dish was duck. I don’t really have to say more than that because…well, I love duck, so it was great. Port wine sauce reduction with the same squash puree and potato thing tied it to the other main.

There was a palette cleanser and desert which was a bonbon shell with cherries and ice cream inside and a dusting of
Pistachio on the rim. When they brought it out they poured a hot strawberry soup on top, which melted the shell thus revealing the treat inside. I do remember the waiter spilling the first batch on his hand and burning his arm — ouch!

All in all a great experience and talented chef. The other cool meal we had was called rijkstable or rice table. We ate at Sama Sebo on Hobbemastraat near the Van Gogh museum. This type of meal is basically a flat fee and they bring you every dish on the menu. It was pretty ridiculous. Everything was delicious and we were too hungry for me to diarize what I ate. I remember I really liked their version of chicken stay with a spicier peanut sauce.

Right side, left side, composed dish how you’re supposed to eat it.

While I still love walking under the glittering lights of New York, I’ve come back from my travels with a greater sense of understanding of what food means to different people. To the starving, it’s eating to live; to the uninterested, it’s eating not to be hungry; to the glutton, it’s living to eat; and to the passionate, it’s art. A true higher form of expression condensing emotions, thoughts and technique into a single presentation piece. My preference is some precarious balance between artsy food and a delicious, fragrant mess…