Now that we are back in the United States, we have been missing all of the food that we experienced during our time in Europe. We are strong advocates of trying a variety of foods when you are travelling, even if it takes you out of your comfort zone at times. We wish that there were more family owned, local, farm-to-table restaurants here for us to enjoy like when we were travelling. We haven’t had the opportunity to try and replicate any of the meals that we tasted since we aren’t in our new home yet, but we are looking forward to trying to capture the essence of some of those dishes. It wasn’t just about trying the local food, but sometimes simply about going into a small restaurant with authentic food from another region of the world. At the end of the day, what mattered most was the love for the food and the seasonally fresh ingredients.

When looking for a restaurant, don’t always just go to the ones on the main streets of the tourist locations. Look for restaurants on the smaller side streets, talk to the locals and find out where they eat, read the menus and be inspired to give a place a try just based on the food that they offer. We were able to find many truly unique restaurants during our travels and each of them had their own worldly charm. The ambiance of the places can definitely add to the overall experience, whether it is the artwork or photos on the wall, the lights, stained glass windows, etc. We will continue to do our best to experiment with new places and look forward to finding places here in the US that have that same commitment to food, service, and atmosphere.