Experience Places Through the Food

On March 22, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Recipes1 Comment

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.

Brazen Head Pub – The Oldest Pub in Dublin, Ireland

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.

The Food of Tuscany

On March 15, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Italy, Recipes8 Comments

To say that the food of Tuscany, at least Florence and Lucca where we ate, is delicious is an understatement. What makes it so good? Fresh ingredients, fresh pasta, and a true love for food. You can expect to find authentic, brick-oven, fire-roasted pizza and a wonderful variety of pasta dishes. What you shouldn’t expect is to find dishes that you have never heard of and are not sure of what they are. Authentic Italian food can be found throughout the world and it seems to be one of the few cuisines that has exported itself without losing its fundamental roots. The difference, as we have said, is the attention to detail and the use of the freshest ingredients.

There is something about the tomatoes and herbs that are grown in Tuscany that seem to truly make a difference. Despite the fact that there were so many pasta dishes available, we tended to gravitate towards fresh seafood and items that might be a little more unique. Throughout Europe, we found that food was always prepared using what was in season and not just a set menu that was served throughout the entire year. We truly enjoyed the wonderful food that we tasted during our time there and will measure all Italian meals in the future against these wonderful creations.

The Food of Romania

On February 1, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes, Romania20 Comments

No matter where we visit, one of the important things for us is to taste the traditional foods of the region. Visiting Romania was no exception and we asked all of the locals that we met what foods we should eat while we were there. We were able to try the greatest variety of food while we were in Brasov, but we understand that these were typical meals that could be found throughout the country. What we heard over and over again was that we needed to try the polenta with a spicy pepper as well as the cabbage rolls, so we definitely wanted to give that a try.

Stuffed Cabbage and Grape Leaves with Polenta

Pork dominated most menus, but there plenty of other choices as well. We did find that most meals did not utilize a lot of spices, although they were almost all hearty in nature. There are definitely influences from countries throughout the region, so it should be no surprise that we found treats like Baklava on various menus in addition to those unique to Romania. One of the more interesting meals that we ate was a pork loin filled with goat cheese and spinach with a black currant sauce.

Our photos will not do the food true justice, but we did enjoy trying some of the various dishes from Romania. At some point, when we have a chance, we will likely try to recreate some of these on our own, but we will likely tweak them a little to include a few more spices.