Delicacies

• The Most Authentic Bolognese June 24, 2015 Dragan Petric Bologna, Italy Delicacies

  It only happened a few times that while travelling through Europe, we had a connecting flight with a long layover in Bologna. The city’s airport is tidy and pleasant, but just like the city itself – small. If you are trapped here for a few hours, you will be bored to death and, what is even worse, you won’t have anything to eat.

  Isn’t it crazy being hungry in Italy?

  If you are condemned to a layover in Bologna, don’t even think about it for a minute, but take a taxi to the city center. The ride takes only about 15 minutes (even during the day) and costs a reasonable sum of 15 euros. Now that you are in the center of Bologna, do the only reasonable thing – have the authentic Bolognese, the best in the world! Do it even if you happen to be in Bologna for any other reason. Bolognese in Bologna – it can’t be bad!

  Actually, it can if you don’t approve of the suitable restaurant in which you will have the meal. The best domestic dishes are always prepared in small and unseemly restaurants, where tourists don’t frequent, only the home folk and we are here to reveal the best place in Bologna.

• They Eat Scorpions In China May 14, 2015 Dragan Petric Beijing, China Delicacies

  There are some things in life you are positive you’d never do, even though you know some people do. When you are in a situation where there is a possibility of you doing them after all, remember that one day you’ll be old, sick and won’t even be able to fart without the help of your grandkids.

  You’ll only be able to tell them stories and if you have nothing to tell because you lived a life in a bubble, then apart from being old, you’ll also be boring. The worst combination. I, for example, am sure my grandkids will never find me boring, because I’ll tell them how I ate a deep-fried scorpion skewer.

  Of course, this happened in China, in the capital Beijing to be precise, where there is no animal under the Sun which these folk are not prepared to eat, especially if some type of poisonous and hideous creature is in question. Even though this was a surprisingly tasty dish, I managed to compromise my health by being careless…

• Payne’s BBQ – The Birthplace of Chopped Pork February 18, 2015 Dragan Petric Memphis, USA Delicacies

  When Flora Payne got married, she says she just wanted to be the best mother she possibly could. Along the way, she has become one of the leading barbeque cooks in the state of Tennessee. Her husband owned Panye’s Bar-B-Q in Memphis, not so far from the famous Elvis Presley Blvd and Graceland. When he died, she took over the restaurant and, as they say, the rest is history.

  The restaurant is nothing fancy. Actually to say it is quite simple would be an understatement and judging by the exterior (and interior) of the joint – one would hardly ever wish to enter the place. This is exactly why you should go here! The succulent barbeque sandwiches, ribs and other item served at Payne’s BBQ are sheer culinary delights. The meat is cooked slowly over charcoal, like most barbecue restaurants do it, but the sweet, tangy sauce (mild or hot) accentuates the taste of the meat and dances across the taste buds like a ballerina.

  The restaurant opened in 1972, but prior to that, it was a service station. Locals have been eating here ever since, without the invasion of tourists visiting the nearby Graceland. If you have a car while you are in Memphis – do exactly as we did: go here for the best meal in the city after your visit to the holiest place in America… Payne’s is simply the best BBQ in the city and since Memphis is considered the birthplace of BBQ (and not only the rock’n’roll), it’s – obviously – the place where you will be able to eat the best BBQ in the world…

• The Most Creative Burgers In The World February 14, 2015 Dragan Petric Las Vegas, USA Delicacies

  I must admit, it took me a long time to understand why someone would pay 15, 20 or more dollars for a hamburger, when the Double Whopper is tasty and satisfying enough and you can get it at Burger King for just a few bucks, i.e. even less if you eat at an unfamiliar chain. Burgers are fast food and I don’t care what sort of ambience I’m sitting in while eating it – I surely don’t expect it to be served at a wonderfully decorated table with a well-assembled wine list to complete the experience.

  Still, there are places where you can enjoy a burger at a significantly higher level than just a sheer need for speedy hunger satisfaction. The best example is the Hard Rock Cafe chain, where you can enjoy burgers – throughout the world – with good music, good beer and cocktails and recognizable side dishes that change the perception of such a meal in a highly entertaining way. When away on business, I’ll always choose such a place over boring McDonald’s or Burger King restaurants.

  If you happen to be one of the newly-established fans of quality and creative burgers, the so-called burger snob, then you surely shook your head at the mention of my favorite Hard Rock Cafe, with indignation and contempt. You are the type in need of a special burger, a different burger, an untypical burger, prepared by a burger chef and remembered for a lifetime. You are the type who must not die without having eaten at the BLT Burger, a burger-creation studio which you can visit in New York, Hong Kong and Las Vegas. Here’s our review of the Vegas BLT Burger.

• 4 Gats – Picasso’s Favorite Joint October 22, 2014 Dragan Petric Barcelona, Spain Delicacies

  I’m not sure whether Allen’s movie would acquire such cult status if Vicky and Christina were not embodied by the sexy Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson and Juan by the charismatic Javier Bardem. The place where the movie is shot – Barcelona – also evokes lust in anyone watching this film, but not the kind in the genitals – the kind of lust in the stomach. The capital of the Spanish autonomous community Catalonia is simply busing with fantastic wines and restaurants and if I have anything to say, this is the best place to eat in Europe.

  Tapas are the traditional meals in Barcelona, small single or two-bite dishes, which are usually eaten while on a barhop, sipping drinks one by one and meeting friends. You polish tapas in every bar and after a few drinks and a few get-togethers – which is a common social ritual for the Catalans – you’ll be happy and full. However, Vicky and Christina, and Juan for that matter, are not the type to live off such meals on the go. Their bohemian and artistic souls prefer longer gatherings with wine and ambience laden with ghosts of the greatest names of poetry, sculpting and painting and Barcelona is also the best place in Europe for such people as well.

  A large part of the movie’s plot takes place in the Els Quatre Gats restaurant, which translates ‘The Four Cats’ – a Catalan colloquial term for ‘only a few people’. A place for a special crowd. The restaurant was established in 1897 and Pablo Picasso visited it on a daily basis, which is actually the main motive for snobs Vicky and Christina to frequent it in the first place. If only they had known that this was also a tapas bar in Picasso’s time.

  The two of us come to Barcelona in February each year, as the Mobile World Congress is held there, the biggest and most important global telecommunications trade show and we try to book a table at the 4 Gats every year. Not because of Picasso and not because of Vicky and Christina (well, all right, it may be because of Christina a bit), but because in our book this is one of the best restaurants in the whole world…

• Flavors of Latin Tradition August 5, 2014 Dragan Petric San Diego, USA Delicacies

  ‘My goal is to design restaurant concepts which incorporate all of the foods I’ve ever tasted, especially the ones I love, and put those flavors on a menu together’, Sean Shoja told us, the owner of probably the only restaurant in the world which serves a mixture of all Latin tradition cuisines, from those typical of Catalonia to the most unusual flavors of the South American continent – with spices and aromas that come from Iran, of all places.

  The restaurant’s name is the Viva bar + kitchen and is located in the gastro epicenter of California, i.e. the West coast’s gastronomy New York – San Diego. Shoja was born in Tehran, Iran, and raised in Montreal, Canada. Throughout college in Montreal, he worked in a bagel shop where his affinity for the restaurant industry developed. During the winter months, Shoja noticed the increasing number of Canadians flying south to vacation in Florida for the season. Confidently, he headed to the United States at the age of 23 and opened a bakery in Florida. Continuing his travels, he saw an opportunity to expand his dream in Southern California.

  ViVa bar + kitchen’s innovative menu selections explode with bold flavors from Spain, Mexico, Cuba, Peru, Puerto Rico and other Latin regions. This is where Latin traditions, spices and preparations meet seasonal, local ingredients. Creating a festive, friendly setting where guests feel welcomed and nurtured is ViVa bar + kitchen’s ultimate goal. Guests will experience inventive cuisine, stunning design, hand-crafted cocktails and a commitment to excellent guest service. Authentic style abounds at this innovative restaurant and bar, where everyone will enjoy a magical mosaic of Latin-inspired cuisine that melts indigenous ingredients with artful surroundings.

• Tuscany In The South Of California January 29, 2014 Dragan Petric San Diego, USA Delicacies

  You probably had no idea San Diego was the sixth largest city in the USA and second in California, right after LA. Even though it’s not as famous with foreign tourists, it is so pleasant that it’s possible to fall in love with America just because of it. San Diego’s crime rate is the lowest in the whole of USA, the crudely ideal climate enables you to walk around in short sleeves all year long – which means also in January – and the streets are so beautiful, modern and clean that you feel as if you were in Stockholm or Oslo.

  This is all quite unexpected for visitors who have seen this city for the first time, given that it is on the very border with Mexico, where the infamous Tijuana is located right across the busiest border crossing in the world, as San Diego and Tijuana form a communal urban area.

  Thus, you can enjoy yourself at numerous Mexican restaurants in San Diego, but if you happen to be here and want true Mexican food – put some effort into it and go to Tijuana. San Diego is a city with a European touch and you’ll have a better time if you eat as Europeans do. We had lunch at the best Italian restaurant in San Diego and the whole of USA, according to our estimates. We loved it so much that we stuck around for four hours.

• Risotto alla Milanese – Fashion Capital Specialty December 31, 2013 Dragan Petric Milan, Italy Delicacies

  If you take a stroll through downtown Milan, you’ll be sick with all the haute couture. Too haute actually. The huge pedestrian zone circling the famous Milan Cathedral (even further) includes so many designer stores that you will be shocked by the fact how many insanely luxurious brands there are, apart from the usual suspects like Gucci, Armani or Dolce & Gabbana, which you have never heard of. One is more expensive than the other.

  These Milan stores are packing with people from the morning hours until closing time and it is difficult not to wonder how, probably, the whole Italian economy is based on these dozen streets which mark the city center. Billions and billions are probably turned here on a daily basis and it is quite surprising that Italy feels the credit crunch, ever.

  If you happen to be in Milan and are not an aspiring model, football player or an opulent gay person (or all three at the same time), be sure to cleverly dose yourself while studying this extravagant capital of posing so that you do not vomit. There really is no point in ruining your appetite in the hometown of the risotto. There are thousands of risottos, the most eminent being Risotto alla Milanese with the expensive (could it have been any other way in Milan?) spice saffron as its most pivotal ingredient.

  Risotto alla Milanese can be eaten at numerous properties in Milan – from diners to shockingly expensive (of course) fashion restaurants; however, we’ve found a place where it is fantastic and all for a normal price. Do yourself a favor if you happen to spend some time in this city – treat yourself to this dish and you’ll remember it longer than a Gucci handbag.

• Food Capital of South East Asia December 26, 2013 Nađa Irena Fišić Georgetown, Malaysia Delicacies

  Kuala Lumpur and beaches of Langkawi are the more popular destinations in Malaysia, but if you are hungry, then Georgetown is definitely the place to be. Known also as the food capital of South East Asia, town on Penang peninsula offers a variety of dishes for any taste. The mixing pot of Asian cousins will […]

• Search for the Perfect Dumplings December 19, 2013 Dragan Petric Shanghai, China Delicacies

  Meat, vegetable or fish (or mixed) little balls wrapped in exceptionally thin pastry resembling a tortilla and then steamed in low bamboo pots are a Shanghai special and everyone in the world has heard of it. The Chinese call it ‘xiaolongbao’, while everyone else simply calls them dumplings. All sorts of meat balls wrapped in pastry are also called dumplings, like the Hong Kong ones, where the pastry is not thin like an anorexic tortilla, but thick like bread, however, there are no dilemmas for most people, the taste of a Shanghai steamed bun cannot be topped.

  Dumplings are a type of fast food for the residents of Shanghai because they are often purchased at street markets and eaten on the go (especially if they are steamed and then deep-fried), therefore there are literally hundreds of restaurants, diners, as well as street kiosks offering them. If you are hungry, they will be tasty everywhere, however, the quality drastically varies from place to place.

  As you simply must have dumplings if you are in Shanghai, the steamed ones, as well as fried ones, I have found a place where the bests are served, when both options are in question.

• The World’s Biggest Wiener Schnitzel December 9, 2013 Dragan Petric Vienna, Austria Delicacies

  It is not a well known fact that Vienna is not just the cultural cradle of Europe, but a culinary one as well. Thus, apart from being the epicenter of manners and decency, this city has produced a whole line of salty dishes which are consumed throughout Europe as well as across the globe on a daily basis today… not just the legendary Apfelstrudel and Sacher cake. For example, the popular croissant was originally made in Viennese bakeries, not in France (as its name suggests), just like the equally popular warm beverage, cappuccino, originates from Vienna and not Italy.

  Still, out of all the dishes envisioned by these suave people, the legendary Wiener Schnitzel is the most popular by far – a pounded veal or pork steak covered with breadcrumbs and beaten eggs, then deep fried. It’s true: you can have it anywhere else in the world and you can find it in numerous places in Vienna – from street food kiosks and supermarkets which offer ready dishes, to the luxuriest restaurants, however, there is one place in the Austrian capital where you’ll get an entirely different Wiener Schnitzel and you’ll remember it for the rest of your life.

  The world’s biggest Wiener Schnitzel is in question, which is also the thinnest as well as the tastiest in the world. You can have it at the Figlmüller restaurant in the very center of the old city core (where it holds two locations) and the secret is that the best meat cut called the rose or tenderloin is used here, which is pounded with a mallet before frying until the schnitzel measures 30 centimeters in diameter.

• Lebanon In The Heart Of Scandinavia December 1, 2013 Karmen Pužar Copenhagen, Denmark Delicacies

  Denmark is the country of several delicacies and specials which shake your entire body with buzzing and goose-bumps-stimulating flavor, hitting bull’s eye if you are looking for something completely different. One of such trademark tongue clutching particularities are salted liquorice sweets or salted chocolate truffles. Yes, salted! Danes love their sweets salty. Be warned: if you are offered a salty treat, think long and hard before replying and weigh out the impolite refusal or the horrid shock to the system when you expect sugar and get a punch of sea salt to your taste buds.

  Other Danish specials include incredibly tasty pickled herrings, creamy cakes that make you want to live to be 100 years old just so you could try them all and an endless array of bakery goods. Forget about Parisian croissants, Denmark produces stuffed pastry treats that will caress every palate, no matter how demanding or connoisseur.

  Walking around the capital Copenhagen you will find bakery chains at every corner and it won’t be difficult to choose your sugar rush hit any time day or night. However, if you are looking for some meat to sink your teeth in, we suggest a rather untypical Lebanese diner: the Shawarma grill house.

  A typical Danish meal includes tons of fresh vegetables which can be a main dish, a side-dish and a salad: raw and uncooked, the way mother nature intended them. And this is precisely how Lebanese street food cuisine fits like a glove in the Danish lifestyle. Go for some Lebanese grub in the heart of Scandinavia.

• They Don’t Eat Dogs in Korea After All November 17, 2013 Bojan Mušćet Seoul, South Korea Delicacies

  Although Westerners believe only dogs are eaten in Korea, the main meal is kimchi, a dish of fermented seasonal vegetables and other ingredients. It mostly includes Chinese cabbage, Japanese white radish, cucumber, pepper and salt. It is eaten both hot and cold, while Koreans carry special fridges to work with prepared kimchi.

  It is solely decency that dictated I ate the dish, because it looked like it was spat out of former cook’s military cookbook and was prepared by absolute military kitchen beginners.

  Luckily, there are plenty of other specials in Korea and I was delighted by the visit to the Garlic home, where all dishes, including deserts, are made with garlic. Every member of our European group, visiting Seoul on business, loved the food, apart from a Romanian woman with unusually pointy fangs.

  Food is sold at every Seoul street corner, raw or processed, and it is not unusual to see businessmen buying their kimchi, sitting down in a park and cheerfully sticking their chopsticks into the dish that proves the rule: in matters of taste, there can be no disputes.

• Kebab At Alexanderplatz November 9, 2013 Dragan Petric Berlin, Germany Delicacies

  Every year, at the end of summer, IFA is held in Berlin, Europe’s biggest consumer electronics trade show and is visited by an incredible quarter of a million people. Because it gathers over 6000 credited tech journalists, just like the two of us – it is one of ten biggest global media events, in the same league as the Olympic Games, the World Football Championship and the Superbowl, thus many started calling the show technology Superbowl.

  I believe that the place where IFA is held is an important factor for the manifestation’s planetary success. Berlin is an amazing city. Traditionally, Paris, London and Vienna represent the leading trio when it comes to European cities everyone has to visit in their lifetime, however, Berlin offers Europe’s true essence and represents the Old Continent in the best light. Anyone who has visited this city, at least once, feels dead excited upon their next visit.

  Also – anyone who has visited Berlin at least once has tried the fantastic street food offer the city provides – convincingly the best in the whole of Europe. You’ll find kiosks with various types of sausages at every corner, the most popular being the famous currywurst, as well as those with national dishes like the Thai pad Thai or the Turkish kebab – due to the vast Turkish community living here.

  Numerous blogs have been written about who offers the best currywurst, gyros or kebab in Berlin, but after both of us ate at the most various of places on over a dozen occasions, from restaurants with Michelin stars to pubs and the most run-down street kiosks, we always head for one spot as soon as we have a break after landing, even if it’s at 2 a.m. It is called the Döner Inn and serves the best kebab in the world.

  P.S. A message for Nicole from the Messe Berlin management team, the best, dearest and most fun colleague we have had the opportunity of collaborating with in Germany: every year we come back here for IFA’s sake, not the kebab. Really.

• Pecorino and Wine Symphony October 26, 2013 Dragan Petric Sardinia, Italy Delicacies

  Did you know that Sardinia is one of the poorest regions in Europe? Mainland Italy is a foreign country to them, even though this island makes up 10 percent of Italy’s territory and is the second biggest island in the Mediterranean (Sicily is the biggest). They even speak a different language. Not a different dialect, but a different language with their own grammar, thus the ‘continentals’ cannot understand them. Their living is rough, they solely live off tourism and agriculture, based on sheep breeding and the unemployment rate is 50 percent among the youth…

  A subsidized plane ticket to Rome will set Sardinians back 130 euros and it is much cheaper to go to the capital by ferry, which takes 12 hours. Taking the ferry by car costs 350 euros one way. As I said, they have a lot of sheep and insanely delicious ewe’s milk cheese, the famous pecorino! However, the poor, forgotten and isolated Sardinians usually eat and drink like kings! A feast with these domestic products is mandatory every day. Take a look at this photo gallery taken in a town in the South of the island called – Pula…

• The Biggest Hot Dog in the World October 25, 2013 Dragan Petric Phoenix, USA Delicacies

  There are not many people who will not find the American fast food cult queasy, but when burgers, chicken wings or hot dogs are prepared differently – we are no longer talking about junk food, but a treat worth remembering your entire life. We came across such a delicacy in Phoenix, a spookily quiet city where human murmur can only be heard at places like Cooperstown – the grill restaurant owned by the legendary Alice Cooper.

  Among other things, you can have The Big Unit there – the biggest hot dog in the world! It is precisely 22 inches long! The genius atmosphere of this place will additionally heat up every time someone orders this dish because when the waiter serves it, a very loud announcement will be played from the speakers: ´He ordereeeeeed the Biiiig Uniiiiiit´. Everyone will know you will polish off the overly dimensioned grilled sausage with a ton of French fries and other vegetables in an overly tight bun, without being embarrassed about it.