Gadling http://www.gadling.com Gadling http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.gadling.com/media/feedlogo.gif Gadling http://www.gadling.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Searching For Stories (And Vacation) In Cartagena, Colombia]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/20/searching-for-stories-and-vacation-in-cartagena-colombia/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/20/searching-for-stories-and-vacation-in-cartagena-colombia/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/20/searching-for-stories-and-vacation-in-cartagena-colombia/#commentsFiled under: , ,

David Farley
I had come to Colombia to write - or at least I had hoped. But on my third day, I was sitting in the bar of the Santa Clara Sofitel hotel sipping mojitos spiked with lulo juice, one of the many exotic fruits found here, and all I could write about in my notebook was that I had nothing to write about. A friend of a friend who works at this hotel found me a guy here who takes care of a toucan. But that wasn't the story I was hoping to write.

It was nearly a whim that brought me here, booking a ticket on the new JFK-to-Cartagena route on JetBlue. It was almost a personal anomaly for me but I had no itinerary and I did little research. What did I know about this part of the world? I knew that singer Shakira and actress Sofia Vergara were from near here. Perhaps on some level I pathetically half expected (or hoped?) all the women to look like Ms. Vergara, whose physical appearance reminds me of a woman I still wish I was dating. I was wrong. I also thought I could maybe kickstart a book idea I had after visiting Bolivia a few years ago - a book about the coca leaf. But like Sofia Vergara lookalikes, there's no coca leaf culture in Cartagena like there is in Bolivia or the southern parts of Colombia. Two stereotypes down, several more to go.

Continue reading Searching For Stories (And Vacation) In Cartagena, Colombia

Searching For Stories (And Vacation) In Cartagena, Colombia originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cartagenacolombiadavid farleyDavidFarleytravel writingTravelWritingwritingMon, 20 May 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[And The Best Restaurant City In The World Is ...]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/13/and-the-best-restaurant-city-in-the-world-is/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/13/and-the-best-restaurant-city-in-the-world-is/http://www.gadling.com/2013/05/13/and-the-best-restaurant-city-in-the-world-is/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If you're an avid restaurant observer, a voracious diner, a food aficionado, someone whose travel itinerary is determined by what food is being served out of street carts or what ingredient may be in season in a certain part of the planet, then read on.

I recently attended the James Beard Foundation Awards, the Oscars or Grammys of the restaurant world, where every top toque in the United States congresses to (hopefully) receive awards, shake hands, talk food, have a good time and, of course, eat.

As per usual, the awards were held at New York City's Lincoln Center. And as chefs and food personalities were walking in on the red carpet, I accosted them and asked one simple question:

What is the best restaurant city in the world right now?

Continue reading And The Best Restaurant City In The World Is ...

And The Best Restaurant City In The World Is ... originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 13 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 13 May 2013 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Odd Travel Jobs: The Toucan Caretaker Of Cartagena]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/30/odd-travel-jobs-the-toucan-caretaker-of-cartagena/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/30/odd-travel-jobs-the-toucan-caretaker-of-cartagena/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/30/odd-travel-jobs-the-toucan-caretaker-of-cartagena/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Meet Wilson Garcia. He's like the Clark Kent/Superman of his workplace in Cartagena, Colombia. He looks, by first appearances, like an ordinary security guard, the ubiquitous sort one sees all over this handsome Colombian city. But look closer and you might get a clue as to his other job: he doubles as the official caretaker of Mateo, the on-property pet of the Santa Clara Sofitel hotel. Mateo is a toucan and hangs out in the courtyard of the 17th-century former convent that houses the hotel. I sat down with Garcia to ask him what it's like to be the official caretaker of an exotic bird.

Continue reading Odd Travel Jobs: The Toucan Caretaker Of Cartagena

Odd Travel Jobs: The Toucan Caretaker Of Cartagena originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Unshrouding The Mystery Of Korean Cuisine]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/25/unshrouding-the-mystery-of-korean-cuisine/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/25/unshrouding-the-mystery-of-korean-cuisine/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/25/unshrouding-the-mystery-of-korean-cuisine/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Last year, I trekked out to Koreatown in Flushing, Queens, with a group of friends. Sitting in Korean restaurants with a dozen non-Korean eaters, we spent an evening eating everything our stomachs would allow. At one point a 20-something of Korean descent wandered over to us. "I don't mean this in a rude way," he said. "But what are you doing here?"

Non-Koreans, apparently, don't go to the Flushing Koreatown. And from the looks of it, they don't go to the one in Manhattan much either.

It's 11:07 p.m. on a Thursday night in Manhattan's Koreatown and every table is full at Pocha 32 - but with young Korean hipsters. I'm with my food-writing friend Matt Rodbard, 32, editor-at-large at FoodRepublic.com and an all-around swell guy.

This would be our third meal of the night, as part of a K-Town crawl we were doing. The reason? Matt's the author of a just-released book on the Korean restaurants of New York City (called, appropriately enough, "Korean Restaurant Guide New York"). I have a strong yen to learn more about Korean cuisine, which has always seemed nebulous to me. So when you have a friend who writes a book on the subject, you take him out.

Continue reading Unshrouding The Mystery Of Korean Cuisine

Unshrouding The Mystery Of Korean Cuisine originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Koreatownnew york cityNewYorkCityThu, 25 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Prague: A City With Claws]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/23/prague-a-city-with-claws/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/23/prague-a-city-with-claws/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/23/prague-a-city-with-claws/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



I was at a laundromat in Santa Cruz, California, reading the New York Times travel section. It was the spring semester of my senior year of college, a period of complete uncertainty for me. I was about to graduate. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I only knew what I didn't want: to stay in Santa Cruz or move to San Francisco and get an office job of some sort. I needed a purpose. I needed a direction.

And that's when a life-changing thing happened to me at the laundromat. When the guy next to me, who was reading the main news section of the Times heard the buzzer to his dryer go off, he dismissively tossed the paper over his shoulder. It hit me in the face. Well, okay, it skimmed my face. Alright, it almost hit me in the face.

Continue reading Prague: A City With Claws

Prague: A City With Claws originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>PragueTue, 23 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Travel And The Azerbaijani Unibrow]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/15/travel-and-the-azerbaijani-unibrow/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/15/travel-and-the-azerbaijani-unibrow/http://www.gadling.com/2013/04/15/travel-and-the-azerbaijani-unibrow/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



The unibrow is the face of travel.

Let me explain. I recently took a trip to Azerbaijan. I strolled the streets of Baku, which are flanked by plus-sized Beaux Arts palaces, the ground floors of which usually house a designer shop. I ate enough grilled meat to keep a slaughterhouse in business. And I sat in smoky bars nursing Turkish beer. It was all very nice. But what struck me the most about the country was the unibrow. I first saw it on Rashid, a 30-year-old computer programmer I met through a friend. It was like a black cat had rested its tale across his forehead. Furry and thick and stretching from temple to temple, his unibrow was the most prominent aspect of his round face.

The unibrow (or monobrow), which scientifically is called a synophrys, is an embarrassment in modern, Western society and culture. People get made fun of, laughed and pointed at. It's even worse for women, who have to landscape their brows on a regular basis. People will go through great labor to ensure they have not one but two eye brows.

But in other parts of the world, things are different.

Continue reading Travel And The Azerbaijani Unibrow

Travel And The Azerbaijani Unibrow originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventure-travelazerbaijanbakubudget-travelUnibrowsMon, 15 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Baku To The Future: The Empty Capital Of Azerbaijan Really Wants You To Visit]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/29/baku-to-the-future-the-empty-capital-of-azerbaijan-really-wants/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/29/baku-to-the-future-the-empty-capital-of-azerbaijan-really-wants/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/29/baku-to-the-future-the-empty-capital-of-azerbaijan-really-wants/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



In September 2010, on the banks of the Caspian Sea, a plus-sized Azerbaijani flag was raised on a very tall flagpole. With an international audience looking on, Azerbaijani officials proudly made a proclamation: that in Baku, the capital of the country, the world's largest flagpole at 531 feet now stood, thus besting South Korea and Turkmenistan. Sadly, the odd global flagpole war was not over: a year later, in Tajikistan a 541-foot pole went up and Azerbaijan had to move on to other things.

And that they did. There's a lot more rising in Baku these days than flagpoles. The city is going through its second oil boom in a century and a half and is suddenly flush with cash. And lots of it. I spent a few days here recently rendezvousing with a friend and traversing a country that few people seem to know exists.

Friends and family members, people I meet at cocktail parties, always ask the same question: where are you going next? Azerbaijan, I'd say in the run-up to my trip here. I received a lot of blank stares in return or sometimes an "Azerbai what?" When I called my cell phone company to get on an international roaming plan, the woman with the southern accent on the other end of the line asked me where I was headed. Her response to hearing Azerbaijan was this: "Now is that in the Paris, France area?"

Continue reading Baku To The Future: The Empty Capital Of Azerbaijan Really Wants You To Visit

Baku To The Future: The Empty Capital Of Azerbaijan Really Wants You To Visit originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AzerbaijanbakuCaspian SeaEuropeHeydar AliyevLonely PlanetTajikistanTurkmenistanWestern EuropeFri, 29 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Odd Travel Jobs: The Taxidermied Wolf Revealer Of Azerbaijan]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/28/odd-travel-jobs-the-taxidermied-wolf-revealer-of-azerbaijan/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/28/odd-travel-jobs-the-taxidermied-wolf-revealer-of-azerbaijan/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/28/odd-travel-jobs-the-taxidermied-wolf-revealer-of-azerbaijan/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



I first encountered Juma outside the castle in the Azerbaijani town of Sheki, a town of 60,000 people about a four-hour drive from the capital, Baku. Juma had planted himself just outside the castle gates. I didn't realize it at the time but he was waiting for me. He was sitting on the ground, his hands resting on a 3-foot-high object that was covered by a Persian rug.

Few tourists seem to make the trek to Sheki. But for those who do come, there are a few highlights: to escape the bright lights of Baku, to sample the unique halva they make here, or to just get a bucolic feel for what this country can offer. And, as I officially did about 15 minutes later, they might also meet Juma a local septuagenarian. I emerged back into the sunlight from a drab, stodgy museum that had been displaying historic Azerbaijani costumes on fashion mannequins and there he was waiting for me again, the carpeted object in front of him. I was, it seemed, the only tourist in town and he was intent on showing me what he was hiding underneath the rug.

And then, like some kind of magician, he pulled off the carpet to reveal ... a crudely taxidermied wolf. As Juma then told me, this was his job - his very odd job.

I pulled a few crumpled Azerbaijani notes out of my pocket, handed them to Juma, and commenced asking questions.

Continue reading Odd Travel Jobs: The Taxidermied Wolf Revealer Of Azerbaijan

Odd Travel Jobs: The Taxidermied Wolf Revealer Of Azerbaijan originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Gastrointestinal Gamble: Eating A 'Dirty Water Dog' In New York]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/21/the-gastrointestinal-gamble-eating-a-dirty-water-dog-in-new-y/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/21/the-gastrointestinal-gamble-eating-a-dirty-water-dog-in-new-y/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/21/the-gastrointestinal-gamble-eating-a-dirty-water-dog-in-new-y/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I was feeling adventurous. After all, it had been a whole month since I'd had food poisoning. On a recent trip to India I got the infamous "Delhi belly" - not once, but twice. And here I was sitting in my West Village apartment feeling the need to play Russian roulette with my stomach all of a sudden. And that's when I slipped on my sneakers and pointed myself toward Union Square.

I was going to eat a dirty water dog.

Dirty water dogs, more popularly known around the world as hot dogs, were once an ubiquitous street food staple around the Big Apple. I didn't take my first trip to Gotham City until I was 28 but up until that time one of my main images of the city - besides, ya know, people having harsh violence inflicted on them - was locals and tourists alike standing pleasantly in front of a hot dog cart while the hot dog vender garnished dogs with condiments (of course, a minute later they were probably pummeled and robbed by New York thugs). I'd seen the image of people buying frankfurters in New York on TV and in movies so many times that it just seemed like the thing to do when one visits or lives in the Big Apple.

Continue reading The Gastrointestinal Gamble: Eating A 'Dirty Water Dog' In New York

The Gastrointestinal Gamble: Eating A 'Dirty Water Dog' In New York originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>New YorkNew York CityNewYorkNewYorkCityThu, 21 Mar 2013 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Pillow Soft: A Love Letter To Gnocchi]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/13/pillow-soft-a-love-letter-to-gnocchi/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/13/pillow-soft-a-love-letter-to-gnocchi/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/13/pillow-soft-a-love-letter-to-gnocchi/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



The first time I ever saw a bidet, I peed in it. I was young; I wasn't very well traveled, and, well, the porcelain bathroom apparatus for washing one's nether-regions found in many European hotels and homes looked like a toilet. That was in Florence. And it was also on that trip when I first learned about gnocchi (which I'd grossly mispronounced). And since then I've had a bit of a torrid culinary romance with the dumpling.

I order it in restaurants, where, if made right, is pillow soft. I buy them in supermarkets - at least when I can find them. Just last week, I was wandering around a big chain supermarket in Los Angeles unable to find my favorite dumpling. When I uttered the word "gnocchi" to an employee, she just stared back at me. After the third supermarket employee asked me "what's a gnocchi?" I gave up.

Continue reading Pillow Soft: A Love Letter To Gnocchi

Pillow Soft: A Love Letter To Gnocchi originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Great Los Angeles Train Resurgence]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/02/28/the-great-los-angeles-train-resurgence/http://www.gadling.com/2013/02/28/the-great-los-angeles-train-resurgence/http://www.gadling.com/2013/02/28/the-great-los-angeles-train-resurgence/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I was on a commuter train - in Los Angeles. I kept repeating these words to myself as the Metrolink light rail whisked me through East LA, the city's underwhelming skyline in the distance. Union Station was the next stop and terminus. From there I'd gawk at the station's interior, in all its Art Deco beauty, and then hop on the red line to Thai Town.

Yes, that's right: the subway. The Los Angeles Metro Rail, as it's called, consists of six lines, all named by color, that snake through the greater Los Angeles area, mostly above ground but, as in the case of the line I took, the red line, underground as well. An Angelino can now travel from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach. And that's just the Metro Rail. There's also the Metrolink, which goes even further afield and has been running since 1992.

Until recently, "public transportation" and "Los Angeles" seemed like antonyms, antipoles that were part of two different worlds. There are cities all over the planet with functioning rapid transit systems, subways and monorails and trains; and then there was Los Angeles, which seemed to exist outside the sphere of normal cities, an exception to the rule where cars reigned on the road and the most popular form of self expression was found on one's vanity plate or personalized license plate.

Continue reading The Great Los Angeles Train Resurgence

The Great Los Angeles Train Resurgence originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Why We're All Drinking 'Canadian' Beer]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/02/18/why-were-all-drinking-canadian-beer/http://www.gadling.com/2013/02/18/why-were-all-drinking-canadian-beer/http://www.gadling.com/2013/02/18/why-were-all-drinking-canadian-beer/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

A few facts about beer:
  • In ancient Babylonia, where the first beer was supposedly made, they took the sudsy stuff so seriously that if you made a bad batch, you'd be drowned.
  • The Vikings' version of heaven, Valhalla, was really a great meat and beer hall in the sky, complete with a giant goat whose udders spewed-you guessed it-beer.
  • Light makes beer go bad, hence the reason one usually finds it in a tinted glass bottle. When exposed to prolonged light, beer gets a skunk-y smell (Corona, anyone?).
  • The melody to the American national anthem, the "Star Spangled Banner," was taken from a beer drinking song. Seriously.
  • Much of the corporate brewery beers from other countries that you might consume in the United States was either made in Canada or America.
[Record scratch across the heavens] Wait, what? That's right. Big breweries don't necessarily fall over themselves to keep this a secret. But they don't exactly advertise it, either.

Continue reading Why We're All Drinking 'Canadian' Beer

Why We're All Drinking 'Canadian' Beer originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beerBohemiaBrooklyn BrewerycanadaCzech RepublicCzechoslovakiaGood Beer GuideHeineken Holding NVMolsonNorth AmericaPilsner UrquellPlzeňStone Brewing CompanyThe Star-Spangled BannerThe VikingsMon, 18 Feb 2013 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[From Ankle To Arch: Italy's Culinary Diversity]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/21/from-ankle-to-arch-italys-culinary-diversity/http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/21/from-ankle-to-arch-italys-culinary-diversity/http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/21/from-ankle-to-arch-italys-culinary-diversity/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Go to your local supermarket to buy pasta and you'll find about a dozen different shapes from which to choose. Travel from the ankle to the arch of the heel in Italy, though, and you'll find 150 different types. And those are just the pasta types that begin with the letter "C."


Each of Italy's 20 regions has a distinct cuisine. Pizza crust thickens and thins. Ingredients go in and out of certain sauces. Meat is cooked in entirely different ways. On the island of Pantelleria, for example, you'll find as much couscous on the menu of an Italian restaurant as you will pasta. In Sicily bread crumbs are an actual sauce you'll find in pasta. In Valle d'Aosta, in the Alpine north, you'll find fondue made with fontina cheese. Culinary diversity is one of the wonders of travel. And Italy is one of the best places to discover new food.

You thought you knew Italian cuisine? Not until you've traveled from Torino to Taranto. Here's a quick guide to some of Italy's best regional cuisine.

Continue reading From Ankle To Arch: Italy's Culinary Diversity

From Ankle To Arch: Italy's Culinary Diversity originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Adriatic SeaAlpsApuliaBaroloBolognaBrunello di MontalcinoChiantiDried and salted codEmilia–RomagnaItalian cuisineItalian wineItalyLazioLesser KnownMilanMontalcinoNorciaOrvietoPantelleriaPanzanellaParmaPaviaPerugiaPiedmontRomeSan Marzano tomatoSchnitzelSicilySlow FoodTarantoTrevisoTurinTuscanyUmbriaVenetoVeniceMon, 21 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mysterious Vietnamese Noodle Dish Makes An Appearance In New York City]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/18/mysterious-vietnamese-noodle-dish-makes-an-appearance-in-new-yor/http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/18/mysterious-vietnamese-noodle-dish-makes-an-appearance-in-new-yor/http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/18/mysterious-vietnamese-noodle-dish-makes-an-appearance-in-new-yor/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The most memorable, awkward meal of my life took place in an alleyway. Memorable for what I was about to eat, awkward because I was a 6-foot, 200-pound Westerner molded into a red, plastic child-sized chair, my knees rising above the matching table, like a Brobdingnagian who went on a walk and ended up in Hoi An, on the central coast of Vietnam, lost and hungry.

When an ancient woman in a conical hat placed a small bowl filled with noodles, pork and vegetables in front of me, I quickly forgot about my lumbering self or that I had crossed into a realm few other tourists here do; in a town crammed with Vietnamese restaurants that cater to Western tourists, these alleyway eateries are tucked away almost out of the view of most visitors.

I looked around: I was the only non-Vietnamese sitting at the dozen or so tables flanking the alley, and realized I had found the travelers' holy grail: authenticity. But that's not necessarily what had motivated me to wedge myself into this form-fitting chair. I was there to eat cao lau, an enigmatic noodle dish that I'd read about in an out-of-print book about Vietnamese cuisine.

I grabbed a pair of chopsticks and dug in.

Continue reading Mysterious Vietnamese Noodle Dish Makes An Appearance In New York City

Mysterious Vietnamese Noodle Dish Makes An Appearance In New York City originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 18 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Fri, 18 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Best Street Food In Amsterdam]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/03/the-best-street-food-in-amsterdam/http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/03/the-best-street-food-in-amsterdam/http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/03/the-best-street-food-in-amsterdam/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Tourists don't come to Amsterdam to eat. The Dutch city of debauchery attracts legions of travelers for other things - like, say, flowers or pretty paintings or twee canals - all of which build up quit an appetite. So one would think the city would have a flourishing street food scene to feed all these munchies-craving visitors. And not just in terms of availability but that some culinary entrepreneur would have realized this potential in the market and offer some seriously creative food (think state fair everything-on-a-stick cuisine or some variety on the theme of comfort food).

I recently found myself in Amsterdam with a sudden case of the munchies. After becoming hungry from ... um, looking at so much art (yeah, that's it), I wandered the city hoping to find something good to eat. I had to walk for a while, scouring the streets, peeking into storefronts, but I eventually found the best spots to quell my hunger.

Here, in no particular order, are best street bites in Amsterdam.

Continue reading The Best Street Food In Amsterdam

The Best Street Food In Amsterdam originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amsterdamDutch TreatFrench FriesIndonesiaThu, 03 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Where They Ate: Food Writers' Favorite Eating Experiences Of 2012]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/28/where-they-ate-food-writers-favorite-eating-experiences-of-201/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/28/where-they-ate-food-writers-favorite-eating-experiences-of-201/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/28/where-they-ate-food-writers-favorite-eating-experiences-of-201/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,



I get annoyed with myself when I eat a bad meal - especially at a restaurant. And even more so when I'm traveling. Such a waste of time and money and calories, I think. Yes, these are first-world problems but frustrating nonetheless.

Rather than meditate on the meals we'd prefer to forget, let's remember the ones we want to stick with us; the ones we wish wouldn't end; the one's we'd travel halfway around the globe to savor again.

This is the third year in a row I've asked chefs and food writers to compile their favorite meals of the previous year. (Read 2011 part 1 and part II and 2010 part I and part II.) I had such an overwhelming response this year, I broke the post into two. First chefs and now food writers.

Here are some of my favorite food writers' most memorable meals of 2012 (in alphabetical order).

Continue reading Where They Ate: Food Writers' Favorite Eating Experiences Of 2012

Where They Ate: Food Writers' Favorite Eating Experiences Of 2012 originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Where They Ate: Chefs' Favorite Eating Experiences Of 2012]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/20/where-they-ate-chefs-favorite-eating-experiences-of-2012/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/20/where-they-ate-chefs-favorite-eating-experiences-of-2012/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/20/where-they-ate-chefs-favorite-eating-experiences-of-2012/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,



Two months ago I was at the New York Wine & Food festival. I happened to be walking by the main stage - where star chefs had been giving cooking demos all weekend - when the next chef was announced. When Guy Fieri hit the stage, the 200 or so people in the audience roared. They leapt to their feet. They fist pumped to the southern Rock that was blasting from the PA. And I stood there, my mouth agape, wondering when (if ever) will our veneration of chefs ever slow down.

Not that this reverence for food and the people who make it is necessarily a bad thing. But you have to admit, did anyone see this coming two decades ago? (You're lying if you say yes.) As someone who, um, eats food and also makes a living writing about it, I'm obviously elated with the phenomenon. And there's nothing more I like than hearing about where chefs eat when they're not in the kitchen. And so I recently got out my virtual Rolodex and asked some chefs where in the world they had their favorite eating experiences of 2012.

Continue reading Where They Ate: Chefs' Favorite Eating Experiences Of 2012

Where They Ate: Chefs' Favorite Eating Experiences Of 2012 originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 20 Dec 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Thu, 20 Dec 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Amsterdam's Most Unusual Teacher]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/17/amsterdams-most-unusual-teacher/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/17/amsterdams-most-unusual-teacher/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/17/amsterdams-most-unusual-teacher/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

I first heard about Lieka from her boss. He runs a tour guide company in Amsterdam. And over beers, he listed the types of tours his company offers. "There are Red Light District tours, there are food tours and there are drinking tours."

"Oh yeah!" he said, "I also have a woman offer a workshop in giving oral sex to men."

That's when there was a record scratch across the heavens. Wait, what? It's for tour groups who want to do a little something different while in Amsterdam and it's for bachelorette parties. "It's really quite fun," he said. And then he mentioned the teacher was going to be stopping by his office - conveniently located next to the pub we were sitting in - and offered to introduce me.

And so, smack in the center of the Dutch metropolis and a herring's throw from the Red Light District, where packs of guys roam to gawk at the ladies in their little booths, I met with Lieka. An attractive brunette in her mid-20s, and as long as I wouldn't use her last name (or her photo), she kindly allowed me to interview her about her most unusual profession.

Continue reading Amsterdam's Most Unusual Teacher

Amsterdam's Most Unusual Teacher originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Dead Duck In Amsterdam]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/10/a-dead-duck-in-amsterdam/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/10/a-dead-duck-in-amsterdam/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/10/a-dead-duck-in-amsterdam/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

There are parties and then there are parties in which one of the guests is standing in the corner caressing a dead mallard duck. Then again, this is Amsterdam and it's sometimes hard to tell if one is hallucinating from taking too much ... um, jetlag, or if, in this anything-goes city, people really do never leave home without their taxidermied animal.

I was visiting a friend in Amsterdam and we ended up at the opening party for the flashy new Andaz hotel there. The party, apparently, was filled with Dutch celebrities and some members of the country's royal family. It was also attended by the mayor and the hotel's designer, Marcel Wanders. There was a DJ spinning hip-hop and pop tunes. There were crazy (and apparently permanent) video art installations (like one of a girl jumping up and down on a hotel bed). There was great food. There were enough cocktails to drown in. But I just wanted to talk to the man with the dead duck.

Continue reading A Dead Duck In Amsterdam

A Dead Duck In Amsterdam originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AmsterdamnetherlandsMon, 10 Dec 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gadling Contributors' Favorite Restaurants Of 2012]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/30/gadling-contributors-favorite-restaurants-of-2012/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/30/gadling-contributors-favorite-restaurants-of-2012/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/30/gadling-contributors-favorite-restaurants-of-2012/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,



I take pictures of my food at restaurants. Do you hate me now? Yeah, I thought so. I do it because I'm a food writer and I use the photos to jog my memory when I'm writing about a restaurant. But also sometimes I do it for the same reason a lot of other people do: because I'm so smitten with the taste of what I'm eating that I want something to take with me when the flavor has long disappeared from my palate. There's an anti-foodie backlash, that dismissive irony that hipsters gave to the world - the one that says: we can't be enthusiastic about anything and if we appear to look that way, it's just because we're being ironic.

Remember when you had to go to an Italian specialty shop to get olive oil? Or when the only tacos you could find were made of ground beef and impossible-to-melt cheddar cheese? No? Well, trust me. The year 2012 is a much better time to be a lover of food than the past decades. It's a good thing that we care about what we eat; that we want to know where it comes from; that we're supporting more farmers and fewer corporations. And it's okay to be so crazy about what you're eating that you can't help but snap a picture of your plate. Go ahead.

Below is a list - in alphabetical order - of Gadling writers' favorite restaurants of 2012. No word on if they snapped shots of their food. They did, though, leave very satisfied.

Continue reading Gadling Contributors' Favorite Restaurants Of 2012

Gadling Contributors' Favorite Restaurants Of 2012 originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 30 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Fri, 30 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EST