We love LA HIERBITA (the little herb) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands (11-16-24)

 The cruise we are on has no overnight stays in ports save for the last night in CapeTown, so with an 11pm departure last night we decided to head into Santa Cruz to a wonderful place recommended by our guide that day, Blanca. She was spot on and while the menu was large, our server guided us well and the three of us had some superb and thrilling local dishes including two we loved on our previous visit 8+ years ago!

La Hierbita is tiny and had about a dozen tables outside with about the same number indoors, it was about 74degrees, and outside dining was calling on this quiet little side street. The wine list was two whites and a red that the server brought, and we started with the white, an organic wine from south Tenerife, Tierra D Frontos Blanco Sec with no clue what the grapes were, but we loved it.

Red and Green Mojo (the local sauces used on everything) arrived and while the green was magnificent, the spicier red was quite salty indeed. Large rolls for dipping in the bread also arrived, but we tried to keep them to a minimum. The three cheese Queso del Pais platter arrived with a local hard cheese akin to parmesan, an amazing cheese spread called Almogrote made from red peppers and cured cheese and our favorite the Queso di Cabra with Miel di Palma, a local goat cheese that is melted and served with the local palm honey drizzled on top; think goaty gooey mozzarella on crack!

Next came Revuelto de Champinones y Gambas, a magnificent scramble of scrambled poached eggs with mushrooms and shrimp which was even better with the Mojo Verde!

Another dish we had last time was the Berenjenas a la Miel or grilled eggplant with palm honey. The eggplant is cut in thick sticks and grilled to perfection and drizzled with the honey and a savory crunchy crumble (no clue what it was) that we all went nuts over. Not being an eggplant fan, this is truly one of my fave dishes ever and makes eggplant a truly magnificent star.

We switched to red and enjoyed the Rivendel Roble Cinco Mesas 2023 from Ribera del Duero in Spain and ordered the Pulpo Guisado estilo Hierbita which was one monstrous octopus tentacle (check out the FB pics) with Salt-crusted roasted potatoes. There was a BBQ-y sauce that was superb and more mojo on the potatoes made them not as salty and the red wine was ideal with this.

There was no room for more or dessert, but we sat around for a tad finishing the red and then had a treat of a street parade with guys playing instruments dressed in quasi-medieval minstrel costumes, also on FB!

Cruising south today towards Cabo Verde (Cape Verde Islands) and then onto the African continent where we arrive in CapeTown in early December, so probably no reviews until then! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Palacio Chiado in Lisbon is superb seafood in a sumptuous palace (11-11-24)

 We only had one night to dine out in Lisbon, and we knew our flight was arriving late, so we made an 8pm reservation in the city center's old town at Palacio Chiado.

We arrived and walked into a very busy bar on the entry level, but then we're told to please go up the staircase and check in. This was no ordinary staircase, as the building was originally a palace, and the steps were long, and I hope that handicap folks had an elevator. On the top floor there were several large rooms with ornate gilded ceilings with frescoes, and one room even had a giant hanging gold lion of Venice. Our room was more intimate, with less than a dozen tables and our server Amar always had a smile and a positive outlook that was so refreshing these days. The tables were green marble slabs and chairs simple bistro style and barely comfy.

Seafood was big on the menu here, so I immediately perused the wine list and spotted a wonderful Douro Portuguese blend of Alvarinho, Verdelho, Habitat and Viognier from Quinta da Pedra Escrita that we fell in love with. Wonderful minerality and citrus, and truly a great white blend, which was refreshing as we had only reds for three most part in the UK as it was so cold. Temperatures in Lisbon, we're ranging in the 60s at night and 70 today!

Will went for the local oysters to start while I had Camarão Alho e Malagueta, a take on garlic shrimp but here with garlic and chillis and "pata negra" ham and guanciale, pork cheek; it was superb and bathed in butter.

Main courses were the traditional Bacalao Lisboa a Braga for Will, a beautifully plated cod with poached egg, olive/parsley talented, agria potato, olives and garlic. My Cataplana de Peixe e Langosta was another Portuguese treat; basically, a rich stew from fish broth and veggies loaded with cod, lobster, clams, mussels, squid, potatoes and peppers that was a meal in itself.

I did have the aged goat and aged sheep cheese for dessert both of which were superb but not a tad as good as the goat we had in Setubal some 6 years ago!

Today, we board our ship for a 3-1/2 week voyage to Africa.

Josephine at Langley Castle in Northumberland is just right(11-10-24)

 Our last night in the UK was spent at Langley Castle in Northumberland where we had a magnificent meal with oir friends Sue and Steve at the restaurant in the castle called Josephine.

We enjoyed cocktails first in the great room and ordered our dishes, and then proceeded downstairs to the main dining room. The accommodations and all public spaces here are very cushy and very comfortable. There were plenty of photos on facebook, showing all the spaces.

An amuse of cauliflower velouté arrived with yummy rolls and butter and we started with a Puglia Chardonnay 2023 Tormaresca which was superb with our starters:

-Parsnip soup

-Mackerel fillet with gooseberry and caramel, yogurt and elderflower.

-Caesar salad with anchovies

-Goats Cheese Panna Cotta with Tomato/Arancinini and Basil Walnut olive oil.

-Scallops in cauliflower purée with curry , capers, sultanas and pine nuts.

The scallops were indeed an odd combination of ingredients but tasted fabulous.

We moved on to our red wine a Manara Terre Siciliana 2022 Syrah which was truly wonderful with all of our main courses:

-Halibut fillet with Pearl Barley, Caramelized Cauliflower apple and dill

-Pheasant breast with Pancetta Pommes Anna, Parsnip, sprouts and Heather honey

-Sam's Ricotta and Basil Ravioli with wild garlic pesto and roasted peppers did not get any raves, but my

- Venison loin was cooked perfectly and came with a super Haggis Pie, butternut squash, purple kale and sage.

The worst item that came to the table were the truffle frolies, which were truly salted to death and almost inedible.

Desserts were a fabulous cheese plate with

Cornish Yarg, Yorkshire Blue, Charcoal Cheddar, a gutsy Honey Bee goat, Waterloo Brie and a fabulous German Montagnolo as well as Northumberland Nettle!!

Passionfruit sorbet was simple.

Maple Crème Brulée came with a mini-Toffee apple and blackberry crumble

Lemon and Honey was Lemon set cream with Heather honey ice cream and honeycomb crackle.

Everything was truly delicious and what was best was we had a wonderful meal with our friends before we headed off to Portugal today to board our ship for Africa tomorrow.

Cafe LILLI in Norton, Stockton-on-Tees (North Yorkshire area) is always luscious (11-8-24)

Eight of us gathered last night for our annual visit to Sue & Steve's favorite place just blocks from their home and as always Cafe Lilli was a dream. The wines lean Italian and we were chilled from the damp cold, so started with a full-bodied Chianti DOCG "Straccali" and then moved to a Sicilian Shiraz Terre Siciliana IGT "Collina d'Estate" which was even better. Wines here run in the 20-30($26-40US) pounds for their entry levels so never a financial bust and keep in mind in the UK all prices include taxes, and they often add a service charge of 10% max.

Starters ranged from the Vegan Bruschetta with cherry tomato, shallot and dill oil to Pork Belly Pate with Tomato Chutney that got raves. Mussels were steamed with garlic, White wine and in a rich creamy sauce that begged for bread dipping. My Beetroot & Orange Gravlax was superb and came with fabulous miniature pickles, basil emulsion & Citrus Dressing with a tasty thin sliced bread that was toasted to crispy (as did the pate).

Mains were even more amazing as we are entering winter here indeed and everything has moved to that vein:

Pan Fried SeaBass came with Fregola, Greens, Salsa Verde, and Cherry Tomatoes for the lighter dish

A vegetarian Pinsa (flatbread) with Caponata was the size of a full pizza

Butternut Squash with Spinach & Cashew Nut Goan Curry & Basmati Rice was another veggie delight.

Pan Roasted Chicken Breast with Baked Potatoes, Seasonal Greens and Florentine Sauce was popular, but the two divine dishes were the

Roast Goose Breast with braised red Cabbage, Parmentiers, Honey Roasted Carrots, Parsnip, Greens and red Wine Jus while

my

Pan Fried Pheasant came with Chestnuts, Smoked Pancetta a superb Pearl Barley Risotto, Greens and a Red Wine Jus with a tasty dumpling on the side!

Desserts are always great here from Creme Catalunya with Berries to hazelnut Ice Cream to Lemont Posset with Raspberries and of course, my Cheese platter with

Cornish Yarg, Carrigate Blue, Mature Cheddar & Brie was a delight as were the excellent black grapes which reminded me of Concord grapes at home (without the seeds!) and a tasty chutney.

We all had an amazing time seeing old friends and new ones and just being with great company and having great food and wine!

The Waiting Room in North Yorkshire is a veggie vacation! (11-7-24)

Our friends Sue & Steve found a vegetarian finer dining option for Samuel, so we tried The Waiting Room in Yarm last night. The name comes from the train station nearby and apparently, they have been in business for 40 years! The dining room is small and simple with some cute art (a lampshade made of photographic slides was cute), with hewn wooden tables and quite uncomfortable wooden chairs which must have come from a schoolhouse as they had book slots in the rear of each one. The menu is large, so we asked our server, Rosie May, what items were the best and most popular. The wine list was short with about 3 or 4 whites and reds each, but a note to ask about the wine list from the sister wine bar next door. I walked over there and looked at a shelf of wines with price tags on them and was quite amused by the variety and options. The first wine we chose was fizzy and corked and Rosie May said it had been on the shelf for ages, so we chose a Dominio de Punctum Petit Verdot/Tempranillo from Cuenca, Castilla in Spain which we all loved, as Sam had his local cider.

The starters included several orders of Spiced Pumpkin Soup as it was a very chilly and damp evening, and we had been out galivanting all day. Funghi Misti al Dragoncello sounds like a fiery mushroom dish with alcohol made by dragons, but are tarragon sauteed mushrooms on Waiting Room seeded toast. My Twice-baked Wensleydale & Pumpkin Seed Oil Cheese Souffle was divine and came with a yummy Goosegog (gooseberry) chutney that was only marred as it was quite cold (coming from the fridge, I guess) and took away from that wonderful steamy hot souffle. 

Our second wine was a Mirasoles Appassimento "Finca el Olmillo" Monastrell which turned out to have a slight sweetness to it, but actually went nicely with our mains which, by the way, were all huge portions!:

Mushroom Bourguignon with celeriac dumplings and swede (turnips)

Puy Chilli Enchilada- sizzling hot & Spicy Puy chilli in a seeded tortilla was smothered in melted cheese with sour cream, salsa and jalapenos

Mole in the Hole (a take on Toad in the Hole, a local sausage dish in bread) was Leek/Halloumi/Winter Herb/Garden ats Sausage in a Yorkshire Pudding with Autumn mash (sweet potato), Roast Roots (Carrots) and Butter-Roast Savoy (Cabbage) all in a yummy Port Gravy! 

Delicious (have you ever seen a menu using the word "delicious?") Mélange Lasagna made with Buttery Jerusalem Artichokes, Spinach & Sage, Roast Tomato, Garlic & Butter Bean Lasagna and a Salsa made from Artichoke hearts/fennel/tomato.

We were all quite full and there were lots of leftovers for Sue & Steve to take home, but we did share one Vanilla Ice Cream with Butterscotch that was yummy and caramelly and delish.

RBG (The Restaurant Bar & Grill) in Leeds, UK is always a respite (11-6-24)

We have been dining with our family in Leeds for many years at The Ivy and decided to switch after Will and the family really enjoyed RBG(you gotta love those initials) on his last trip here in the spring. The prices are similar(quite high) and the menu is similar as well, but we had a super server, maria, from Argentina who has a great sense of humor and made it a fun evening as well. She prefaced by saying the menu and wine list were changing the next day and thus, 1/2 the items were gone. It was quite sad as almost 1/2 the items and 80% of the wines we chose were sold out! The one BIG plus was that they had plenty of wine glasses unlike our last fiasco at the Ivy where they ran out!!

The Filet Steak Tartare here is a treat and uses excellent beef filet with a free-range egg yolk on top of a large piece or sourdough toast with Horseradish & Parsley. The sourdough was NOT toasted making it quite hard to cut through the chewy bread and a thinner piece would have been welcome. Asparagus are Char-grilled and served with a poached Duck Egg and Hollandaise while the Heritage Beetroot Salad came with avocado, soy labneh, orange, crushed hazelnuts and micro basil.

Our first wine (that was available) was the 2022 Malbec Atocedro reserva from Uco Valley in Mendoza which Maria suggested as she is from Argentina, and it was quite yummy. The second red was really amazing as it was a 2012 Chateau Meney from St. Estephe Bordeaux which we all just went crazy with.

Main courses were a Halloumi Burger with Spicy sauce and chips (that fries, USA folks); Roasted Lamb Rump which was a huge portion with potatoes, minted greens and red wine sauce. The Tuna au Poivre came with Bearnaise sauce on the side and was cooked a tad too much when asked for rare as was my Slow Roasted Crispy Duck with Stir-fried greens(broccolini and bok choy), ripened tomatoes, red chilli coriander paste and a honey & Sesame dressing. 

The setting in a huge old historic building is quite dramatic as it is some three-stories tall inside with elegant leather booths, chandeliers and cushy chairs. The noise level is high, but hot horrible and it has a truly grand old world feel.

For dessert there was Honeycomb Ice Cream; Warm Chocolate Fondant with Shortbread Crumb and Vanilla Ice Cream and the very nice cheese trio of Wookey Hole Cheddar, Tunworth(like Camembert) and Colston Basset Stilton with quince jelly.

The best part of the meal was the family!!

MOON RABBIT makes it all ravishing (10-25-24)

 After our introduction to the new MOON RABBIT by Chef Kevin Tien on F Street last month we had to return, and the meal was another huge treat with every bit and sip a true delight.

We had a friend visiting and chose three different cocktails, all of which were fun. I returned to the OUT OF DIPPING SAUCE with Haku Japanese vodka, Chinola passionfruit, lemon, Nuoc Cham(fish sauce) syrup. It's a great treat. We all tasted each other's, and I also loved the BACK IN CALI made with Kasama Filipino rum, Mig river Baijiu, lemon calamansi vinegar and brulee egg foam. Will had the NINE DRAGONS with Mekong Thai Rum, Johnnie Walker blended scotch, Jackfruit cordial, lime and jasmine air.

Andrew, who goes by ADL, is a super sommelier and came over with some suggestions off the menu after we tasted the Suerte de Arrayan Albillo Real 2022 white which comes from Mentrida, Spain and was crazy funky in flavor. We instead got the amazing 2006 Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc which was aged beautifully and went so well with all the crazy spices and flavors.

We decided to share a lot of different plates as everything is so good and that way we had more options. We ordered several sets of plates, and our once again brilliant server Monique paced everything perfectly. The menu has changed a little to fall mode, but many of the wonderful dishes we had last month are still there and we chose some of those as well.

First came the amazing TUNA CRUDO which we loved last month due to the Fresno pepper puree on the ahi with strawberry, lemon verbena, cilantro and tomato water poured tableside! (fotos on FB). There are two crab dishes and we chose the CRAB RANGOON which is usually a big disappointment at so many Asian restaurants. here the dish is deconstructed with huge scallion crackers on the side to scoop up the "dip" made from MD. Jumbo Lump crab, Robiola cheese(a huge improvement over cream cheese!), Pepper Jelly for spice, Kani Kama(crab stick) and sweet garlic. It's a great starter to share and very addictive. It is also great on the wonderful Pan del Sol or Pandan bread that comes with amazing vegan condensed coconut milk butter!

Another dish we returned to was the RICE CAKE with Umami tofu crumble, ginger, scallion and cured egg; I am pretty sure this will be a fixture on all the menus as it is a great vegan option using vegan fish sauce that really has great flavor making it ideal for vegetarians and vegans.

CHARRED CABBAGE (Bap Cai) is new and a great veggie dish as well with sesame puree, pickled mushrooms and Nam Tom(egg sauce). the final dish we chose again was SHRIMP THERMADOR which has moved from huge U-5 to monstrous U-4 prawns head-on in the shell in a magnificent Lobster Sabayon with fine herbs and meyer lemon. 

We moved on to a red we had last month and loved the Serre Besson Rhone Blend and it was ideal with our last dishes which were all new.

BOUDIN NOIR(Nem Tret Canh) is Chef Kevin's take on the French dish using Viet Cajun Sausage in a goji berry/miso/brown butter/date/golden raisin mostardo topped with small fried octopus that were adorable. The dish was amazing and the mostardo divine.

PATE CHAUD is listed on the menu as "limited availability" and boy, were we glad we sked to have one held for us early on. The dish looks like a beef wellington and is a gorgeous flaky puff pastry stuffed with foie gras, wood ear mushrooms and served in a pork jus. It was the ideal dish to finish off the evening with.

Will & I were stuffed, but our friend could not resist the wild dessert selections and chose the MUSHROOM(Nam) which is chocolate mousse, tamarind caramel, wild mushroom streusel, Chanterelle Ice Cream(this alone is a treat) and Pomelo. It is a great dessert and really has so many flavors and so much going on, it really is several desserts.

Speaking of several desserts, you cannot leave without the little mignardises and we got Passionfruit Chocolate Truffles, Guava Gel with Basil & Chili Sugare and the superb mini Tapioca Corn Pudding Puffs.

Once again, the staff proved to be some of the nicest, friendliest and best servers around town and this always makes you feel welcome and warm. Monique is truly a gem, and we shall have to ask for her every time we return. Bravo tutti.