chocolicious waffleicious & sensatialicious… BELGIUM

This weekend I popped to Belgium (I use the word pop loosely considering my journey involved 4 train rides, 3 bus rides, 2 planes, 3 taxis & an overnight stay in a hostel).. Anyway, yes, I was in Belgium – more particularly Brussels & Hasselt. For those of you who don’t know, there is a huge rave called sensation white, where everyone shows up to an arena in Hasselt the boondocks of Belgium wearing all white to dance, sweat & rage from night until morning while different DJs play their setlists. Most people came to Belgium for this concert, which basically serves as a checkpoint for abroad (ex. take a goofy picture near the leaning tower of pisa check chicken parm at tony’s check buy a huge bag of candy at las ramblas in barca check…you get the point). Anyway, most people rave about this weekend and say it was the best weekend of abroad, I concur with this statement; however, my primary focus of the weekend was centered around the music the belgian waffles & belgian chocolate.

& in the morning, I'm making waffles!!!

belgian waffle with nutella & 1/2 whipped cream courtesy of KC @ grand place, Brussels

belgian chocolates - i bagged up one of each and brought them home and by home i mean we finished them on the train, and by we i mean me...

chocolate on chocolate on chocolate truffles...

Yes, the belgian waffles are better than any waffles I have ever had in my life. Yes, I should probably have gone abroad to Belgium considering Belgium is the land of chocolate. Yes, it’s still unreal to me that there is a country that has chocolate stores on every corner!!! Bottom line, if you are abroad and you have a sweet tooth – you should book a flight to Belgium. If you are studying in Florence, don’t book your flight from Rome. Oh, and also, sensation ruled.

CHOCOLATER GATER – f.k.

from pisa to pizza

I know, I’ve been slacking on the blog posts lately, but I’m back and ready to share. This past week was hectic, with several visitors, a trip to the top of the duomo & way too much gelato. However, it was also filled with good food and a lot of fun. Yesterday, Jessy, Isabelle, Carly, Gabby and I spontaneously went to Pisa for the afternoon when we were done with class. We took some photos with the leaning tower, climbed it and worked up an appetite. As soon as we got back to Florence, we were ready to eat APU (as per usual). We ended up at a restaurant that Brie told me to check out Trattoria Da Garibardi because of the gluten free menu options (*hi shnooter!*). Anyway, our experience here was definitely blog-worthy. I asked the waiter which soup to order, Pasta Fagiole (beans & pasta soup) or Onion Soup, so naturally he told me he’d just bring me a sample of both…and out it came:

pasta e fagiole & onion soup sampler @ Trattoria da Garibardi, Piazza del Mercato Centrale

onion soup @ Tratoria da Garibardi

pasta e fagiole @ Trattoria da Garibardi

me being me @ the leaning tower of pisa, Pisa

Jessy ordered pici pasta with olive oil, garlic, bread, parsley & cheese, which my fork of course snuck its way into for more than a few bites.

pici con le briocele di pane tostato, olio, aglio, peperoncino e filetto di acciuga @ Trattoria da Garibardi

Although I could have not eaten for another two days after my filling dinner last night, I was obviously ready to rally when I remembered we had our pizza making class tonight at Finisterrae Ristorante. The atmosphere & beautiful kitchen in the restaurant had me hooked – regardless of how good or bad the food was. The cute little couches and the homey atmosphere made the experience all the more enjoyable. The kitchen was clean, well kept and our cooking class was short and sweet. We each made a personalized pizza and got to be creative with the toppings and shape of our pie. I decided to make my pizza heart shaped with onions, mushrooms & basil with oregano sprinkled on top. All I have to say is, props to the chef…

rayro & i being goofy @ the pizza making class, Finisterrae, via dei Pepi

my pizza, pre-oven @ Finisterrae

my pizza, post-oven @ Finisterrae - Buon Appetito!

PISA PIZZA PEACE OUT! – f.k.

gotta go to gatto

Last week was one of the most eventful weeks thus far since I’ve been abroad in Firenze, and by eventful for me I mean it was my friend Sydney (Sydna)’s birthday & some of us had visitors, so we decided we had to hit up Il Gatto e La Volpe - yes, “il gatto” means cat in english, but this food certainly did not taste like cat food… (*CBT*). Anyway, usually we would sit down and talk about what we were ordering – some of us would make deals and others ‘game time decisions’ in terms of what to order. However, the struggle of what to choose was not an issue at this restaurant because they simply just place food in front of you from the moment you sit down, starting with endless amounts of wine & warm bread. If you travel in a pack like mine – food crazed & always hungry, this is probably the restaurant for you – not to mention this food is phenom, authentic & a great place to go with a big group… seeing is believing:

It started with this:

tacchino, salame, prosciutto, mozzarella, melanzane, pomodori, peperoni (turkey, salami, prosciutto, mozz, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers...) @ Il Gatto e La Volpe, Via Ghibellini

Next came this:

bruschetta - pomodoro e funghi (tomato & mushrooms), keep in mind there were 2 of these across the table...mmm @ Il Gatto

Then this:

risotto con pollo, verdure e salsa rossa (risotto with chicken, vegetables & a red sauce) @ Il Gatto

Nope, it doesn’t stop here…

ravioli di spinaci e ricotta con salsa di funghi (spinach ravioli with ricotta cheese & mushroom sauce) @ Il Gatto

I think that should sum it all up for you. Oh, and happy belated birthday Sydna!

chocolate cake @ Il Gatto for Sydna's Bday!

Gat-to Go - f.k.

FLAGUE (food blog about prague!)

“Wow guys, we ABCDemolished this one!” – Jessy

Thursday night we left for PRAHA and literally had no idea what to expect. I personally heard that the food is not so great in Prague and that I would probably hate it considering I am not much of a SHG (sausage-ham-goulash) kinda gal…so I was hoping I would be able to resist from overeating. Obviously, however, I was wrong. Our friends guided us to the right places and we were certainly not deprived of good food (although I don’t really think that the Czechs do it up the way the Italians do, sorry I said it.)

1. Trdelnik .. Translation: CINNAMON BUN STAND!

After segwaying through PRAHA and hitting all the hotspots.. we were in need of a snack considering our dinner reservation wasn’t for another four hours. While contemplating what to get, we stumbled upon the food stands in the center of old town square and found this cinnamon bun thing (only way to describe it), which had vanilla, toffee, almonds, sugar on warmed up fried dough…just your casual afternoon snack…

best thing I ever ate...

@ Old Town Square

cinnamon bun w/ vanilla, almonds, toffee, sugar @ Old Town Square... yum.

2. Globe

Chocolate chip pancakes are definitely not a famous Czech cousine, but Rachel & Brie’s pancakes were certainly picture/blog worthy. I personally didn’t order them, but wanted to send back my omelette and have the waitress bring me these instead. Don’t worry, because I am a human garbage disposal my fork was definitely ready to go when they said “I can’t eat anymore does anyone want a bite?”

chocolate chip pancakes @ Globe, Pštrossova 6, Praha 1

3. Cafe Savoy

Our friend Katie told us we needed to try the pea soup @ Cafe Savoy prior to leaving PRAHA...so obviously we took her word for it. Just a few short minutes after we ordered, those of us who ordered soup were each given a bowl of mashed potatoes and crusted crouton-crackers, but no soup. We all stared at each other blankly waiting for something to happen, thinking maybe we ordered wrong or that our friend Katie just dies for mashed potatoes (which she totally does) and mistook these potatoes for pea soup. Yet, a few seconds later our waiter came over and poured the soup into our bowls – it was warm, delicious and exactly what we needed. This is a *MUST HAVE* dish if you are ever in PRAHA.

pea soup (BEFORE) @ Cafe Savoy, Vitezna 5, Praha 5

pea sou (AFTER) @ Cafe Savoy

No, the food on this trip does not compare to the Florentine cousine, yet, it would be a lie to say we starved or didn’t eat well. The fact of the matter is Prague is an incredible city and I had the best time laughing, exploring and of course…eating with my friends.

CZECH you later! – f.k.

food v. fk: ROME edition

“OMG. This is amazing, would you guys judge me if I got another?” – Isabelle

WHEN IN ROME. As I arrived in Rome for the weekend on a school trip, I promised myself I would not use this phrase as an excuse to eat everything in sight again; yet, in the battle of food v. f.k. - f.k. obviously lost. The food was just too good. I guess I should start at the beginning…

DAY ONE: Tony’s

We heard from everyone and anyone who has studied abroad in Roma that we couldn’t leave without hitting up the chicken parm. & penne ala vodka from this american-style italian restaurant, something we have yet to come across in Firenze. So, naturally, we made a reservation for our very first night (duh). Of course, my friend Rachel became BFF with the one and only Tony, and we will now always refer to this meal as - “Free House”. Why? Because after chatting up Tony, he continued to send over complimentary chicken parms, strawberry shortcakes and a literal boat of chocolate & hazelnuts (aka nutella in its raw form) while continuously saying “free” or “on the house”, resulting in 10+ overly full stomachs and a meal we will never forget.

chicken parm @ Tony's, Via Giovanni Bettolo // photo by: Gabby Siskind

penna a la vodka @ Tony's // photo by: Gabby Siskind

DAY TWO: Maccheroni

After a long day of touring & exploring – we were all in desperate need of some carbs. Our friends studying abroad in Roma hooked us up and made reservations at Maccheroni, an adorable restaurant in the heart of the city. I ordered egg pasta with goat cheese and black pepper sauce. Not to toot my own horn, but considering my plate got passed up and down the table (of 9 girls), I would say that I won the award for best pasta of the night. Just saying.

egg pasta with goat cheese & black pepper sauce @ Maccheroni, Piazza delle Coppelle // photo by: Rachel Rosenthal

DAY THREE: GROM!

Since it was beautiful outside and we had the afternoon free to wander, we posted up in Piazza Navona, my personal favorite Piazza that we went to all weekend. The day prior, I was ridiculed for eating gelato from a subpar gelateria (I obviously still thought it was delicious), so when it came to round 2 I was determined to do it right, and after a few laps around the Piazza *Gelato Shopping*, that I did. What is it? Crema de Grom (the house flavor) & dark chocolate…I don’t think it gets much better than this…(until next time, of course..)

crema de grom & dark chocolate @ Grom, Piazza Navona

DAY FOUR: Mama & The JQ Secret Bakery

On our final morning in Roma, we ventured to the Jewish Quarter (food aside – this was unbelievable), where we toured a synagogue and then of course, ate lunch. Leave it to my friends and I to find the Gusto Panino equivalent in the JQ – felafel edition. This hole-in-the-wall sandwich restaurant had people lining up for felafel. I got a felafel sandwich on the most dough-y pita-y bread you could ever imagine with felafel, corn, lettuce, tomatoes & tahini sauce. Yes, I gave the man back my sandwich after the first bite when I realized that I forgot to add grilled onions. No, I am not ashamed.

sandwich with hummus, corn, red roasted pepper, lettuce, mushroom & grilled onions....@ Mama, Via Portico d'Ottavia // photo by: Rachel Rosenthal

menu @ Mama!!!

This time, surprisingly, we did not hunt for desert, it kindof just appeared before our eyes. There was a line on the corner of the street with an unbelievable scent oozing out of a small door. Without hesitation, me and three of my friends fellow eaters got on line. When we reached the front we realized it was a “you get what you get” type of situation. This bakery was operated by an jewish/italian family who could be seen baking everything from scratch behind the counter. We got everything and it’s still unclear what we got. One pastry tasted like a mashup of a cinnamon-bun, almonds and chocolate biscotti. The next pastry was corn bread in pastry form, and the third was literally indescribable. See for yourselves….

words cannot describe // photo by: Rachel Rosenthal

in the words of RayRo: "boss man at the dank Jewish bakery" // photo by: Rachel Rosenthal

Now I am back in Firenze and two of my best friends will be visiting me this week, which means it is my duty as a host to show them the best time restaurants. Hence, more flog (food blog) posts coming very soon!

ARROMEADERCI - f.k.

market to market

Since I have a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out), I have been very adamant lately about making sure I do not miss out on Firenze because our time here is flying by and there is so much to do (*CBT*)… Besides the laundry list of restaurants I have that we have still yet to go to and all of the places in the city we still have yet to see, I was determined to make it to the infamous “fruit market” that we had heard of – not only for the fruit but also because I also heard you can get an epic (drumroll please…) sandwich and eat it outside…so obviously I was down…shocker.

Isabelle, Jessy and I headed over to the Sant’Ambrogio Market after our first and only class. We finally made it there after stumbling into some vintage shops and accessory stores (casual day in Firenze). After walking around the market and  oohing and ahhing at every stand, we decided to order our sandwiches, which was not as easy as usual because the man making our sandwiches spoke little-to-no english and he was also far less cute than the man at Gusto. Jessy took charge and ordered three of the same because this was the easiest POA (plan of action).

Check it:

our sandwiches being made @ La Botteghina Dell'Augusta, Mercato Sant'Ambrogio

@ Mercato Sant'Ambrogio, Piazza Ghiberti

@ Mercato Sant'Ambrogio, Piazza Ghiberti

Yes, we couldn’t leave without dessert:

pane con la nutella @ Mercato Sant'Ambrogio

As if that wasn’t enough – we got unbelievable iced coffees at Astor en route to the next market of the day: San Lorenzo. Translation: The leather market. Further translation: A leather jacket & bag put on hold for Jessy, another bag on hold for Isabelle & new family friends from short hills and a friendship with the infamous Massimo for me.

Jessy con caffe americano freddo de Astor

Mercato San Lorenzo

All in all, another great delicious day in Firenze.

BUONA NOTTE FROM EATily – f.k.

bueno bites of barcelona

DAY ONE: Milk, Boqueria & Gabriel

2 cab rides, 2 buses and 1 plane ride later – we were finally in BARCA and ready to eat. Obviously, our friends in spain were fully prepared for us and had a planned itinerary of the most famous sights restaurants we had to go to. Our food crawl started at Milk, a great place for brunch – not to mention we also ran into everyone I ever knew & their mother, so we knew it was top notch. I had eggs florentine (see below), something I don’t usually order – but I saw the waiter bring it to someone else and my decision was pretty much made for me.

eggs florentine @ MILK, Calle Gignas 21

Next, we went to the boqueria fantasy land. Mind you, this was apprx. 20 minutes after swearing we’d never eat again because we were so full from brunch. Think of anything you could ever be craving – and it was there. For me, this meant chocolate, chocolate & more chocolate. For my friends, it meant falafel & pita…and for Isabelle, who was in Venice for Carnival, it meant a Barcelona goodie bag full of dried fruit handpicked by Jessy

mercat de la boqueria @ Las Ramblas

my friend katie + falafel, rice, pita & veggies @ la boqueria

After a long and exciting day of sight seeing with Bus 2 Flal (for more info. please see www.bitcheshoardingbagels.com), we did like the spanish do and took quick siestas and rallied for dinner. (Tonight on: DINNER). We ordered tapas tapas & more tapas followed by paella at Gabriel, a small restaurant next to the church of Santa Maria del Pi . I had chicken paella, I would describe the amazingness of it, but the picture is self explanatory. The meal was especially memorable because we sat outside on a beautiful night underneath heat lamps, drank sangria, ate amazing food and spent time catching up with friends who are abroad in Barcelona, Prague and Florence (*CBT – cheesy but true*)…

chicken paella @ Gabriel Restaurant, No. 5 Placeta del Pi

DAY TWO: Bo de B & Happy Pills

Talk about a sandwich. I know I write about sandwiches all the time… but I couldn’t blog about BARCA without reflecting about this experience – yes, eating this sandwich is not only a meal but a full-on experience. After a long night/morning out, our first thought when we woke up: FOOD. Naturally, my friend Allison was already on her fame (food game). Bus 2 Flal made sure we were at Bo de B as soon as it opened, which was 1 p.m. Sadly, we weren’t the first ones there – which meant we had to wait on line, but it was absolutely worth the wait. These sandwiches were HUGE and despite the rude man who worked behind the small counter, we were all stuffed & overly impressed with the quality of our sandwiches.

What was on it? Chicken, lettuce, avocado, corn, lentils, peppers, a sweet balsamic sauce & a spicy sauce (*all these sauces*)…Sidenote: I’m not much of a feta girl, but everyone else got feta and raved about it….Anyways, we (about 10 of us) sat on steps near the Port de Barcelona and quietly ate funneled our sandwiches before heading for Park Guell.

Bo de B, ce de la Mercè, 35

my sandwich @ Bo de B

Despite our food comas, our tour guide Flal told us that we were just a few minutes away from *the best* candy place in Barcelona, so we convinced ourselves that it was a landmark that we had to see prior to returning to our respective countries. Once again, Flal knows best. Every Happy Pills bottle provides a different cure. The one below is for para ver la vida en rosa - to see life in pink .

happy pills para ver la vida en rosa @ Happy Pills, C/ Arcs, 6

All in all, these were the major fighlights (food highlights) of my visit to Barcelona. Tapas+ Paella + Candy + Spandwich (spanish sandwich) = we did Barcelona right. Check back soon for more food updates from Firenze!

TATA TAPAS FOR NOW - f.k.

BUON COMPLEANNO GABBY!

Birthdays = the perfect excuse to pig out, which is why when my friend Gabby turned 21 (!!!!) we decided we had to go to Tijuana, a mexican restaurant in Firenze that we heard was the bomb dig. Quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, margaritas and every other three+ syllable word were all on the menu – and on our table – and off our table by the end of the night after five minutes. Out of everything, though, the nachos del ray were the most memorable…dontchya think?

tortilla chips con formaggio al forno guacamole @ Tijuana, Via Ghibellina

Mexican food was a nice change of pace from our PPP (pasta-pizza-panini) routine and I am pretty sure I will make it back to this restaurant at some point because it rocks. On another note, I am off to BARCELONA for the weekend and knowing my friends – there will be plenty of candy & food to eat and thus, blog about.

MI GUSTO MUCHO - f.k.

TONIGHT ON: DINNER

“I was due nine days ago.”

This is what the pregnant lady at Il Teatro told us the first time that we dined here, which I believe was our first Sunday night in Firenze. When I say the pregnant lady, I am referring to the extremely large & in charge pregnant, yet energetic and overwhelmingly friendly woman who works at one of our all time favorite restaurants. After being in Amsterdam and realizing how much we truly missed Italian food, we had no other option but to return to our home away from home for a delicious SND (Sunday Night Drafts Dinner). This blog post is very special because I knew I had to pick the perfect dish to blog about – considering I’ve tried almost the entire menu, from risotto to bruschette to leek soup & bites of gnocchi, pizza, balsamic chicken … etc. from my friends’ meals, I finally found the BEST DISH EVER: Pasta con pesto e fagiolini. Translation: HAND MADE PASTA WITH PERFECTLY COOKED STRING BEANS, DOUSED IN THE MOST UNREAL CREAMY PESTO SAUCE EVER….!!! YOU MUST TRY THIS ASAP!!!

pasta con pesto e fagiolini @ Il Teatro, Via Ghibellina

jealous?

If this doesn’t look good enough to you – you should have seen/tasted the dessert she brought out, on the house - a dark chocolate shell with a creamy filling that we later identified as rice pudding topped with fruit. One time we got complementary limoncello shots – cheddar! Overall, we have had some great times at Il Teatro and if you are ever in Firenze – you do not want to miss this meal.

I could go on an hour long rant about how much I love this restaurant/food in general, but I have homework to do (yes, I do other things besides eat).

PASTA LA VISTA, BABY - f.k.

pancakes: amsterdam style

“Do you wanna get something, then I’ll get something and we can split them?!”

1/2 pancake. 1/2 waffle. 2 Wok2Walks. 1 pita & falafel. 1 pea soup. 5 billion “waffle cinnabun jelly bean things”. the entire Marriot snack bar. 1 chocolate croissant @ CDG airport. 2 AirFrance tuna sandwiches. 1 vanilla “iced coffee” [a.k.a. milkshake]… and I’ve made it back to Firenze in one piece from Amsterdam, but certainly not any lighter…

Upon arrival in the beautiful Netherlands, me and my travel companions had been warned of some things we had to do when we were in Amsterdam, including the following: tour the Anne Frank House, tour the Heinekan brewery, go to the coffee shops, the candy store, the “i amsterdam” letters, the Van Gogh exhibit, and everything in-between. However, obviously the No. 1 thing that I was focused on was finding the pancakes – because supposedly they are epic in Amsterdam and I was not trying to miss out.

When my friends and I were headed for Sara’s Pancake House for breakfast, being the naive tourists that we are, we expected the pancakes to be your typical American-style shortstack of pancakes. We were wrong. Instead. Allison and I got this:

pancake with banana, nutella & peanut butter @ Sara's Pancake House, Amsterdam

Oh, and we also got this:

belgium waffle with banana whipped cream & chocolate sauce @ Sara's

The pancakes were not actual pancakes – it was more like a crepe, and it was a-mazing. The waffle was also top notch. Allison liked the waffle better and I liked the pancake – so I think we are both winners in this classic food-sharing scenario. Anyway, I would highly recommend either of these options if you are ever in Amsterdam and hopefully both if you are lucky enough to have good friends like mine who are willing to cut a deal.

All food aside, Amsterdam was an incredible city and I had the best time exploring it with my best friends. Looking forward for what food & adventures come my way next!

SHARING IS CARING – f.k.