Posts Tagged ‘food’

Homesick | Personal

July 8th, 2009

I’m feeling a little homesick lately. I really miss home… and the thought of not going to visit this year just adds to the ‘frustration’. Because of the baby, we won’t be able to go to back home until next spring/summer. Ohh, this is going to be a very long year. It was less than [...]

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I’m feeling a little homesick lately. I really miss home… and the thought of not going to visit this year just adds to the ‘frustration’. Because of the baby, we won’t be able to go to back home until next spring/summer. Ohh, this is going to be a very long year.

It was less than a year ago when I last travelled to Europe and spent about a month between Milan (Italy) and Tirana (Albania) but it seems like forever. Without sounding like I’m not looking forward to meeting friends and family in both Italy and Albania, my main thought right now is THE FOOD. Blame it on the pregnancy if you must but food is something I’ve really really missed since Markino and I moved to the US in Feb 2008. Yeah, sure, you can find some imported stuff here (prosciutto crudo, mortadella, grana padano, and more) but there’s not much and let’s not talk about the prices…
And then I miss the lifestyle. People have a different approach/attitude there. Nothing wrong with people here, it’s just different.

On a positive note, the pregnancy is coming to an end. Yes, it is a beautiful experience, but I can’t wait to hold this baby. Counting down the days to my due date, only 30 to go! August couldn’t be here soon enough.
It seems like yesterday when I announced we were expecting though… where did time go?

Today I picked some random shots I took in Albania last time I visited. I found these retro items in a restaurant that offers typical Albanian dishes in the old grandma’s style. It was nice to have lunch by the fireplace (much needed heat in September up on a mountain).

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They had a whole collection of antique items that are really hard to find nowadays. I remember those radios. We had one too!

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Old guns.

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Some more contemporary shots of… food, of course! Not the food I had at the above mentioned restaurant… this was a modern meal! :)

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Internationally speaking

July 3rd, 2008

I just had a conversation with a virtual friend of mine (we never had the chance to meet although we’ve know each other over the internet since almost 10 years now, back when ICQ had just started out and I was a young computer geek teenager); He’s in Italy, about to dine in Turin… and was [...]

 

I just had a conversation with a virtual friend of mine (we never had the chance to meet although we’ve know each other over the internet since almost 10 years now, back when ICQ had just started out and I was a young computer geek teenager); He’s in Italy, about to dine in Turin… and was asking me about the italian dishes on the menu. At last, I did, apparently, help him decide what to order for dinner.

Rajeev says (12:33 PM): small world. An indian from uk is asking for italian food help from an albanian in usa 

Talking about food, I love taking pictures of what I eat, although I don’t do it often.
** Once Markino was determined to photograph every creation of his coming out of the kitchen and I think he even started with a couple of pictures but then gave up… I’m trying to convince him to take it seriously.**
Getting back to my food photography. I’ve decided to start taking pictures when we dine out in fine restaurants because the plates look soooo good apart from tasting delicious of course. You already saw some pictures I took at a restaurant in Carmel, a couple of weekends ago.
Last weekend we were lunching in San Francisco, at the Steps of Rome. I know, it’s a place for tourists, located in what’s left of Little Italy… But we like the guys (all italian) that run the place and the food is good!

This was my grilled shrimp & calamari on a bed of mushrooms and some green stuff which I don’t eat because it’s too healthy :P

Markino’s fried calamari… half were eaten by me

After talking about italian food with Rajeev and posting these seafood shots I’m really hungry…

K.

 

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Carmel by-the-sea Part II: fine dining

June 22nd, 2008

So we arrived in Carmel in the late afternoon (see Part I) and were just a tad hungry. Since we were by-the-sea what’s better for lunch than seafood? So we searched for places to eat and found one pretty interesting looking… the only problem: they were already closed for lunch and were reaopening for dinner [...]

 

So we arrived in Carmel in the late afternoon (see Part I) and were just a tad hungry. Since we were by-the-sea what’s better for lunch than seafood? So we searched for places to eat and found one pretty interesting looking… the only problem: they were already closed for lunch and were reaopening for dinner at 5.30PM (I really don’t understand who has dinner at 5.30 in the afternoon… but whatever…). We had a little tour around the place and got back when the restaurant opened, to finally have our LUNCH. Yes, at 6PM.

While waiting for the food to come:

I love tiny details like fresh flowers… and I love bread:

The list of wines was incredibile, we didn’t know what to get… but finally I decided for a local (Napa Valley) Sauvignon Blanc. Great tasting.
There were only 2 things I didn’t understand:
1. why do they always suppose it’s the guy that tastes the wine? can’t women know about the wine too?
2. white wine needs to stay cool but I didn’t see any basket of ice around the place. after a certain point I couldn’t drink my wine anymore, too sour beacuse of the temperature. good we only got the half bottle as we were to drive back home

Well, there might be a 3rd thing I didn’t get, which is: all around us people got RED wine with fish (is known that red wine kills the taste of fish, covers it completely). Anyways.

If you ever go to this place or any other that has it, get a good glass of Napa Frog’s Leap:

Here comes the food. My Lobster Spring Roll (served with an interesting apricot cream) was delicious:

Markino got himself an Endive Salad:
Menu said it was made with Gorgonzola cheese, only it was a simple blue cheese (good but not Gorgonzola). I assume this plate had like 2000 calories, I tasted the pecans and there was a lot of butter around them… but we’re not on diet right now :D

Unfortunately, when we got the rest of the food (Gulf Prawns risotto with artichoke and red bell pepper; and the pasta special), I forgot to take the pictures. Guess I was really hungry!!!

We called it a “day” with a couple of Creme Bruleè:

Anton & Michel <— visit the website for more info on this restaurant.

We can’t wait to get back and taste some more delicious food!

K.

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