rmillman

There are many dining options in Budapest which we enjoyed on our recent stay. In our eternal search for artisnal pork products, we were directed by the excellent chefs at Onxy (wonderful meal, well worth a visit) to Mangalica es Tarsai http://huspatika.hu/ An easy tram ride from Pest to the Buda side we could tell from the outside, this was the place Entering romoved all doubt Fresh pork, simply cooked on a grill, nice wine, great cheeses and, what can only be described as mangalica salami heaven. It is well worth a visit Final score: Rob 15, custom dogs 0

A sunny Wednesday in Prague found us at Jirak Farmers market http://www.farmarske....cz/en/jirak-en Farmers markets at enjoying a resurgence in Prague and are being supported by numerous organization. While I enjoyed a local beer my wife could not resist a snack we were hit by aroma the of perfect cheese. Meet David a local cheese maker, living 90 kilometers from Prague, making French inspired cheeses. Although we sampled all, we purchased and devoured on the spot a small piece of his aged wash rind goat cheese (top right). Wow, this could win awards. The smell and taste stayed with us all day in a very good way. If you are in Prague, try and find him as you will not be disappointed.

If it is nota game day: go to Bleacher Bar at the Fenway. Great burgers and a view onto the open Fenway field.

lunch at Mike and Patty's for their pork torta or egg fancy is a MUST. Short walk from Westin

Tiki Monday was spent with a suffering bastard and a happy fellow who knew who his father was, the former my drink, the later my drinking buddy: Gin, brandy, lime, ginger with a soda top.

A Suffering Bastard: my opposite in a glass since i was quite happy and know who my father was. http://wiki.webtender.com/wiki/Suffering_Bastard I used St. George Terroir gin, a local made ginger syrup, fresh lime, simple and soda. Tall in a tiki mug was a much needed treat.

Roasted brussel spourt leaves last night in convection oven: lite oil and salt only using leave taken from coring brussels. I needed to take out and shake pan many times throught the last 15 minutes to ensure even browning and crispyness. Near the end, I removed leaves from the pan that had more "core" and were not roaating evenly. A lot of work but the smell throughout the house and taste is hard to beat.

In Kunming, we have had hot pots with over 20 varieties of mushrooms being added. Not to be overlooked is my favorite the matsutake mushroom which were in season the last we visited. The following is not my article but very similar to what I have experienced. http://www.gokunming.com/en/blog/item/1696/a_trip_to_kunmings_mushroom_district

Rusty Blade gin negroni: wow. Probably a little overshadowed one of the best sipping gins I have ever tried but I needed to try it as I brought several interesting bottles from The Cask in SF that do not make it into the draconian state of MA.

Nothing has been posted for quite some time on Panama. We will be there in two weeks. Anyone been recently, anything worth seeing food wise? Thank you

Drove to RI to buy some Thomas Tew Rum: what an amazing product. Hats off to Newport Distillers http://newportstorm.com/thomastewrums.asp

We ate very well in Siem Reap: the public market food stalls were excellent for a local feel and we highly recommend Meric. We had the $31 7 course Khmer tasting and it was wonderful.

We went several months ago and really enjoyed it. The noodles had a clean fresh taste: not the dish watery taste many lower side noodle houses can get. The toppings were also quite good and we did not have to questio the origin of the proteins used. It is not the $5/bowl noodles that you can get in China town but for any Westerner who worries about food quality, it is a great place to eat.

A loud bar and a mistake in hearing lead Kevin at Eastern Standard to make me: Muddled mint and cucumber with Bluecoat gin, shake with ice and top with ginger beer: hit the spot, refreshing yet spicy.

In Shanghai, both Alchemist and Apothecary are in the same location and both worth a visit. Alchemist has moved more away from "molecular" and has a nice blend. Even at Hotel bars, cocktails in Shanghai tend to be on the sweet side and those made with chinese spirits can be a little funky on the palate. I would also say grab a drink at 100 Century at the Park Hyatt, Vue Bar at Hyatt Bund and Flair bar at the Ritz for the views and scene.