Washington D.C. – This elegant place is perfect for a light meal after a long flight.
We had three different kind of oysters followed by stone crab with asparagus and brussels sprout (some call them frog eggs….).
The 12volt wine from Mallorca tasted great with it.
Book in advance!
Washington D.C. – Daniel Boulud is a very known chef in the US – originally from France. He owns various restaurants from New York to Las Vegas.
The DBGB in the city center of Washington has recently opened its doors and offers a mix of French and American cuisine.
Good food in French bistro style although a bit posh atmosphere
Little Washington VA (1 hour from D.C.) – What an experience!
This place is magnificant. A very special atmosphere on the countryside of Viginia. It is near the Shenandoah national park. You should do a hike and explore a little on the various paths, before enjoying the afternoon tea and dinner at the Inn.
We did not know anything about the place or the chef Patrick O`Connel before. Friends of us recommended it. We soon learnt that this place is special and Patrick plays the main role. Besides all the nice staff that can actually read your thoughts and make every wish come true, the house is stunning. Every little detail is placed for a reason and matches perfectly.
Behind the house and the shop you can go on a short walk and see the sheep, honeybees, chicken, llamas (Francesca and Jonah) and the vegetable garden where they grow a lot of the ingredients for the cooking creations.
We chose the dinner with wine pairing and it was absolutely delicious. Every course an indulgence for the taste buds…..
Don`t be late for breakfast, you will not regret it!
Sevilla – This beautiful palace-style hotel is situated in the middle of Seville, only 10 minutes walk from the cathedral and main restaurant area. The rooms are modern and quite spacious. If you can ask for a room in the upper floors as they might be a bit brighter.
The breakfast was excellent with countless side dishes one can order complimentary.The roof top is ideal to take a dip in the small pool or drink the rest of the wine you did not finish the night before…
Marbella – This year we had to cancel our ski vacation – gourmet trip to Zermatt due to a bad knee… Instead we headed some hundred kilometers south to Andalusia. I spent a summer in Malaga to learn Spanish more than 17 years ago. The area is beautiful and it changed a lot, most to the better.
Just after the landing we picked up our rental car and drove along the beautiful coast in lovely sunshine at 20 degrees (in March)!
We booked at Dani Garcia for lunch. It was a fantastic culinary start of our vacation.
We entered the restaurant through a big massive wooden door and found ourselves in the world of Alice in Wonderland. The decoration is really special and you get treated really well.
My favourite dish was the small tomato that looked like made from metal “Tomate Nitro” with oysters and ceviche….heavenly good.
Bring along some time and a full wallet and you will not regret it.
Zurich – We booked about 6 weeks in advance as the Razzia (a former cinema of the 20ies and a club of the 2000’s) is very popular since its re-opening as a restaurant in May 2014.
The interior is breathtakingly beautiful. You can imagine people visiting the cinema in the old times. Even the toilets are decorated in the same style and you can see the love for every little detail.
The food was really good and I was happy I shared the “Vermicelle” (Spaghetti made of chestnut purée, served with whipped cream, meringue and caramelized nuts) with my friend, as I think this was almost the best dish this evening.
The red wine “Veran” from Mallorca rounded the evening and was worth the price.
Stockholm – It was Valentines day in Stockholm and it seemed like every person, respective every couple wanted to go out for dinner. We had some difficulties finding a restaurant but our hotel recommended Fem Sma Hus. It is located in the old town and the house I guess was built of different houses. We were led through several rooms and climbed some stairs until we reached our table – the one actually you can see at the bottom of the stairs.
The restaurant was very cosy and the food was good – I guess traditional Swedish so we did not find a lot of dishes on the menu we had not already tried. The service was not the fastest but again I think because it was Valentines day, they had the house ore than full.
Stockholm – We stayed at the Grand Hotel for a weekend in February. The hotel was built in 1874, directly at the waterfront and opposite the Kings palace.
The hotel has a nice bar with a beautiful view on the harbour where you can eat cold and warm snack all day.
Unfortunately, we did not get a table at the Matbaren or Matsalen, the hotel’s well known gourmet restaurants, but they will be definitely be on my waiting list.
sybillesbeenthere 