The Inn at Little Washington – A must while near D.C.

Posted on April 12, 2015 by sybillesbeenthere

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!

www.theinnatlittlewashington.com

Union Market – the best food hall in D.C.

Posted on April 12, 2015 by sybillesbeenthere

Washington D.C. – Take a taxi and reach the market zone of DC. In the middle of the Asian fruit trucks and their loading zones, you will find this big rectangular building. It contains a variety of food stalls where you can stroll along and taste different foods and drinks. There were also some that offer a seated area to enjoy a proper meal.

unionmarketdc.com

Eslava – Probably the best Tapas restaurant in Spain

Posted on March 22, 2015 by sybillesbeenthere

Sevilla – This small place is really a wonderful place for every food lover. But you need patience and time.

You cannot make a reservation and therefore either wait at the bar or just eat your tapas there. We had time and patience. After some 60 minutes and two cavas and two beers we were led to the table. During the wait we had time to study the menu on the blackboard. This tapas bar is probably the best I’ve ever been. The prices are reasonable.

We almost tried everything on the menu but our favourits were:
– The “cigar”; octopus in its ink rolled in a filo dough so it looked like a Cuban cigar
-Sangre, a kind of blood pudding, cut in litle cubes with caramelized onions
-the egg on Boletus tower
-Roasted pork ribs in honey sauce….and also the most tender pork cheeks
…actually everything on the menu

This tapas bar has the traditional Spanish food but interpreted in a modern way – GREAT!

After our visit we found out that there are also a restaurant and some “rooms for tourists”….so I will keep that in mind for our next trip.

www.espacioeslava.com

Hotel Palacio Villapanes

Posted on March 22, 2015 by sybillesbeenthere

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…

palaciovillapanes.com

Casa la Siesta – Pure relaxation

Posted on March 22, 2015 by sybillesbeenthere

Andalucia – Close to Vejer de la Frontera (between Malaga and Cadiz) lays this formerly farmhouse – now transformed into a small luxury retreat.

The house has only 8 suites and all are individually decorated. We had a wonderful fire place and an old-fashioned bathtub in our room.

The people from the Casa la Siesta are really nice and helpful. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast every morning at the big wooden table and explored the area during the day or relaxed on the sunny terrace. One evening we also had dinner there and it was fantastic. But beware of “Sombra”, the black queen of the house on four paws…she can be moody 😉

In summer they also do Paellas and BBQ on the terrace or pool area and the house is ideal for weddings.

casalasiesta.com

Dani Garcia – stars in our eyes

Posted on March 22, 2015 by sybillesbeenthere

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.

www.restaurantedanigarcia.com

AuGust – Mighty Meat!

Posted on February 22, 2015 by sybillesbeenthere

Zurich –

tables can only be reserved for groups from 6. We just tried our luck on a Saturday around 7 pm. Of course, all was booked and the chef de service told us we have to wait about 1.5 hours.

As we anyway wanted to enjoy an apéro in the bar of the Widder (one of the most beautiful bars in Zurich – if not in the world. I think this should also go in to the guide “1000places.com“) this was perfect timing.

At 8 pm we got our table, a nice and cosy one right in the middle of the restaurant. There is a big meat buffet as you would see at a butcher when you go meat shopping. The restaurant is not very big but I really like the black and white interior design. AuGust opened in November 2014 and is attached to the Widder hotel – a unique and boutique 5*hotel in the heart of Zurich. The building complex of 9 town houses was converted in the 1970’s into a hotel by famous Swiss architect Tilla Theus.

Now to the food: My first course, the salmon tatar was the best I ever had! Great fish quality and spicy mixed with wasabi and chillies and some secret ingredients…

For the main we took the meat platter. It was very good but too much food for two people. The service person asked us if we wanted to have a doggy bad what we gratefully accepted.

Definitely worth visiting!

au-gust.ch

and

www.widderhotel.ch

Razzia restaurant and bar

Posted on February 22, 2015 by sybillesbeenthere

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.