Pizza is looking good

My husband is not big on variety. Granted, I will select the same entree in a restaurant for years, but I like to mix and match my cuisines throughout the week. If I have Mexican on Monday, I want Italian, or Chinese, or soup and salad on Tuesday. I may not cycle back to Mexican until Friday. And heaven forbid I eat at the same place twice in seven days unless it’s an emergency — like I won’t return to this area for a decade.

The spouse could happily eat at McDonald’s twice in one day, or order steak fajitas every night for a week. And ever since our friend landed a job as Donato‘s counter person, that’s been a big request on a frequent basis around here.

So when he said he was in the mood for pizza, I assumed we were heading over to Southport Road again. Instead, he turned east and headed out to the hinterlands of Greenwood where we had found a Chicago’s Pizza months ago (it was snowing then, too, if that gives you a time frame) and promptly forgot about it. I’m not sure I can explain why this suddenly crossed his mind any more than I can tell you why my dog returns home from the groomer’s so wound up he runs into the walls.

Frankly, I was too busy at that moment trying to remember what Chicago’s Pizza tastes like.

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Beautiful Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of the lovelier cities in Europe, in my opinion. It’s endless canals and beautiful and historic rows of buildings are well suited to long scenic strolls or leisurely bike rides. Two things I do not think of when I recall Amsterdam, however, are “light-filled” and “spacious”. Typical of Europe, space is a rare luxury and the weather does not lend itself to many sunny days nor do the old buildings provide many large light-filled windows.

The Stunning Glass Walls at De Kas

Airy Interior of De Kas

So, when I heard about De Kas restaurant at the edge of Amsterdam, I was intrigued. The restaurant is situated on a large green in a 1926 constructed green house. This means it is all glass, even the ceiling, and lets in light aplenty. Dining in such a light airy environment would be reason enough for most Amsterdam visitors to go, however, they also score highly with their thoughtfully prepared and delectable dishes. Much of the produce is grown on site in neighboring green houses and the meat is brought in from nearby organic farms. This guarantees fresh tasting ingredients which is half the battle in making good food. The menu is fairly set and changes daily, so it is not the place to go if you have a lot of dietary restrictions. However, if you are willing to surrender yourself to the Chef’s selections you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by dishes or ingredients that you would not ordinarily order.

The restaurant also has atmospheric terrace seating next to a lake and a warm cozy fireplace indoors, making it perfect for every kind of weather.

De Kas Restaurant
Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3
1097 DE Amsterdam
T 020 462 45 62
www.restaurantdekas.nl

Photos from David Silverline on Flickr and the De Kas website

Related: Winter Swimming at The Hague; Museums in Amsterdam

Café Schwarzenberg - Stylish Vienna Coffeehouse

Did you know Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart met Joseph Haydn in Vienna where they became great friends?  If you love classical music then a visit to Vienna, Austria is a must.

A wonderful way to experience the culture of old Vienna is to attend a concert at either the Musikverein or the Konzerthaus. Like the tango is to Buenos Aires, Argentina, so is the waltz to Vienna, Austria. The famous New Year Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is held at the Musikverein, while being broadcast around the world to more than 50 countries.

A great café in Vienna, more stylish than this one, that is walking distance to either the Musikverein or the Konzerthaus is Café Schwarzenberg. We stopped in a night that we had concert tickets to the Musikverein for a coffee and snack to finish a perfect evening near the end of our vacation.

If you dressed up for your concert performance, you will notice that Café Schwarzenberg has wall-to-wall mirrors reflecting your contentment while you sit on the gorgeous leather chairs. Nice touch. That night I would not have been surprised if Christopher Plummer had been seated next to us smoking and reading his paper, in all his Sound of Music glory. Read More »

New York City is home to a million great restaurants.  Wait, scratch that:  a million and one, at least.  You can’t walk a block without running into some storefront eatery that’ll tempt you.

It stands to reason:  in order to stand out in a sea of so many good places to eat, you have to find a way to differentiate yourself.  And certainly restaurants in this town have gotten a little creative in doing so.  Sometimes ridiculously so.

When a friend asked if I was interested in meeting at the new Qi Asian Eatery for lunch, I was curious.  I love a good Asian joint.  Adore them, in fact.  But I was a bit concerned at the tag line.  What is Taoist and Ayurveda inspired cuisine anyway?  Would the taste of Good Karma interfere with the flavor of some tasty noodles?  I know I may get flamed for saying so, but I sometimes get very cranky when worries about my good health get in the way of a great meal.

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