Tao's, New York

Tao's is a chic restaurant close to central park. The restaurant is apparently frequented by all sorts of celebrities. We went there one evening without a reservation and it was completely packed with no chances of getting a table. We came back another day, had a drink and waited for about half an hour for a table.

Bar area

Upstairs seating area

We sat at the bar area where you can also eat if you do not get a table in the dining area. You have to pay for your drinks before you leave to your table. They do not just book everything onto one tab. You can also see that the waitresses really want their tipps because they say thank you at least ten time and circle the 'suggested' 20% on the bill accompanied by various smiley faces on the bill. The bar area was good for people watching though. You see the Sex and the City crowd and lots of young girls/women looking to find a rich guy.

Chicken dumplings

We ordered dumplings as a starter and a bottle of sake recommended by the waiter. The sake was nice but not the best and quite expensive. The size of the bottle was written in units which were not really familiar to us Europeans. 

Thai chicken

I had the chicken in spicy sauce. The sauce was good and the coriander on top was also nice. The chicken itself was not very lean though. It had a couple of fatty lumps which were not edible. I had had chicken at Tao's the last time I had been there which was two years ago. That chicken had been incredible but this dish was a little disappointing. 

Salmon with noodles

We also ordered salmon with noodles. This was a nice dish but not extraordinary.

Crispy apple blossoms with vanilla bean ice cream

For desert we ordered the crispy apple blossoms with vanilla bean ice cream. What I did not like at the end is that people were leaving and the waiter at some point just brought us the bill without us even asking. This basically means get out to me.

Koi fishes swimming by the Buddha

Buddha statue

All in all, I would say that this place is overrated. The ambience is nice and you have some luxuries like a toilet man with mouth wash, perfume, etc. but it is clear that they want you to spend money and get out in order for the next crowd to get in. The food itself was interesting but not extraordinary. The prices are definitely on the higher end. Cocktails were very good, I must say. It is worth a visit but I would definitely not queue up to get in. Value for money is not very good in terms of food. It is one of these places where people just want to go and see for themselves without any great culinary expectations.  

Roberta's, Brooklyn, New York

Roberta's entrance

Surrounding area, pretty bad...

Roberta's is a place I had heard about. Apparently it has the best pizza in New York (like so many other places...). It is located in Brooklyn, between buildings which seem to fall apart and warehouses. There seemed to be a couple of bars nearby as well. On the day we went there, we had walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and then went for a drink somewhere. We took a cab to Roberta's. I used a taxi app which is a complete rip off. The surrounding area did not seem very inviting. There were lots of people in front of the restaurant though as well as a big stretch limo.

Interior

We were there on a Saturday for lunch. The place was completely packed. We waited a bit and then they gave us a small table in the corner with some kind of bar stools. We were ok with that considering that the restaurant was completely full.

Garden area

The restaurant is in an old warehouse. They basically put tables in, and used every last space of the restaurant maximise seating capacity, not comfort. They have a pizza oven at the front of the restaurant which you can see straight away when you come in.

'Bar' area, drinks menu

Pizza oven

Once we took a seat, we had to wait quite a while before somebody came to us. It was hard to tell who is a waiter because they were all dressed in Brooklyn hipster style just like many guests. I ordered one of their home brewed beers.

Home brewed beer

The beer had a weird taste for me. It tasted like somebody brewed it in his back yard or garage, which was probably the case. We studied the pizza menu for quite a while. If you are looking for a typical pizza with tomatoes and mozzarella, this restaurant should not be your first choice. Roberta's has individual pizzas which I have not seen in that combination anywhere else. The menu is small but interesting. At that point we understood why the place is so full. Everybody comes there just for the pizza.

Four emperors pizza with mozzarella, ricotta, different spices and sesame seeds

We had the four emperors pizza which was quite a revelation. Turned out to be quite spicy in fact but was absolutely delicious. I ordered the Cowabunga Dude pizza which I had to wait for, for quite a while. They had seemingly burnt that pizza twice and apologised for that many times as well as for the wait. They then served me the pizza and said that it will be on the house, which was true in the end. I thought that was very nice and forthcoming of them.

Cowabunga Dude pizza with tomatoes, olives, sausage, green peppers, onion and mushrooms

The Cowabunga Dude pizza turned out good too. I would definitely order the Four Emperors next time though. 

All in all it was an interesting experience. The restaurant has minimum comfort and maximum exploitation. The staff was very friendly and forthcoming. The pizza was very good. Drinks cost as much as in Manhattan. I can definitely recommend the pizza. I would not say that it is the best pizza I have ever had though. The toppings are interesting combinations. It is worth going, if you want to see Brooklyn and the hipsters and have some good pizza. It was interesting to see such a shabby place, having the minimum dining requirements be so popular. I guess that this is a New York think. Once a hype is created there will be queues, no matter what the product being sold is. It was an interesting experience. If you feel adventurous when in New York, you should definitely try it out. 

Cafe Pushkin, Moscow

Outside view of Cafe Pushkin

Cafe Pushkin is an institution in Moscow. When you come in, you feel like you are back in tsarist Russia. On the 1st floor there is a collection of books. You feel like you could spend a couple of hours reading there. When in Russia, many people ask where you can actually have Russian food. This is a difficult question. The answer is Cafe Pushkin amongst few other places. As Moscow is such a melting pot now, you will find few purely Russian restaurants. The day we went there, this was our choice because most other places were closed. In a city that never sleeps, on weekdays you can not always eat 24 hours in decent restaurants. When you arrive with a time difference and leave the hotel at 11 p.m., it is hard to find a restaurant that is open nowadays in Moscow. The city has become more European lately. Cafe Pushkin is open 24 hours a day.

Beef starter

We tried a couple of Russian starters with vodka.

Salted mushrooms and greens

The salted vegetables were very nice.

Salted pickles

The salted vegetables are a typical Russian thing. Whether you drink vodka or not, this is something you have to try. The vodka comes perfectly chilled, the way it should be. 

Mors and vodka

They have their own 'mors', which is a berry juice.

Russian Pelmeni

I had Russian Pelmeni. Pelmeni are meat dumplings. 

Pelmeni with sour cream

You can put some sour cream on the pelmeni. We came to this restaurant late at night, had a little bit of Russian food with drinks at a late hour. Quality was very good. I must note however that this restaurant is ridiculously expensive. It is also known as a meeting place of Russian oligarchs (in special private rooms of course). The quality is very good and you feel somewhat like an aristocrat sitting there but you have to be prepared to pay for that and not be shocked by the bill at the end of the day. Value for money is definitely on the edge at this place but it was worth it.

Ristorante Il Latini Florence

Ristorante Il Latini is located in the centre of Florence.

The restaurant was recommended to us by a hotel. We went there because the last recommendation from this hotel was also good. This was more than a year ago. We did not stay at this hotel because we went to Florence from another location, just for the day but I called the hotel and they recommended this restaurant. Upon arrival, which was around 2 p.m. on a Sunday, we saw that there was a big queue in front of the restaurant which seemed to be our destination after we had been using (iPhone) maps to find the place, which was not as easy as expected. Things unfortunately do not work as well in real life as in Tim Cooks presentations... At first I thought of leaving because the queue seemed quite long. Then I saw that a lady was giving out some wine in very small glasses and cheese for the people waiting. I thought that this was quite nice actually. Later on, I understood that this was part of the show. We waited for about 15-20 minutes to get in. This was supposed to be the best Fiorentina restaurant in Florence so we bothered to wait that long. When you think about what people in New York do to get into restaurants, this is still ok.

Pearl barley starter

The restaurant has a website: http://www.illatini.com. I must say that the website strongly differs from actuality. This is the case here, much more than it is usually in such cases.

Interior of the restaurant

Freshly cut prosciutto

The place was packed. We sat tightly next to another table. That did not bother us though because we understood that this happens sometimes in popular cities. 

House wine and bread

The waiter rushed towards us and asked us what we would like to have. We did not really read the menu in detail because we new that we were going to try the Bistecca alla Fiorentina anyways and the waiter was rushing from one table to another. After waiting so long we just quickly wanted some starters, some water and some wine. We ordered the house wine, which was ok.

Salami

We ordered mixed starters, prosciutto, salami, cheese and some chicken liver ragout.

Chicken liver ragout

Some of you might be a little scared of trying chicken liver ragout. I am not a fan of liver dishes unless they are very good. This was ok. I tried one of these breads. For the main course we ordered the Bistecca alla Fiorentina. This was 1 apparently. We had it between the four of us.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

I would like to note that the Fiorentina costs 50 Euros. This is a lot of meat though, definitely enough for four people.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina medium

With the Fiorentina we ordered some potatoes and 'vegetables' which turned out to be beans. We also ordered a salad with the meat.

White beans with olive oil

Rosemary backed potatoes

The Bistecca alla Fiorentina with the side dishes offered was more than enough for us all. When we finished, before we thought about desert, we were offered something again.

Fresh cantuccini

The waiter brought us some cantuccini and Vinsanto wine in small glasses.

Vinsanto

We still decided to try a desert. We ordered Panna Cotta with fruit and chocolate sauce. What we received was Panna Cotta with chocolate sauce. This may have been 'lost in translation'.

Panna Cotta with chocolate sauce

The Panna Cotta was very good. When we had finished our lunch, the place was starting to clear out a little. This was the first time we could actually hear each other talk.

Overall, this was a fun experience. This is definitely not a place for a romantic dinner. If you want to try the meat and see people coming from everywhere, also locals (Italians, probably not real locals) being happy to be in the place, this is an experience one must once have. The service is mediocre. You feel like you are at a train station. We knew the deal before and still decided to wait and find out for ourselves. It was all fun until I received the bill. For the food we had and two bottles of wine as well as one grappa and coffee and the mediocre starters with the Fiorentina they charged us 180 Euros. I paid cash. For Italy, this was too much for what we had received. In Italy one should generally usually only order according to menu and not just let the waiter bring you everything he suggests. I made that mistake and paid for it. One the whole, I would recommend a visit with caution. The Fiorentina is worth it. If possible, try to get a reservation.

Landhaus Bacher, Mautern Austria

Landhaus Bacher is an Austrian Gourmet Restaurant about an hours drive away from Vienna. It is located in one of the most famous Austrian wine regions, the Wachau in Lower Austria. This is a good location for a day's trip or more. There are various other nice small traditional restaurants in the area. When going there for lunch, one can choose the lunch menu, which costs 45 Euro per person.

Seafood amuse bouche

We ordered the menu with a glass of champagne as an aperitif. There was a variety of amuse bouches to start with. 

Filled cheese balls

Butter and cream as well as lentils in mouse

Carrots with curcuma and basil

I am a great fan of the little things which really tickle your taste buds. The variety of amuse bouche and home made bread was very generous. 

Beef bouillon with 3 different types of dumplings

As a starter we had the beef bouillon with semolina dumplings, a sort of liver dumpling and bacon dumpling. The combination was interesting and the portion was not to big, which was convenient.

Fish with vegetables

There was also a cold fish dish with vegetables as a starter.

Beef cut with potato balls and vegetables

I had the beef cut with potato balls and vegetable in a sauce they poured over when serving. The beef was good, the combination interesting but not extraordinary. I had a glass of an Austrian cuvée from the region with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Blaufränkisch. The wine (by the glass) was ok but highly priced for one glass.

Trout with Krautfleckerl

We also had the trout with "Krautfleckerl". Krautfleckerl is cabbage with onions in small Austrian pasta. Everything was delicious as expected.

Pancakes with apricot jam and ice cream

When in the Wachau region, one has to try something with apricots. During the season, they sometimes have apricot dumplings which are a signature dish but I guess the season was not now. We had pancakes with the menu. The jam was fresh and the pancakes were good. I do not consider pancakes a special dish when in a gourmet restaurant but they were very good of course. 

Sweet variations from the house

After the desert, with coffee or without we were also offered some sweets variations. They offered some home made Cointreau chocolates, a peach soup, a caramelised plum as well as some delicate small chocolate breads/crackers.

The small surprises in between were a highlight of this restaurant. Overall it is a very nice place with good service. The wine menu is expensive, you could say overpriced. The restaurant is on the higher price range, especially for this area, I do have to reiterate that. If you consider that the evening menu is about 100 Euros per person without drinks, this is quite a lot. Value for money is not at the top notch of my personal ranking. Overall, we had a very nice experience and were satiate after this quite generous lunch menu. I would definitely recommend this restaurant but would like to warn everyone about the high prices especially when thinking about having aperitif, wine and digestif which we did not have as we one would usually because we were there for lunch and were driving back to Vienna that day.