We met up with Frank and Casper from Klown for one last batch of smorrebrod. These were the best of the trip: eel, duck pate, herring and lobster. Delightful sandwiches and of course wonderful company.
Geranium – December 2018
When we couldn’t get a table to Noma, our host Noemi booked us a table at Geranium. Twas a rather expensive experience, but a really great one!
Karrie ordered the juice pairing, I opted for a rather extravagant wine pairing. Geranium was quite adept at upselling. We opted for an additional course of caviar, and of course, had to have an extra half-glass of champagne to compliment.
Favorite aspects of the meal: the tour of the kitchen/meat-aging fridge/wine cellar, the extraordinarily beautiful (and delicious) scallops coated in beet emulsion, the marbled hake, and the pine-dusted chocolate egg.
26 courses. Quite a meal. Apologies, I forgot to photograph the charcuterie served in the meat-aging fridge. Pause for a beat tomorrow and then the crown jewel of Noma on Friday!
Smorrebrod and Porridge – December 2018
We started the morning with a cappuccino from Coffee Collective and a couple of bowls of porridge from GRØD, both in a really nice food hall called Torvehallerne. Mine was hot, apples, walnuts and caramel, Karrie’s was cold, a “Christmas” pudding with berries and quinoa.
For lunch, we went to Told and Snaps, an old-fashioned, classic Smorrebred and Schnaps restaurant. We sampled three Smorrebred sandwiches: roast beef and freshly grated horseradish, aged cheese, and one pickled herring with egg and potato. When the waitress brought over the aged cheese sandwich, she asked if we wanted to pour rum over the top. I, of course, said yes, but am still not sure that was a good idea.
Bloom in the Park – December 2018
Our pal Christian picked us up at the airport and drove us into Copenhagen’s sister city of Malmo, Sweden, his hometown. To get there, you cross the famous bridge between the two cities, the one made famous by the Swedish crime drama “The Bridge.”
We first went directly to the AMAZING sauna, Ribersborgs Kallbadhus. Built in 1898, the sauna is built over the ocean and is accessible by a 500-foot pier from the beach. After sweating in the 90c wood-fired sauna for a while, you walk outside and plunge directly into the icy cold Baltic Sea. Twas the perfect post-flight experience.
Afterward, we had high-tea at the Michelin rated Boom in the Park. Beautiful scones with clotted cream, lemon curd and berry jam, a stunning lobster bisque and their fancy take on the traditional Danish Smørrebrød, an open-faced sandwich. Theirs were coriander, beef tartar, beet, and foie gras/mushroom.
Twas a very nice experience, and Christian’s first high-tea experience.
Uformel – December 2018
Our first dinner in Copenhagen was with Noemi Ferrer Schwenk, our host from the DFI, and a couple other event guests. Apparently, almost all nice restaurants are closed on Sundays, so Noemi took us to a place she had never been before, Uformel. Uformel is the less formal sister restaurant to established Michelin one-star restaurant Formel B. It was quite a nice meal, a small tasting menu of four courses with wine pairings. More to come from Copenhagen!
The Menu and wine pairings:
Ceviche of cod with cream cheese, chili and ginger
Julian Haart, Riesling Kabinnet, Piesport
Tartar of Danish beef with roasted kale and crisp cheese
Remi Dufaitre, gamay Brouilly, Beujolais
Grilled mallard with salsify, wild cress and Sichuan pepper
Rosso Di Montalcino, Querce Bettina, Tuscany
Dark chocolate with sorbet of quinces and roasted sourdough
Jurancon, Lapayre, Petit & Gros manseng.
Gem – November 2018
I went to Gem with Cesar Guzman, Bryan Poff, and Dave Kennedy to celebrate our unanimous approval of the liquor license for 28 Liberty Manhattan by the neighborhood board.
Gem, the pre-fixe, tiny restaurant by teen chef sensation Flynn McGarry was quite wonderful. Chef Flynn began hosting tasting menu dinners in his living room when he was 12 years old. By 14, he was working the line at Eleven Madison Park and opened Gem when he was 18. He’s a true prodigy, and the 17-course dinner was spectacular, as were the terrifically interesting 8 wine pairing. In particular, I am going to hunt down the sparkling wine that started our evening and the dessert wine that finished the night.
Dave said it might have been the best meal of his life! It ranked up high for sure. I am a fan of the young Chef Flynn.
Azurmendi Gastronomico – August 2017
The second in our culinary adventure with Nahikari and Eugenio in the Basque country of Spain was a very theatrical meal at Azurmendi Gastronomico. Chef Eneko Atxa’s philosophy is to incorporate all five senses in the dining experience and even has a laboratory on site at the kitchen to experiment with a variety of playful ideas.
Mugaritz – August 2017
An astounding meal shared with Nahikari and Eugenio outside of Bilbao. One of the best of our lives. The highlight was the moldy apple paired with noble rot dessert wines.
The Menu
Friday, 11 th of August 2017, dinner.
Scarlet Shrimp and corn sweet.
Fresh humus and marine accents.
From sour to bitter.
Lobster roe and tiger’s milk.
Sea cucumber bestiary.
The end of herbs.
Roasted chicken.
Head cheese of “kokotxas”.
Temperature Vs Flavour.
Love in the sea.
Puffed anchovies.
Creamy veil of acidic potato.
Symbiosis in the sea.
Minestrone broth.
Somewhere between Puebla and Askola. viili and cream of avocado.
Lamb.
Bonito dressed with tomato miso water.
Tomato, garlic and fermented tomato.
Earth crystals and a day-old cheese.
Soldier striped shrimp from the Alboran Sea.
Cow, milk and egg.
Unleavened bread hem and dry salt.
Baratzuri zopa.
Suckling pig snouts.
About Hirezake: Heated “manzanilla” and toasted fins.
The cheese.
In dubiis, abstine.
Rotten Apples and Other Delights 