Tag Archives: restaurants

Places

Espresso at Hotel As

The photo you see below doesn’t tell the whole story, but I like photographing espresso cups, what can I say…

It was a little past 6 o’clock in the morning this past Thursday, we’d been driving all night, it was snowing and freezing outside, there was black ice on the road, and we needed some warm breakfast. We stopped at a hotel/restaurant called Hotel As, on E60, between the villages of Tureni and Copaceni, north of Turda, in Transilvania, Romania.

We had scrambled eggs, I had the espresso, Ligia had a tea, and we walked around the restaurant looking at the beautiful paintings they had on the walls, depicting quaint medieval streets and buildings. Unfortunately the waiter couldn’t tell me who the artist was, and didn’t have any contact information for him/her. We wanted to buy one of the paintings.

I suppose I need to rate the espresso: it was barely decent — nothing special, but at least it had a modicum of caffeine to keep me awake. Got a screenshot of the hotel from Google Maps below, and this is their exact location. We’ll probably stop there again at some point in the future — if for no other reason than to look at the paintings once more.

Standard
Places

Clatite at "La Patronul Meu"

There’s a dessert in Romania called “clatite”. It’s similar to the French crepes, but the dough is prepared somewhat differently, and a clatita is also smaller and usually folded differently than a crepe. Some translate it into English as pancake, but that’s not it either. They’re definitely not as thick, the dough is different, and they’re not left flat, but they’re folded or rolled up. What can I say — they’re a food unto their own. This is how they’re traditionally prepared. 

Clatite

I’ve recently had some of the best clatite ever, at a little restaurant which I believe is called “La Patronul Meu”, in the city of Mangalia, which is a seaside resort in Romania, in the province of Dobrogea. I didn’t jot down the name, forgot to take a photo of the restaurant’s exterior, and didn’t take the receipt with us when we left, but I’m fairly sure the word “Patron” was in the restaurant’s name. It was next to a Pirate-themed restaurant, near the docks. 

Down by the docks

These clatite were prepared with peach jam and topped with raspberry jam. The dough was just right: not too crisp, not too soft, and they were exquisitely delicious. If you’re ever in Mangalia, stop by this restaurant and order some; you won’t regret it. Here’s what they looked like. 

Clatite

And by all means, order some of the other food on the menu, too. Mmm, mmm, good, and the service was friendly and prompt. 

If you want to make some yourself, check out these recipes.

Standard
Lists

Condensed knowledge for 2008-03-05

Standard
Reviews

Mosaic makes delicious food

We dined at Mosaic Cuisine & Cafe in Rockville this past Friday evening. The food was delicious and the service wonderful. Here are some of the dishes we had with our friends:

Paprika and parmesan encrusted chicken picatta

Blackened chicken breast

Curried lamb navarin

Beef bourguignon

Chocolate financier

Standard
Thoughts

Montgomery becomes first county in nation to ban trans fats

A few days ago, on May 15th, Montgomery County (my county) became the first county in the nation to ban trans fats from restaurants and marketplaces. Basically, anything made and or cooked in this county will have to contain no trans fats, or at least close enough to that — only 0.5 grams of trans fat are allowed per serving. There’s some leeway, and some establishments can continue to sell foods with trans fats for a while, but let’s hope the wiggle room doesn’t turn into a ballroom.

I think this is pretty cool, and it’s a step in the right direction. The law is meant to address the growing waistlines of Americans everywhere. While foods with no trans fats are great, we also need to limit our caloric intake (that means smaller portions) and get more physical activity. Legislation can only go so far. People need to take some personal responsibility if they wish to stay thin. Complaining about their weight at the water cooler won’t solve anything.

Standard