If You Can't Pronounce It, Eat It

This weekend marked my first trip out of Italy. Along with two friends, I spent my weekend scurrying to see every inch of Prague, Czech Republic. While I wasn't expecting too much out of the food (I mean I'm LIVING in Italy!), I am very pleased to report that Prague's culinary fortes were quite to my taste! We arrived pretty late on Friday night-- just enough time to do a little exploring and find some grub! Clare's "Let's Go: Europe" book has been a total lifesaver this whole trip and once again directed us to a winner! The brewery/eatery was called "Pivovarsky Dum" and was famed for its eight-beer sampler and Brewmaster's Pocket-- a deep-friend pork chop stuffed with bleu cheese and ham! Who would I be to defy the "Let's Go" gods? I paired their suggestions with delicious potato pancakes and enjoyed a hearty, amazing, and authentic 5,000 calorie meal :)

This Czech food was a very welcome break from the endless stream of pizza and pasta that has become my life. While those things are definitely delicious, it was nice to have a little *gasp* protein thrown into my diet. It was also huge portions for basically nothing! I spent a total of about 700 koruna (30 euro) on food for the whole weekend. That's including two dinners, one lunch, two breakfasts, and dessert!

The next day started out with breakfast on the go and some warm cider (warm beverages kept me going on this trip). For lunch we decided to try some authentic street food. Not being big on sausage of questionable origin, I decided to have... fried cheese... on a bun. How had Wisconsin not previously introduced me to this?

It was of course delicious and greasy and artery-clogging. I mean that in the best way. It also cost about one euro for a whole meal! The convenience also made it great, as we had to trek through most of Prague on Saturday alone! After touring Prague Castle and hiking the great Petrin Hill, we were definitely ready for a substantive meal. We ventured off the beaten path a little and arrived at Tlusta Mys, or The Fat Mouse. I had a pork chop marinated in bacon and more potato pancakes! I just couldn't stay away from them!

Even though I was basically waddling out the door upon finishing this huge plate of food, we decided to get dessert. And by dessert, I mean two.

Does hot chocolate count as dessert? Well.... this one probably did. Oops. It was worth it though. I enjoyed every bite of my raspberry mousse cake and every drop of the cherry almond hot chocolate. Yum! So while I am still stuffed and it is debatable whether my heart will ever forgive me, Prague was definitely a great culinary travel experience. It was a welcome change from the Mediterranean Diet at an incredibly low price. Food in Prague? Czech! :P Couldn't resist!

Ciao!

Porchetta Makes Me Happy

I spent a big chunk of this weekend munching on food at my Roman home base. However, Clare and I did take a little adventure to the town of Ariccia-- a small historic village with a famous passion for pork, or porchetta. Now before we get too far into this adventure, it should be known that Clare and I are planners. We write itineraries and do research and double check our directions. Some days are just not meant for planners though, and this was one of them. After attempting to translate the bus website into English for the umpteenth time, we surrendered and decided to take the train to Ariccia's neighbor town-- Albano Laziale. We couldn't exactly find directions from the station to Ariccia though. And so it was with no return ticket and some googled streets written on a notecard that we set out on the 50-minute train ride.

There was a huge moment of panic when we got off the train and realized there wasn't even a kiosk to purchase our return tickets. However we fought the urge to turn right back around, took a deep breath, and started walking (to where? we had no clue!). After about five minutes we found a little bar where we were able to purchase train tickets. With that checked off the list, we felt a lot better about the day. Lucky (or so we thought) for us, there were blue signs pointing us to Ariccia. After a few twisted turns though, we had noooo clue where they were leading us.

After some deep breaths, we resumed our quest for porchetta. We found a main street, crossed our fingers, and kept walking. We crossed a bridge and suddenly... we were there! Ariccia was very cute and quaint and the smells of porchetta were luring us into dozens of "osterias." After walking around and getting the lay of the land a little, we grabbed porchetta sandwiches from a tiny vendor that had been endorsed by Gambero Rosso (kind of the Italian food authority) and found a bench with a beautiful view to enjoy our sandwiches. The porchetta was absolutely worth the adventure to get there. In fact, it might have been worth fighting dragons, crossing a moat of lava, and climbing to the tallest tower to rescue the porchetta princess. Yup. That good. It was a pretty simple sandwich-- no BBQ or fancy toppings about it. The closest thing I could compare it to would be a Little League Opening Day pork chop sandwich. It was half the taste, half the experience.

What could possibly make this sandwich better? This view, that's what.

Clare and I learned some important lessons this weekend. First, plans (or lack thereof) can work out ok if you take some deep breaths and go for it! Second, order two sandwiches. Just do it. We can't yet understand people judging us in Italian anyway.

Ciao!

Pesto Potato Pizza: Poeta Perfection

For the entire month I have been here I've been trying to make it to Dar Poeta pizzeria in Trastevere. I had heard so many great things about this inexpensive and authentic pizza joint to delay my visit any longer. While skyping with my mom mere minutes before I was heading out the door, she asked if I had heard of it because her Fodor's guide raves. I was excited to say I would have an official report in a few short hours!

So some friends and I made the short walk to find the restaurant already crowded. In Italy, 7:30 is very early (some places don't even open for dinner until 8pm!) so to already have a wait was another sign of the goodness awaiting us. For an appetizer I decided to venture off the beaten path. I had a gorgonzola bruschetta with honey. I was very pleasantly surprised-- it was delicious!

It was very hard to decide on pizza. Everything looked soooo good! In the end I decided to go with regular crust, pesto sauce, mozzarella, potatoes, and cherry tomatoes. It was a very good decision. Then again, from the looks of the empty plates all around me I don't know if there is such a thing as a bad decision at Dar Poeta.

Even though I was absolutely stuffed, I talked everyone into splitting the Nutella and ricotta calzone mom had read about in the book. It was inexplicably amazing. Of course, if there's Nutella in it there's not too much that could go wrong. Seriously though-- sinfully tasty.

Not only was all the food delicious at Dar Poeta, but it was also the first time I have really followed "do as the Romans do" in regards to dining. I ate three courses (and a glass of wine with each :o) in a period of about 2.5 hours surrounded by friends and good conversation. Even better, I did it for about 15 euro! Scrumptious!

Due CappucciNEED

Leaving my thrice-weekly Medium Skim Hazelnut Latte in Champaign had me feeling a little anxious. How was I going to get my daily caffeine fix without the luxury of $5 coffees or a drip machine with ample Coffee Mate creamer? The answer ending up being simple: Bonsai Bistro cappuccino two steps outside of my apartment building.

For only 90 eurocents I can run into the bustling little "bar" (where they now know me!) and sip on the best coffee drink I have ever sipped. I could never dream of adding sugar, cream, or syrups into these espresso drinks. It would ruin the richness and body of the roast. I feel like such a snob talking like that because I don't know anything about coffee, but somehow it's true. This coffee is just on a different level.

The experience definitely makes a difference too. Even in the morning bustle the cafe owner almost always draws me and Danielle (my new "coffee mate") pictures in chocolate syrup on top of our foam. You also don't have a cardboard to-go cup-- but a real mug with saucer and teaspoon. Pastries (for 70 cents, not $3) line the glass shelves tempting, and occasionally winning, my taste buds. The smells of coffee, butter, and the promise of a new day waft throughout the shop.

This atmosphere is something that in my opinion the U.S. is really lacking. Most coffee shops now are full of people in a hurry. People that have never asked the barista about their day. Baristas that think it's tedious to put whip cream on a mocha, much less draw a Colosseum in chocolate syrup onto foam. While coffee still wakes me up and provides a much-needed morning jolt, the Italian coffee experience has also given me a happy start to the morning that has little to do with caffeine: an owner who extends daily kindness, dogs left just outside the shop door with tails wagging, and Italian chatter circulating between sips of espresso.