08 Tuesday Jan 2013
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, Madrid, Spain
Mr. Selfish and I rented an apartment for a week in Madrid. Although we enjoyed cooking and eating our meals in, we couldn’t resist a few meals out since Madrid had so much to offer.
We discovered our favorite restaurant in Madrid by happen chance. We didn’t discover it through researching at Trip Advisor, Yelp, Chowhound, or any other website. We had walked by it a couple of times and decided to try it out. It was cheap and delicious. It was indeed the Paraiso del Jamon (Paradise of Ham).
05 Saturday Jan 2013
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, Searching for the Best . . ., Spain
Tags
Cacao Sampaka, Casa Aranda, Churros, Hot Chocolate, Madrid, Malaga, San Gines, Seville, Spain
When I found out that hot chocolate and churros were a specialty in Spain, I knew that I would be sampling quite a few. Although the hot chocolate in Spain is not as good as the hot chocolate in Paris, the pairing with churros is quite nice.
The first place I tried it was Casa Sampaka in Barcelona. The hot chocolate was very good and dark, but the churros were a bit on the dry side.
Verdict: Although the hot chocolate was on point, the churros left much to be desired.
Score: 6.
04 Friday Jan 2013
Posted in Asia, Flashback, Food & Drinks, Japan
Tags
Aronia de Takazawa, Flashback, Flashback Friday, Go Go Curry, Japan, Kyoto, Ramen, Tokyo, Udon, wagyu, wagyu beef, yakitori
Orlando had limited Japanese food offerings. The vast majority of it was sushi, and there was one good ramen place. So, when Mr. Selfish and I went to Japan in 2009, we sampled all sorts of Japanese food.
First, we sampled plenty of udon and ramen. Each time, the broths were so flavorful that you could tell it had been cooked for a looooong time.
30 Sunday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, Spain
I didn’t know much about flamenco prior to arriving to Spain. To be honest, I still don’t know that much about it. But we did see it two times while in Spain (once in Seville and once in Madrid), and both were quite enjoyable experiences.
The first time that we saw it was in Seville at La Carbonería. The performances were free, and the food and drinks were cheap and plentiful. We got there early and stayed for two of the performances. On hindsight, we wished we had stayed for more.
23 Sunday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, Spain
Tags
When Mr. Selfish and I left Barcelona and started our road trip around the south of Spain, our first stop was Valencia. The city has some interesting sights, which we’ll go over tomorrow, but those weren’t what drew us to Valencia. The primary reason that we decided to go to Valencia was for the paella since it was invented there.
As soon as we arrived in Valencia, we called Casa Roberto for a reservation. They gave us a reservation for 9pm, which was apparently when they opened. Yes, they eat quite late in Spain.
We learned from our cooking class in Barcelona that traditional Valencian paella consists of rabbit, snails, and chicken. Prior to this trip, I had always thought that seafood paella was traditional. Of course, we ordered the traditional Valencian paella from Casa Roberto. It took about 45 minutes for our order to come out. (If you order paella and it comes out quickly, chances are it is frozen.)
20 Thursday Dec 2012
Posted in Barcelona, Europe, Food & Drinks, Spain
Tags
Mr. Selfish and I enjoy taking cooking classes during our travels. That way, we can make the recipes at home and reminisce about our trip. Since we were in Barcelona for an entire week, we decided to take a cooking class there.
We divided into four groups with each being designated a course. The five of us (me, Mr. Selfish, his mom and dad, and his sister) handled three of the courses.
19 Wednesday Dec 2012
Posted in Barcelona, Europe, Food & Drinks, Spain
Aside from Gaudi, Barcelona has some interesting areas to explore. First, there is La Rambla, which is a pedestrian shopping street. It was nice walking down the street with all of the Christmas decorations up. We didn’t buy anything on La Rambla, but we did people watch.
14 Friday Dec 2012
Posted in Flashback, Food & Drinks, North America
Tags
Flashback, Florida, Orange Juice, Orange Tree, Oranges, Orlando, Winter Park
Prior to leaving on our selfish year, Mr. Selfish and I moved out of house in Winter Park, Florida and rented it for a year. We had an orange tree in the backyard that would produce dozens of oranges during November and December. We would harvest the oranges and make delicious, sweet orange juice every year.
Unfortunately, we just heard word that our orange tree has died and needs to be taken down. We loved that orange tree, and it was one of the things I really missed about having a home in Florida – fresh orange juice. This flashback post is dedicated to our orange tree.
13 Thursday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks
Tags
Mr. Selfish and I took a day trip from Nice, France to Monaco. It was a simple and cheap twenty-minute train ride from Nice. Monaco is the second smallest country in the world. The following photos are our first views of Monaco as we left the train station. Right away, I knew it was going to be a good day.
12 Wednesday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France
Tags
Castle Hill, Fenocchio, France, Henri Matisse, Ma Yucca, Monastère de Cimiez, Musée Matisse, Nice, Place Rossetti
After our culinary adventures in Lyon were over, Mr. Selfish and I took the four-hour train to Nice. Nice sits on the French Rivera and, during the summer time, is the playground of the rich. Elton John and even Paul Allen own homes in Nice. However, when we were there, it was low season and pretty deserted, which is how we like it.
11 Tuesday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France
Mr. Selfish and I wanted to explore the wine regions around Lyon, but we didn’t have a car. Instead, we had to settle on taking a day trip to the Beaujolais region. The drive from Lyon to Beaujolais was quite lovely.
10 Monday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France
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I had read that Lyon was the gastronomic capital of France (and possibly the world). After spending six weeks in Paris and very much enjoying the food there, I had high hopes for Lyon, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The most memorable food that I ate in Lyon was the pink pralines. Mr. Selfish and I were wandering the old town of Lyon and came upon a long line. We have taken to joining these long lines because there is usually a reason for the line. This time, the line was for a bakery, which specialized in Lyonnaise pralines. These Lyonnaise pralines are different from the pralines that we are used to in the States. Although they are still almonds in sugar, they are not caramelized (unlike the American counterparts), which makes the texture nice and crumbly. We had some bread with pralines and it was divine.
07 Friday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Flashback, Food & Drinks
Tags
Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge, Czech Republic, Old Royal Palace, Old Town, Prague, Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral
In 2008, after stopping in Budapest for a couple of days, Mr. Selfish and I took a train to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Mr. Selfish had previously visited Prague and had assured me that I would love it.
I particularly enjoyed Old Town and the Charles Bridge. Old Town has the main square and the Astronomical Clock. Right next to the main square was the first time that I can remember having truly thick hot chocolate and loving it.
04 Tuesday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France, Paris
Mr. Selfish and I had our best meal in Paris in the 17th Arrondissement at Le Relais de Venise. The line outside is always ridiculously long and they don’t take reservations, but it’s worth of the wait.
03 Monday Dec 2012
Posted in Europe, Food & Drinks, France, Paris
Tags
I previously posted about the night life in the 18th Arrondissement, which is the red light district of Paris, but you can also spend your daylight hours in the 18th. Of course, the Sacre Coeur is beautiful, and it always fun to lounge about and enjoy the view. We even saw an amazing dancer/acrobat/street performer right in front.
The Selfish Years 
