Kitchen Kat

A few weeks ago Sean and I decided to revisit Ireland.  Cheap airfare and the desire to relax in friendly, familiar environs made this country the obvious vacation choice.   So, setting aside more exotic locals, we hopped a flight to Dublin on Easter Sunday and kicked off our first full-fledged holiday of 2009.

As anyone who has traveled with me can attest, no trip is complete without several nerdy and culinary activities.  In Dublin the nerdiness comes partly in the form of a pilgrimage to Ireland’s largest bookshop, Hodges Figgis on Dawson Street.  Opened in 1786, the four-story store carries over 60,000 books.  As if I need another book!  That doesn’t stop me from browsing the shelves at Hodges Figgis or at other charming, well-stocked shops such as The Winding Stair near the Haypenny Bridge or even the chain Waterstones, right across from Hodges Figgis.

The fun doesn’t end there.  Oh no.  Along with bookstores I have to check out the city’s museum offerings.  This time Sean and I revisited the National Gallery of Ireland where last year I smashed my Nikon N80, bringing an end to my film SLR days.  We said a few words in front of the portrait of Bono, where my camera met its tragic end, and then poked around the rest of the art museum. We also checked out the National Museum of Ireland where the gruesome remains of 4 “bog men” are displayed.  Nothing like looking at dessicated corpses right before lunch.

Speaking of food, I am always pleased to report that the days of boiled potatoes and tough mutton dishes are long gone.  Ireland has undergone a culinary renaissance with chefs incorporating ingredients from around the globe while staying true to the ‘buy fresh, buy local’ movement.  Sure, I can order such standards as fish and chips with a pint of stout but I can also indulge in such specialities as Cashel blue cheese tarts or udon noodles topped with squash, mushrooms and green peas.

Where to find all this great food in Dublin?  We frequent old favorites such as the Asian restaurants Cafe Mao and Wagamama and the organic, locally sourced restaurant The Farm.  Elephant and Castle likewise remains a beloved spot.  While its flagship restaurant resides on Waverly in the heart of NY’s Greenwich Village, I am partial to the Temple Bar locale.

After a tough day of wandering Dublin’s crowded streets, checking out all the fine eating, drinking, reading and artsy establishments, Sean and I head back to our spacious room at the Fitzwilliam Hotel.  Overlooking St. Stephen’s Green, the Fitzwilliam is a bit posh by usual travel standards but well worth the extra Euros.   Great location, great services and a great view.

No matter how many times I travel to New Orleans, I remain as in love with this city as I was the very first time.  So many beautiful sites.  So much wonderful food, music and drink.  Is it any wonder why I return again and again to the Crescent City?

Every trip there is different.   One time I might roam around the museums, taking in the Cabildo, Ogden Museum of Southern Art or New Orleans Museum of Art.   Another time it might be a trip to the Audubon Zoo, a plantation tour or boat ride through the swamps.  Then there are the seasonal events such as Mardi Gras, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Jazz Fest.  All good stuff.   

On the most recent journey I had the luxury of hanging out with a New Orleanian, my husband’s cousin Mike.  Thanks to him, I could experience life as a local as well as revisit some favorite tourist spots. 

Beignets from Cafe du Monde — They’re a New Orleans institution and a must-have on any trip here.  Soft, warm and blanketed in powdered sugar, these French delicacies hooked me at first bite.  A word of warning:  Wear black and you’ll look as though you’ve had a massive dandruff attack.  The sugar flies everywhere!

The Kerry Irish Pub — Located on Decatur Street in the heart of the French Quarter, the Kerry Irish Pub was recently voted the best place to spend St. Patrick’s Day by USA Today.  Perhaps I’m a tad biased but I think that the Kerry is the best place to while away any day.  Warm atmosphere.  Friendly patrons and staff.   Cold drinks.  Free, live music.  I couldn’t ask for anything more.       

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 — Live below sea level in a city with strong French ties and you end up burying your dead above ground.  An unexpected outcome is that you attract not only mourners but also tourists to your grave sites.  The oldest and most famous, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, has been drawing crowds since 1789.  The cemetery houses both the famous and infamous.  This includes the city’s first African-American mayor, Ernest “Dutch” Morial” and voodoo queen Marie Laveau.  You decide which is which.    

Delectable dining — With world renowned restaurants from Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme and local hot spots such as the French-Italian Irene’s Cuisine and the Spanish-Mediterranean Lola’s, I never go hungry in New Orleans.  After this trip I have two new favorites to add to my list, Coop’s Place and Cafe Envie, both on Decatur Street in the French Quarter.  Fresh, wholesome food, New Orleans style.      

Sazeracs at Tujagues — It wasn’t our drink of choice but a Sazerac from Tujagues is another New Orleans original.  As the bartender stated, it’s ‘alcohol, alcohol, alcohol’ and a tiny bit of sugar.  Made from rye whiskey, bitters, herbsaint, a sugar cube and lemon peel, it packs one huge punch.  Once again, as the bartender said, instruct your friends to sip it; tell your enemies that it’s a shot. 

Live music on every corner — In New York it seems as though almost every other person is an actor.  In New Orleans it’s musicians who reign.  As a result, whether in a club or bar, on a street corner or in a square, you’re bound to hear incredible blues, jazz, rock or even folk.  Great music.  Great fun.      

For heathens (or hedonists) like me, Sunday consists not of rest and religious services but of food and flea markets.   At Isabella’s on Columbus and W. 77th I worship the concept of brunch, that wonderful meal offering me the options of both breakfast and lunch.  As an added bonus, Isabella’s brunch comes with a complimentary Bloody Mary, Bellini, Campari, mimosa or glass of champagne and a basket of raisin-fennel and carrot breads.   Is it any wonder why I bound out of bed?   

Suffering from a terrible sweet tooth, I usually order the carmelized banana-stuffed French toast.  Topped with strawberries macerated in Grand Marnier sauce, it’s both decadent and ever so slightly good for me.  (Just remember, whether sauteed in sugar and butter or soaked in orange liqueur, it’s still fruit.  Or so I keep telling myself.)  On mornings when I’m hankering a cholesterol boost, I opt for Isabella’s smoked salmon Benedict on a buttermilk biscuit with a side of home fries.  And, on those rare Sundays when I’m feeling a tad health conscious, I order the seasonal fruit plate.      

After brunch it’s across the street to the temple of quirky consumption, GreenFlea.  Looking for bronze Buddha, 19th century doorknob, pint of half sours or a sweater from Ecuador?  Greenflea’s got them all and so much more.  With proceeds going to the local school I can splurge on that vintage Clash t-shirt and still head home feeling relatively guilt-free.        

Along with dining out, I do a fair amount of “wining out” while staying in Rhinebeck.  The Hudson Valley has a wealth of small vineyards and wineries — 19 in all — that offer tastings and tours.  I’m partial to the champagne and rural atmosphere of Clinton Vineyards in Clinton Corners but I have also ventured out to visit others on the Hudson Valley Wine Trail, including Allison Wines and Vineyards in Red Hook and Royal Kedem Winery in Milton. 

In addition to the wineries I have gotten my wine fix at the two wine and spirits shops in downtown Rhinebeck.  For a more temperate time I browse the aisles of Hudson Valley Footwear, Rhinebeck Department Store, Home Remedies gifts and furnishings, Hammertown home furnishings, Oblong Books and Music, Cabin Fever Outfitters and Paper Trail stationery store.  Reminiscent of an old five and dime, A.L. Stickel Variety Store on East Market is always a must-stop shop. 

Along with traditional retail stores Rhinebeck boasts of several antiques dealers located within walking distance of one another.  Behind the Beekman Arms sits a red barn housing the two-story Beekman Antique Market.  Across from the Inn on Mill Street Asher House Antiques specializes in imported antiques. Opposite the Beekman on West Market Street Portly Pug Antiques carries art, jewelry, china and other antiquities.   

Sick of shopping, I often opt for an afternoon of mansion hopping.  Within a 25-mile radius I can tour the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, landscape painter Frederick Edwin Church’s Persian-style Olana near Hudson, the Greek Revival Mills Mansion in Staatsburgh and the 19th century Montgomery Place, adjacent to Bard College in Annandale-on-the-Hudson.  I can also just stay in Rhinebeck and walk around Wilderstein, a Queen Anne-style estate owned by the cousin and confidant of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Margaret Suckley.

When I’m in Rhinebeck, I’m in the middle of Roosevelt country.  Eleanor Roosevelt’s retreat and permanent home after her husband’s death, Val-Kill, is located in Hyde Park as are FDR’s home of Springwood and the FDR Presidential Museum and Library.  Top Cottage, where Roosevelt entertained world leaders, can also be found here.

The fun doesn’t end with the Roosevelts.  In Hyde Park the Culinary Institute of America gives year-round cooking classes to food enthusiasts.  In warmer months the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck offers air shows, biplane rides and a museum filled with antique cars and planes.  At Upstate Films art and independent movies reign.  So many fun activities.  Is it any wonder why I love Rhinebeck and the surrounding region?     

Gnawed your fingernails to the nubs over worries about the economy, work, health problems or those of your family, friends and pets?  Oh, why not blow a few bucks and escape to New York’s Hudson Valley for the weekend?  The visit will do nothing to replenish your dwindling bank account but it will undoubtedly provide some fun in the cold, winter sun. 

Shortly before Christmas Sean and I returned to our favorite Hudson Valley town of Rhinebeck.  Twenty minutes north of FDR’s home and the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, Rhinebeck offers everything that we crave in a get-away destination.  Historic sites.  Plethora of art, antiques and independently owned shops.  Excellent restaurants.  Independent movie theater.  Wineries.  Farmer’s markets.  All within walking distance of our lodging. 

In terms of lodging, if you want to walk downtown as I always do, you’ll end up at either the Veranda House B&B or the Beekman Arms and Delamater Inn.  Opened in 1766, the Beekman is listed in the Historic Hotels of America and boasts of being America’s oldest operating inn.  

If it’s history you crave, you may experience the 70s — 1970’s — at the Beekman; many of the 73 rooms appear as though they haven’t been renovated since then.  Luckily, since my last stay, the hotel had hired someone to paint the walls in and expose the lovely wood floors in some of the Delamater’s rooms.  As a result, our room looked cheery and bright.

Outside of town, I love the 1745 Olde Rhinebeck Inn and Le Petit Chateau Inn, which is located a few miles from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.  With both I can enjoy beautiful surroundings, well-appointed rooms and hot, gourmet breakfasts.  Couldn’t dream of anything better, except, of course, to be able to walk into town.

Perhaps it’s because of the classes that I’ve taken and meals that I’ve eaten there or the fact that so many local restaurants are owned, operated and staffed by Culinary Institute grads but say “Hudson Valley” and I immediately think “CIA.”  The presence of America’s top culinary school has resulted in a great cookware shop, Warren Kitchen and Cutlery in Rhinebeck, and a wealth of outstanding restaurants. 

On campus Sean and I have feasted on local, regional cuisine at American Bounty.  For classic French food we’ve dined at Escoffier.  Hankering quick, casual food, we have turned to the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe.   I’ve yet to make it to St. Andrews Cafe or the Italian Ristorante Caterina De’ Medici  but I suspect that their meals are just as delicious. 

Back in Rhinebeck we have a variety of cuisines from which to choose including French at Le Petit Bistro , Italian at Gigi Trattoria, New American in the former, 19th century Baptist church Terrapin, French-American at Calico, Mediterranean at Arielle and Latin at Sabroso.  While I won’t claim a favorite, I do make a point to stop by Gigi’s for the vegetarian minestrone, Terrapin for portobello mushroom steaks and Sabroso for tapas. 

Craving appetizers or a drink, I might pop into Foster’s Coach House, the Beekman Tavern, the Firebird Lounge (for both drinks, food and pool) or Starr Place.  When I need a bagel fix, I head to Rhinebeck Bagels.  Pastries or diner fare?  For the former I drop by Bread Alone.  For the latter it’s Pete’s Famous, which has locations in both Rhinebeck and Hyde Park. 

Fine food isn’t the only thing on offer in Rhinebeck but for now the other attractions will have to wait.