ice cream

Omnom puts the ice (cream) in Iceland

Omnom puts the ice (cream) in Iceland

Posted on by Pat and David
Omnom Chocolates are possibly the best known of Iceland's culinary exports, rivaled only by Icelandic sea salt (see this post). We think that they are cleverly named. Say it three time fast and it will sound like you're devouring a chocolate bar. The sophisticated flavors include a licorice white chocolate and ‶burnt and black barley.″ They're widely available in the U.S. and Canada. But you'll have to go to Iceland to try Omnom ice cream, made in the same boxy factory (above) as the chocolates. The location (Hólmaslóð 4; +354 519 5959; omnom.is) is a bit of a schlep from central Reykjavik, but we were happy to go to great lengths for gastronomic research. Omnom sits in a warehouse district only a few streets northwest...Read More
Lunch with class and style on Trieste’s Piazza della Borsa

Lunch with class and style on Trieste’s Piazza della Borsa

Posted on by Pat and David
Certain dishes taste their best in special surroundings—prosecco and potato chips on Venice's Piazza San Marco, for example. Our latest pairing of plate and place is pumpkin and sausage risotto on the glorious Piazza della Borsa in Trieste. In case you don't know the city, it's just barely in Italy, sitting on the Slovenian border a few kilometers from Croatia. In fact, it's only been Italian since 1919. For hundreds of years, it was the chief shipping port for the Austrian empire. Most significantly, it was the chief importer of coffee for all of Mitteleuropa. Without Trieste, there would be no such thing as “Vienna roast.” To this day, its citizens drink nearly twice as much coffee as the average Italian. But we digress. The...Read More
More ice cream, just in time

More ice cream, just in time

Posted on by Pat and David
Chow and Alan Mezger could almost be the Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of ice cream in the U.K. The two brothers have transformed their dad's hand-churned ice cream business into a kingdom-wide taste phenomenon called Jude's Ice Cream (www.judes.co.uk). But being Brits, their taste references are very different from Ben & Jerry. On this side of the pond, their ice creams seem rather exotic. We doubt that Pillsbury is about to issue Roasted Strawberry and Buttermilk or Vegan Malted Banana anytime soon. But you can make your own. A cookbook/wishbook of their recipes has just been published by Kyle Books, and it's available in the U.S. Called Jude's Ice Cream & Desserts: Scoops, Bakes, and Sauces, it retails for $19.99. It's also on Amazon,...Read More
What to eat at the airport: STL

What to eat at the airport: STL

Posted on by Pat
Don't get me wrong—I always prefer a nonstop flight. But I will admit that a layover presents the chance to sample a local food specialty while you're passing through. When I saw that I would be stopping in St. Louis Lambert International (STL) on my way to San Antonio, I started thinking about ribs doused in the region's signature sweet barbecue sauce. It turned out that I didn't really have enough time for a sit-down meal. And a glance at the airport website confirmed that, with the exception of a local brewpub, the offerings were mostly the generic fast food places that are taking the sense of adventure out of airport dining. But I did find one surprise. As I walked from one terminal to...Read More