In this part of the world, restaurants tend to sling the same grub (kebab, mezze, biryani, baklava) — and what sets one place apart from another is the quality of ingredients and, when I get lucky, the existence of dishes I’ve never seen before. Green Jews Mallow in Egypt. Hot cheesy hummus in Turkey. And at Al Safadi, […]
You can eat very, very well in Istanbul. Even with zero language skills, the point-and-nod method can get you amazing kebabs, shwarma, roast chestnuts, the donut-shaped pastry known as simit, and enough baklava to put you in a honey coma. And the street food scene has excellent company with a handful of modern restaurants serving […]
Egypt is known for many things – the birthplace of civilization, early forms of communication, inventing board games! – but sadly, culinary prowess is not among them. Bread, beans, rice, and meat abound. Koshari, a gut bomb of rice, lentils, and pasta, is considered by some to be its national dish… street food of the highest […]
Gothenburg, Sweden, is one of these Scandi towns on the cutting edge of New Nordic cuisine. Tasting menus abound, and Michelin stars are scattered about this coastal city like snowflakes. But for those of us without the time or the budget (and when working on deadline, who does have those things?) for a seven-course extravaganza […]
It has been a tough year for Greece. Economic crises, political drama, and just as tourist season began — the one bright financial light for many islanders — a refugee problem of biblical proportions. Every day on the island of Lesvos, rubber rafts careen onto its shores, stuffed to the brim with refugees from Syria […]
