Budapest -- Bob Cohen leads an audio culinary tour

 Me in Froelich's pastry shop in December.

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

I've pointed out a lot of Bob Cohen's wonderful blog posts about food, travel and music and link to his blog, Dumneazu.

But now you can hear him -- Tablet Magazine's audio "Vox Tablet" runs a wonderful 10-minute visit with Bob to two of Budapest's most famous Jewish (or Jewish-style) eateries -- the tiny little Kadar lunchroom on Klauzal ter, and Froelich's kosher pastry shop on Dob utca.

Both are favorites with locals (and a five-minute walk from my apartment).

I vividly remember my first visit to Kadar, back in about 1990 or 1991. I was taken there by the  Peter Wirth, an architect who has carried out restoration work on several synagogues in Hungary and also produced a photographic book on Jewish cemeteries in northeast Hungary. (He won the Europa Nostra award for his restorations of the synagogues in Apostag, in the 1980s, and in Mad, in 2004.)

With Peter that first time, I remember I ordered the solet -- cholent -- with goose leg, a specialty. Kadar is not kosher and even serves sholet with pork. But for many local Jews it is a ritual to go there to eat solet on Saturday. One Saturday lunchtime my brother Sam and I shared a table with a man and his son eating solet -- and we then ran into him later at the Rabbinical Seminary synagogue, where he was the gabbai...

Spago, Bachelor Gulch // Rick Owens-Sweater Weather

Spago, Bachelor Gulch.

On my last ski trip, I had a chance to dine at the famous Spago restaurant. The master chef, Wolfgang Puck, teamed up with the award winning Ritz Carlton to open a Colorado ski outpost of his legendary Spago at the Bachelor Gulch resort. Spago continues to set the standard of cuisine, service and style. The mood at night might be casual-sophisticated, chic, edgy and playful ( ladies in hot jeans, fab furs, killer heels, and Uggs; tables of children digging into fries), but the food coming out of the big open kitchen is definitely serious. The menu features Spago's classics from over the years; contemporary American, regional European cuisine with Asian influences in a sophisticated as well as new signature dishes prepared using ingredients from local organic farming. I have to say the food and the service are impeccable. There is a kid-friendly environment and they offer a great menu for them, even Mickey Mouse shaped pizza which my kids love and ordered it almost every time we ate there.

Sear Ahi-tuna salad.

At dinner, you would be remiss if your table didn't sample the spicy tuna tartare in sesame-miso cones with chili aioli, tosa soy, green onions, tobiko and pickled ginger. It's my husband's favorite. Sorry, we ate one before taking photo ;-)
Grilled Colorado lamb chop "Chinois style" with hunan eggplant, snow pea and cilantro-mint vinaigrette. Oh, no!..too rare for me, but perfect for my husband ;-) The night before we left for home, we ate there one more time and had a big beautiful dessert Austrian style Kaiserschmarren; creme fraiche souffle' pancake, sauteed organic strawberries. This is the presentation at the table.
Voila! the beautiful dessert at the table. Fresh strawberries and light foam pancake flavor, smelting in your month..Yum...!
Rick owens-Sweater Weather.

Opened.

Turttle neck. Wrapped.
In Dallas, wearing: last year's Rick Owens sweater and top on sale at Luisaviaroma.com, American Apparel tank and leggings, Lezilla boots.
Wishing you all a joyful weekend!!

Big hugs...Hanh;-)

Pearly Gray

As you can see at the Rick Owens runway fall 09, it started off in dark black (we see this color most at his show). After a few solid black monochrome looks, all that suddenly shifted into icy blue, pearly gray, palest beige. All the genius of his vision came to light-the color of future, but classic. After that, we've seen those colors all over the runway of spring 2010. It's become fresh and it has the color for this fall and for the future.

You also see every look was constructed around a high-necked, strong-shouldered leather jacket at his runway fall 09. This is one of the looks.

Long coat version.
From Net-a-Porter. com

I have to say that this futurist-classic jacket is the ultimate style statement, an investment piece. I paired it with similar shades for a fresh fall aesthetic; Madewell tee, F21 leggings, Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte shoes. These shoes are also a statement piece in this outfit, so I keep jewelry free and light make-up.
GOOD TIME FOR BAKING
December is an exciting month of the year; Xmas lights, Xmas music, Xmas shopping, Xmas party, time for family and friends to get together with joy. All of this gives you a great feeling of Xmas spirit. It is also the perfect time for baking. I've been enjoying baking with my kids; pumpkin bread, banana nut bread, fruit pie, cookies... things they love to do, too. Every year, this month is a baking-marathon for us and we love it!

My kids enjoyed helping me to repair the crust for baking berry pie.

Berry pie.
They enjoyed doing cut-out cookies.
Enjoy conversation with sister.
This is how the cookies turn out. The cookie cutters were recently bought at Williams Sonoma. The fun thing about these cookie cutters is that you can create your own messages. And here are: Happy Holidays, Season Greeting, Life in Travel...really fun!

Hope you all have a joyful weekend with family and friends!!Happy holidays!!!

Big hugs...Hanh ;-)

PS: Don't hesitate to ask for the berry pie recipe if you want it!