Spoon The Boat

This restaurant in Budapest is actually a boat though it does not go anywhere, it is still on the water with a fantastic view of the Royal Palace across the Danube River. I had our hotel make the reservations for us. We got there and the maitre'd was expecting us and led us to a great table by the window. It was early enough to see the details of the Palace and the boats going by.

The menu looked very interesting. No matter what, we were determined to order the Hungarian Goulash which was absolutely delicious. The meat was so tender and the vegetables were simmered to perfection. Raymond also ordered the Goose Liver Pate with apples. I had a taste of that and liked it a lot. Since I got the goulash I did not want to order anything else before my entree. Something very different caught my eye; Veal Paprika with cottage cheese-dill pie. The veal had a rich flavor and the cottage cheese pie was crunchy outside and soft yet firm inside. The sauce was wonderful. Raymond had the Rack of Lamb and Smoked Beef Tongue with malt pearl barley. He loved his lamb. I tried the beef tongue; very good and it tasted and reminded me of a good hot dog. Alma ordered the Angus Beef Steak with fried Jerusalem artichoke, butter bean puree and bacon jam. Though the steak was not super tender, she still liked the taste and flavor. FYI, she ordered the steak well done.

The wine Raymond ordered was a 2009 Cuvee Carissimae, a product of Hungary. It was a very smooth wine and we enjoyed it tremendously; by we, I mean Raymond and I since Alma does not drink.

Our waiter Zsolt was an aspiring comedian. When we asked him the name of the palace across the Danube, his response was " my house". He kept making jokes on whether to pour more wine for Raymond or should he pour the rest in my glass.

For dessert, Alma ordered the Chocolate Mille Feuille. It didn't look anything like a Napoleon, in fact in looked and tasted like a moist brownie with meringue on top. Good but not great. Raymond and I had the Ice Cream Trio; bergamot, hazelnut, and a chocolate grand marinier. I enjoyed the refreshing finale to our typical Hungarian cuisine.

As we enjoyed our desserts we enjoyed the majestic sunset against the Danube. What more could we ask for. The manager Nemeth Gergely, Greg for short came to our table to make sure we enjoyed everything. He gave us a little lecture on the history of the Hungary. He too had a sense of humor telling us the palace across belonged to his parents.

I highly recommend this restaurant, not just for the fantastic view but for the great food and service.

New York Cafe

Unfortunately this New York Cafe is not in New York. You would have to go all the way to Budapest to experience the food and the ambiance of this breathtaking restaurant. We had to fly from Sarajevo to Vienna in Austria and took another flight from there to Budapest.  Although we were given a sandwich at the first leg of the flight and then a meal on a 35 minute flight on Austrian Airlines, we ended up wanting to eat something light as soon as we settled in our magnificent hotel, The Boscolo Budapest, Autograph Collection. Raymond was dead tired and rightfully so since he had to drive close to 5 hours to Sarajevo. He decided to go to bed early while Alma and I headed downstairs to explore eating options.

As we wandered the lobby and took a bunch of pictures, we ended up at the hotel restaurant. We both decided we would have something very light. The very light ended up to be an order of Wiener schnitzel with parsley potatoes and pickled cherry tomato salad and Spaghetti served with beef ragout with rosemary and red wine. We split both dishes so it was a perfect. Though the pasta was very good, the wiener schnitzel took the cake.  It was very good.  Alma asked for some ice for her coca cola and the waiter brought her a mini bucket of ice. Service was good when we got the attention of one of the waiters. The restaurant was busy even at the late hours.

As soon as we were done, we headed upstairs to our room,  I took my 1/2 ambien and went to sleep.

Leonardo's

It was a warm sunny day in Banja Luka, we wanted to see Ryan's office but before that we had to have lunch at a place called Leonardo's. A very nice restaurant on a street where you could see most of Banja Luka's population. We sat inside so not to be bothered by bees or birds. Ryan happily agreed since he was still recovering from a bee attack in their car when he and Maria were filming some cows.

Raymond ordered a cold beer while Ryan picked the wine, not a French, Italian or California wine but something different. It was a red wine from Macedonia. It ended up to be quite good!

Ryan ordered an appetizer of tiny toasts with tomato and melted cheese. The other one was a delicious Beef Prosciutto with I think yellow peppers, onions and maybe mushrooms. Whatever was in there made it an excellent appetizer.

Alma and Raymond decided on the Seafood Tagliatelle and I ended up with the Beef Tagliatelle. The beef was very tender and pasta itself had a nice flavor. Raymond ordered the Chicken Curry with rice. He has been on a curry kick and this curry was absolutely delicious. In fact I ate his left over fries and dunked them all in the curry sauce.

We didn't want any dessert but our waiter brought us a platter of watermelon which had honey on it. We all loved it!  Service was excellent; it was a wonderful lunch. The only thing missing was Maria's company. She couldn't join us as she had a work affair she had to attend.

Integra

Integra is located on the 14th floor of the main government building in Banja Luka. My nephew Ryan and his wife Maria thought it would be a great venue for a dinner. They both have been there before so we knew the food was going to be good. We got there around 10:30 at night because we watched Maria sing at an outdoor concert. She was a hit with the crowd singing a Spanish song with her sexy voice.

The view from the restaurant was breathtaking. We were all hungry so Alma and Raymond ordered the mushroom soup and asparagus soup. Maria and Ryan ordered a Salmon with cheese appetizer.  I did not want any appetizer since it was late and didn't want to eat much (like that has stopped me before). For my entree, I decided to do my body good by consuming some omega-3 by ordering the Salmon Steak with dill sauce. The salmon was steamed and served over grilled polenta and 2 strips of asparagus.

Alma and Ryan had Beefsteak Tagliata; thin slices of roasted baby beef fillet served with grilled potatoes. Maria ordered the Steak with Truffles; marinated beef fillet in black truffle sauce served with boiled vegetables. Raymond had the most impressive steak; Steak Integra which was a beef filet in intensive cream made with black truffles, green asparagus and prawns served with polenta stuffed with feta cheese and herbs.

We were too full to order dessert but.....Maria (yes, it was her idea) to order a couple of desserts to share.  It was decided to order the Baklava with ice cream and a Lava Cake. I didn't get to try the lava cake but the baklava was delicious.

We finally left the restaurant when they started turning some of the lights off. It was time to go and so we left for our hotel. I am now not surprised why I couldn't sleep; I guess I was too full to relax. Moral of the story: do not have a big meal and try to sleep.

Restoran Grappolo

After our wine tasting at Brkics (pronounced Burr-kitch) we walked to Restoran Grappolo in the Hotel Brotnjo (pronounced Brotnyo) in Medjugorje. We ordered the red wine we liked so much at Brkics.  We were all in a very good mood and hungry which is a good combination for a good meal.

Ryan ordered Prosciutto for appetizer. Maria had the Wienerschnitzel with fries. I ordered the Shrimp Risotto with a bowl of parmesan and I didn't even have to ask for it! The risotto was excellent and so were the shrimps. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that I had to peel the shrimps which took away from my eating pleasure. Raymond was still in his "curry mood" so he ordered the Chicken Curry with rice. I had a bite of that and liked it a lot. Alma had the Green and White Tagliatelle with seafood. The flavor was good but the pasta was not quite aldente for me.

Since we were driving back to Banja Luka, a 5 hr. drive from Medjugorje, we had to order espresso which was the best one I ever had and we shared an order of a Chocolate Crepe with bananas.

Having a big lunch with wine may not have been a wise decision.  We took turns driving; falling asleep while driving was not an option as I drove the narrow winding roads as dare devil and stupid drivers cut me off on my driving shift. The beautiful scenery was awesome. Everything was so lush and green which was the opposite of drought stricken California.

Brkic

This blog was written by my nephew Ryan who currently lives with his wife in Banja Luka, Bosnia. He is a physician and comic book artist.

When you first hear the term "moon wine" your heart begins to flutter at the inherently romantic phrase. When you hear that it is called "moon wine" because different phases of the moon affect how the wine is fermented, you do your best to prevent an instinctive eye-roll.

Brkic, a small, generational winery located in the town of Citluk immediately adjacent to Medjugorje, is one of a collection of excellent winemakers located in the southern, Hercegovina region of the country of Bosna i Hercegovina. They specialize in three types of white wines and one red wine, each with its own distinctive bouquet, vintage, and appeal to the five Americans who raided its premises last Sunday.

Without any reservation or prior knowledge that the winery would be open, we were warmly welcomed by two of the sons into the Brkic winery to see where the wines were distilled and fermented in large metal tanks and their eventual wooden barrels. My wife Maria and I had been to Brkic before, but were still delighted to hear the origins of the various wines again. All of their vintages have distribution across BiH, and some are even sold in California in competitively crowded Napa Valley distributors.

"This is our special wine," said my wife, interpreting the words of the tour guide from Serbo-Croatian to our untrained ears. "This wine is made special, and is produced depending on the different phases of the moon." "Moon wine!" I whispered excitedly into my aunt's ear before elbowing her violently. You see, I once was a skeptic, but I am now an enthusiastic convert.

"This is a limited wine. Only 1000 bottles per year," explained our guide. "Not shipped outside of the country." I could see my father's eyebrows peak - always expect a Pavlovian response from any Montoya when the words "limited," "exclusive," "no pictures," or "unlimited salad and breadsticks" are uttered. After being able to see all of the wines in the cool, dark environment of their production phase in the basement below, it was time to head upstairs for the tasting.

I'll spare the flowery descriptions of the three white wines and one red one that we sampled, since each end user experience is different, and I haven't the slightest clue about how to evaluate wine. Just make your own review in your head, and alternate using the following phrases: "buttery," "notes of lavender," "oakishness," "essence of lingonberry," and "brazen lack of self-control." Each of us liked different wines but I would like to say that all of the newcomers to Brkic are now believers in the power of the moon. The pour bucket, to dispose of wine after tasting a small amount, was only reluctantly and sparingly used. In BiH, they actually won't mind if you never use it at all.

If you plan on visiting Brkic, call a few days in advance, and aside from the wonderful tour, you can also eat at their main dining area or "al fresco" which is Italian for "post pictures of your experience to piss off your FB friends."

Our smiles at the end of the visit spoke volumes about how great the experience was. Actually, the volumes of wine we bought spoke volumes about our great time. Fifteen bottles for 5 people. Effing moon wine, baby.