Tmun capped off an extremely busy and tiring day in Gozo, and it really was the perfect end to our day. I chose Tmun because it is located right in the harbor of Mgarr, Gozo, and its proximity to the ferry which we would need to catch to make it back home to Valletta. I had originally made a reservation for inside, but the evening was so incredibly perfect and beautiful, that the host obliged our request to sit outside…
I decided that in order to fight the jet lag, I would book a reservation in the evening on our first night in Malta in order to motivate us to stay up later than we otherwise would have. I mean, when we arrived in Spain in June of 2022, on our first night, we went to bed at 6:30pm and it was a massive struggle to stay up even til then. On this euro-trip, though, we booked dinner reservations at…
I was so excited to go to dinner at Noni, a one-star Michelin rated restaurant in Valletta, Malta. Not only was it going to be our daughter Anna’s first Michelin-starred experience, but it promised to be one of our nicest dinners for our entire trip. Noni easily lived up to my high expectations! Noni is located on Republic Street, which is the main thoroughfare running through the center of Valletta. It was towards the northern tip of Valletta and we…
It is pretty much impossible for me at this point to go to a city, especially in Europe, and not do a food tour. As I’ve mentioned before in several articles, it’s a great way to get to know a city, try some traditional food, and find some hidden gems. This time, I booked a private tour for three of us through Offbeat Malta Food Trails. I would have done a regular tour of theirs, but at this time they…
For our last night in Spain, we went to a restaurant that was recommended by our Hotel Concierge – Can Cisa/Bar Brutal. It seemed super hip and very wine-centric, which was something that I was especially looking forward to. When we arrived, we were seated towards the front of the space, although the a/c was not working there which made it a bit stuffy. Because of that, though, our water for the night was free, which is something that…
One of our stand out dinners in Barcelona, Spain was at Martinez Restaurant. I chose this place because of the high recommendations from several sources regarding their paella. It also would be the only time we could get to the high hill on the southern end of town, Montjuic. We took a cab here as it was much too far to walk, and we were dropped off right next to the restaurant. We were a bit early, so we took…
My two local cousins and I all have birthdays in July and August, so every year, we usually book a nice summer outing to celebrate each other and enjoy a nice evening out. This year, we chose to check out a relatively new restaurant in the West Loop neighborhood called ROOH which calls itself, “Progressive Indian Cuisine in a Vibrant Atmosphere;” and vibrant, it is! Every corner of this place is seriously insta-worthy and I took a TON of photos!…
As we were walking around Madrid, we noticed that there were quite a few Argentinian steakhouse restaurants in the area near where we were staying in the literary quarter. We figured this would be a nice change of pace from all of the tapas we were eating, and who could resist the aroma of juicy steaks emanating from these restaurants? As we walked by several of these places, their grills were right in the window, inviting us to come and…
Oh, Roister, you have never disappointed me! This was my third visit to Roister restaurant in Chicago and I went with my brother to celebrate his 40th birthday! Roister’s Chef is Grant Achatz, of Alinea fame. The Chef was actually on hand on this evening working in the kitchen. I like to think he made a special appearance for my brother on his birthday. It was interesting that he was at Roister, and not his three-Michelin-starred Alinea, however from glancing…
When in Spain, which I believe has the greatest food in all of Europe, you absolutely must collect a Michelin star or two. On our trip with the kids (10 and 12 years old), I was excited to take them to their first Michelin starred experience, and this restaurant absolutely lived up to my expectations. Cocina Hermanos Torres has two Michelin stars (out of three) and has easily earned those stars. From the incredible food, the impeccable service, and the very…