Culinary Highlights

I think it's safe to say I have gained 10+ pounds this past month. I had my sister in town, followed by my parents for the past 4 weeks, which translates to several course meals and daily cocktail hour for a month-straight in Munich, Salzburg, London, and Amsterdam.

My sister and I headed to Bavaria for a weekend of bikes, brezen, and beers, and spent one day in Salzburg indulging in Austrian sweets! The next weekend my parents arrived and we explored the picturesque Cotswald Villages, and Stratford Upon Avon bellys that very much resembled the sheep grazing about everywhere. Round, rounder, and rounder yet. We spent that week fine dining our way around London, and headed to Holland this past weekend to get in touch with our Dutch roots by eating pannekoen, stroop wafels, and thousands of Dutch-chocolate Easter eggs.

Most people use the spring season to diet and exercise to that they can look cute in their Daisy Dukes once the sunshine hits. Instead, I have spent the spring fattening myself up like the farmer fattens his pigs before they are turned into bacon bits. The veggies I've had have all been au gratin, and the fruits all baked below a crumble a la mode. Yikes...

But I don't think there is any time in London that one can ever wear a bikini anywhere, so no worries. I'm in the clear until I head home for Holiday in June. Plenty of time for a juice fast.

When I eat something special out, I take pictures of my food. Most people think this is really strange - but actually it is brilliant, because when I realize I've gone up 3 sizes - I can look back at everything I've eaten and remember how I got here, and how very worth it it all was.

So here is my droolworthy documentation of the reason I currently have a belly fully of jelly..

knickerbocker glory, The Fountain at Fortnum & Masons

scone, clotted cream, and jam, The Cotswald

brezen and beir, Hofbrauhaus Munich

cream puff, Demel Salzburg

German Pancake with blueberries and ice cream, Augustiner Brau Munich

mac n' cheese, Tom's Kitchen London

pear and chocolate panneokeon, Pancake Bakery Amsterdam

strawberry and cream soufflé, Bob Bob Richard London

sticky toffee pudding, Bumpkin London

lox and cream baguette, Printers and Stationers London

Chocolate PB Smores, Ottolenghi London

Dumpflnudel, Cafe Rischart Munich

Quarkballen, Munich

I should also have a photo of our last afternoon tea at Sketch in Mayfair. But we were so starving by the time we finally got our three-tier tray we devoured everything before we could.

I wish I did have a photo, because it was definitely one of my highlights.

I've been having tea since I was a little girl. My mom used to call my school in the morning saying I was ill, and take me out for afternoon tea and shopping instead. This is the same mom who tried to dissuade me when at 16 I wanted to apply for a job, and told me,

"if you get a job you're not going to have time to do anything fun that you want to do."

Talk about words of wisdom!!

It's no wonder that I now hate having a 9-5 job and simply don't understand why my vacation/sick days are limited.

Here is my restaurant wrap-up manifesto for your reference.

I ever-so highly recommend all of these delicious places! Just be prepared to loosen a belt a few knotches before you go...

Munich

Cafe Rischart

Augustiner Brau

Chinese Bier Garden in the English Garden

Hofbrauhaus

Lowenbrau Haus

SeaHaus in the English Garden

London

Tom's Kitchen

Fuel

The Jam Tree

The Icecreamist

The Harwood Arms

Bumpkin

Ottolenghi

Le Poule Au Pot

Made in Italy

The Delaunay

Printers and Stationers

Bluebird

Muriel's Kitchen

The Wolsely

Fortnum and Masons: The Fountain

Bob Bob Richard

Sketch

American Bar at the Savoy Hotel

Connaught Bar in the Connaught Hotel

Amsterdam

The Pancake Bakery

Ponte Arcari

Hoofdstad Brasserie

Freddy's Bar at Hotel de l'Europe

Amstel Bar in the Intercontinental Amsterdam

Bon appetite!