Adventures in the South of Italy Part III

The next morning we were up early and checked out of the hotel by around 8:30/9.

gorgeous views

To Amalfi we went.

I ate a banana before boarding the bus and held myself together for 2 hours of that winding road to the city of Amalfi. For some reason our morning ride was obnoxiously long. It should have been about an 1 ½ but it would up being about 2 hours for some reason.

Rounding a bend

Even so, I got some great pictures and focused on the excellent scenery from my window seat. When you’re going towards Positano or Amalfi sit on the right hand side of the bus (not behind the driver) for gorgeous views. Do not sit on the right hand side if you get nervous with heights, or winding roads.

When we finally got to Amalfi, the first thing we did was grab sandwiches from a little coffee shop on the shoreline. We weren't expecting much since it was quite close to the boat rentals and other touristic activities but we were pleasantly surprised. We ordered a couple of sandwiches and they were made right in front of us with fresh ingredients.  I also enjoyed the atmosphere of the shop because it was on the small side. The workers were personable and smiling which was uplifting for my sleepy, kind of nauseous self. Also the price was not bad. For sandwiches and waters, we spent 4 or 5 euros each. 

my yummy caprese sandwich 

Endira and I enjoying our sunny boat ride

We took our sandwiches to go and ate them on a bench overlooking the water.  My caprese sandwich was wonderful with tomatoes and mozzarella.  It was seasoned beautifully with a little, salt and pepper, olive oil, and fresh basil too so I really enjoyed it.

Then we got onto a boat and took a ride towards the Emerald Grotto, similar to its more famous cousin in Capri, The Blue Grotto. These grottos are naturally occurring caves in the side of a cliff that naturally filter

Leaving Amalfi in our wake 

light and appear to glow various colors (according to the make-up of the cave and water).  I’ve wanted to go the Emerald Grotto for years now, so we decided to take an hour long boat ride from Amalfi (there was also the option of going from Positano, but it was a half day trip and more expensive so since we only had a half day to explore we decided to take the shorter journey from Amalfi). It was €10 a person for the round trip boat ride and another €5 to go into the grotto which is considerably cheaper than getting into the Blue Grotto in Capri.

The boat ride was fantastic with wonderful sea breezes and gorgeous views of towns sketched right into the cliffs.  Sometimes I seriously wonder about the sanity of Italian architects. Some of the towns in Italy, especially in Campania, are quite precariously situated on the edge of volcanoes or handing onto the edge of cliffs. 

Cities built quite precariously on the cliffs... Impressive

Our boat ride was breezy and relaxing and we were dropped off right at the mouth of the grotto. 

We lined up and got into a giant paddle boat with our crazy Italian guide who kept shouting “Looky, looky” and pointing at things. Between him and the awesomely fabulous older Spanish lady who started singing half in Neapolitan, half in Spanish (Tu vu’fa l’americano in reaction to our boat guide asking every single person if they were American), we had quite the hilarious boat ride.

Look at that glowing water!

Not the clearest picture: But that's the underwater
Nativity scene!

I really enjoyed the glowing blue green water and the underwater presepe or nativity scene (only in Campania would they think of submerging a nativity scene).  It was pretty cool, but the glowing area was relatively small.  If you’ve not gone to the Blue Grotto, I highly recommend it. It’s more expensive but so gorgeous and far more impressive than the Emerald Grotto. 

After that, the boat picked us up again and brought us back to Amalfi where we automatically decided to escape the heat by planting ourselves on the beach and jumping into the water (again in turns since we didn’t want to leave our belongings unsupervised). The water was beautiful and just the right temperature to cool off after all the blazing sun.  And the beach itself wasn’t quite as painfully rocky as Positano (that being said, I don’t think it was as picturesque either).

After a while we decided to wander around and find the path up to Ravello.  We were completely unsuccessful  but we had fun traipsing up narrow staircases that would suddenly open up to sudden views of colorful town and stunning coastline. It was a lot of fun but if you want to make it up to Ravello I suggest that you take the bus up and then walk down back to Amalfi, just because it’s very easy to get lost. 

the many versions of limoncello

We wandered around center for a bit and saw the main church and piazzas.  We even spotted another limoncello shop where I wandered around. They had so many different versions of limoncello made with lemons or lemons with cream. There were also bottles of liquor that were made with other fruits and flavors. Some were made with orange and there were even versions made with pistacchio which looked amazing. 

Then we got back on the bus to Sorrento. We decided to dine there to make sure that we were able to get the Circovesuviana to Naples and then the 8pm train back to Rome. We both had work early the next morning so we didn’t want to risk getting stuck in Naples. 

Our bus ride back to Sorrento was almost an hour shorter than our morning ride so if we had known that our bus driver was going to fly through the curving paths we would have stayed a little longer. As it stands, we were able to relax and eat an early meal in Sorrento.

A video of the crazy winding hills and our bus ride

juicy cheeseburger

We stopped at a little restaurant a couple of blocks from the station called Bar del Carmine. We sat outside in the sun and enjoyed the breeze while observing the passersby. It was a small restaurant with friendly staff and decent service.  Endira played the American and ordered a cheeseburger and French fries with a beer.  I took and bite and was pleasantly surprised with how tasty it was.  The meat was juicy and cooked to perfection on a wonderful bun with bacon and cheese. I don’t know what kind of cheese it was, but it was quite good. 

my beautiful caprese

beer and pear cider

I decided to stick with my caprese (it seemed like the safest choice after our day of bus rides.  It was a huge sandwich and quite good. It wasn’t as flavorful as my morning sandwich but it was still quite tasty and filling.  I also got a pear cider because I was so surprised to see it on the menu. I had to get it even though it was a tad expensive for a small bottle because I love pear cider and haven’t had it in months.

Our sunlit table with delicious food 

Then to finish our experience down south we FINALLY got limoncello to toast our adventures.  It was served with delicious little cookies coated in powdered sugar but soft to the bite.  I quite enjoyed them and our limoncello. It made a great finale to a wonderful weekend and fun food journey. 

wonderful ending to a wonderful meal

Next thing you know, we were running to the train and then back to Naples (where we managed to get special 25^th anniversary magnum ice cream bars at the train station) and finally we were back in Rome. Home sweet home…

At least for another couple of weeks! 

Missed the other parts of this series?
Part I here
Part II here

Adventures in the South of Italy Part II

When we arrived in Sorrento it was about half past 2 and we went on a long, yet hilarious trek to find our hotel/hostel: Hotel Londra.  It was quite lovely with a beautiful blue pool, lovely service and a tiny room that we didn't mind about because we were in the hotel just long enough to sleep.

the beauty of Positano

Before heading back out, we sat by the pool and had some cool drinks and then we started moving again.
We got on a bus with the intention of going to Amalfi but I got a tad motion sick on the bus so we
decided to get off at Positano.  I really don-t love long bus rides, especially on long and winding roads and these were particularly windy.  I will say that the bus ride is absolutely worth the gorgeous views. Luckily Positano was only 45 minutes away from Sorrento and when we got there we were faced with panoramic views of turquoise blue sea and gorgeous buildings etched into rock. It was stunning.
Then began our trek down through the town and to the water.  We walked through narrow streets and under canopies of purple flowers while we window shopped for beautiful things well out of our price range.  We contemplated getting limoncello, lemon liquor, a specialty of the region that is generally quite reasonably priced and utterly delicious.  Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and most of the Campania region
are particularly well known for their limoncellos but  since it was already 4ish I decided not to go into the shop because I am easily distracted.  I probably could have spent ages there tasting and looking at the various limoncellos.

The beautiful bottles of limoncello!

So instead we went straight down to the beach to enjoy a small patch of ston ybeach for free.  It was crowded but we didn't have to pay so we didn't mind.  If you get there early enough I would recommend paying for chairs and umbrellas.
We took turns swimming and sunbathing and I enjoyed reading the 5th Harry Potter book in Italian.  Then when the sun began to sink behind the cliffs, we started our climb back up.
It's a steep hill but the hike was well worth it for the majestic views.
Then back towards the top of the cliff we found a

little restaurant called Ristorante Bruno that I believe I want to with my best friend Angela 7 or 8 years ago.  It's a seafood restaurant with an incredible view overlooking Positano. It is perfectly positioned for a spectacular sunset, and I imagine, it's always a spectacular sunset.  The restaurant is at the perfect angle to capture the shifting colors an the beginnings of the dawning stars.

the start of a gorgeous sunset over paradise

The food is on the expensive side, but not terrible considering the location and the amazing quality of the seafood.  Our waiter was quite friendly and talkative, and wasn't overbearing. He gave us time to enjoy our meal, but cleared the table quickly when we were done and then left us to our own devices to chat and enjoy the waning light.

enjoying our wine and the sunset

Since my stomach was still bothering me from the bus ride earlier in the day, I decided to stick with

Gamberetti al limone

something small and light from the antipasto (appetizer menu).  I got the gamberetti al limone. It was a small but delicious portion of shrimp in a fresh and slightly spicy lemon sauce.  I could absolutely taste the freshness of the shrimp and the beautiful tartness of the lemon. And I absolutely loved the kick of heat. It was present but not the primary taste. I ate and enjoyed every bite of tender shrimp and used a couple of pieces of bread to soak up the remaining sauce.

La spigola with sun dried tomatoes, onion and potatoes

Endira got an amazing fish dish in a red sauce .  She got the spigola or sea bass and it was tender and flaky with an wonderful sauce made with sun dried tomatoes, capers and onions.  I don't usually like cooked fish, but this was so fresh and didn't taste fishy at all.
I was originally going to get dessert since I'd only gotten an appetizer for a meal, but it got late while we were drinking our delicious Falanghina (a typical white wine from the Campania region of Italy)

I am totally enamored with this view

and we wanted to catch the 9:40 bus back to Sorrent so we could explore the night life of Sorrento.
I went inside to pay since we needed to move quickly (note: pretty much everywhere in Italy, they move pretty slowly, so if you need speed... deal with it yourself, or just be patient lol).  We had ten minutes to get to the bus and I didn't want to miss it since the next one wasn't scheduled until 11:40, meaning no exploring Sorrento at night.  So we headed to the bus stop and we waited and waited and waited some more.
We hadn't missed the 9:40 bus, it just never came.
But we made the best of it and went to the first bar down the path. We had another 1 1/2 to enjoy the mesmerizing view and drank some more wine.  They even served us chips and finger foods while we (ok in fairness, while I ) watched the Germany and Ghana game. I love soccer and will watch any team play, especially if they pay well and Germany and Ghana definitely played well that day.
Our waiter was also quite nice and asked all about us and our Italian skills. Sometimes it's hilarious to be an American who speaks fluent Italian.

The view from the second bar

And then we planted ourselves at the bus stop by around 11:20 to make sure we didn't miss it. Even though the bus wasn't till 11:40 we decided not to take any chances.  The 11:40 is the last sumer evening bus to go back to Sorrento and without it we would have been stuck in Positano all night wihout a roof over our heads.
Luckily for us it came!  And even more luckily I didn't feel bus sick through all the curves, maybe because I couldn't see anything. Sadly though, by the time we got back to Sorrento, we were too tired to explore and we just went right back to the hotel to shower and sleep.

Want to read more about my Southern Italian adventures?
Part I here
Part III here

Prague Adventures Part II

The beautiful clock tower

Delays, delays... I'm always delayed! But I'm working on it!

entertaining music

Here's Part II of my Prague fun.
On our first morning we went on an awesome free walking tour through the center of Prague. I saw so many amazing eateries while we were walking but there just wasn't enough time to stop, not if I wanted to learn about Prague's history too... I chose to satiate my brain and ignore my stomach for a while (which was silly since I hadn't eaten breakfast). On our one break, Endira did get Mulled Wine which was delicious. I could have gotten food but I was having way too much fun relaxing in the sun listening to this older man play saxophone and singing. He even sang in Italian for the crowd.
When the tour ended we went back into the market and got chicken skewers with onions and red

Chicken Skewers and beers on the street

peppers. They were well seasoned, smoky, and juicy, fresh off the grill.  The skewers were served in a long toasted bun. They were delicious but slightly difficult to eat unless you removed the chicken and vegetables from the stick which was quite difficult to do with no plates while sitting on the ground. That being said, I managed it and it was totally worth it.  Removing the skewers made it a lot easier to eat and we were very happy. We also had some beers with our meal while sitting in the shade of the gorgeous clock tower.

me and my dark beer

Then more beer. I tried dark beer for the first time and it was delicious. It wasn't as dark or as thick as Guiness nor was it a meal unto itself. It was a little heavier than the blonde beers I've tried before but it was not overly rich and really tasty. I liked it even better than the Pillsner.

my beautiful berries

We walked around center and found another market to explore as well. It was mostly witches (I'm still not quite sure what they were doing there), beautiful paintings and other artisan made things.  It was quaint and adorable and I wanted to buy everything. I especially wanted to buy the fruit. It was beautiful and fresh and the colors were vividly bright. It was awesome.
Then we went back to touring. We went to the Jewish quarter

from the window of the
museum

and saw the museums and WWII memorials there and we also saw one of the oldest standing Jewish cemeteries. It was absolutely stunning and a little eerie. The oldest grave that I saw dates back to the 1400's. I would actually really like to learn more about that cemetery because it was so crowded with graves spanning back centuries. They are literally one on top of the other, no space, no plan. It is hauntingly beautiful.
Afterwards we wandered around the city some more and grabbed another snack before heading over to the Ice Bar (more on that in a moment). We went back to the market

I was super hungry so I forgot to take a before shot.

again and I got a grilled cheese on toast. But it wasn't like the grilled cheese that you think of in the states. it was quite literally a hunk of cheese placed directly on the burner until melted, creamy on the inside and crisp on the outside.  It was served on a piece of bread and had a wonderful flavor and texture. I'm not sure what kind of cheese it was but it was quite delicious.  Endira instead opted to try some goulash soup.  It was quite tasty and considerably lighter than the goulash main

course that I'd tried the evening before.  It had a kick of spice but it wasn't overwhelming. the soup had a full and heart flavor.
Next we headed over to the the Ice Bar by Charles Bridge.  I insisted on going. I could not resist, a bar made of ice where drinks are served in glasses made of ice, yeahhh, it was necessary.

I'm such a goofball 

We found discount flyers at our hostel and so got an extra shot each which was lovely.  We got to go into a bar made of ice for 20 minutes (they have timed sessions to make sure no one gets too cold) and it was absolutely hilarious.  They decked us out in big silver jackets and black gloves and then we got to do 2 shots each. We danced a bit and goofed around taking pictures, but we weren't even really that cold. However, there was an Italian family with us and well, they were definitely feeling the cold. Italians are freddolosi, aka they're always cold. They had me cracking up because they were shivering and jumping about while we were sitting on the ice chairs and having a ball. There's an ice bar in Rome and I would absolutely love to go to that one too. It would be especially nice in the summer since it gets so hot here.

Selfies

After we got done being silly in the Ice bar we walked along the river and took some selfies before
heading back to the market for another snack. We decided to do a snack and then a late dinner (another snack really) since we were signed up for a 9pm ghost tour. Endira got another sausage while I decided to go for something sweet. I decided to try something called "fried curd". Really, it was fried dough with a sweet filling inside. I, of course, chose chocolate. It was so good. The dough was crisp and not too sweet and the chocolate wasn't overwhelming.
And then we went to our ghost tour.  It was interesting but not particularly scary (the stories had potential but you could absolutely tell that our tour guide didn't believe a word she was saying).
Afterwards we grabbed some dinner at a Mexican restaurant called Las Adelitas. It was quite good with large portions. The strawberry margarita was also great. But I'll write more about that in another blog.

And then we headed back to our hostel to rest because we had big plans for the next morning.

Prague Adventures Part I
Prague Adventures Part III

Baking Exploits in Italy...

If you know me, or have read through some of the posts from last year then you know that I really like baking. I enjoy making desserts, even though I'm not a particularly precise person. I use recipes and then completely change things as I go even when baking.  It's supposed to be the science of cooking, and is, but I still like to tweak and play.
That being said, I haven't baked in ages.
I tried baking cupcakes back in December but sadly they didn't come out as well as they could have.  I had a couple of problems to contend with. The main issue was ingredients. Since Italians aren't big cake bakers (they're great with desserts and pastries but don't make fluffy cakes and cupcakes like we make in the States) I had a hard time finding the right kind of baking powder and baking soda. Vanilla comes in powder form, unless you go to specialty shops. Brown sugar here is not brown sugar but cane sugar, so it is darker in color but not finely ground. It doesn't pack well and therefore changes the texture of any cake or cookie that calls for it.
Ingredients were a slight problem, and so was measuring. I didn't own a measuring cup here because a measuring cup here doesn't measure cups but milliliters.  I didn't feel like taking the effort to convert my recipes into Italy appropriate measurements  so I just used a drinking glass to measure... Yes, so this doesn't really work.
Anyone with half a brain, probably wouldn't have tried to make it work but I'm a little insistent on doing things my way.
My chocolate chip cupcakes were edible but they weren't quite right either. They didn't rise the right way and certainly didn't get fluffy like I wanted.  No one complained, so I suppose they were good, but I wasn't happy with them.
I wanted to try again, but then th eoven broke.  Ok, not quite the oven, just the dial.
That being said, it took over a month for it to get fixed. I live in Italy after all.
So I had bought new pans, measuring cups and spoons and I couldn't bake until last night!
I finally got to bake something successfully last night.
My student gave me lemons from her garden so I decided to use them to make lemon squares for the

first time ever.  I looked up a bunch of recipes before getting the oven fixed which was quite comical. I looked up No Bake Lemon Cake and No Bake Lemon Bars and for some reason Yummly (a recipe search engine) linked me to a bunch of recipes that definitely required baking.
I was a little confounded but in the end it was fine, because I found 2 recipes that seemed great for when I got my oven back. Luckily, we got a new dial Wednesday morning so yesterday evening after work it was time to try some baking.
I'm going to have to post the recipe later on because my lemon squares came out wonderfully. Sweet, moist and gooey.
I made 2 batches and I was ridiculously pleased with both!

my beautiful lemon squares

Adventures in Canada

All right, this is long, long overdue...

I went to Canada in August on a weekend road trip this year. It was a great trip filled with food and fun in Montreal and Ottawa. It was a really fantastic trip with my friend Endira.

We drove up to Montreal on a Friday morning and just ate lots of homemade treats and McDonald's for quick, cheap road trip food.  We made sandwiches with chicken, tomatoes, and this wonderful jalapeno cheese spread and then we got fries and ice cream from McDonald's for a snack. Yes, we are super healthy. :)

Once we got to Montreal, we were able to try lots of good food.
We settled into the hotel, took a quick nap (I was pooped after the long drive) and then went to downtown Montreal to begin our explorations.
It was gorgeous, somehow a mix of old world Europe and of new world New York City all at once. I really loved the general atmosphere but I think if I were there for more than a few days I would be completely lost since the main language spoken is French. I don't speak any French, although after my brief stint in Montreal, I was sorely tempted to learn. Maybe one day.
That first night we wandered around and saw numerous restaurants full of people. We chose at random and I don't even remember the name of the restaurant but it was quite good and very close to the contemporary art museum.  The fixed menu was simple but quite tasty with a refreshingly light salad with lettuce, walnuts and a hint of lemon and that was followed by a perfectly medium rare steak in a mustardy gravy with a healthy portion of french fries. We shared a small bottle of wine and had a really tasty meal. It was on the expensive side so we decided to skip dessert. Next time in Montreal, I'll try to find it again so I can say what it was called. It was really good, but I almost wish we had spent a little more time exploring before settling on a restaurant.
Afterwards, as we were wandering around we realized that there were literally hundreds of cool looking restaurants in the area.
Initially we thought that we would search for dessert but we were too full since the portions had been so large so instead we just walked through the city and saw some absolutely gorgeous sites and some of the night life in action. There was a street fair and concert blocking off an entire street and other streets were dedicated to bars and clubs. We didn't go inside any other locale but it was still a lot of fun wandering through the people. The city had such a high energy and I really enjoyed it.

The next morning we got up early and started our adventuring after some muffins from home. We
parked down by the water and then walked around. I literally wanted to try everything I saw but we decided to have poutine for lunch, a Canadian specialty. We did a little bit of research and found one restaurant that is famous in Montreal for its extensive list of Poutines.

What is Poutine? I had never heard of poutine until the first time I went to Canada last year but I didn't get to try it that trip. Poutine is fresh, crispy french fries served covered in gravy and cheese curds (yes, those miraculous bits of cheese that I talked about in my Wisconsin Blog). To me Poutine sounds a bit like NJ disco fries except with squeeky cheese curd bits. The restaurant we found had 30 kinds of Poutine. I would never have guessed that there were so many varieties!
So that's where we went once we rented our bikes.  The restaurant is called La Banquise and it was
by the big park in Montreal (I should really know the name of it, but I can't remember right now).
From the pier, it took us about an hour or so to bike there.  I'm really glad we decided to rent the bikes because it let us cover a lot more ground and see so much more of the city. Plus we had a blast peddling through the city.
We got to the restaurant a little before noon which

turned out to be a really good thing because by the time we were done eating there was a line out the door. When we got there, there was no wait and we got to sit outside in their couryard are. It was a great little area with natural light, fresh air and shade from the hot sun.
We decided to order one traditional poutine La Classique and then to also try one of their unique poutine dishes. We decided to try La Danse becaus it had chicken, onions and bacon plus the original components of a poutine. I will say it was a little challenging for us to decipher the menu since it was all in French but we managed, and our waitresses were really helpful as well.  I think next time, I would definitely try one of the spicy poutines that involved jalapenos.

There were two sizes of the Poutine dishes, regular and large. I am quite pleased that we decided to order the regular size since they turned out to be pretty large on their own. There was more than enough for the two of us to share. If we had gotten main courses (hot dogs, hamburgers) we probably could have shared one large helping or even a regular sized portion.
So how was poutine?
The traditional, classic here was delicious. The fries were crisp and perfectly cooked while the gravy was rich with a hint of sweetness that really balanced the salt of the fries and cheese.  I also really enjoyed the cheese curds which added some great flavor as well as a nice textural component. Crisp fries, some gravy soaked fries filled with delicious flavor and the chewiness of the cheese curds.  I really enjoyed the combination.
La Danse was also great. I loved the slightly different gravy because it was more like Thanksgiving gravy thanks to the chicken and onions. The chicken itself wasa great addition

because it felt more like a complete meal with a feeling protein. I also really loved the flavor the bacon added... I mean, you can't ever go wrong with bacon... I liked the onion as well but at a certain point I started picking them out because the flavor was becoming overwhelming.
I also decided to try both of the poutinges with tobasco because I absolutely love my spice. It added just enough kick. Next time jalapenos are on the menu for me.  If I ever get back to Montreal I'm going to La Banquise again, especially since it's open 24 hrs.

Here I am enjoying my poutine and tobasco too!

Afterwards, we took a nice long walk through the park nearby and we relaxed in the sun digesting our yummy lunch.
Eventually we continued on our bicycle adventure (I highly recommend renting the bikes because, it's a cheap way to see the entire city) until we happened upon a street decorated with hundreds of pink balloons. I think we had just missed a walk/run for breast cancer.
We discovered that the area was kind of the Grenwich village of Montreal. It was a really fun area with lots of fun shops and bars.
Eventually we sat down and relaxed with a delicious pitcher of Sangria. It was a wonderful refreshing red sangria filled with fruits and berries. It was really light and crisp and honestly Endira and I just enjoed sitting at the outdoor patio starring at our waiter who happened to be pretty gorgeous (probably gay) and very friendly.
After that we slowly made our way back to my car on bike and stopped for some more sites but sadly no more food.  That poutine kept us fill till around 8 something when we were already in the car on the way to Ottawa.
I had so much fun in Montreal and I would love to go back again for more exploration with more French knowledge and also with more general knowledge of the city.  Before going to Montreal, I literally knew nothing about the city except that French is one of its main languages.

That evening we headed over to Ottawa where we stayed with my brother's girlfriend's family. They were so wonderful and I was so excited to get to see them again.  They are absolutely amazing and when we arrived at around 11pm Rebekah's father made us wonderful wraps with all sorts of healthy ingredients like fresh tomatoes from the garden. Then after munching on our snack it was time for bed so we could prepare for another day of adventure.

The next morning after a light breakfast we drove off to downtown Ottawa for a walking marathon. We saw all the main attractions and then finally sat down for lunch at a cute Mexican place on the main food and bar drag. We probably should have chosen a more typical Canadian food, but we were in the mood for something spicy so we got the special. We each got small steak burritos (which weren't that small and baby coronitas for £10 each. Although the burritos were “small” they were still pretty large. The steak was cooked well and the other ingredients, rice, sour cream, guacamole, beans and cheese were balanced very nicely. Also the restaurant had a nice, quiet atmosphere at lunch and our waitress was really nice and friendly.

Then we took another walk and watched some street performers before heading off to find another Canadian specialty: Beaver Tails.

No, they are not actually BEAVER.

Beaver tails are a Canadian dessert made of batter fried into a long column that is reminiscent of a beaver’s tail. It is tried and then sprinkled with a layer of sugar and served with a fresh wedge of lemon. That is the traditional kind but there are lots of different variations that have chocolate, nutella and maple butter as toppings.

I tried the classic because I wanted something a little “lighter”.  It’s fried dough so, it’s never going to be super light, however, it was utterly delicious. It was crisp with a nice amount of sweetness. It wasn’t cloyingly sweet and I loved that little bit of lemon juice because it really added a wonderful tang and sense of light, freshness.

Endira ordered a beaver tail with maple butter and it came drizzled with chocolate sauce as well. I tried a bite and it was amazing. The maple butter was rich and creamy. It was so amazing that I then had to go and buy a jar of maple butter from a nearby open air artisan market. I also loved the combination of maple butter with that hint of chocolate. The flavors really melded together well and still somehow managed to avoid being overtly sweet.

Maple butter and Maple syrup at a local market

Afterwards we went back to the house for a relaxing dinner with amazing company. I really enjoyed the homemade cooking . It was so healthy and fresh with lots of different options.  Sadly, I didn’t think to take any pictures so I can’t remember exactly what I ate after all this time has passed. But I know that it was superb.

Sadly, the next morning called an end to our adventures and we had to head back to the tri-state area. I can't wait to explore more of Canada. It would be amazing to try more specialties and fun restaurants! 

Endira and I in Ottawa :D