My ideal #TasteofTravel menu

Picture your favorite starter, main dish and dessert from anywhere in the world, but all in one menu. That is what I have put together for my #TasteofTravel menu for the Celebrity Cruises blogger competition! They have just won the 2014 Ocean Cruise Line of the Year in the Food and Travel Awards and they have now teamed up with Great British Chefs to help make their food offerings even better! Now they want to hear from travel bloggers to find out what their dream menu would be, from food that they have sampled on their travels. It was quite a hard task to pick only one of each, as I have been lucky enough to try countless amazing dishes from all over the world. After much soul searching I have managed to narrow it down to my most memorable dish for each course.

Starter

I have always wanted to go to Greece, but unfortunately I haven’t made it there yet. After hearing numerous reviews I decided to try a small Greek restaurant in New York called Taverna Kyclades. The ambiance and friendliness of the staff was exactly how I imagined it would be on a Greek Island! The three courses I had were all tasty, but in particular the Kyclades Veggie Chips were just too good not to make the list. It is crispy eggplant and zucchini slices fried tempura style with a creamy tzatziki dip. Not only was it incredibly delicious, but it was unique from anything I have ever had before. The batter was so light and crispy and cooked to absolute perfection, so that it did not taste too greasy. Then to add to the dish, you are given a zesty tzatziki dip. It was so good without the dip, that I didn’t think I needed it, but once I tried it.. woah! It definitely added to the taste making it one of the most memorable dishes I have ever had. Their original location is in Astoria – Queens, which is known as an being an absolute hotbed of Greek culture, so it is not surprising that there is such a gem of a Greek restaurant there.

Crispy eggplant and zucchini with tzatziki dip

Main

I’ve tried Pad Thai a few times in different places and finally gave up on it as I realized I really did not enjoy it that much. That was until I visited Thailand. I decided to give it another try since I was in the country it originated from and I was given a recommendation from a local, to try a specific street cart that was recognized as making the best Pad Thai in the area. I am so happy I gave it another chance! What I do not like about this dish normally, is the overwhelming taste of peanut but this version did not have it. It actually had a complex taste that differed from any other time I had tried it before. It had a perfect balance of spices, that I could not possibly name, but it certainly did the trick! It easily makes my list and I can honestly say that I haven’t been able to find another Pad Thai that even comes close to it since my adventures in Thailand. It is however a great excuse to go back for another visit!

Pad Thai

Dessert

When I am travelling, I am always on the hunt for treats, so when I was strolling through the streets of Amsterdam and got caught in the intoxicating aroma of a local waffle shop, I just had to go in. Once inside the waffle shop it was hard to choose from what seemed like an endless amount of options, but after much drooling I finally settled upon a warm waffle with Nutella and cherries. It definitely wasn’t one of the neatest dishes I had ever had to eat, but I hardly cared that I had enough chocolate on my face to make me look like one of the naughty children from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! This was really an easy choice for my dessert selection, as I still vividly remember scrumptious tasting delight that crossed my lips. Yum!

Nutella and cherries on a warm belgian waffle

I hope you enjoyed my #TasteofTravel menu! Now I nominate We3Travel, Vagrants of the World, Different Doors and JS Living the Dream to make their own three course menu. Entries will be accepted until January 12th and those entries will be judged by two top Great British Chefs and Deputy Editor of Food and Travel Magazine, Mark Sansom. If you win you’ll be awarded a seven-night European cruise and one £150 voucher to use at one of the Great British Chef’s restaurants. Runners up will receive £75 meal vouchers. May you have as much fun as I did, reliving your delicious meals, as I did mine.

My delicious food tour of Greenwich Village

The only other thing I love as much as traveling is eating! So as soon as I heard about the Foods of New York Tours, I just had to go on the tour. It doesn’t matter if you are a local like me or a tourist, as long as you like food, this is the tour for you. Not only do you get to try different food at some of the highest rated establishments in New York, but you also learn historical and fun facts about the area. They have a wide range of tours, but I decided to go on their most popular which is the Original Greenwich Village Food & Cultural Tour. I chose this tour as I love the Greenwich Village, this area of Manhattan has such an incredible aura about it.

When I first met our very friendly tour guide Kerri Anne, she greeted me with a bottle of water and a handy booklet, which had all the places we were going to visit, coupons and suggestions of other places we should go to eat. On this tour we would get to partake in tastings at eight different establishments. The first place we went to was Joe’s Pizza. Joe’s Pizza is known as being some of the best pizza in New York and it really did not disappoint. I never order my pizza with a bunch of toppings, so I was happy that we tried a slice of the classic cheese pizza. Original is always the best!

It is actually the pizzeria that was used for filming the beginning of Spiderman 2, when Tobey Maguire was a pizza delivery man. I knew this place looked familiar!

The next stop was at O & CO Olive Oil Shop, where we tried a number of different olive oil spreads on Tuscan bread and popcorn with truffle salt. It was delicious! One of the workers in the store spoke to us about the different kinds of olive oil spreads and we even did a balsamic vinegar taste testing to compare the supermarket version vs their premium version. I was in shock at the difference! I have balsamic vinegar all the time, but never like this one. It had a sweet taste to it that made it very unique and extra tasty.

Our tour guide and one of the shop workers talking to us about the different types of olive oils

The third stop on the tour was to Faccio’s Italian Speciality Shop, where we had the most mouth watering rice ball and traditional soppressata (Italian salami). I didn’t realize that Greenwich Village had so many Italian delights! Most of the places there are Italian, because apparently it used to be a primarily Italian neighborhood. In fact, our guide told us that if we want truly satisfying Italian food to come here instead of Little Italy. I never would have guessed that!

Then, we went to Palma Ristorante, which has a beautifully romantic ambiance, I could not think of a more perfect spot for a date night. Our guide brought us straight to the back of the restaurant which to our surprise is actually an old farmhouse! The original owners didn’t tear it down when they built the restaurant, instead they expanded and built on to it. It still has a kitchen downstairs and rooms upstairs, along with their personal library. Many people enjoy eating in this rare atmosphere such as Howard Stern who was a frequent customer of theirs. I couldn’t believe I actually ate in an authentic farmhouse that is over 200 years old that was right in the heart of Greenwich Village! It is still unbelievable to think that there was once farm life in what is now the metropolis that is Manhattan. Not only is the restaurant itself extraordinary, but the food is too. We had Cavolifore Plama which is sautéed cauliflower with pine nuts, caramelized onion, currants and breadcrumbs. Who knew that cauliflower could taste so good?

Fifth on our list was Rafele Italian Restaurant, where we got to sit down and have a small meal which consisted of eggplant rollatini and foccica bread. If you want to order a drink such as a glass of wine to pair with your food, you can do that as well. My friend Evelyn came with me on the tour and tried eggplant rollatini for the first time here! This was a nice interlude to our eating tour where we got to sit, relax, have a drink and chat to other people on our tour.

Fresh out of the oven! YUM!

Now it was time for dessert at Milk and Cookies Bakery. We sampled a classic warm chocolate chip cookie. Is there anything more soothing than a warm gooey cookie straight out of the oven? I am drooling just thinking about it. One of the coupons we received is for here, which I will most definitely be using when I go back for more!

Next was Murray’s Cheese & Gourmet Food. As soon as you walk in the rich, powerful smell of the cheeses overtake you. I had no idea that there were so many different kinds of cheese! We went upstairs and tried cow, sheep and goat cheese along with a cheesy bread. They were all distinctly different and yet all still delicious!

Our eighth and final stop on the tour was at Pasticceria Rocco shop. My jaw hit the floor just looking at the dessert display on the window (shhhh, I am sure I left a nose print). I have a huge sweet tooth, so this place was my heaven. I couldn’t stop staring at the scrumptious variety of cookies, cakes, pies, basically any type of pastry you can think of. The slices of cake I saw people eating were gigantic, now that’s my kind of cake! To put a stop to our drooling our guide came over with a box full of cannoli’s oozing with cream. It was the perfect end to a perfect food tour.

I would recommend a Foods of New York Tours for any food lover. It is a great way to see different areas of the city, hear about the culture and not only try a variety of foods, but learn a bit about their origins as well. Now I know how to choose my olive oil, meats and cheese! The booklet I got at the beginning of the tour gives you additional restaurant and shop suggestions, as well as some choice favorites from each establishment. When I go back to Greenwich Village for something to eat, I will certainly know where to go!

Disclaimer: Thank you to Foods of New York Tours for providing our tour. All opinions are, as always, my own.