mmm-yoso!!!

From Amsterdam to Paris and Self Catering on Rue Cler

It was a quiet Saturday morning as we finished packing, had some coffee, and checked out of the apartment we were staying in.

The streets were quite empty, except for the local street market; the Lindengracht Market.

Our favorite statue of Theo Thijssen cracked us up. Remember, on our first night in Amsterdam, which was rather chilly, the sculpture of the child in the display was covered with a blanket? Well, I guess since it was market day.....he was now covered in kale! 

The one thing the Missus really took to in Amsterdam were the Stroopwafels and She had quite a collection to take home with Her.

The walk to Amsterdam Central Station was uneventful....even sedate.

Purchasing our tickets early on Thalys, I netted us a good deal in First Class. So we had had some time to relax in the lounge. Folks here were nice. The really friendly young woman in uniform saw us; approached us, and lead us to the waiting area, and then since we had first class tickets, walked us to the lounge. Great service.

Here we found a nice quiet corner, had some water and coffee. There was a group of Japanese businessmen in the lounge as well.

It was a smooth (and ontime) three hour - fifteen minute ride from Amsterdam to Gare Nord in Paris.

From there it was a taxi ride and viola! We were back on Rue Cler.

The 7th is (for now), the Missus's favorite district in Paris. In fact, She was toying with the idea of trying to buy property in Paris (more on that later). So, I decided to get a studio apartment basically one street over from Rue Cler.

And while we stayed in the area previously, we had never been able to take advantage of all the wonderful looking shops in the area. On our previous trip, we had always wanted to just relax, grab some cheese, wine, and a baguette, but weren't able to find the time. This time, we made sure to enjoy the late afternoon (after a nap of course), by doing some shopping at places that had multiple recommendations on sites like Paris by Mouth and others....to many to name.

First off, the cheese, Fromager Marie-Anne Cantin a highly revered and recommended shop was basically just down the street.

Amazing selection of cheeses, many unpasteurized, so you won't find these in the states.

Great service; the butter......is so....."buttery".....

Fromager Marie-Anne Cantin
12 Rue du Champ de Mars
75007 Paris, France

Next, the baguette, "bien cuite, s'il vous plait" - well cooked is our preference.

Les Gourmandises d'Eiffel has three top ten placements in Grand Prix de la Meilleure Baguette de Paris over the last decade.

For some reason, we didn't care to much for our baguette from here; perhaps it was too late in the day.

Les Gourmandises d'Eiffel 
187 Rue de Grenelle
75007 Paris, France

Circling back to Rue Cler. We had wonderful help picking out a wine to go with our cheese from the local outpost of Nicolas.

Nicolas
39 Rue Cler
75007 Paris, France

And picked out some lovely tomatoes and since we bought butter from Marie Cantin; I convinced the Missus to get some radishes from Les Halles Bosquet.

Les Halles Bosquet
50 Rue Cler
75007 Paris, France

Along with that excellent Gouda we purchased in Amsterdam. This made a nice meal....with cheese leftover for the next day's lunch.

Though the Missus still doesn't get the radish with butter thing.

After freshening up a bit, we decided to head out for a stroll.

More than one person I know has told me that the Rue Cler area is more for tourists, it's the "Paris the mind expects", but not the "real Paris". I don't know.....seems like lots of locals around, along with tourists of course.

And we were having a great time. We loved the dogs in the area. I'm just sorry I never got a photo of our favorite, whom we saw 4-5 times....he really got around. This mutt was so obsessed with whomever preceded him and would keep sniffing the walls, sign posts, trash receptacles. We named him "Wall Sniffer"......and we kept seeing him all over the place!

Of course we had to finish the evening off by viewing the Missus's favorite landmark in the world.

From both sides of the Seine.

As we watched the Eiffel Tower light show go off; the Missus muttered to me, "it's so nice to be back in Paris".

Clearing Out the Memory Card - Restaurant Greetje (Amsterdam)

Just a quick post for tonight.

Amsterdam sure was beautiful at night......at least the Damrak area was.

For our last dinner; I was looking for something closer to traditional Dutch. In all my searches Restaurant Greetje came up, so I made reservations.

Mostly older (my age) folks having dinner. Service was great, the food not so much.

The best item was the smoked duck breast; which was still on the rather tough side for us, but had a very nice smoke flavor.

The Missus fish dish was pretty good, fish was nice and crisp if on the dry side. The barley risotto was outstanding.....both in texture, with just the right amount of toothsomeness.

The signature "Roasted Wild Boar" was dry and tough and we both felt under-seasoned.

The parsnip puree was dry and the jus had a bitterness to it we didn't enjoy.

Desserts were nice.....we took the cookies to go and the Missus had them with tea.

Not quite what we wanted for our last meal in Amsterdam, but you can't win 'em all. At least the folks here were really nice.

Restaurant Greetje
Peperstraat 23
Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

Amsterdam - Albert Cuyp Market and De Blauwe Pan

There was really only one place the Missus wanted to visit in Amsterdam; the Van Gogh Museum. So on our last day in the city we headed off from the Jordaan, past Leidseplein, making it the museum a bit before opening. So, we had a chance to wander around and take things in. Like the "I Amsterdam" sign......a wonderful example of city "branding".

The skating rink reminded us that it was indeed winter.

The Von Gogh Museum was quite a fascinating visit. It was very visitor friendly; though no photos. Unlike what it seemed everyone else; we obeyed the rules.

The displays went through Van Gogh's life; his influences, and struggles.

My main takeaway from the museum was, that if not for the efforts of his brother Theo....who died of syphilis two years after Van Gogh at the age of 34, and mainly his sister-in-law; Johanna, Von Gogh might not have been the revered artist he is today. You can read more about that in this wonderful excerpt from Smithsonian. We wouldn't have such fascination with the "mad genius" who (might not have) cut his own ear off, whose inner demons eventually had him commit suicide by self-inflicted gunshot wound. He died at the age of 37.

Whooo...boy.....

From here we decided to head off to Albert Cuyp Market. It was a nice walk, we passed places like the Royal Concertgebouw ("Concert Hall").

Albert Cuyp Market was established in 1905 and is the largest street market in the Netherlands with 260 or 300 stands depending on what you read.

So; you can imagine it's all here; from flowers, produce, and seafood......

To Vietnamese Springrolls, pickled herring, and various knick-knacks.....need a watch, anyone?

And of course, those Stroopwafels......

Our intent was to grab something to eat there; but for some reason, nothing really called to us and we weren't very hungry.

So, we decided to head on back. The sun had appeared, chasing some of the damp gloom away.  

The Westerkerk Church really stood out, its bell tower stretching to the sky.

We meandered through the "Nine Little Streets" and did some light gift shopping and headed back to the Jordaan.

We searched for a couple of places on my "list"but for some reason we couldn't find them. So we just decided to stop at this quiet, sort of funky corner café.

It's one of the those places where you can get anything from coffee to beer to desserts (one woman was having a gigantic "slice" of apple pie). The prices were reasonable, though it really took a while for our food.

Anyway, it took a while but I finally got my Smoked Salmon Sandwich a bargain at 6,5 € (About $7.50/US).

The bread was decent; loved the addition of the boiled egg, the smoked salmon was also fairly good, lightly smoky, not too salty, with no off flavors. Loved the pickles and the tomatoes were ripe? Red onions and capers are the perfect foil for smoked salmon.

The Missus had a Cheese Sandwich which She also enjoyed.

After all that rather rich food over the previous few days this was a nice respite in a sort of diner-ish kind of way. The customers were also quite interesting and diverse.

Café De Blauwe Pan
Westerstraat 200
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hourse
Sun - Thurs 10am - 1am
Fri - Sat 10am - 2am

We had thoughts of heading to the Anne Frank Museum, but were too tired. We decided to bucket that for our next trip to Amsterdam.

It was nap time.

Thanks for reading!

A Walk Around Amsterdam and Dinner at Restaurant Daalder

It was an overcast as we headed out after our morning coffee. We had two full days in Amsterdam and since we had leftovers from our previous night's meal we didn't need to stop anywhere. We decided to take on a good chunk of the city during the morning.

One has to keep alert when walking the streets in this lovely city and not get sucked in by the lovely canals or the lovely houses that line them, all crowned with distinctive Dutch gables. You see, Amsterdam claims to be the most bicycle friendly capital city in the world, there are over a million bikes in the city. Most glide along quietly, so you should be aware. It's also easy to get distracted by various interesting sights as well.

Some of which are quite humorous......

We walked along the canals, making our was back along the path we took the previous night. It looked quite different during the day.

We made our way back to Amsterdam Centraal Station. The Missus wanted to take the walk outlines in Rick Steves pocket guide to Amsterdam. So we headed down Damrak. It's a bustling and busy street. Lots of tourist shops and other places.

One of the things I wanted to try in Amsterdam was Gouda cheese. We've never particularly enjoyed Gouda in the states, so we wanted to try some here. One of the first shops we came across is this location of the Amsterdam Cheese Company.

There weren't any customers in the store when we arrived....it was rather early in the morning. The young lady working here was amazing! She was quite knowledgeable, had us taste Gouda aged for different periods of time, and was just a joy. So, of course we ended up buying some Gouda. We would enjoy it in Paris.

After a brief stop for some coffee, we arrived at Dam Square. In the 13th century, a dam was built across the Amstel River to link together settlements on both sides of the river and create a village named.....you guessed it "Amstel-dam".

There's quite a bit to see here including the National Monument(above). This World War II monument is an obelisk like structure which has sculptures representing the suffering of war - there are two weeping dogs, representing suffering and loyalty. All topped with a sculpture of a woman with a child in her arms and doves flying around her representing victory, peace, and new life.

Across the way is the Royal Palace, which was once the Town Hall. The structure became the "Royal Palace" when Napolean installed his brother as King.

There's a shopping street which parallels the main avenue named Kalverstraat.....it's truly pedestrian.....folks need to walk their bicycles on this street.

Ducking down a side gate we came across what might be our favorite stop of the day; the Begijnhof. This wonderful Hofje ("Courtyard") dates back to the 14th century when it was built as living quarters for the pious Begijntjes a Catholic sisterhood, who lived a semi-monastic life dedicated to God, even though they took no vows like Nuns.

This beautiful and quiet courtyard is rung by lovely homes that still houses older single women, though the last Beguine died in 1971.

Off to the left we saw a simple black door. This is the entrance to Begjinhof Chapel. Often called the "Clandestine Church" this was built in 1680 by combining two residences. When Catholicism was banned in the 16th century all the churches had to be given up....which is what was done with the brick church across the way. Catholics had to worship in the privacy of their own homes. Eventually, the Protestant city council approved the building of this church....as long as the building did not look like a church.

The interior is Spartan and quiet. One could imagine needing to worship in silence in fear of prosecution.

Across the way is the former Catholic Church that became the English Reformed Church.

This church was built in 1420 for the Beguine to worship. It was converted during the Reformation.

It is said that many of the Pilgrim Fathers fleeing persecution in England made their way here before leaving to form a separate congregation in Leiden and eventually sailing to the New World in 1620. The only stained glass window in the church depicts the Pilgrims praying before boarding the Mayflower. It was a gift from Edward William Bok to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the departure of the Pilgrims.

The bible on the altar dates back to 1763.

We really enjoyed the quiet, which gave us time to really take in both churches.

We exited Begjinhof and headed right, to an area known as Spui.

We did a bit of window shopping.....some of the displays are quite amusing. I believe this one is from a Cheese/Gourmet Shop named De Mannen van Kaas.

Eventually we wandered our way to the Flower Market.

Full of bright colors.

And then a bit further, the very popular area known as Leidseplein.

We decided to head back to the apartment, have our leftovers for lunch....then it would be nap time.

We wove our way through the shopping area known as De 9 Straatjes (Nine little streets).

We stopped by several shops, people watched, and enjoyed some of the more entertaining window displays.....like this one....notice the mannequin giving you the one finger salute?

We stopped by the Marqt on Wolvenstraat; sort of like a cross between Trader Joe's, Sprouts, and Whole Foods and picked up some drinks and more Stroopwafels for the Missus.

After a filling lunch we had a nice restful nap and got up in time for....well, dinner of course!

I'd made reservations at a popular place that I'd read about named Restaurant Daalder. It was located just a few blocks away and the food seemed an interesting pseudo Modern Dutch cuisine.

We both liked the cozy, under-stated, unpretentious, almost bistro-like interior of the restaurant.

We went full speed ahead; the "Daalder" course tasting menu with one wine pairing (we've learned our lessons) and the foie gras supplement (of course). This came out to about 100 € each, very reasonable. Especially since we'd just come from Scandinavia!

The Amuse started with jamon in a roll made of airy-light meringue. The "rolls" were slightly sweet and savory and melted in your mouth.

Along with a foamy, almost yogurt, fruit compote. The lemon foam was quite good.

The first course was a Tuna Tartare, which totally reminded me of poke.

Topped with avocado and watermelon; this would have been passable if not for the bitter-salty-tar like kombu reduction which just killed the poor fish dish.

The next dish was interesting; a poached egg enrobed in cauliflower puree. There was a dusting of coffee powder on the dish which really blended in nicely; adding a layer of pleasant savory-bitterness to the dish. The egg was poached perfectly and there were tiny pieces of crouton on the bottom of the bowl to add a nice textural contrast.

The scallops were good; crisp exterior, cooked perfectly, nice and sweet.

The turbot was cooked perfectly, but the dish was again marred by that kombu "tar".

The duck was quite good; though not as tender and gamey as what we had at Arakataka.

We both enjoyed the pistachio crust and the earthy, but slightly sweet jus really did well paired with the duck.

We were glad to have the foie gras supplement. The duck livers on toast were quite good. Caramelized onions just goes so well with duck livers.

Our favorite item of the night was the foie gras. It was seared so perfectly, slightly crisp, with a creamy interior. The tart, yet slightly sweet lychee just went so well with this little morsel.

And the Missus got Her dessert.

Service was relaxed, yet professional. We enjoyed the wine pairings. 

Though I could tell the Missus had gotten Her fill of "tasting menus" for a while.

Still, a nice meal.

Restaurant Daalder
Lindengracht 90
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

We rolled on back to the apartment.

Good thing we had a bit of walking planned the next day.

Thanks for reading!

Amsterdam - Rijsttafel at Indonesian Kitchen

It was already dark when we arrived in Amsterdam. Somehow we found our way to the fantastic apartment we were staying at. We enjoyed the location, walking distance to much of Amsterdam, yet in more of a residential area in the Jordaan. In other words, you wouldn't be smelling the "cash crop" while walking to the corner grocery, if you know what I mean. Our hosts were amazing; they left us beverages and water....and got the Missus hooked on Stroopwafels, even showing Her the correct way to have them with your tea/coffee. We were asked what dining plans we had for our stay. I'd made two reservations for dinner, but not for the eve of our arrival. I mentioned wanting to try Rijsttafel ("Rice Table") the product of Dutch Colonialism in Indonesia. Our host quickly got on the phone and made us reservations at his favorite spot; named Indonesian Kitchen.

It was about a 20 minute walk from the apartment. Which wasn't bad. The Missus thought it was rather cold, but after Tromsø I thought it felt downright balmy. The tiny restaurant is located on the lower level along Herengracht.

It's quite a discreet location, especially at night. We basically found it because of the menu posted along the sidewalk.

The place was indeed packed, but tucked alongside the wall was a small two-top with a reserved sign on it. Our table. Because of the tight confines, I was very discreet with regards to taking photos. The last thing I wanted to do was interrupt anyone's meal.

Of course we went with the Rijstaffel. I was later told that the portions here were on the smaller side, but this was more than enough food for us. I was also told that the chef here used to work at Amsterdam's only Michelin starred Indonesian Restaurant.

I started with a Bintang, which predictably tasted like Heineken.

The meal started off with three appetizers. This might have been our favorite part of the meal, especially the scallops which were perfectly seared, still tender and moist inside. And the whitefish which was almost buttery.

The mango salad was refreshing. The peanuts really added that nice earthiness to the dish, cutting the sweet-acidity.

Next up was a fish soup, which was fine. I expected a bit more spiciness and sour tones.

But for some reason we found this to be rather bland.

Next up was a big bowl of rice and the first foursome of dishes arrived.

The Beef Rendang finally had the chili kick I was looking for; the lamb chops were perfectly cooked, still slightly rare in the middle, but the sweet soy just overwhelmed the dish...much too sweet. The chicken curry was quite bland. The second beef dish was pretty mild as well.

The second foursome arrived a few seconds later.

The item on the bottom left was delicious, a bitter vegetable in a wonderful dressing. The prawns were a bit over-cooked but the spicy sauce was indeed nice and spicy, and it had been seasoned quite well.

The vegetable curry that accompanied the dish was pretty bland; though the flavor of the veggies shown thru.

Service was wonderful, friendly and very pleasant. We'd end up taking most of this with us and had it for lunch the next day.

Indonesian Kitchen
Herengracht 287
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

We were glad to have been able to try out some Indonesian food during our all too short visit to Amsterdam.

Amsterdam itself is quite amusing. We really got a kick out of the signage and some of the sometimes oddball things we saw. The Missus could not stop laughing at the blanket placed over the student depicted in the sculpture of the Dutch Teacher and Politician Theo Thijssen off Brouwersgracht. I guess they wanted to make sure the young lad didn't get cold.

Some of the shops were also quite adorable.

This one is called the Cow "Museum"....which was actually a shop.

 

We got back to the apartment, the Missus set to work making a cup of tea which was nicely provided and of course those Stroopwafels......

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.......

Thanks for stopping by!

Where in the world are we - Part Twee

The Missus and I each had objectives for our next stop.

And we managed to do both.

We enjoyed our couple of days in the land of canals.....

Very friendly folks.....the scent of the “cash crop” in the air.

We had some decent meals as well.

Not to get overly cheesy, but we really had fun.....the city had an interesting vibe.

So, of course it was time to move on.

Next up, the Missus’s favorite city.