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Harbor Dining in Cinque Terre In April (2023) Don and I dined at this sweet little place overlooking the smallest harbor in Cinque Terre, Italy.  The deck with (unnecessary) umbrellas, was perched right over it. View From our Hotel We only had 2 nights in the sweet village of Riomaggiore. Our hotel balcony offered us our own table view of the harbor.
We could keep an eye on the outdoor diners, from our balcony. Old Building Modern Look The restaurant was only open one of the 2 days, during our visit. On the day it was open, I trotted over around noon and made dinner reservations.  The modern interior had a very different feel, than the rugged building that housed the restaurant. 7:00 Reservations Unsure of weather, we reserved an inside table for 7:00. We stepped inside and admired the white-washed space with vaulted ceiling. It looked like the restaurant had been carved out of a cliff.  The modern artwork was a fun contrast to the exposed rough-hewn stone! Menu of Ligurian Dishes Like most restaurants in Cinque Terre, the focus was on traditional seafood dishes.  With fishing boats resting beneath the restaurant's deck, it made sense that the seafood was netted from the nearby sea. Red Wine? Don and I knew that Riomaggiore was known for white wine. We thought we had ordered a local white wine...  But the wine that was delivered along with our bread, looked mighty red. If we spoke more than a few words of Italian, we would have discussed this. Instead, we drank. Testaroli i Al Pesto Noce We tried to order dishes that were from the region.  My dish came looking like spongy pieces of dark pancake, with walnuts. I had expected pine nuts, but again my Italian is limited. I enjoyed this rich little dish. Ravioli Di Pesce Don is the fish guy, so he ordered the fish ravioli, with chopped shrimp and vegetable sauce. Peas and carrots added a dash of color to our table. Both dishes were rich and interesting, but not out of this world.  The service was also not overly memorable. A team of women servers worked swiftly to serve all the tables at once. It seemed tricky to have all diners arriving at the same time, when the restaurant reopened at 7. Checking Out We didn't linger over dessert. Don checked us out at a little window, which also made the experience less personal.  I wish we'd had more interaction with the staff, but at least the people watching had been entertaining. No Americans at all. Quick Dash Down... Our lack of lingering worked for us. We were able to dash down the stairs and walk towards the sea, just after sunset.  We passed numerous boats.
We headed along the walkway, on the left side of the marina. And then we climbed!
After about 100 steps, we reached a lovely spot for viewing the orange horizon. We also had a good view of our sweet hotel, tucked into the cliff.
What a lovely way to burn off our pasta calories! Dinner followed by a brief walk and a glorious view! What a perfect combo!
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Donut Day! Nothing like a glowing neon sign, to tempt me! Especially when I see the word DONUTS!  The silly man on the clock face also inspired me! I felt like I should prance over to Stan's and get me some donuts! Rain in Chicago! We did just that, last October. Don and I were visiting the windy city with our daughter, to attend a wedding.  It rained the whole time, but we rewarded ourselves with sweets. Stan's was just a short walk from our hotel. Donut Shopping in the City The idea of donuts on a rainy day seemed perfect.  The revolving door made donut purchasing even more fun! Festive Cozy! It was warm inside and the smells were wonderful! Fresh donuts and fresh coffee!  The colorful display of blenders was festive! The colorful display of fresh donuts was mouthwatering.  Actually the only colorful donut we purchased was green. Lemon Pistaccio! History? I knew nothing about the history of Stan's. I thought we had come upon an iconic, one of a kind donut place.  But the decorated tile on the exterior told me that the original Stan's was in Los Angeles. It opened in 1965. Hot Dogs...Steak Sandwich! Our Stan's As it turns out there are about 6 Stan's in Chicago. And I don't think any of them is older than a decade.  There was no grand history to our little corner oasis on a wet day. But we were plenty happy with our purchase. We took our cute box (covered in plastic wrap) and headed back to the hotel.  Somebody... I am naming no names...  ... took a bite before I could snap a photo. At the Willows It was a rainy and windy day in Chicago and we had donuts and coffee!  What a cozy place to enjoy our sweet feast! The Willows Hotel! Oh how I love the name and the coziness of this place!  It's been nearly a half year since our donut morning! I need to start planning another donut day for June 7, 2024.
That will be National Donut Day! |
The Dining Blog
This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food. Below, you can read how this started. On July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year! (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to join me, on some unusual dining adventures. I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise. Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining. I have continued blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned along the way! Locations and types of dining adventures, are listed further down. Archives
August 2024
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