Author Archives: Robert

BARBARINO VAL D’ELSA, ITALY— This yearlong trip was two years in the making. I knew, going in, that the first six weeks were going to be hard. I had no clue. My wife, 14 year-old daughter, 10 year-old son and I just covered 4,500 miles, on two continents, in 13 countries, spending the night inContinue reading “Eating Europe– Week Six”

VIENNA, AUSTRIA— In 1968, I came home from a day in first grade at Woodley Elementary School and my mother asked, “What did you have for lunch today?” “Hamburger with peeling,” I said. It took her two weeks to figure out that the cafeteria had served veal cutlets that day. It’s strange to imagine thatContinue reading “All Schnitzeled Out”

This yearlong writing assignment has taken me into some pretty strange places. Last week I was in Albania. This might seem like a strange stop on a 30-country tour of Europe, but there is rhyme to the reason. Ferdinant Balla is one of the chefs at our new Italian restaurant, Tabella. He is from Albania,Continue reading “Lunch In Albania”

We spent a week in Italy, but the best pizza we’ve eaten (so far) has been in Dubrovnik, Croatia. While visiting Old Town Dubrovnik (beautiful, by the way), we befriended a British tour guide. She told us not to eat inside of the walls (except for one restaurant where we will dine tonight). “The foodContinue reading “Pizza In Croatia”

We reached Kastraki at dusk yesterday, so we didn’t see much around town. We drove through the main drag, but it was filled with tourist shops and tourist restaurants like many of the other small towns we have seen when traveling through this country. This annoyed me at first, but then I realized that weContinue reading “Meteora Monasteries”

As fate would have it, the journalistic gods threw a little instant karma my way this morning. Yesterday, I turned in a column about the subpar breakfast experiences we have had since beginning this yearlong journey almost a month ago. We have stayed in five-star hotels, local mom-and-pop inns, and on ships in the AegeanContinue reading “Breakfast at Hotel Dellas”

DELPHI, GREECE— Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Back home, I have several options. There is my “Daddy Breakfast,” the go-to morning meal I make at home at the request of the children. It’s the same every time— Allan Benton’s bacon cooked in my cast-iron skillet, hash browns cooked crisp in the greaseContinue reading “Eating Europe, Week Four– Breakfasts and Views”