Oct 27 '11
Apologies for probably boring you with insider tittle-tattle about restaurant criticism when we're so behind with actual restaurant reviews, but last week's news about the launch of the first Gault Millau guide to local eateries deserves a mention. Not because the addition of yet another guidebook is particularly newsworthy. Rather, what's interesting is the announcement that its editor would be Tamás Molnár B., fresh from a messy split with the publisher of the the Alexandra Restaurant and Wine Guide series he launched back in 2008.
In some restaurant news you probably won't use but might very well find interesting, Hungary's first Roma restaurant opened last week out in Békés. We waited a bit to see if a website, picture or just an address would pop up, but alas, all we have is news reports like this to go by.
Oct 20 '11
Nearly 40 of Hungary's best restaurants - including Chateau Visz, Costes (pictured above), Kistücsök, Onyx and Nobu Budapest - are auctioning off dinners for two to help the charity organization Saint Martin Pediatric Emergency Medical Service Foundation. Bidding can be done on the auction's website until October 31. Bidders who don't win any of the offered items but offer to "roll over" their bids to charity will participate in a draw and can win a Saint Martin's Day goose dinner. Good luck!
While we're on the topic of special event dining, recently-launched reservation website TableFree.hu is running a "Restaurant Days" promotion from October 31 until November 6. Several dozen Budapest restaurants - including some of the best - have signed on to providing set menus for either Ft 3,000 or Ft 5,000. While you have to register to take advantage of the offer, you don't need to log in to browse through the menus you have the option to dig into if you do sign up. (Click on the little icons next to the names of the restaurants.) Check it out.
Next Friday, October 28, Hungarian gourmand group Lucullus BT will hold one of its celebrated dinner events at the somewhat recently-opened U26 restaurant located on Budapest's Eiffel tér. The event is entitled Bisztronómia Felsőfokon, or "Bistronomy on the Highest Level." So what, you may ask, is Bistronomy?
Oct 14 '11
The Whisky Society of Hungary is organizing a Whisky Show in Budapest for the second time on Saturday, October 15. Visitors can learn lesser-known facts about whisky production and submerge in Scottish culture. The event to be held at the Ramada Plaza Budapest hotel aims to popularize the drink and provide information to fans. Bands such as the Budapest Highland Pipers will create a Scottish atmosphere. Doors will open at 11 a.m. Cheers! [deluxe.hu]
Oct 12 '11
With the weather starting to get very brisk, it's time to start hitting those seasonal eating spots that either close down their outdoor seating during fall and winter. At or near the top of the list for you might be the Banhmi Bistro. It is apparently not only shutting down its pleasant outdoor dining area on the increasingly idyllic pedestrian area of District VI's Hájos utca in a few weeks, but according to a staffer I talked to last week, will shut for the winter altogether come November 1.
Gosh how they grow up fast! During the breathless run-up to the opening last fall of Nobu Budapest some critics said they didn't expect the local branch of the super-luxury Japanese chain to make it to Christmas, the place quietly just quietly celebrated its first birthday. Now I am hoping someone will decide I deserve an early xmas or birthday present and take me to the special "Pacific Fish" dinner they have slated for later this month.
Oct 10 '11
Interiors of new Balaton hotel said to helps guests experience the art of winemaking
The recently-opened, 48-room Bonvino Hotel in Badacsonytomaj on Lake Balaton seems to have taken the wine tourism trend to a new level, with an interior carefully designed to "tell winetales" to guests.
Oct 07 '11
Not really, but when has that ever mattered! Anyway, just so you know, the government is apparently set to not only hike the "chip taxes" it recently put into place by up to 25%, but to extend them to additional products seen as unhealthy, among them flavored beer and "alcopop" (no big deal for us) as well as coffee (big deal).
Univer - a 100% Hungarian-owned food processer - recently introduced a new bottled paprika product called Karikás Pista.
Oct 06 '11
One of the stranger things to come out of the bad economy are the above photos from – yes – a catalogue of meat products, as modeled by model/singer Regina Dukai, or as local trash blog Subba described it: meat selling meat. We'll leave the other bad jokes to you.
Oct 05 '11
Last year's craft beer festival was postponed due to bad weather until this spring. Since beer festivals are more of a fall thing, the festival is now being held at its usual time in the autumn, starting tomorrow October 6th and going through Sunday the 9th, weather and the elements be damned (although you might want to go tomorrow when the weather is better). Perhaps since we received reports that last springs's festival was really crowded, this time the festival has expanded beyond Mikszáth tér in District VIII to the adjoining Krudy Gyula utca, Lőrinc Pap tér and Szabó Ervin tér, meaning that your beer connoisseur experience should be that much more enjoyable, as you can see in the map below.
For more info, visit the festival's official English site at the following link. [fozdefeszt.hu]
Oct 04 '11
Like lots of Budapest foodies, spend a lot of time (and money!) shopping at leading local gourmet general store Culinaris. And like lots of American-born Budapest foodies, I sometime come home with treats from the homeland, mostly the sort of tasty trash - Pop-Tarts! Swiss Miss! - that Europeans love to sneer at. Until now!
From the mailbag:
Hi there,
I've been racking my brains trying to come up with a place to have a drink and have bar finger food that's not Serbian or tapas. Any ideas?
Thanks, Sze
Good question! Our first impulse is to suggest wine bars like DiVino, Drop Shop and Doblo, all of which (we think) fit the bill. If anyone else has an idea, drop it in the comments, and we'll keep updating this post until we find something for Sze.
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