No way on earth would I imagine finding the best bakery/ice-cream shop in Hungary in a completely remote village 150 km outside of Budapest. Thanks to Janos and Dina for ordering their wedding cake from this amazing shop of delicious wonders and pushing me to check the place out right away.
From a distance Szent Korona Cukraszda looks like a regular bakery shop found in every city around the world. Yet once you step inside you are mesmerized by a long line of displays filled up with some of the most exotic and delicious ice cream (“Kinder Tej” is my favorite) and millefeuille I have ever eaten. Regulars flock this place day and night, ordering scoops of desert for any occasion. If you think Korona is only good for its deserts, you are mistaken. The bruschetta here takes on the original Italian recipe and tops it with steamed red pepper slices and melted cheese. I wish I could tell you to just run out and check this place out, but most probably many of you will never make it there.
Posted in Budapest, Drinks on August 20th, 2010 by Sinan
Up until my trip to Budapest I thought the Russians had the biggest weapon in alcohol. I was wrong. The vodka, although the most common and cherished tranquilizer in entertainment, can not come near the Hungarian Palinka with an approximate alcohol level of 70%.
This harmless-looking all-so-natural fruity monster travels your veins like a heavy carriage of 15 horses. You take it ice cold in shots and wait until you can finally taste the fruit it was made from.
It is a fruit brandy that punches you like Muhammad Ali. Only after it comfortably settles in your belly you reach for a cold apple juice. Then the Palinka warms up your blood and pumps up your energy like the women you love. The real fun begins without the fear of a hangover the morning after.
I came across this house on the Cool Hunter. Unfortunately I have no idea where it is or how and when it was constructed. The mystery kills me, but these photos are worth a thousand words. I would be thrilled to be the owner!
I was glad to finally have the longer lasting milk here, but now I realize nothing is as it seems. These rectangle Pinar milk boxes (I use Pinar’s but all the other brands also have the same box) have been a nightmare when I try to pour them after opening the seal. The milk always spurts out the box, missing the bowl or the glass. It might last much longer than the 2-week milk in New York (which always tragically went bad by the time I needed it), but 9 am is honestly too early for any table cleaning!
Consider Salento as a modified island attached to the tip of the Italian Peninsula, giving access to two coasts that have been the Paradise of Europe for centuries: The Mediterranean and the Aegean coasts. Both are abundant with wide white sandy beaches with shallow waters similar to the ones we, the Turks, find in Cesme. Small private beach operators who rent the land from the government for multiple years manage most bays. No matter what it is the law to reserve some portion of the beaches to public access. All the private beaches charge approx. EUR 20 for two lounge chairs and an umbrella and anything ordered at their bar/restaurant will be extra. Each applies to a different crowd with the type of music and food they provide. If there is a beach party, there will always be a groove-pumping entertainer (something I haven’t seen in anywhere else but Italy) with a microphone next to the DJ addressing the crowd, leading them to let loose and dance.
Do not expect luxurious full-service private hotel beaches in this region like the ones found in Bodrum, Turkey. Beach food will be mediocre, usually served on plastic plates. Wine menu will not be extensive. Yet, the cocktails and the rose will work the magic.
The direction of the wind is the sole factor that determines which coast will be calm, thus more suitable for the day. When these waters are undisturbed there are known to be flatter than a freshly ironed bed sheet. Both coasts are a 30 min. drive from Lecce. Expect to see a lot of vines on the side of the road when you are driving to either coast.
There is a wide range of characters you will run into on any of the beaches you visit in Salento:
There will be heartbreaking sights of naughty tangas gallantly walking from one end of the beach to the other, happily flirting with your eyes, proudly covering some of the most perfect Italian bodies (who almost never speak English) seen inside the Mediterranean.
There will be what Andrea and I comfortably refer to as Gringoooo. They will be mostly puny muscled up 20-30 something guys with their tiny white trunks, Gucci shoulder bags, oversized sunglasses, tattoos and plucked eyebrows (Andrea confirmed numerous times “90% are not gay”). They will also be 30 something women with silicone breasts, groomed hair, tattoos, high heels and real tight rears.
There will be MILFS (mothers I like to f…lirt) who are so attractive that you will have to remind yourself that they are married and have kids.
There will be large chunks of little kids splashing water everywhere, trying to build that perfect sand castle (that still and will always look unfinished and uglier than imagined).
There will be overweight expired beef tenderloins that have given up to the pull of the gravity, but still struggle to cover up the breasts letting them sizzle until they are well-done under the hot summer sun.
With all this in mind, here is my list for the beaches of Salento:
1. Bonavista - The best beach to chill
2. Togo Bay - And the party skyrockets with the most popular song of the Italian Summer 2010…
3. Zen - Time to splash the Proseccos
4. La Caciulara – The best mix of white sand and crisp water carressed together on a secluded corner away from any wind or currents
5. Paradise Beach - Simply the best food found on a Salento beach topped with the most beautiful MILFS of Salento
6. I Duo Mori
7. Bacino Grande - Take Buenavista increase the average age of its crowd by 15….Welcome to Bacino Grande
The narrow streets of Manhattan can’t even compare to some of the streets in Istanbul (Italy seems to be the best competitor). There have been a few streets where I was amazed by the driver’s ability to pass the car through it. I can’t even imagine how a fire truck would pull into those in the case of a fire.
MAMMA LI TURCHI! The first of a number of posts that will explore the great Salento region of Italy.
As I make my way out of the Brindisi Airport, I feel like I haven’t moved a step away from home. I must have taken the flight to Bodrum, Turkey instead. The same climate, similar sceneries and familiar faces welcome me to this Southern tip of Italy. I am at the heel of the Italian Boot, kilometers away from home, but I am already settled in. I am where all the Italian metropolitans will rush into once the their vacation period begins in August.
The only thing out of my comfort zone is the few people trying to speak to me in Italian (including the flight attendant). I keep quiet and nod to whatever they say, trying not to ruin anyone’s confident guess. I can’t make out if it is my looks or moods that give the impression of an Italian man. It might also be that I landed at a place where people are not used to tourists. Whatever the case maybe I am flattered (but also a little perplexed).
Fava greets me out in the parking lot. He has it all planned out. We are ready to take on the beaches, the wines, the cheeses, the pastas, the espressos…
LECCE
I leave Bodrum in Brindisi. I dive into Italy. The hometown of the Great Andrea Favale, Lecce is an undeniably cool ancient city constructed inland right in the middle of Salento, between the Aegean and the Mediterranean coasts. Like many other Italian cities, it comes with an ancient historic part glowing in the center and a modern part expanding on the outer skirts. This is the city you fall in love with if it is ever in an Hollywood movie.
The day starts around 10 a.m. and the noon is celebrated with a song by Tito Schipa, the famous opera-singer from Lecce, flowing out through the speakers at the city center, Piazza S. Oronzo.
The shops close with Tito, sending their owners to relaxing siestas until 5 p.m. The night bubbles up around midnight, glowing up until 3 a.m.
As you make your way around the narrow streets you are amazed by all the detail found on historic residences. However small they may be, each glows with its untraceable design, unfortunately absent in many of today’s modern buildings. In one corner you run into a house with an amazing lemon tree sprouting out of its terrace. On the next corner a house with an arched balcony welcomes wonderers. You see hints of Spanish blending into artistic Italian architecture. From floor to ceiling you are surrounded with warm precious limestone. No maps, no directions you get deeper into a jungle of history thinking you will soon be lost, but you always find the way out. That should be what they call “intelligent city planning”.
The bakeries, restaurants and bars all remind you that Lecce is alive and full of people looking to enjoy life. The tiny markets with fresh food make you want to cook; anytime and anywhere. The presence of McDonald’s in the city center certifies the grasp of the vicious capitalist life, pocking you even in a city filled up with well-rooted culture and tradition. No matter how wrong it sounds, you still find it hard to resist the delicious smell of a McChicken, sustaining your shameful urge at the Italian bakery steps away.
You can’t come back from Lecce without:
Having a Rustico (a baked flan filled up with mozzarella and tomatoes) and a Pasticciotto (an individual bread crumbs cake filled up with vanilla cream) from the Luca Capilungo bakery located inside the CinCin Bar to start your day. Trust me they will be enough to keep you full until dinner.
Visiting the Piazza Duomo
Having an iced espresso to give you the buzz for a fun day at the beach
Locating the face of the architect on the walls of Basilica di S. Croce
Observing the tiny woman’s face on the corner of a residence on Vico del Theutra. The story goes that the building was the maids’ quarters of another estate years ago. The owner of the estate was so in love with one of the maids that he had her face put of at this corner which was visible from his bedroom window.
Going to an art exhibit at Castello di Carlo V (if there is any)
Having a scoop of the pistachio and the coconut ice-cream at Natale
Having dinner at Corte dei Pandolfi and letting Michele D’Ambrosio work the magic for you. I recommend the pasta with zucchini, black olives, peppers, tomatoes topped with ricotta cheese and the spaghetti with zucchini and parmesan cheese
Youtube and all the free porn sites we have been happily frequenting in New York are blocked by the Turkish Government. I am extremely disappointed about YouTube as it was my best source for searching song titles! Pretty sure friends found a way around the firewall. I just have to sit down with one to get all the insider information.
Burak brought this beautiful Canadian model to my attention thinking I might have a thing for her. Who wouldn’t! Kim Cloutier was born in Montreal, Canada in 1987. She was lead to be a model since her father, Michel Cloutier is a fashion photographer. She has modeled for brands such as Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie, but her best performance came out in the 2009 Sports Illustrated.
Contact Sinan Bastas at cnanb(at)hotmail.com for inquiries.
Original artworks. Reasonable prices. All come out at artandseek.
Mikroteks Tekstil San., registered in Turkey, is a textile company specialized in high quality patterned chiffon, polyester, cotton and viscose fabrics.
