During a recent trip back home to Sicily, in late July, I had the great idea to go to Trapani for a day at the beach and hopefully, some kous kous – for which it is famous. After a beautiful morning at Erice Beach, whose crystal waters and white sand rival the best beaches in the Caribbean, we headed to Trapani’s center for lunch – just two miles from the beaches. Our destination was the Taverna Paradiso which had been recommended by friends. Also I had met the Chef, Francesco Curatolo, several years ago, through a mutual friend. But – I did not know where the restaurant was. Luckily, it turned out that Taverna Paradiso, in an old seaside converted warehouse, is the first restaurant you see as you walk along the waterfront road leading from the beaches and before you quite reach Trapani’s center.

More luck! I wasn’t sure it was going to be open for lunch, but it was. I spotted Francesco sitting at one of the outside tables. He was easy to recognize in his chef’s “outfit” but I was very impressed when he also recognized me; more than 7 years had passed since we met. We arrived at 12:30 PM and it was pretty empty – Sicilians often lunch a little later – but within 30 minutes it was packed. We had a very pleasant conversation with Francesco, got some suggestions and ordered.

My wife Lauren was not too hungry, unlike me, so we decided to share one mixed appetizer from the “Tonnara” (the traditional Sicilian tuna fishing facilities), then kous kous and sea food as our main course. We left the choice of the dessert for later. You can see the pictures of our dishes below.

The antipasto was a wonderful mix of different cuts from the tuna fish, smoked and served with olive oil and capers from Pantelleria. We quenched out thirst with chilled local white wine from Trapani.

Kous kous made in Trapani is widely recognized as the best in Sicily and hence in Italy. One of its features is that the grains are smaller than usual. I am very picky when it comes to kous kous because my father’s family lived in Libya for several years, before and during WWII, so my grandmother used to cook the best kous kous you can ever imagine. Taverna Paradiso gets an A+ from me.

Kous kous is very filling be we could not leave without trying a dessert. Good decision. We chose an orange parfait with orange jam and crashed almonds (see picture). I have never had an orange parfait before it was heavenly. Bravo, Francesco.

True to its name, Taverna Paradiso is a paradise – for foodies. If you travel to the western part of Sicily stop in and tell Francesco that Giuseppe sent you. Ciao!

ABOUT Giuseppe Ricotta: Giuseppe is a principal at Tour de Forks and a native Sicilian. He loves his regular visits back home to visit Mamma, mangiare and discover new restaurants.

ABOUT Trapani: This ancient port and fishing village in western Sicily has a fascinating history. Shaped like a scythe, legend has it that it was the scythe of Demeter, the goddess of harvests and plenty. A fitting stop for a foodie.

ABOUT: Taverna Paradisio Address : Lungomare Dante Alighieri 22
Phone: 0923 2 23 03
Price: Meals €30-50
Hours: Dinner daily, Lunch Tue-Sat

Nestled in Wallonia’s Luxembourg province, Durbuy bills itself as the world’s smallest town and it’s a tiny epicenter of gastronomy.

A medieval town, it is story-book quaint and laid out below an ancient castle. Its narrow cobblestone streets are replete with gastronomique restaurants, bistros, butchers and boulangeries. It’s a stroll-and-poke-in-the shops kind of place and so we did.  There are goodies galore to sample like the thinly sliced Ardennes Ham. Uncooked air-dried, salt cured – and to die for.

For lunch we had – all concurred – the best grilled chicken at the nicely casual grill Le Victoria. If you go, order the piquant Poulet Victoria and before – or after – stop by the Marckloff Micro-Brewery for a glass of its rich amber beer.

We fit in a delightful visit to the Confiturerie Saint-Amour – an artisanal jam factory where you can see the jam being hand-stirred in copper pots.

The flower and wild fruit jellies and jams – and aromatic vinegars – can be purchased in its terrific gift shop that is well-stocked with other artisanal products. We shopped  – and tasted.

Durbuy is a very doable day trip from Brussels by train, so you can come to stroll, shop and lunch and head back to the city. However consider spending the night. It’s that nice. There are some very special small hotels in the world’s smallest town – like Sanglier de Ardennes.Call us and we’ll help you sort it out. Durbuy holds a Christmas Market. I bet it’s lovely.

Belgium has the highest density of Michelin star restaurants in all of Europe. Brussels has more than its fair share but it’s great fun to discover them in little towns like Huy. One of the oldest towns in the country, Huy has a charming Grand Place and that’s where, at # 2 we found, Li Cwerneu 

Tucked in a narrow edifice bordering the ancient town square. Interestingly, Li Cwerneu is old French – from Burgundy times – and means “the bell man.”

The modern décor is striking. A milk-chocolate colored ceiling complements the cream walls and the white tables, graced with giant linen napkins, are set with amazing detail. Corsican knives? Check.

Arabelle Meirlaen, Belgium’s only woman chef to have earned a Michelin star, does some magical things here. She calls it cuisine intuitive. We were treated to a five-course lunch, each presented with amazing creativity. A salad was arranged as a miniature garden with edible flowers and a snail.

and a gold ingot of foi gras was delicately flavored with caramel and was divine.

That was followed by langouste, marinated in beet root and spritzed with gin fizz

…. and then, veal with a dollop of turnip. A decadent chocolate desert whet our appetite for more – and our return to Brussels… and more chocolate. Stay tuned.

Lunch photos courtesy of one of our group Susan Manlin Katzman of Sweet Leisure

In May, I had the delicious opportunity to travel to Belgium with the country’s tourist board and a talented troupe of food writers. What better companions for a culinary travel creator? Our collective mission was get a taste – figuratively and literally – of what will make Belgium’s upcoming (2012) Brusselsicious -Year of Gastronomy so special. Tour de Forks’ plan is to craft the components: hotels and inns, restaurants, macaroon shops, food stalls, beer trails and interaction with chefs and chocolatiers into uncommon epicurean adventures – Belgian style. We’ll envelope it all into Brusselsicious’ calendar of foodie festivities. The proof will be in the pudding. Chocolate. Naturlement

We indulged in Brussels. Think white asparagus anointed with buttery, egg-y sauces, cones of twice-fried crisp frites with gobs of garlic-seasoned mayonnaise for dipping. We loved the waffles both sweet and light and the dense and delectable Leige version. We sashayed in and out of the oodles of chocolate shops that flank the elegant Grand Place and swooned over the rich, dark confections displayed like jewels in the glass cases and…tasted…and tasted. Did we have beer? You betcha. We savored the slightly sweet Lambec which is to Brussels as Schlitz was to Milwaukee. Kinda. My fave was the tart cherry Kriek Lambic.

I could blog on and on about Brussels, its food and plethora of beers. And I will, this is just the first-in-a series, as the saying goes. But I want to share my experiences south of Belgium in the lovely region of Wallonia. It encompasses the Ardennes Mountains, forests, stone villages and rich culinary traditions – medieval abbeys continue to produce breads, cheeses and world-famous artisan brews. It can be a veritable pilgrimage for foodies and heaven-on-earth for beer lovers

By the by, Wallonia is the birthplace of Agatha Christie’s fictional Hercule Poiro. The fastidious little detective was quite fittingly, a gourmand.

The town of Namur is the region’s gateway and we continued south enroute to Maredsous Abbey, stopping in Wépion at one of the many road stands overflowing with baskets of scarlet-red sweet, sweet organic strawberries.  Mon Deiu! (Wallonia is French-speaking; it’s both a cultural and political thing, so don’t go chatting up any Walloons in Dutch. They don’t go for it.)

The strawberries were quite simply the best I ever tasted. And there is a ‘berry beer to be had in these parts – aptly named La Wépionnaise. We studiously sampled the three ales that the Abbey produces. They employ the storied Benedictine methods and they are splendid – as is the gothic Abbey.

The region’s accommodations are varied and I have a great suggestion for a country weekend – the pretty little hotel Lemonnier in Lavaux-Sainte-Anne with its Michelin star restaurant. A tip of the toque to the Messieurs Martin, a talented father and son team who wowed us with a beautifully presented lunch of fresh trout and small loaves of bread, tied with twine and  made with the beer of a nearby Trappist Monastery.

Only six Trappist Monasteries in the world are allowed to brew beer ; three, all revered – Orval, Rochefort and Chimay – are in the Wallonia region.

We spent our first night in a charming 17^th Century inn cum hunting lodge just outside the little town of St. Hubert. Auberge du Sabolier.

It draws a local crowd who like to gather around the fireplace to knock back a few Lambecs. Apps and aperitifs were served in the granny’s-front -parlor-of a lounge and we settled in next to a family celebrating their grand-mère ‘s birthday. Sweet. We dined extravagantly in the Chef’s kitchen…fillet of bass on endive…parmesan risotto…pork…The inn has a great wine cellar and free Wi-Fi (ahem, big glitzy hotels). IMHO two checks in the plus column.

On the opposite end of the spectrum we spent another night at the uber modern Radisson Blue Palace in the town of Spa. Radisson-y nice with all the mod cons, the hotel boasts…wait for it…a private funicular to the chic Les Thermes de Spa with its panoramic view of this picturesque town where for centuries European royalty came to loll about. This town would be mecca to spa aficionados, it is THE place after which all the spas in the world have been named. Who should go : foodies looking to take the waters. However our delegation did not have much time to dally in Spa. That Belgian cuisine would not eat itself. On to Durbuy a tiny with lots of culinary buzz.

We lunched at the Italian emporium’s Eataly’s Birreria on a recent Sunday and we’ll give it two prongs up.The much heralded rooftop brewery and restaurant is now open for business, so we bellied up to the bar. No skyline view as expected, but glimpses of the Met Life Clock Tower and the Empire State Building give it a nice New York feel and buzz. The sun was shining and the breezes were delightful – life is good.
Birreria brews unfiltered, unpasteurized and naturally carbonated Cask Ales and serves them up through traditional hand pumps.

Jonas, our barman in front of the barrique

The ale is somewhat light in body but heavy on taste.

At the bar

Baby Tree tastes of bubblegum, prunes, and dark spice. There’s the essence of pumpernickel bread in the malt, enough to form a base for this ale’s candy sugar and prune sweetness which, in turn, is held in check by the anise, pepper, and elusive spices from the yeast. Spicy yeast rumbles through the finish, warming tongue, throat, and belly with a delicious, peppery bitterness. That spice creates a wonderful friction that manages to lengthen the otherwise sweet and boozy finish.

We didn’t try the Bastianich wines, but noticed that the barriques held cardboard boxes containing wine. (sniff)

The menu offers hearty rustic food and includes a nod to Italy’s neighbors Germany and Austria with an impressive list of sausages including a serious Bratwurst. We had the homemade Emilia Romagna inspired Cotechino sausage which came with a perfectly dressed salad, spicy mustard and a brioche roll. Absolute perfection.

Cotechino sandwich

In 1979 The New Yorker ran an advertisement claiming that “9 out of every 10,000 Americans prefer Campari” — an amusing jibe alluding to the popular Italian liqueur’s relative obscurity in this country. Today Campari remains something of an acquired taste, but signs are that that “statistic” could finally be changing. No longer just the tipple of choice for European cognoscenti and dolce vita-seeking italophiles, Campari has recently enjoyed a surge in U.S. consumption, thanks in part to its growing presence in popular culture.

Of course, Campari is nothing new. In Italy, where it remains perhaps the country’s most iconic and best-loved drink, it has never been out of style, and in 2010 celebrated its 150th anniversary.

20th Century Campari Posters

Anniversary Bottles

Last month I was delighted to be invited by the Tourist Office of Spain to explore the road-less-traveled to Castilla e Leon – and savor its amazing regional food and wine. Think Ribera del Duero, which is the other great red wine of Spain – and deservedly so.

Jamon Iberico at Disfruta Raiz

Afterwards, we toured a new winery designed by Norman Foster, the British architect. Bodegas Portia is a magnificent temple to wine as the photo demonstrates, but i will wait a few years to comment on their wines.

Norman Foster's Temple to Wine

Our base was the beautiful town of Burgos, famous for The Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago) – the old pilgrim road to Santiago de Compostela. This paved road passes next to the 1,000 year old Gothic Cathedral in the centre of town. That night we feasted on morcilla (blood sausage Burgos style) and suckling pig roasted in a wood oven and served with almond couscous at Restaurante 24 de la Paloma. A bottle of Abadia de San Quirce, crianza 2006 (D.O. Ribera del Duero) was a perfect companion.

The next day we visited a salt mine at Poza de la Sal and enjoyed stunning views of the countryside from an ancient castle.

The village of Ona, in Burgos province

On our last day we had a fascinating tour of the Atapuerca Archaeological Sites, where the oldest and best preserved human fossils in Europe were discovered. And for lunch? Olla podrida, or “rotten pot” at the nearby Restaurante Hotel Versus. This traditional Castilian bean stew tastes a lot better than it sounds and I loved it so much I bought a kilo of the beans, alubias de Ibeas, a dark reddish bean particular to Burgos – and begged the chef for the recipe.

Chef at the Hoterl Versus

We are excited about re introducing our blog with its new look and name – The Dish – pun intended. One good launch deserves another and so we are delighted to share that the Belgian Tourist Office has declared they will launch A Year of Gastronomy aptly named Brusselicious 2012. Brussels and French-speaking Wallonia will be showcased as a must come-and-eat destination for the world’s foodies.

The plan is to take us all “beyond Moules Frites”, although Belgians do adore their mussels. Traditionally cooked in a white-wine-and-garlic broth, it’s their national dish – and they claim to have invented the fried potato. Indeed they are passionate about their cuisine and guard their traditions. We love that. Riffs on classics like creamy chicken waterzooi stew or the rich beef stew in beer are not readily embraced. And serve one of those over 500 varieties of artisanal beer in the wrong style glass!? Non , nee, nein. “Thou shall drink another beer, if the right glass is not available.” I think that’s a quote from one of Belgium’s famous beer making Trappist Monks – but that’s subject to a fact-check.

And then there is that bon mot Belgians cook with French finesse and serve German-sized portions (Hmmm…does the world think that Germans are the original supersizers? I wonder ) If the common wisdom is that Belgium is France’s bridesmaid in the culinary department we all might want to consider the fact that Brussels has more Michelin-star restaurants per capita than any other city in the world – and that includes Paris – and way fewer McDonalds. The proof is in Le Big Macs or rather the lack thereof.

Bottom line, Brusselicious 2012, should give the city and the whole little country some serious street cred as foodies come and feast on the decadent Belgian chocolate and yummy waffles, maybe nibble a little endive and yes, even enjoy the humble Brussels sprout – all in situ. Nice to see it happening.

We are planning on developing some uncommon epicurean adventures in conjunction with the wealth of festivals and events that will be part of Belgium’s Year of Gastronomy, in the interim we’d love to hear what you love about this country’s cuisine. Give us the dish. What’s your favorite restaurant? What’s your favorite chocolate shop? No reveries on being forced to eat Brussels sprouts as a child, though. The Dish has its standards.