Copenhagen on Student Budget

Hi Laura,

First of all, don't know if you've arrived yet, but be prepared for even a "cheap" night out to feel like a splurge in Copenhagen if you're doing the conversions in your head all the time. It is a crazy expensive city to eat out in.

Re the tourist trap, see my reply yesterday to another CPH visitor:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/618992#4713188

There are good places in Christiania, but it's a bit of a rabbit warren (I find) and I'd recommend you have someone take you there who's been before. I believe I've eaten at the place you refer to but could neither tell you what it's called or how to get there again.

Brunch in Copenhagen is very trendy, but tends to be a bit of a splurge and is very uneven. I usually make my own and invite friends if that's what I'm in the mood for.

A terrific, girly tea place in Nørrebro with porcelain and scones and all is Tea Time (Birkegade 3, in the cellar).

Wonderful pastries & cakes can be found at:

Chantilly (real French pastries...pretty much the only place in Copenhagen)
Amager Boulevard 127

Johansens Konditori
locations on Amagerbrogade & Gammel Kongevej
http://www.konditoren.dk/

Lagkagehuset
on Christianshavns Torv and next to the Tourist Info near the train station

None of these places really have proper seating areas, but they all have some concession to those who want to sit. Johansens probably does the best coffee/pastry combination, though Chantilly has a great coffee/pastry combo offer, since it's a bit off the beaten path.

Sushi will cost you an arm and a leg in Copenhagen, so there's really nothing I can recommend on a student budget. Amager Sushi and Letz Sushi tend to be a bit cheaper.

The best falafel in CPH, which is in reach of a student budget, is at Bibi's Diner on Rosengården, not far from the downtown/old bit of the university (is that the area you mean, or faculty on Amager)?

Good luck!

sangerinde in International

Four days in Copenhagen

I love bringing friends & family who visit to Nyhavns Færgekro (on Nyhavn, obviously) for lunch (served until 3PM I think). It's an all-you-can eat herring buffet, pickled, smoked, fried, any which way at all (usually the buffet has about 15 different options). They also have a nice selection of akvavit (a strong Nordic snaps sold by the shot, excellent with this kind of fish dish) and plenty of the local Carlsberg/Tuborg on tap to wash it down with. If the weather's nice, you can sit outside and people watch. It's really the only meal on Nyhavn I'd recommend... they're otherwise tourist traps, overpriced and unremarkable.

sangerinde in International

Szeged and Budapest?

Thanks Murphy!

I just got a tip from a friend that for some odd reason foie gras is cheap & good in Budapest. Since those are two of my favorite words in any language, I'd love to know where to go for that, too... :-)

sangerinde in International

Szeged and Budapest?

Hi Chowhounds,

Thanks for those of you on earlier posts that wrote about Budapest...it's been interesting sorting through and I look forward to digging a little more into the suggestions & links to chew.hu, for example.

I'll be spending about 3 days in Szeged and 1 in Budapest, so I'd love to hear if anyone has recommendations and wisdom about the former, or updates from the latter?

We're a couple of budget-conscious musicians travelling, so keeping the bill under about 25€ per person is a priority. It would be nice to have at least one truly Hungarian meal, but other standout recommendations are also welcome.

thanks!

sangerinde in International

BLT Market for dinner?

Hi Chowhounds,

I just made a reservation at BLT Market for dinner tomorrow, celebrating my mom's 70th birthday. The menu looks great...is there anyone who can speak to the quality and ambience for dinner there? I hope we've made a good choice...but it's not too late to jump ship. I've been disturbed by finding some really mixed reviews.

sangerinde in Manhattan

Restaurant near Rockefeller center

I will be watching this thread! I signed on with the intent of looking for a resto with nearly the exact same criteria... Want something special for my mom's 70th. We'll be having cocktails at the Rainbow Room, and then someplace more reasonable for dinner, but don't want it to seem like tooooo much of a comedown! :-)

sangerinde in Manhattan

Talk to me about Box Wine

A dry...country?!? My condolences.

My husband and I have started keeping boxed wine for everyday use, since it keeps so well and we like being able to have a glass without worrying about the rest of a bottle spoiling. I don't know what you consider "good enough to serve guests"...that's different for different people/budgets/etc. We've got a box of Woodbridge Zinfandel going right now, which, I'd venture, is not at all what many posters here would consider serving guests (or perhaps even their dogs) but we find it perfectly OK at the end of a long day.

All that having been said, we're new to the boxed wine phenom, and eager for suggestions as well. I'll be watching to see what gets mentioned here, too...

sangerinde in Wine

Wine or Beer to go with Mole Poblano?

Bill--on the contrary, I'm the one who's been enlightened!

I'm doubtful that we'll be splurging any time soon on the Phelps or Hobbs wines, though on your recommendation, it's good to know we could take a chance at the "lower" end (still $40-85/bottle, as I said) and not be disappointed. Might be nice to try out the C&B, though.

If you're curious, you can visit their site (in Danish). Their main red wine page is here, where you can click through to lists by country:
http://www.philipsonwine.com/default.aspx?m=211&p=191&gst=0

I suspect the same thing is going on with the OZ wines here as in the UK (and France for that matter--I was surprised how many of the Aussie labels I recognized from France when I moved to DK). But it takes a canny distributor to go beyond what's "easy" to stock from the big, mass-production names. Most Danes get their wines at the supermarket, where sorting out the drinkable table wines from the might-as-well-be-vinegar options is tricky for the budget-conscious.

Thanks for the conversation here. I'm eager to learn!

sangerinde in Wine

Wine or Beer to go with Mole Poblano?

LOL! No believe me, as an American living abroad, customs agents are noble public servants no doubt, but are not among my, er, confidants...

I know what you mean about table-quality US wines going for a premium here; I'm often very surprised. (Hell, I doubt Negra Modelo goes for $3.50 a bottle in Mexico!!) But--as I said before--we're enjoyers but not conoisseurs, and so are perhaps sooner satisfied than someone with your knowledge base.

Taking a quick gander online at the US offerings of two of the larger & more respectable wine vendors in Copenhagen, one offers almost exclusively wines from Beringer (charging btw $18-30, which seems steep for Beringer).

The other has 3 producers I've never heard of: Cartlidge & Browne (including 2 Zinfandels in our typical price range), Joseph Phelps, and Paul Hobbs (these 2 with most bottles well north of $150, though a few between $40-85).

Anything worth looking into there? Generally, we stick to ordinary table wine for everyday use, and our special holiday bottles I buy from my favorite caviste in Paris, Mme Peret in the rue Daguerre, when I'm down there on business. Perhaps I should start bringing CA wines back from NYC when I'm visiting family...

Thanks for your insights!

sangerinde in Wine

Wine or Beer to go with Mole Poblano?

Hello everyone! Many thanks to you all. There were such wonderful ideas out there, I'm sorry I didn't post my inquiry longer in advance of my party to take advantage of all your suggestions.

To answer the poster who inquired about my recipe (a perfectly sensible thought that I should have had myself), I was using a kit I found last summer at the Borough Market in London, from Cool Chile Co. Since these items are almost impossible to find in Denmark, I was really excited to get them all, in the quantities I needed, in one place. The ingredient list and quantities are at this link. I tried it for the first time over turkey breast--and felt the bigger texture of the meat was much preferable to chicken. I'd definitely do that again.
http://www.coolchile.co.uk/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1&Product_Code=D6C&Category_Code=D6

For the original dinner party, I was able to find Negra Modelo at a specialty beer shop here in Copenhagen for (cringe) 20 kr per bottle (about $3.50 at current exchange). So, I certainly didn't save any money by going the beer route! But I was really happy to make the acquaintance of this beer, which was new to my Danish and Swedish guests, and was a big hit all around. (And the bottles are pretty cool, too!)

We have lots of leftover mole, however, which I've frozen in two-serving quantities for my husband and myself, and I look forward to trying some of the wine suggestions later on as we use it up. I'll also feel more comfortable trying it out just the two of us, instead of serving a wine at a party that might have flopped.

Thanks for your insights, streetgourmetla. Actually, a sangria sounds like it could be a lot of fun for a party, especially if it would go well with the mole. I wouldn't have thought of that myself. I'm doubtful that too much Mexican wine would be available here in DK, but I could probably describe the qualities of wines that you all have suggested and get something useful. We can get some Zinfandels here (Woodbridge turns up quite a bit at the supermarket, but some wine stores are carrying more quality CA wines of late), so that would probably be the easiest option.

Anyway, thanks all for your time and contributions!

sangerinde in Wine

Wine or Beer to go with Mole Poblano?

That sounds like a great idea, camper...hope I can score it here in Copenhagen.

Any wine ideas out there, tho?

sangerinde in Wine

Wine or Beer to go with Mole Poblano?

Wow, that's interesting. I generally avoid Belgian beers because I associate them with a kind of yeasty flavour that I'm not partial to, but I'm certainly open to the idea.

Do Belgians normally go well with spicy food?

sangerinde in Wine

Wine or Beer to go with Mole Poblano?

Hello Chowhounds!

I love making Mole Poblano, the wonderful classical Mexican chile/chocolate dish, when I can, which isn't terribly often. (I live in Denmark, and the chile scene here is depressing.)

And yet, I have NEVER worked out what kind of wine or beer would go best with this dish. Does anyone have any good suggestions?

I've toyed with porter, and some red wines, but without too much success. I'm an enjoyer though not a connoisseur of either wine or beer. And I KNOW I won't be able to get advice from my local wine merchants on this one. I'm very grateful for any ideas!

sangerinde in Wine

Gourmet Sausage to Grill in lower Westchester?

I was really intrigued by the flavours on the Dines' website, Bloombee...they sure did look good. Are they all made with chicken?

sangerinde in General Tristate Archive

Gourmet Sausage to Grill in lower Westchester?

Morten Williams looks interesting...I guess that's a veggie sausage you're suggesting from there?

Any leads on a lamb sausage (my hubby's fave)?

sangerinde in General Tristate Archive

Gourmet Sausage to Grill in lower Westchester?

That sure does look good...but the farmers' markets are a little far north for a casual pickup, alas (we're in Bronxville--and my mental Westchester driving atlas is not what it once was).

It occurred to me that it would probably be closer to go down to Arthur Avenue than Hastings/Ossining/etc. But, having never been there, I don't know if they'd have quite what I'm looking for, or mostly pork sausage in the Italian variety. Hmmm...

sangerinde in General Tristate Archive

Gourmet Sausage to Grill in lower Westchester?

Hi Chowhounds!

I'm hosting a yard party on Sunday and am looking to get a variety of fun sausages to grill for the crowd...for example a mix of meats (chicken, beef, lamb, perhaps even veg...) and a variety of seasonings (Italian, curry, chorizo, whatever!). I know exactly where to get these in Copenhagen, where we live now, but although I grew up in Westchester, the food scene has completely changed since I've moved abroad.

Would Stew Leonard's have something like this? Is there a Whole Foods in Westchester yet (tho I think they're wildly overpriced and would be grateful for other suggestions)?

All suggestions welcome!

sangerinde in General Tristate Archive

London Good Cheap Eats-Report

Ahhh...loisstella, them's fightin' words. New York City (my hometown) and Montreal (my husband's college town) have more than their share of kosher street cred, my friend. Now if you want to compare your London place to some mushy poppyseed excuse-for-a-bagel that you might find, say, in a plastic bag at K-mart in North Dakota, then I won't get in your way. But you'll have to crawl over quite a few Jews before you get to dismiss New York and Montreal bagels so offhandedly. Just a word to the wise.

sangerinde in U.K./Ireland

Best Noodles in Ottawa?

Say it isn't so!! No one's got any ideas...? Soba? Somen? Bueller?

sangerinde in Ontario (including Toronto)

poutine in Byward Market

I just had a fabulous poutine, not IN the Byward Market per se, but not far away. It was from a vintage 40's diner...I want to say Mello's? I'm not a local, but I believe it's on Dalhousie between Clarence and Murray. Very yummy, real curds, fries made fresh... pricey though, at $6 for the small (which is PLENTY, esp. for just a snack).

Yes, a quick check reveals it's at 290 Dalhousie, and apparently is an all-night diner, with some (ahem) colourful clientele in the wee hours!

sangerinde in Ontario (including Toronto)

Best Noodles in Ottawa?

Dear Ottawa Chowhounds,

My husband has been craving asian noodle dishes for about a month now, and obviously we still haven't gotten it right, as the craving is not going away. We're not so fussy as to specify vietnamese/thai/japanese, etc...any outstanding noodle restaurant/dish is worth a mention.

Still, we'd be especially happy to be shown the way to some excellent soba, and wouldn't be sorry to meet a stellar bo bun, either!

thanks to you all,
sangerinde

sangerinde in Ontario (including Toronto)

Nice dinner near Place-des-Arts?

Well, as the dearth of replies might suggest, and as I discovered to my horror, this neighborhood seems to be a bit of a wasteland as far as restaurants go. (Unless you're looking for fast food or chain restos, which we weren't). Anyway, after standing in a downtown bookstore for what felt like hours, flipping through various Montreal guide books, I finally got a suggestion for the Café du Nouveau Monde (right inside the théâtre), which was great. We were lucky to be there early, though, as it filled right up to the brim with theatre- and concertgoers by 6PM. I had a magnificent dish of tender grilled scallops atop a bed of risotto with fresh basil and mascarpone. And quite a nice grappa as a digestif!

Just thought I'd report back for posterity, in case there are other tourists wondering what to do pre-theatre or concert...

sangerinde in Quebec (including Montreal)

Nice dinner near Place-des-Arts?

Hello folks,

I've done my best to search the boards, but without an intimate knowledge of Montreal geography, I find I'll have to resort to a new topic anyway...

Can anyone recommend a mid-range restaurant (mains at around $15-20) within a short walk of the Place-des-Arts? French de préférence, but not excluding other great places if you've got a favorite!

many many thanks...

sangerinde in Quebec (including Montreal)

Good eats near the Oratoire?

Hi all, thanks so much for the replies. Obviously I haven't figured out how to search the threads here, because yes, JP, that previous post was exactly what I needed! As it happened, only the Commensal suggestion was up before I had to hit the road, and that's where I ended up. And, as usual, fell into the buffet plate overload trap, paying for lots of food I didn't eat. Alas!
However, the Oratoire was wonderful, and I just might be able to use some of the other suggestions later in the week if I go back. Thanks to you all...

sangerinde in Quebec (including Montreal)