Sunday, October 5, 2008

Dining In Austin Goes Abroad



Restaurant De Belhamel

Brouwersgracht 60 1013

GX Amsterdam

Tel (+31) 20 6221095

While Mariah was in Italy and Lee was making mischief on our blog, I was treating myself to a little bit of travel. 3 days in Amsterdam, 3 days in Paris, 2 days in London.

It’s a hard knock life.

Upon my return, my friends mostly wanted to know two things. Number one: What exactly it was I got up to in Amsterdam. Number two: The details of all of the amazing food I encountered.

The image I have of the French is one that involves a lot of wine sipping and eating glorious meals. I must say, I did have some delicious food while in France, but disappointingly, it just did not blow me out of the water. Well, I take that back- the cheese was really fantastic. I bemoaned frequently to European friends the sad state of required pasteurization in the U.S.

Surprisingly, the best meal I had was at a café called De Belhamel that we stumbled into right outside of our hotel in Amsterdam. Lach ordered a Gravad lox with capers and crème fraiche sandwich and I had a Farmer’s brie with cucumber and pomodori secchi sandwich, each costing 6.5 Euros (roughly $9 US) We split a half bottle of a deliciously dry but fruity crisp wine. Here are some photos for your voyeuristic pleasure.

Farmer’s Brie with Cucumber and Pomodori Secchi Sandwich


Gravad Lox with Capers and Crème Fraiche Sandwich

Bottom Line: De-licious.

Laura