Author: wareontheglobe

A Winter Visit To Tuscan Wine Country.

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As you may know from reading my previous posts, I visited Italy, specifically Tuscany, Venice, and Milan, over Thanksgiving last year.  In planning my trip, I went back and forth in trying to decide whether to do a wine tour in Tuscany.  On the one hand, we really love wine and we have never done a proper Italian wine tour.  On the other hand, the vineyards would be bare and the wine production would really be at a standstill.  I finally decided not to stay in wine country, but I did go on a “Winter Wine Tour” with Grape Tours out of Florence.  Grape Tours was one of the only companies (if not the only company) offering wine tours in late November (and throughout the Winter) and I’m not sure why, as our tour certainly booked up!

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Tuscany wine country in the Fall.

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Restaurant Review: Mini Bar by Jose Avillez, Lisbon, Portugal

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Lisbon, Portugal is definitely an underrated foodie city!  Lisbon offers both delicious cheap meals and creative upscale food experiences that rival those of Barcelona, Paris, and London.  

Lisbon’s most famous chef is certainly José Avillez.  Avillez runs a handful of restaurants in Lisbon, with his Michelin-starred Belcanto being his most well respected (it was just named the 70th best restaurant in the World in 2017!).  Dan and I ate at Belcanto in 2014 and while it was really, really, really delicious and creative with excellent service, it was quite pricey and came with all the stuffiness that one usually expects at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

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One of many courses at Belcanto circa 2014.

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Restaurant Review: TimeOut Market, Lisboa!

wareontheglobe 1 Comment

Lisbon, Portugal is one of those cities with excellent food, but the abundance of options (from take-away stands to Art Deco cafés to Michelin-starred restaurants…) can make it difficult to pick a restaurant.  This difficulty is compounded if you are looking for a traditional Portuguese dish but want to avoid touristy spots, or if you have a group with varying tastes.  

Enter: TimeOut Market Lisbon!  TimeOut Market Lisbon is an AMAZING food hall serving all of Lisbon’s traditional foods, as well as foods that are not traditionally Portuguese but are enjoyed by Lisboas (think pizza and hamburgers!).  I definitely recommend TimeOut Market Lisbon to anyone in Lisbon who does not know where to eat, or who is part of a group with varying food interests!

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Dan’s fancy dish of octopus fried in squid ink from Sea Me at TimeOut Market Lisboa!

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