The Dude of Food creates a great new oatmeal-tapioca breakfast treat.

Tired of the same old thing for breakfast? Gave up on your quest to eat healthier 10 days after your New Years resolution? Perhaps you are a hockey player and have no front teeth to bite a burrito with. What ever the case may be, the Dude of Food has created an awesome new way for people of all ages to enjoy a pretty healthy breakfast.

The Dude of Food decided that he wanted to try a German packaged cereal thing he saw on a market shelf in Munich. The package was made by a guy named Dr. Oetker and was called Griesbrei. As you can see below the label is in German as were the directions for preparation. I had a heck of a time trying to decipher exactly what the proper measurements and times were when it came to try and prepare it. I only know like 5 Bavarian words; prost, liebe, obatzda, steckerl fische und Oida! Anyways to make an interesting long story short, the stuff was like a cross between creamed wheat and tapioca pudding. I liked it and mentioned it to my Bavarian friends. Oddly, they all said the same thing, “You like baby cereal?”

Well since the stigma is that this griesbrei stuff is too sweet for a proper adult breakfast the Dude of Food had another idea and decided to try mixing tapioca pudding with oatmeal.

Now, in the German market the small packet of Dr. Oetker Griesbrei was like .89 euro or about 93 cents at the time. If you can find it in the states or online it is $3.99 a packet or more!

So the Dude of Food prepared 1 cup of oatmeal. Separately I made tapioca pudding. Just as it was time to turn off the oatmeal to cool down I added a little bit of warm homemade tapioca pudding and stirred it all together. Ratio was something like 2/3 oatmeal to 1/3 tapioca. there is no rule here, so mix to desire. Spooned into a bowl, I topped the mix off with a little bit of cherry preserves as seen in the photo above and put it to the taste test. The results = excellent.

Get ready world, a brand new and delicious little some-some for breakfast is here. Get some.

The Dude of Food has a favorite Vietnamese restaurant.

Sadly, Hue House has closed.

The Hue House, was located in Munchen, Germany, and was the best Vietnamese food the Dude of Food has ever tasted. It came recommended from 3 of my 5 friends in Munich and the Hue House menu was found in 2 of their kitchens! My first trip there was with a party of 4 and everyone asked for something different.

Arriving at the table before the main courses were served were the best spring rolls the Dude of Food has ever had the pleasure of eating. These things were hot but not oily. Slightly crispy and full of vegetables and light. These springs rolls were a delicious food conundrum dancing delicately between the tastes of awesome and unreal.

Then the Hue House laid out 4 main courses in front of us. All of the dishes were incredible and we couldn’t decide which dish was the best. They were fresh and incredibly delicious.

Thank you for all the great tastes Hue House. You are missed.

The Dude of Food finds the best pizza in Europe, at the Dusseldorf airport!

The Dude of Food had just left Munich. It was with a painful heart that he dragged himself away from Minga, a city that he loves. He had prepared for the long flight back to LA by staying up all night on his last visit in town before he left. He knew he had a 1 1/2 hour layover in Dusseldorf Airport’s Terminal ‘C’. Upon arrival to Gate 32 Terminal C a vision similar to an oasis housing a food mermaid revealed itself to this hungry traveler. A restaurant at the next gate (34 Terminal B) had a sign announcing food and beer that read Zigolini.

This small restaurant named Zigolini offered some good looking pastas and pizza for a reasonable price. The Dude of Food asked for a large beer. The guy next to me received a veggie pizza and that was it. I took one look and needed a pizza also. I asked for a sausage and bacon pizza. There is no exaggeration in saying that this may be one of the best pizzas ever!

The next time I flew through Dusseldorf it was a no brainer to go back. Zigolini was still there waiting for me in all her delicious glory. The only thing that was different was the sign now reads Marche. You can read more about Marche at http://www.marche-restaurants.com.

Muhamad Ali, the head chef and designer, personally told the Dude of Food that the restaurant is still called Zigolini even though the sign has changed. The receipt still reads Zigolini. Chef Ali has one of the best secret recipes ever and is a sweet guy that loves sharing with his customers. His pizzas are simply amazing and he will happily add the ingredients you may want if you don’t see the combination you like on the menu.

This pizza was better than nearly all I’ve ever had in Firenze, Rome, Germany, New York, Chicago, LA or maybe even ever! Certainly this is the Best Valued and Best Tasting Airport Food that the Dude of Food has ever encountered. If you are ever near the Dusseldorf airport and have some time to kill, the Dude of Food highly recommends that you go see for yourself about the pizza at Zigolini Italian Food and chef Muhammad Ali.

Veilen danke Muhammad Ali und Zigolini. Keep up the great work Dr. Ali.

Zigolini

Dusseldorf Flughafen Terminal B by Gate 34 Airside 40474 Dusseldorf

Adelholzener Alpenquellen – Bavaria’s finest lovingly supports global needs.

Adelholzener makes some of the finest drinks from Bavaria and the Dude of Food loves them. Tasty, refreshing and quality products by Adelholzener really help make life better.

Adelholzener Alpenquellen is owned by the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul which is a congregation of women with simple vows, founded in 1633 and devoted to corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Thank you sisters. The company’s proceeds are therefore channeled into numerous social welfare projects. My grandmother was a member and I volunteered my first 100 hours at the old St Vincent hospital in Los Angeles when I was a young boy.

My buddy and I were known as ‘candy stripers’ because of our uniforms and we brought books and smiles to recovering people throughout the hospital.

According to their web page, www.adelholzener.com , Adelholzener places utmost importance on all of their products being of the highest quality. Their broad range of products offer the right kind of refreshment for every situation and befitting of any event or occasion. Anyone who is health conscious can enjoy our Organic Spritzers made with juice (Not-From-Concentrate) and certified.

The Dude of Food respects what these women do and likes the quality of their products. Anything I can do to help make this product become more recognized I will do. My tee shirt size is XL.

Again, veilen danke to the sisters of St. Vincent de Paul. Keep up the good work and may the good Lord continue to bless you.

Unternehmen_UberAdelholzener_Detailseite2

The Dude of Food picks a new California Chardonnay Taste Test leader.

The results are in. From the 6 bottles tested in round 1 of the Dude of Food’s search for the best inexpensive California Chardonnay on June 22, 2015 we have a winner. The notes have been compared and the winner of this tight competition was Sonoma County’s Storyteller Chardonnay. That was until I updated this story on July 28, 2015. While the Storyteller was holding down the 1st place spot the Dude of Food added three more bottles of Chardonnay to his list. The new results follow-

1st Place – Nitty Gritty Chardonnay Napa Valley 2012 3.9

2nd Place – STORYTELLER 2012 3.8

3rd Place – Ghost Pines Chardonnay blend 2013 3.6

4th Place – Kendall-Jackson Vinter’s Reseve 2013 3.5

5th Place – Benziger 2012 3.3

6th Place- Frei Bros Reserve 2013 3.2

7th Place – Hawkstone 2013 3.0

8th Place – EDNA Valley 2013 2.9

Paella search Barcelona? See the Cheriff.

There was a time when the Dude of Food was wandering around the streets of Barcelona with his Bavarian brother Dominic asking folks where they could find the best paella in the city and there was 1 name that kept popping up. Located on a corner in the easily accessible Barcelonetta district, sits this highly recommended restaurant named Cheriff.

Cheriff opens for dinner at 8p and there were 3 parties waiting to come in when the doors opened. Dominic and the Dude began with a bottle of local dry white wine and salads.

Both items were satisfying for both of us. When it came time to order I had a last minute change of mind and instead of ordering the normal seafood paella, I decided to try the black ink squid paella. We both asked for that dish.

The choice turned out to be a good one and the black ink paella with fresh squeezed lemon was delicious.

The Cheriff is a family run place, where mama is running the kitchen and papa is managing the finances. They are great people who make awesome food. Muchas gracias Mrs. and Mr. Cheriff.

The Dude of Food advises you to go here!

Barcelona’s newest best, El Mar-Amor restaurant / bar.

Sadly this place has been closed. Sorry to se you guys go.

If you are staying at the Marriott hotel at the north end of the Diagonal St. you can easily walk or get off the Poblenou exit of the metro in Barcelona, like the Dude of Food did, and make your way to the cities newest quality restaurant, El Mar-Amor.

The place is newly opened, mid May 2015, and was already doing a decent morning and evening business 4 days into it. Owner, manager and great host Hamid has put together a really great place to get to know. Hamid knows how to create and entertain. His hospitality is top notch and genuine. Let me give you some examples,

“Come in. If you don’t like it you don’t pay.” I heard an offer I couldn’t refuse, so I came in and asked for a beer. They had cold Estrelle Damm on tap.

When I told him I only had 20 euros on me and the paella was going to be 18 euros he said “no problem”. “but I already spent the other 2 euros on this beer and I want to drink more” the Dude of Food replied. Again Hamid replied, “no problem” and filled my empty beer glass. He then explained that “the paella is made fresh to order and will take at least 20 minutes but is only made for 2 people. It’s 9 euros each and the chef makes it for 2 people.” “No problem” said the Dude of Food. I reached in my pocket and gave Hamid the last 20 euro bill i had in my pocket.

Hamid took my bill and smiled, “we will take care of you” and he was true to his word. Hamid’s team prepared an awesome paella for 2 and filled my beer glass 4 times. The paella was served in a giant 14″ hot dish and was devoured by the Dude as soon as it had cooled enough to eat.

Hamid and his team took great care of me again when I returned for breakfast. They made me fried eggs with ham/bacon with some fried potatoes and coffee with milk. Hamid even left his bicycle for me to borrow. They offered to stay open past their normal 12:30a close if our crew wanted to stay and drink until 2am. The hospitality of Hamid just didn’t stop. Love that guy.

Located at Carrer Jonaquera 4 in Barcelona, and only a long block from the ocean near the Poblenou metro exit, The Dude of Food returned 6 times in the next few days and tried nearly everything on the menu, all being fresh and delicious. The future is bright for this rising restaurant star and if you are in the area you need to have a meal at El Mar-Amor of Barcelona.

(the sausage is made local and is delicious with eggs)

Thank you very, very much Hamid. You’re awesome my friend.

Great People in Donostia / San Sebastian – Bar Desy

When in Donostia / San Sebastian you will find many options of good restaurants, but not many small ones that match the greatness of Bar Desy. You can start your day there with a coffee and tapas or end your day there with a drink and tapas. Bar Desy is a father and son operation and is one great place to eat and meet locals. Bar Desy offers a well rounded variety of tapas both hot and cold from various fish items to meatballs.

The cod cheeks were pretty good and would make a great sandwich. Actually everything was really good but the fresh cod fillets, cod cheeks, squid with lemon, white wine and fresh bread were my favorite things besides the generous hospitality.

These guys take great care of their customers. Located at Ronda 4, a couple blocks back from the surf beach and a couple blocks over from the river. Bar Desy is a great place to get to know the tapas deal. The staff is as great as is the food.
Thank you very much Bar Desy family.

Bar Desy can be found on Facebook or by clicking on the photo or links.

“Wait until they discover Il Barroccio, in Florence.” the Dude of Food.

It’s true what they say about Il Barroccio on Trip Advisor and elsewhere on the internet. It is just a matter of time before folks will discover and be flocking to Il Barroccio . They are located just around the corner from a huge crowded plaza and under a jail window that once was home to Niccolo Machiavelli and is an easily found hidden gem.

On my first visit the Dude of Food asked to try “the homemade noodles wrestling with soft chunks of wild boar in a seriously delicious sauce”, please. I went back 3 or 4 times during my visit as these folks were good people and the place was great.

The boar sauce pasta dish looked unbelievable as it made it’s way over to my table. It truly tasted even better than it looked! My taste buds were over joyed. I followed the delicious pasta with a bath of decadent Tuscan red wine.

Photo of wine cart from inside restaurant.

Giovanni and Roberto are top notch folks and Il Barroccio offers food to match. If you are in town, the Dude of Food highly recommends any foodie to go here.

Motto grazie Il Barroccio.

San Gusme’s best restaurant – Sira e Remino in Tuscany.

The Dude of Food recently visited the gorgeous Tuscan region of Italy. Luckily, my aunt and uncle were in the area and invited me stay at their rented villa for a couple nights. The place happened to be a short walk from the cool old Italian village called San Gusme. In this village you will find one of the world’s finest culinary dreams come true. A place called Sira e Remino.

The restaurant’s sign which says Sira e Remino un cult, is exactly the kind of cult I need to join. Their place is located within the small old village walls and is absolutely awesome. The greeting and hospitality were warm and genuine. Our party of 7 were shown to the ‘Frank Sinatra room’ in the back away from the local soccer club filled bar. The local team was loudly rooting for a national team.

Our group began this heavenly experience with lots of wine followed by salads, anti pasta, then more wine followed by pasta and incredible sizzling meat trays. There wasn’t a thing that wasn’t perfect about this entire place, staff and meal. The prices were far from greedy. The quality and portions were ultimately generous. This meal will be remembered for life.

Thank you Sira e Remino. Now I’m thinking I should get a job here just to be close to your quality food.