Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria

Amaro Baretto

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:00:00 +0000

I was meeting up with a friend for an early morning coffee in Sofia and she suggested that we meet near Macedonia Sq., which is located west of the center, where Alabin St. meets Hristo Botev Blvd. The picking are sparse, but I uncovered a little nugget called Amaro Baretto. She was pleasantly surprise to find this spot so close to her office and that she hadn't uncovered it herself.
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Of Aphids and Ants

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:00:00 +0000

I find that with our agricultural projects, we need to prioritize, as there are only so many hours in the day and hands on deck, so certain things get neglected. While we were away for my sisters wedding, which was the worst possible timing for beginning farmers, my vegetable plot was at the bottom of the list. It didn't help that the weather was not cooperating. Last April, we had a freak snowstorm and this April, we had a freak heat wave.
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Café Ma Baker

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

While I am not a connoisseur or even an avid coffee drinker, I do enjoy a nice latte or cappuccino when I visit Sofia, since Kyustendil's coffee scene just doesn't cut it. I grew a bit tired of the Costa or Starbucks, so I try to find something a little different, which was what lead me to Ma Baker, not only do you get a decent caffeinated beverage, but also freshly baked breads.
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TEDxAUBG

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Ever since I had the opportunity to see Dan Barber give a TED talk on fois gras and sustainable aquaculture, I hoped that one day I would have an idea that was worth sharing and be able to talk about it for 18 minutes. When I heard that the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) was casting for their own TEDxAUBG I had an idea, something that had been gnawing at me for a few months... Why the media and public perception of farmers and agriculture needs to change for Bulgaria's future.
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Michael Pollan: Cooked

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:30:00 +0000

What are the chances that the exact window for my trip to New York just happened to coincide with the release of Michael Pollan's new book Cooked. For those of you unfamiliar with him, he is the author of The Omnivores Dilemma and In Defense of Food. His works contributed to the film Food Inc. Pollan is a renowned food journalist, who has dedicated his career to educating us on the politics of food and Food Rules (another fantastic title) for consuming a healthy diet. His new book Cooked takes a turn away from the nitty gritty of agriculture in the US and the processed food industry to focus on the action that contributes to our humanity, the cooking of food.
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Hebros Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0000

I received a few strong recommendations for Hebros in Plovdiv and after visiting their website, I added them to my must visit list. They have a section on their website dedicated to Slow Food and how they incorporate this Good, Clean and Fair philosophy into their daily menu.

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Hamachi

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0000

I was looking for a place to have lunch in Sofia and I recieved some recommendations for Hamachi. It is owned by a group that runs quite a few notable restaurant that such as Cine Cita, Piccolo Casa and Sushi Bar. I had dinned their quite a few years ago and after reviewing my blog post, my experience was somewhat the same.
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Photosynthesis

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Honestly, if someone hadn't arranged a meeting at the Photosynthesis café, I would have never known it existed. I always associate this place as a store for photography, but upstairs on the second floor is a beautiful gallery cum café.

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Elephant Bookstore II

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0000

The newest Elephant Bookstore is a proper shop located on Tzar Shishman Street. The first time I had the chance to peruse some of their books was when they opened a small book corner at the Теа House in the Factory (Чай в Фабриката) on Benkovski. Most of the second hand books are imported from the UK, but the selection was decent and if you couldn't find what you were looking for in the shop, then you could check out their website, which delivers.

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Basic Whole Wheat Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 08:00:00 +0000

I try to use the winter months to learn something new, a skill that I am usually too busy to undertake during the summer, when the garden is in bloom and the kids are home from school. Last year, I taught myself how to make some excellent soap, which we are still using... but this year, I wanted to learn more about the art of leaven bread. Without getting fancy, I wanted to understand how to make a basic bread that could be used for sandwiches, toast, dinner rolls, etc....

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Artnewscafe

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Honestly, finding cool places to visit outside Sofia requires a bit more research. So, I found out about artnewscafe in Plovdiv through some events that they organized with Gaillot Chocolate, whose workshop is also located in Plovdiv. The cafe can be found at the end of the hip Otets Paisiy street.
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Gimel Organic

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Driving by CCS off Cherni Vrah, I noticed this interesting little shop with a wooden facade and what seemed to be the word "organic" written on the side. I made a mental note of Gimel Organic and visited the shop on my next visit to Sofia, what I found was rather impressive, not because of the assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables, packaged goods and wine, but they had two parking spaces outside reserved for customers.

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Moulin de Plovdiv

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Plovdiv is a lovely town. I had a great visit there and look forward to returning soon, especially after visiting Moulin de Plovdiv! They have a boulangerie/patisserie or bakery right in the center of town. The folks at Gaillot Chocolate told us about their French friend that was a baker, so I knew immediately that is where I would be having breakfast.

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Spring Festival: Kyustendil

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

The annual Kyustendil spring festival is always held on the first day of spring, March 21st. The festivities include a beauty pagent, where local teenagers compete for the coveted title of Девойка Кюстендилска пролет 2013 or "Miss Spring". This years winner was Beatrice Katzarova, who reminded me of the Bulgarian/Canadian actress Nina Dobrev, but I don't really concern myself with this element of the program. I focus on hullabaloo that takes place on the square and the pilgrimage up Hisarlaka hill, where you can find the ruins of a Roman fortress.

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Slow Food Story: Sofia Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

For the 17th annual Sofia International Film Festival, Slow Food Bulgaria organized a tasting event to follow the premier of Stefano Sardo's film, Slow Food Story, which follows the 25 year history of on of Slow Food's founders, Carlo Petrini and the "gastronomic revolution".

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Tea House Vedeka

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

I have been visiting Blagoevgrad a bit more recently, which is a nice break from the monotony. Unlike for Sofia, the information about where to go and what to do is a bit limited, so I rely on word of mouth and help from followers of EGL's Facebook page. Chaina Vedeka, located in the old quarter, Varosha; is a lovely gem.

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Multi-Kulti Kitchen: Peru

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Last Sunday, Multi-Kulti Kitchen organized another wonderful event and this time we travelled on a culinary voyage to South America, without leaving Sofia. Chef Carlos Porten from Lomo shared with close to 50 guests the latin delights from his home country, which can be described as rustic, yet delicious.

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Alegre

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:30:00 +0000

I am always intrigued when I hear about new places that have Latin American inspired cuisine, because I feel that is the one area where Bulgaria has had much trouble... Amigo's! It is the immigrants that usually share their native cuisine, but the sheer distance from South America to Eastern Europe is a bit far. While I am not sure how Alegre's Cuban chef Ramone came to set up shop in Sofia, but he also runs Casa Latina located on Gladstone, maybe a Latin explosion has begun?
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Sombrero

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

When I first asked for eating recommendations in Plovdiv, the biggest fan fare came in support of Sombrero, a Mexican restaurant in Plovdiv, yes... Plovdiv. It is located a bit of the main drag, a 30 minute walk from the center. It might be a tad quicker for most, but we were carrying Gabriel in a baby carrier. When we walked up to the restaurant it was a bit surreal, because it is not often you find a place with a large Mexican hat on the roof in Bulgaria.
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Vietnamese Grocery Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

This shop is somewhat of a mythical beast... there are people who have spoken of seeing it and shopping there, but no one could say exactly where it was... like spotting Bigfoot roaming in the forest then trying to explain how you found it... Well I found a blog post by a Vietnamese cook, living in Sofia that shared a round about location... Thanks to Google maps and persistence I managed to find the shop and gather some concrete details.

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Wok to Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

I have received numerous recommendations to check out Wok to Walk and I too was eager to find out more about an Amsterdam stir-fry noodle in Sofia, Bulgaria. The concept is as easy as 1, 2, 3.... You pick a type of noodle or rice, select some toss-ins, then a sauce.

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Foodies' Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Casey Angelova) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

The best way to describe the Foodie's shop is that they sell real food, real Bulgarian food and other products that they deem worthy. They invest copious amounts of time and energy vetting the brands that line their shelves. In addition to running the shop, they also cook and cater events, such as TEDxBG!

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AUBG International Food Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Thanks to some followers on my Facebook page, I have been getting to know some people at the American University in Bulgaria. I am working with them to set up a student chapter of Slow Food AUBG. They invited me a few weeks ago to attend the International Food Festival as part of the International Week.

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Maraia Fusion Bar and Diner

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:00:00 +0000

I had visited Maraia Fusion Bar and Diner years ago and I wasn't impressed, which tends to be the summation of my restaurant visits, but what prompted me to return was the fact that this veteran establishment had been voted restaurant of the year... A friend who had attended their celebratory function for the award said that the place was pretty good...
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Lavanda and Bols Genever

noreply@blogger.com (Eating, Gardening & Living in Bulgaria) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:00:00 +0000

My visit to Lavanda last September was memorable but for all the wrong reasons. What prompted my return was an odd posting on Lavanda's Facebook page; it urged me to give it another go. A few other readers decided to join me to decode what was in fact a special seasonal dinner menu that was paired with cocktails created by One More Bar's "mixologist" Drago Ivanov using Bols Genever.
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