Usually when we travel, we're looking for the hot spots. In Greece, this means Mykonos and Santorini are high on the list. But every once in a while, we like to hit something that's up & coming and a bit more tame than our usual. On our recent trip to the Greek Islands, we decided to get a little R & R by trying a less touristy (compared to Mykonos), neighboring island lamb shanks in red wine and balsamic vinegar the Cyclades called Paros.
Egg shell big blue skies all the way, 32'C lamb shanks in red wine the shade. A panorama of variegated rock from black to white against the russets and yellows of the Klein Karoo contrast startlingly with the lush green of this coastal town. We gulp down the sweet air and fill our lungs with the smell of the ocean.
The next most basic thing to know is that after you have chosen a bottle, you will be presented with a glass of the wine. This is known as "wine presentation", and depending on the restaurant, it could be more formal than your high school graduation. You may be asked to look at the cork -- this is to make sure the cork has no mold and is not cracked, which would affect the quality of the wine.
For breakfast in Newcastle, you may try BB's Coffee and Muffins, and enjoy a enormous diversity of muffins, baguettes, and pastries, as well as numerous variant coffees. Juicy Lucy's will appease a hunger that wishes more than bagels, with omelettes and more. If you want an all-you-could-eat American style buffet, try super colossal Luke's for lunch or dinner. You'll dote on the hamburgers, spare ribs, and other foods set out to make merry any appetite. For finer eating, you might want to try Gershwin's slow cooker lamb shanks in red wine jus or shellfish plates, or Baltic cuisine these as meat thali and tikka chicken at Tandoori Nights.
While cartons of juice are available at the grocery store, a much nicer option is to have juice freshly squeezed from locally grown oranges. The sweetness and flavor is incomparable, and you are supporting the local economy. Cretan citrus sometimes struggles commercially, even on the island, because oranges imported from Spain are often cheaper. Family run tavernas often pick their oranges from their family's grove, and it shows slow cooker lamb shanks in red wine the product. Usually served with a straw, juice temperatures range from tepid to iced depending on the whims of the proprietor. At restaurants, sometimes apple juice is available. Despite the abundance of lemons, real lemonade is very rare.
Aside from eating a healthier diet, this should also be followed by drinking the right fluids. Believe it not, water is still the best thing around even if fruit juices, teas and other beverages are available. This is because a large percentage of the human body is made of hydrogen and needs it as fuel in order to function properly.
July 21 is Belgian Independence Day, so we're celebrating with beers from America's own Belgian brewery, Ommegang. We'll be serving them with tacos from Big Star (1531 N Damen, 773-680-7740): tacos al pastor (pork) tacos de ejotes (braised long beans) tacos de pescado (fish).
So to sum up you can forget the old wives tales for removing tea, coffee, red wine and similar stains; use ammonia. Use ammonia for cleaning glass, ceramics and porcelain and other impervious surfaces. Dilute it down to about two percent solution and soak your natural fibered fabrics for a super-soft feel. Ammonia is a safe product so don't be afraid to experiment with it for those difficult cleaning tasks.