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Best Places to Eat in Europe

If you are planning a trip to Europe, then you certainly must be looking for great places to eat! Afterall, the European food scene is definitely one to be rivaled. You can certainly eat like a king when you visit Europe. For the best eats, be sure to check out the countries below. You won’t be disappointed.

1.       France. Of course France tops the list of best places to eat in Europe. With croissants, breads, pastries, and some of the best wine in the world, you can’t go wrong in France. But go a little out of your way and dine in the countryside instead of big cities like Paris. You’ll find friendly service and a unique taste of true French cuisine if you step out of the tourist areas.

2.       Switzerland. The Swiss are known for their excellent skiing, fine watches, and of course, their cheese! Visit Switzerland and partake in some traditional Swiss fondue. The cheese used to fondue in Switzerland is a little bitter to some Americans, but if you are a risk taker than you’ve got to try authentic cheese fondue.

A cheese fondue

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3.       Spain. If you are looking for some spice, flavor, and an African influence, then Spain is the place. Spain is a wonderful place for culinary pleasures because the country is influenced by traditional Spanish cuisine, Mediterranean flavors, and even a bit of northern Africa. It’s a true culinary experience that any foodie would be happy to partake of.

Now, be sure to pack your passport and make some room in your stomach. It’s time for a culinary vacation!

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Filed Under: Dining Out, Home Cooking, International Cuisine Tagged With: , ,

Attracting to New Customers to Your Restaurant

Beginning or opening a new restaurant can be a stressful but rewarding experience. One of the key considerations at the beginning of this adventure is how to promote your new eatery to the community. Many small businesses fail in the beginning because they are not able to attract enough customers quickly. This means that the business isn’t generating adequate revenue, a real problem for a new restaurant.

Getting The Word Out

One of the best ways to market a new restaurant is by letting all of the neighbors and community members know that there will be a grand opening. Sending out postcards is an effective way to announce any event that may be taking place in a new business, including a grand opening. You can even add a bonus by making the postcard double as a coupon for a discount at your new restaurant. This is also a prime opportunity to reveal the types of food that will be served, which is especially important if you specialize in vegan, vegetarian or another niche.

Catch Attention

One of the tips for attracting new customers is with special prices to encourage people to come in the door. Once they find something they love to eat, they’ll be willing to pay full price. Tell people about your special offers on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and with your restaurant’s own blog. Give special incentives to those who connect with you via social media.

Marketing can be the difference between do or die for many businesses, which is why it’s important to use traditional marketing tools such as postcards and technological innovations.

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Filed Under: Dining Out, Seasonal Cuisine Tagged With: , ,

Comfort Foods

comfort food - cheeseburger, no mayo

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People often talk about comfort food when they are stressed or upset. Our culture bases nearly occasion around food, so this really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone. No matter what the occasion, event, or gathering, there is bound to be food.  Births, deaths, weddings, christenings, holidays… food, food, food.

So, what are some of the favorite comfort foods in America? Macaroni and cheese is an oft-sought comfort food. It’s warm, soft, creamy and flavorful; plus, who can pass up cheese? Meatloaf is another favorite. Meatloaf makes college kids think of home—it’s simply something that you know Mom would make on a chilly and dark night. Mashed potatoes almost scream comfort! Fluffy, buttery, and once again, soft—everything a comfort food was meant to be.

Many sweet foods have made it into the comfort food category as well. A big slice of chocolate cake, a hot fudge sundae, a thick vanilla malt. All of these things bring a feeling of relaxation. Who would possibly be stressed while sinking into seven layers of rich chocolate?

Sometimes people feel comforted by food because of the memories associated with a certain food. Other times, a component in the food interacts with a chemical in the brain, creating warm and fuzzy feelings that are not just in your head. Food is what our bodies thrive off of; it only makes sense that nourishment will soothe not only the body, but also the soul. So, next time you’re sick, ask your Mom to make some of her chicken soup. It just might be the cure for the common cold.

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What’s for Dinner? Weird Foods Around the World

Escargots de Bourgogne

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Everyone loves to hear about oddities. Let’s talk about some of the strangest food known to man. If you live in the United States, you’ll likely be surprised by some of the dishes that are considered highbrow cuisine in other parts of the world.

Italy

- People love to dine on a dish called Cibreo—this is made from the comb of a rooster and sometimes combined with chicken liver.

-Maggot cheese… now doesn’t that just leave you drooling? This cheese, made from sheep’s milk, is fermented thanks to the larvae of the cheese fly. The cheese is eaten while the maggots are still living.

Malaysia

-Sago worms are the gourmet treat in Sarawak, Malaysia. The worms are roasted, fried or simply eaten alive. Rumors abound that the taste of the live Sago worm is relative of creamy caramel.

-Another popular delicacy in Malaysia is chicken feet. The feet can be boiled, fried, barbequed or braised.

France

-Now who wouldn’t want a nice big plate of snails with fermented cheese; if you are visiting France, be sure to try the Escargot with Brie.

-Blood sausage is another delicacy that the French would consider a must have.

China

-Speaking of blood (usually from a pig or duck in this case), the Chinese prefer their blood jellied.

-Rats are not the pest in China that they are in the US, in fact, rats sold as food costs more per pound than beef, chicken or pork. Rat embryos are a really special treat!

While many of these foods may sound pretty gross to the average American, much of the world thinks that Americans are crazy for eating cheese from a can. It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

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Filed Under: Dining Out, International Cuisine Tagged With: , ,

Varying Your Vegan Diet

Almond butter

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As a vegetarian, you have so many delicious meal options available to you. The number one way for you to ensure that your diet is keeping up with your nutritional needs is to vary the fruits and vegetables that you eat. Another way to gauge your nutritional intake is to take a close look at how you feel. If you are eating repetitive foods and feeling under the weather, it is time to ramp up your diet.

Fresh Picks in Every Color

Choose produce in various shades. When you grocery shop, you should plan to have at least six different colors of vegetables and fruits in your cart. A good example would be red peppers, eggplant, spinach, sweet potatoes, bananas, blueberries and other staples that you typically buy. The next week you should attempt to go for six other fruits and veggies in shades of red, orange, purple and blue in addition to deep green and yellow. The brighter the fruit or vegetable, the more vitamins and antioxidants it is prone to have. It is likely that you already buy organic produce, but if you don’t it’s time to start!

Keep the Protein Coming

If you don’t eat eggs or dairy products, you need to be sure that you are getting the appropriate amount of protein through other sources like almond butter, garbanzo beans, and lentils. According to the Vegetarian Resource Group, a vegan need only take in 10% of their daily calories in the form of protein. This is easy to do when you are regularly eating a variety of foods. Soy is also a good source of protein, though some people try to avoid soy due to a possible link with the activation of estrogen receptor cells. The study relating to this is ongoing and inconclusive, so as with everything, if you use soy products, be sure to do so in moderation.

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Vegan and Vegetarian—Who Eats What?

Food for Life distributes food on an internati...

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Vegetarians eat vegetables. Simple, right? No so much. There are different grades of vegetarians, if you will:

Pescatarians

Pescatarians simply eat no raw or cooked flesh or meat except for seafood or fish. This is sometimes due to diet restrictions, while other times it is simply a matter of personal choice. A diet of vegetables, fruits, whole foods and lean fish is heart-healthy and provides protein as well as omega acids from an animal source.

Vegetarians

Usually, a person will refer to himself as a vegetarian if he eats no animal flesh or meat what-so-ever, but he will consume eggs and dairy products. Another term commonly used is lacto-ovo-vegetarian. Protein sources come from eggs, cheese and additional dairy products as well as non-animal sources.

Vegans

Vegans eat no products derived from animals. They consume mainly vegetables and fruits as well as barley, oats, brown rice and other whole grains. Legumes are a primary source of protein for many vegans.

A person’s diet is a matter of choice. Everyone should take personal preferences as well as health concerns into mind when deciding what type of diet they should eat. In many cases, a physician’s advice should be sought as well. There has been past controversy about the health value of a vegan diet. In many instances, the controversy came up due to a lack of education. If a person is unaware of the proper balance that the body needs, their lack of information can result in improper diet choices leading to anemia, low-protein levels, or other bodily harm. Followed properly, a vegan diet can be just as healthy, if not more-so, than other meal plans.

No matter which foods a person eats, they can maintain their daily nutritional needs by varying their diet within the foods groups in which they eat. A wholly vegan diet is indefinitely healthier than one consisting of fast-food stops and fried dinners. Even if you choose not to stick to a vegan diet, eating fruits and veggies consistently will feed your body as well as your mind.

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Tired of Cooking? Renew Your Menu

A cook sautees onions and peppers.

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Cooking seems as if it often becomes a monotonous chore. Deciding which meal to serve on which night begins to seem like a chore. When cooking feels like a burden, it is time to mix things up a bit. As with many tasks, cooking the same things over and over puts you in a rut. There are a few things you can do to find your way out:

1)      Start by planning your meals for the next month. Try not to repeat any entrees within that period of time. Some dinner ideas to help you get started:

  • -Lasagna, Italian Beans, Garlic Toast Strips
  • -Greek Turkey Burgers with Feta and Black Olives, Cucumber Slice and Baby Carrots with Yogurt Dip
  • -Baked Tilapia, Steamed Broccoli with Lemon and Ginger, Boiled Baby Potatoes
  • -Sautéed Veggie Stir-Fry, Whole Grain Brown Rice, Pineapple and Strawberries
  • -Mini Cheeseburger Meatloaves, Sweet Potato Fries, Zucchini
  • -Mushroom and Spinach Ravioli, Garlic-Wine Sauce, Garbanzo Beans
  • -Steak Fajitas, Pinto Beans, Mexican Rice
  • -Crepes, Thick Cut Bacon, Mixed Fruit
  • -Bruschetta Chicken Breasts, Diced Potatoes with Garlic, Beet Soup (served cold)

2)      When you make meals that can be frozen, double the recipe. These frozen extras will come in very handy when your son’s soccer game runs late. Most frozen foods will keep very well if they are tightly wrapped in plastic and then placed in a freezer bag, or wrapped again in foil.

3)      Start a Sunday cooking club. Get together with a group of friends each week and make a new dish together. Everyone brings the main ingredients needed, along with their own carrying dish, while the hostess supplies the basics such as flour, seasonings, and other cupboard items. Everyone brainstorms new meal ideas while the food is cooking and then pitches in to clean up. Alternate houses so it’s never a burden to one person.

Cooking should be pleasurable, not something you dread. Keep the new meals coming and you will be back in the spirit of meal-making in no time!

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Purchasing Equipment for Your New Restaurant

When opening a new restaurant, you can be sure that you will need to invest in a lot of new restaurant supplies. The main things that people need are efficient and commercial grade refrigerators, fryers, sinks and faucets, dishwashers, mixers, griddles, skillets, kettles, ovens and ranges, slicers, and ice makers. Before you purchase these items, it would be valuable to do a little online comparison work to see which manufacturer has the best warranties and customer satisfaction ratings. By doing a little research now, you can save yourself from encountering problems later on.

The number of new restaurants in recent years has grown tremendously, and along with that there are a variety of specialty stores that provide restaurant supplies. There are some stores that supply a few very specialized products, such as pizza makers or ice machines. Other stores provide the whole range of equipment needed to run a restaurant. It makes more sense to work with one good vendor who carries the whole range of equipment you will need for your new restaurant. That way you save time on processing bills, ordering, and customer service.

One of the things to look for in a company that provides restaurant supplies is the number of years that the company has been in business. If it has been around a long time, you can trust that the company has a strong record of good customer service and ethics in the industry. Newer stores have not proven themselves yet, and you may be taking a risk with them. Another important thing to look for is how easy it is to place orders online or get customer service help quickly from the company.When starting a new business, it is also highly recommended that you keep a handy list of all your new equipment, the name of the manufacturers, and the customer service phone numbers so that you can call for repairs quickly when necessary.

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Variety of Great Dining Available in Raleigh, North Carolina

When it comes to eating out, everyone wants to have choices! Whether you currently live in one of the great Raleigh apartments in North Carolina or are just passing through for a little while, there are a variety of great restaurants to enjoy. Whatever you might be craving or desire, there are restaurants ready to serve you a delicious meal along with a smile. Raleigh offers everything from Italian eateries and Thai delicacies to all kinds of American fare as well as everything in between.

With so many restaurants in Raleigh to choose from, it can be hard to know where to go. Here are some tried and true local favorites to help you decide.

East Village Bar & Grill
For a relaxed and casual atmosphere toting the best burgers in Raleigh and other American fare, head to the East Village Bar & Grill. There you can opt for patio seating, as well as order from a full bar with many microbrew choices.

Brigs Great Beginnings
Another good American restaurant is family friendly Brigs Great Beginnings. It has the area’s best breakfast menu, from which you can order all day, as well as great sandwiches and meals for the little ones, too.

Capri Restaurant
Maybe you’re craving something more on the Italian side. If so, Capri Restaurant not only offers great Italian dishes (such as Caprese, Veal Piccata or even Stuffed Eggplant) at reasonable prices, but impressive service too.

Bella Monica
Bella Monica has delicious pizza, Italian favorites, and a variety of delicious specialty flatbreads.

Sawdee
If you want something a little more exotic, check out Sawadee on Capital Boulevard for some excellent Thai cuisine. Don’t let the restaurant’s exterior steer you away from the tasty stir fry recipes, mouth-watering curry or delightful noodle dishes available inside!

No matter what restaurant you choose in Raleigh, you are sure to enjoy something good to eat!

Filed Under: Dining Out

Restaurant etiquette do’s and don’ts

Restaurants in Greek islands are often situate...

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It should come as no surprise that there are times when adults need to be corrected when they misbehave in a restaurant. We have come to expect children to sit properly at the table, minding their manners and keeping their hands off the salt and pepper shakers, but what expectations are there for adults?  Quite simply, adults are expected to behave like well mannered children.

Don’t ignore company

In other words, stay off the cell phone. Having dinner in a restaurant should be relaxing and stress free. When a cell phone is constantly ringing it is a distraction to other party members and a nuisance to customers. Dinner at a restaurant is to be shared with those who are present at the table not over a phone.

Do go to a manger if there is a problem

Restaurant managers hate to admit that there are times when customers are not happy with their visit. What makes the situation worse is when an adult throws what could be thought of as a baby fit. Maybe the meal took too long to prepare or maybe the service was less than desirable. Whatever the reason you should consider speaking to a manager before throwing a temper tantrum. Nothing rattles management more than an adult screaming and yelling in the dining room.

Don’t forget your manners

Adults sometimes have this superiority complex in believing they no longer have to abide by simple manners. Uncomplicated words like, “Please”, and “Thank you” becomes lost as the years stroll on and the individual ages. If nothing else just remember that the power these words have on servers is amazing. One can never be too nice to the person who brings you your meal and makes certain your drink is full.

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