Travel, write, and eat with Jordan

The big themes for this trip are cuisine and history.

We are on the third day in Budapest so let’s recap what the culinary finds I’ve had thus far.

Whenever I travel to a new city abroad, I typically will check out Eater, Time Out, as well as look up places that Anthony Bourdain dined at in his TV shows. (We’ll reflect more on that in another post.)

My first night here I was pretty exhausted from the journey, and hadn’t taken the time to make reservations anywhere. I decided to keep it simple and find a decent steak place within walking distance to my hotel.

I found this hip place Meat Heaven, that had good reviews and a good looking menu.

I started with the steak tartare (one of my favorite appetizers of all time). It was made with high quality meat and packed with flavor. I wish I got two of them. I do wish the quail eggs were yolks and not hardboiled, but it didn’t detract much from the dish.

For my entree, I ordered a rib-eye steak medium-rare with vegetables. I have been on a rare cooked steak kick lately,  but the waiter recommended I get this cut mid-rare.

I will say, it may have not been my most memorable steak I’ve ever had, the texture and temp were absolutely perfect and it was obviously a good cut of beef.

The highlight of the meal though, was the “Dark Chocolate Negroni”. Not exactly sure what was in it, but I ended up treating myself to two.

Sunday was a full day of exploring the Budapest Castle area. (This will get it’s own post as well.)

After that I had worked up an appetite for lunch, however the place I chose ended up being closed on Sundays. I opted for something nearby, and ended up at Kolbizz Sausage and Beer House. They had a variety of local beers on tap. Nothing exactly blew my mind but I was really just looking for a place for a pit stop and maybe a sausage.

I ordered a fishermens soup,  which was made with catfish, and it was very flavorful. It surprised me for a place that seemed like just a beer bar at first.

Dinnertime I had a reservation at Kiosk, which was recommended to me by one of my colleagues, as well as Offbeat Budapest.

I sat at the bar in the large and very trendy space. The bartenders were attentive and helpful, and I immediately felt welcomed.

For my starter, I did what I always do and got a steak tartare. This one wasn’t as good as the one at Meat Heaven, but I still really enjoyed it (and the egg was yolky!)

The bartender recommended I get a rib eye, but, having had one 24 hours before, and wanting to try something a bit more Hungarian, I went with the duck leg confit. It was served on a bed of barley, which was fine, but I would have been fine with some type of potato or even white rice (very Filipino of me.)

The duck was delicious, and went well with the dry Hungarian wine that was recommended to me.

Coming from New York City, prices elsewhere always surprise me. But can you believe my entire meal (including drinks), came out to about 56 dollars USD??

Monday I got a lift in, and for my post workout meal I took the metro to a place that has been on my list for weeks:Belvárosi Disznótoros located in downtown Budapest.

This is a no frills, lunch only spot, popular with locals, and one of the stops in my Anthony Bourdain pilgrimage. It’s a very fast and casual spot, where you point to the various meats and sides you want, and it’s served to you on a tray. You then carry the tray to one of the standing only tables and dig in. I was looking forward to the blood sausage (much like Tony Bourdain himself), and it did not disappoint.

For dinner, I went to Tati, a very trendy farm to table restaurant. Tati was on almost every list of best restaurants I came across while researching and I’m very happy I went.

It was pretty busy for a Monday,  so I’m glad I made a reservation for a bar seat.

The staff was knowledgeable and quick with recommendations. I initially started describing the type of wine I wanted, and the server immediately let me know he recommended the style based on my dishes. With me not being anything close to a wine connoisseur,  I said “Sounds good” and let him roll with it.

My starter was a sturgeon dish, delicately prepared in a cream sauce. It came paired with a white wine that was dry and easy on the finish.

For my main event, I went with the venison loin. I have seen venison dishes on several menus here in Budapest, but  I wanted to experience it in a pure form, as opposed to a stew.

It was served alongside a pureed asparagus dish, which was very good but I would have preferred some time of regular grilled vegetable

This came along with a red Hungarian wine. Don’t know what it was, but it was dry and bold, which tick pretty much the only boxes I need for my red wine.

Dessert was one of their house specialities, cottage cheese dumplings, which may not sound appetizing but they were delicious. They were served alongside cream and marmalade, as well as pumpkin seed “sand’ (which I don’t think it needed).

Tomorrow is a big tourist day, as I plan to venture to Eger. Will share more then.