MASH Restaurant have probably the best steaks in Denmark

I try to avoid Bredgade street as much as possible during the summer period, probably same as most Copenhageners (although I'm an adopted Copenhagener after few years in the city).


This time I've been tempted by the gossip for the best steaks in Denmark.


MASH is with a contemporary interior design and tasteful stylish elements. One can imaging setting in a top notch New York eatery…

What we had:


Danish ribeye dry aged with bearnaise sauce, creamy spinach and green salad.


Dry aged in 90 days… tender and unique woody flavor and perfect melt-in-your-mouth sensuality.


American N.Y Strip from greater Omaha with chili fries and garlic and thyme jus; as tender as you can imagine.

This have been pared perfectly with a glass of following wines:


Château de Beaucastel 2000, Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Eye: Deep dark red, still youthful.
Nose: Ripe cherry, reach, chocolate…
Palate: Deliciously and complex with great rounded acidity.
Finish: Very long and well defined.
Decanted: -
Note: Perfect wine for perfect dish. (88 pts.)


Spottswoode Lyndenhurst 2005, Napa
Quite in control and not as opulent as I have expected. Good acidity and excellent match for the dish. (83 pts.)

And the star of the day:

D'Oliveiras Madeira Reserva 1968, Boal
Caramel, toast, nuts… simply amazing…

The food has a culinary excellence, and it is beyond ordinary experience.

Everyone’s heard the stories about Kobe beef and here; one can taste something really comparable.

MASH is a lovely and is reasonable priced restaurant; not cheap, but absolutely justified. Dinner including wine, followed by Madeira, will set you back about 100€ per person. Don't miss this one as it always makes for an interesting night out.

Rating: 9.0 (out of 10.0)

MASH
Bredgade 20
Copenhagen K 1260

If you enjoyed reading this, you might be interested about Umami, a sister restaurant of MASH.

Rambles on Palmizana, in a thousand words...

Palmizana a small village on the island of St. Klement, one of Pakleni Otoci (islands) on the southern side of Hvar… and it is amazing.


A view of the city of Hvar and Pakleni Otoci from the Castle


A view of the city of Hvar from a boat


A cluster of villas built of local stone


Everything is planted it with pines, cactus, palms...


Palmizana...


Restaurant Toto's


A small part of l'equipe Hvar 2009...


...


The Sun...


Tasty lunch @ Toto's


Villas are painted in vibrant colors and decorated with some... quite unusual wood sculpture... There also quite a lot contemporary artworks around.


On the way back...


That's all…

If you have a need for a tranquil holiday, go on Palmizana.
If you are looking for an isolated beach, go on Palmizana.
If you are up to yachting, go on Palmizana.
If you are up to windsurfing, go on Palmizana.
If you are up to dive, go on Palmizana.
Just go on Palmizana...

My thoughts on Croatian wine

Croatians wine will burst on the scene... especially one coming from Hvar and Korčula Island. This part of the world was cultivated with grapevine by Greeks and Romans for a long time, and there is even a reference to "the best wine" in the world, produced on the island of Vis. Ancient writer Athenaios write this in his "Banquet of scientists" some 2000+ years ago...

Unfortunately until now, I know just one serious wine from Croatia. The one I've tried last year, namely Zlatan Plavac Barrique from Hvar Island.

This time around, to be perfectly frank, they got me by surprise. Croatians wine will burst on the scene... especially from Hvar and Korčula Island. I'm amazed of the quality, modern stile (in positive connotation), concentration, flavors...

This is my "notable selection":


Zlatan Plenković - Zlatan Grand Cru - 2006, Island of Hvar, Croatia
Type: Red
Varietals: Plavac Mali
Note: Cult wine. Amazing complexity and elegance. (92 pts.)


Ivan Dolac Barrique - 2006, Island of Hvar, Croatia
Type: Red
Varietals: Plavac Mali
Note: A big beauty. (90 pts.)


Zlatan Plenković - Zlatan Barrique - 2006, Island of Hvar, Croatia
Type: Red
Varietals: Plavac Mali
Note: Full bodied wine but smooth. (89 pts.)


Postup - Donja Banda - 2006, Peninsula Peljesac, Croatia
Type: Red
Varietals: Plavac Mali
Note: Very dry. (88 pts.)


Dingač Vinarija - Dingač - 2006, Peninsula Peljesac, Croatia
Type: Red
Varietals: Plavac Mali
Note: No oak. Fine wine (87 pts.)


Čara - Marco Polo - 2007, Island of Korčula, Croatia
Type: White
Varietals: Pošip
Note: Great aromas and perfectly balanced. (87 pts.)


Čara - 2007, Island of Korčula, Croatia
Type: White
Varietals: Pošip
Note: Little brother of the Marco Polo. (84 pts.)


Babić - Primošten - 2006, Sjeverna Dalmacija, Croatia
Type: Red
Varietals: Babić
Note: Absolutely amazing and completely new taste. Plus it stands quite nice with fish on grill... I can't rate it as I don't have a reference point...


Grgic - Dingač - XXXX, Peninsula Peljesac, Croatia
Type: Red
Varietals: Plavac Mali
Note: The only wine I haven't got a chance to taste it :-/

The 100-point Rating Scale
* Extraordinary (96-100 points)
* Outstanding (90-95)
* Very Good to Excellent (85-89)
* Good (80-84)
* Average (75-79)
* Below average (70-74)
* Avoid (50-70)

For all wines decanting a minimum a half hour before drinking is a must.

Seek, find and taste; you are not going to be disappointed!

Prsuta 3 wine bar on Hvar Island

No doubt, Prsuta 3 is the coziest wine bar on Hvar Island, if not in Dalmacia.


I'm chilling out with a glass of Cara Prosip

This place is run by Vidan a friendly and open minded person. One feels more like being at home than a guest at the bar.

It's obviously, to me anyway, he inherited this hospitality from his father barba Ive who runs a deli shop at the green market.


Barba Ive at work at his deli shop


I've been there quite a few time and had a chance to sample dozen... if not more wines from it's extensive library...

I’m pleased to share with you some of my notes (My thoughts on Croatian wine).


When you are hungry, order a plate of a classic dalmatian antipasto.

Vidan pays special attention to the antipasti choices on his menu, and offers a mix of home made prosciutto, cheese, bread, olive and tartufi oil...

Guests are coming from everywhere and all are drunken with the good atmosphere... poets, lawyers, preachers, gamblers... and of course, engineers wanna-a-be opera, wine, food, art critic ;-)

If you are around, go for it.

Tristan und Isolde, an opera about unfulfilled emotional and sexual passion…

Tristan und Isolde is based on an Arthurian legend, a regular theme in Wagner’s opera – domed lovers…

Wagner has written this opera under the heavy influence of Schopenhauer’s philosophy with strong flavors of Buddhism.

His masterpieces always treat the orchestra as a crucial part of the drama, and have importance equal to the singers, projecting an underpinning philosophical, allegorical, metaphysical meaning. Sometimes, the orchestra is a character, almost as a chorus in a classical Greek drama. To do that, he has invented concept of leitmotif.

And in Tristan und Isolde, Wagner is definitely at the top of his game. He begins the opera with prelude, in the way he meant to go on the rest of the opera. It (prelude) doesn’t have any tonal center nor a beat… a complete brake with the musical tradition, so strong, I guess, even professionals can’t determine any key. Full with leitmotifs, and especially remarkable are the drink/dead/desire and the love/dead.

Now, it is fair to mention that Wagner hated the word opera… so this is a musical drama or as he put it, the gesamptkunstwerk or "total art work."

Back to this particular performance...


Jugged from the scenography, or to put it right, the luck of it, during the economic crises, we should expect somewhat leaner spending for performing arts... Above, one and only scene.

The orchestra was extraordinary and wonderful and everything was on place, with all subtitle effect of the Wagner’s music, like for example frenzied waves of fever in the Act III…


The famous horn cup scene, the drinking of the love poison… or maybe this is only a placebo and they already madly love each other… why know…

Johnny van Hal (Tristan) was at start quite at the limit of his voice, and in some particular moments, over…


But in Act II, when Tristan and Isolde engage in 30+ minutes duet, he depicts Tristan’s passion quite remarkably. And the star of the performance; Iréne Theorin (Isolde) is simply fantastic and with perfect vocal and acting precision. I will enjoy seeing her in different roles.

Randi Stene (Brangäne) doesn’t have acting ability to coupe with Wagner’s drama, but she has sung well. Sten Byriel’s King Mark is an absolute success and I’m positive he can make an opera just with his monologue. John Lundgren (Kurwenal) was very solid.


Christina patiently waiting for Act III… Wagner’s artistic megalomania requires not only complete attention, but also great crunch of our time… 5 hours in this case...


In Act III Iréne Theorin sing fantastically the famous so-called Love/Dead aria. This is moment of transfiguration and it has been exquisite.

In my opinion, all-together, was an excellent experience and I’m positive I’m not missing next performance of the Ring of the Nibelung by the Danish Royal Opera.

Copenhagen, Operaen, Store Scene
Period: Unfortunately I’ve been on the last performance for this season.

Il Turco in Italia, unquestionably cool opera

Done by very influential Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini, Il Turco in Italia is not a repeat of his famous comedy, The Italian Girl in Algiers. However, it is quite strange that The Turk in Italy is seldom performed, because by my opinion, this is very very enjoyable opera buffo.

The orginal was set in a small town square in 1815 Naples, Italy, overlooking Mt. Vesuvius. However, this was more contemporary edition.

We seen a Vespa motorcycle, an Alfa Romeo car, and magnificent disco club, everything on the small stage of the Det Kongelige Teater - Gamle Scene.

The story spin around a poet who search for inspiration for his next opera… Along the way he meet and get inspired by gypsies, a playful woman (Fiorilla), her much older and jealous husband (Don Geronio), a prince from Turky (Selim) looking for a potential update of his harem with a Italian wife…

The prince in action...

A true bel canto opera, and one can feel that it is very demanding vocally, especially on Henriette Bonde-Hansen (Fiorilla), and she singing, moving on the stage and acting perfectly.

In short, charming and enjoyable… like a Champagne fizz…

Copenhagen, Det Kongelige Teater, Gamle Scene
Period: 20. May. - 13. Jun 2009

Dinner at Noma: A total hedonistic experience

For long, Copenhagen has been considered leading in terms of design and somewhat fashion. However, that has dramatically changed last couple of year as Copenhagen restaurant scene grows and right now, it is arguable one of the best scene in Nord Europe. One can find any type of restaurants around here… from topnotch… to inferior…

One thing is certain, at least for me. In this particular moment; the Nordic cuisine begins and ends with Noma. The name is a concentration of the two Nordic words "nordisk" (Nordic) and "mad" (food).

This is a restaurant specialized in Nordic cuisine, has two Michelin star rating, just a few months ago named as a 3rd best restaurant in the world and Chef René Redzepi, who previously worked for example at El Bulli, received the honorary prize as "Chefs' Choice" based on votes from the head chefs of the fifty restaurants on the list (The World’s 50 Best Restaurants).

What we had (including appetizers):


We started with warm smoked and pickled quail eggs...


The wavy crackers with sprinkled fresh herbs and horseradish dust...


Another crackers variation, this time with crystallized chicken skin and flavored with fish roe...


Macedonian l'equipe and radishes in the soil and yogurt in flowerpot. The waiters said everything in the pot is eatable... even the "earth".


and me....


Langoustines... this is still appetizer


Razor clam dipped in jellied parsley and chilled horseradish dust


Grilled cucumber & leek and crystallized chicken skin


Asparagus, egg, wood-sorrel and fresh herbs...


Fresh herbs, seaweed, red beet, stock from marrow bone and actual tender marrow bone (small scallops look-a-like)


Tender pork belly, onion sauce and grilled cucumber. We also needed a special knives...


Sorbet made from sweetened weeping birch and flavored with... well... something that astonishingly reminds me of guarana...


Dessert with a perfect balance of sweetness, berries and red beet flavor which are released in our mouth.

The wine star of the day:

2006 Mâconnais Pouilly-Fuissé Denis Jeandeau
Eye: Rich and golden
Nose: Complex, cigar box, toasty, citrus...
Palate: Beautifully balanced, with opulent aromas and flavors intense and same as on the nose, plus some minerals.
Finish: Very long and nice feel with a crisp finish.
(90 pts.)

This was incredible dining experience and I couldn't help but smile at the brilliance of the rich colors, subtle aromas and complex flavors.

Noma is in serious gastronomic league, so, dinner here doesn't come any cheap. But, at about 300€ per person, including glass of delicious Champagne, 7 course menu, matching with 7 different wines, followed by coffee and avec... I believe the price tag is justified. Don't miss the restaurant and Redzepi's cookbook: Noma - Nordic Cuisine.

Rating: 9.7 (out of 10.0)

Noma,
Strandgade 93,
Copenhagen