Rainarai - Amsterdam

Eating and traveling is a wonderful concept. Exotic, aspirational, liberating, yet, all too often, disappointing and unsatisfying. Either you stick too closely to the guide book (treading the path well-traveled) or your pursuit of the quintessential local spot ends with mixed results. That's why discovering an authentic, earnest spot like Rainarai makes the whole process worthwhile...

North African cuisine, I guess, but they don't bend over backwards explaining anything. In fact, in a friendly city that unilaterally speaks English, it was actually refreshing to have to decode some Dutch. And there's no menu. Just a showcase and a chalkboard with whatever was cooked that day. And it changes daily - we know because we kept going back...

Occupying an odd-shaped corner spot, bordering the Jordaan, Rainarai looks like a too-small bodega. It's at once friendly and aloof. Nondescript and unique. There's not even a sign (I had to swipe a business card to even know the name), only a couple of crates of fresh fruits and vegetables to signal its existence. And on a sunny day, they'll toss the rugs on the sidewalk and let you dine on the Lauriergracht canal. Don't expect fussy service or over-attentive waiters. Or even waiters, really...

I can't recount all the food we had over our three trips (truth is, I don't remember). What stood out was the couscous with apricots and a hollowed out Butternut Squash roasted with figs, goat cheese, spinach and lots of other great stuff. But what made it work was the complete absence of pretense. Like I envision a quick-service restaurant in Marrakesh. Maybe Rainarai is better, maybe worse, but it doesn't seem to care. You can't help but admire anyplace that is so disinterested in making it into Frommers they don't even both to hoist a sign over head. Oh yeah, and the food was great...

Rating: 7.5 / 10.0
Cost: $

Rainarai
Prinsengracht 252
Amsterdam
020-624 97 91

LOF - Amsterdam

My second time at LOF did not disappoint. Again, another "we go to the market everyday and only serve what's fresh" restaurant. But this place is two-for-two. One of the chefs (not sure if it's the one pictured in the exposed kitchen) is at least a co-owner, and there is a really nice neighborhood feel to the restaurant. Low-key and accessible, the quality of the food, however, is disguised by the simple surroundings.

Limited wine list of mostly Italian wines (only a couple by the glass), only ALFA beer (a nice local Dutch brew) available, and a very limited menu of essentially meat, fish or vegetarian.

Cured, salted Sirloin drizzled with chervil mayo
Pan-fried Halibut with sea weed , radishes and a fermented plum sauce

A simple meal prepared perfectly. I don't exactly know why, but they wouldn't agree with me when I called the sirloin a carpaccio. All I know, is that the paper-thin, cured meat was moist and melted in my mouth. Absolutely amazing. The halibut was as tasty a fish as I've had in a while, with the pale plum sauce and hearty sea weed combo making every bite a pleasure. I can't speak more highly of LOF. Any trip to Amsterdam should include a visit.

Rating: 8.5/10.0
Cost: $$$

LOF
Haarlemmerstraat 62
1013 ES Amsterdam, Netherlands
020 6202997

Buffet van Odette - Amsterdam

What's the first thing most people (maybe American people) think of when they think of Europe? Large piazzas with defecating birds and sweating tourists? Museums with queues snaking around the block? I say, it's the cafe culture. The persistently slow, nearly non-existent service as you sit at tiny tables and watch the world. People. Bikes. Cars. Just enjoy the moment, catch your breath and watch. I wonder if the cafe culture is a complete vacation fabrication. Meaning, do the locals have the same mindset or are we imparting our I-don't-have-to-think-of-work freedom on our tiny, imbalanced tables?

Buffet van Odette is the archetype, maybe with a little more attention paid to the details. I had a nice sandwich of warm goat cheese with walnuts and honey for breakfast, with, of course, the mint tea. Not much actual tea, it's an Amsterdam standard of mint tossed into warm water. Simplistic, but great.

Buffet van Odette
herengracht 309
1016 av amsterdam
020-4236034

Vyne Wine Bar - Amsterdam

I'm infatuated with the idea of wine bars. Elegant, usually aesthetically interesting, bars with eclectic menus of starter-sized food and a diverse, comprehensive list of by-the-glass wines. What better place to read a book in the corner for a couple hours? Why is it then, that this is yet another one of my dreams unrealized?

My first and biggest issue is usually the wine. You would think that an establishment so self-described would take great pride and care in selecting the actual wine, for which they are named. Not so, I have found. I'm not saying they, in general, serve bad wines, and maybe, like everything in life, my disappointment is a function of my expectations, but the wines are rarely distinctive. Rarely special...

Next, I've found, in my limited experience, that the stereotype of the aloof, exclusive wine scene is more or less perpetuated by the typical wine bar. I'm generalizing here, but can I get someone that isn't trying really, really hard to smush as many wine buzzwords into a sentence as possible? "...I think you'll find our Alsatian selections have a wonderful nose, but may be overly fruit-forward for the oysters..." I made that up and have no idea whether it makes sense, but you get my point...

On the Prinsengracht canal, on the western edge of Amsterdam's city center, sits Vyne. A few doors down from their high-end, concept restaurant, Envy, is a narrow, long room with a few tables and a bar. The dimly lit interior (alas, no book in the corner) and austere fixtures melded to create a library-like stillness (if there are libraries where it's too dark to read), at least on a Monday night. Not uninviting, but not exactly welcoming. But with 85 wines by the glass, how could I go wrong?

Marques de Grinoa, Toledo (Spain) Syrah 2002
Tiefenbrunner Alto Adigo (Italy) Gerwurztraminer 2005
Serano ham and melon granita

It's not that I went wrong. Both wines were solid. Good. Nice. Just nothing I'd seek out again. And therein lies the problem. Isn't that the purpose of a wine bar? To screen out the ordinary and deliver the sublime? Yes, I know there are practical considerations. There are distributors and small production vineyards that don't want to be left with the not-quite-sublime bottles. There are different palates and tastes. I get all that. Yet I left Vyne like I've left most wine bars, unsatisfied...

Of course, maybe I'm frequenting the wrong wine bars...

Vyne
Prinsengracht 411
Amsterdam
020 344 64 08

Bird Thai Restaurant - Amsterdam

Globalization is a mixed bag. Homogenization of taste in the name of global brands and economies of scale? Bad. The fact that the shopping district of every international
city could be mistaken for the Gap-infested malls of Anytown, USA. Bad. Never-frozen Chilean Sea Bass at my corner grocer. Good. The fact that I can get Tom Yam Kai or Chicken Korma anyplace on the planet. Ideal...

One of the best Indian meals I've eaten was in Paris and I count Thai food as my favorite cuisine (although I've never been near Thailand and couldn't vouch for its authenticity). Which is why, during our recent stay in Amsterdam, we asked our local friend where the best Thai food could be had. He, as well as some of the guide books, pointed us to Bird in Chinatown. We chose to eat at the restaurant, but our friend actually recommended eating in their snack bar across the street where the bare bones setup forces locals and tourists to mingle at communal tables...

Tom Yam Kai (Chicken Sweet and Sour Soup)
Spring Rolls
Pad Thai

Why so little food? Initially, we ordered more, but there was an incident... or near incident. As they brought out the soup and I sank a spoon in for a taste, I noticed a bowl full of prawns staring back at me with that condescending orange hue - my nemesis in overabundance. I was mistakenly given the shrimp version of the soup (obviously not by a fan of the blog). My near death experience (and of more interest to them, the subsequent lawsuit) had them rethink the other dishes I ordered, claiming there was shrimp or shrimp powder in everything but the 7up. I was disappointed, as they had a special section of the menu for Northeast Thai dishes and I had ordered Lap Kai. The near anaphylactic shock aside, the food was wonderful. The soup was full of contrasting, vibrant flavors and the spring rolls actually tasted different than what you typically find. They tasted homemade, with tiny imperfections to the roll that exposed the traditional rolls as former tenants of the grocer's freezer section. I'm sure there's more to explore here, I'm only disappointed most of it would force me to plunge an Epi Pen into my thigh...

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0
Cost: $$

Bird
Zeedijk 72-74
Amsterdam
020-6201442

Bazar - Amsterdam

Bazar is the type of well-reviewed, eclectic eatery that the Frommer's and Fodor's of the world eat up. It's got a story (big, old converted church), it's got atmosphere (funky North African decor complete with authentic neon advertisements) and it's got location (smack dab in the center of the Albert Cuyp Market in De Pijp). The problem, from where I sit, for our lunch was that the food just wasn't that great. Disappointing, considering the seeming unanimous praise and aforementioned perfect storm of expectation...

Mint tea - always a good thing
Mish I Bluar - minced beef and lamb patty with feta
New Delhisoep - red pepper soup with Madras curry
Sopa Tunesi - lentil soup with scraps of meat

Nothing on my plate was special. The meat was a tad tough and overcooked and the soup was a little bland. My wife's lentil soup did have scraps of chorizo-like meat scattered atop, which was pure salty goodness, but that's about it. Maybe it was what we ordered, maybe it was the weight of expectations, maybe it's just over-rated. I probably won't return to figure it out...

Rating: 5.5/10.0
Cost: $$

Bazar Restaurant
Albert Cuypstraat 182
Amsterdam
020 675 0544

De Kas - Amsterdam

There is public transit in Amsterdam, most noticeably in the form of bright blue trams, which share the road with a sea of black bikes and tiny cars (I'm putting the over/under for crippled American tourists per summer at nine - yes, insensitive, but these things have no conscience. The trams not the American tourists - okay, maybe both). As a visitor, however, I think the best way to see the city, and remember what it's like to be ten again, is to rent a bike and jump in the mix. The city's traffic is completely oriented around Amsterdam's preferred mode of travel and, while often intimidating, the learning curve is not so steep. I say this because De Kas almost certainly requires a bike ride. Set off from the road, just south of Oosterpark and probably three or four miles from the city center. About a 30-minute ride from our Jordaan location, we allowed the time and had fun with with it (post meal it was a welcome bit of exercise)...

On approach, you at once feel completely isolated as you would in a city garden or state park (either of which, this area might actually be). A well-manicured children's playground and grassy patch of ground are all that share this slice of solitude with De Kas. De Kas is made up of two connected greenhouses, one an actual greenhouse that helps feed the guests and the other a giant dining room with clean, unobtrusive light filling a massive space...

The menu is set and they accept substitutions only for vegetarians and allergies (during my recital the waitress actually sat down to remember my list). Five courses (three appetizers brought out simultaneously, one entrée, and a dessert) for 47.50 Euros. Before ordering, they offered Champagne with basil from the garden, which was a nice touch. The earthy basil competing with the bubbles... The wine for the night was an Australian shiraz (Shotfire Ridge 2004) which was outstanding. Later, I learned it's a relatively cheap ($15-20) 92-point (Robert Parker) bargain if you can find it...

The menu wasn't revealed to us up front, which I liked. As we became engrossed in conversation, a new plate would make an appearance requiring a lengthy explanation...

Veal with lemon foam and pesto atop ratatouille
Saffron cauliflower with proscuitto, assorted tomatoes and gnocchi
Soft-boiled egg atop butter lettuce and french beans with shaved truffles and parmesan
Grilled duck breast with parsley risotto, chanterelles w/ garlic and (a long) radish (-type thing)
Marinated plum pastry with sheep's milk frozen yogurt and a pistacchio cookie

Where do I start? The small chunk of veal (airplane meal sized) was cooked perfectly. The soft boiled egg/truffle/parmesan combo was flavorful without trying too hard. But the best course, oddly, was the cauliflower. So fresh, cooked so perfectly with saffron used so sparingly (maybe only for color), it typified the meal. Yes, I knew De Kas was all about the fresh ingredients from their property, but that's pretty much everyone's schtick nowadays. Only this was no schtick, they really let the food speak for itself, with just enough restraint on the spices to complement, not distract. The entrée-sized duck breast was also cooked to perfection, tender and flavorful with the just-picked parsley taste of the risotto. The dessert was outstanding. Again, the perfect balance of sweetness, and like the rest of the meal, so clearly made for an adult's sense of taste. The sheep's milk frozen yogurt is, I'm guessing, what Pinkberry is striving to replicate (I'll know if I ever decide to wait on the lines)...

In short, the meal was near-perfect. From the rare European no smoking rule (a plus for us), to the relaxed yet focused service, to the unbelievable food. Before all of today's restauranteurs build their menus around "what's fresh at the market" and "make the food the star" they should be ordered to enjoy a meal at De Kas...

Rating: 9.5 / 10.0
Cost: $$$+

De Kas
Kamerlingh Onneslaan 3
1097 DE Amsterdam
+31 (0)20 462 45 62