Wednesday, May 23
Today was the day we tried all of the places that Andrea recommended…
We started the day with another trip to the cafe that she had recommended for rétes. We just had to try a few more flavors. This time it was cabbage (again), apple and plum. We also made our own combination by eating the apple and plum together. It was really good. We should have recommended it to the owners.
Next we walked over to make reservations at a restaurant we were told had incredible goose liver. Since the restaurant was rather small we were informed it would be best to make reservations. We found the place without any problem and made reservations for two for the following evening. Just as we were about to leave who should we run into but Andrea! She was there to have lunch. She was kind enough to ask us to join her but we had eaten breakfast just an hour before (we had attended a concert the night before, had gotten to bed late and actually slept until 9:00 am!) Instead we asked her to join us the following evening and changed our reservation from two to three people.
Now we were in search of a pastry shop. It was just a few blocks away. Andrea had recommended the cream cake (Nagymama Krémes) and the Flodni. They also had another item on our hit list: Pogácsa. These are biscuits that are made with or topped with different cheeses. We’d seen them all over the city but figured that since this place had been recommended we’d try them there. We shared a slice of cream cake at the shop and took the others home for later. We’d had the cream cake twice before and hadn’t been impressed. This one was better than the others but it’s never going to be one of our favorites. It’s a layer of pastry cream topped with a layer of whipped cream in a flaky crust. The taste is very plain. It seems to cry out for some additional flavoring like vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg.
Our last stop was at a small market that was also in the neighborhood. We were searching for a specific brand of sausage named Dányi. It comes in two varieties: sweet and hot. We’d looked for it everywhere in the large Central Market but no one carried it. Sure enough, we found it in the market that Andrea had suggested. We also bought some bread and cheese to go along with it. One of the cheeses we found was something we knew existed but had never seen anywhere else: Raclette.
Guess what we had for dinner that evening? We had purchased the hot sausage. It was firm and had a nice mild flavor. The spiciness sneaks up on you as you’re about to swallow and really has a kick. It was delicious. The trio went well with the raw red onion we ate them with.
For dessert we ate some of the biscuits and the Flodni. We had gotten two kinds of Pogácsa – ones topped with cheese (something like cheddar) and ones made with cottage cheese. The cheddar biscuits were good but to our surprise the ones made with cottage cheese were delicious.
If you Google Flodni in Budapest you find over and over again that the best Flodni comes from a place called Rachel’s. We’d already tried that and hadn’t really enjoyed it. The Flodni from this place was so much better. It was fresh and flavorful. Deborah really liked it. I was glad I tried it but I’m afraid it’ll never be the target of one of my midnight raids. (Flodni is a layers of walnut, poppy seed paste, jam and apple with a flaky pastry).
(Flodni)
Distance walked: 4.3 miles
Thursday, May 24
Today we headed over to Buda Castle to see the Hungarian National Gallery. The complex seen today, set high in the hills of Buda, dates from the mid 1700s and was the the Royal Palace until the 20th century. It houses three museums and the National Széchényi Library. It’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
The museum specializes in Hungarian Art starting with the 16th century and includes modern day collections. It focuses mainly on paintings and sculptures. The collections are contained on three floors. Throughout the palace there are large windows that face the Danube River providing beautiful panoramic views of the city.
(Girl at Prayer by Ede Spiró – 1840s)
Until the 19th century there were no Hungarian schools of art nor were than any distinct stylistic periods. The earlier works were a rather eclectic collection. During that time many of the most promising artists left the country to study in places like Germany, Austria and France, where the discipline was more entrenched and patrons were more easily found. One wing was dedicated to Medieval works. They were mostly wooden altarpieces from churches that no longer exist. The largest portion of the collection was from the late 19th century after the first Hungarian Schools of Art were established. The collections included a large number of portraits, landscapes and sculptures.
(The Hubay Children by Ede Telcs – 1902)
We had a light lunch at one of the cafes near the castle and then walked home, showered and changed so that we could be ready to meet Andrea for dinner. We ordered the grilled goose liver. It was served on slices of grilled apple accompanied by potato croquets. It was not like the foie gras we had expected but it was very good. Even Deborah, who really doesn’t care for liver, liked it very much. Our other entree was pork fillet stuffed with sausages on a bed of sweet pickled red cabbage with roasted potatoes. No comment required. Fortunately Andrea was there to remind us to take pictures of the plates before we indulged.
(Goose Liver and Pork Medallions)
For dessert we shared an order of gundel pancakes. It’s a thick crepe filled with walnut paste covered in chocolate sauce. We’d had these before at another restaurant and really liked them. These were ever better. We told Andrea that since she knows the best places in Town she should start a food blog.
Distance walked: 9.5 miles and 20 flights