St. Petersburg, Russia Pie Shop

This summer was filled with firsts for us.  We traveled to seven new countries including Russia.  We spent two days in St. Petersburg as part of our Baltic cruise.  I will do a separate post on this incredible city and everything it has to offer, but I wanted to share with you our visit to a traditional Russian pie shop.
After eating the first afternoon in The Hermitage cafe, we really were hoping that our second stop to eat would be better and well, it wouldn't have taken much to be better.  The Hermitage may be known for a lot of things, but food will never be one of those.  We had something that was supposed to be a pizza and after one bite, I went back in line for a ham and cheese sandwich.
The pie shop was another story.  I could have stayed there all afternoon or at least went back to try more of their delicacies.  They tasted as good as they looked.

First of all, these were the horrible "pizzas" at The Hermitage with the mystery filling.

Chicken pie. This was incredible.  It was full of flavor and the crust was buttery and light.  

Notice the flower.  These pies were works of art.  You almost hated to see them cut into them.

Beef pie.  Again, this was incredibly full of flavor.  There was not much rice in this one.  

Chicken pie up close.

Cheese pie.  After taking one bite, I wanted to buy a full size one to take back to the ship.  I'm not sure if that would have been allowed, but it was that good!  We've been looking for recipes for something similar, but nothing has come close to date.

Borough Market, London

Our first stop after arriving in London and dropping our bags at our hotel was the Borough Market.  My husband's favorite hobby at home is cooking and he loves exploring new ingredients, so, when I read about the Borough Market, I knew this is one place that he would love.  We were staying near Carnaby Street at the Doubletree, so, we hopped in a cab to get there fast in order to maximize our time.  We were only in London a few days and this was the only day during our visit that the market would be open.   The Market is a very popular place on Saturdays to say the least, but it was a memorable visit.  We were quite tired from our overnight flight and everything, so, the crowds got to us a little, but it wasn't too bad.  We sampled a few things and purchased one of the famous cheese sandwiches that I read about frequently on Tripadvisor and cruisecritic.com.  The sandwich was delectable.  It was gooey and a bit greasy just as you would expect from a good grilled cheese sandwich.
The one thing we wish we tried was one of the pies, but we had nowhere to heat one up, so, we passed.  We would later try one from Harrod's cold, but cold is not the way to go when it comes to these pies in our opinion. Thankfully, a small restaurant near our hotel, Mother Mash, gave us an opportunity to try them hot and with some mash.  More about Mother Mash coming up.
Here are some goodies from the market including a picture of the cheese sandwich!

Fabulous Toasted Cheese Sandwich at Borough Market

The ingredients of the incredible cheese sandwich at Borough Market.

Traditional English Muffin at Borough Market

Olde Hansa- Tallinn, Estonia

If you are getting ready for a cruise of the Baltics or a trip to Estonia, you may receive a lot of recommendations for Olde Hansa, a classic Medieval restaurant, in Tallinn.  I have to say that the outside of the restaurant is really inviting with the outdoor seating and covered tables.  The inside is dark as there is no electricity in the place.  Going to the bathroom was an experience.  
There were some other Medieval restaurants in town that we could have chosen, but this one was so frequently mentioned on cruisecritic.com that we decided to give it a try.  The menu is very, very comprehensive, but finding something I wanted to try was another story.  I think our bill came to about $60 and we paid for the experience more than the food in the end because we could have had much better food at a local cafe for a lot less.  In fact, the little bakery we found on our walking tour was so much better and the had the most amazing little squares of pizza.
The best part about our dining experience here was watching the reaction of the other diners. They probably got some enjoyment out of ours as well.  The one thing I learned from the table next to us is do not order a salad if you like dressing on your salad.  They had absolutely nothing to put on the salads.  Not even oil and vinegar.  The poor lady who ordered the salad had a hard time eating it because it was a very generous plate of lettuce and veggies.

Sample of the menu.  I chose the braised sauerkraut with meat and my husband had the wild boar.  I did have to ask what the "meat" was to be on the safe side and I was told it was beef and ham.  

Honey beer.  We just wanted a taste as neither of us are beer drinkers.

One of the servers at the restaurant.

Braised sauerkraut with meat.  The little pastry was a bag of beans.  I don't recall what the white sauce was on the side, but I can tell you that those red berries were definitely not good! 

Wild boar plate.

Central by Michel Richard

It seems like it was just a few years ago, but I can't believe it has been ten years since I lived in D.C.  It is still one of my favorite cities with so much to do and see.  If you have a family, I cannot recommend it enough for a great family vacation because except for your food and hotel, so many of the museums are free including the ever popular Air & Space Museum as well as the National Zoo.  Sometimes I long to be back, but I know that likely won't happen in the near future.  So, visits it will be and hopefully visits that aren't so far apart as they have been in the past few years because two of my dearest friends are still there and there are so many great new restaurants, shops, etc... that I'm eager to try.
First up, Central by Michel Richard.  This restaurant won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant a few years back and I can clearly see why.  Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures at the time, but I have a few to share including two of the most incredible fried chicken I've ever had in my life!  Look at that crispness!  It was a perfect balance to the moist and tender chicken inside.  My husband wasn't with me on this trip, so, I think a trip to D.C. is in the making!