Topics - Culinary Backstreets

Salobie: Back to Beans

Tbilisi |

Building Blocks -- We met Tega at a friend’s dinner table shortly after moving to Tbilisi in 2002. Tall, debonair, with dark puppy eyes and an ever-present Colgate smile, Tega made it a point from that first meeting to take us under his wing and introduce us to the best Tbilisi had to offer. That was how we first ended up at Salobie, near the ancient capital of Mtskheta.

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August 3, 2020

CB on the Road: Deniz Börek Salonu in Edirne

Istanbul |

By Theodore Charles

CB on the Road -- Edirne has more meat to offer beyond the glistening liver that bears its name. Deniz Börek Salonu has crowned the top of Saraçlar Caddesi since 1986. Every morning, lines of salivating citizens hurry to work with crunchy poğaças or sit down to enjoy steaming heaps of stuffed pastry.

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July 30, 2020

Max & Mina’s Ice Cream: Sweet Escape

Queens |

By Dave Cook

The Sweet Life -- At a shopping center like this, we’d expect an ice cream parlor. In a long strip of businesses set back from the street, we spot a pharmacy, a photo lab and a dry cleaner, a mobile phone store, two eyecare shops and a cinema (“returning soon,” proclaims the marquee; “stay safe”).

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July 24, 2020

CB Book Club: John Wang and Storm Garner’s “The World Eats Here”

Queens |

By Culinary Backstreets

CB Book Club -- Since its founding in 2015, the Queens Night Market has inspired a thrill in the borough and beyond, one that – for us at least – calls to mind boundless childhood summers. Running Saturday nights from April to October, it brings vendor-chefs together from over 80 countries for the community to gather and celebrate with great food.

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July 23, 2020

CB on the Road: Olhão, Fresh from the Market

Lisbon |

By Célia Pedroso

Market Watch -- Olhão in the Algarve doesn’t have the picture-perfect scenery – the beautiful rocky cliffs cascading into the sea – normally associated with the region. But this fishing town managed to avoid the overdevelopment that has plagued other fishing villages in the region, like Albufeira or Armação de Pêra, now cautionary tales of how not to approach urban planning.

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July 15, 2020

CB on the Road: Panadería Díaz, Brothers in Bread

Mexico City |

By Paco de Santiago

CB on the Road -- The day starts very early for Don Ponciano Díaz and his wife, Sara. It’s 5 a.m., and they’re already at their bakery, Panadería Díaz, which is located in San Antonio La Isla, some 73 kilometers from Mexico City. One pale incandescent bulb lights the space, and the large wooden worktable is empty – but not for long.

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July 14, 2020

Market Watch: With Tourists Gone, Mercado da Ribeira Ponders An Uncertain Future

Lisbon |

By Célia Pedroso

Market Watch -- “Ó freguesa hoje temos a bela sardinha!” From afar, the fishmonger calls me to see her “beautiful sardine.” It is indeed a thing of beauty, this fish that the Portuguese love, especially in the summer when they are at their best – fat and full of flavor.

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July 13, 2020

Lello Massa A’ Muzzarella Mia Parla: Talking Cheese

Naples |

By Amedeo Colella

Building Blocks -- When Michelangelo made his Moses statue at the beginning of the 16th century, he found it so lifelike that some say he asked the statue, “Why don’t you speak?”

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July 9, 2020

Picnic Week 2020: Barcelona

Barcelona |

By Paula Mourenza

Market Watch -- While Barcelona has lots of green space – almost 3,000 hectares spread out over 34 parks and gardens – not all of it makes for good summer picnicking. What you need are those dark, open refuges under the treetops, where you can breathe and relax and your wine isn’t going to start boiling.

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July 6, 2020

Picnic Week 2020: Tbilisi

Tbilisi |

By Paul Rimple

Building Blocks -- Editor’s note: As summer heats up, we’re looking to get outside. So we asked our contributors to write about their favorite spots to eat outdoors as well as nearby shops to fill a picnic basket for Picnic Week 2020. The greatest picnic in my life was at an elevation of 6,100 feet in the Tushetian village of Omalo for Mariamoba, Assumption Day, 2001.

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