Featured Books
Food Wine Budapest
Carolyn Banfalvi
Little Bookroom, 2008
Paperback
ISBN 1892145561
Carolyn Bánfalvi's culinary guide to Budapest, Food Wine Budapest, was the first in the Little Bookroom's Terroir Guide series, and it was nominated for a 2009 IACP book award.
The Globe and Mail describes Food Wine Budapest as "quite simply, the best guide available today to the culinary renaissance of the city and region in the post-communist era."
Excerpt:
Retro can imply secondhand kitsch, but immensely popular Menza is sleek and stylish, with walls covered in chrome, grey foam squares, and copper. "Menza" means canteen, and the idea here was to serve traditional dishes in an atmosphere reminiscent of 1970s cafeterias. Menza's design is brilliant, down to the last vase holding a single orange Gerber daisy and the diner-style specials board with stick-on lettering, and the food is simply prepared, delicious, and reasonably priced, considering its central location. Luckily, the recipes don't taste like they came from a cafeteria. They've been slightly updated with more vegetables than at most traditional restaurants (and also comprise more vegetarian dishes)... The wine list is all Hungarian and offers a few reasonably priced house wines by the glass, and mostly mid-range wines by the bottle. Or go the retro route and order a Traubisoda. The sidewalk tables on Liszt Ferencter are the place to be when the weather is warm."
About the Author
Carolyn Bánfalvi is an author and freelance journalist based in Budapest. Carolyn holds degrees and journalism and professional cooking and baking. In addition to Food Wine Budapest, she is also the author of The Food and Wine Lover's Guide to Hungary: with Budapest Restaurants and Trips to the Wine Country (Park Kiadó). She also leads food, wine, and market tours in Budapest and Hungary. Visit http://www.carolynbanfalvi.com.