Frescobaldi Tenuta Perano: Tasting The Chianti Classico From Their Newest Estate

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Center, Wineries, , , , , , ,

There’s a 700-year story that the Frescobaldi Family has maintained in Tuscany which has a strong bond towards the world of wine. In the year 2017, Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi acquired a new addition to their already substantial wine empire pegging the number to seven estates in Tuscany. Prior to the acquisition, they have been managing…

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Genuinely Good Lucanian Cuisine at Becco della Civetta in Castelmezzano

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Restaurants, Restaurants in Italy, Southern Italy, , , ,

The drive through Basilicata Region opens up to a charming little surprise. Concealed in the Lucanian Dolomites at an altitude of around 1000 meters is the town of Castelmezzano, a peaceful jewel with a breathtaking landscape of the mountain ranges. Its undisturbed tranquility and resplendence has enchanted anyone who crosses its path. In fact, it…

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Dine and Cruise at Volga Volga Restaurant in Saint Petersburg, Russia

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Restaurants, Restaurants in Europe, Uncategorized, , , ,

With a system of rivers and canals running through Saint Petersburg, seeing the city from the water allows a different perspective in observing the resplendence of the metropolis. There are the usual boat tours that can be taken along the water but what can really be fascinating is dining while cruising along Neva, the largest…

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Amaro Formidabile: The Award-Winning All-Natural Handmade Italian Bitter

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Center, Wineries, , ,

Amaro Formidabile stands out from the rest of the amari for two reasons. It is made with all natural ingredients and done manually by its creator Armando Bomba. Unlike the other amari in the market, Amaro Formidabile is produced by cold maceration in grain alcohol of various botanical ingredients without any aid of additives, colorants,…

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Discovering Cantina Imperatori Viognier on a Vineyard Lunch with Chef Max Marioli

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Center, Wineries, Wineries in Italy, , , ,

Chef Max Mariola, the Italian chef famous for his TV cooking program on Sky Gambero Rosso and Executive Chef of the Boscolo Group of Hotels in Italy and Europe, finds the optimum pairing for Cantina Imperatori Viognier IGP Lazio with his summer dishes. For starters, he prepared a fresh and tasty version of Panzanella, a…

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Dziaugsmas Restaurant in Vilnius: Lithuania’s Best Restaurant

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Restaurants, Restaurants in Europe, , , , ,

Opened in 2017 and it immediately became the second best restaurant in Lithuania just a few months later. It then moved up to the first position for two years in a row, 2018 and 2019. And to underline this success, it is consistently fully-booked with a capacity of 64. That’s the phenomenon that Chef Martynas…

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Elements in Rome, Italy: Fusion Sushi by the Champion of Sushi Cup Portugal

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Restaurants, Restaurants in Rome, , , ,

Sushi as we come to know it to this present day has been made in Japan since the Edo Period, around 200 years ago. It has been around even much before with a different method of preparation wherein the fish is fermented with rice vinegar, rice and salt, while the rice is discarded afterwards and…

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Gorgona, The Wine of Hope by Frescobaldi and The Island Prisoners in Italy

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Center, Destinations, Italy, Wineries, Wineries in Italy, , , , ,

On an early warm morning of the 20th of June 2019, our curious group of fifty people comprised of sommeliers, journalists and trade professionals in the wine sector boarded a chartered boat at the Italian port of Livorno. The group was led by Lamberto Frescobaldi, a 30th-generation Tuscan winemaker and the president of the Marchesi…

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Hamlet + Jacks in Saint Petersburg: A Taste of Modern Russian Gastronomy

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Restaurants, Restaurants in Europe, , , ,

One of the most promising young talents in modern Russian gastronomy, Chef Evgeny Vikentev, presents his innovational cuisine at Hamlet + Jacks Restaurant in Saint Petersburg. The restaurant that used to be an old jewelry workshop is located just a short distance from the luxurious DLT Department Store and the Hermitage Museum where it commands…

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Max Cekot Kitchen in Riga, Latvia: An Unforgettable Dining Experience

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Restaurants, Restaurants in Europe, , , ,

A meal at Max Cekot Kitchen leaves an indelible impression. From the minute you enter the main door until you stand up from the table in conclusion of your meal, everything is well thought out, focused on you as a guest and the food as the protagonist. Opened in September 2018 by Chef Patron Maksims…

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The Gourmet Kitchen of Chef’s Corner in Riga, Latvia

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Restaurants, Restaurants in Europe, , , , ,

It’s not everyday that you find a hamburger that’s as succulent and delectable as Chef’s Corner does it and for sure it’s not everyday as well that you get to be served a burger with a pair of black rubber gloves to eat it with. It’s surprising at first but as you take your first…

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Restaurant Cru at Tallinn: One of Estonia’s Best Chefs Cooks

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Restaurants, Restaurants in Europe, , , ,

You can clearly note that you won’t get hungry in Tallinn. This 13th century UNESCO World Heritage Site not only boasts of its fairy tale streetscapes but also the innumerable restaurants that have occupied most (if not all) of the ground floor of the colorful medieval houses in the old town. There, at Viru Street,…

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Art Priori in Tallinn, Estonia: A Silver Spoon Fine Dining Excellence

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Restaurants, Restaurants in Europe, , , , , ,

Art Priori is a restaurant where fine art and high cuisine share a space together. Opened in 2015 in one of the most quiet cobblestone roads of the old town of Tallinn, Art Priori is an imperative gastronomic (and artistic) stop for those who are looking for something that’s out of the usual tourist route.…

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Dining on the Top: Rome’s Rooftop Terraces

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Hotels, Hotels in Italy, Restaurants, Restaurants in Rome, , , ,

When summer lands in Rome, there are two directions where the gastronomic roads lead to. While most head to the direction of the nearby coasts, where the sea breezes undertake its rejuvenating role, another path heads upwards towards the rooftops. There might not be the caressing sea wind or the endless sea that gives a…

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Cocktails With a Roman View at The Court of Palazzo Manfredi

By: Rowena Dumlao - Giardina
Hotels, Hotels in Italy, Restaurants, Restaurants in Rome, , , ,

Located inside the 5-star luxury hotel Palazzo Manfredi, The Court, the newly-opened cocktail bar bestows a phenomenal view of Rome’s iconic ancient Roman monument, the Colosseum. Atypical of the position of popular cocktail bar terraces in Rome, The Court is actually one floor down. From the hotel’s main entrance, take one flight of stairs to…

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