Gnocchi Pesto: Dreams do come true

What happens when you take the best type of pasta that exists and combine that with the best pasta sauce there is? The answer my dear friends is to your left. That is the image of a perfect Gnocchi Pesto I ordered in Venice. I understand that Venice is the seafood capital of Italy, but some exceptions must be made. This was ordered as my first meal and boy did it satisfy. Biting into gnocchi feels like pushing down on a pillow with your teeth; nothing short of heavenly. The pesto held up its own as well. It was creamy and bold, but not overpoweringly filled with basil. Overall I couldn't have expected more from it. I would go on to have fish courses later on, but my vice took control of me in this instance and I'm glad it did.

Pastries: Boy do I love pastries

This little photo was taken after a dinner a group of us Americans had with a bunch of Italian students from a Rome university. We were walking home after the stuffing meal that was pizza and beer (clearly) when we were whisked into a little pastry shop south of Trastevere. They told us we could get croissants here with kinderbars inside, so naturally we didn't put up a fight. We looked up and down the windows of pastries and while I, among most of us, set ourselves on the kinderbar-croissant hybrid, the store was filled with other treats that were screaming to be eaten. We left most of the pastry shop unscathed, but we promised to come back and do some damage the next time. I can assure you there will be a next time.

Le Deu' Falafel: Parisians do Israeli food right

So my trip to Paris was filled with great food...just not your typical french cuisine. I was directed to the Jewish Ghetto of Paris by friends of mine who were studying there. They told me it was the home to the best falafel in the world. Naturally, I was skeptical (as a self-proclaimed falafel connoisseur) so I had to go and try them myself. We waited in a long line out the door where a very obvious Israeli man took my order and got me on my way in under 15 seconds. I got to the front window where the staff were doing parlor tricks, flipping the falafel in the air and catching them in the pita. They fill the pocket with all the goodies and gave it right to me fresh. I must admit, it put other falafel, even some from Israel, to shame.

It was moist yet full of flavor. I ruined my appetite for dinner at a nice restaurant to enjoy the love I received from this sandwich. As you can tell from the picture it was quite a delicious snack.

Pizza con Ricotta e Spinaci: Sweltering heat makes a pizza complete

This pizza came from Pizzeria di Nonno Mede, a recommendation from our Food and Culture instructor Federico. It was truly a great choice, and the view could not be competed with, looking over a horizon of tuscan residences. The only thing that trumped the scenery was the pizza. Covered with spinach leaves and clumps of fresh ricotta, the pizza tasted like it came straight from heaven's wood oven. The crust was cooked to perfection while its thinness helped to maintain its authentic Italian feel. I would definitely see this pizza coming home with me if that were in any way possible.

Farfalle Arrabiata: Simple, but free

My first run in with a typical "bowtie" dish as I thought it was called was at a restaurant called Miscellanea. We went there to watch the Super Bowl, but we were treated to much more than the game. As it turns out every Super Bowl the owner of the place, Micky, offers students like us a free dish. We graciously accepted and found ourselves with bowls of farfalle arrabiata. I had tried arrabiata sauce yet, but it looked delicious enough. The noodles were cooked al dente as we would come to expect and the sauce was homemade and fantastic. It was not our last time at Miscelllanea, although the food was never free again. I would have to say that the dish was one of the best bangs for my buck (euro) in Roma.

Onion Soup and Chicken Caesar Salad: A familiar meal "praguified"

I was getting a bit worn down by all the pizza and pasta Italy has to offer on a regular basis, so Prague was a great break. The majority of meals I had there were red meats; however, the best one bar none had to be at Nebozizek, a restaurant located on the side of Petrin Hill overlooking the whole city. Since it seemed to be out of tourist season, not many patrons were there. It was a fancy place, and the food certainly lived up to how we believed it would taste. The onion soup, although plain, was absolutely rich in flavor, and with a floating cheese in the middle it proved to be one of the better soups I had ever tried.

The caesar salad was adorned decadently with pieces of chicken and prosciutto in it with a tiny spinach-filled croissant ont he side, and was easily one of the best salads I had ever consumed. The chicken was cooked beyond perfection, and made me wish I could never stop eating it. Alas, the meal ended and I was sad, yet pleased that I had experienced such a fantastic platter.

Ravioli con Bolognese: Getting adjusted to Italy

For one of our first meals in Rome, the guys decided to put together a meal for just us, Italian style. We made ricotta and spinach Ravioli in a meat sauce with sauteed vegetables mixed in. On the side we served ourselves makeshift bruschetta, that is, crostini with tomatoes on top. Although it was a fairly simple meal, I had hoped it would give us a taste of what we would have in store for the next 4 months. It turned out to be very good. The sauce was not too strong and the bruschetta beforehand went well along with the pasta. In the end it probably could've been better, but for our first attempt at traditional Italian cuisine we could've done a lot worse.