Tag Archives: Fun Food Friday

February 17, 2023 · 4:35 am

Fun Food Friday – End-of-Cruise Valencia Paella for Lunch and a Bit of Humor


Back in Valencia, Spain

We had one full day left on our visit aboard Vision of the Seas, and we were once again in Valencia, Spain. We’d stopped off here nine days earlier, during our transatlantic voyage. This stop was in conjunction with our follow-on Mediterranean cruise. And as we’d been here before (follow this link for the beginning of that series: Transatlantic 2022 — Valencia; Our Next Port of Call), Ursula and I opted this time to just set out on foot, look briefly around, and enjoy the dish for which Valencia is famous, Valencia paella. But, first, let’s look around:

Now it’s time for some Valencian paella. As we wandered the streets near the port, we bypassed the obvious tourist choices along Calle del Dr. Josep Juan Dómine. Instead, we turned north onto a smallish street. Here we discovered a charming little establishment with two outdoor tables. After searching Google Maps, I’m about 95% sure that the place where we lunched was Ca Rakel on Calle del Dr. Llurch. As neither Ursula nor I were particularly hungry (we were, after all, on a cruise ship), we decided to split an order.

As we sat outside awaiting our paella, a lovely couple from I believe Slovenia took the next table. I was a bit concerned when I saw the wife had placed her purse in such a manner that it could be easily snatched (Europe, especially southern Europe stretching from Greece through Spain, is notorious for pick pockets and purse snatchers. I advised her that perhaps she might want to better secure her purse, which she did. This led us all to striking up a conversation that lasted through our meals and a little beyond even though my Slovene leaves a lot to be desired. I hadn’t spoken Slovene since George Santos and I were sent to Station L (Ljubljana) for some late Cold War wetwork back in the early ’90s.

Just kidding, of course. I’ve never been to Slovenia, and I’ve never done wet work for The Company. Thus, poor George went to Slovenia by himself. That was back when he was a contractor for the 00 Section of MI6 using as cover his Goldman Sachs credentials as an international financial expert. Don’t believe me? I’m quite sure that’s on his résumé. Here’s George on his return from his much-decorated mission to Ljubljana:

George Santos with a few of his post-mission awards

Anyway, I don’t speak Slovene. Not even a little. Rather, it was our charming neighbors who expertly switched over to English. We discussed post-Cold War conditions in the Slavic nations, international affairs, children, careers, places we’ve traveled, and a whole lot more. The time just flew by. But I’m sure your more interested in lunch, so here it is:

Valencia Paella with crusty bread
Valencia Paella with crusty bread

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

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November 11, 2022 · 5:35 am

Fun Food Friday — Manofica — Best Pizza in Toulon, or Best Anywhere?


Munching at Manofica

Ursula and I had earlier passed an establishment back on Quai Cronstadt that had what looked to be some very delectable pizza. Today I’m going to introduce you to what could be the best pizza we’ve ever had at a place called Manofica. The charming restaurant also gives you options to dine either inside or out, and offers up some exquisite views of Toulon Harbor and the marina just outside.

Looks good!

Some fellow Vision of the Seas passengers were dining there, and they told us we were in for a treat. We were.

Ursula at Manofica

While looking at pizzas already served gave us our first clue that we were in a real pizzeria, the fire oven gave us a second:

Manofica’s fire pizza oven

If you’re in for a little imbibing, it appears Manofica has you covered there as well:

Manofica’s well-stocked bar

Time to peruse the menu:

Manofica’s menu as of 15 May 2022

Since it was just after 2:00 p.m. and dinner aboard Vision of the Seas was a mere four hours away, we opted to share a Pizze Anna. This choice gave us for di latte (a soft, very fresh mozzerella-style cheese made from cow’s milk rather than buffalo), creme de parmesan (a cream sauce made with the rinds of a parmesan), tomate cerise (cherry tomatoes), jambon cru (raw, cured ham similar to prosciutto), copeaux de parmesan (shaved parmesan), roquette (rocket, also known as arugula), basilic (basil, of course), and huile d’olive extra vierge (extra virgin olive oil). Since we asked to split one pizza, the staff at Manofica were nice enough to divide our pizza between two plates:

Manofica’s Pizze Anna

As you can see, the crust is light, airy, and perfectly blistered. The combination of toppings gave a great compliment to the crust rather than overpowering it, and avoided making the crust soggy. Here’s a view of the other half:

Incredible Manofica crust perfectly prepared with an excellent combination of toppings

Ursula proclaimed Manofica’s Pizze Anna the best pizza she has ever tasted, and I wouldn’t disagree with that assessment. It was a remarkable treat at a not unreasonable price presented in a wonderful setting with a great view of Toulon Harbor. And now it’s time to say goodbye to Toulon, take the ferry back to La Seyne-sur-Mer, and rejoin Vision of the Seas. But before we go:

The marina adjacent to Manofica

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

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July 15, 2022 · 5:35 am

Fun Food Friday — Delightful Mexican lunch at The Pink Store


The Pink Store restaurant

The Pink Store is a place to go for arts and crafts, tequila, mescal, and a whole lot more. Want a drink? There’s a full-service bar with some of the best, and strongest, margaritas on the planet:

The Pink Store’s bar

On this visit, made on 19 April of this year, we brought along two cruise buddies whom, quite by accident, we found live right here in El Paso. We met on an Alaska cruise last year (Part 1 of cruising Alaska off-season here: Cruising in the Age of Covid-19 — Part 1). Here are Bob “O” and Cory “M” Bustillos posing with Ursula “L” at the Puerto Palomas touristy sign:

Ursula “L”, Bob “O”, and Cory “M”

And here they are as we set down for lunch:

Bob and Cory at The Pink Store

By the way, not only does The Pink Store have indoor dining:

The Pink Store dining room
The Pink Store dining room

You also have the option of sitting outside:

Outdoor dining patio at The Pink Store

Now I’m going to have to apologize. I snagged a photo of the chips, salsa, and pico de gallo:

Chips, salsa, and pico de gallo

But we were so engrossed in our conversations that I totally missed the guacamole and queso fundido con rajas (melted cheese with poblano chile strips). Don’t be grossed out, but I didn’t remember to start taking pictures of the food until we all had already started to dig in. Here is the partially eaten remains of a Plato Mexicano, with included rice, frijoles, taco, red enchilada, and chile rellano(my recipe for that here: Get Stuffed on Chile Rellenos):

Plato Mexicano combination plate

I had The Pink Store’s chimichanga:

Chimichanga plate comes with two chimichangas containing shredded beef

As did Ursula:

Another chimichanga plate

Cory’s Plato Mexicano lasted long enough for me to get the shot above, but Bob didn’t give me much of chance to get my act together:

Title of this movie: Gone in 60 Seconds!

Next week we’ll continue looking at what The Pink Store has to offer in the way of arts, crafts, furniture, and more.

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

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