Well it has been a long few days adjusting back to eastern standard time, starting class and working full time. It was a fun trip and nice to see (e:ladycroft), (e:lizabeth), and (e:john). I was a little worried about how meeting up might work with only one of us having a phone. But despite our lateness at Zagreb airport to meet (e:ladycroft) it went pretty smoothly. Anyway I'll let the pictures do the talking.


On the Danube across from the parliament building


Oh absinthe, the headaches you create.


Phone box and Metro station, Budapest


I love the separate traffic lights for bikers


(e:lizabeth) with cotton candy the size of her head


Szechenyi Thermal Baths at the city park, Budapest


I have no idea what this building is, I just thought it looked cool


view of the Danube from the Citadella


Whats left of my gulyas leves. I was told by the guy who served this to us that Hungarians take a shot of Palinka( which is a fruit brandy) after they eat gulyas leves.


Chain Bridge at night, Budapest


mmmm meggy minifank!! Which is mini doughnuts with sour cherry sauce.


The streets of Tokaj in Northeastern Hungary. Home of the world famous dessert wine Tokaji. And to think I used to hate dessert wine.


Rakoczi Pince, Tokaj. This is the largest and most famous wine cellar in Tokaj. They store and age wines from the Hetszolo Vineyards.


The tasting room at Rakoczi Pince, Tokaj. This is where we sampled some really awesome wines.


Gyomolcsleves, don't ask me to pronounce this, Hungarians couldn't understand me when I tried. It's a cold fruit soup that is served in the summer. It varied everywhere we tried it. Its basically a creamy soup made with sour cream and pretty much any kind of fruit can be added. Towards the end of summer when sour cherries are in season they are used more often than the pears we encountered frequently. This one also had whipped cream, black currents and blueberries. One place we had an awesome one(I don't have a pic), but is was a lime and peach cream soup with mint sorbet, absolutely delicious.


Train ride to Zagreb, to meet with (e:ladycroft)

So I haven't been here all that long, 8 hours including a 1 hour nap. But I have managed to learn a few things so far.

- Cigarettes come in packs of 19

- Do all of your shopping before 6pm

- Saying cheers in Magyar is really fucking difficult

- Don't go into clubs with hot women you meet on the street (not that I have experienced it, Lonely Planet warns of this, and there was a warning posted at our hostel)

- Orange soda officially kicks ass in all of the European countries Ive been to.

- Apparently chocolate and red wine make a fantastic sauce for lamb

- Camembert Cheese is a very popular menu item here.

For 8 hours I would say this is enough. Im currently dead tired and forcing myself to stay awake so I'm not up at 4am. Hopefully I will post some pictures of the (e:trek) soon.

Today I went to go pick up some kaffir lime leaves for my penang curry. I went to A Chau on Niagara street and the guy working the counter told me they weren't allowed to sell them anymore, in fact nobody in town could. Naturally I didn't believe him. So I went to the Niagara St. Asian Market which is only a block away and asked for them and was told the FDA banned them 3 months ago. Apparently they will be fined $10,000 if they are caught selling them! $10,000 for some fucking leaves??? It's bad enough I can't get fresh mangosteens(easily) or durian in this country, but now my lime leaves too?? I am seriously planning a trip to Canada just so I can smuggle a stash of this stuff. Fuck the FDA! I am going to be a one issue voter this year, any candidate that pledges to cut FDA funding will get my vote.

Ok, so does anyone have a really good explanation as to why you aren't supposed to put hot water into a coffee pot?? I'm not certain I believe this, but several people tell me its "bad".

I was accepted into the Nuclear Medicine Tech program at UB!!! I will definitely be celebrating after work tonight!

So work seems to be the topic du jour around here so I figure I'll throw in my work story. This is not stress related, this is to brag about how awesome I think my new restaurant is.

I started working at Seabar this week. For those of you who don't know this a contemporary sushi bar in Williamsville. I know, I know...its in the burbs. But this place is totally worth leaving the comforts of Buffalo to check out. I have eaten at every place that serves sushi in the greater Buffalo metro area shy of Shogun. This is by far the most creative menu, tasteful dining room and best service (I mean c'mon I work there) of the lot. The chef/owner of this place to used to run Tsunami. He is probably one of the finest chefs I have ever worked for, and most likely one of the best in Western NY. It's a relatively newer place, they only opened up last summer. I think this place is going to be very popular very soon.

The menu is small enough to be easily read through but extensive enough to keep you coming back. The wine list there isn't massive but all of the selections pair very well with the dishes on the menu. The sake list there is pretty good. They have plenty of different styles of sake to suite anyone and quite a few that can't be found anywhere else in a Buffalo restaurant.

Sorry if this post sounds like a plug for my current employer, but I guarantee you will be in food heaven if you eat there!

Last night after work I ventured off to Hertel ave for the first time and went to a place called the Sterling Place Tavern. This place is has a decent beer selection. It's the first place I have found Pilsner Urquell on tap in Buffalo. They also have quite a few Great Lakes Brewery beers on tap. The bottles they had looked pretty good too.

They have a small menu, consisting of pretty typical bar food. But the reason you should go is the Burgers. They are pretty spectacular. I ordered it medium rare figuring I would probably get it over done as most places do. But what arrived was a very thick perfectly done burger. The only thing I was shocked by is they don't have bacon for them, so I had sauteed mushrooms instead.

The bartenders were great there, service was very good. They don't take plastic there but the prices are pretty reasonable so bring a twenty and that should get you a couple beers, a burger and take care of the tip.

Wow, this has been a really good but very busy week. After searching for a job for several months I have finally landed a gig at a sushi bar in Williamsville. I'm not certain I want to name it but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Its one of the better places around Buffalo. Their menu looks pretty awesome and the owner seems like a real class act. I can't wait to serve sushi again. With that said I'm going to check out one of the other places in "Buffalo" tonight to see what they have to offer. I have heard that Wasabi is very good, and I can't wait to try it. I have been craving sushi lately.

So the girl I have been seeing hasn't run screaming yet so that is a good sign. It really feels good to be around her. I can't wait for some warmer weather so that we can get outside and do fun stuff. Not that I don't like the snow, but after this weekend I have just about filled my quota for the winter.

So tomorrow is a pretty big deal for me. I have my interview at UB with the Nuclear Medicine Tech Program people. I am a little bit nervous since I have kinda put most of my efforts into being accepted there. I guess if it doesn't work out I will find something else to do. But I really want to get in.

Even more good news during this post they finally plowed my street! I am getting tired out pushing people out and listening to tires spin at all hours of the night.

I woke up this morning and my car was already scraped??...Sweet!!

The past few weeks I have been working up the courage to ask this woman out. So finally this weekend I made the decision to do it and she sort of beat me to the punch. We seem to have enough in common to be good together and enough different to keep it interesting. She is really into food and wine and I have to admit that is a bit of a turn on for me. There is something really sexy about women that eat bunny without apology. I'm hoping this will turn out to be more than just a few dates, but I guess I will have to wait and see. This is about the best I have felt since moving here. Maybe if I cook for her that will seal the deal to keep her around.