matador approved european points

[bitterfruit]

I know we've got some European folks on the boards. I'll be in Copenhagen all next week and could use some tips on spots to hang out, record stores to check out, and points of interest. Anything would be appreciated.


Early December takes me to London for 10 days or so. I've only been there a few times and could also use some tips as well.

We did so well with the NY dining establishments that I thought a Euro list might be in order.

[earl grey]

copenhagen is a great town, i was there for a few days last year. really pretty and perfect for walking around. some of the highlights:

- amazing hot dogs, with remoulade, pickles, and fried onions. also prob the cheapest food option.
- the danish design center, close to the train station. great design museum, the danes are known for their design.
- the design shops are also great to browse through, and i was a big fan of the bodum flagship store on the main street (which is closed to traffic - walking only).
- christiania, this old military colony with barracks that hippies took over a while back. interesting area to wander through, they actually sell weed/hash legally there. some cool bars, with some v competitive foosball players.
- the carlsberg christmas beer. carlsberg and tuborg are the main beers there, and carlsberg puts out a christmas beer every winter. it's a little sweeter and stronger than usual, and real tasty. it's apparently a huge deal when they debut it in november, the entire city celebrates.

tivoli is supposed to be really nice, but it was closed when i was there. also, you should try to make it out to the countryside - there's an awesome art museum in louisiana, i can't remember the name but just the grounds alone make it worth the trip.

EDIT: it's called the louisiana museum of modern art, actually.

[Patrick]

Ida Davidsen's sandwich shop. (Formerly Oskar Davidsen's.) bitterfruit, I can't remember whether you eat fish or not, but I'm sure that some of the 79+ sandwiches on the menu are totally vegetarian.

The classic Danish smorrebrod style (open-face sandwiches, usually on very whole-grain rye or wheat, with literally almost any kind of topping), dating from the 1930s or 1940s.

Unfortunately, very echt Denmark in that the opening hours are severely restricted as well (like Weds-Sat. 12-2 and 4-7 or something insane like that).

Not too far from Kungens Nytorv. Again, I'm sure I'm mangling the language and spelling.

Patrick

P.S. Make sure to get some good akavit. Available at most good classic Danish restaurants. There are some super old-style bars near Kungens Nytorv too. Plus the ones in Tivoli, though those might be closed at this time of year.

[tinobeat]

Patrick:

where haven't you been and become totally immersed in the local culture of cuisine etc.? Its really quite amazing, your breadth of knowledge...

I mean that sincerely. I'm in awe.

[Patrick]

Dude, I'm just a poseur compared to some of the people here. We have a pretty international vibe at Matador and of course Beggars. Jesper can clue people in about way more countries than I can. Certainly I owe the above recommendation to him. It's a real world of discovering other cultures and especially cusines here.

Myself, aside from Japan, my only excursions outside the USA have been to Europe... a few times to Canada, and my only Mexico has been one sole lunchtime visit to Tijuana (but man that was good). I'm sure there are lots of people here who can amplify on that.

Patrick

[bitterfruit]

Originally posted by Patrick
Ida Davidsen's sandwich shop. (Formerly Oskar Davidsen's.) bitterfruit, I can't remember whether you eat fish or not, but I'm sure that some of the 79+ sandwiches on the menu are totally vegetarian.



If it had a face, I don't eat it. But with 79+ sandwiches on the menu, they will surely be able to satisfy even my requirements. Thanks for that!

[Jesper]

the orig menu at Davidsen had about 177 sandwiches! luckily you can buy a reprinted replica of that menu in either Danish or English while you're there, it makes for very great but annoying wall art as you want to order a few every time you look at it.

keep in mind that while it might sound weird to rant on about 'open-faced sandwiches' it truly is something spectacular, and most people I know can only eat two at a time - a smørrebrød is a meal in itself.

anyhoo, no visit to Cph is valid without a visit to Ida Davidsen - it's an institution. It's been famous for American travellers since the 50's or something (they also had a shop at the Kastrup airport back when flying was glamorous, though you can still get pretty good grub at the airport to this day)

Smørrebrød is the classic lunch in Denmark and there are many great smørrebrød restaurants in Cph. Most of them are open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm or so, but if you go at 3pm chances are you won't need to eat again that day!

These are some of my fave places (I am Swedish, but I usually try to fly in to Denmark on my way to Sweden just for a quick bite...):


TRUE GENIUS:
HUSMANN'S VINSTUE - Larsbjornstraede 2 --kitchen open 11-4
classic old lunch place, over a hundred years old, great atmosphere, fantstic place to be if you love smoking, drinking akvavit and eating amazing classic Danish food!. Like most of these places it has a simple but nice 'working class' vibe, a really great place.

HEAVEN ON A PLATE:
IDA DAVIDSEN
Stora Kongensgade 70 -- closed all of july, closed sat & sun -- kitchen open 11-4

TOLD & SNAPS -- this is quite new, but in the old style, really good food.
Toldbodgade 2
kitchen open 11.30-4

KAFE SORGENFRI
Brolaggerstraede 8
classic bohemian style café/lunch/dinner place, goes way back, I think kitchen is open til 9

I haven't been to this place since i was a kid, but is really old and shd have great food still:
Slotskaelderen Hos Gitte Kik
Fortunstraede 4

for a fancy dinner: ALBERTO K at the Raddison SAS Royal - This is modern and adventurous Italian fare and is quite pricey, but it is at the classic Arne Jacobsen-designed SAS Radisson hotel, the tallest bldg in Cph - and the restaurant is on the top and along with the now legendary room 606 is the only part of the building that hasn't been ruined by 'renovations'. Food and ambiance is stellar. The views over the city are amazing as well.

If you want to buy truly spectacular furniture, try Dansk Møbelkunst, the biggest and most famous of the Danish Modern type stores, it's at Bredgade 32, http://www.dmk.dk

It's quite expensive by Danish standards, but affordable compared to NYC. There are great flea markets and second hand shops too where yiou sometimes can make fantastic deals, I can't find my notes where these are at the moment but I'll keep looking. there's also a few really amazing used record stores - will return with that info as well.

JE

[Jesper]

ah, Louisiana is indeed a great museum, kind of like a MOMA Copenhagen... it's a short train ride north, really worth visiting.

http://www.louisiana.dk/

[3dsound]

I read this thread and I almost wanted to cry. I lived in Copenhagen for 5 years and that was my fav of all places... Even though the long winters short days can be a drag... Summer is heaven. First year couldn't believe the sun was still up at 11pm.. waking up at 3am and the sun was already rising.

People are cool and it's really stress free. Going to France after such a nice layed back country was rather brutal.. But I miss the smorrebrod and the fransk hot dogs... Stroget, tivoli and nihavn in summer where you can just hang out by the boats and drink your carslberg beer.... Lots of parks in the city and again.. beers.
Louisiana museum is a blast, I agree. One can take a trip to Elsinore as well, it's very nice up there.

Okay.. maybe I should move back there but I don't think now that I am trying to make money its the right place to be eheh.. Nan.. They would suck me dry with their taxes.

[bitterfruit]

Originally posted by Patrick
Plus the ones in Tivoli, though those might be closed at this time of year.


Tivoli is closed unfortunately. It looks like it would be lots of fun. I haven't had a chance to try Ida Davidsens out yet, but am set to go there later today.

I read about the Louisiana musee. Looks like it would be fun as well, but I won't have a chance to visit this time.

I'll probably be back in Copenhagen very soon --- sometime in the middle of December likely.

[3dsound]

Originally posted by bitterfruit
Tivoli is closed unfortunately. It looks like it would be lots of fun. I haven't had a chance to try Ida Davidsens out yet, but am set to go there later today.

I read about the Louisiana musee. Looks like it would be fun as well, but I won't have a chance to visit this time.

I'll probably be back in Copenhagen very soon --- sometime in the middle of December likely.

middle of december = strong christmas jule beer :)

[bitterfruit]

They totally hooked me up at Ida Davidsens. After they found out that I was crazy about veg stuff, they went out of their way to find things. The best was this red cabbage and radish salad thing. Never had anything like it before.

Thanks for the recommendations!

[bitterfruit]

Any London recommendations?