Oh Oz... first stop, Melbourne

With it's European-style cafes and graffiti-covered alleyways, Melbourne is a historic and charming contrast to beachy and sleek Sydney. Food and drink in Australia is generally pricey but a 5 dollar (AUD) long black coffee is enjoyed in a chilled out table-lined side-street with fellow caffeine addicts and chatter. And caffeine addicts they are... but not in the I-need-my-fix sense. Lattes and cappucinos are favorites and are served in small glasses or white cups and savored over good conversation. The food in Melbourne is great too. Known for it's fairly international cuisine (the Greek community is apparently the largest outside of Athens!), Melbourne is the spot for lots of ethnic or fusion spots. 

  

Friday night a colleague and I ventured to De Los Santos, a tapas place with an old wood finish and golden lighting for a rustic yet warm feel. We sat at the bar and had the gentleman pictured below, who manages, suggest and serve our meal. I absolutely love to a) sit at a bar and b) have my menu crafted by those who know best...the people that work there of course. It makes for a great meal that feels shared ... and was between Evan and me because DUH it's tapas!  We had a few small plates including grilled halloumi, truffle mushrooms misto, spinach and goat cheese salad with pine nuts and plump yellow raisins and chorizo with fried chickpeas. I enjoyed a delicious Pinot Noir to wash it all down. BUT the best dessert I've had in awhile was a perfect end to a lively and balanced meal: warm custard filled donuts in the style of zeppoli with cool yogurt ice cream, gooey honey and crunchy walnuts. The thought right now makes my stomach cry out for more. I will definitely re-create this dessert and it shouldn't be too difficult. The trick is to make a simple yeast dough that's fairly wet and fry large spoonfuls of it until very light golden brown to make sure the inside doesn't cook through - this is the reason for the "custard" style stuffing... which isn't a stuffing at all, but basically raw dough... and who doesn't love raw dough? Ben and Jerry cashed in on this very concept!