Matt Taylor-Gross

Since arriving in Montauk for the summer, I keep asking myself: How did I get so lucky? What is a nice Jewish boy from the Detroit suburbs, an ex-deli chef, a Williamsburg resident, doing all the way out on the easternmost tip of Long Island, living and working in what is arguably the nation’s finest fishing village?

When my brother Max and I were asked to run the restaurant at Ruschmeyer’s hotel this summer, we felt like we had won the summer cooking gig lottery. The allure of cooking seafood that comes in daily off boats from just a few miles away, and the ability to develop relationships with farmers and local businesses all around the Hamptons sounded too good to be true. A chance to work among the farmers and fishermen and showcase their tremendous product was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. So we loaded up our cars and moved as far east in New York as we could for the summer.

This series will focus on the natural beauty, the wonderful people who live here year-round working the land and building their businesses, and the passionate locals that discovered the natural wonder of Montauk long before the Jitney began to unload here all weekend long. In this new series, I will be sharing stories of the people and companies that we work with in Montauk and Amagansett, and how we use their products at Ruschmeyer's. This week, I spoke with the founders of Montauk Brewing Company about how they started their company and am sharing a recipe for the mussels we serve at Ruschmeyer's that uses their Driftwood Ale.

Montauk Brewing Company was started in 2008 when Eric Moss, Vaughan Cutillo, and Joe Sullivan began home brewing small batches of beer for summer barbecues. Guests loved the beer and so they began the arduous process of traversing the tough Hamptons political and legal climate to get approval to become the easternmost brewery in New York state. In 2012, the three friends and lifelong Hamptons residents opened the brewery, where they currently have four beers in their stable: an English-style pale ale, a summer ale, an IPA, and an Irish Red Ale.

For these three, opening a brewery in Montauk was always the dream. Vaughan (who is from Montauk) along with Joe and Eric (who are both from East Hampton) had been ocean lifeguards for a decade so they had been actively working and living in this community their entire lives. They have created a brand that showcases their beach lifestyle and love for Montauk vibes—sailing, surfing, relaxing, and being near the water.

Montauk Brewing Company has recently cultivated a relationship with Amber Waves Farm in Amagansett to grow wheat for their beers, and have set up a tasting room in Montauk so the public can swing by and share their love for the brewing process.

Nic Alegre

When imagining a new mussels dish for the menu at Ruschmeyer’s, we immediately felt that using Montauk Brewery’s Driftwood, an English-style pale ale, would be a clean and vibrant base for the sauce. The Driftwood beer has Magnum and Tettnang hops and earthy tones that work perfectly with the chipotle aïoli and fresh tarragon. A bowl of mussels is a perfect light summer dinner on its own or a delicious starter to snack on while the fish or chicken is on the grill. Just remember to toast plenty slices of baguette to soak up all the delicious sauce at the bottom of the bowl.

See the recipe for Mussels with Pale Ale and Spicy Aïoli »

This weekend we will haul out the beers, barbecue, and berry pies, and consider what it means to be American. We will also tell stories: stories of our forefathers, of Independence Days past, of patriotism. To add to that arsenal, we have collected our favorite USA-centric stories, about Italian immigrants and summers in Alaska and the cultural identity of a tuna fish sandwich. So before you light up the grill, do some light reading from SAVEUR issues past.

Hallie Bateman

We wander through Mexico City’s Coyoacan neighborhood eating corn, the street coyotes of its namesake now streams of blissful loiterers curling around the merchants into Plaza Hidalgo. The colors all shock and burst, the grifters look like your niece. Everyone is flexing a fist or flashing a grin, eager for energy. We’d just been gawking at Frida Kahlo’s death mask and I’d felt thick, dark, but now in the rushing light I am ageless and unbounded. The square is a lemon having a fit. It’s old colonial Mexico in bright bloom.

Restaurant patios line the back wall of the square, all with their own busker in front; we choose the only one with a table open. This is where Cortés, with the ghosts of an empire dripping from his hands, tortured Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec emperor. The square now all laughter and accordions, knock-off Minions and Bart Simpsons, we order beer and tequila. We order guacamole, too, but con chapulines throws us off, and the waiter, pinching his fingers together and struggling, can’t seem to find the word either. We decide to try it regardless.

He returns and sets a small white bowl down. Ah. Chapulines.

“¿Cómo se dice?” he asks.

“Crickets.”

They look like tiny grasshoppers. They’ve been toasted to a dry crisp, salted and limed, like a sunflower seed with a face. You’ll see them on barrio streets piled into soft, coppery pyramids, sold by the cupful. I hold one up by its brittle back leg and examine it, how frozen it seems, suspended in a faraway time like the people of Aztlán, like my own Mexican heritage hanging thin and fading in some familial echo.

And we crunch them and dip them and wash them down with the cold beer, their bronzed bodies like dead royalty waiting in the sunlit bowl. Their taste is all subtle hints: ajo, lima, spikes of salt. I am astounded by the facts: we are in Mexico City, we are eating crickets, we are beaming. I am an arm reaching back through generations, I see my grandmother’s hands in my hands, I am staked into an exploding history. Which likely means nothing, I think, while a guitar creaks, while my amber beer beads, while the young plaza girls try to shake pesos from our trees.

Alan Hanson is a writer from California and an amateur entomophagist. You can find him on Twitter here.

There’s a new dynamism in the Twin Cities culinary scene, thanks to a deeply food-engaged populace supporting not only restaurants, cocktail bars, and taphouses, but a dozen independent food cooperatives (supermarkets with a focus on organic and local produce). Our feature in the June/July issue of Saveur visits four Minneapolis chefs in their kitchens and comes away with some kick-ass new recipes for summer. In the course of reporting the story, we visited many more restaurants, salumi makers, bakers, and food trucks than we had room in the story for. So we've put together this list of some our favorite finds.

Surdyk's Liquor and Cheese

Courtesy of Surdyk's Liquor and Cheese

Bachelor Farmer
In this warm, post-and-beam former warehouse, James Beard Award-winning chef Paul Berglund fashions boldly flavored food from north country ingredients. Your roasted celeriac soup with toasted walnuts and lemon might be served in a clay bowl thrown by Berglund—an amateur potter—himself.

Bachelor Farmer
50 2nd Avenue N
(612) 206-3920

Octopus at Borough

Courtesy of Borough

Borough
Drew Yancey serves globe-trotting plates like raw tuna with miso, pineapple, sesame, and lime at this chefs' hangout in the North Loop. And barkeep Jesse Held, a seasoned veteran of the Minneapolis mixology scene, shakes cocktails for adventurous sippers, viz. the Awkward Silence, made with bourbon, peach-pit liqueur, yerba mate honey, artichoke liqueur, and “salt solution.”

Borough
730 N. Washington Avenue
(612) 354-3135

Burgers at The Curious Goat

TJ Turner

Curious Goat
Torqued-up comforts with refined technique (think purple potatoes with sunchoke cream or a meatloaf sandwich with onion jam and gravy) are this food truck’s calling card. And you don’t have to hunt far and wide for this mobile operation because it’s in residence semi-permanently at Sociable Cider Werks.

Curious Goat
1500 Fillmore Street NE
(612) 229-2364

Haute Dish
As you might have guessed by the name, Landon Schoenefeld’s restaurant serves Midwestern food with modern, cheffy flourishes. His upmarket riff on the Midwestern staple “hot dish” casserole includes beef short rib, porcini mushrooms, and of course, tater tots—and has become a Twin Cities icon.

Haute Dish
119 Washington Avenue N
(612) 338-8484

Heyday
Dominated by a freewheeling open kitchen and a few barns’ worth of reclaimed wood, Jim Christiansen’s vegetable-focused restaurant offers cooking with a lightness and purity, shown in dishes like a warm appetizer of a fried egg over chanterelles, quick-pickled blackberries, green garlic, and toasted hazelnuts. The claytonia, morels, and spring onions that Christiansen finds in Theodore Wirth Park make regular appearances on plates here.

Heyday
2700 Lyndale Avenue S
(612) 200-9369

La Belle Vie
The grand dame of Minneapolis fine dining has a new chef de cuisine in Shane Oporto. The jury’s still out on how the menu of French-inflected refinements that won executive chef Tim McKee a James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest in 2009 will get tweaked, if at all. In the meantime, the bar here—widely credited with igniting the craft cocktail scene in the city—is superb for popping in for an aperitif before a night on the town.

La Belle Vie
510 Groveland Avenue
(612) 874-6440

Kramarczuk’s
Since 1954, this warm, inviting meat market and restaurant has been delivering the old-world flavors of eastern Europe, primarily in the form of sausages and more sausages: Every style of mett, brat, and wurst is available here.

Kramarczuk’s
215 E Hennepin Avenue
(612) 379-3018

The Marvel Bar's "alkaline trio"

Charlie Ward

Marvel Bar
This industrial-posh speakeasy underneath Bachelor Farmer has the city’s most extensive selection of spirits from Minnesota distilleries and some of its best cocktails, too. The house style is a restrained refinement—no seaweed tinctures here!—that is nevertheless sly and winning.

Marvel Bar
50 2nd Avenue N
(612) 206-3929

Piccolo
Doug Flicker is the Obi Wan Kenobi of the Minneapolis dining scene and his tiny, 36-seat jewel box spot in South Minneapolis is a must on any food-lover’s tour. His dishes marry craveable comfort with tweezer-prodded artistry, like braised salsify with smoked oysters, hen of the woods mushrooms, horseradish, and cress. And don’t miss his signature scrambled eggs with pickled pigs' feet and truffle butter.

Piccolo
4300 Bryant Avenue S
(612) 827-8111

Red Table Meat Co.
Heirloom pigs, transformed into traditional Italian-style salumi and whole-muscle cures, are the specialty of this year-old salumeria, run by ace chefs Mike Phillips and Peter Ireland. Their gleaming Willy Wonka-esque facility has a USDA inspector onsite and floor-to-ceiling glass windows that reveal to visitors every step of the process, from butchering, to production, to curing, to aging.

Red Table Meat Co.
1401 Marshall Street NE
(612) 200-8245

Salty tarts at Salty Tart

Emily J. Davis

Salty Tart
In a city with a brace of top-notch bakeries (Patisserie 46, Rustica), Michelle Gayer’s spot—a kiosk tucked into the Midtown Global Market—focuses on decadent, delicious confections you’d expect from a James Beard-nominated pastry chef, like a chocolate trifle with moist chocolate cake, silky chocolate mousse, and toasty caramel served in a half-pint deli container. Grab a plastic spoon and dig in!

Salty Tart
920 E Lake Street
(612) 874-9206

Spoon and Stable
In a sun-splashed lofty former stable, Minnesota native Gavin Kaysen—whose previous gig was seven years helming New York’s Café Boulud—turns out elegant seasonal cuisine, like wood-grilled duck with black rice, beets, and honey, with the highest-quality Midwestern ingredients.

Spoon and Stable
211 1st Street N
(612) 224-9850

Surdyk's Liquor and Cheese

Courtesy of Surdyk's Liquor and Cheese

Surdyk’s Liquor and Cheese
A sprawling market—really two markets in one—is a one-stop shop for Twin-Cities-made provisions, like Red Table Meat Co. salamis, cocktail bitters by Dashfire, and B.T. McElrath’s award-winning Salty Dog Chocolate Bars.

Surdyk’s Liquor and Cheese
303 E Hennepin Avenue
(612) 379-3232

Tilia
This ur-neighborhood restaurant seems like it’s been there since Betty Crocker’s heyday. It's a warm taproom (featuring 21 tightly curated draft beers) with creaky hardwood floors, glowing schoolhouse lanterns, and chipped Thonet chairs. Chef Steven Brown isn’t afraid to elevate well-sourced Minneapolis lake fish and vegetables with global flourishes like dukka spices and ras el hanout.

Tilia
2726 W 43rd Street
(612) 354-2806

New and on-the-horizon:

Brut
Erik Anderson returned to Minneapolis from Nashville’s lauded The Catbird Seat, and teamed up with Jamie Malone, former executive chef of Twin Cities seafood temple Sea Change, to create Brut, a classic French restaurant slated for a fall opening. Their pop-ups have been setting Instagram ablaze. Stay up-to-date with developments and opening date on Twitter.

Nighthawks and Birdie
Landon Schoenefeld first made a name for himself with Haute Dish (see above). Nighthawks, named for the Edward Hopper painting, is his postmodern diner; Birdie, opening later this summer, will be a tasting-menu-only restaurant-within-a-restaurant located in Nighthawk’s kitchen.

Nighthawks
3753 Nicollet Avenue S
(612) 248 8111

Patisserie 46
Much-laureled pastry chef John Kraus crafts all the soigné French patisseries—mille-feuilles, eclairs, macarons—at this laid-back neighborhood café and bakery. But Kraus’ kouign-amann twist, his foot-long take on the classic Breton delectable, is a must. There are also killer tartines and crêpes.

Patisserie 46
4552 Grand Ave S
(612) 354-3257

Revival
North Carolina-bred Thomas Boemer won over the Twin Cities with his cooking at Corner Table, a genial neighborhood bistro with deft Italian-ish fare and seasonal Midwestern ethics. His newly-opened spot Revival pays homage to the southern dishes he grew up with, such as fried chicken and pork barbecue with chopped slaw.

Revival
4257 Nicollet Avenue S (612) 345-4516

Cookbook authors Matt Lee and Ted Lee are the hosts of the TV series "Southern Uncovered with The Lee Bros.” which premieres on Ovation June 14, 2015.

Sara Deseran

Neal Fraser's grilled octopus salad

I didn’t get a lot of sleep last week in the lively, beautiful town of San Miguel de Allende. My husband Joe and I, representing our Tacolicious restaurants in San Francisco, were lucky enough to be part of the posse of chefs and restaurant owners brought down to Mexico to participate in the third year of the Sabores San Miguel food festival. For three days in mid-June, it seemed like the whole town was eating and drinking and dancing it up under one tent in the leafy, lush Parque Juarez.

The festival, produced by Donnie Masterton and Angela Lewis Serrano, was a testament to the fantastic food being cooked up in SMA. Next to local restaurants such as Aguamiel and Aperi and patisseries such as Cumpanio, SMA was treated to the food cooked by an international group: Neil Fraser of LA's Redbird served one of his signature salads made up of tender and smoky charred grilled octopus, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, and an anchovy vinaigrette. Across the crowded tent, London-based Lily Vanilli, representing her eponymous bakery, sold gorgeous pear cakes with chile, ginger, and chamomile syrup with candied spiced pepitas. Carlo Mirarchi of Roberta’s in Brooklyn was there too, slinging suckling pig.

At our own table, SMA-based gordita maker Rosa, who brought her own bowl of blue-corn masa, patiently patted out one gordita after another on a comal that emanated a wave of heat to match the hot SMA summer sun. After cooking each gordita on the griddle, she sliced them open and stuffed them with our signature Tacolicious guisado, a braised guajillo-braised short rib. Nearby, Donnie put lamb on a spit (shawarma was the original inspiration for tacos al pastor, after all) and carved it off into handmade flour tortillas with a dollop of yogurt and chile sauce—a glorious culmination of Mexican and the Mediterranean. Inhaling it, all I could think is thank god cuisine is a shape-shifter.

Sara Deseran

Flags line the cobblestone streets leading to the festival.

Those of us who thought we were going to slumber off the inevitable overdose of tequila afterwards were in for a surprise. The hundreds of churches that line the meandering cobblestoned streets of SMA make sure that gluttony does not go unpunished; we woke in the wee hours to a cacophonous battle of church bells and the heart-palpitating rat-a-tat-tat of firecrackers. But by that point, smitten as we were with San Miguel Allende and its food, we hardly minded.

See the recipe for Grilled Octopus with Chickpeas, Cherry Tomatoes, and Anchovy Vinaigrette »

St. John Bread and Wine

Stefan Johnson

She may originally hail from Ireland, but Diana Henry, cookbook author and columnist at the Sunday Telegraph, has lived in London long enough to earn the status of a local. So we asked her to share her favorite neighborhood restaurants across the city, those places that may not be the flashiest but have a loyal local following, reliable food, and kind service. Because when you're traveling, sometimes that's all you want.

It can be difficult to get a handle on a city’s food. Guidebooks and blogs often lead you to fine dining restaurants and the latest hip opening; you’ll be encouraged to visit the temple of a big-name chef and a "must-go-now" joint that hasn't yet hit its stride (or is simply overhyped). You’ll often queue for an hour before getting a drafty table by the door. What I want to find in a city are the restaurants where people who love good food—but don’t want to spend a fortune—go, the places that tell me something about that city, that give me a broad view of what is going on.

In the 30 years that I've been living in London, I've found my own favorite neighborhood restaurants, the places where I want to bring my visiting friends not because they're the hot new thing, but because they are comfortable and the food is good. These restaurants are all about the food, not the décor—and if you go you’ll eat with Londoners (for the most part) rather than visitors. You’ll see that fermentation is big here; that we like old-fashioned British food, as long as it’s done well; that pubs are a great place to eat out (if you know the good ones); and that we’re still in love with rough and ready Mediterranean fare. You won’t find a cheffy smear on your plate or an expense account diner in any of them. This is the best of laid-back dining in London, the places we locals go on a Friday night.

Brawn

John Carey

Brawn
49 Columbia Road
London E2 7RG
020 7729 5692

10 Greek Street

10 Greek Street
10 Greek Street
London W1
020 7734 4677

St. John Bread and Wine

Stefan Johnson

St. John Bread & Wine
94-96 Commercial Street
London E1 6LZ
O20 7251 0848

Shortrib Bourguignon, The Smokehouse

The Smokehouse
63-69 Canonbury Road
London N1 2DG
020 7354 1144

Raw Duck

Joe Woodhouse

Raw Duck
197 Richmond Road
London E8 3NJ
020 8986 6534

Diana Henry is an award-winning food writer and broadcaster based in London and a James Beard nominee. She is one of most loved and respected voices in food in the UK and the author of nine books. She has been a food columnist on The Daily Telegraph for over 12 years. Born and brought up in Ireland, she studied English Literature at Oxford University and was a television producer at BBC Television for many years before she started writing about food.

"Go to Lou's in Lakeview. Ask for Angel. If he's not there, leave.”

I was lucky to get the clandestine, word-of-mouth invitation. Visiting Birmingham, Alabama, and desperately seeking a cocktail as the sun slid away on a Sunday afternoon, I didn't have many options. Over a third of Alabama's counties are dry, but even in wet Birmingham, many places abstain from serving on Sundays; liquor stores stay closed, too.

From the street, Lou's doesn't look like much. Green neon script in the window spells out “Lou's Pub & Package Store,” and for the most part it delivers on that humble promise as a hybrid beer-and-shot dive bar and liquor shop (the retail side stays closed on Sundays). Locals drop in for a Bud at the low-ceilinged, dark-wood bar or sit on the patio, a few stone benches and tables arranged on the concrete out front. Some buy a bottle of Jack to take home at the end of the night. Most days of the week, it's a watering hole like any other, a little shabby, sure, but not without straightforward, reliable comforts—an empty stool, a cold beer.

On Sundays and Wednesdays, however, things are a little different: It's Church Night at Lou's. On those nights, bartender Angel Negrín sets up a craft cocktail pop-up, something like a swank supper club plunked into a greasy spoon. The dive-bar bones are still there, of course, but Negrín adds a bit of flash as he unpacks diamond-cut mixing glasses and shiny jiggers. The genial Bud-drinkers in T-shirts remain, too, but they sit elbow to elbow with a younger crowd dressed in vintage finds and sipping Corpse Revivers, Old Pals, and other classic cocktails.

“Is Angel here?” I ask the barrel-chested man in a flannel shirt who's standing at the clunky cash register over a display of gum and candy in a dusty glass case. Without a word, he jerks a thumb down the narrow bar. Negrín is easy to identify as mixologist material: tall and with a clean-shaven head, gracefully stirring two drinks at a time with long-handled bar spoons. Yes, this is the guy you want making your drink. I ease into one of the round tables arranged artlessly in the retail space between the long walls of bottles and scan the menu. There are a handful of original cocktails, including the Mid-Bar Purse Dump, a tall, fruity vodka sipper. But mostly Negrín sticks to classics: I order the Diamondback (rye whiskey, applejack, and yellow Chartreuse)—a vintage drink, but a new one to me. It's balanced and bracing, and it disappears awfully fast.

Melina Hammer

“It didn't start as a Church Night,” Negrín says. “It just happened that way.” Before Lou's, Negrín, a Pennsylvania native, mixed drinks at Birmingham's fine-dining restaurants, including Frank Stitt's French bistro, Chez Fonfon, and Italian-inspired Bettola. Around then, he noticed that Birmingham had little in the way of stand-alone cocktail bars. When the owner of Lou's mused aloud one night about offering craft cocktails, Negrín volunteered to jump in on the slow nights, Wednesday and Sunday. Coincidentally, those are the same two days that many of the Bible Belt faithful attend church. “You go to church twice a week if you don't want to be talked about bad by your congregation,” Negrín says. But it wasn't any rebellion against moralists that got Church Night going—it was the dearth of great drinks. “The cocktail scene in Birmingham is so young,” says Negrín. “It wasn't that long ago that you couldn't get a good cocktail here.”

At Church Night, the low steel-and-vinyl barstools are full—one ponytailed gent in spectacles and a vest chats up a woman sporting plenty of ink and a crocheted dress. By the window, a table of denim-clad locals makes birthday toasts with bottles of beer and tequila shots. In a whiskey-fueled reverie, I squint and—just for a moment—the bottle-green neon glow in Lou's window almost looks like stained glass. A burst of laughter erupts from the group by the window, bringing me back, and it's time to order another round.

See the recipe for the Diamondback Cocktail »

Matt Taylor-Gross

At the Mercado de San Fernando in Madrid’s hipster-leaning Lavapiés neighborhood, day drinking is a family affair. Every Sunday afternoon, locals crowd the market’s grid of vintage deli counters that are repurposed to sell everything from the traditional jamón iberico to sushi rolls to paperbacks stacked tall like cuts of meat. But the most crowded stalls are the bars, where adults slug glasses of vermouth lightened with a little soda water and an orange peel when they’re not spooning bites of Day-Glo yellow paella into the waiting mouths of their offspring. The scene resembles what Brooklyn’s Park Slope might be like if its open-container laws were a little less restrictive.

Though I was aware of the habit in advance, the prevalence of vermouth still came as a surprise during my recent trip to Spain. It was suddenly everywhere, from the Madrid market to ancient open-air bars in Seville to Granada tourist traps. Each spot comes with its own variations. Seville’s heat was met with a refreshing splash of extra soda, while Granada’s chilly altitude meant an apéritif served straight, dark, and pungent. And there was always a snack nearby—bits of chorizo, fried seafood, tortilla española—to go alongside it.

This ritual of tomar un vermut—literally, “taking a vermouth”—is to Spain what grabbing an espresso is to Italy. It’s a social activity undertaken pretty much whenever over the course of daylight hours, preferably with a friend or three. The beverage is less an intoxicant than a way to pass the time. It accelerates your afternoon rather than ending it, unlike New York City’s excessive bottomless mimosas. In Spain, excess is not the point; enjoyment is.

Spaniards know how to day-drink with relentless aplomb. Their beverages of choice—whether low-alcohol vermouth, precise glasses of Rioja, or almost offensively light beers—enable this superpower. While we throw back thick bloody marys and headache-inducing prosecco mixers, we could be having a lot more fun with something less heavy.

Luckily for us, the time is right. Vermouth has recently shed its formerly fusty reputation in the U.S.; bars have begun serving it on its own, and small vermouth producers are popping up around the country. But we remain somewhat lost as to how to consume it. It’s time for us to adopt the social traditions that come along with vermouth and drink it the way Spaniards do: all day, every day.

One of vermouth’s many advantages is its flexibility. At the Basque restaurant Huertas in Manhattan’s East Village, beverage director Nate Adler pours two types of house vermouth: red and white. As Adler explains it, vermouth isn’t limited to a single format. “There are no regulations as to origin, what goes into it, what the alcohol by volume is,” Adler explains. Vermouth is simply wine, usually with brandy, plus bitter herbs and roots like gentian and angelica. “You can drink it all day long,” Adler says.

Huertas’s red vermouth is served both straight up and in cocktails: There’s the Tinto del Verano, a fizzy mainstay with a splash of soda; the Fumador, with cherry syrup; and a sherry Negroni, which doesn’t actually include any gin. It’s not just about straight vermouth, but about representing the full gamut of drinks found across Spain. “We wanted to recreate that cultural experience,” Adler says.

Following Spanish tradition, you might want to stick to sunlight hours to drink your vermouth. But you don’t have to fancy it up to enjoy it.

“If I want something that’s kind of like sangria but not disgusting, I like vermouth with lambrusco in equal parts."

“I love throwing in a dash of bitters and splash of soda and a peel of whatever citrus I have laying around,” says Bianca Miraglia, the founder of Uncouth Vermouth, a Brooklyn-based vermouth maker that works with Huertas. “If I want something that’s kind of like sangria but not disgusting, I like vermouth with lambrusco in equal parts. That’s a really great daytime cocktail.”

Sangria, the Spanish wine cocktail we know best, albeit in a badly Americanized form, has a cloying reputation; the kalimotxo, cola added to red wine, is catching on as well, but it still hides behind sweetness. Vermouth has nothing to conceal.

Vermouth doesn’t care how or when you drink it—in fact, the earlier the better, so as to fit more into the day. It doesn’t care what you mix it with. It’s not about finding the perfect craft cocktail formula or the precise appellation of French wine. Vermouth is chill, perfect for sunny summer Fridays when you can drink and picnic like you’re in Spain even if you don’t have a vacation planned—and you’ll still make it out afterwards.

Madrileños appreciate vermouth’s slight insouciance. At Bar Barroso, one of those popular counters in the Mercado de San Fernando, a portly, balding gentleman will tip a two-foot-tall bottle of Cocchi into a glass, splash tonic from a bottle, throw in an orange peel, and serve it up. One afternoon, he tilted the bottle too enthusiastically in a rush to serve his waiting patrons and the vermouth splashed everywhere over the metal counter. It sat stickily for a long time, in which the bartender poured and served several more glasses, before being wiped up.

In Madrid:
Bar Barroso
Mercado de San Fernando
Calle de Embajadores, 41
Madrid, Spain

In Manhattan:
Huertas
107 1st Avenue
New York, NY 10003

Kyle Chayka is a writer living in Brooklyn.

Katie Parla

With a city nicknamed Caput Mundi—Capital of the World—it’s only natural that Romans are accustomed to seeing their home as unrivaled in matters of history, culture, and food. And while it's true that traditional local cuisine holds a sacred place at the table, the Eternal City is hardly impervious to change. The city’s classics, from carbonara to cacio e pepe, are still universally beloved, but Rome’s dining and drinking culture, like that of all cities, is in a constant state of slow evolution. Recently, tightening purse strings, a transitioning food economy, and changing palates have conspired to create exciting new ways of dining, drinking, and shopping for food. Visitors to the Italian capital will be endlessly satisfied, whether they are after traditional foods or fresh flavors.

Where to Eat

Where to Stay

Where to Drink

What to Do

The innovative features of Rome’s flourishing food and drinks scene are at their best when they use tradition as a foundation: neo-trattorias like Cesare al Casaletto serve clever twists on the classics, while the nascent craft cocktail culture, embodied by The Jerry Thomas Project, embraces historic spirits and forgotten flavors. Wine bars and craft beer pubs run by enthusiastic experts promote small producers over conventional choices and a revived interest in food provenance has given rise to a growing number of farmers’ markets—which contrary to popular belief are relative newcomers to the city’s gastronomic landscape.

Terre e Domus
“Locavore” isn’t a trendy buzzword at this wine bar and restaurant near the Roman Forum; it’s an imperative. Terre e Domus is run by Rome’s county government and its aim is to support local farmers and winemakers by only using ingredients sourced in the city’s environs. Even the bottled water comes from a nearby spring. Chef Marco Pasquali serves seasonal Roman classics like vignarola, a stew of artichokes, fava beans, peas, and lettuce, as well as perennial favorites like potato gnocchi and polpette di bollito, deep fried patties of simmered beef. The espresso is among the finest in town, but you don’t need to sit down for a whole meal to try it—just swing by on your way to the Forum and get a quick caffeine fix at the bar. The place gets busy at lunch, so book ahead and request a table with a view of Trajan’s Column.

Terre e Domus
Via Foro Traiano 82-4
Piazza Venezia, Rome, Italy
+390669940273

Cesare al Casaletto
If there is any place in Rome that warrants a trip across town, it’s this neo-trattoria in the Gianicolense district. Getting there is simple: just hop on the #8 tram at Piazza Venezia and take it to the end. A short walk from the tram stop, chef Leonardo Vignoli serves classic and innovative Roman fare. He has a flair for fried starters like eggplant croquettes, baby octopus, squash blossoms, and polpette di bollito, while his tripe, oxtail, and pig liver always hit the mark on flavor and texture. The wine list, which mixes small producers from Italy and France, is outrageously affordable and features mainly organic and biodynamic producers.

Cesare al Casaletto
Via del Casaletto, 45
Gianicolense, Rome, Italy
+3906536015

Tavernaccia da Bruno
When Bruno opened his “tavernaccia” in southern Trastevere in 1968, he served Roman classics alongside rustic country dishes from his native Umbria. Now, Bruno’s daughters are at the helm and follow in their father’s footsteps with a few additions to the repertoire. The Sardinian chef—Bruno’s son in law—masterfully uses the wood-burning oven to slow-roast punta di petto (beef brisket) and maialino (suckling pig) to tender perfection. The wood-fired lasagna is exceptional and there is a tasty assortment of thin-crusted pizzas and flatbreads, as well.

Tavernaccia da Bruno
Via G. da Castelbolognese, 63, corner with via Panfilo Castaldi 12
Trastevere, Rome, Italy
+39065812792

Salumeria Roscioli
For the past decade, this deli-wine bar-restaurant combo has captivated chefs and food writers drawn in by its exceptional ingredients. They are best when presented simply: burrata with semi-sun-dried tomatoes, mortadella, and 30-month aged Parmigiano-Reggiano; and Isigny butter and Cantabrian anchovies on the house sourdough. The rigatoni alla gricia is dressed in a tight sauce of cured pork jowl, black pepper, and copious amounts of finely grated Pecorino Romano, and the spaghetti alla carbonara is made with the eggs of goat’s milk-drinking Livorno hens. Book a table on the ground floor near the kitchen for marginally roomier seating than you'll find in the crowded basement or deli area.

Salumeria Roscioli
Via dei Giubbonari, 21/22
Campo de’ Fiori, Rome, Italy
+39066875287

Metamorfosi
Few Michelin-starred venues in Rome are worth the investment or the calories; Metamorfosi is a noted exception. The Rome-trained international kitchen flawlessly executes contemporary cuisine drawing on native Italian ingredients fused with modern techniques and exotic (by local standards) flavors. Signature dishes like candied tomato ravioli with burrata and cured pork jowl and miso-lacquered eel with caramelized onions and tangy vinegar sorbet are supremely balanced; the rest of the menu, which changes a few times a year, is guided by the seasons.

Metamorfosi
Via Giovanni Antonelli, 30/32
Parioli, Rome, Italy
+39068076839

La Torricella
The Testaccio neighborhood, the site of a former slaughterhouse, may be known for quinto quarto (offal and poor cuts), but the menu at this family-run institution on the edge of the district is decidedly fish-focused. The D’Alfonsi family serves fresh catch from the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea, and their antipasti are particularly good: pan-fried anchovies, fried and marinated baby octopus, and fresh octopus salads. Be sure to ask about the antipasto cart, which tends to be rolled only to tables of regulars, before ordering. Pastas and mains change regularly, but there are always whole fish on the menu, served roasted or grilled.

La Torricella
Via Evangelista Torricelli, 2/12
Testaccio, Rome, Italy
+39065746311

Katie Parla

Flavio al Velavevodetto
Via di Monte Testaccio, 97
Testaccio, Rome, Italy
+39065744194

Tempio di Iside
Francesco Tripodi, a Calabrian transplant to Rome, serves exquisitely fresh fish at this cavernous restaurant near the Colosseum. The raw items, including French oysters and Adriatic shrimp, are without rival in the Italian capital, and the pasta dishes—like spaghetti with sea urchin roe and linguine with crab—are elegant in their simplicity. In Rome, fresh fish is a luxury, which is reflected in the prices at Tempio, but you’ll be hard pressed to find fish in this category anywhere else in town.

Tempio di Iside
Via Pietro Verri, 11
Colosseo, Rome, Italy
+39067004741

Pizzeria Ostiense
Three young friends opened this lively pizzeria in April 2014 in the Ostiense district, a rapidly transitioning industrial zone. Pizzas may be the main event, but locals know to begin with assorted fried starters like fiori di zucca (squash blossoms filled with mozzarella and anchovies), filetti di baccalà (battered cod), and simmered beans. The pizzas are made in the classic Roman style: briefly leavened dough is stretched, rolled flat, then baked in a wood-burning oven. The result is a crispy, practically rimless pie. The best pizzas are the ones sparsely topped like the Napoli (with tomato, mozzarella, and anchovies) and fiori di zucca (with mozzarella, squash blossoms, and anchovies). Desserts like panna cotta (served dripping with chocolate sauce) and tiramisù are creamy and satisfying.

Pizzeria Ostiense
Via Ostiense, 56 b/c
Ostiense, Rome, Italy
+390657305081

Tonda
North of the city center, Tonda’s domed, ceramic-clad oven bakes Rome’s finest thick-rimmed pizzas. Although the local Roman style calls for a thin, crispy base, Tonda emulates the Neapolitan tradition of a thicker, slightly chewy crust. Toppings range from classic margherita to innovative carbonara (topped with the ingredients traditionally found in the pasta dish) and there is a wide assortment of fried appetizers to start with. Tonda also serves trapizzini—triangular pockets of dough filled with simmered meats or offal. All ingredients are top-notch and the wine list is well curated, but the gourmet sourcing doesn’t translate to a pretentious atmosphere. Tonda is a down-to-earth neighborhood joint with friendly service and a loyal following, so be sure to book in advance.

Tonda
Via Valle Corteno, 31
Nomentano, Rome, Italy
+39068180960

Hotel 47
Built on the ruins of Rome’s ancient livestock market, this early 20th century building was designed in a rational/fascist architectural style, complete with clean lines and plenty of white limestone. But now, the austere atmosphere has been replaced with hospitable modernity and restrained luxury. The upper floors have views of the verdant Aventine Hill and over ancient temples to the rooftops of Trastevere. The top floor bar, which is open to visitors as well as guests, provides a shaded retreat from the ruins below.

Hotel 47
Via Luigi Petroselli, 47
Circo Massimo, Rome, Italy
+39066787816

Courtesy of Babuino 181 Hotel

Babuino 181
Via del Babuino, 181
Campo Marzio, Rome, Italy
+390632295295

JK Place
Housed in La Sapienza University’s former architecture building, the JK Place, which opened in 2013, is a relative newcomer to Rome’s growing number of boutique luxury hotels. Each of the 30 lavishly decorated rooms, many of which are set in converted classrooms, are outfitted with fine textiles and beautifully designed furniture, while the common areas are packed with pieces of Neo-Classical sculpture and contemporary art. In spite of its location near the intersection of Via del Corso and Via dei Condotti—Rome’s high-end shopping nexus—the rooms are quiet and sheltered from street traffic.

JK Place
Via di Monte D'Oro, 30
Campo Marzio, Rome, Italy
+3906982634

Stavio
Just south of the city center, Rome’s old industrial zone and commercial port is slowly transitioning into a trendy nightlife district with clubs, cocktail bars, and pubs. Stavio, which is set in an old granary, pours beers from its dozen or so taps and hand pumps. Brews from the eponymous brewery are on constant rotation alongside craft beers from Italy, Belgium, and the UK. Stavio attracts a young crowd for their nightly aperitivo (a sort of happy hour) when they serve discounted beer with complimentary snacks.

Stavio
Via Antonio Pacinotti, 83
Portuense, Rome, Italy
+390694363146

Caffè Propaganda
Caffè Propaganda’s long, polished zinc bar is home to one of the city’s most exciting cocktail programs. Helmed by top mixologist Patrick Pistolesi, Propaganda serves dozens of classic cocktails with an Italian twist. Pistolesi draws on Italian spirits, citrus, vermouth, and even red wine when crafting his concoctions. The bar gets crowded and patrons are admitted on a first-come, first-served basis, so pop in for an early aperitivo followed by a stroll past the neighboring Colosseum.

Caffè Propaganda
Via Claudia, 15
Colosseo, Rome, Italy
+390694534255

Katie Parla

The Jerry Thomas Project
Vicolo Cellini, 30
Campo de’ Fiori, Rome, Italy
+390696845937

La Barrique
La Barrique is part of a growing number of Roman wine bars that completely eschews conventional wines in favor of organic, biodynamic, traditional, and natural options. Their assortment of sparklers is stellar and the white, red, rosé, and orange wines showcase excellent and affordable producers from Italy, France, Austria, and Slovenia. The list of wines by the glass is extensive and ideal for solo drinkers eager to taste a variety of styles, but groups should dive into the fabulous bottle list.

La Barrique
Via del Boschetto, 41
Monti, Rome, Italy
+390647825953

Litro
The leafy Monteverde Vecchio neighborhood is home to one of Rome’s most dynamic wine and cocktail bars. The owners are obsessive about knowing all their producers personally, and each bottle on the constantly changing list is chosen for its ability to express the terroir of its origins. Recently, mixologist Valeria Sebastiani took over behind the bar and introduced a refreshing assortment of aperitivos, as well as some stiffer cocktails for mezcal and whiskey lovers. The tiny kitchen serves a selection of small plates, cheeses, and cured meats.

Litro
Via Fratelli Bonnet, 5
Monteverde Vecchio, Rome, Italy
+390645447639

Daniela's Cooking School
Taking a cooking class with Daniela Del Balzo feels like learning to cook from your sweetest friend. Guests begin with a trip to the nearby Testaccio Market to shop for ingredients, then return to Daniela’s beautiful home on the Aventine Hill to prepare and eat a full meal. She is supremely hospitable and an excellent teacher, so her classes book up well in advance.

Daniela's Cooking School
Aventino, Rome, Italy

Peroni
Not to be confused with the industrial beer company, Peroni is a kitchenware shop a short walk from the Vatican. The showroom brims with pots, pans, tools, glassware, and gadgets, and items range from simple pasta tools to French enamel cookware. At storefront 16-17 on the same square, their other shop, Peroni in Pasticceria, specializes in baking tools and ingredients.

Peroni
Piazza dell’Unità 29
Prati, Rome, Italy
+39063210852

Elifant Archaeo-Culinary Tours
Classical archeologist Elizabeth Bartman and prolific food writer and historian Maureen Fant recently launched a culinary tour company that focuses on food history and archeology in Rome and Naples. Their Roman itineraries sample historic dishes, contemplate ancient food commerce, and explore the city’s ancient Jewish culinary tradition, providing a thorough portrait of more than 2,000 years of Roman dining and drinking.

Elifant Archaeo-Culinary Tours
+13478686345

Antiqua Tours
Wife and husband team Sarah May Grunwald and Ettore Bellardini are the hardest-working couple in the local wine tourism business. The two trained sommeliers organize wine events, offer private tours, and coordinate small group tastings in Rome and its environs. For a deeper understanding of Italian regional wine, spend an afternoon with them visiting historic wine bars in Rome’s historical center, or take a vineyard excursion to the nearby countryside.

Antiqua Tours
+393497197603

Trionfale Market
Its roughly 200 stalls fill a modern covered space a few blocks north of the Vatican, yet the city-run Trionfale Market remains unadulterated by Rome’s notorious tourist flood. Dozens of produce stalls showcase local and seasonal specialties, while several international stalls cater to Rome’s robust immigrant community. Roman and Halal butchers sell meat and offal, while specialty stalls sell dried fruits, spices, eggs, and honey. Its atmosphere, energy, and excellent produce make this a great destination to snag picnic provisions or to stock up on ingredients if you're staying somewhere with a kitchen.

Trionfale Market
Via Andrea Doria
Trionfale, Rome, Italy
+390639720786

Biomercato
The farmers’ market phenomenon is slowly gaining momentum in Rome. Since the late 19th century, city authorities have actually tried to maintain an elongated supply chain in order to generate jobs and ensure regulation, but a few groups of farmers have emerged to change the game. At the Biomercato, which is held Sundays in Testaccio’s converted slaughterhouse, biodynamic farmers sell seasonal produce beside artisanal bakers and pig farmers selling beautifully cured pork.

Biomercato
Largo Dino Frisullo
Testaccio, Rome, Italy
+393337035270

Costantini
This historic wine and spirits shop near Castel Sant’Angelo and the Vatican has a vast basement cellar full of Italian and French wine, but be sure to linger on the ground floor for a look at one of Rome’s few prestigious spirits collections. Stock up on artisanal amaro, gentian root-based liquors, and grappa, all beverages traditionally consumed to promote postprandial digestion.

Costantini
Piazza Cavour 16
Prati, Rome, Italy
+39063203575

Prelibato
At Prelibato in Monteverde Vecchio, a bakery that opened in 2014, chef-turned-baker Stefano Preli makes traditional loaves and sweets. Look for heirloom wheat-based breads, classic pound cakes, and sweet leavened buns. Don’t miss the pizza by the slice, which comes with assorted toppings including amatriciana (tomato, guanciale, and Pecorino Romano), a riff on the popular pasta dish.

Prelibato
Viale di Villa Pamphili, 214
Monteverde Vecchio, Rome, Italy
+390693577165

Vino Roma
Via in Selci 84/G
Monti, Rome, Italy
+393284874497

Domus Birrae
This craft beer shop near Santa Maria Maggiore on the Esquiline Hill stocks a well-chosen selection of Italian craft beers and imported brews. At the front of the shop, cold beers are sold from fridges, ready to drink, while the back room is devoted to larger-format bottles and brewing equipment. The selection of sour ales from LoverBeer and Montegioco’s beers brewed with heirloom fruit are ace.

Domus Birrae
Via Cavour, 88
Esquilino, Rome, Italy
+390697997570

Pasticceria Regoli
Founded near Piazza Vittorio in 1916, this historic shop sells luscious strawberry tarts, whipped cream-filled sweet buns, and luscious Chantilly cream-filled pastries. It’s the kind of place Romans go to fetch pastries when they want to make a good impression as dinner guests. Items are only sold to take away, but in late 2014, Regoli opened a coffee shop next door where you can also purchase their pastries to eat in.

Pasticceria Regoli
Via dello Statuto, 60
Esquilino, Rome, Italy
+39064872812

Katie Parla is a Rome-based food and beverage journalist, educator, and culinary guide. She is the author of the blog Parla Food, the mobile app Katie Parla's Rome and co-author of the forthcoming cookbook Tasting Rome (Clarkson Potter, 2016).

Markt IX

Christina Holmes

Berlin is in the midst of a major market revival: The city is renovating its old market halls and new street markets have opened to cater to the growing demand for locally grown organic produce. Here’s a curated selection of some of the ones you can’t miss on your next visit:

Arminiusmarkthalle
Now a protected German national landmark, this ornate red-brick market with Gothic-style bay windows and elaborate floral motifs on its cast-iron pillars opened in 1891 in the Moabit district, was badly damaged during World War II, and then extensively renovated in 1996. Among the best stalls here are Brotkorb, which translates to breadbasket (don’t miss its vegan breads, including the Pomerania farm bread and spelt whole-grain); Kartoffel Krüger, a stand specializing in potatoes; and Genusswerk, which hawks locally grown fruit and vegetables, preserves, juices, and a great selection of apple products from the estate of Countess Daisy von Arnim, also known as “the Apple Countess” (die Apfelgräfin).
Arminiusstrasse 2-4
Open daily, except Sundays

Markt IX

Christina Holmes

Markt IX
On the eve of World War II, Berlin had 14 major municipally built inner-city neighborhood food markets, often handsome Victorian structures of brick, cast iron, and glass. After falling out of favor, those that survived World War II are being renovated and relaunched, and this one, in the winningly funky Kreuzberg district and commonly known as “Neun” (nine), is especially beloved by Berliners. The all-organic market has a terrific collection of bakers, butchers, cheese-and-dairy merchants, fishmongers, and specialty stalls like Das Berliner Frühstück (The Berliner Breakfast), which sells 12 kinds of organic muesli. The Street Food Thursdays (5 p.m.–10 p.m.) held at the market have become a local institution.
Eisenbahnstrasse 42-43
Open Mon-Wed: 8am-6pm; Thurs: 8am-10pm; Fri-Sat: 8am-8pm; closed Sunday

Eco-Markt
More than 50 owner-run stalls sell organic foods and handicrafts like homemade jams, pickles, and beeswax candles at this friendly, intimate open-air organic market, which is held every Thursday in the Prenzlauer Berg district.
Kollwitzplatz
Open Thursday: 12pm–6pm

BiOriental Markt
Also known as the “Türkenmarkt” (Turkish market), this open-air market in the Neukölln district features vendors selling foods from Turkey, Egypt, Nigeria, and other countries. It offers a delicious lesson in the fact that Berlin is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Europe. Great street food, too.
Maybachufer
Tuesdays and Fridays: 11am-6.30pm