Bistro de L'Arte, continued
My husband had a slow-cooked chicken dish with mashed potatoes, pickled root vegetables, and a carrot puree which was very tasty; his dessert was an apple pie with crème anglais, also lovely. There is interior seating and a few tables on the street. There was also live piano music during dinner which made the atmosphere very pleasant.
We returned to Bistro de L’Arte a second time for a panzanella a la francaise, a salad with romaine, feta and various tomatoes, a beef pie with filo and dill and another gomboti. Everything was excellent, although not as good as our first night choices. Total cost for both meals was in the the $40-50 range, without wine.
During our 4-night farm stay in Maramures we ate there. It was a wonderful opportunity to experience local, family cuisine. There was always a lot of food, about twice what we needed. Despite our pleas to reduce the quantity, it didn’t happen. No one goes away even vaguely hungry there, for sure. Stuffed cabbage and sausages were the most memorable dinner entrees, but there was also chicken one night. Breakfast was an impressive platter for two consisting of lard, fried lard, chicken fingers fried in lard, sausages made with lard, eggs, homemade bread and a couple types of cheese, honey, jam, coffee and tea. The host also made oatmeal one morning by special request. She had no idea what to do with it so we explained how to cook it, but something was lost in translation. The next morning, it was pretty clear that she cooked the whole bag, as we each got a saucepan full. We gave the lard selection a good try, but asked it be removed from the tray after one day. Our milk was from the family cow, chicken and eggs from the coop, sausages made from their last year’s pigs. I asked the owner to teach me how to make the Romanian version of stuffed cabbage called samale. They are very similar to Polish stuffed cabbage, but there are probably a zillion family variations. The lesson was great fun. Even using Google translate, it was a success if I do say so myself!
Sibiu
Restaurant Jules’ French-inspired cuisine was outstanding. My appetizer was a delicious tomato salad from one, exclusively sourced from one neighborhood garden we were told. Other items were a lamb shank with pea puree, cream of tomato soup, beef cheeks, panna cotta. All wonderful preparations with farm-to-table ingredients. The service was excellent and the chef was an artist. There is inside seating, but the courtyard is very pretty and quiet and in the back, smoke-free. It was the only part of the restaurant that was open the night we were there. Reservations are definitely necessary. (This place also rents double and family rooms which looked very nice on the website.)
The Rabbit Hole is a soup place on the main square. We had a good, generous portion of goulash one night. The same restaurant offered breakfast. There were many selections, almost all hearty and large, and reasonably priced. I’d avoid the waffles, though. They definitely lost something in translation. The “health bowl” which was essentially overnight oats with yogurt and fruit was light and fresh, and the portion size was smaller than most of the other options. Prices were acceptable, but the service was iffy at best. We had to get up a couple of times to get anyone’s attention. They have limited indoor seating, outdoor seating in the square and seating in a heated plastic-enclosed deck area. The seating was comfortable, but the smoke on the enclosed deck was pretty unbearable. One night, ironically, the worst offenders were chain smokers seated directly beneath the no smoking sign, but no one batted an eyelash. No reservation was necessary for early evening (6-6:30 pm) or breakfast.