Eating Iceland
Banned in the USA Eysteinsson, who began as a chef at the Hótel Holt, wisely keeps the place open seven days a week. The menu at this intimate, 44-seat eatery […]
Finally, Wine Education
Television crews from Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands recorded the event and journalists from the Washington Post, New York Times and specialty food magazines wrote about it.
RUNNING A CAFÉ THE NON-CAPITALIST WAY
“Why Not Sell Coffee?” Helena, another of the owners, informs me that the original idea was to open up a culture/art-centre where all kinds of art could blossom. “But a [&hel
Elwis Has Left the Building
Desperate Middle-Aged People and Large Tuxedo-Clad Birds So it was with some trepidation that Grapevine’s correspondents entered Café Victor, situated close to Ingólfstorg squa
Drowned fish: A night at THORVALDSEN
Beware the jocks and yuppies None of these Austurstræti landmarks was the destination of Grapevines´correspondents, as we headed towards the restaurant/bar Thorvaldsen on a chill
PÓSTBARINN and the great post office rush
The bars’ name is actually derived from the street it stands on, Pósthússtræti (Post Office Street). The first post office in Iceland is rumoured to have stood on this lot, [&
TWO TIMES A FISH
Tveir fiskar is not particularly conspicuous in the Reykjavik restaurant flora. It almost reminds one of a mythical place that everyone has heard of but no one has actually seen, [
Icelandic cusine: Arriving any century now
They compete in two categories. The first is a cold buffet, which consists of appetisers as well as various main courses along with desserts and confectioneries. The decor, lightin
FRY AND THE FAMILY STONE
Grapevine’s correspondents arrived early in the evening so we were practically the only guests there, but that would change soon. The first things that greeted us when we came up
”My dream was always to become a slave to an arabic king”
We jump into car and drive to Háls, the last house on the right, in the valley among the dramatic mountains of Öxnadalur. Close by, the Home of the Winds […]
HORST TAPAS
On a hot and sultry day like this it is particularly appropriate to enjoy a round of Tapas. The only restaurant in Reykjavik specialising in this Spanish culinary delight is [&hell
THERE’S MORE TO THE OCEAN THAN BILLY
Grapevine’s correspondents arrived at Við tjörnina at ten o’clock one summer evening in June. The late hour was due to the fact that one of us felt compelled to attend [&hell
A LOVING MEAL AT HORNIÐ
We may be in Reykjavík but if you go to Hafnarstræti you´ll find a place called Hornið which would have pleased my uncle Roberto. It is as plain as a […]
A Blend of Entertainment and Pleasure
The late John S. Wilson, who wrote about music for the New York Times for half a century, used an interesting test procedure for measuring the quality of restaurants. His […
Paddy´s Top Five Burger Joints
Hard Rock Cafe Kringlan Mall Originally I had intended on skipping the larger chains like Hard Rock. However, during my thorough and highly scientific poll of hamburger scholars, t
SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW ?
Rossopomodoro is a franchise operation, to be sure. It is based on the pure Italian Napoli pizza mentality. However, there are not many Rossos. One in Madrid, one in Rio […]
THINGS AIN´T WHAT THEY USED TO BE
The average person living in Reykjavík is really a very special breed. Not the pure, patriotic Icelander whose values are nearly always measured by ancient customs and tales that
Coffee
Like so many of my fellow countrymen I hold coffee dear, it is the source of my powers and without it I’m useless. For the last few years coffee has […]
THE SWEET STUFF
Iceland’s relationship with sweets has long been a strange one. For the most part it seems we tend to think of blatantly commercial, 100% American brands of sweets and cereals [&
A COFFEE SHOP WITH CLASS
Those who have travelled a lot will know what I am talking about when I moan about the fact that there isn’t a decent coffee shop with small snacks available […]
SPORÐURINN (THE FISHTAIL)
HAPPINESS IS A CHEF CALLED JOHANN! When it comes to a restaurant for a quick lunch, good quality and moderate prices, one can say that SPORÐURINN (The Fishtail) is still […