food

Verbier.

Posted on by lisadnovak

February 2025

Thoughts.

Having never skied in Switzerland, it only felt right to … ski in Switzerland this winter break. Due to the lack of significant snow, the skiing was surpassed by the proliferation of melted cheese and sundown spritzes shared with some great friends. But those bluebird days on the mountain watching my kids effortlessly surpass all of us in skill was my true highlight.

To orient, Verbier is in the Val de Bagnes and part of the 4 Vallées ski area along with Thyon, Veysonnaz and Nendaz. Verbier has a vibe, but the other towns are much smaller. But you can ski to all of them to mix things up: one day we actually traversed all four valleys with backpacks and stayed the night with friends in Les Collons. All in, a great week and an easy drive from Geneva.

Stay.

  • Airbnb. Central, easy, comfortbale. There is no shortage. 
     

Eat.

  • Cabane Mont Fort. The best meal of our trip. You can only ski or hike to this spot, which makes it feel even more special. The views are spectacular and the food is even better.  
  • Le Dahu. Definitely make reservations here for a nice on mountain lunch. I dropped the ball in calling early enough to get a table. But the food is meant to be delicious and the casual cafe downstairs is decent too.
  • Le Fer a Cheval. Favorite apres for the centrality and sunsets. Didn’t eat there but wanted to. 
  • Le Rouge. Any apres to avidly embrace Bon Jovi, I embrace right back. Also great hats (I still regret not getting one) and a delicious restaurant downstairs. 
  • Restaurant Le Caveau. Fondue and raclette in a little cave! Highly recommend. 
  • Restaurant Les Chottes. Midway between Verbier and Les Collons. Eat inside in the chalet for a cozy vibe.
  • Burgers! Both Shed (in town) and Black Tap on top of the world (on Mont Fort) had delicious burgers. Although I’ll always remember the price tag more.
  • Le Metropole. We ate here on the way home from Verbier. It’s right on the lake in Montreaux, which we really enjoyed strolling through. 

Play.

  • Boit’askis. Family run ski rental shop that offered truly exceptional service. Every single staff member was friendly and chatted with us every day we picked up the skis. Right in the center of town.
  • SKI SKI SKI. Verbier is world class for a reason. The skiing is good, and I imagine when it’s actually snowing, it’s excellent. If you are an off-piste skier, there are even more options, with many “yellow” runs – in-bound, ungroomed and too wild for me.

Milan.

Posted on by lisadnovak

November 2024

Thoughts.

First take away: when one of your dearest friends invites you to Italy, say yes. Second take away: if one of the options is Milan, say yes! Neither of us had ever visited before, and to be honest, it’s never been on my list. I assumed it would be too urban and lack a certain Italian charm. I was completely mistaken. Milan is elegant, stately and exciting. Watching the world march by in Prada was a delight. And because I was with my most foodie friend Elizabeth, we ate and drank like queens. In between, we walked miles a day just taking in the fall colors and light. I’m so grateful to have had this time with her.

Stay.

  • Senato Hotel Milano. The hotel location was great, and the hotel was comfortable and had a nice breakfast. But- I’m sure there are a number of nice places.  

Eat.

  • Da Giacomo. Fantastic seafood restaurant in a stunning setting – those hues of green! – and great vibe. If you go, tell Teo the waiter we said hi. And then promptly order the shrimp tartare and tagtelli dish. This was also the scene of my 2nd (marvelous) of 2 tiramisus.
  • Al Coniglio Blanco. Delightful lunch outside by the canals in the Navigli district. I never realized Milan had canals, and yet this area has a distinct Venice-ish vibe. Their zucchini blossoms were one of the best things we ate on the trip.
  • Zia Esternia Sobrillo. Deep. Fried. Pizza? How have I not heard / sampled / reveled in this before? Fantastic. A must do.
  • La Gioia. The people watching = as good as the food. Great scene even at 10pm, but by 12 we got kicked out only to learn the restaurant turned into a club (Gen X not invited).
  • Ciacco Lab. We confirmed that one should never go to a gelato place with ice cream piled in mounds, only those with tin covers hiding the deliciousness! Get the pistachio.  
  • Panini De Santis. A cozy panini spot with 30 types of pressed sandwiches and a friendly waitress. 
  • Campario in Galleria. I loved this old-world bar spot focused solely on Campari drinks. A mini Negroni heaven on Earth.  

 Play.

  • Villa Necchi Campiglio. Visiting this villa was my favorite activity on the trip. It demonstrated the distinct art deco design found in Milan, mixed with much of the traditional northern Italian architecture. Both the villa and grounds were rich in color and light. We happened to be there at the same time as an autumn gardening festival which was lovely. 
  • Teatro alla Scala. Elizabeth is one of my go-to culture dates and we decided to regale in the 2024-2025 ballet season premier. The performance was paralleled only by the beauty of the theatre itself. You can tour La Scala even if you don’t see a performance. 
  • Triennale di Milano. A beautiful design museum set in Parco Sempione. The Fiorucci exhibit was my favorite. On your way, stroll through the Castello Sforzesco.
  • Cementerio Monumental di Milan. We stumbled upon the cemetery while on a run and were in awe of the crypts and sculptures covering the grounds. Worth a stop.
  • BIVIO Milano. It’s not Milan without miles of shopping. I am not a vintage person, but this shop had some high-end gems.
  • Last Supper Museum. My one regret is I didn’t make it to this museum to see Davinci’s last supper, due to my lack of planning ahead. Next time.

Porto.

Posted on by lisadnovak

September 2024

Thoughts. 

I swore I’ve been to Porto before, back in the early days of “when we were young”. Portugal was one of my first real trips with David, so there was as much “how compatible are we really” and “can this guy hang” as “wow, Portugal is culturally interesting”. As a result, my recall of the visit is primarily lifting some Sagres Beer mugs from a great beachside bar, and a stay above a nightclub in Lisbon. And deciding, hell yeah this guy can hang.

Twenty years later, he can still hang. And 20 years later, I’m standing in the middle of Porto realizing: nope, definitely never been here a day in my life. But we used every one of our four days there making up for it. It was a lovely trip, in large part because we got to spend time with San Francisco friends who moved to Porto the same time we moved to Barcelona. My cousin was also with us for a few days and we roamed the city with just the right amount of plans. Highly recommend. 

Stay. 

  • Selina. We walked into this place on a Thursday night and … whoa. Great vibe, but great vibes are not always great when you are trying to sleep. Still, a great neighborhood (Ribeira) and cool place with rooms surrounding a large courtyard and bar/restaurant. I’d go back.   

Eat.

  • Mae. Absolutely delicious dinner. We cancelled our original dinner plans and didn’t have a spot to go, so sort of roamed a bit trying to find a place. This one was recommended by a hostess along the way, and I am still thinking about this meal weeks later. 
  • Brasao. Delicious and not small Franchisina (little French girl), one of the traditional dishes in Portugal.
  • Nicolau Porto. Best breakfast we had. And we had a lot of breakfasts. Acai, pancakes, french toast, oh my.
  • Casa Guedes Traditional. Sat at the counter eating amazing pork sandwiches, and watched the guy making them by the dozens. 
  • Mercado do Bolhao. Beautifully restored market with endless stalls. I would have liked to have explored a bit more.  

Play.

  • Porto Bridge Climb. Loved this with the kids.
  • Boiler Studio. The tile painting workshop with Daniella was a real highlight. She has a new studio with lots of offerings, I just wish we also had time for the Pastel de Nata workshop.
  • Jardins do Palacio de Cristal. Lovely morning in the park strolling.
  • Praia de Matosinhos. We (Milo) got to surf with his school buddy at a fantastic beach. We rented from Onda Pura and afterwards got to swap stories with the Porto expats at a picnic.
  • Sail on the Douro. There are hundreds of boat cruises for a reason: it’s great! Pick one and see the city from the water.

London.

Posted on by lisadnovak

March 2024

Thoughts.

There is so much about London to love, and no shortage of people to tell you where to fall in. It had been years since I’d properly visited, but my girlfriend was there for work, so I went too. It was so much more beautiful – and more green! – then I remembered. All I really did was eat, drink and stroll past all of the parks and charming shops / pubs / cottages with three amazing women I know from totally different stages of life. 

Stay.

Eat 

  • DUCKSOUP. Natural wines, cozy space and good people watching. 
  • Bubala. Middle Eastern vegetarian vibe in Soho. Super creative, delicious food.
  • Blandford Comptoir. Sweet spot in Marylebone, especially if it follows the required pub visit with an old friend. 
  • The River Cafe. Liz, you have made this restaurant iconic to me. What a fabulous place, even if you show up to the wrong River Cafe at first. 
  • Gail’s Bakery. Scones. I really love scones and these were fantastic.

Play.

  • Borough Market. This market is so much fun to walk through and sample all the bites. We walked there just to burn off the morning scones so we could try it all. 
  • Stroll. Sit in Parks. Repeat. It was full on spring when I arrived. Everything was blossoming and I even saw the sun! This was the very best part of my visit.