Icelandic cuisine is fresh and delicious - locally caught fish and free roaming lamb are common dishes that are always great. You can also find interesting delicacies like puffin, wild goose and rotten shark. But Icelanders like their fast food too - so you can definitely get your fix of hot dogs, hamburgers and pizza. Our first meal was at
Prikid Restaurant on Laugevegar- the main shopping and culture street.
Inside, it looks like a bar downstairs, and in fact at night that's exactly what it turns into.
Just head upstairs for a table and you will be sitting right next to all the locals...this is a great spot.
We had the "Hangover sandwich" a perfect combination of ham, cheese, bacon, egg, tomatoes, lettuce, garlic dressing and french fries.
We also had our first
Skyr- a must try in Iceland. Basically it is like a yogurt that is made out of cheese and has the consistency of creme brule. It comes in all different flavors like blueberry, strawberry, melon, etc. We ordered the vanilla which was delicious and became our favorite on the trip.
We continued our walk around the city and found our way over to
Baejarins Beztu Pylsur- Icelandic for "The World's Best Hot dog."
Icelanders are very much in love with hot dogs and they swear the best come from this stand. In fact, when President Bill Clinton visited Iceland, he patronised this hot dog.
If you use the phrase "Eina med ollu" you will get "one with everything" which means it comes with ketchup, mustard, remoulade (their special sauce), and raw and fried onions.
The hot dogs are about $280ISK each. Note: You can use your credit card and debit card everywhere in Iceland. It's definitely the more popular way to go than cash. You can even use it to buy your hot dog! Definitely not something you would find in the U.S. By this time, we were stuffed, and so we walked it off by heading to
Hallgrimskirkja Church.
Head to the top for some spectacular views of the city and the snow capped mountains. Entrance will cost you $400ISK.
We continued over to the area of the city known as Skyline over to Saebraut which is the street along the water.
We took a picture in front of what the locals refer to as the Viking Ship or Sun Ferry. We thought we'd find a big wooden boat, but instead it's just made out of metal- pretty funny!
By this point we were ready for an Icelandic cocktail. We made our way over to
Cafe Oliver- one of Reykjavik's newest cafe-bars.
This is a trendy and stylish bar/lounge that supposedly turns into a good nightclub Thursdays-Saturdays.
Brennivin is an Icelandic Schnapps and should be tried when in Iceland.
We ordered the Eskimo Mojito (rum, sugar, lime, fresh mint, soda & Icelandic Brennivin), the Blue Lagoon a la Oliver (Brennivin, Curacao Blue, Malibu, 7-up & Grenadin), and a Premium- a light colored Icelandic beer.
Dinner that night was at
Dill Restaurant.
Dill is a new restaurant that just opened in February of 2009.
It's located in the Nordic Cultural House in Reykjavik and is a small yet beautiful, clean space that is well designed. It has an open kitchen and the dining experience is multi sensory.
This meal now ranks as one of the Top 5 Best Meals we have ever had while traveling. It reminded us a lot of the dinner we had at
Alinea Restaurant in Chicago. We had a 7-course dinner which began with a glass of champagne. Then they gave us a flower pot filled with creamy dill dip with broccoli and cauliflower and some crumbled red pepper on top- AWESOME!
That was followed by another amuse bouche of shaved smoked salmon with a ginger cracker, creme fraiche and a little piece of dill- of course.
Here is more about the delicious goodness that followed:
1- Fennel flan with dreamy fennel salad served with nut crumble & pickled fennel stalks
2- Skate poached in witches brew, award winning Swedes, butter sauce and burned butter powder
3- Fried langoustine wrapped in spruce with onion dressing, roasted onions and seaweed
4- Potatoes, pickled onions, pork shoulder, smoked pork belly and truffles from Ragnar Olafs in Gotland.
This was served with local beer that was similar in taste to a Guinness.
5- Wild Goose with rosemary infusion, wild mushrooms, carrots and burned hey and blueberry sauce
6- Aebleskiver with liquorices cream
7- Caramel pudding, beetroot, goat cheese from Budardaiur and juniper ice cream
Price: Champagne, full menu, wine menu, coffee and after dinner drink= 19,000ISK
What a great first day in Iceland! Tomorrow find out more about our time at one of Reykjavik's Geothermal Pools and the Golden Circle.
Lake Michigan Shore...
At the Famous Bean at Millenium Park...
Lunch at Lou Malnati's...gotta have a deep dish!
Top of the Sears Tower...
Checking out Navy Pier...
Shopping and walking on Magnificent Mile...
Spa Space- Chicago
Hela Spa- Chevy Chase, MD
I have blogged before about the fabulous pet-friendly Kimpton Hotels, specifically the Hotel Palomar in Washington, D.C. Well, my jet setters, I just found out from the PR Department at Kimpton Hotels, that a Hotel Palomar Chicago will be opening in Chicago's River North Area this May! The location of this hotel will be in the walkable River North neighborhood, close to the Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier and McCormick Place. For the people and pets, this new hotel will have a "green roof," covered with grass and plants intended to collect and clean rainwater, improve air quality and add beauty. Pre-opening rates start at $89 per night. This is a perfect excuse to jet set to Chicago and check out a great city for not a lot of money! Make sure to mention that you heard about it through Jet Set Smart!
7- San Francisco International Airport: Anchor Brewing Company The famed San Francisco brewery's airport outpost serves the full range of its craft beers, including its Anchor Steam Beer, made using a unique brewing process that gives it the fruitiness of an ale and the rounded maltiness of a lager (Terminal 3, Gate 70). 
8- LaGuardia Airport: Figs Post-security, LaGuardia's terminals offer very few food options. The most diverse selection can be found pre-security in the food court at the Central Terminal Building, where pizzas with toppings like fig and prosciutto (Central Terminal Building). 
9- Miami International Airport: La Carreta The airport outpost of Miami's well-known Cuban chain is open 24 hours, serving favorites like pressed, portable French-bread sandwiches including the Cubano, made with roast pork, Swiss cheese and pickles, and the smaller medianoches ("midnight") made with ham, cheese and pickles (Terminal D, post-security). 
10- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: El Bravo Mother and daughter Carmen and Lorraine Othon's green-chile tamales have been drawing crowds to their El Bravo restaurant in Phoenix's Sunnyslope neighborhood for nearly 30 years. Now, Lorraine's daughter, Monique, serves those same tamales–prepared earlier that morning in the original location–at El Bravo's airport outpost (Terminal 4, near Gate D). 
13- Charlotte-Douglas International Airport: Yadkin Valley Wine Bar This forward-thinking wine bar offers flights, glasses and bottles from North Carolina's growing Yadkin Valley wine region, including producers like Shelton and RagApple Lassie vineyards–and they'll ship, too (in the connector hallway between Terminals D and E).
15- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: Anthony's This regional restaurant chain in the Pacific Northwest is known for fresh local seafood and stunning views. The Sea-Tac location is no exception, with dishes like Puget Sound oysters and the Olympic mountain range as a backdrop (Central Terminal). 
The Editor-In-Chief of Chic Galleria just told me my Aurora Borealis post about Iceland was just published AGAIN...this time in the Chicago Sun-Times! Thanks Chicago Sun-Times for making me smile on a Monday morning!
Inside, it looks like a bar downstairs, and in fact at night that's exactly what it turns into.
Just head upstairs for a table and you will be sitting right next to all the locals...this is a great spot.
We had the "Hangover sandwich" a perfect combination of ham, cheese, bacon, egg, tomatoes, lettuce, garlic dressing and french fries. 
We also had our first Skyr- a must try in Iceland. Basically it is like a yogurt that is made out of cheese and has the consistency of creme brule. It comes in all different flavors like blueberry, strawberry, melon, etc. We ordered the vanilla which was delicious and became our favorite on the trip. 
We continued our walk around the city and found our way over to Baejarins Beztu Pylsur- Icelandic for "The World's Best Hot dog." 
Icelanders are very much in love with hot dogs and they swear the best come from this stand. In fact, when President Bill Clinton visited Iceland, he patronised this hot dog.
If you use the phrase "Eina med ollu" you will get "one with everything" which means it comes with ketchup, mustard, remoulade (their special sauce), and raw and fried onions. 
The hot dogs are about $280ISK each. Note: You can use your credit card and debit card everywhere in Iceland. It's definitely the more popular way to go than cash. You can even use it to buy your hot dog! Definitely not something you would find in the U.S. By this time, we were stuffed, and so we walked it off by heading to Hallgrimskirkja Church. 
We continued over to the area of the city known as Skyline over to Saebraut which is the street along the water. 
We took a picture in front of what the locals refer to as the Viking Ship or Sun Ferry. We thought we'd find a big wooden boat, but instead it's just made out of metal- pretty funny!
By this point we were ready for an Icelandic cocktail. We made our way over to Cafe Oliver- one of Reykjavik's newest cafe-bars. 
This is a trendy and stylish bar/lounge that supposedly turns into a good nightclub Thursdays-Saturdays. Brennivin is an Icelandic Schnapps and should be tried when in Iceland. 
We ordered the Eskimo Mojito (rum, sugar, lime, fresh mint, soda & Icelandic Brennivin), the Blue Lagoon a la Oliver (Brennivin, Curacao Blue, Malibu, 7-up & Grenadin), and a Premium- a light colored Icelandic beer. 
Dinner that night was at Dill Restaurant.
It's located in the Nordic Cultural House in Reykjavik and is a small yet beautiful, clean space that is well designed. It has an open kitchen and the dining experience is multi sensory. 
This meal now ranks as one of the Top 5 Best Meals we have ever had while traveling. It reminded us a lot of the dinner we had at Alinea Restaurant in Chicago. We had a 7-course dinner which began with a glass of champagne. Then they gave us a flower pot filled with creamy dill dip with broccoli and cauliflower and some crumbled red pepper on top- AWESOME!
That was followed by another amuse bouche of shaved smoked salmon with a ginger cracker, creme fraiche and a little piece of dill- of course.
This was served with local beer that was similar in taste to a Guinness.
What a great first day in Iceland! Tomorrow find out more about our time at one of Reykjavik's Geothermal Pools and the Golden Circle.
