THE FOODIEST / STOCKHOLM CHEF SHOWS OFF HIS CITY

World famous Chef Marcus Samuelson offers the best of Stockholm dining, which includes his Kitchen and Table Restaurant (above)

First posted in the April 2018 edition of The Club, the in-flight magazine of British Airways.  BA kindly shares its articles with responsible bloggers. 

Chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson is the force behind stand-out restaurants in New York, London, and Stockholm. The Ethiopian-born chef – who grew up in Sweden before moving to America to hone his craft – was the man tasked with creating Barack Obama’s first state dinner. Here, Samuelsson shares his foodie tips for a break in Stockholm.

Taverna Brillo for Fika

Finding Fika

Fika is important in Sweden; it’s a social thing, where you have tea or coffee, a snack and a chat, a bit like going to the pub in England or a wine bar in Spain or Italy. It isn’t really about being hungry or thirsty, but about catching up with friends. Traditionally fika takes place in small coffee shops, but with the arrival of chains in Stockholm, many places have evolved so restaurants also become fika spots and vice versa. For an elegant fikaexperience, I love Taverna Brillo, which has a modern bistro feel. Order a kanelbuller – a semi-sweet cinnamon bun – then chat with friends and people-watch from one of the window tables.

View of Ostermalms toward Saluhall marketplace

Best Brunch Spot

Stockholm is a true walking city, with nature, water and beautiful old buildings all around you. Take it all in on a stroll to Östermalms Saluhall. Open since 1888, it’s one of Stockholm’s oldest markets and the place for Scandinavian delights – think classic herring and gravlax (dill-cured salmon). Choosing different bits and pieces to nibble on here is a guaranteed delicious way to start the day.

Asiatiska at Berns Hotel

Let’s Do Lunch

For the setting, book a table at Asiatiska in the Berns Hotel. The building itself is rather grand, as is the dining room. Lunching beneath a huge, glittering chandelier feels like being transported back to the Stockholm of the 1920s. What’s bizarre and brilliant is that the Asian cuisine – they do great sushi – is such a contrast to the Swedish surrounds. It makes you wonder, ‘Where am I?’.

Rutabaga Restaurant at the Grand Hotel

Smart Supper

For an occasion dinner or important business meeting, nowhere beats legendary chef Mathias Dahlgren’s Rutabaga inside The Grand Hotel. It’s a forward-thinking vegetarian restaurant. Dahlgren was one of the first chefs in Stockholm to elevate vegetarian food to the next level, and despite being inside one of the fanciest hotels in Sweden, the atmosphere here is laid-back, casual and friendly. Opt for the tasting menu – at the moment you’ll find dishes such as tartar of beetroots and porcini mushrooms with carrot and elderflower-smoked creme fraiche, and sauteed cabbage with hazelnuts, grilled cream and truffle – but it changes seasonally.

If you can't find a chic restaurant in Stockholm's Gamla Stan district then you're not trying very hard

Impress a Date

Walking through Södermalm or Söder, the area has a vibe similar to Brooklyn or Shoreditch. There’s a lot of creative energy here that translates to cool design shops, independent clothes stores and galleries. After that, wander to the old town, Gamla Stan; it’s particularly romantic at night when twinkling lights brighten the tiny streets. Head to Corner Club a cocktail bar from well-known chef Björn Frantzén, for a theatrical experience. The bartenders shake up innovative drinks such as Need A Vacation, which blends gin with Belsazar rosé vermouth, maraschino liqueur, lime, grape and soda.

For cocktail connoisseurs

I have to blow my own trumpet here: Tap Room, at my restaurant Kitchen and Table is a real temple to the bar, with a 1960’s vibe and mixologists who know their craft. Sure, you can order a Margarita or Manhattan, but the beauty is trying a one-off. Seasonal infusions are key, so in spring locally made gin might be infused with lavender, in autumn with roasted apples. The infused spirits form the starting point for many unique cocktails. My year-round favourite is the Jackie Onassis: gin, lime, grape and white pepper with Champagne. It’s sour, herbaceous, with a hint of citrus and served with a big, fat ice cube.

Hip hangouts where children are welcome

If you want to eat fast, but not fast food, try Hötorgshallen, a food market that reflects Swedish immigrant culture. You’ll find dishes from all over the world: tasty empanadas, meats from an Argentine butcher and an amazing kebab stall. It’s brilliant to have so many different influences and flavours in one place.

The foodie souvenir to take home

A loaf of traditional bread. You can find so many different types of bread here done well, from baguettes to brioche, but you’d be missing a trick to not bring back the real Stockholm rustic rye bread. The darker the better is my tip. Buy it at Östermalms Saluhall, because traditional Swedish fare is what they do best.

About the Chef:

Marcus Samuelsson is the chef behind Kitchen and Table in Stockholm, Red Rooster in Harlem and Shoreditch, as well as newly opened Marcus B&P in Newark, New Jersey.

Source: British Airways The Club magazine, April 2018. Note: many images were added by www.pillartopost.org daily online magazine.

LOCAL POLITICS / NORTH PARK ATTORNEY STEPS TO PLATE

This opinion piece appeared in the May 7, 2018 edition of the San Diego Union Tribune.

The San Diego County government desperately needs an outsider to jolt it from its complacency. For too long, county leaders would rather harp on the county’s high bond ratings than help the public by aggressively responding to a longstanding housing crisis or the region’s deadly hepatitis A outbreak or other issues their overflowing reserves might help address. 

The statement that county Chief Administrative Officer Walt Ekard made when he resigned in 2012 epitomizes their thinking: “I have been privileged for the past 13½ years to lead the finest local government in America,” Ekard declared, “and I say that without fear of legitimate contradiction.”

County officials don’t just shrug off criticism; they try to punish it. In recent years, local journalist Kelly Davis co-authored a deeply disturbing series of stories in San Diego CityBeat on dozens of deaths in county jails that left the system with an average mortality rate between 2007 and 2012 that was the highest of the state’s 10 largest jails. Last year, county attorneys subpoenaed Davis for her work, an intimidating act that can be seen as a warning to other journalists to leave county government alone.

Given this history, it is crucial that voters act wisely in replacing termed-out Supervisor Ron Roberts in the 4th District, which stretches across San Diego, from La Jolla to Kearny Mesa to Downtown to Encanto. The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board interviewed the five candidates for the job, and we believe Omar Passons, a Democratic attorney and activist with a background in public health and community development, is easily the best choice. In his interview, Passons did an exceptional job sketching out a detailed vision of a county that proactively addresses problems, only starting with housing and homelessness. 

Omar Passons is a new face in local politics
with years of grassroots experience

The former foster child wants a county that works to help young people succeed in life, helps poor people deal with food insecurity and poverty, and realizes the downside of a criminal justice system that can be destructively punitive. His wonkishness, however, is tempered by a practical appreciation of the importance of coalition building. Passons says the last thing he would be as a county supervisor is “meek.”

In our interviews, the most prominent of the other candidates — former county District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis — was surprisingly underwhelming and showed little grasp of big topical issues like housing and marijuana and little appreciation for why so many residents are frustrated with county leadership. 

Passons, former city Deputy Fire Chief Ken Malbrough, former Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña and former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher were far better at dissecting the problems created by what Malbrough called county “groupthink.”

The second-best candidate, Fletcher is well-versed on the issues but still struggles to explain his 18-month ideological odyssey from a conventional George W. Bush Republican to an above-it-all independent to a union Democrat — a slalom across the political spectrum that began after he failed to gain the county GOP’s endorsement in the 2012 San Diego mayor’s race. Even if Fletcher remains a Democrat for life, his evolution will smack of expediency.

Passons doesn’t have such political baggage. While he lacks some of his opponents’ name recognition and campaign resources, he outshines them on temperament and preparedness. Voters who are unfamiliar with him should check out his website at omarpassons.com. We think you’ll be impressed — and that you may join us in believing that San Diego County needs Passons on its Board of Supervisors.