food and wine events
Feb 17 '10
Come Back and Share Your Horror Stories of Gluttonous Thursday 2010, Assuming You Make it Out Alive
So if you're a regular restaurant-goer in Hungary you probably know that tomorrow marks the 2010 installment of Torkos Csütörtök, or "Gluttonous Thursday," when éttermek around the country lop 50% of the prices of regular menu items. Unlike in previous...
Feb 15 '10
Hungary Wins Knife-Edge Victory Over Romania in Fourth Annual Pig-Killing Olympics
This opening of the Vancouver Olympics wasn't the only closed-watched international winter sporting event this weekend. Over in the heavily Hungarian (81.75%!) Transylvanian city of Miercurea Ciuc/Csíkszereda, Sunday witnessed the fourth installment of what we assume is the world's most...
Feb 09 '10
Walkin' in a Winter Pork Wonderland
If you're wondering why posting has picked up so dramatically today, the answer is inspiration. On Sunday, I stumbled down to Budapest's City Park to catch the tail end of this year's Mangalica festival. Maybe it was the incredibly...
Dec 29 '09
Can Hester from London Beat Baraka's New Year's Offer? Unlikely Indeed!
Among the holiday greetings and other assorted messages dropped in our inbox over the past week were two interesting and related items having to with New Year's Eve dinner specials. Here's the first: Hi, I have been such a fan...
Dec 09 '09
And Now for Something Completely British
Local readers of the Britannic persuasion will probably already know this, but for everyone else here's the skinny: From tomorrow until Sunday, Budapest's landmark Központi Vásárcsarnok will play host to (what we assume is) the first annual Great British Christmas...
Nov 24 '09
Some People in Budapest Are More Serious About North American Seafood Traditions Than You Might Think
Despite being the nephew of a Maine lobsterman and an all-around shellfish nut, for some reason I never made to any of the previous gala "Canadian" lobster dinners hosted by the local Canadian Chamber of Commerce before this last...
Oct 13 '09
Usual Hamming Around, Unusual Ham at This Year's Pálinka and Kolbász Festival
So just a quick follow-up to my post last week urging everyone to attend the big Budavári Pálinka- és Kolbászfesztivál, which was, as I promised, exactly as a sausage and fruit brandy festival should be. But while there were...
Oct 07 '09
Is That a Sausage in Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Glad to be Blind Drunk?
By my count there are now three different annual pálinka festivals in Budapest. The smallest and least exciting of these - the so-called "Pálinka Promenád" - took place a few weeks back, and, frankly, it seemed so small and...
Jul 27 '09
Budapest Slams Gate on Annual "Wine Village" Festival
The annual "Wine Village" festival held every August next to Ötvenhatosok tere on the southwest edge of Budapest's Városliget (City Park) has apparently been canceled this year, making it not so annual. The problem, according to wine blog albertgazda.blog.hu,...
May 20 '09
No Bitching or Moaning Expected at Next Bitch, Moan Wine Tasting
Just a quick plug for the upcoming "Bitch, Moan and Wine" tasting, which will take place next Friday night. Unlike some previous BMW events, where the focus on … up and coming producers led to some grumbling, this time...
May 18 '09
Kempinski Offers Tastes of South Germany, Down Under
We're going to be publishing some seriously meaty restaurant news regarding the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest within the next day or so. But as an appetizer, we are going to serve up a quick item about some interesting treats...
May 05 '09
50,000 Pálinka Fans Can't Be Wrong
Hard as it is to believe, it's already that time of the year again. As in past years, the 2009 Budapesti Pálinka Fesztivál offers not only hundreds of types of fruit distillates, but live music and plenty of the...
Apr 29 '09
Enjoy Fine Food, Wine, Pálinka, Cigars and... Cars at this Year's Budai Gourmet Festival
Assuming you are not shooting out of town for the holiday weekend, you might want to check out the fifth annual Budai Gourmet festival, which kicks off tomorrow and runs until Sunday. While the festival is mostly about wine...
Apr 23 '09
A Sweet Spring Saturday for Local Tokaj Lovers
Just a quick (and hopefully not too late) note to let you know that the Tokaj Renaissance Association will be holding its annual "vintage debut" wine tasting event this Saturday afternoon from 15:00-18:00. Traditionally held at Gundel at the...
Mar 16 '09
Grandmasters of Wine (I): Enrollment Underway for Bortársaság "Wine Academy"
When we reported earlier this month that our friends from the Bortársaság had been forced to close their lovely store in District V, we said it would at least give us Pest-types a good excuse to cross the river...
Mar 03 '09
Do a Bunch of Rank Amateurs Have Better Palates than the So-Called Experts? Maybe!
I've (finally) gotten my hands on the "ballots" from last month's debut Bitch, Moan and Wine Club/Chew.hu "Big Blind" tasting, which include the scores the participants gave to each of the eight Kékfrankos-based reds that were tasted. And as...
Feb 25 '09
There is Such a Thing as a Half-price Lunch this Gluttonous Thursday
But you might be hard pressed to find one. Yes, it's time once again for our annual belated heads-up about "Torkos Csütörtök", the Hungarian Tourist Board's extremely successful nationwide half-price restaurant promotion. And finding a meal, half-price or otherwise, this...
Feb 20 '09
Bull's Blood Bloodied at Budapest Eger Expo
Last Saturday the stately Academy of Sciences building on Pest's Roosevelt tér played host to the Egri Borok Gálája ("Eger Wine Gala"), a now-annual event during which many top Eger winemakers show their wares to the trade in the...
Feb 16 '09
Your Big Blind Hungarian Wine Date Awaits
It's been almost six months since the smashing debut of the Bitch, Moan and Wine Society, the shadowy (i.e. not website-enabled) tasting group/purchasing club spearheaded by "Treehugger" Dan Swartz of the eponymous bookstore/café chain and "Bottlehugger" Ben Frieday of...
Feb 10 '09
Mangalica Mania (IV): 2009 Festival in Pictures
To conclude our recent coverage of "Mangalica mania" below is a nice little gallery of pics taken at the festival devoted to Hungary's favorite pig. Our thanks to reader David Erickson for the shots of the pork-party, which he...
Feb 06 '09
Mangalica Mania (III): America Goes Hog Wild for High-End Hungarian Pork
With the Mangalica Fesztivál starting today in Budapest, we thought we’d take a look at all of the Mangalica madness happening on the other side of the pond (including some of my own). Having long been a Mangalica fan,...
Feb 05 '09
Mangalica Mania (I): Stake Your Claim Early For This Weekend's Fancy Pig Festival
Just a quick post to remind you that the second annual Mangalica festival kicks off in Budapest tomorrow. You can get a sense of what it will be like by reading this report from last year's festivities. Tomorrow we...
Nov 12 '08
Hungarian Cuisine Still Worth Killing Trees For (and Celebrating!)
If you're reading this page there's a good chance you are a) interested in food and wine; b) in Budapest; and c) capable of communicating in English. But even if you aren't, you are welcome at the first-ever non-virtual...
Sep 19 '08
These Tipsy Peasants Think You Don't Have the Nerve to Come to Tomorrow's Csákberény Wine Festival
And neither do I! But just in case you want to see what a real village wine festivals is like - as opposed to those fancy-pants things in Budapest - a good example will be taking place tomorrow from...
Sep 12 '08
Dark Clouds Threaten Hungary's Big Wine Festival, '08 Vintage
If you're in Budapest, you can probably see for yourself that the weather outside is not particularly cheery, and may have heard that the misery is expected to last pretty much all weekend. This puts us in a minor funk...
Sep 09 '08
Not to Mention Stagger, Gurgle and Groan
In case you were wondering how last Thursday's inaugural Bitch, Moan and Wine Society tasting was, the answer is… hell, I can't exactly remember. Hahahah - no, seriously: This was a very solid start to what I hope becomes...
Jun 13 '08
French-Hungarian Bistro Offers Head-Turning "Down Under" Wine Dinner on Monday
So while I was being wowed at Artisano on Wednesday, who should walk by but Lajos Tisza of the nearby Café Bouchon, carrying a bag of very home-made-looking sausages, for a "trial" of the menu he was putting together for...
Jun 11 '08
Pick Your Own (I): Organized Food Foraging Opportunities Abound
Hungary's markets are already full of gorgeous local produce, and they will keep filling up with more for months to come when they’ll be brimming with great local fruits and vegetables. But nothing beats picking your own, if you are...
May 29 '08
Badacsony Overshadows Buda in Pre-Festival PR War
With two competing wine festivals running in Budapest this weekend, wine lovers face a difficult choice. Thanks to the fairly useless, no doubt government-funded website (although at least it is in English) and the even less helpful member of...
May 08 '08
Have Yourself an Alcohol-Enhanced Weekend with Wine and Pálinka
You may have noticed that today is the kick off to the Pálinka Fesztivál held in the City Hall Park, which is quite different from the pálinka-soaked Sziget Fesztivál which will be held later this year. The event will...
Apr 24 '08
Wine Bargain Alert (II): 18 Top Tokaj Wineries, for Just €20
If you are in Budapest this weekend and have a taste for Tokaj, or are just curious to sample a slew of sweet and szamorodni offerings from Hungary's most famous wine region, the place to be is the big annual...
Apr 17 '08
Free Champagne to Mark Today's Opening of "Ultimate Wine Terrace"
Just a very quick, very last minute heads-up for any champagne fans out there: the Ultimate WineCafé/Wine & Coffee House is having a "terrace opening champagne party" today, starting from 18:30. According to the several emails we got from them...
Mar 21 '08
Hungarian Húsvét Calls for Eggs and Ham, Pálinka and Perfume
The nénis have been out selling pussy-willow branches for awhile now, the days are longer, and the sun even shines. But it’s still cold here in Budapest, and it feels a bit too early for Easter to arrive this...
Feb 26 '08
Survivors of Miskolc Pig Massacre Meet Untimely End on Highway Near Szeged
You know that horrible story about the person who misses a plane which then goes on to crash, only to get in a fatal car accident on the way home from the airport? Well, never mind, because we have...
Feb 12 '08
Crowds Go Hog Wild at First Mangalica Festival
Hungary has so many food and wine festivals - with celebrations devoted to even the most common foods like onions and garlic - that they can be hit-or-miss. If you're judging purely by crowd size, this past weekend's Mangalica...
Feb 08 '08
Will There be Meter-High American-Style Whipped Hungarian Hog Fat Ice Cream at this Weekend's Budapest Mangalica Festival? Anything's Possible!
Our latest last-minute post about an upcoming food event involves this weekend's first-ever "Budapest Mangalica Festival", a multi-day extravaganza featuring all kinds of activities involving Hungary's most overrated beloved breed of pig. But instead of giving you a longwinded...
Feb 06 '08
Thousands of Restaurants Off-limits as Hungarians Go Gluttonous
Just a quick reminder that the list of participating restaurants in tomorrow's Torkos Csütörtök is now pretty much a list of fully booked restaurants. So, if you are planning on spontaneously eating out this "Gluttonous Thursday," pick one of the...
Jan 31 '08
Pigs' Feet and Donuts on This Weekend's Festival Program
Hungary's appetite for food festivals knows no limits as this weekend sees two more high-calorie events for lovers of local specialties. The southern town of Szeged is preparing for its first ever Kocsonya Festival in honor of jellied pigs' feet...
Dec 21 '07
Hungarian Culinary Society Celebrates Birthday with Chinese Banquet Blowout
The last time we checked in with them, the members of the Lucullus Baráti Társaság were having a low-key Indian meal. But the most recent feast organized by Hungary's leading culinary group was anything but low-key. Last Friday the...
Dec 06 '07
Mikulás Madness (III): Brave Knights, Braver Motorists Celebrate Hungary's First "Boozemas"
Hungary's largest daily, Népszabadság, is today reporting something so strange and seemingly unbelievable that we feel obliged to point out where it comes from. According to the paper, motorists arriving today at the Hegyeshalom border crossing with Austria will...
Nov 27 '07
Four Seasons' Global Cooking Class Goes Local
While Hungarian cuisine may be more rustic than the fare you normally find at places like the Four Seasons Gresham Palace, it is certainly not easy to master. Which is why it's nice that the most detail-oriented of Budapest's...
Nov 19 '07
Foodapest Returns, Hot on Frozen Food
This week marks the return of "Foodapest," Hungary's leading food industry trade show. On a visit to the event last year, we found it to be an worthwhile if not overwhelming experience. But a quick perusal of the promo materials...
Oct 19 '07
Big Weekend Ahead for Local Lovers of Pork and Pike
In our latest down-to-the-wire weekend food-festival warning, we draw your attention to not one but two multi-day festivals devoted to a single culinary delicacy particularly beloved in Hungary. First is the famous Csaba Sausage Festival (Csabai Kolbászfesztivál), which runs...
Oct 12 '07
Truffle Nuts to Gather in Szilvásvárad
In our great tradition of forgetting to inform you of interesting culinary events until the very last minute, we'll quickly alert you to the fact that the 10th annual Szalajka Valley truffle festival will take palace tomorrow in Szilvásvárad, near...
Sep 26 '07
This Week's Wine Dinner War: Monarchia versus Páva versus Bortársaság
It seems that wine distributors and restaurants are waking up to the possibilities of the wine dinner as pioneered by Maligán and major countryside wineries, such as the excellent Thummerer Pincészet just outside Eger. The format is simple: a set...
Sep 20 '07
Italian-Hungarian Festival Offers "Bridge" to Culinary Confusion
The first Kultúrhíd ("Culture Bridge"), what the organizers hope will grow into a series of cultural festivals celebrating European diversity, has set itself the ambitious goal of broadening cultural and gastronomic ties with Italy. The focal point of the...
Sep 11 '07
Healthy Pálinka, Unhealthy Meat Processor Winners in Annual Hungarian Product Grand Prix
The annual Hungarian Product Grand Prix (Magyar Termék Nagydíj) was held last week in parliament, where awards were handed out for the 10th time to a range of domestically-manufactured products judged as exceptionally innovative or simply exceptional. According to...
Sep 07 '07
Hungarian Vintners, Festival Drinkers Whipsawed by Extreme Weather
As of sometime early this afternoon, the 16th Budapest International Wine and Champagne Festival - this year's biggest gathering in Hungary of winemakers, drinkers and hangers-on - was half-over. But we can't yet tell you how it's going, because...
Aug 22 '07
Budapest Bread Festival Threatened by Brewing Peasant Price Riots
We somehow forgot to give you advance notice about this year's annual "Bread Festival," which took place on Monday, alongside much other traditional August 20th holiday merriment. But maybe we were doing you a favor. Because if you had...
Aug 16 '07
Court of Grape Fairy to Host Racy Christian Wine Blessing Also for Little Childrens Near to Historic Pesti Zoopark
We try to make a habit of not spoofing the often (unintentionally) hilarious English translations that regularly appear on food and wine-related Hungarian websites. But since the Budapest Tourism Office has probably eaten a million forints of our hard-earned...
Jun 21 '07
A Refreshing Antidote to Your Summer Wine Tasting Fatigue
As we reported last week, the ongoing mania for wine tasting events in Hungary has reached critical proportions, leading at least us to suffer from terminal tasting fatigue. But since nothing exceeds like excess, we introduce the Second Miskolc...
Jun 14 '07
Tasting Fatigue (II): And this Syrah Has Distinct Coffee Notes
Our exploration of the growing phenomenon of wine-tasting fatigue in Hungary continues with what must be one of the oddest, though still totally pleasant, sniff-and-sips we've ever attended. It took place this morning (9:30 sharp!) at the Nespresso "coffee...
Jun 07 '07
Ciao Budapest (IV): A Sicilian Offer You Might Not Be Able to Refuse
When we last checked in with the Lucullus Baráti Társaság, members of Hungary's leading culinary society were busy making a fusion dish of tarhonya (pasta) and 15 kilos of fresh Mauritanian camel meat. While you probably didn't get a chance...
May 17 '07
Another Weekend, Another Brutal Sun-Stoked Hangover
If you didn't take our advice and go to last weekend's Pálinka Festival in downtown Budapest, you missed a great time, at least from what we can remember. But if you did miss it, don't despair, because this being Hungary,...
May 08 '07
All Hell to Break Loose as Pálinka Festival Hits Budapest
Apologies for the light posting over the last few days. And apologies in advance if we have another dry spell a few days hence. Which, unfortunately, may be likely, as the second annual Budapest Pálinka Festival kicks off tomorrow in...
Apr 20 '07
Wine News Flash: Meet the New Tokaji '03s at Gundel this Saturday
It's just come to our (late) attention that Tokaji Renaissance, the multi-producer association of winemakers from Hungary's sweetest wine region, is hosting an event tomorrow at Gundel. As usual, details are a bit sketchy, but apparently they will be introducing...
Mar 30 '07
New-ish Budapest Wine Festival in Old Website Bottle
With spring in the air it's time again for the Spring Wine Festival. Or is it? According to the website, the "First Spring Wine Festival" will be held in Városháza Park (near Deák Ferenc tér in downtown Pest) from...
Mar 20 '07
For One Week Only: Five Star Hotel Thai Büfé
The Royal Thai Embassy is hosting what it calls a "promotion" at the Intercontinental Hotel's Corso Étterem starting on the evening of Tuesday March 26 and running right through to Friday. The all-you-can-eat buffet will cost Ft 5,400 (€22) per...
Mar 19 '07
Segal Pours Culinary Innovation on Extra-Thick with All-Chocolate Dinner
Not content with the sort of plain-vanilla culinary innovation that got them instantly propelled into the Chew Top 33, the cuisine daredevils over at Segal will be offering a "chocolate" dinner this Thursday. The even is meant to highlight the...
Feb 26 '07
Made in Miskolc: Hungary's Largest Tub Of Jellied Pigs' Feet
The nation's largest ever kocsonya (jellied pigs' feet) was officially recognized on Saturday at the Miskolc Winter Kocsonya Festival. The dish is a Miskolc speciality, hence the saying "blinking like a frog in a Miskolc kocsonya" (see pic for original...
Feb 21 '07
Wine News Flash: 2004 Gere Kopár to Debut Tonight at Baraka
In addition to yesterday's just-in-the-nick-of-time announcement of tomorrow's "Gluttonous Thursday" restaurant extravaganza, we've just gotten late word of another important local epicurean event that is happening even earlier, as in tonight. Last night we stopped in for a little bite...
Feb 20 '07
Last Orders for Gluttonous Thursday
Based on past experience of the number of greedheads in Hungary, this heads up about the upcoming "Torkos Csütörötök" may come too late for many. The Hungarian Tourist Board spectacular "Gluttonous Thursday" promotion was such a roaring success the first...
Feb 15 '07
Caffeine Junkies in Jittery Anticipation of Two-Day Café Festival
A must-see exhibition for all those interested in coffee and café culture opened today at the Hungarian Museum of Commerce and Catering, with the intriguing name of "Café?! Variations and Changes" (Café?! - Változatok és változások). The exhibit runs until...
Feb 15 '07
Stars of Eger Wine to Shine This Saturday in Budapest
Any Budapest wine buffs thinking of taking advantage of the unseasonable weather to make a trip out to Eger this weekend should promptly think again, as this Saturday many of the region's top wines and wineries will be in...
Feb 14 '07
Last Call for Food-Lover-Lovers' Big Night
With just hours remaining until the big event, we have a pair of late additions to Monday's rundown of Valentin Nap specials being offered by some of our 33 favorite restaurants in Budapest. Maybe we're just in the mood, but...
Feb 12 '07
Enjoy Valentine's Day, the Top 33 Way
For sure, Valentine's Day may be a cheesy "Hallmark Holiday" and an unparalleled suicide trigger for romantic no-hopers around the world. But it can also be an excellent excuse to treat yourself and a loved one to a nice...
Dec 19 '06
Giant Bottle Saves 2005 Bock "Nouveau" From Ravages of 2006
As you may recall, last month we ran a little explanatory feature about Márton nap (St. Martin's Day), the mid-November holiday that, among other gastronomical traditions, marks the release of the first wines of the season. The resulting wine,...
Dec 15 '06
Sick Food (III): What Do Hungry Hungarian Freudians Really Want?
Finally this week we bring you news of an unusual food event taking place this Sunday on the A38 Hajó, the cultural center/restaurant moored to a stretch of the Danube in south Buda. Put on by the Osztrák Kulturális Fórum...
Nov 28 '06
Fear, Loathing and World-Beating Mangalica Ham at Foodapest '06
Until last Friday, the last food trade show I attended was the "Fancy Food Show" in New York, where the exhibitors practically throw food at you, shove wine glasses in your face, and then send you away with more...
Nov 22 '06
Famous Restaurant to Host Obscure Wine and Cheese Festival
In addition to the "Foodapest" festival currently underway in Budapest, another potentially interesting chewing and boozing event will take place this weekend at the Gerbeaud Étterem, the sister restaurant of the famous Café Gerbeaud . We can't find anything about...
Nov 22 '06
I'll Meet You Back at Meat Land in One Hour
Just a quick one to let you know that the biannual Foodapest food trade fair will be running until Friday over at Hungexpo, Budapest's vintage trade grounds. We haven't been over there yet, but the organizers swear that the...
Nov 10 '06
Everyone Head to the Pierogi Party!
Despite the conventional wisdom, if you are from Chicago and no longer live there, it is not pizza that you miss but Polish food. My favorite hometown restaurant, The Busy Bee (now closed), was a family-owned Polish restaurant under the...
Oct 20 '06
It's Sausage (and Face) Stuffing Time in Békéscsaba Again!
If Budapest is looking a little de-populated today, it's not just because people are clearing out to avoid the chaos of the 1956 commemorations. It's because, once again, the "Kolbászfesztivál" is already underway in the sausage capital of Békéscsaba....
Sep 27 '06
Mondo Italiano Food and Wine Night at the New York Palace
So somehow this slipped our attention until now, but tomorrow night the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hungary is hosting what appears to be the mother of all Olasz nights, at the swanky new (and Italian-owned) New York Palace hotel....
