Today we had a big agenda because we suddenly realized that we only have one day left in Warsaw, a city which we have now gotten our arms around and really admire for what they've built here since its total destruction during WW ll. You will understand better after you see this Warsaw Rising museum with the following pictures::
This museum is dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. It finally opened in 2004, marking the 60th anniversary of the Uprising. It's important not to confuse this with the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto uprising.
This museum deals with the heroic Home Army of the Polish underground resistance against German occupation towards the end of the war. It was Stalin's Russian army which liberated Poland and thus began the Communist era in Poland.
All Polish school children visit this museum, as well as some of the camps in order to understand their own history.
It's very well done, with lots of commentary, so you don't need a guide. It gives the history of the Polish Underground State, from weapons used to love letters left for family, to give a full picture of the people involved.
This film Miastro Ruin 'City of Ruins' shows an actual aerial view of Warsaw's destruction. If this doesn't bring tears to your eyes, nothing will.
Warsaw before the war was a charming, wealthy city.
During the occupation, Germans murdered many representatives of Polish science and culture, closed down scientific institutions, destroyed archives and libraries, and demolished monuments. They confiscated works of art as well, like an altar from the main church, a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, and the statue of Chopin from that beautiful Royal Baths Park which we saw on our city tour (it was found and restored to its original position in the park). Some works of art were hidden in time before the Germans found them, and so never confiscated.
The resistance set up sophisticated means of communications. Here are printing presses and rudimentary phone gear to distribute the news, keep people apprised of the terror that was happening, and disseminate instructions.
We met an American soldier stationed in Germany who was also learning more about the history. His group was accompanied by Polish military personnel.
There were many photographs of before and after the devastation.
People were starving.
Here is an actual ration of bread that might be all someone had to eat in a day.
And then came the liberation.
After this emotionally drenching experience, we really appreciate now what the Polish people have done over the last 70 years since the devastation, and since the fall of Communism. There is still much more restoration and development to do, but these are strong, dedicated and determined people in every way.
THIS IS A MUST-SEE MUSEUM!
Now we needed some sustenance ourselves to give us more energy for the rest of our sight-seeing plans. So we stopped for some traditional barley, sausage, and potato soup, accompanied by some, you guessed it, chicken fingers, the Polish version of course, and kasha...yummmmm! Not so much!
Our next stop was the new Museum of the History of the Polish Jews, located in Warsaw's pre-war Jewish neighborhood, and site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. The Ghetto is gone now...too painful to remember and...giving way to gentrification.
Facing the Museum is the Jewish Ghetto Memorial, a monument to the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, something that strikes the hearts of everyone.
Here it is up close...a place to contemplate and reflect on the atrocities that this memorial commemorates.
As we arrived it looked very quiet and empty. Unfortunately, once inside, we found out that it was not officially opened yet, and would not be ready for visitors until the end of October. We couldn't believe it, just bad luck for us. The building is gigantic and amazing. We were allowed to walk around the first floor and see some of the finishing touches to the walls.
We could see the wooden replica they installed of a synagogue that was destroyed in the ghetto, right where the museum is located. We were very disappointed, of course, that there was nothing else to see, so we sadly left, feeling very unfulfilled.
But there was one more museum we had planned to see today, The Frederick Chopin Museum...we wanted to balance this intense day by ending on a happier note.
We love to walk, but by this time we were tired and decided to take a taxi across town. The Chopin Museum is in a beautiful palazzo-style building.
BUT we didn't realize what day it was , so...low and behold...it is closed on Mondays! We were, again, sooo disappointed!
When you're traveling and want to see and do and experience as much as you can, needless to say there are a lot of details to consider, and in this case the Closing Day information fell off our radar screen. And unfortunately today was our last day in Warsaw, it went by so fast, and so we will just have to come back.
At this point we were not to far from Nowy Swiat, the main drag to the Old Town which, by this time, we were quite familiar with. So we stopped at one of the more upscale and popular cafes on the street. We could have been anywhere, Paris, Roma, Lisboa, Palermo...
We still had some time to kill before our dinner reservation tonight, a very special one, so this extra time to just relax was actually quite timely. While we were sitting there I realized that I desperately needed a manicure, and maybe this was the perfect time to sneak one into our busy schedule...and I found a perfect little salon nearby.
Then it was time for our dinner reservation. We decided to really splurge and go to Atelier Amaro, Poland's first and only restaurant to land a coveted Michelin One Star. Chef Wojciech Modest Amaro, the heart of the Atelier, describes his cuisine as "Where nature meets science" and puts art on your plate!
Since it's very difficult to get a reservation there, I phoned from the States about a week before we left, which was almost a month ago today. They told me they were fully booked for every night during our four-day stay in Warsaw, but they might be able to fit us in on Monday...for us every night is Saturday night, so not a problem and we booked it. I did warn Marty that it was a 'tasting menu' and not his favorite way of eating, but he said if I really wanted to go there he would be a sport. Marty IS a gourmet, BUT he does tend more towards the gourmand side! So tonight is the night, and off we went to Atelier Amaro.
Mmmmmm...he has that questioning look on his face like, What am I doing here? I have to admit I got a little nervous, especially knowing what the bill was going to be...
But like he said, he was a good sport! The room is very white and sparse, so that the only real highlight is the food.
NOTA BENE: if you're not a foodie, then you might want to skip to the last photo at the bottom which wraps it all up, and then just go to the next day.
The menu indicates different amounts of 'Moments,' each being another course. You could have 3 Moments, or 5, or 8, or any other amount you wanted. We chose 6, so we could include the Herring Moment. As each Moment is served, the waiter explains what it is, but sometimes that doesn't even help to fully understand what you are eating. You must have blind faith and let your senses give you the experience!
So we began with a...you guessed it.... amuse bouche (a miniature something not on the menu, served to tickle your mouth. I think this one was a thinly shaved ribbon of tart green apple with something inside. When it came with long tweezers to eat like sushi, Marty's eyebrows did raise a bit here!
OK, next was an interesting course, another amuse bouche. We couldn't quite figure out at all what it was, but one bite revealed that it was pure lard, again thinly shaved into ribbons on a plate. You can eat it with butter (that goes well with lard) on several different wonderful and aromatic kinds of bread, served warm in a burlap bag (take note of this fact). I chose the dark brown very nutty and grainy bread. UH OH, one bite revealed a big stone, larger than a green pea. I WAS SHOCKED, and luckily did not bite on the stone and break a tooth, like I did in Paris last year. I immediately called over the Maitre D'...I couldn't even imagine what he would say or do...I really didn't want to begin this special dinner this way! He came right over, and looked at me and smiled a little.
He explained to me that at the bottom of the burlap bread bag were hot stones to keep the bread warm, and that one must have just stuck to the bread! Phew! I was happy and relieved, and the bread was phenomenal, even though we didn't completely finish the lard part, although it was very tasty
Next was the first real Moment, the first of three in the appetizer category. This one was made of zucchini, beech tree, and goat cheese. The menu lists only the three main ingredients in each Moment, and the waiter explains the rest as he presents it to you, in all its intricate glory. Note that the dinnerware was all unique and amazing too!
Here is the Sommelier, the wine guy. I could hear him speaking to the next table who were doing the wine pairing. He was very knowledgable, but I heard him use some adjectives I didn't even know existed in English!
The next appetizer Moment was probably my favorite, herring with horseradish foam, topped with onion (don't worry if you don't recognize the ingredients, as they've all been transformed through chemistry!
And the last appetizer Moment was very interesting...sunchoke (my new favorite veggie) which has been shaved to envelope a walnut and bison grass stuffing (I guess the bison eat this grass) in a heavenly aromatic and rico cream sauce.
Now begins the first of two main course Moments, turbot, a meaty white fish and one of our favorites at home, with chanterelle and parsnip. It was quite delicious.
This was followed by the second main Moment, which was Marty's favorite, duck breast topped with beetroot made into angel hair in a plum sauce. It was rich, aromatic and forestiere tasting.
Now the mood changes and so do the candle decorations.
Now comes the dessert course, but first another amuse bouche. This was a sorbet made with Sea Buchthorn, an Eastern European fruit that was so unusual and delicious, and some kind of berry jam, served on an ice cold, right from the freezer, stone slab...very interesting and creative service!
Then comes the actual dessert Moment...pumpkin, quince, and oat...that's all I can say to describe this creation.
But of course that is augmented with another amuse bouche...carrot sorbet with edible earth (it was cocoa based).
And last but not least, the final amuse bouche of assorted chocolates, candies, and those ubiquitous merange cookies. We love all this stuff but believe it or not, even Marty, the gourmand, could not eat them all!
At the beginning of this eating extravaganza, Marty whispered that he hoped there would be a plate of lasagna somewhere along the way. But when it was all over, he admitted he really did enjoy it, even just the curiosity of how all the ingredients were presented, used and assembled together.
All the wait staff had these big butterflies somewhere on their shirts. I finally had to ask one of them what that was all about and he said it represents nature in all it's beauty, just like this farm-to-table experience, both for the chef and them, as well as the guests enjoying it.
After the meal the GM, Krzysztof Matej, asked us what we liked best and least. We then started chatting and he asked if we had any suggestions for food-related books and NYC restaurants. We gave him a list of both for which he was very appreciative.
He also asked is if we ever heard of Blue Hill, which started a whole conversation about Dan Barber and Stone Barns. He told us that last year he and the Chef went to New York to experience some of the best, and that was the establishment that impressed them the most.
We didn't even realize that we had been at the restaurant for four hours! We both had a great experience, even skeptical Marty, and it was obviously well worth it! ...even though we had to get up at 7 the next morning to catch our plane to Berlin. Now you know why we're running late with our Blog!
No comments:
Post a Comment