Dining J.R.R. Tolkien Style

Brasov, Romania

-From Sarah

Mmmmmm... Romanian food. Did I ever think that I would say that? Probably not. And to be honest, I am only basing this exclamation on one meal, but still, it was quite delicious. Let me back track for a second. We are currently in Brasov, Romania very near the Bran Castle that Bram Stoker writes about in Dracula (we are heading there today, actually). We arrived by train last night, found our hostel by having our taxi driver look not at the map on the brochure, but the picture, dropped our sacks and headed to a recommended restaurant called "Bella Muzica." We walked in, and then down a flight of stairs to the dining area. Andy had to do some ducking as the beams of theceiling were fairly low. Welcome to the Hobbit Hole, we thought. It really did look like the house that Frodo and pals lived, with rounded sides and all. We sat down at the table, were handed English menus and told that when we were ready we should push the red button. Along with the food menu was a song menu so that we could choose a little bella muzica for our dining pleasure. Could life get much better? Yes, they had Kenny Rogers on that menu. Fantastic.

We ordered beers, bean soup in a bread bowl, entrees and a side of polenta. I had chicken with mushrooms and cream; Andy had the prok platter. Because this restaurant is technically a Hungarian-Romanian-Mexican joint, we were served a complimentary shot of Romanian Plum Moonshine, followed by chips and salsa. Nice. When the enormous beers for $1 each arrived, so did our bean soup. Now, this was no ordinary bean soup mind you because with every bite you could scrape the side of the bowl and get a serving of bread with it. It was delicious. When the entrees arrived, the Kenny began to play. By the end of the meal we were so full that I couldn't even look at the dessert menu (seriously, what?!?). Known for their hospitality, our Romanian waiter wasequally as delightful as the meal itself. We waddled out of the restaurant very full, and very happy... all of this for less than $20 US dollars, total. I heart Bella Muzica.

*Note: This entry was written yesterday but is being published today because of the incredibly amazing computers in Romania.

*Note 2: We're presently on the way to Bella Muzica for lunch on the way out of town to Bucharest. Watch for an entry later today about Dracula's castle.