Back to Editorial
Our recent trip to Oslo was full of thrills, but none as big as Kistefos, a spectacular art destination located one hour outside of the city. The contemporary art museum and sculpture park is set on an old pulp mill and features more than 50 works from artists including Olafur Eliasson, Yayoi Kusama, Anish Kapoor, and more. The centerpiece of the destination is the main building—an artwork in its own right—designed by Bjarke Ingels Group. Dubbed The Twist, the structure is both a gallery space and a bridge, spanning the river that runs through the property.
Escaping the madness of a city for a farm-to-table meal is one of our favorite pastimes, and a practice we’ve honed at New York’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Paris’ Le Doyenné. But there are a few other countryside restaurants at the top of our list, set just on the outskirts of some of our favorite European cities, so you can mix city energy with a bit of suburban slow living. These are the three we’re keen to visit next:
• Vuurtoreneiland, outside of Amsterdam: Set on a tiny island, serving locally sourced, seasonal cuisine in a greenhouse-style dining room.
• Parg, outside of Berlin: Garden-to-table bistro fare, from the team behind Berlin favorite jaja.
• Karshamra, outside of Stockholm: Family-run, summer-only garden with a restaurant serving seasonal plates and homemade pizza.
We’re just back from a quick weekend trip to Toronto, during which we were pleasantly impressed with the city’s buzzing food scene and overall vibe. On the dining front, one standout meal was at Jewish-Italian neo-bistro N. L. Ginzburg, the latest venture from the team behind Toronto staples Dreyfus and Taverne Bernhardts. The thoughtfully designed space could be straight out of New York’s LES, with cool furnishings including Simonetti chairs, vintage banquets sourced from a church, terrazzo floors, and thrifted Italian posters. The seasonal menu offers dishes like marinated pesto eggplant, tuna crudo with sofrito blanco and lemon, and handmade pasta. Other places worth a visit are Bar Isabel, a longtime favorite Spanish restaurant serving simple, tasty tapas (best bite of the trip: sobrassada with shaved foie gras); Japanese-inspired cafe and coffee shop ROOMS Coffee; and concept shop GRAYS, a bright space full of unique homewares and design objects, bespoke furniture, natural wine, and a curated collection of fashion for men and women. All this to say, there’s good things happening in Toronto.
Increasingly as we travel, we’re turning to locals for on-the-ground intel and recs for places that are a bit more insider-y. Places where there aren’t many other tourists, and you can have an experience that feels a bit more special than at the big, famous spots. These are a few of the recs we’ve been wishlisting from locals in some of our favorite cities—follow them and save these spots for your next trip:
• Migas Listening Bar, Berlin: “Beautiful listening bar in Wedding; one of my favorite places for a chill evening.” - @Paulina.Forsberg
• (IM)MATERIAL, Amsterdam: “Vintage store that has true gems compared to other overhyped places in the city.” - @marittalens
• Cappuccino Bar, Rome: “Best pastrami ever.” - @valersch
• Uzuki, Brooklyn: “Beautiful soba spot in Greenpoint that feels just like Kyoto.” - @annaraebilodeau
In the more than two decades she’s spent living in Rome, New York Times bestselling author Katie Parla has amassed some serious intel on the dining scene there, which she’s sharing in her latest cookbook, Rome: A Culinary History, Cookbook, and Field Guide to the Flavors that Built a City. In addition to sharing more than 100 recipes (for classics like gnocchi all’amatriciana and sour cherry and ricotta tart), she gives an in-depth history of the city and shares her favorite local recs. It’s the perfect holiday present for the Italophile in your life. Pre-order now for November delivery.
There’s no shortage of amazing follows on AmiGo, but this week we’re excited about three users in particular:
• Margaux Zanetti: Paris-based creative & founder of Bibiche Club with recs in Copenhagen & Paris. FOLLOW MARGAUX
• Zeynep Sagir: London-based founder & creative director of The Colour Club with recs in London, Palermo, Paris, Copenhagen, Malta, & more. FOLLOW ZEYNEP
• Cali Strauhs: New York-based facialist and founder of Strauhs Studios with recs in Paris, New York, Santa Fe, Portugal, & more. FOLLOW CALI
Xx
The AmiGo Editors
KEEP READING
