Things I learned in Denmark

Last Updated on February 10, 2010 by Lindsey V

1. You have to be rich to eat really well in Copenhagen, at least by Atlanta or even NY standards. According to the NY Times, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure et al, Copenhagen is one of the world’s best eating cities. Alas the kind of eating they’re talking about will cost a pretty penny (or kroner for that matter). Noma is one of the world’s top restaurants – it’s fixed price menu runs about $200 USD a person. Alas probably not in my budget any time soon. Entrees at a regular restaurant (e.g., Le Le) seem to average around $30 USD and at a slightly nicer but by no means fancy restaurant (e.g., Cafe Victor) are in the $40-60 range. For a piece of fish to cost $60, Eric Ripert himself should be serving it to me, or maybe it should come with a chaser of gold.
2. Danes are nuts for making dinner reservations apparently. We had to eat at the bar numerous times and were outright turned away from our attempt to try smorebrod.
3. You know how they always bleep out the cursing on Hell’s Kitchen? They don’t in Europe, so you get to hear the cheftestants and Gordan Ramsey swear their little hearts out.
4. Did I mention you have to be rich to eat in Copenhagen? Seriously $20 soup and $25 slices of cake at nothing special restaurants. Holy moly! And to be honest, most of the food I had was good but not all that memorable, so certainly not worth super fancy restaurant prices. Quelle disappointment!
5. Riding a bus in a foreign city alone has to be one of the world’s must frustrating and stress-inducing activities. FYI, there is no stop called Ny Torv Glamens Torv no matter what the owner of your hotel tells you.
6. The Danish version of Manhattan Italian apparently includes New England Clam Chowder. Yes I realize that it’s an odd choice for two former New Yorkers to go to a NY style restaurant, but we didn’t know that’s what it was, and Tony’s came recommended. Fortunately, although the pheasant was bland and the tirimasu so so, the chowder was actually delicious and the 3-course menu was super cheap by Copenhagen standards – 200 Kroner, or about $40.
7. Copenhagen is approximately as cold as Antarctica, or at least what I imagine Antarctica would feel like. It’s frigid in a wrap your face in a scarf so that only your eyes show kind of way. And even my eye balls were cold. I didn’t even know that was possible.