I was the one who gave the harness bells a shake.

For meat lovers

2009-11-22T07:41:00.002-07:00

There is a new restaurant in Tirana located in the former home of the Russian embassy. It is called The Brewhouse. The beer served is Kaon, and they have not served any other brand.

The restaurant is clean, and the wait staff is very attentive. The menu is packed with appetizers, soups, salads, poultry, beef, lamb, and fish dishes. They also list the prices based on kg weight. One is free to order not by the kilo, but what one feels that one can reasonably or unreasonably consume. If you order a kilo of lamb ribs, and leave half of on your plate, you will pay for one kilo of lamb ribs. I like this.

I asked for a supe madrilene, since it was listed on the menu. But our server let me know that they soup was not available, and that the only soups available were the vegetable soup and the chicken creme soup. So, why advertise something that is not available to serve?
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The chicken soup was very good. It was hearty and hot, and had plenty of chicken pieces. Well done!

I tried their lamb ribs, and I also tried their veal ribs. Both were very well prepared and served wrapped in a paper wrap to maintain the heat, and also to create a sense of mystery and down homeliness. The meat was perfect, fresh, and very tasty. However, on both occasions, the warm food was served on an ice cold plate. The plate should be at room temperature.

I like this restaurant. I will visit again and again until I find no more reason to visit. That is, until the staff is discourteous, and/or the food becomes bad. I recommend it. If anything, you can have a meal undreamed of under communism, in a restaurant where the empire of evil once operated in Albania.

A very nice place to eat in Tirana.

2009-11-08T12:43:00.002-07:00

There is no shortage of good food and good places to eat in Tirana. If you like Italian food, the pasta restaurants here (pasticeri) are abundant. If you like fresh meat, be it chicken, beef, lamb, or fish, then you would be hard pressed to find a restaurant that does not offer fresh meat. I like fish, and the fact that Tirana is relatively close to the coast makes finding a fish restaurant really easy.

One of my favorite fish restaurants in Tirana is Dvjaka. The restaurant has a seating capacity of about 30. It is decorated in a rustic, seashore decor. There are stuffed sea birds, and fishing nets on the walls, and a nice collection of photographs from different parts of the world. They have music that is set at a good volume so that you can hear it, but it won't interrupt your conversation, or your thoughts if you are dining alone. In sort, the restaurant is understated, and clean. The bathrooms are also clean.

Dvjaka has a decent selection of wines, mostly Italian, and a good selection of beer. But hey, you are there for the food.

The salads are fresh, and the Greek salad and the seafood salad are particularly fantastic. The fish selection is always good, and includes bass, koca, shrimp, calamari, trout, merlusa, etc. I prefer my fish grilled, or ala plancha, and when it is prepared for me it is always prepared very well.

I have also had their seafood risotto. That was very tasty. Their fish soup is also excellent (better than the fish soup at some other places in town).

The service is friendly, courteous and fast. The staff understands English and Italian, and every effort has always been made to ensure that my order is understood. I've paid lots of money at other restaurants and have been treated shabbily by the staff. At Dvjaka I've always been treated as if my business really meant something. What more can be said.

The prices at Dvjaka will not set you back. You'll have to trust me on that one. If you are in Tirana, make a point of visiting Dvjaka.

Don't visit Albania

2009-11-01T13:37:00.003-07:00

I've been in Albania since early September 2009. Albania is, well, difficult to describe. Its people are incredibly hospitable, very hard-working, extremely critical of their situation, and fiercely nationalistic. That description should be enough to describe a socio-economic stew.

I am not going to discuss the history of Albania. It's already been done, and done better than I can ever attempt to do it. What I will write about are my experiences here; what I see, feel, and how I live.

I live in a two bedroom apartment/villa. It's modern, well heated, and the from all appearances well built. It has a bidet in my big bathroom, and that is more than I can say for many abodes in the United States of America. I had to install one in the house I own in the USA. My kitchen here is ample enough to have a table and four chairs. It has all modern appliances. My living room-dining room combination is roomy, and I can boast that I have a working wood fireplace.

The front of my apartment has a spacious balcony where I can sit and smoke a cigar and, if I am lucky, see the after glow of a beautiful Mediterranean sunset.

I live in Tirana. Tirana is the capital city of Albania, and it is a bustling city. Vehicular traffic in Tirana is heavy. There are people driving to and fro all hours of the day. There are people walking everywhere. Albania, after all, in in Europe where people walk instead of drive. Yet, it seems that here almost every one has a car, and that car is a Mercedes-Benz. It is rumored that there are more Mercedes-Benz per capita in Tirana than in any other city in the world. I think it's true.

I like Tirana. I like it because it is busy. People, cars, motorcycles, scooters, trucks. And people. Albanians complain about the congestion of people and cars in Tirana. Imagine if this capital city had no traffic problems, or if people chose to live in another city in the country? What statement would that make for the country if its capital city was not bustling? Few Albanians can answer these questions when I ask. I understand the source of their complaints. But, I am glad that Tirana is such a bustling city.

I called this piece "Don't visit Albania." I did this for a reason. Last year Albania had more tourists than any other country in the European continent. People are learning about Albania. Foreign visits are bound to be very positive for the country. Foreigners have different expectations than the local populace. Foreigners have demands, specifically in the area of customer service. These expectations and demands will make Albania grow, as it attempts to put its best face forward. Pity. I like Albania just the way it is. Don't visit Albania.