Chowing down in Copenhagen.

On my first morning in Denmark, John and I found ourselves with only 30 minutes after getting dressed before Tine would arrive. I knew if all else failed, I could run across to the 7-11 and grab something, but I was hoping not to have to resort to that. I popped my head in the office and asked the manager if she could recommend something good but quick. She told me to run into Café Andre, which was just two stores down. I thanked her and took off. .

When I walked in, I could smell the wonderful aromas of pastries cooking. My mouth just popped open at the variety of breakfast goodies for my choosing. I just thought to myself, "How will I ever choose just one?" About that time, the girl at the counter snapped me out of my pastry induced haze and muttered something in Danish. I am assuming she asked what I wanted. I just shook my head, and without thinking, I muttered, "I’m sorry." I was planning on being courteous and asking if people spoke English when they asked me something. The girl just laughed and asked for my order in English. Relived, I just smiled and stated that everything looked yummy. She told me they had some delightful strawberry pastries with an oatmeal-and-walnut crumb topping that just came out of the oven. I quickly said okay and also ordered two cups of hot tea. I thanked her and ran back to the hotel before Tine arrived. This wonderful breakfast hit the spot and cost us less than $10 for two.

The pastries were so fluffy and scrumptious that we decided to just eat there every morning, since Tine had told us she would have already eaten before she arrived. So the next morning, we got up with enough time to go into the restaurant and enjoy ourselves. When we arrived the next morning, the same girl at the counter was there and automatically spoke English and asked my how I had enjoyed my pastries from the day before. I told her they were wonderful and asked for her suggestion again. This time she recommended the blueberry scones. Her pick was right on the money again. These were thick and hearty scones with big, plump berries. Since we were dining-in, we just ordered a pot of tea and enjoyed ourselves. On our third day, we both had strudel, and I went with cherry and John went with pineapple. On our last day, we went with a blackberry-and-raspberry breakfast tart. .

When we arrived at our hotel, we were pretty beat and decided to take a nap. By the time we woke up, our breakfast from earlier had worn off and we were starving. I noticed the Hard Rock when we were leaving the train station. If the town has a Hard Rock, you can bet you will find me there eventually. I am a member of the pin collectors club and am working on my milestone pin. .

When we arrived, we were greeted in English. The hostess asked us how many and told us it would be just a minute. I made sure to ask for nonsmoking since she didn’t ask. You have to make sure in Europe that you ask for nonsmoking, or else it will automatically be assumed you want smoking. While waiting, I looked up to notice the drum set of Metallica’s drummer, Lars Urlich, overhead on a thick piece of Plexiglas. It looked pretty well hung up there, but I was still hoping our waitress would come soon.

John and I were starving, so we went with an appetizer instead of dessert. We started out with the Santa Fe spring roll. These yummy spring rolls are filled with chicken, spinach, black beans, and cilantro, corn, jalapenos, and jack and cheddar cheese. I ordered the blacked chicken pasta, which consisted of blackened chicken, spinach leaves, and tomatoes on penne pasta covered with a rich and hearty Alfredo sauce, served with garlic bread. Oh my! John went with the Stormy Blue Burger, which is a seasoned hamburger with melted blue cheese on top and horseradish and fries on the side. The portions were plenty, as we felt like we needed rolled out instead of walking out. .

This branch of the Hard Rock has been feeding Dances since 1995. Now, while critics don’t necessarily embrace Hard Rock, fans do. And they must be doing something right to have been around since 1971 and have restaurants all over the place, adding more all the time. Most people still come for the rock-and-roll atmosphere. While waiting for your food, you can check out the collection of music memorabilia that can be found everywhere, including the bathrooms. Here, I spotted yet more Elvis stuff (I assume he might have liked the Hard Rock, since I have seen Elvis memorabilia in every one I have visited). When I went to the bathroom, I ran into a large collection of stuff from my girl Tina Turner. In fact, I was gone so long that John thought I got lost! .

They do accept credit cards. They do have a gift shop on the premises for those desired Hard Rock T-shirts and pins. You can go to www.hardrock.com for more information, to make reservations up to 30 days in advance, or to see how you can join one of the clubs (like the pin club!).

When my friend Tine arrived to see us the first morning, she set about telling what plans she had or our visit in Copenhagen. One of the things she mentioned we would have to try was smorrebrod. After all she had tried the southern BBQ at Sony’s, I insisted she try when she visited me here in NC. Smorrebrod is a favorite of the Danes and can be found at plenty of restaurants and pubs throughout the city.

Now I just assumed that smorrebrod would be similar to a buffet that we find here since it sounded like smorgasbord. After all, that is what a smorgasbord is. Well, I was so wrong. It is actually more akin to our open-face sandwiches found here. You can find them with a variety of meats and seafood and a variety of toppings. You will see the smorrebrod sign outside to indicate a place serves the sandwiches.

While enjoying strolling down the picturesque Nyhavn Canal our tummies started telling us it was time to eat. Needing a break and wanting a place to warm up a bit and rest our tootsies we ducked into the Kanal-Kafeen located right on the beautiful canal. The two-story building is tucked away in these beautiful and ancient buildings. Inside you will find small tables and chairs. There are huge wooden beams everywhere and the place is made of beautiful wood. Not much for the décor here, the rich beauty of the wood is what makes this place so wonderful instead. The owner greeted us and offered us a cozy table near a huge warm and inviting fireplace. The owner spoke very little English, but instead in Danish and his native Greek. The menu, though, did have descriptions in English.

Now I will be honest and confess that I may be adventurous in every other aspect of my travels, but when it comes to food I tend not to get quite as adventurous. We all started with a hearty onion soup. It was perfect to warm the insides and had plenty of rich, melted cheese on top. I just played it safe and went with just plain old roast beef with gravy on bread and a side of potatoes, hold the horseradish. John and Tine both with shrimp and caviar and a hollandaise type sauce and chips on the side. Tine and I both enjoyed our wonderful sandwiches, while I think John wished he had stuck with roast beef, since he kept eating mine. For drinks, I stuck with safe and boring Coke, while John tasted something similar to a birch or root beer-type soda, which he said, was enjoyable. The owner of the establishment was quite tentative and made every effort to speak to us to make sure we enjoyed everything. It was a gesture well-appreciated. They are open from 9am to 9pm. They only accept cash.

Before we enjoyed the grand and opulent Phantom of the Opera at Det TY Teatre, we enjoyed a divine meal at the Teaterkadderen, located in the basement of the theater. The building dates to 1748 and was once used for storing props and costumes. Today, it is a great place to enjoy a pre- or post-theater dinner or drink.

When you first walk in, you will find a full-service bar on the right. We were promptly, and in English, greeted by our hostess and taken to a table. Again, you have to ask for nonsmoking. We were seated in the corner offering romantic candlelit dining. The place is somewhat dark since it is a basement, but it just makes it romantic since you get to dine by candlelight. Everything here is upscale. Oversized leather chairs and seats are found throughout the restaurant, and the tables are covered with crisp, clean white linens. I loved the fact we were seated on a bench that wrapped around, as John and I could cuddle while waiting for our food.

Our waiter quickly greeted us and asked if we were American. We told him yes, and he asked how we were enjoying Copenhagen. He asked if we were interested in the specials or if we would prefer to eat off of the theater menu. Since we didn’t have a ton of time, we stuck with the theater menu.

We both ordered the burgundy steak. This strip steak arrived covered in a yummy burgundy-and-peppercorn sauce. No need for the A1 here. With it, we ate a green salad with a wonderful vinaigrette house salad and baked potatoes. While we were waiting, they served us marvelous homemade loaf of bread. It came with herb butter that was just heavenly. Apparently caviar is not expensive in Copenhagen, since they came by to serve us some at the table. Of course, we just declined. Afterwards, we had a wonderful piece of cake. The cake was a white cake with 4 layers. In between the layers there were a strawberry filling. The top was an almond icing with nuts. It was a perfect way to end a perfect meal. We were also glad to have tea to drink. Since neither one of us drinks alcohol, we had had to have soda or water for our beverages.

The service here was wonderful, and our waiter kept coming to make sure we were fine and to talk with us. He asked if we had seen Phantom before, and John just rolled his eyes since he knew I could talk all night about Broadway shows. The menu here constantly changes, but they offer a variety of meats, seafood, pasta, and vegetarian meals. They also always offer a theater menu, which gets you in and out more quickly. They do accept credit cards.

Our last day there, we took our time since we had a later flight and were not in too big of a hurry. While dining on our tarts, juice, and cocoa, a very nice Danish couple came over and asked if they could dine with us. They turned out to be marvelous company and wanted to know all about where we lived and how we had enjoyed our trip.

I can’t begin to convey the warmth of the Danes. The café was not very busy, so there were plenty of tables for them to sit at. They just wanted to make some American friends! On our last day, I thanked the girl at the counter for her wonderful suggestions and told her how much we had enjoyed Copenhagen. She told us to wait there, placed several cookies in a bag, and told me they were for the plane. When I asked how much we owed her for the cookies, she told us nothing, to just enjoy them! Wow! .

Café Andre offers both breakfast and lunch. They are open from 6am to 4pm and also offer a host of bakery delights, including cake, cookies, candy, and other glorious desserts. In fact, we arrived back early at our hotel on the second day and made a dash in to grab a couple of pieces of a yummy chocolate cake for later that evening. They only accept cash. The place is small and not much for decor. It is the kind of place you probably won’t find in a tourist guide. But you will find that the locals enjoy it. And sometimes that is the best kind of place after all! .

One of the best ways to enjoy the company of the Danes and some great Danish food is to take part in the Dine With The Danes program. This program, sponsored by the tourism board, will pare you with a Danish family. You will go to the home of your host and enjoy a wonderful meal and even more wonderful company.

While in Copenhagen, we did our own version of this with my friend Tine’s aunt and uncle, who were very gracious hosts to us. Before we even left home, Tine contacted us to let us know her aunt and uncle would love to meet us. I figured that if they were even somewhat as relatively nice as my friend Tine and her family member that I had previously met, this would be a treat. On our second day, Tine’s uncle was going to pick us up in the afternoon. We did a lot of sightseeing, and then met her uncle back at our hotel. Along the pleasant drive, he gave us a history lesson on the places we passed and we stopped at the Little Mermaid statue. Unfortunately, by this time, it was dark and we could not see it very well. Thankfully, that is why they have postcards. We arrived at their very delightful house and sat around and talked for a while. They told us about everyday life in Denmark, and we told them about our life here in the States. They seemed to love hearing about living out in the country, like we do, with plenty of room to roam and no one living right up against us. It is something that seemed to amaze people when we visited NYC as well.

After about an hour of chatting and getting to know one another, Tine’s aunt called us to the dinner table. We were served a wonderful meal of roast pork with a dill sauce, herbed potatoes, green beans, and homemade rolls. For dessert we had a wonderful chocolate log roll cake with the most delicious white-chocolate mouse filling and almond icing. It was better than any meal you can buy in a restaurant. I was stunned at the trouble Tine’s family went to make sure we enjoyed everything. Since neither John nor I drink alcohol, I was touched that her aunt brought several types of soda just to be assured we would have something to drink. I honestly don’t know which I enjoyed more, the company of this delightful couple or the wonderful meal. Probably it was a combination of both. Afterwards, we retired to the living room for after-dinner drinks, which for us consisted of a wonderful homemade hot chocolate. I hated for this wonderful experience to come to an end. And it came all too soon, though we spent several hours in wonderful company.

Now, sadly for you, my friend’s aunt and uncle are not for hire. But you can go to www.visitcopnhagen.dk to sign up for this wonderful program. I did pop into the visitor center to inquire about the program so I could pass along the information to my clients. The lady at the center told me they match you up to a family similar to each visitor. You will visit someone near your own age and interests, so a couple like us, who do not appreciate children, would be matched with another couple without children. And vegans would be matched with a vegetarian or vegan family so they wouldn’t walk out on the deck to a gassed-up grill with slabs of steaks awaiting them.

This is a wonderful experience for anyone. Just remember to be a gracious guest and bring your hosts a small gift of appreciation. I can tell you that Danes love candles and most drink alcohol. If you are like us and know nothing about wine, just do what I did. I went to a local vineyard, told them where I was going, and asked for their suggestion. Just remember to wrap it securely in your suitcase. Tine assured me when we got home that her aunt and uncle were delighted with their wine.