Since Latvia's independence from the Soviets in the early 1990s, the food scene has evolved. Even more than I imagined, there are all types of international cuisines represented: Irish, Chinese, Lebanese, lots of sushi, American.
We have had a lot of great Latvian food (although I have not yet found good pirags) but sometimes one just wants to eat in a more "back home" style. Last night, our final night in Riga, we had thought we might go to Vincents, a very high-end restaurant, for some gourmet cuisine, specifically their Latvian tasting menu. But as the day evolved we decided against that, and finally, around 9 pm we set out for pizza. We were curious as to how it would compare to the American pizza we know.
Earlier in the day, we'd also yearned for a lighter lunch; we ate a place called Felings (with a long "e" , as in "feelings" we think). We had some great potato dumplings with cheese sauce (which will be featured in a future entry) but to start our meal we each ordered a chicken caesar salad. As you can see, salads here tend to be very light on the lettuce (yes, it IS there)... the croutons, very white (although these had a basil drizzle) and dill is on, well, everything, even caesar salads.
The pizza was a challenge. We knew there was a pizza place near our hotel, but it was a neighborhood joint, not for tourists, so we were faced with the task of ordering pizza from a Latvian menu. I did see familiar terms such as "Neopolitan" and "Genovese" so we presumed the Genovese would have pesto, and it did. The photo shows what we got, with its pesto and cherry tomatoes.
I'll be blogging more about Latvia foods, customs, and such, shortly. However, we need to check out of the hotel and begin our last day in Riga... we fly to Stockholm this evening.
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