Last week I flew into Amsterdam for meetings with our hotel there, and the same day as our arrival, it was also our one and only Gary Steffen’s birthday! I arrived in the afternoon after traveling from Miami via Heathrow and this being my second time in Amsterdam over the last year, I didn’t feel as bad about the fact I was only spending a little over 24 hours there. 

We had some business to discuss early in the evening but since we were with some of our colleagues from Europe, dinner didn’t start until almost 9pm. We asked the hotel concierge and they led us to Italia Oggi. We made our way there and as soon as we got to the restaurant I was really excited because it just looked so traditional. 

We made our way to our table for 6 and had it not been for one of the guys with us spotting bolognese on the daily specials board, I would’ve had to settle for something else. Instead, I ordered a delicious bowl of bolognese. But this was no regular bowl, there was so much pasta, I felt like I ate for hours and barely made a dent. The pasta was perfect, but I wish the sauce had had a little more beef and maybe a little more flavor, but couldn’t complain. 

Since we were celebrating Gary’s birthday we enjoy some great Italian wine, and finished the evening with tiramisu, panna cotta (so yumm!!!) and espresso. And they also remembered us telling them about the birthday and brought out a little chocolate cake with sparklers and all.

If you find yourself in Amsterdam craving Italian, I highly recommend this place, not 100% because of the food, but also because of the atmosphere and the proximity to our DoubleTree there.

The day after, a flight to London, and 5 days later…Singapore! 

I just spent the last two weeks in London, going to meetings with our teams that support that region as well as spending time with colleagues and friends. I had some incredible experiences, from watching the wheelchair marathon as part of the Paralympics up close and personal, to getting a chance to stand right next to Wimbledon’s center court, plus also getting to enjoy some delicious bolognese. 

I have been in love with Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurants for a while now, and I haven’t had a trip to the UK in a long time in which I haven’t found a time to squeeze in a meal there. In this particular occasion we visited the Covent Garden location, and we started with some great starters like the meat and cheese plank, as well as the mushrooms and fried ravioli. But then came the main courses! My tagliatelle a la bolognese was as good as usual. Some might say it doesn’t have as much beef as they would expect, but the start portion to me is just perfect. 

If you ever find yourself in a city with one of Jaime’s Italian restaurants I highly encourage you to stop by. The prices are very decent, the portions are great, and the food is absolutely delicious. Jamie manages to combine the original ingredients, with a great atmosphere and a bit of his touch. I promise you won’t be disappointed! 

Next up…more London and more bolognese!

A whole week has gone by and unfortunately I haven’t had any bolognese in a little while. But that’s about to change! I am headed to London tomorrow evening and there are a few Italian restaurants I am hoping to visit during my stay.

I am hoping my travel companions will be up to it, otherwise it will be table for one!

Hope everyone is having a great Labor day weekend, I am off to start packing.

DP

This one is solely for @LondonGirlInLA, well and maybe for me as well…

The moon on this side, the sun on the other

So today was a tough day as I sent all my things in a truck on its way to Miami from Southern California. It was definitely a bittersweet feeling, leaving the area I love so much, and where I spent my first 12 years in this country after arriving from Colombia, a place where I saw myself living for the long run, but unfortunately that is not in my cards. But at least I am moving to Miami, not a bad place to head to, to be close to my family and hopefully get a fresh start on life, or on new DP, as some like to call it. 

The last year and half has been rough. I have been lucky enough to have an amazing support system around me, but for somebody who has always kept so much to themselves, it has been hard…From health issues with my family, to losing a dear friend, to having to change the dreaded Facebook relationship status, as well as constant changes and challenges everywhere I turn, some days it has been hard to keep that smile on my face that so many know me for. But this move to Miami feels right and the place where I find myself today emotionally also feels right. 

If you are still reading this you might be wondering what does this have to do with bolognese? Well, I feel like I now have a refreshed outlook on life, and although I have always been what some consider a “happy” person, I am now even more positive about what comes next and a delicious plate of pasta bolognese would fit that bill some days. I am now even more eager and excited to visit new places and try their food, to enjoy meals with friends and  family, to go check out restaurants recommended by strangers, and have meals cooked at home by mom. 

So yes, this is me today, this is a view into who I am now, and how that impacts what you will find here. Hope I didn’t scare you away and you’ll keep coming back, I promise I won’t have too many of these posts ;) 

So for now, farewell to my lovely Southern California, I will miss your weather dearly as I look at Isaac hitting Miami, but I am ready and excited for what comes next. Are you?

This past weekend I had the joy of spending it in Vegas with two amazing friends: Vanessa and Lucy. And although more were originally scheduled to come, we had a blast while we also missed them dearly and can’t wait for the next girls’ weekend - yes Carrie, Liz, Joelle and E, I’m talking to you! Miami anyone? 

We arrived on Friday and we knew from the beginning that this would not be the typical Vegas weekend of gambling and partying until 4am. We had a plan: eat, spa, relax, and I think I speak for the three of us to say we accomplished just that.

As I sit right now at the airport I feel pretty happy with our dining choices, and obviously the food highlight for me was my plate of bolognese at B&B Ristorante at The Venetian. We had gone to that hotel to see the Blue Man Group earlier in the evening, during which we discovered that our own Amy Jo Martin had won a gold medal in curling, and we had planned on going to dinner at Sushi Samba, but as we passed B&B, it just felt like a better option for our group. 

B&B is a Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich creation, and it truly did not disappoint. It was a dish of pappardelle with just enough bolognese sauce to not take away from the pasta, yet allow enough sauce to be enjoyed. The flavor was amazing, and the sauce had a delicious amount of seasoning, and although not described on the menu, it tasted like just a beef sauce, instead of the veal combinations we are seeing at more and more restaurants. 

The dish truly reminded me of the most original flavors of bolognese that I keep in my mind and that I tend to go back to as a visit different restaurants and different cities to experience this dish. It wasn’t trying to be something else, it wasn’t adding any ingredients just because they are cool to use at the time, it was just the traditional Italian flavors, and that’s my absolutely favorite. 

Although I know the company made the evening that much better, I definitely look forward to coming back to B&B, and maybe next time I’ll try something else from the delicious menu of Chefs Batali and Bastianich…oh who am I kidding, I won’t be able to order anything else other than the bolognese! 

Time to board my flight home…next stop, a Los Angeles bolognese. Any suggestions?

In Dallas, TX this week and had a chance to enjoy a super fun dinner with my “primas” Claudia and Lucy at Arcodoro Pomodoro. Wish I could say my bolognese was as great as the company but unfortunately it was just ok and maybe it felt that way because we had really high expectations. Dessert blew us away though and the frozen bellinis are a big draw for Happy Hour. The bolognese is veal based and I guess because we are in Texas, it came with jalapenos, which took away from the Italian feel for me personally. 

I probably will not be asking to come back to this restaurant during my future visits to the big D, but I encourage folks to at least go and give it a try, if only for the cocktails and the desserts.  

And again, the company made the evening for me, I love my prima Claudia i.e. Dr Malaria, the Infectiologist, and my “adopted” prima Lucy, aka the Brit, who are my proof each and every single day, that having great people in your life can make all the difference!

Diana

I still cannot believe I am doing this but here we are, welcome to blogognese.com!

My name is Diana and I’m addicted to pasta bolognese. I had been talking to friends about my love of this delicious Italian sauce and how I find it particularly comforting when I travel, which I do lots of, and they suggested I start a blog. 

I have to admit, I was terrified because I am not a writer, and English is not my first language. I was born in Colombia, but now live in the US, where I work for Hilton Worldwide supporting our wonderful DoubleTree by Hilton brand, which is why I travel so much. 

This blog is meant to be a way for me to share my love of bolognese, but also to share a little more about my travels and experiences along the way. Again, I am NOT a writer, so please ignore any bad grammar and I will do my best to keep typos to the minimum. 

Thank you to the team at DigitalRoyalty, and especially to the support of Amy Jo Martin to get me going, and the dinner that started it all with her and Rob Palleschi. 

So thanks for coming along for the ride and can’t wait to start sharing more with you!

Diana