Dining with Tasteful Croatian Journeys: Our Team’s Favorite New Discoveries
The Tasteful Croatian Journeys team visits Croatia and the surrounding regions to explore and learn, seeking out new properties, restaurants, and off-the-beaten-path experiences for our travelers. On these trips, which occur several times per year, the TCJ team also has the opportunity to embrace our friends and colleagues, revisit our favorite properties, restaurants, wineries, and konobas and review the experiences we currently offer. We check, taste, test, look, listen, question and offer praise and/or suggestions for improvements. We try every type of eatery, from humble konobas (taverns) to Michelin starred restaurants – it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it!
Undoubtedly, on every visit, we are introduced to a property or a meal which so exceeds our expectations that it becomes an instant favorite – the flavors and aromas permanently imprinted in our memory. Here below our team shares their fondest food memories from their most recent trips. We invite you to indulge in the memories along with us.
For me, food is a big part of travel. When I’m abroad, it’s important to me to seek out cuisine which highlights local flavors and upholds tradition without being restricted by it. My ideal restaurant is one whose signature style marries traditional flavors and contemporary techniques. I suppose if I had to sum up what I look for in a restaurant in one word, it would be “innovative.” Perhaps this is why I was so excited to discover Pod Zidom Bistro on my last trip to Zagreb. It felt as though someone had stepped into my mind and from it extracted the formula for my ideal eatery.
One of the city’s leading gastro-bistros, Pod Zidom Bistro is located behind Zagreb’s main square, Trg bana Josipa Jelačića, just steps away from the bustling Dolac Market, the city’s famous open-air farmers’ market. The atmosphere is ever so slightly industrial, with a relaxed air and polished service befitting a space which started as a wine bar. Here, head chef Jurica Jantolek reinvents Croatian classics with a delicate sensibility, transforming the “meat and potatoes” characteristic of the Croatian hinterland into fresh and inspiring new dishes. When I visited, our meal began with homemade sourdough bread, still warm from the oven, served with butter flavored by pumpkin oil and toasted pumpkin seeds. From there, we moved onto the “open lasagna,” which was a deconstructed version of the classic dish, composed of homemade noodles topped with a rich oxtail ragu, parmesan foam, and pickled onion. We sampled the beef cheeks as well, Pod Zidom’s most popular dish, which is slow cooked for 8 hours and served atop a bed of Jerusalem artichoke puree with blanched kale, potato slices, and pickled radish. For dessert, the homemade pastry, rolled almost like a cannoli, and filled with light as air white chocolate poppy seed cream and topped with rhubarb was a surprising treat, though in the end I preferred the chocolate ganache with tangerine and olive oil ice cream.
All in all, it was a fantastic and very memorable meal, with surprising flavors and balanced compositions. This is a restaurant that I suspect will only continue to advance, and which I highly recommend to anyone visiting Zagreb – contemporary Croatian cuisine at its best!
Croatia in general is a mecca for foodies, especially when it comes to fish. Out of the many extraordinary fish restaurants along the coast which I have visited, Foša is definitely one of my favorites. For me, it is not only about the food, but the whole experience one can have while visiting a restaurant: its location, atmosphere, service, and cuisine. Foša surpassed all of my expectations!
My visit to Foša took place on one of my recent visits to Zadar with Wanda. We dined there for lunch before a half-day excursion to the nearby Kornati Islands. We arrived by foot, as the restaurant is located just a short distance from the city center, hidden within a small harbour just outside the city walls.
My first impression of Foša was outstanding. Welcoming waiters showed us the way to our table on the large waterfront terrace with stunning views of the sea, islands, and boats moored in the harbour. The atmosphere was relaxed but elegant. The crisp white table clothes seemed even brighter in the light of the sun. The décor of the restaurant, like the food, seemed to mix modern and traditional elements.
We opted for an 8-course tasting menu with Croatian wine pairing which focused primarily on the restaurant’s specialty – seafood! To my great surprise, one of my favorite dishes was actually the local lamb, prepared confit and exploding with flavor. Lamb is a popular dish in Croatia, and this was the best I have ever tasted. I was extremely impressed by the skill and creativity of young and talented chef Saša Began, who expertly prepares traditional Dalmatian cuisine with a modern touch.
Below I share the menu we tasted:
OYSTER, lemon and olive oil foam
CUTLEFISH AND OCTOPUSS CROQUETTE, harissa, corn, paprika, broad bean
SCAMPI TARTAR, orange
LOBSTER, medium rare, hollandaise sauce, dalmatian truffle
HOME MADE RAVIOLI, scampi sauce
LAMB CONFIT
MONKFISH LARDO
MANGO – MARACUJA, CHOCHOLATE – RASPBERRY
It is no surprise to me that Foša has been included in the Michelin Guide’s list of recommended restaurants. I’m excited to share this discovery with our travelers, and will be sure to reserve them the “best table in the house!”
When visiting Croatia for my personal pleasure, I enjoy sailing with dear friends along the many islands of the Adriatic. It is for me one of the most pleasant seductions to be enjoyed in Croatia. My Adriatic Adventures often begin in Split, a city whose heart is an ancient Roman citadel built by Diocletian, but whose soul is the sea. It is a well-situated starting point for yacht charters.
On my last trip, I had the extreme pleasure of dining at Bokeria Kitchen & Wine Bar before embarkation on the S/Y Avocado. I was welcomed by the shining, professional, and very special team of Mr. Luka Bokavšek and his sister Ms. Ela Bokavšek. It is the Bokavšek family who owns and manages Bokeria, hospitality deeply embedded in their DNA. They are doing a fantastic job as the entire staff exudes intelligence, caring and special attention to their guests.
The restaurant was named for the famous Boqueria market in Barcelona, and like its namesake, Bokeria too is a symphony of colors and sensations. The dining room is bright and welcoming, with large glass doors and arched windows illuminating the space. A mosaic tiled bar and shelves lined with Aperol and Campari bottles add pops of color. Hanging over the bar are legs of dried Pršut (dry-cured ham similar to prosciutto), an interesting contrast to the massive chandelier which hangs in the center of the room, extending over two floors.
Our meal began with the burratina salad. The creaminess of the cheese was both enhanced and complemented by the sweet, ripe, rainbow colored fruits that accompanied it – red tomatoes and raspberries, orange slices, yellow peaches, and tart blueberries. Next, we shared the “Bruschetta Vis,” which was comprised of tender brioche topped with a ragu style tapenade of tomatoes and capers, anchovies, and soft cheese. Finally, the cod fish spring roll was an experience that made my taste buds dance with pleasure. For dessert, two chocolate eclairs were the perfect finishing touch – a delicate final note to meal which was a mosaic of contrasting experiences and pleasures.
I am happy to share my wonderful experience at Bokeria – personally tested and enjoyed! I know that our VIP travelers will also enjoy their moments there, creating mouthwatering memories that will expand heart and mind.
Konoba Jidro
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Did you know that every Tasteful Croatian Journeys traveler benefits from our unique and personally vetted guidance on dining, nightlife, and shopping? Learn more about our custom designed itineraries to Croatia and beyond. Contact us for more information.
Reflections on Korta Katarina – Passion, Values & Endeavors that call upon my Heart
As the years pass and energy flows into endeavors that call upon my heart, I reflect on the motivations and values which drive my attention.
A talented writer, who I am proud to call a friend, Ms. Catherine Sabino, wrote an article for Forbes about a new luxury winery and villa in Croatia, which was developed as an homage of love and passion by Minnesota philanthropists, Mr. Lee and Mrs. Penny Anderson, together with their daughter Ms. Katherine Anderson Groethe. Tasteful Croatian Journeys has the pleasure to develop, coordinate, and manage holidays of all kinds for travelers around the world. However, it is not often that we can enjoy the distinct pleasure to accompany our travelers.
In September of 2018, such an occasion arose when I, along with my team, accompanied the Andersons as part of a trip we created on behalf of a University group board of trustees. Arriving at Korta Katarina under the blush colored late summer sky, I was struck by the beauty and elegance of the villa, the production of world quality wines, and the heartfelt passion behind every element of their stunning seaside property. While spending time with the Andersons, I had the pleasure of hearing the story of how they came to fall in love with Croatia after first visiting as humanitarians during the war years. As I learned of their pursuit of a dream to create a winery in this stunning and culturally bountiful wine region, I instantly knew this was unlike anything else in Croatia, and I wanted the world to know what they had created.
This one-of-a-kind property is on my mind, as I dream of ways to bring this particular slice of heaven to the attention of the sophisticated travelers of the world. This was a project and pursuit of mine, but it was not until reading Catherine’s article did I recognize that here lay a passion of mine. For 26 years I have created custom itineraries and luxurious experiences for travelers to Croatia and the surrounding regions. This is a source of great pride, joy, and gratitude with which I serve my clients, this is also my profession and how I earn a living. Simultaneously, for the last 26 years, I have engaged in another endeavor; an endless pursuit that originates from my desire to nurture, to develop, to teach, to mentor, and ultimately, to be of service. That pursuit is the development and promotion of what is beautiful, cultured, elegant, intelligent, and tasteful. When I encounter an actualization of that which presents the culture and history of Croatia authentically and artfully, I am overcome with a sense of obligation to become its champion.
This passion of mine has become a mellower engagement recently than in my earlier years, when I did not find finished creations, but often what was an aspiration, or potential of what could be with an awful lot of hard work. Here, I went beyond my role in travel and tourism, beyond my role as a business associate, and inserted myself to be a force for elevating what was, into what could be. I gave my energy freely to my vision, for the development of Croatia, to be a destination of sophistication, culture, and beauty that did not rest in the shadows of European neighbors but is distinct and unequivocal. I gave my energy, despite encountering resistance, despite it pulling my attention from my professional work, despite the additional time required. I did this because of my conviction that Croatia, its heritage, and its people, should be viewed by the eyes of the world in the way I see it – Uniquely Magnificent.
So come, see Croatia through my eyes. Swim with me in the translucent Adriatic waters that call one to the shores of Croatia. Walk on the lustrous cobblestones of the Stradun in Dubrovnik, levigated by the footsteps of history. Let me direct your vision to a lace curtain in the medieval hilltop town of Groznjan in the heart of Istria, delicately waltzing to the notes of piano music and let us join in the dance. Let all inhibitions go as you participate in the irreverent, quasi scandalous, celebrations of Carnival in Rijeka. Let your taste buds be awakened to the seductive, sweet aromas of the fritule and vin brûlé, that permeate the upper town of Zagreb during advent.
Learn more about the Villa Korta Katarina and Winery here
Živjeli! To Your Health! — A Croatian Wine Journey
Our network of friends, colleagues, and brilliant visionaries all share one thing in common….
We love Croatia! We all wish to share its bounty of pleasures with the world.
A talented champion of this magnificent country is our friend, Mirena Bagur, Co-founder of Croatian Premium Wine Imports. We are pleased to share just a bit of her story and work as a guardian and promoter of Croatian wine.
Introducing, in her own words, our friend, Ms. Mirena Bagur…
Mirena Bagur, representing wines from the Komarna region at the luxurious Boston Harbor Hotel
My Croatian Wine Journey
I grew up in Croatia. My hometown Metkovic is based in the valley of the Neretva river in Dubrovnik-Neretva county. I am used to the vistas of the meandering Neretva, the smell of herbs, the sun smiling on the both the river and the Adriatic… I was familiar with winemaking as my Grandfather, like most families in those days, had a small vineyard – just enough for the wine for the family. Needless to say, I didn’t like the fact I had to work in the vineyard, as little as that was. I had more important things to do – college in Zagreb, travel the world, and work in an innovation economy in Boston. Well, fast forward a few decades and that has come full circle – while visiting Terra Madre Winery in Komarna with family and friends, I rediscovered the scents I had long since forgotten, and an idea started fermenting. How could it not. The wine was delish and look at the sunset!
Sunset at the Terra Madre Winery, Komarna, Croatia
Then I realized that a childhood friend is the president of the Komarna Association, a group of seven nearby wineries. So, he told me the story of the Komarna wine region, and as they say in the entrepreneurial world – I got bitten by a bug.
Mihovil Štimac, president of the Komarna Winery Association describes the vineyards, including his family’s Rizman Winery
Starting a business importing Croatian wine to the States became a natural way to mix my “worlds” — love for Croatia, its culture, and customs, including ones associated with agriculture, and my business experience as well as appreciation for my new home in the States. Add the business and tech knowledge of my serial-entrepreneur husband, and voila – the company was born. We first created the company in Massachusetts and then added technology to address Croatian wine lovers from across the US.
Ok, it was not that simple. This would not have happened without a true partnership with the Komarna Association. And without a lot of prep work in the States. But, that is another story…
Learning from the Croatian Wine Experts
I absorbed some knowledge about wines while living in Croatia, but clearly I had a lot to learn. So, I turned to experts. First, we visited with the wineries to hear the details of their wine making process and to taste the wines, as well as learn about the changes in technology and the mix of the modern with traditional.
Someone had to do it — tasting Plavac mali Rosé with Josip Volarevic, winemaker at the Volarevic Winery
Then we spoke with the Croatian Chamber of Economy to hear about the historical perspective of wine exporting to US. Combining that conversation with the fact that there are over 130 indigenous varieties in Croatia, it became obvious. If we were to be serious about this business, we needed to a map. Thankfully, the HGK team of experts have done exactly that. We have added the most well-known wine varieties that are cultivated in each of the four wine regions. Our goal is to import wines from boutique wineries from all over Croatia.
Source: Croatian Chamber of Economy and Croatian Premium Wine Imports
From a business perspective, it was clear that we needed to focus on one area first and naturally for me, that was the Komarna wineries, as I already knew the people. So, we packed a few bottles of the Komarna wines – mostly Plavac Mali and Pošip – and flew back home.
Testing with the American Experts
Plavac Mali is an indigenous variety that was created naturally as a hybrid between Tribidrag (a.k.a. Zinfandel, also another story) and Dobričić. It is a predominant red wine that has been grown for generations in Dalmatia. I love it. But, it is in my DNA. Since it can be earthy and powerful with very strong tannins, the key question was, “What would Americans think?” So, we turned to wine experts in our home state of Massachusetts.
From left to right: Luiz Alberto, founder of the #winelover community, which now has more than 27,000 members worldwide, Win Burke, CEO and my partner in crime in CPWI, and wine collector Brad Smith, an editor in the same community.
So, we were off to a good start. Now the real work begins. Making Croatian wines known in the States is a real challenge. Stay tuned for more stories.
Author: Mirena Bagur, Co-Founder and VP/Brand Management, of the USA-based and -operated Croatian Premium Wine Imports, Inc., www.croatianpremiumwine.com, was born and educated in Croatia. Always up for adventure, after attending college in Zagreb, Croatia, Mirena traveled around the world and settled in Boston, Massachusetts, where she had a career in technology marketing. She is thankful for her parents who instilled in her an appreciation for the Croatian community, history and culture, for her children who love the Croatian culture, but lovingly mock her accent, and her husband who is her partner in crime.
