On the Road

The Mattopian Seal of Goodness
The places that make Matt happy.

Brussels, Belgium:
Celtica - An Irish pub that's open reeeaally late, 'til... oh, 7 a.m. or so.
Hotel St. Nicolas - It might not look like much, but it's comfy.
Shamrock - 27-29 rue Jules Van Praet - An Indian restaurant with an Irish name in a Belgian city. Hard to top that combination.

London, England:
Annapurna - 101 Chiswick High Road - Fine Indian cuisine.
Burberry - Mattimus owns one suit. It's a Burberry.
Cadbury - Mmmm... Chocolates.
French Connection - For the dedicated follower of fashion.
London Walks - As Sherlock Holmes would say, "The game is afoot." The best way to absorb London's history.

Paris, France:
Le Gyros - 3 rue de la Harpe - As cheap and filling as it gets in Paris.
Hotel Excelsior - 16 Rue Caroline - A three-star run by a one-time New Yorker. Good Montmartre location.
Moulin Rouge - The legend lives.
Musee d'Orsay - It's a mix of pleasures for me: An art museum in a converted train station.

Budapest, Hungary:
Abszint - Andrassy utica 34 - For the absinthe-minded among you.
Hotel Gellert - A four-star. Be sure to check out the steam bath!

Dublin, Ireland:
U2 - Serving fresh, hot soul food. The four proprietors, from the North of Dublin, have proven to be a limitless source of inspiration for Mattimus.
Cafe Bar Deli - 12-13 George's Street Great South - Everything about this place is good, except for the name. I think it's run by Bewley's, the local coffee company.
Dockers Pub - Sir John Rogers Quay - A classic.
Dublin Literary Pub Crawl - Like the musical pub crawl, but with humorous literary tales instead of music. Highly entertaining.
Guinness - St. James's Gate - The one. The only. The oil of Mattopia. Be sure to visit the Storehouse for a complimentary pint in the brewery's Gravity pub, featuring an outstanding view of all of Dublin.
Mona's B&B - 148 Clonliffe Road - 01-837-6723 - My mom away from Mom. If she's booked, she can help you find a place. Be warned: She's veeeery motherly.
Musical Pub Crawl - A couple professional musicians, a few pubs. Loads of music, pints, and fun.
Temple Bar - Pick a pub, any pub... Fitzsimons is a particular favorite with its live music and Irish dancing. St. John Gogarty's also has a talented band of traditional musicians.

Amsterdam, Netherlands:
Bird - Zeedijk 72-74 - A splendid Thai restaurant. Expect a wait, but it's worth it.
Bull Dog - It's a coffee shop where they always offer service with a smile. That's all I'll say.
Cafe Pacifico - Good Mexican food in Europe. And I thought it couldn't be done! (OK. The service is crummy, but the eatin's yummy.)
The Grasshopper - A great place to learn the ways of the enlightened.
Heineken Brouwerij - Take the tour and get some fresh Hiney.
Heineken Music Hall - ArenA Boulevard - Soak up the tunes from "bigger" acts in this large venue, situated next to the Ajax Stadion in southern Amsterdam.
Hotel Amsterdam - A pleasant four-star, conveniently located.
Koh-I-Noor - Rokin 18 - Another good Indian joint. Ooops! Pardon the pun.
Melkweg - Lijnbaansgracht 234a - There's always something going on in the Milky Way, a nice, hip little concert venue.
O'Reilly's - The service is oftentimes lacking, but it's still a great place for a pint, a bite, and some voetbal.
Paradiso - Weteringschans 6-8. Another cool concert venue in a neat, old building. Two different halls; one large, one small.
Rijks Museum - Home to the Dutch Masters. Rembrandt's Nightwatch is here.
Stoop & Stoop Eetcafe - Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 82 HS - Unbelievable! There IS a place with good value in Leidseplein! Good eets and good beer.
Tuschinski - Reguliersbreestraat 26-34 - A movie theatre restored to its original 1920s splendor. During the flick, snack on a popcorn and Heineken longneck combo for only 5 euros.
Van Gogh Museum - A warehouse of all things Vincent.

Rotterdam, Netherlands:
Bram Ladage - Strawberry milkshakes and french fries made with REAL potatoes, just like Matt makes back home! Mmmm...!
Granny's - "Vlees en vis van de houtskoolgrill" - Westerstraat 75 - I went in absolutely starved and left positively stuffed. For the first time in my European experience, there was even food left over.
O'Sheas - Lijnbaan 37-39 - Irish pub with good craic, live Irish music, and reasonably priced Guinness.
Panos - Kruiskade 59 - Good Greek in a pleasant atmosphere.
Raoul - Van Oldenbarneveltplaats 1 (Hoek Coolsingel) - Snacks, beverages (including great coffee (and I do mean coffee this time)), and beautiful waitresses.

Scheveningen, Netherlands:
Bombay Palace - Gevers Deynootstraat 16 - If it's good enough for diplomats, it's good enough for Matt.
Masada - Strandweg 31A - For a beachside spot, they've got the best food.
Pino's Eetcafe - Gevers Deynootweg 822 - Decent food, good Amstel, nice folks.

The Hague, Netherlands:
Fiddler - Riviervismarkt 1 - My favorite spot in The Hague. The friendly staff here serve the Perfect Pint.
Mauritshuis - Korte Vijverberg 8 - My third favorite museum in the world, behind only the d'Orsay in Paris and the Metropolitan in Matthattan.
Taveerne de Resident - Denneweg 58 / Nieuwe Schoolstraat 29 - Huuuge portions that surpass even Granny's.

Utrecht, Netherlands:
White Noise - An independent record shop.
Winkel van Sinkel - Hip snack and beverage spot by day, trendy nightclub by night (NachtWinkel).

Bloom County, USA: Berkeley Breathed - Without whom...

New York, New York, USA:
Murphy's Pub & Restaurant - 977 Second Avenue (on 52nd Street) - 212-751-5400 - Come here for the perfect pint in NYC.

- more to follow -

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