Sletten Kro & Ida Davidsen

I cannot believe this is our last day in Denmark.  It was a full one though.  First, Laurie and I had lunch in Copenhagen at Ida Davidsen's.  Who is she?  She is Denmark's most famous sandwich lady.  So famous, in fact, she's in the "1000 Things to See Before You Die" book. Yes, one must eat here before one dies!!!

IDA DAVIDSEN
Laurie and I ventured here on our final day.  I smiled when I saw Ida Davidsen herself behind the counter.  She rattled off every sandwich she made and the diner was to pick two -- one from the fish side and the other from the meat side.  Imagine doing this ALL day long to each and every diner that eats there.  I think I would kill myself.  Ms. Davidsen had the grace and patience of a saint.  She described each sandwich as if I was the first customer of the day.

Ida Davidsen behind the counter

fried flounder with asparagus, shrimp and roe

smoked salmon, cream, salmon roe

I ordered the fried flounder to start and Laurie had the smoked salmon.  We accompanied our meals with beer this time -- I had the Carlsberg pale ale and Laurie had the Tuborg, a beer brand also owned by Carlsberg, but the style is a little fuller than a pale ale.  Our reactions to our first bite said it all -- the flounder was flaky and not oily.  Laurie's smoked salmon was amazingly delish.  Next, I had the Danish meatballs.  Laurie had the salami.  It's one of those combinations that seem so simple, but who would've thought???  I'm totally inspired now, so when I get home, I'll have all sorts of things to cook for Guiseppe.   

Danish meatballs with boiled potatoes and  beets

salami and cheese with radishes, cream and  jam

SLETTEN KRO
Chef Per from Falsled Kro got us this final reservation for our last night in Copenhagen.  It's run by one of his former colleagues from Falsled Kro. We figured since we would be going to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art nearby we would probably not want to travel too far. Sletten Kro  is situated overlooking Sletten Harbor in an old and the most charming fishing village.  Here's a picture of a view from our table.  On the other side of the harbor is Sweden.  How cool is that???

Even more cool was that the night we had dinner, Sletten was being reviewed by the Danish version of the NYTimes.  By the time we got there for dinner, we found out Sletten was awarded 5 out of 6 stars, which the ownership was extremely happy with.  Who wouldn't???

Chef Martin Riber personally came to greet Laurie and me and made his recommendations for the signature dishes.  Some of the dishes we were recommended were: a tuna tartare with blackberry, pea shoot combination, which was simple, tasty and briney; lobster with white asparagus, roebuck (again!) and poached oysters.  It was recommended that 3 or 4 choices would be sufficient for a meal and we finished off our dinner with a rhubarb dessert and a strawberry dessert.  Wow!

tuna tartare

lobster

poached  oysters

roebuck

Our wine of the evening was a French Burgundy.  Why?  Because the grape behind the French Burgundy is pinot noir and it is a versatile grape.  I once said in a wine class that I taught: when in doubt, drink pinot noir for red and chardonnay for white.  Pinot noir has very few tannins, the tactile sensation you have on your teeth.  Kind of like when you steeped a teabag in water for too long.  It's gripping.  So pinot noir doesn't have much of tannins, unless they are oak tannins, which this had some.   Just enough to give it some weight to support a meat dish.

Dining at Sletten Kro was probably the best way to conclude our week-long trip to Denmark.  Laurie and I spent a MINT on everything.  I cannot believe prices are what they are in Denmark, with the exception of some foods, but we had the time of our lives.  Next time I write will probably be back in NYC!!!

Links:
www.1000beforeyoudie.com
www.idadavidsen.dk
ww.sletten.dk