Since September 2014, World Words’ esteemed content editor Mandy has been regularly contributing blog posts to the Israel-American publication From the Grapevine. You will probably have seen some of her work pop up on this blog before, from this article about amazing vineyard resorts around the world to this profile piece of concert master David Radzynski. You may also have seen new From the Grapevine projects pop up on our portfolio page.
Well, we’re still going strong, and this month we’ve several new articles being published on the site. Two of them, which touch on the diverse topics of unusual residential architecture and amazing global seafood restaurants, are already live, so we’ve included snippets of each below. Scroll down to read the extracts or link to the full articles.
THE RESTAURANTS EVERY SEAFOOD LOVER SHOULD EAT AT
The secret to superlative seafood is two-fold: first, you need the highest quality and freshest fish, then you need a skilled chef to coax out the flavor. From meaty monkfish to stomach-warming creamy chowder, silky raw tuna to crispy batter-enveloped cod, the Earth’s waters yield untold gastronomic delights. Here are seven places around the globe where you are guaranteed a phenomenal seafood supper.
The Walrus and the Carpenter, Seattle, Wash.
Any meal in this Seattle seafood institution ought to begin with a serving of supremely fresh oysters. All of the ones featured on the menu come from the waters of the Pacific Northwest, whether from Washington or British Columbia or even Alaska. Ranging in taste from the mild and buttery to the brazenly briny, the oysters are simple, straightforward and seriously delicious. The Walrus’ capacity for sourcing fresh seafood, specifically oysters, is legendary. But if you want to see what the kitchen team is capable of, you’ll also have ample chances to do so with dishes such as halibut ceviche and steamed clams served with curry cream, cannellini beans and escarole. The Walrus is well-loved and it doesn’t take reservations, which means a wait for a seat is somewhat inevitable. But with a good proportion of the diners coming here primarily to shuck a dozen and sip a drink, it usually doesn’t take too long for a space to become available.
WHO WOULD LIVE IN A PLACE LIKE THIS?
When we think of iconic buildings, our minds tend to gravitate toward strangely shaped office-filled skyscrapers, lavish palaces and grand structures. But there are a great number of residential architectural knockouts too. As these strange and spectacular inhabited structures prove, apartment blocks needn’t be boring.
Habitat 67, Canada
When seen from Montreal’s Old Port, across from which this building stands, Habitat 67 looks like a Lego construction made real. An eye-catching assemblage of stacked concrete boxes set on a small manmade peninsula, this striking structure was the brainchild of now-famous Israeli architect Moshe Safdie and was built for Expo 67, Montreal’s 1967 world’s fair. Conceived by Safdie at the tender age of 23, Habitat 67 was designed in response to, and perhaps even as an alternative to, the uninviting, uniform inner-city high-rises and seemingly unstoppable suburban sprawl that was proliferating at the time. Each cube of Habitat 67 offers the qualities of a house – space, light and even roof gardens – with sheltered streets connecting the apartments rather than corridors. Today, the building still serves as an apartment block, though several of the units have been merged to create larger multi-cube configurations.
Want to read more of Mandy’s articles for From the Grapevine? Then take a trip to her author page on their website. You can also keep up to date with all our blog content writing activities by following us on Twitter.
