A Mini Review of the Restaurants of Edinburgh

Since my wife can remember every meal she ever had including every dish [and what I had as well], her restaurant reviews are incredibly detailed. She can even describe the spices and unusual ingredients in many of the dishes she has had from years ago. I, on the other hand, can barely remember what I had for dinner last night, so my reviews tend to be less detailed. So, my approach here will be different. I can remember if I liked a meal and quite often the general type of food. Here goes.

We just returned from a vacation to Scotland's most beautiful city where we ate out every night in a different restaurant. Happily, we had some very good meals. The restaurants of Edinburgh can be divided into two main categories, the traditional and the modern [sort of French or Continental]. The traditional are Dubh Preis, Stac Polly, the Grain Store and the Witchery. These restaurants feature what you would expect from Scotland: haggis, venison, lamb, Angus beef, pigeon, rabbit, salmon, scallops and stuff like that. Haggis is made of the innards of a cow that are well seasoned and then wrapped in the lining of the cow's stomach. Sounds appetizing? The haggis was best at Dubh Preis if you have to have that sort of thing [which you do if you go to Scotland]. The best overall meal was probably at the Witchery but the Grain Store was a close second. They had the best pigeon but the Witchery had the best lamb.

Of the modern spots #1 Princes Street in the Balmoral Hotel was the best [and probably the best overall]. The others include The Kitchin (the chef's name is Thomas Kitchin) and Martin Wisehart [both in Leith, the dock section of town]. The desserts at #1 really rocked; we had at least four both nights we ate there. The chef is very creative with main courses and desserts. Anat had rabbit one night that she really loved and I had lamb one night and some other great dish the other night [see, I told you I couldn't remember the specific dishes only that it was good].

The Kitchin was a very close second. Anat had an appetizer with tripe in it [yes tripe] and it was delicious. I had a terrific preparation of razor clams [apparently the Scots will eat anything] and salmon. The memorable dish at Martin Wishart was sole cooked with calf's liver. It was very unusual but delicious. The desserts at the Kitchin also rocked. We shared an apricot tarte tatin for 2 [which was really enough for four] and we had 3 other desserts besides.

The wine in Scotland is good and not too expensive if you stick to Australian or Spanish. They have a wide selection of Aussie wines. [When selecting wines I try to find less expensive good tasting wine. Anyone can order a Premier Grand Cru and pay a fortune. I have found that most sommeliers are knowledgeable and will harp you find a wine that suits your taste and wallet. I also like to have red wine with fish sometimes.

Finally, a brief word about Scotch whisky. In ten minutes in an ancient whisky store in Edinburgh I learned more about whiskey than I learned during my previous lifetime. All Scotch whisky is diluted with water, even the most expensive single malt. But don't go pouring that $1,000 bottle of Laimphfrog down the drain. They do it because the distilled whisky is very strong: 106% or thereabouts. Since most people find that too strong [and probably the US laws require it] they add about 1/3 water to the bottle. Unfortunately, they also often add coloring as well. Also, malts that are not single malt can contain anything. So, despite what the advertising says [and what my college room mate and I thought], stay away from Johnny Black and Cutty Sark.