I am a firm believer that if you are going to eat sugar, you’d might as well go all the way. Don’t dissolve it one bit. I want to feel the crystals grind between my teeth. A dessert at Settimio on Via del Pellegrino in Rome allows me to do just that. I am speaking of Montblanc, a sacchariferous mound of whipped cream, meringue, chestnut paste, and bits of marron glacé. It is so sweet it makes my teeth hurt just to think about it. But, for me, that is not a bad thing.

At least once a week someone planning a trip to Istanbul asks me where to stay. While hotels in the Sultanahmet district and the five-star options along the Bosphorus are the best known accommodations, I always suggest that visitors stay in Beyoğlu, a set of neighborhoods spread over the hills between the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus instead. Beyoğlu’s neighborhoods like Cihangir, Tünel, Pera, and Asmalımescit are packed with restaurants, bars, shops and clubs. This is the city’s most vibrant destination for nightlife and socializing and is a far more exciting place to stay than Sultanahmet (which tends to be quite desolate at night) or along Bosphorus (where hotels are flanked by a the traffic-strangled road). Here are a few accommodations in Beyoğlu that I recommend:

The House Apart: Apartment rentals in Cihangir and Tünel mod cons and IKEA furnishings.

Marmara Pera: A 4-star hotel in Pera geared towards business travelers and discerning tourists. Some rooms have Bosphorus views and Mikla, the rooftop restaurant, is worth a visit whether you are staying at the Marmara or not.

Grand Hotel de Londres: In Pera near the Marmara with a range of rooms that vary wildly in price depending on the presence or absence of windows. The price and location make the windowless rooms a worthy sacrifice for budget travelers.

Tomtom Suites: 20 suites and a panoramic roof terrace near the Italian consulate in Tophane.

Lush: A boutique hotel just off Taksim with 35 individually designed rooms, some with their own Turkish bath.

Any of these places will put you in striking distance of Istiklal Caddesi, the main shopping avenue, the funicular that heads down to the Golden Horn and Galata Bridge from Tünel, and great restaurants like Mikla, Refik, Canım Ciğerim , Antiochia, and Pera Sisore. For more on food and sightseeing in Istanbul, delve into the ParlaFood Istanbul archives. For a map of Beyoğlu click here.

Cassata siciliana is a classic Sicilian dessert made by combining ricotta, pan di Spagna, candied fruit, and marzipan. These elements sweetly unify over two thousand years of Sicilian culinary history in one shot. Ricotta has been produced since Roman times and the sugar added to it was brought by Arabs in the ninth century (along with the citrus that would later be candied in the Baroque age). The marzipan, too, is an Arab recipe and Pan di Spagna came with Spanish dominion on the island (though it was originally a Genovese recipe).

Since getting back to Rome after a long stint abroad, I have made no fewer than six trips to the two Rosciolis for pizza bianca. I live half-way between these Roman institutions, and I am never very far from Pietro’s (Via Buonarotti) or Marco’s (Via dei Chiavari) place. These two forni, originally owned and operated by cousins, turn out two totally different incarnations of pizza bianca. Visit either shop Monday through Saturday 7:30am-8pm for comparison.

Last week I had lunch at Tapas Brindisia in London’s Borough Market. I had high hopes for this place but the food was just average, except for the salted anchovies with fresh Tietar goat cheese and piquillo pepper sauce. Both the color and the flavor contrasts were perfect–the dish was as nice to look at as it was to eat. Sadly, the same could not be said for their other tapas. Looks like Barrafina is still on top.

Cities like Viareggio, Putignano, and Venice have historic and celebrated Carnival traditions. Now Rome is inventing one from thin air. The holiday hasn’t been celebrated in a significant way for over a century, but tonight city officials are inaugurating the Carnevale Romano in Piazza del Popolo. From February 6-16 there will be concerts, parades, and performances, culminating with fireworks. This all seems like a pretty stupid idea to me but then again I am a tremendous party pooper. For me, Carnival in Rome seems ridiculous, forced, and unnatural. Carnival foods, on the other hand, are amazing, magical, and wonderful. This is the time of year when bakeries sell frappe (called chiacchiere, bugie, sfrappole, or galàni elsewhere in Italy) and castagnole (fried dough about the size of chestnuts). I wait all year for these confectioner’s sugar dusted treats and take advantage of the short window in which they are sold. Some of my favorite places to buy these typical Roman Carnival sweets are La Deliziosa (Vicolo Savelli, 50), Roscioli (Via Buonarroti, 48), and Regoli (Via Dello Statuto, 60).

Another Daily Food Photo from St John. I will comment in a future post about the overall experience of eating at this hyped London establishment. One of their signature dishes is roast bone marrow served with a parsley salad and toast. You fish the gelatinous marrow from the veal shank, spread it on the bread and season it with coarse sea salt.

In Jersey I’ll pretty much drink any coffee. I won’t turn my nose up at even the most burnt cup of rest stop java. I’ll even get it in a big gulp cup. In Europe, I am much more discerning. In Rome, it’s Cafffe Camerino, or the Illy Caffe on Via Urbana all the way. In London, I’m all about Monmouth Coffee near London Bridge (there is another branch at Covent Garden but I rarely venture to those parts). Located in the Borough Market and open Monday through Saturday, Monmouth serves amazing espresso, cappucino, and filter coffee (brewing above). The cups are a bit small compared to my Stateside buckets, but what I lose in quantity, I gain in rich roasted quality.

Today’s Daily Food Photo is brought to you by St John, London’s favorite destination for nose to tail eating. This starter was one of the highlights of last night’s meal. I am a sucker for fried food and an offal lover. This is the best of both worlds–crispy, spongy, savory goodness. The two pickled shallots that were served beside it were completely overpowering with the tripe, but nice on their own.

I had this braised chicken with chorizo, white beans, and fennel for lunch on Saturday at La Fromagerie in Marylbone. I really wanted to like it but it was a bland due to a complete lack of salt. The sun dried tomatoes were nice and salty and the bread and butter was good. So I didn’t walk away dissatisfied. Just a bit disillusioned. And 17 pounds lighter.