I had no idea where an impromptu weekend trip was going to take me. After adding an extra day to our “one day visit to Santa Barbara”, we ended in Solvang, the beautiful Danish village.
When we arrived to town, we were hungry. I saw an ad for a restaurant specializing in Danish food. Since we were in a Danish village, it was kind of logic to try Danish food. Do I look like I have a small idea about the main staples of Danish food? No but when in Rome ….
Well, we went searching for the Red Viking Restaurant. After passing in front of it like three times, something clicked inside and we were finally able to recognize the place (hunger hallucinations).
Red Viking Restaurant
Smörgåsbord? I have heard that word before. In the United States, we use it to indicate a vast array of something. I knew it was a type of Nordic specialty but wasn’t sure about the components.
Smörgåsbord is a type of Scandinavian meal served buffet-style with multiple dishes of various foods on a table. It is typically a celebratory meal and guests can help themselves from a range of dishes laid out for their choice. Surprisingly, it originated on Sweden but other Nordic (and Baltic) countries participate of it.
Red Viking Restaurant's Smorgasbord
Red Viking Restaurant's Smorgasbord
You know how this story ends, right? I didn’t lose the chance to try all the unknown items in the smörgåsbord. I tried a little bit of everything. Here is a sample of what was on offer:
- Homemade liver pate with mushrooms and bacon
- Danish Tilsit cheese
- Danish Ham
- Danish cucumbers
- Swedish meatballs
- Mashed potatoes
- Red Cabbage
- Danish sausage
- Pickled Herring
- Picked Herring in Mustard and Dill Sauce
- Cocktail shrimp
- Cabbage in Mustard Sauce
- Potato Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Crispy Onions
- Coleslaw
- Hard boiled Eggs
- Chocolate Pudding
- Fruit
- Freshly baked pastries and bread from Olsen’s Bakery
My first plate of food
My second plate
My husband's second plate, believe it or not
The Red Viking Restaurant’s menu offers other Danish specialties such as:
- Aebleskivers – ball of dough covered with raspberry jam.
- Wienerschinitzel
- Hakkebøf – grilled onions, cucumber, lean beef patty, with an over easy egg on top with brown gravy and mashed potatoes
- Fisk filet – Fish and chips
- Open-faced Danish sandwiches
- Roast beef on pumpernickel with remoulad, horseradish garnished with Danish cucumbers and potato salad
- Roast pork with prunes, red cabbage, Danish Tilsit cheese, Danish ham, Italian salad, asparagus and homemade
American specialties like burgers, steaks and tuna sandwiches are also served.
This is an example of how much we can learn about other cultures in the most uncommon places. Go out and explore the areas surrounding your neighborhood. For example, Solvang is only 2.5 hours from Los Angeles but a world apart. I had no idea I was going to have a close encounter with Danish culture so close to home.
Other places to find Danish specialties in Solvang:
- Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery
- Mortensen’s Danish Bakery
- Bit O’Denmark
- Greenhouse Café (modern Nordic bistro)
- Ingeborg’s (Danish chocolates)
Have you eaten from a smörgåsbord? Let me know in the comments section below.
The only thing I don’t like about smorgasbord’s is that I eat too much!! Next time I’m in Solvang I will definitely look this place up. Olsen’s Bakery is always visited
Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista recently posted..3 Little Gems of England
I forgot to include a section about the dangers of smorgasbord!! Yes, I ate way too much at this place. But you know, it was all in the spirit of exploration.
Ruth recently posted..It’s a Smörgåsbord!!
Delish! I totally remember Smorgy’s (smorgasboard) during my days in Melbourne! Your post makes me miss it! I guess the closest I have of it now are the various buffets in the US but your Danish dishes look way better
Shirlene from Idelish recently posted..No Posts Were Found!
Thanks Shirlene. Good to know the post bring you back good, old memories.
Ruth recently posted..It’s a Smörgåsbord!!
Yum!! I enjoy meals like this where you get to try a lot of different dishes. It’s way better than being stuck with only one huge entree!
Christy @ Technosyncratic recently posted..An Insider’s Look at Prostitution in Amsterdam’s Red Light District
Cool! I never knew where the word “smorgasbord” came from. How did you even get all those little characters in the word?
Reminds me of the time I went for Afghan food for the first time, while driving through Toronto. I ordered the “everything and then some” plate. Delicious! (http://unwireme.com/a-stroll-around-niagara-falls/)
Speaking of words and their origins, I’m reading a book by famed travel writer Bill Bryson, “At Home”. Highly interesting to see where all the seemingly mundane and unimportant things we eat and have around us came from and got their name. And hopefully I can sharpen my travel-writing skills by osmosis as well
Good stuff!
-Rich
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I’ve been trying to think of an equivalent to Solvang but not coming up with one. Yes, you can get all sorts of food (in London especially) but I can’t think of a village that is specifically of a non-British nationality. V interesting. And I’m hoping there’ll be smorgasbords in Iceland on my trip there in March. Yummmm.
Julie McNamee recently posted..Is it art or an eyesore? The Abode of Chaos
I’ve never had an official smörgåsbord before, but I’m sure I’d enjoy it. It really is amazing what we can find and experience right around where we happen to be!
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