Sunshine and Blue Skies with Beer and Beef

We couldn't have asked for better weather for our Friday arrival.   After checking in to our apartment, we wandered over a couple of blocks to the Albert Cuyp market- the biggest street market I've visited (and I've seen my share of markets).  It was the perfect day to sit outside for lunch, coffee, and people-watching.  We found a bustling sandwich shop for a super delicious and fresh lunch. 

We later took the tram over to Brouwerij 't IJ, a brewery that I found through my extensive research.  "Brouwerij" is Dutch for "brewery" and the brewery name translates to "The Egg".  Egg references are used frequently in their naming and labeling. For example, their spring beer is appropriately named Paasij or "Easter Egg".  We were in time for the entertaining and informative free tour and enjoyed a variety of their tasty organic beer.  In the past, the wind mill ground the barley but now it just looks cool (per our tour guide).   

For dinner, we traveled to Cafe Loetje.  There's a good reason it was loud, crowded, and that we had to wait almost an hour for a table.  They have a reputation for having the best steaks in Amsterdam.  Michael and I completely concur.  It was glorious.  (I'm discovering that I have a special relationship with food...)  I can't even tell you how amazing that piece of beef was.  My mind keeps coming back to "velvety".  With complete honestly, I say that it was THE best steak we've ever eaten.   I am salivating as I type this and also wishing I could return sooner than later.   

Have you noticed that the highlight and focus of our vacations are food and drink?  Yeah, me too....