Atlantica - 01.06.2006, Page 88

HÓTEL HOLT. For an aristocratic dining
experience that won’t leave you sore in the
wallet, lunch at the elegant Hótel Holt where
sommelier Ómar Nilsen will serve you a two-
course meal for only ISK 2,300. Add a deli-
cious, mouthwatering dessert for only ISK
600. The menu contains a selection of four
Hors d’Oeuvres and four main courses, three
of which are “fish related,” says Nilsen. The
lunch experience at Hótel Holt runs seven
days a week from 12:00 to 2:30. Reservations
are preferred.
552-5700. www.hotelholt.is
LA PRIMAVERA. “Start with the beef car-
paccio,” says Leifur Kolbeinsson, owner and
chef of La Primavera. “It’s been on the menu
since we started.” An excellent choice, and
good to know that as the Italian restaurant’s
menu evolves, this old stand-by will remain.
When you dine at La Primavera, located
on Austurstræti, try the fillet of reindeer
with gorgonzola-filled fig and chanterelle in
marsala. If the dish is not on the menu, don’t
fret, because La Primavera’s choices of fresh
fish are mouthwatering.
561-8555. www.laprimavera.is
VOX. This recently revamped restaurant
in Hotel Nordica has turned buffet and
bistro food into an art form. Their new light
brunch buffets please both the foodie and
dieter in you, and their Sunday brunch is a
showstopper, stacked with eggs, bacon, fresh
juices and loads of desserts. Any given night
you can sit down to an elegantly casual meal.
You will walk out wowed by the food and
spoiled from the service.
444-5050. www.voxrestaurant.com
PERLAN. It’s hard to think of a better place
to treat yourself to a good dinner on a long
summer night than Perlan. “The Pearl,” one
of Reykjavík’s most noticeable architectural
landmarks on its perch at the top of town,
is even more striking to eat in than to look
at. The inside of its glass dome is lined
with little white lights, and the dining room
rotates while you eat. Appetizers like wild
mushroom carpaccio and artichoke flan, and
entrées like Gressingham duck breast and
reindeer, make this modern spin on Icelandic
cooking an indulgence worth your while.
562-0200. www.perlan.is
SALT LOUNGE BAR AND RESTAURANT.
After spending a day trawling around down-
town, scoot over to the casual and sophis-
ticated Salt Lounge Bar and Restaurant.
Right downtown in the former headquarters
of shipping icon Eimskip, Salt has turned a
corner of Icelandic history into a chic lounge
bar, with 20th century design and global elec-
tronica soundtrack that make it the perfect
place for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.
The restaurant has a kitchen where you can
see the chefs preparing dinners of free-range
lamb, fresh seafood, and creative dishes with
a Latin American accent. In the lobby of the
Radisson SAS 1919 Hotel. 599-1020.
VID TJÖRNINA. Why not go to dinner by
the lake, which is the English translation of
Vid Tjörnina, the restaurant that specializes in
Icelandic seafood, located next to the Tjörnin
lake in downtown Reykjavík. Okay, so it’s a
pond, not a lake. Regardless, after enjoying
a meal of the freshest salted cod you’ve ever
tasted in the cozy restaurant that feels like
your living room, grab some bread, step
down to the pond, and feed the waterfowl.
551-8666. www.vidtjornina.is
AT L A N T I CA 87
SPECIAL PROMOTION
PHOTOS BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON
(Continues on pg. 88 »)
Eat, Meat & Fish
060-94ICELANDAtl406.indd 87 23.6.2006 12:45:05