Restaurants
In recent years, the Kvarner area, and all of Croatia, has experienced a renaissance in food that has had a delightful influence on restaurant offerings. Many Croatian restaurants have taken a refreshing new focus on high-quality locally grown foods that are woven together with traditional dishes and lighter, more modern fare. At the same time, a growing population of young Croatian designers is having an increasingly visible influence on the design of spaces and furniture in many wineries and restaurants. You can look for this influence not only in the newer places but also on the menus, in the management, and with chefs that are driving this process. More than one of the foodie famous has noticed, from the late Anthony Bourdain to Gordon Ramsay, who have explored Croatian heritage through its food. It is worth noting that while good fish lunches, pubs, and tapas-style eating are abundant in Rijeka, most of the higher quality eateries are generally found outside the city limits.
The quintessential traditional Croatian eating establishment known as a konoba still holds solid ground as the defining place for a Croatian meal. Originally, the konoba was the bottom floor of a family home, where fishermen and neighbors would gather after a day on the sea to raise a few glasses and grill the day's catch over a fire, serving it with homemade bread and copious amounts of locally produced vino. Ever present in most seaside towns, these rustically styled fish restaurants are often operated by the brothers, uncles, or cousins of the fishermen who spend the better part of the day either on the sea or in the small ports, sorting their fish nets.
While traveing in the Kvarner region be sure to try the famed Kvarner shrimp (Kvarnerski skampi) in a restaurant known for this specialty. Known for its size, light reddish color, thin and easy to peel shell, and delicate taste, this type of shrimp is best served on its own. (And it should not be confused with the scampi that is often served with pasta or risotto dishes.) Another popular way of serving shrimp in Croatia is na buzaru (cooked in wine with garlic and bread crumbs). In the mountainous region of Gorski Kotar, it is common to find hearty dishes like jota, a thick barley soup with sauerkraut, often served with cured meat. Frog legs, bear, wild boar, and wild mushrooms are common ingredients in stews prepared in the mountainous regions.Palenta and homemade pasta like gnocchi are often served with meat stews and are a specialty of Gorski Kotar, the hilly area between Rijeka and Karlovac.
On Krk try Krk–Šurlice, the local version of pasta; handmade on a spindle, it's often served with wild game, meat goulash, or shaved black truffles. Lamb from Cres is prized for its delicate flavor, which results from the harsh summers and winters on the island and the wild herbs the sheeps graze on. In Kvarner, mrkač is the local word for octopus (it's hobotnica in the rest of the country).
If you order white fish, either grilled (na žaru) or baked in salt (u soli), you'll be charged by the kilogram, whereas squid (either grilled or fried) and shrimp (often cooked in white wine, na buzaru) come in regular portions. The classic accompaniment to fish is chard (blitva) and potatoes (krumpir). In Croatia it is common to add a drizzle of local organic olive oil to a dish to enhance not only the flavor but the nutritional value. Most good restaurants partner with local olive growers and showcase a favorite brand, some will even offer a range of olive oils as the taste of the oil varies widely with the olive and the location it is grown. In fact, there is much to be said about the high quality of the olive oil grown in Croatia that there are tastings and tours devoted to this that will convince you to never buy a bottle of dubious Italian olive oil ever again. Krk is home to the most highly regarded wines from the region, with the dry white Vrbnićka žlahtina a strong candidate for best. Rakija (fruit and herb brandies) are, of course, the common end to a meal and the start of a long night.
