In Search of Gitte Kik

The Danish waiter set a slim glass of golden liquid in front of me and then whispered to the fellow at my right:

“Aquavit is very good for women . . . when men drink it.”

I nearly choked on my Elephant beer.

Those Danes are rascals. They have a perpetual twinkle that either inspired their favorite son, Hans Christian Andersen, or has flourished in the light of his writing. They voted for the swan as the national bird of Denmark and claim it was because of Andersen’s tale, “The Ugly Duckling.”

But back to that hypnotic glass of Jubilaeums, a special schnapps made in the city of Alborg, where 16 million bottles of aquavit are produced each year. I touched it to my lips as all glasses were lifted and all eyes made contact in the traditional toast of “skoal.”

Made From Potatoes

The flavor was gold lightning; hard to dream it began with potatoes. I pushed my glass discreetly toward my neighbor, who soon traded his empty one for mine.

We had met for open-faced sandwiches in the heart of Copenhagen at Gitte Kik, a cozy, lunch-only restaurant about two blocks from the famed Stork Fountain on a pedestrian street called Stroget.

Gitte Kik is small and unpretentious, a place awash in sepia tones and good cheer. The walls are hung with Kik family photographs and a grandfather clock. Wooden tables are centered with candles.

But Gitte Kik is not so easy to find. I had been wandering along that morning, amid the narrow streets of Nyhavn and the lanes off the King’s New Park. Finally I paused with a map in the shadows of St. Nicholas Church, which holds a cafe and art gallery instead of services. A band of Girl Scouts was playing guitar and singing on the lawn.

Showed the Way

I showed them the restaurant address I was carrying--No. 4 Fortunstraede. They walked me across the street and around a corner until I could see the small sign. I waved and returned their Scout salute.

Inside, my friends were already eyeing a copper counter that was bright with plates of fresh sandwiches: thin bread heaped with shrimp and dill; rare beef with onions; tomatoes and diced cucumber, and herring and herring and herring.

I have tried herring, thank you; I chose the shrimp. Plates of pastry and steaming coffee followed, as did rave reviews.

When we pulled ourselves from the table and climbed the few steps to the street, the sun hit us full in the eyes. Bicycles and taxis whizzed along the Gammel Strand. The boat for our canal tour glittered crazily on the far side of the road.

Where, I wondered, were those Girl Scouts now?