Hotel Plaza Athenee The posh European-style lobby sets the tone here, shimmering with crystal and marble and some amazing Louis XVI furniture. This oh-so-civilized East Side hotel is located on a dignified tree-lined side street surrounded by demure townhouses just a block from Central Park. It was in the midst of major renovation (the restaurant…
Mandarin Oriental This Five-Star Columbus Circle property combines the best West Side location in the Time Warner Center, with (Far) Eastern sensibilities. Elevators whisk you up to the 35th floor lobby (280 ft. above the masses) where you are welcomed by an inscrutable Buddha, an elegant Chihuly sculpture and a breathtaking view of Central Park….
The Kimberly Another East Side lovely, this European-style boutique hotel was also recently renovated resulting in homey, spacious suites (many are 650 sq. ft with high ceilings) with all sorts of thoughtful niceties. It feels very nesty, like you’re staying in a friend’s home (albeit one who married very well!). Sweet location just a few…
I usually try and go someplace exotic for the holidays…beaching it in Bali, shopping the Christmas markets of Prague, or catching the flip season in South America. But with all the airport hassles this year, not to mention a def downturn in my bank account I decided to stick closer to home this year, and…
*Salts were sprinkled throughout the show but the most exciting ones were offered by Secret Stash Sea Salts. Developed by Chef Joseph Conrad, this one-of-a-kind line includes flavorful infusions such as Almond Cardamom, Coconut Garam Masala, and an intense Chorizo salt. *Winner for the “Why didn’t I think of it” award goes to Northern California’s,…
Normally I spend all three days of this annual event eating and drinking my way to oblivion, but since I’m leaving town tomorrow I only had one day to power-taste my way through 80,000 specialty food and drink products. I started at 10:00 am and waddled out seven hours later with my stomach as full…
Lake Quinault Lodge in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula invites locals and visitors to another installment of its popular Quinault Quintessentials, a culinary weekend featuring dishes inspired by the Pacific Northwest, where the food is a pretty as the view and you can work off the cals on a fascinating tour of the rainforest. What more could…
Talk about playing nicely together. If you have any spare coin around you’ll def want to use it to reserve a seat at the upcoming collaborative dinner going on at Coi to support the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation. For this one night, there is such a thing as a four-Michelin-star dinner ( two + two;-)…
How many times have you wished you were ten pounds thinner, four inches taller, for an aisle seat in the emergency row or that the Louboutin stillettos are available in size 9? Some things are out of your control, but there are some wishes you can make come true–and that is helping to grant a…
It’s just about that time again…when zinfandel takes over the town of San Francisco for four days of fantastic food and wine. The 19th Annual Grand Zinfandel Tasting is the not-to-be-missed ‘grand finale’ of four events making up the 19th Annual Zinfandel Advocates & Producers Festival January 28-30, 2010, in San Francisco. The ZAP Grand…
Eating well at Round Hill One of the highlights of the trip was planning our day around the different meal options. It went something like this: before bed each night, Sis would fill out the printed breakfast order for the following morning, with our requests. Murmuring to herself, “Ackee (a tropical fruit) and Saltfish with…
Island wisdom suggests one begin one’s Jamaican holiday with a glass of green coconut juice said to be “the only water that washes the heart.” My NYC sister and I had just arrived at Sangster Airport after an easy, non-stop 3 ½ hour flight on Jet Blue. Thirsty, but always a bit of the rebel,…