California’s celebrated chef, Traci Des Jardins, announced today that she will open two new restaurants at AT&T Park early next year, just in time for baseball season. This is on top of her new restaurant, Manzanita, opening in Lake Tahoe next week on December 11th. Manzanita will be located in the new Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake…
Fantastic food choices: Breakfast Dollar: Auberge Saint-Antoine’s Panache-a luxuriously overhauled maritime warehouse offers a surprisingly warm and cozy atmosphere, partic if you are seated by the crackling fireplace overlooking the magnificent St. Lawrence River. The Poached Eggs on a Spinach Puff Pastry, Prosciutto Chips (loved these puppies) and Cheese Sauce provide a delightful twist to…
Even though I’ve visited Quebec City quite a few times, I still get a kick out of hopping a plane in NYC and one measly hour later arriving in a “foreign” country, complete with fortified stone walls, winding cobblestone streets, ancient buildings, beckoning bistros and cozy cafes, fashionable boutiques, trendy galleries and the most fun…
Food Trends to look for in 2010: Hot Foods: Eggs: deviled, pickled and deep fried Sous vide fruit, jam packed fruit with jolly rancher intensity Pasta: ramen, soba and spaghetti Legs & feet You silly rabbit Cassoulet and crock pots Fritters and croquettes Ceviche (moving east), fried chicken (moving west) Polenta and grits More than…
RESTAURANT Trends for 2010 Coming to America – International influences are ingrained. Sriracha (rooster sauce) is the new salsa, which replaced the old ketchup. Vietnamese Banh Mi is the new Ham & Swiss; and Middle Eastern spices and spreads go mainstream as pizza makes way for pide. Forget chicken noodle soup, it is pho; pho…
HOTEL Predictions The Discovery Channel – Guests are in search of experience vacations that allow them to get involved. Wise hotels bring the true taste to the table, or the farm. Farm stays, winery bootcamp programs, voluntourism, and cooking classes. Escape to an alternate reality. Examples: Feather Down Farms (multiple locations, Europe); Stony Creek Farm…
Andrew Freeman, the president of Andrew Freeman & Co. (natch) a San Francisco boutique agency specializing in hospitality and restaurant marketing, has just released his eerily spot-on (if last year was any indication) 2010 Trend Watch List predictions of the good, the bad and the downright ugly restaurant/hotel trends we can look forward to next…
La Soiree 28th Beaujolais and Beyond Festival! Don’t you LOVE being first? Francophile’s wait all year to celebrate the harvesting and release of the first wine of the year with a traditional Beaujolais Nouveau tasting. This lively fundraising event offers an evening filled with a variety of gourmet foods to sample, French wine tastings, an…
Things we loved that have Bath in the name: If you’re challenged for time then head straight to the bath triumvirate, all located within baby steps of each other. Start at Bath Abbey, one of the England’s finest medieval churches, where after climbing the towers 212 steps you’ll be rewarded with an incredible panoramic view….
Tea at the Regency tea room Teas to die for: Sally Lunn’s: Bath’s oldest house (c.1482) still turns out some of the most delicious, diet-busting delicacies. Go for afternoon tea, a candlelit dinner (the night we ate there the special was a filling lamb rump served on trenches of bread– but we managed to save…
But not according to author, Jane Austen. Apparently Jane was not a fan during the five years her family resided in Bath. She sorely missed her slow-paced, country life and found Bath society to be frivolous and pretentious. Fortunately for us she vented via the written word. Her novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were set…
Why go? Oozing style and charm, the spa town of Harrogate just begs to be walked, so best oblige since you’ll be tempted to “stop and smell the roses” at one gorgeous garden after another. The locals are justifiably proud of living in “England’s Floral Town” and everywhere you look there are beautifully tended public…