I’ve always loved a good olivey, anchovy-laced tapenade. Which is why the name first caught my eye when looking for a restaurant in San Diego, to take my girlfriend, Joan, for her birthday dinner. After reading one rave review following another, on La Jolla’s Tapenade Restaurant, we decided to celebrate there. It turned out to…
Harris Ranch stinks. Don’t get me wrong. The food is terrific. The steaks are all-natural aged Harris Ranch Restaurant Reserve Beef so they’re tender and juicy. The restaurant offers all kinds of variety, all freshly prepared. The hotel rooms are huge and quiet. But the aroma all around here is strong because one of the…
Years ago, I wrote ads and commercials for Caesar’s Tahoe Resort Casino (it became MontBleu Casino Resort last year). It was majestic for Lake Tahoe, but pales in comparison to the world’s newest, grandest, fairest luxury travel resort casino that just opened: The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel. Now billed as the largest single-structure hotel in Asia and…
My Birthday Dinner. I have a birthday coming up so have been putting together my virtual “wish-list” of Birthday Dinner Party possibilities. Here are my top three contenders: 1. Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, Maldives I think it would be fun to dine 16 feet below sea level at the Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa’s unique eatery…
Somehow, Hotel Neri hides itself well. How on earth a former 13th century palace turned modern four star hotel is able to do this shows the care that went in to the remodel. While part of the Splendia chain of hotels, there is a character to the hotel that makes it a friendly individual waiting…
I stayed at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel a few summers ago during a week-long sightseeing and eating tour of Washington, D.C. It offers a convenient location a block from the Smithsonian Museum and The Mall, a few restaurants, a Metro subway stop downstairs, and a rooftop pool to cool off from the sweltering heat. Now,…
OK — so it may not be the most exotic destination in the world, but it sure is one of the most beautiful, and my mom and sister have never been there, and for food & wine lovers like us, participating in the 22nd ANNUAL LAKE TAHOE AUTUMN FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL, SEPT. 13-16, 2007…
Sometimes a story really needs pictures. And in the case of Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, I’ve decided that more is better. Salt Spring is the largest and most populated of BC’s Gulf Islands. But don’t let that fool you. With only 12,000+ permanent residents, you’re not going to feel crowded. It’s a bucolic paradise,…
Ciao to Switzerland. We were somewhat on the fence about visiting Ascona, in the Ticino Region of Switzerland. For starters, we weren’t thrilled with the long schlep to get there– a train then a bus ride to yet another train to a taxi, sounded exhausting. Plus, I had never heard a peep before about this…
A dozen family members from California to Minnesota convened Saturday night at the world-famous Fleur de Lys to celebrate a milestone birthday for our Mother — a San Francisco native. We’d dined there 15 years ago for another of my Mother’s big days, but this time, the French cuisine, the wait staff, the ambience, the…
While something of a newcomer to the truffle scene, Croatia has been going to great lengths to promote their growing truffle industry. Given that, Truffle Days are now in full swing, in the region of Istria until the end of November. For those unfamiliar with this region, it’s the little triangular wedge of land, forming…
Add some pizzazz to making that morning cup of coffee. The jeweled Clip N Scoop from Cox Creations of Las Vegas will open your eyes long before the coffee’s brewed and keep the bag of beans fresh long after. The innovative kitchen tool comes from designer Gretchen Cox, who makes a variety of funky jewel-…