Seated on the banquette next to a stylish woman of a certain age, I asked: “How long have you been coming to the “>Kulm?” “Oh, my dear,â€? she replied with a twinkle in her eye, “Why, we’ve been visiting here for the past 45 years.” Mingling with other (mostly veteran) guests at the champagne cocktail…
I just returned from LA where I went to cover the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo. There, I was lucky enough to snag a seat at the event below. Talk about a sizzling cook-off! That Mike Midgley (middle photo) is one funny dude, and the chemistry between Oh-So-Sexy Sam Talbot (top left) and bombshell Marisa…
OK, so it’s nowheres near as good as Dr. Seuss’s title, but there’s still time to do your part to SAVE OUR SEAFOOD while feasting on a sumptuous six-course sustainable seafood dinner involving both top fishery scientists and top San Francisco chefs, at 6:30 p.m. at Scott Howard restaurant, Thursday, September 6th, 2007. I don’t…
Trattoria Stella well represents Denver’s Highlands neighborhood, in which it sits. Both the restaurant and the neighborhood are an eclectic, entertaining, attractive, often weird mix of old and new. The Highlands of Northwest Denver is made up of Victorian buildings, either nearly crumbling or in mid-renovation, sitting side-by-side with 60s-era high-rise apartments and new half-million-dollar-…
I’ve been wine tasting in Sonoma, Napa and Livermore Counties in Northern California, as well as in France, Italy, Greece, Australia, and New Zealand. But it’s always been at a winery or tasting room on land. Now, you can enjoy premium wine tasting with a gourmet dinner — while cruising on San Francisco Bay aboard…
Think summertime in Gstaad, where the living is easy. Glitterati on the slopes give way to verdant mountains, field flowers galore and a low-key quiet glamour. Some say that to holiday in Gstaad one must “be rich-but also discreet.” Poppycock. Gstaad is to Switzerland like Montauk is to the Hamptons. It has something for everyone…
I recently returned from a visit to my hometown, Seattle, Washington. I am often there on business and always like to try the hottest new restaurants. When I received an invitation to a wine dinner at the Icon Grill (which I had never heard of before), I was amazed to find out that they were…
San Francisco has dozens of Japanese restaurants offering fresh sashimi. But Sozai, owned and operated by my friend Mari Takahashi, is decidedly different. “Sozai” means “Ingredients” in Japanese. In her Sozai offerings, Mari combines centuries of Japanese culinary knowledge with tasty natural ingredients to create her own, original California cuisine that enables her customers to…
The verdant, rolling hills were lined with grapevines heavy with fruit. A fierce sun was making me look forward to a bit of shade al fresco where I could savor a cool glass or two of nature’s finest fermented beverage. This wasn’t Tuscany. Not even Bordeaux. I was in Geneva. Ohio, that is. Who knew…
When people find out I ‘m a Travel Writer they immediately ask: “Where should we go for a fabulous vacation?” I usually respond with some feeble comment like,”Hmmm… So many places, depends what you’re looking for,” and make a beeline for the bar. C’mon now. That’s a loaded question. There are lots of variables to…
If you’re in Sonoma County and want a great deli with award-winning sourdough bread, tasty gourmet sandwiches, delicious salads, freshly made chocolates, fresh cheeses, irresistible desserts, and other café cuisine, stroll a few blocks from the town plaza and check out Cousteaux French Bakery. Everything we sampled at this open air cafe a few weeks…
I have to admit whenever I hear of a restaurant that claims to be the best or the oldest I tend to be a bit weary. So when I heard that Fior d’Italia was the oldest Italian restaurant in the States I was a bit skeptical. To begin with it seemed like a bit of…