[EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS IS SUE’S 100th VAGABLOND ARTICLE. CONGRATS, SUE!] Starwood Hotels & Resorts of Italy, Malta and Croatia has launched an interactive Web campaign, Taste the Mediterranean. Designed to promote the distinct and unique flavors of this popular region, Taste the Mediterranean is a Web-only travel package for food and wine lovers. The Taste…
I’ve dug into deep dish pizza in Chicago, folded a slice of pie sideways in New York, and enjoyed lukewarm foccacio pizza in Florence. Now, I’ve tasted the ultra thin crust gourmet pies at Pizzaria Picco and I loved them. This newish restaurant on storied Magnolia Avenue, next to its Restaurant Picco, is a great…
Not sure if this qualifies for one of your “five a day”, but what the heck… Four pieces of Michael Recchiuti’s favorite flavor combo include tarragon leaves infused in extra-bitter chocolate ganache, then topped with a sliver of candied grapefruit. This artisan chocolate expert mans a store at the Ferry Building Plaza in San Francisco….
We women are on the move! With 32 million trips taken last year, U.S. women are predicted to spend more than $125 billion on travel during 2007. Travel expert Marybeth Bond has written a book geared to all of us who want to treat ourselves to “gals only” trips — whether it’s celebrating a milestone…
Big Whoop… at the 16th annual NatureSweet Carmel TomatoFest®, Sunday, September 16, 2007 from 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. at the magnificent Quail Lodge Resort in Carmel, California, you’ll be able to taste more than 350 varieties of delicious heirloom tomatoes!! Founder/Director of the TomatoFest, Gary Ibsen, announced that 60 of America’s finest chefs will attend…
When I exited the mayhem and hubbub of Orlando’s theme parks, I was ready for a melt down. Luckily, I found a more soothing alternative. A mere 10-minute drive away was a tranquil oasis where service and attention to detail reign supreme. Occupying a 230-acre site along Shingle Creek, the headwaters of the Florida Everglades,…
I love ridin’ the rails. And now Amtrak has introduced “luxurious” rail rides with The GrandLuxe Limited. Formerly known as the American Orient Express, it’s a premier, separate, seven-car train attached to regularly scheduled Amtrak trains. It comes complete with private dining, lounge and sleeping cars.
Last Sunday, my wife, daughter and I took a mini-vacation. Driving just 45 minutes north from our home in Marin County to Sonoma County, we strolled around the Healdsburg Plaza. Similar to Sonoma’s Plaza, I found this town more upscale, quaint and chic. In fact, Healdsburg, about to celebrate its 150th anniversary, s now a…
Earl Darny, one of San Francisco’s finest master bakers, after performing his magic at many of the Bay Area’s finest, such as Bay Wolf, Sweet Adeline, etc., finally opened his own bakery on Polk Street. He does all his own baking on site, so if the visuals of the homey pastries,cakes, pies , and cookies…
Yesterday, we held a Vagablond North America Executive Board Meeting at Paradise Bay Restaurant, a Sausalito restaurant offering million dollar views along San Francisco Bay, a very reasonably priced menu of delicious seafood, steaks, burgers, salads, and more, tropical drinks (I almost ordered the Raspberry Mojito, but had to drive home), and very attentive service….
You may not be in a league where you can get away from it all by having your driver whisk you to your private jet, where you’ll fly off to some gorgeous island getaway.., but an affordable indulgence that will also transport you try one of White Lion Traditional Teas. White Lion Traditional Tea offers…
Sylvia Main, owner of Victoria, BC’s historic Fairholme Manor Inn, has created a beautiful cookbook featuring her very best breakfast and brunch recipes. The elegantly designed book, Fabulous Fairholme: Breakfasts & Brunches, is highlighted by dozens of photographs of the inn’s breakfast and brunch offerings, along with the inn and its lush gardens. The cookbook…