Attention all you modern-day Phineas Foggs: The world’s first Around-The-World Pub Crawl will depart from London next March. This planned 25-day trip will stop at 60 pubs in 11 destinations on four continents. Cities include: London, Düsseldorf, Munich, Maria Alm, Prague, 1 secret location, Queenstown, Rio de Jainero, Cancun, Riykjavic and Ibiza. (NOTE: I’ve quaffed…
If you’ve visited the Napa/Sonoma wine country lately, you’ve probably noticed that most of the wineries are now charging (sometimes hefty) tasting fees to try their wines, often standing elbow to elbow with a bus load of tourists, all jockeying for position. In scenic Healdsburg, the Mayo Family Winery has opened a second Sonoma County…
And Silicon Valley’s award-winning, Parcel 104 Restaurant bets that you’ll agree after trying their 104-Mile Dinner, on June 2, 2007. Q: What is a 104 -mile dinner? A: Executive Chef Bart Hosmer (pictured here) has always tried to cook with organic, locally grown products. For this special event he is challenging himself to prepare a…
I know you think that’s a punchline for a joke, but really — the borough is loaded with trendy artists, designer boutiques and some sooper restaurants thrown into the mix. Just a short 30-minute train ride from Manhattan brings you to a myriad of Brooklyn hoods.. with great names like Willyburg, ( Williamsburg), Dumbo, (Down…
Ever since Ferran Adrià from El Bulli hit the scene, Spanish Food & Wine has been HOT HOT HOT- without any signs of a cool-down in the near future. Which is why I was looking forward to attending a trade seminar and tasting “The Spanish Market Now: Trends and Opportunities” presented by Karen Macneil, one…
“The Best Restaurant in the World”, Chef/owner Heston Blumenthal, of Fat Duck in Berkshire, is famous for his scientifically based “molecular gastronomy.” If you are not familiar with this type of cusine, here is a sample starter from his tasting menu : • NITRO-GREEN TEA AND LIME MOUSSE (2001)The chef, whose restaurant in Bray has…
It was hard to choose where to meet my Greenwich, Conn. girlfriend for lunch since she was schlepping in on the train to see me and with the wet weather insisted on staying with in a one block radius Grand Central. Although I chose Pera first for it’s location, and then because I really wanted…
The historic Gelston House in East Haddam, Connecticut has been the site of a restaurant and tavern since 1736. It was recently renovated and reopened by Iso Dedusaj, former manager of Manhattan’s celebrated Café Un Deux Trois, along with Tony and Benny Deduasj. The family owned restaurant is described as a “Fine American Bistro,” and…
Here’s a hole-in-the-wall that deserves a visit and a little publicity. New Gold Mountain is the creation of four local guys who’ve toiled in well-known bars from London to Melbourne. They contracted with a bold young Aussie architect, Cassandra Fahey. Here, she’s combined an old tailor’s studio near Melbourne’s Chinatown with a theme right out…
Just trying to edit my “New Restaurants I Want to Try in New York” down to a single page was a near impossible task; let alone trying to pick the Top Ten, then trying to get reservations, then trying to get a cab in the rain. Well– you get the picture–IT WASN’T EASY! And I…
I’ve often felt that the Pike Place Market in Seattle has gotten increasingly cheesy over the years — actually ever since the world famous fish-tossing began. As a leading tourist destination, annually drawing 9 million people from all over the world who come here to buy fresh produce, seafood, or just gawk, it’s not hard…
Although I wasn’t able to stay at the new Dream Hotel, we were able to dine at their new restaurant Amalia, named after Sigmund Freud’s mother and located adjacent to the Dream Hotel. The decor has a little bit of everything going on, but was suprisingly cozy, and we loved the warm pillar candles flickering…