Travelogger

Food and Wine Across America


Food and Wine Across AmericaLast time I wrote about Food an Wine’s Go List. The Go List consists of 335 of the best places to eat all over the world. As exhaustive as the list is though I’m pretty sure that they missed some equally excellent restaurants. After all we can’t expect the staff of F&W to be able to visit all the restaurants in the world. The good news for American gourmands and tourists planning to visit America is that Food and Wine has an even more exhaustive list of places all over the country where you can find good eats.

Food an Wine …

Food and Wine: Go List 2007


Go List 2007Who says that traveling is all about the sights and sounds? Anyone who loves great food knows that a good trip includes at least one great meal. No. That wasn’t right. It includes one excellent unforgettable meal. After you’ve forgotten the name of the streets you’ve visited the taste of that one glorious meal still lingers in your memory.

If you understand what I’m saying then finding a worthy place to eat is as important as finding all the tourist attractions in the area. One of the easiest, and a favorite way of mine, to find out the best place to eat is by visiting Food and …

In Search Of Vino


It’s the start of autumn, and the days are starting to get shorter and colder. The trees are ready to shed their leaves, gifting us with a brilliant display of colors before they part. Best of all, Fall is the season of harvest, and food and wine harvest festivals are sprouting up all over the northern hemisphere. If you’re a food and wine connoisseur, or, like me, just an ordinary human who lives to eat and drink, this season holds a lot of great travel opportunities for you.

Fall is usually the start of wine harvests in the U.S. and in Europe. I don’t know about you, but …

Teaching Kids To Try New Tastes, Part 2


As promised in my last post, here’s the rest of the tips to encourage your kids to try new dishes:

Let the kids eat from your plate – The best endorser is still mom and dad. If they see you’re enjoying yourself, chances are they’ll be encouraged to try it out too. Since kids don’t eat as much as adults, see if the restaurant is open to shared dishes. This way, there won’t be any wastage the kids don’t like the dish they have. And if your little tyke gets an appetite, you can always order more.
Do the 3 bites rule – My daughter and I have a …

Teaching Kids To Try New Tastes, Part 1


Some of my fondest memories of travel are associated with food.  During the B.C. (Before Children ) years, we used to choose a destination in part because of the local cuisine.  Unfortunately, our kids have yet to develop the sophisticated and adventurous taste buds their parents have.  It’s not really a problem if we’re going somewhere where pizzas and hamburgers are also the norm.  But it becomes more complicated when you find yourself asking for a translation when you’re reading the menu.  My daughters, like most kids, are understandably wary about new tastes.  So you can say we were forced by circumstances to be more creative about persuading the kids to try …

A Real Chocolate-y Experience


Tired of watching your kids watch T.V. all day?
Tired of the same parks and beaches and playgrounds?
Well, here’s an idea you might not have tried yet!
Send your kids to the factory!

Wait.
Hold that thought and allow me to finish!

The factory I’m talking about isn’t the place where your kids will have to wear boring uniforms and form unions with other kids. I’m talking about the Hershey’s Chocolate World. It’s a tour every chocolate-loving kid and grown-up will surely love.

 

Hullo, old friend!

There, you guys can learn …

The World’s Best Restaurants


And finally, the BEST restaurants in the world, named by prestigious foodie mag Restaurant Magazine, who announced the World’s Best 50 Restaurants in an awards party last April in London.

As these are the world’s finest establishments in terms of food, don’t expect to just walk in and be seated. When I checked out El Bulli’s reservations page in their website, it said that they were already fully booked for their 2007 season, and that they have NO waiting list. And if you read Tony Bourdain’s “A Cook’s Tour”, you’ll see that even a celeb chef like Tony was surprised to be able to get a table at the French Laundry.
Heres the Top …

The World’s Most Unique Restaurants: Under The Sea


Yes, it is a treat to have a meal by the sea, to the sound of the gently lapping waves (or a terrible hotel band) where you can feast on what lays beneath the pretty view. But have you ever entertained the idea of having a meal INSIDE the ocean? Don’t worry, you wont get a soggy sandwich or have to eat a live lobster.

Using state-of-the-art aquarium technology, these two restaurants have made it possible to do so - eat under the sea, that is, which is something I think we should all try at least once in our lives.

Ithaa, Hilton Resort, Maldives

Opened in 2005, Ithaa (pictured above) was the first of its …

The World’s Most Unique Restaurants: Cirocco, Bangkok


A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of dining at one of Asia’s most amazing restaurants, Cirocco at Bangkok’s State Tower. Soaring 63 floors high, the restaurant gives the diner the rare privilege of savouring an impressive meal al fresco, with views of the city and beyond.

We arrived early to have pre-dinner drinks at sunset, and I won’t ever forget walking down the Cinderella-like steps from the Dome down to the bar (whose lights changed colour, a bit like a show unto itself) as I had my first glimpse of the spectacular views.
We lingered at the bar with our cocktails, watching more guests arrive, all of whom obviously felt the same way as …

New Zealand’s Friars Guide


If you’re planning a trip to New Zealand, the Friars Guide is indispensable. In fact I’ve yet to see another guide of its kind anywhere else in the world. For a country as stunningly gorgeous as New Zealand, this guide does it justice in showing you a fantastic selection of places to stay.

So what is it? The Friar’s Guide is a guide to luxurious accommodation in New Zealand for the discerning traveller. This means NO large impersonal hotel chains (although NZ has a few which are good value and pretty darn decent), but a variety of the most wonderful inns, cottages, b&b’s, lodges, homestays and boutique hotels - …