dining (131)

San Diego, California, Restaurant Deals

9008654487?profile=original

California is known for its great restaurants and many of the best ones are in San Diego.

If you’re lucky (or were clever enough to plan ahead) your vacation will coincide with San Diego Restaurant Week, September 18-23.

As you’ll see from the map on the website, quite of few of the participating restaurants are in La Jolla, San Diego’s favorite coastal community.

Travelers who want an ocean view while they dine will head to The Steakhouse at Azul on Prospect Street (3 course prix fixe dinner, $40

Read more…

Philly Cheese Steak Is No Mistake

The line on South Street wrapped around the corner. Once inside the chrome facade it continued to snake around in Disney-ride fashion. Each person mumbling to themselves as they tried to memorize their order. The line moved along one timid customer at a time. Each one blurting out their selection, as if on the soup-nazi episode of Seinfeld. “One, provolone, mushroom with" (The 'with' referring to onions). 

The line bumped forward. This placed reeked with the essence of grilled beef.  Jim's Steakh

Read more…

I got behind on posting about some great places I've been, and one that my friend Cara Bertoia went to. I asked her to write about it on my blog back in July. So now, I'm going to post about those three wonderful spots here. One is a an Italian joint in NYC, another is a great seafood restaurant in Houston, and Cara's is about the town of San Pedro in California. Enjoy! (Or go to SearchingForSincerity.com)

 

Napoli Pizza and Pasta, Queens, NY

napoli.jpg

My friend and guest writer on this blog, Teresa Barile,

Read more…

 

700px-Heinold’s_First_and_Last_Chance_2007[1] I stumbled across a Facebook page  called, "You Know You're from Oakland If ..."

There were comments about all sorts of local trivia, long closed restaurants, streets that have undergone name changes ...

 

Reading all of those comments brought back lots of memories and made me a bit homesick because Oakland, California, is my hometown. But I haven't actually lived there for 30 years, and I left the Bay Area 20 years ago to live in Hong Kong.

So I decided to research a post on the Top 10 Spots to T

Read more…

Death by Too Many Reviews

9008635069?profile=original
Death by Too Many  Reviews

Chris Colin writes a great essay in Wired Magazine.

He’s probably best known for the terrific and funny, What Really Happened to the Class of ’93.

But in his recent Wired Magazine piece, he suggests we are suffering from “review” overload.

For every slew of new data and information that’s produced, he says, (think videos, blogs, ebooks, tweets, Facebook postings) there is an equal avalanche of reviews that follow.

He talks about a “parallel universe” of stars, rankings,
Read more…

9008626255?profile=originalDining in Miami just keeps getting better. Just this morning, on the way back from an appointment, we were looking for a place to have a quick, simple lunch, and settled on a French café that opened not too long ago on Miracle Mile, in the heart of chichi Coral Gables (one of the few parts of South Florida that feels like a real city and not a suburb). We knew the Rendez Vous French Café and Wine Shop would be good as we stepped in the door and the aroma of fresh-baked quiches and café au lait w

Read more…

Best San Diego Sushi: Zenbu

9296552273?profile=original
Since I'm not an expert on sushi, I asked Shira Bliss of La Jolla Wine Tours for advice on finding the best sushi in La Jolla.

Shira combined her love of walking, fine wine, and gourmet food into a tour company that introduces La Jolla residents and visitors to local restaurants and wineries. With business partner Paul Anthony Vild, she started a guided food and wine walking tour that has expanded to include wine train tours, beer tours, and tours to San Diego wineries.

"There are seven sushi bars
Read more…

Absurd Restaurant Attitudes

9008620290?profile=originalAbsurd Restaurant Attitudes

It started when we stopped at a seemingly authentic seafood restaurant on an authentic stretch of Atlantic coastline.

The special was twin lobsters for a reasonable price. 

We ordered those and some other stuff, and when the two crustaceans arrived , I split them with my partner. One lobster each, we reasoned, was enough.

 The waitress came bustling over virtually wagging her finger telling me there was “no sharing allowed..that I’d have to pay a “plate fee” if I wanted
Read more…
No less than 15 Michelin stars now shine in the Vaucluse, which makes it the most "starred" department in France (in relation to the number of inhabitants) and 5 new "Bib Gourmands" have been granted to establishments that offer their clientele tasty cuisine with excellent value for money.

First of all, the much-awaited is the The Hôtel d'Europe**** in Avignon and its chef Bruno D'Angelis, where three stars have just been awarded. They have rightfully regained a star which had been taken away in
Read more…

via Hg2

pic-blog-post-europe-russia-moscow-ekspeditsiya-7-1011.jpg?w=250&h=167&width=249Next time you’re in Russia’s capital and require an adventure fix without leaving the big city, go for an urban expedition at central Moscow’s Ekspeditsiya, whose roaring open fire, pine tree, canoe, running stream beneath the floor, and real rescue helicopter will whisk you on an eponymous expedition to the wilds of Siberia. And so should chef Leon Ek’s menu: disguised as a photograph album of all kinds of awe-inspiring al fresco adventures, it offers the traditional food of Russia’s Ar

Read more…

Sharky's

Sharky’s

One of our favorite new restaurants in Cabo San Lucas is Sharky’s Tacos, Beer and Fun.  Sharky’s is located just 1 block west of Ediths and just up the street about a block from the popular Medano Beach.  Sharky’s offers a fun, relaxing but lively atmosphere with great prices, good food and  exellent service.  Tell Sergio and Brian that we sent you!
Local Phone: 143-5513
Sharky_Restaurant@hotmail.com

Sharkys-300x225.jpg

Read more…

The Best Countries for Food Trips

Food and travel go together and no matter where you go, the culinary experience is always a good way to understand the local culture. So here’s a list of 10 countries that your palate would really enjoy!Eat up!

1. Thailand

Thailand, Pad Thai

Influenced by the unique flavors and food preparation techniques of India, China and Oceania, Thai cuisine is a tangy fusion of the best ingredients.

2. Greece

Greek cuisine

From olives to oven baked bread, to rosy tomatoes and Mediterranean octopus, the true taste of Greece is about fresh, who

Read more…

Don't Miss Gigi in Miami!

Tired from a morning of working on blogs, my companion and I went to "gigi" in Miami for a quick bite to eat. I knew I was hungry and wanted to try something new, and as a resident of Miami, my companion said she had heard great things about "gigi".

I was not to be disappointed. The concepts are fresh and small plates for sharing, and they are dead on. The menu is a two-sided 8 1/2 x 5 piece of heavy stock paper with the alcohol menu on one side and the lunch offerings on the other. We ordered si

Read more…

Two Rival Cafés in Paris

9008605887?profile=originalOn Boulevard Saint-Germain-des-Prés, sitting a short block away from each other, are rival cafés Café de Flore and Café Les Deux Magots.  They became rivals in the 1920’s and 30’s, when the intellectuals, writers, and artists of the period became loyal to one or the other.  On my recent trip to Paris, I decided to choose my own personal favorite.

 

Parisian cafés are more than a place to have a quick coffee in the morning.  They are a gathering place for friends, a meeting place for colleagues, an

Read more…

by Asli Pelit

Imroz meyhane, Istanbul, TurkeyAlong with the dramatic blue waters of Turkey‘s Bosphorus, the opulent dome and minarets of Topkapi Palace and the Hagia Sophia, travelers to Istanbulalways come away wowed by its incredible cuisine. And I confess, as a seventh-generation local, I dream about the sight of a well prepared Turkish table when I’m away from home.

Atop seven hills where two continents meet, encircled by the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, the perfect setup of the ancient city once known as Constantinop

Read more…

I was prepared to be impressed. The innkeeper, E. Scot Fuller, is a chef, so the breakfast part I was quite sure would be outstanding. The Chadwick Bed & Breakfast, located at 140 Chadwick Street in Portland, has it all, and I sensed it the moment I walked into the lovely foyer. To my immediate right was the guest dining room, done in cheery shades of blues and yellow and to my left was a large guest living room, complete with fireplace, plenty of books, movies, DVD's, games and puzzles. The foy

Read more…

Maine is well known for its lobster, lighthouses, mountains and Martha Stewart. A standout among these and many other State of Maine bright spots is our restaurant community. Maine's chefs and restaurateurs have developed a stellar reputation. Dining scene accolades started flowing in years ago and thankfully, buzz about Maine as a place for good food has not slowed. National newspapers and culinary publications have no shortage of positive things to say about our chefs, brewers, specialty food

Read more…

La Jolla Wine Tours

9008593453?profile=original

 

Where are La Jolla’s best restaurants?

Our eclectic food and wine scene can be a bit overwhelming for the first time visitor, but Shira Wiseman will be happy to help you get the lay of the land.

This local foodie offers culinary walking tours of the village and, in the process, helps fellow San Diegans and out-of-towners find our best food and wine gems.

Her three-hour excursions include four to five stops, including local restaurants, a purveyor of chocolates, and a little-known source for gourme

Read more…

So it was Dominican night at La Hispaniola Restaurant, an on site restaurant in Punta Cana's Bavaro Princess Resort. The court yard outside was bustling with artisan craftspeople. A glass artist trained a precision torch on delicate tubes twisting and blowing them to create exquisite ornamental palm trees, and other decorative objects. Wood carvers spread out their inventive wares and classic Dominican cigars were being hand rolled from scratch right on a table using the most moist wrapper leaf

Read more…