Devour Dubai Dubai is the wealthiest and most populous of the seven United Arab Emirates. In just two short decades, it’s grown into a modern metropolis with man-made islands, shopping centers with indoor ski slopes and the world’s tallest skyscraper. But scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find a vibrant melting pot of immigrants, merging… Read More →
Classic San Fran Seafood Located in the Nob Hill neighborhood, Swan Oyster Depot is more than 100 years old—an amazing feat in the restaurant business, especially considering they haven’t lost any relevancy. Get there early or expect to wait, folks start queuing up for one of the 18 counter seats before they open at 10:15am, and the… Read More →
A Trip Back in Time By Bob & Sue Founded in 1898 in downtown Chicago by a German-born brewmaster, the iconic Berghoff restaurant still serves traditional food in an old world setting. Free corned beef sandwiches were originally offered as a way of selling beer. The restaurat has evolved under fourth generation family ownership into… Read More →
Edward Kim on Where to Eat & Drink in Chicago After graduating from culinary school, chef Edward Kim worked in kitchens in Los Angeles, Seoul and New York City—most notably under Thomas Keller at Per Se—before returning to his native Chicago to open Ruxbin in Wicker Park. After the wild success of his globally-influenced 32-seat neighborhood BYOB,… Read More →
Justin Yu on Where to Eat & Drink in Houston With an astounding blend of cultures and cuisine, Houston has long been one of America’s great food cities. But it’s only been until recently—with chefs like Chris Shepherd, Hugo Ortega and Justin Yu leading the pack—that anyone’s paid attention to the robust dining scene. Well… Read More →
Brilliant, Progressive Mexican Cuisine In a pint-sized, 12-seat restaurant operating out of a once abandoned rail car on the outskirts of San Antonio, chefs Diego Galicia, Rico Torres and the rest of their 5-person team showcase regional Mexican cuisine with modernist techniques. Every six weeks they create an entirely new menu highlighting specialties from one… Read More →
Where to Eat & Drink in Portland Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley are the chef-owner duo behind Portland’s Eventide Oyster Co., Hugo’s and the brand new, noodle-focused The Honey Paw. A modern take on the classic American oyster bar, I love Eventide for their amazing raw selection, inventive Asian-influenced lobster rolls served in steamed buns… Read More →
Modern Take on the Classic Oyster Bar This is an amazing raw bar that serves a couple dozen varieties of fresh oysters and shellfish with innovative accoutrements like pickled ginger or kimchi ice. Dishes like the house-cured herring with beet ice amiably remind you that the kitchen is jamming on all cylinders and knows what it’s doing.… Read More →
Five Great Meals in Milan By Devan Grimsrud Host of the 2015 World’s Fair, Milan is expected to draw a staggering 20 million visitors this summer. The 1 million square meter exhibition area features architecturally stunning pavilions built by participating countries, all exploring the overarching theme of Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. Learn about the… Read More →
Paradise Off the Coast of Panama Just 12 miles off the coast of Panama City, Isla Taboga is a tranquil tropical respite from the bustle of the rapidly growing metropolis. Hop on the ferry from Amador Causeway, take the less-than-an-hour scenic trip through the Bay of Panama to the small one-road island littered with beach shacks and leisure-seeking… Read More →
One of the Best Meals in Dubai Dubai is the wealthiest and most populous of the seven United Arab Emirates. In just two short decades, it’s grown into a modern metropolis with man-made islands, shopping centers with indoor ski slopes and the world’s tallest skyscraper. But scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find a vibrant… Read More →
A Parisian Staple By Bob & Sue Parisians have loved Bernard Pacaud’s food since this Michelin three-star restaurant opened on the Place Vogues in 1986. L’Ambroisie offers a unique dining experience with delicious traditional French cuisine cooked by a master chef and supported by superlative service in an elegant setting with tapestries. Our recent visit was… Read More →
The Undisputed Master of Porchetta Just 15 miles outside of Rome in the outlying town of Marino, I found the butcher shop and deli of my dreams. Open since 1912, Il Norcino Bernabei is a family operation, run by Vitaliano Bernabei, his wife and son. For the past century, it’s been regarded as the finest meat… Read More →
Champagne Country By Bob & Sue During our recent trip to Paris, we took the high-speed TGV train to Champagne country for a lunch at 2014’s only new Michelin three-star restaurant, L’Assiette Champenois. The brilliant young chef Arnauld Lallement is carrying on the family tradition of thoughtful and creative food served in a friendly environment. The… Read More →
Taipei’s Best Xiao Long Bao The Shanghai-style soup dumplings, or xiao long bao, at Din Tai Fung have a cult following like no other. A refugee of China’s civil war, Yang Bing-yi opened the original location on Taipei’s east side in the 70s. A couple decades later, the New York Times named the dumpling house as… Read More →
Almaty’s Immense Food Emporium Almaty is Kazakhstan’s biggest city, and while there are signs of Western influence and consumer culture, this bustling metropolis gets its strongest sense of identity from its nomadic ancestors and their traditions. One of the best places to witness this heritage and to try the authentic flavors of Central Asia is Almaty’s… Read More →
Amazing Shashlik in Almaty In Kazakhstan’s biggest city, there are hundreds of places to eat shashlik (grilled skewered meats), but the best we found were at the extremely popular Shashlik on Kirova. The level of attention and care that went into this food was unreal. The owner oversees every part of the process, starting with… Read More →
Old Standbys & New Additions at Target Field Home of the Twins, Target Field is a beautiful stadium in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. In just a few years, they’ve really amped up the food program, now offering a host of good eats and craft beverages from local restaurants, breweries and distilleries. So I’d suggest… Read More →
Minnesota Restaurants Supporting Local Farms I love all four seasons, but there are few greater things in life than the first days of a Minnesota spring. We love celebrating another winter survived, and if you’re anything like me, food plays a huge role. I can’t wait until restaurants unveil their spring menus, teeming with fresh… Read More →
In the Valley By Bob & Sue With “food churches” Meadowood and The French Laundry temporarily closed, we enjoyed comfort food at many of Napa’s popular restaurants: Cindy Pawlcyn’s Mustards Grill (Yountville) and Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen (St. Helena) define modern California cuisine in fun environments with wonderful soups, a wide variety of appetizers, and innovative tweaks to the… Read More →
Homage to Gulf Seafood Located in the Warehouse District, just down the street from the famed pork-centric Cochon and the adjacent sandwich shop and salumeria Butcher, Pêche Seafood Grill is the newest addition to chef/restaurateur Donald Link’s growing list of praise worthy restaurants in New Orleans. The show piece of this rustic-meets-modern seafood restaurant is the… Read More →
Where to Eat & Drink in Miami In 2007, chef Michael Schwartz opened Michael’s Genuine in Miami’s Design District, bringing a locavore mentality and unpretentious, homemade food to a city too often known for shallow, trend-driven restaurants. Now, the James Beard award winning chef and restaurateur has a handful of Miami restaurants, including Harry’s Pizzeria… Read More →
Where to Eat in Paris’ Montmartre Neighborhood By Devan Grimsrud Montmartre, in the north of Paris, has a long history of attracting artists and musicians. Famous painters like Van Gogh, Picasso, and Toulouse-Lautrec flocked to this neighborhood, still a refuge for Parisian bohemians. The area is flooded with a variety of accessible galleries and ateliers… Read More →
Alden & Harlow Located in the iconic and now-shuttered Casablanca space in Boston’s Harvard Square, Alden & Harlow is chef Michael Scelfo’s first solo venture after working at local favorites Russell House Tavern and North Street Grille. It’s a cozy, subterranean dining room with subway tiled walls and reclaimed wood, a casual yet stylish atmosphere… Read More →
A Modern Approach to Mexican Tradition There’s no doubt that Pujol, Enrique Olvera’s flagship restaurant in Mexico City, is one of the most important eateries in the Americas. Open since 2000 and currently ranked among the world’s best restaurants, Pujol showcases Mexico’s pre-colonial and indigenous foods shot through a fine dining prism. Last year, the… Read More →
The Ultimate British Experience I’ll admit, I am an Anglophile. Long one of world’s trendsetting cities, there’s something intensely reliable about London. From clubs to markets to restaurants, if you think this city is bland, you’re simply wrong. One of my all time favorites is St. John, opened by Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver in… Read More →
London’s Best Splurge-Worthy Indian Food The first Indian restaurant in the world to receive a Michelin star, and one of only a handful that have one to this day, Tamarind of Mayfair celebrates traditional Moghul cuisine with an emphasis on tandoor oven cooking. This is a special occasion kind of restaurant, one where you feel like… Read More →
Bairaktaris Taverna Near Hadrian’s Library in Athens’ Monastiraki Square, the tantalizing aromas of roasting meat, gyros and souvlaki surround you. There are lots of restaurants that serve these Greek specialties, but my all time favorite has to be Bairaktaris Taverna, which has been around since the late 19th century. Spiros Bairaktaris is now the third… Read More →
Where to Splurge in Athens For many tourists, Athens represents nothing more than a fling prior to hitting the Greek Islands, but you’re making a mistake if you don’t spend more than a few days in the capital city to sample the jaw-dropping fare. Varoulko One of the best restaurants in the city, the… Read More →
Da Poke Shack If I could only eat one thing while visiting Hawaii, it’d have to be poke. A Hawaiian word meaning cut or slice, poke is a raw seafood salad typically made with fresh Ahi tuna. It’s refreshing, luxurious, and so simple. The best part? You don’t have to shell out the big bucks… Read More →
