Top 5 Summer Vacation Tips Booking – If you can’t find a great deal from your favorite online booking agent, a good tip is to consult airline websites and compare prices. Often times, air carriers will offer their own discounts on travel packages. As always, plan ahead for best rates. … Read more
Weasel Coffee and Bowls of Pho I landed in Saigon a few minutes past midnight exhausted and wired but excited to be in Vietnam, a country that had occupied my imagination for decades. I’d had just enough time at Narita airport to pick up a liter of Yamazaki Single … Read more
Burritos in Burgundy? Let Me Start with Mexico The closest California comes to Burgundy, where the overriding French sensibility towards wine and food permeates the consciousness of just about everyone, is Napa Valley. How ironic then that this famed wine producing region with its exquisite Cabernets and world-class restaurants is … Read more
Eating in India – The Spice Trade Saying you like Indian food is the same as saying you like European food. Within Europe, you have French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch, and Scandinavian cuisines. Within India, the range of cuisines is enormous and includes, but is not limited … Read more
Less is More You’ve had sushi, tempura, yakitori, and udon, but if you really want to eat like the Japanese, it’s time you tried kaiseki. Kaiseki is a kanji word that means, “stone in the bosom,” and refers to a centuries old practice that the Buddhist monks followed in the … Read more
Eating in New York City Daniel Hype in New York often trumps reality. No place on earth can brainwash people into thinking that the show, the art, the exhibit, the performance, or…the food is better than what you sense. It’s like Harpo Marx and Richard Pryor said: “Who you … Read more
It’s the Top – Banking on Swiss Cuisine Fondue, raclette, and cured, air-dried meats … to outsiders Switzerland might seem to be a backwater place when it comes to culinary matters. Way off the mark because it’s not just about the meat and the cheese. In terms of quality, … Read more
The Ivy League usually calls to mind beautiful campuses, extra smart students, gothic architecture, and astronomical tuition prices, but the students that attend these eight schools in the northeast are also part of their surrounding communities. The cities differ widely from each other, but they all influence and contribute to … Read more
Going Global Travel in European wine country, and you’ll hear references to “Old World” the historic wine regions of Austria, Italy, France, Germany and Spain. Here, wines are made according to traditional laws that dictate just how much the winemaker can fool Mother Nature. Future columns will look at individual … Read more
Everything’s coming up Rosé Blazing sun, boiling heat and no beach in sight … what’s the solution? A refreshing rose that will transport you from city sidewalks (or wherever you’re sweltering this summer) to the rolling hills of southern France. OK, before you begin to sneer, let’s be … Read more
A column devoted to wine and travel We often travel with our stomachs as guides, sussing out regional cuisines and the best places to enjoy them. So why not do the same with wines? Some of our most pleasurable travel memories include fabulous meals we’ve eaten—in a trattoria or a … Read more
Here comes the Pisco Sour Peru has given the world some precious bounty. Like what, you ask? If you’re a traveler, you’ll treasure Machu Picchu and the Nazca Lines. If you’re a foodie, you’ll crave ceviche and rocoto hot pepper sauce. But if you’re a drinker, Peru’s gift to you … Read more
A Retsina Revival Plan There’s a quick way to go broke in Greece, and I don’t mean letting an octopus swallow your wallet. It’s cocktails. Johnny Walker and Jim Beam only travel first class; mojitos and Blue Angels, strictly deluxe. So what’s a thirsty traveler to do? Drink Greek. It’s … Read more
Ireland’s Pot o’ Gold – Bushmills Irish Whiskey To experience the spectacular northeast corner of the Emerald Isle is to be enthralled with Gaelic passion. The nation of Northern Ireland is expecting you and you should come expecting the max. You’ll be charmed by County Antrim’s bucolic village of … Read more
