- Adventure Chaser
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- Art of Gayle Wheatley
- Pluck & Strum
Sculpted chandeliers with wooden monkeys perched on carved tree branches accent the wood paneled walls and flickering central fireplace. All this light-play reflects off the many mirrored and glass accents in the restaurant giving off an enchanting underwater aura featuring a panorama backdrop of boats.
I love Moroccan cuisine. Pastilla, or meat pies encased in puff pastry and covered with powdered sugar and cinnamon, savory lamb tajines, and hot mint tea don’t even begin to scratch the surface of this complex culinary culture.
Zanzibar is an exotic enough destination in itself, but things just got even more interesting. Check out this restaurant on a rock in the Indian Ocean.
At Lola, Greek cuisine is reinterpreted with zesty inventiveness. Dishing up sophisticated takes on classic Mediterranean staples, dishes are prepared with fresh local produce, the cornerstone of Pacific Northwest cuisine.
Hong Kong is a foodie paradise, with about a million great dim sum places to try out. One great choice is Lei Garden, with locations throughout the island. The food was so good, I just ate, and ate, and ate all afternoon.
If you are as particular about your tea as I am, you already know that L.A. is a mecca for tea lovers. From rose petal elixirs served in tearooms on Melrose Avenue, to sleek tea-based cocktails you’ll discover out on the town, L.A. is stronghold for both unique and classic tea spots. The following are a sampling of the city’s steamiest hot spots:
It’s no secret that Seattle is a gourmet wonderland for foodies. Emphasizing fresh local ingredients, Pacific Northwest chefs are constantly seeking creative combinations of ingredients. Although you’ll fare pretty well in Seattle eating wherever you happen to be once your stomach rumbles, there is definitely something wonderful about staying at a hotel with a restaurant good enough to be a destination itself.
I was thrilled to stumble across this tiny gem, hidden away in a quiet little plaza off Victoria Street in Santa Barbara. Just an hour drive from Los Angeles, you’ll find great Italian cuisine well worth the jaunt out of town. At Olio Pizzeria, which translates to (olive) oil pizzeria, you’ll encounter deliciously authentic thin crust pies prepared with abundant portions of olive oil and cooked in traditional wood-burning ovens just like they do back in Italy.
No trip to Iceland is complete without sampling one of Iceland’s most unusual culinary delicacies: hákarl (putrefied shark), washed down with a glass of Iceland’s signature firewater, Brennivín.
