Art of the Earth - Arterra Restaurant - Food is art and fine art means fine food at the Arterra Restaurant at the Marriott Del Mar in California, rated one of the best restaurants in the USA by Time Magazine.

Surf In For A Bite At the Famous Longboard Restaurant - Surf champs are memoralizes at the Surf Museum in Huntington Beach, and surfer dudes rule the waves, but when everyone gets hungry they head to the Longboard Restaurant.

Sunday Champagne Brunch With The Queen -
Are you looking for an authentic art deco experience wherein you will dine upon an elaborate gourmet feast? Tired of arguing on where to go to make everyone happy, even the pickiest of eaters?

Hip! Hop! Koi - Trendy Sushi In LA - It's a good thing we arrived early for our dining experience at Koi Restaurant. Hip, hot restaurants come and go, but Koi is holding its own in the Los Angeles neighborhood of West Hollywood.

Johannes' Austrian "Von da Hoamat" Cuisine in P-Springs - Austrian-born chef/owner Johannes Bacher's Palm Springs restaurant has been described as "California-European." Perhaps it's because he's successfully added his country's "comfort food" to the modern California fusion cuisine you'd expect in a cosmopolitan southern California restaurant. The result is a menu raised to a new level.

Hit The Deck In Palm Springs - After strolling the Palm Canyon Drive and checking out the unique shops and galleries of Palm Springs, we rested our weary sandaled feet at The Deck restaurant overlooking the shopping district of the oasis town. We were offered an outside table which was wonderful for viewing the mountains, sunset, and the passersby.

Vintage Palm Springs - Vintage Service at Melvyn's - Ever since Mel Haber purchased Palm Spring's Ingleside Inn over 30 years ago, the restaurant named for him has been a shining example of everything one visits Palm Springs for: a quiet ambiance with low, unobtrusive music, impeccable service by tuxedoed waiters who make you feel like family, and consistent quality dining at a reasonable price.

Temecula Rolls Out The Barrels - Like David slaying Goliath, educated wine drinkers throughout the globe need to keep their attention focused on Temecula's 18 amazing wineries producing top-notch varietals before they slay the sleeping giants like Sonoma, Napa, and down under.

Zero to Naked in 2.1 Bottles  — The Temecula Valley north of San Diego is one of the finest wine growing regions, with many smaller vintners riping the grape to bring you the best bargains in wine. Kim and Don Tatera take you on tour to the best of the little known region.

Grenada's Callaloo Soup — A dining staple on the nutmeg island. Learn not only how to make it, but get a low down on other Caribbean Creole cuisines with insights from the chefs of the Caribbean. Grenada is the home of the largest nutmeg harvests outside Indonesia.

Dining with Virgins — The U.S. Virgin Islands are a taste treat for the Starving Artists or the St. Croix Food Fair. The flyiing fish are frying. The yellowtail is grilling. The Carnival is coming. Check out the latest gourmand restaurant treats on all three of the main islands and then book your next culinary experience online.

Captain Bligh's Bloody Breadfruit — The Mutiny On The Bounty was only one violent tale in the long history of the infamous captain. He actually lost more ships than the Bounty. This Blue Mountain tale recounts hot baths, breadfruit gardens, runaway Maroons, and British history on the island of Jamaica. Yah, mon, and pass the sky-juice!

Fine Dining On St. Thomas — My favorite restaurant discovery in the U.S. Virgin Islands is Herve Chassin's French Restaurant and Wine Bar, a homey, upscale, family-owned, Government Hill attraction with panoramic views of the Charlotte Amalie Harbor.

Miami Cuisine is TropiCOOL — The summer continues with Soul Beach Music Festival at the American Airlines Arena June 6-8 in downtown Miami. Independence Day (July 4) festivities all over the destination - from America's Birthday Bash in Bayfront Park to the Florida Philharmonic performing on the sand in South Beach -offers visitors many opportunities to get into the American spirit with fireworks, food and music.

Bali By The Sea At Waikiki - The stroll from our room to the restaurant was accompanied by the eerie "hoooo" of conch shells and the rhythm of island drums heralding the sunset. Around us torches were being lit throughout the grounds of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa.

Around The World on A Grapevine - Lynfred Winery In Chicago - For over 25 winemaking years, Lynfred Winery and Bed and Breakfast has been ever improving at its 15 South Roselle Road, Roselle, Illinois location. Not only is it the oldest winery in the state of Illinois, but it has been the culmination of the passion of a visionary husband and wife team, Lyn and Fred.

FRANCE

A Lot of Parisian Chocolat - Ah, Paris! Strolling along the Seine, window shopping on Avenue Montaigne, gazing at the Mona Lisa. Sure, you can do all those things (and at some point, you should!). Moi, however? Well, on my most recent visit, I had another goal in mind . . . sample as many of Paris’ legendary chocolate and pastry shops as I could (without making myself sick, or a candidate for the South Beach diet when I returned)!

IRELAND

More Mead M'Lord - The Medieval ages have returned to Ireland as the Earl of Thomond guides us up a serpentine stairway tunnel carved in the entrails of the limestone fortress, debouching into the Great Hall, or clan gathering place in the center of the Castle. The Ladies of the Castle await with warm medieval mugs of mead.

Fresh Fare From The Food Isle - It has been said that in the early 1980s Irish cuisine started to change for the better. Always blessed with naturally wonderful ingredients, chefs started a revolution incorporating nouvelle cuisine, flavors and techniques of the world, and then all roads leading to a new level of ever evolving spectacular Irish fare.

Bienvenidos a Vinos de Baja — Mexico is known for its tequila and cerveza but the country's burgeoning wine industry may one day give these traditional beverages stiff competition. As Mexican wineries gain recognition in the global wine community, wine tourism to the producing regions are quickly becoming a popular reason to visit the diverse country.

Oaxaca, Mexico Radish Festival — There is only one Festival of the Radishes, a wacky, creative display and contest of radishes-turned-artistry. Visit Mexico for this unique celebration.

DINNER CRUISES

The Spirit of New York - awaits us for a grand adventure. The 7:30 p.m. sailing of the Spirit of New York cruise ship left Chelsea Pier 61 in Manhattan to provide its passengers with dinner, entertainment, and breathtaking city skyline views for three hours on both the Hudson River and East River.

COOKING SCHOOLS

Make Your Mouth Happy - The New Orleans School of Cooking - For over twenty years, in a renovated molasses warehouse dating back to the early 1800s, four amazing chefs have been helping hundreds of thousands of people have fun, learn about New Orleans history and culture, and most importantly, how to make their mouths happy. 

Manger Paris- Les Promenades Gourmandes — Madame Paule Caillat is une vraie cuisenaire, an experienced Parisian cooking teacher and food consultant who owns and operates Les Promenades Gourmandes. This intimate one-day French cooking experience includes a shopping excursion and hands-on preparation of several dishes followed by a sit-down luncheon complete with wine and good company.

Marino 's Means Meat at Hooters Hotel and Casino - Marino recently opened his fourth Dan Marino’s restaurant inside the new Hooters Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas (the former San Remo). The Miami quarterback has three restaurants in south Florida, so this gives him a chance to branch out in the Western states.

Light Up Your Nights With FIX & STACK - The Light Group is making a fantastic fine dining impact for those visiting Vegas and for those who are non-vegans — meaning non-vegetarians, because FIX and STACK are all about great cuts of beef, lamb, pork, Kobe, and seafood selections.

Dining With The Rich and Famous at Postrio - It took Wolfgang and gang ten years to bring his top-of-the-line cuisine from San Francisco’s Prescott Hotel Postrio to the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, but the wait was worth it, and at a reasonable price that makes it affordable for those of us that are neither rich nor famous.

Command Performance at Commanders Palace - One of Mark Twain’s finest novels is “Life on The Mississippi", chronicling his younger days piloting — steamboatin’ on the Mighty Miss. Originally, Twain was on his way to the Amazon River to create a epic about riverboat life in Brazil, but obviously Emile Commander’s restaurant at the corner of Washington Avenue and Coliseum Street, in the Creole Garden District of New Orleans’ Vieux Càrre, or French Quarter, convinced him to stay.

Canal Street at the Orleans - After any show or even before one, be it the NFR rodeo (a sideshow really of cowboy hats and wrinkled Wranglers), or a gig at the Orleans Showroom, you must Dine in at the classic Canal Street Restaurant on the casino floor of the Orleans hotel, a mile west of the Strip on Tropicana. (Click here for the Orleans brochure and here for the video.)

The Arks of The Venetian Resort - Lutece and Tsunami Asian Grill - It is so refreshing to not only dine in style, but also to carry on philosophical discussions with the captain of our table — so is the case with our wonderful experience at Lutèce, inside the Venetian Resort and Casino, the only restaurant in the hotel facing the Strip and overlooking the Grand Canal.  Our captain, Jason, is a pleasurable and congenial young man, recently married, working on his PhD in Philosophy and Ancient Civilizations, so naturally the gamut of the conversation ranges from the recent Aristotle scroll high tech computer deciphering to wine from ancient Rome.

rm Seafood at Mandalay Place in Las Vegas - Valentine's weekend (2005) in Las Vegas saw the launch of celebrated New York chef Rick Moonen's rm restaurant. Overhead spot lighting is flattering, and easy listening jazz plays unobtrusively in the background. Booths and tables, arrayed with white linen tablecloths & napkins and deep dish votive candles, seat 80 people. Mahogany is everywhere, and pinpoints of light reflect on a glass wall separating the bar from the restaurant. In the middle of a window overlooking the shopping mall, water cascades down glass to pool above the entrance below.

WhirlyBird Wine Safari — Think romance in a Eurocopter, flying to Nevada's only desert winery; supping on wind-swept delights; you will have the romance recipe for a possible wedding retinue. Taste the wine, feast and dine, and when the copter winds back up, pop over the Red Rocks for a beautiful night vista of Las Vegas!

Nobu for 2 at the Hard Rock Hotel - Nobu is known worldwide for its exquisite Japanese dining. You don't have to travel to St. Moritz or London because there is a Nobu right in Las Vegas.

Its Oktoberfest at Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas - The Hofbräuhaus Las Vegas' main Beer Hall is the same dimension, height, and decorated similarly as the one built in Bavaria and licensed by Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München.

Warped At Quarks -
After nearly forty years of following Star Trek episodes and movies, it's time to admit I'm a bit of a Trekkie. I say that with some reservation because, after all, I didn't see every single episode, I can't remember if I saw all ten movies, and I've never been to a Star Trek Convention. Nevertheless, I've always loved Star Trek and felt a special fondness for all its varied characters. I take all my visiting friends who are remotely interested to STAR TREK: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Bada Bing Dinner Theater - Hot Lead and Pizza - America's love affair with The Sopranos, The Godfather, Goodfellas, and a host of equally thrilling mobster tales can be satisfied vicariously by spending an evening at "Ba-Da-Bing", the interactive dinner musical at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Surfs Into Summerlin — Las Vegas is now rated at the top of every food and wine critic's list as the best for dining. With the wide variety of themes and menus, it is refreshing to see a new entrant - Hawaiian Fusion, brining with it a dash of Pacific Rim delicacies. Roy's has arrived with welcome arms. Wax the long board ya big Kahuna!

Grand Cuisine On The Grand Canal — Overlooking the indoor Grand Canal in the Venetian Hotel Casino, Zeffirino exudes Italian authenticity in its décor. Darned-near everything was brought from the Old Country, including the antique furniture, the floor tiles, the gorgeous Murano glass chandelier, and even a genuine marble water well.

Michigan Mushroom Mania - Let's hunt for mushrooms in the beautiful woods of Michigan. It is fall, afterall, and the colors are brilliant.

Sooner or Later You Will Sip OK Vintages — Yes, there is a new grape growing region in the United States that is expected to produce new vintages and some rare pressings. The wines of Oklahoma have only been on the market for a few years, and new vineyards are under cultivation, so tip your flute for some fresh fruit fantasies.

L'Etoile - Gourmet Treasure on Martha's Vineyard - At L’etoile, Michael Brisson’s wonderful creations are served in stylish surroundings inspired primarily by his wife, Joan Parzanese. Whether by flickering candlelight in the glass-canopied conservatory dining room or beneath the stars on the terrace enclosed by ivy-covered lattice, her flawless taste extends to the smallest detail: Brentwood chairs, crisp white linen, and gold-trim bone china. The gold-star motif extends to the menus, napkin rings, and upholstered chairs, all coming together to establish a refined atmosphere.

Zagat Survey: Topper's Is Best On The Cape & Islands - On a recent weekend at The Wauwinet we found ourselves settled comfortably onto Topper's Bayview Terrace, a glass of 2001 Bourgogne Blanc Aligote in hand and a delightful looking plate of Topper's tasting-style luncheon awaiting our review.

Charity Tastes Devine In New York City - On May 19, 2004 Share our Strength hosted its 17th Annual gala charity benefit, "Taste of the Nation: NYC 2004, at the Metropolitan Pavilion, featuring New York City's most celebrated chefs and restaurants in a worldwide fight against hunger. This year's event was co-sponsored by Jenn-Air and American Express.

40 Years in Space — The Seattle Space Needle was constructed in 1962 for the International World's Fair. The SkyCity has been revolving around food ever since, and Kevin Fansler gives you his report on fine dining in the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle's El Gaucho Steakhouse — The steak surveys are in. This preface is to explain that I don't really understand the bewildering variety of ways that you can get your steak prepared for you at El Gaucho in Seattle, but I know what I like. The great thing about El Gaucho is that they are prepared to serve "Baseball Cuts," "Porterhouse," "Frenched," etc.

Fine Dining in the Nation's Capital - Ceiba - Washington , D.C. has been harboring a secret for the last decade; a secret that is getting harder and harder to keep from the nation.  Alhough D.C. was noted as a magnet for excellent ethnic cuisine in the past, it never savored a reputation for fine dining.

40 Years in Space — The Seattle Space Needle was constructed in 1962 for the International World's Fair. The SkyCity has been revolving around food ever since, and Kevin Fansler gives you his report on fine dining in the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle's El Gaucho Steakhouse — The steak surveys are in. This preface is to explain that I don't really understand the bewildering variety of ways that you can get your steak prepared for you at El Gaucho in Seattle, but I know what I like. The great thing about El Gaucho is that they are prepared to serve "Baseball Cuts," "Porterhouse," "Frenched," etc.