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 Food & Wine
Food and travel go hand in hand. Indeed, millions of people consider cuisine when making their travel plans. Here are 20 delicious reasons to plan that next trip. BY NICOLE ALPER
1 NEW YORK With a gorgeous redesign by luxury home and restaurant design firm Coffinier Ku Design, chef Terrance Brennan’s delicious fare (think warm Maine lobster with rhubarb, chanterelles, and vanilla brown butter) at PICHOLINE has an equally elegant new backdrop; soft lavender fabric lines the walls and custom-designed Capiz-shell lamps add a touch of elegant whimsy. Just steps from Lincoln Center, Picholine makes a perfect pre- or post-performance stop. No time for formality? The new wine and cheese bar (pictured center) features tasting flights. (212) 724-8585, www.picholinenyc.com
2 DALLAS Things are heating up at the new Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, as television celebrity and Southwestern chef Dean Fearing opens FEARING’S RESTAURANT, a four-part venue with settings ranging from alfresco dining in an open-air pavilion to a lively dine-in kitchen. The focus? Fresh regional dishes, including Texas-and-beyond cuisine (pictured top right), and hard-to-find boutique wine vintages. After dinner head over to the world’s first and largest permanent outdoor digital art gallery in Victory Park. (214) 922-0200, www.ritzcarlton.com
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GALWAY, IRELAND At the luxurious Glenlo Abbey Hotel, just outside Galway, an original 1927 Orient Express train carriage sits tucked behind the first tee of the hotel’s golf course. Once used to transport such theater greats as Sir Laurence Olivier from Brighton to London’s West End (and in 1974 it landed the ultimate job as the “star” in the Agatha Christie film Murder on the Orient Express), this historic carriage is now the resort’s PULLMAN RESTAURANT, drawing from its Asian and U.K. roots with such dishes as Oriental duck with orange compote and traditional braised shank of Connemara lamb. 011-353-91-526666, www.glenlo.com
4 CAPE TOWN, South Africa At the luxurious CAPE GRACE hotel in South Africa, the art of picnicking has reached new levels. A chauffeured BMW will whisk you, along with a picnic basket (pictured above) stuffed with the likes of roasted vegetable and mozzarella sandwiches, to one of many nearby locations. Sip a glass of South African Darling Cellars Onyx Pinotage from your perch atop Table Mountain or feed each other bobotie balls (a local specialty) at the dazzling Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. 011-27-21-410-7100, www.capegrace.com
5 SALTA, ARGENTINA The Michel Torino winery in Cafayate, in the Salta province of Argentina, has more than award-winning soft syrahs. It is also home to STARWOOD’S PATIOS DE CAFAYATE HOTEL & SPA, housed in a 150-year-old Spanish colonial-style mansion. Dine on Andean-inspired cuisine (don’t miss a glass of Torrontes Tardio, a late harvest white wine) and be sure to visit the grape-inspired spa for a deliciously indulgent cabernet sauvignon barrel bath. 011-54-3868-421-747, www.micheltorino.com.ar or www.starwoodhotels.com
 6 EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND Two things stand apart when it comes to Edinburgh’s hottest new restaurant, THE KITCHIN, lo-cated in a renovated whiskey warehouse on Leith’s waterfront: the time it took chef Tom Kitchin to earn a Michelin star (three months) and his age (29 years, making him the youngest Scottish chef to earn the coveted endorsement). An abundance of seasonal Scottish produce helps supply The Kitchin’s simple philosophy of “nature to plate.” 011-44-131-555-1755, www.thekitchin.com
7 PHILADELPHIA Marc Vetri, who put Philadelphia’s dining scene on the map with one of the best Italian restaurants in the country, Vetri, is at it again with a new, more casual venture, OSTERIA. Focusing on rustic Italian cuisine, Vetri whips up such specialties as focaccina (a white truffle robiola stuffed pizza) and his rabbit “casalinga” with pancetta, sage, brown butter, and soft polenta. (215) 763-0920, www.osteriaphilly.com
8 GREENWICH VILLAGE, NEW YORK Saving room for dessert is a given with the country’s sweetest new trend: dessert bars and restaurants. The new dessert-oriented eatery P*ONG, opened by Pichet Ong, former pastry chef at Jean Georges, is luring local celebrity clientele with a menu that changes daily and features “sweet and savories” such as Stilton soufflé with basil-arugula ice cream or coconut crème caramel with Himalayan pink salt (pictured below). (212) 929-0898, www.p-ong.com. Come September, you can also head over to Ong’s newest venture, BATCH, a nearby bakery/take-out concept featuring high-end cookies, cakes, ice creams, and gifts. (212) 929-7096
9 CHIPPING CAMPDEN, ENGLAND Ninety miles northwest of London, the Cotswolds is home to a budding gourmet scene. Spend a day honing your culinary skills in the beautiful 18th-century home setting of CAMPDEN COOKERY SCHOOL before checking into the luxurious 30-room COTSWOLD HOUSE (pictured right), a boutique country hotel with big-city style. A “rising Michelin star” shines bright over its fine dining restaurant, JULIANA’S. (Hint: For a dreamy night’s sleep, check into Room 16, which houses a $30,000 Ammique designer bed.) 011-44-1-386-840330, www.cotswoldhouse.com
10 HEALDSBURG, CALIFORNIA The Russian River Wine Road is more than a wine tasting route — it’s a gateway to educational culinary experiences. At the accoladed restaurant CYRUS, bar manager Scott Beattie offers farmers’ market tours and classes on seasonal cocktails (www.cyrusrestaurant.com), put on by the nearby RELISH CULINARY SCHOOL (www.relishculinary.com). Take a tour at J VINEYARDS & WINERY (www.jwine.com) and learn all about méthode champenoise, then taste a vertical of sparklers in the winery’s new Bubble Room. And for those with a taste for Italian, you can sign up for wood-fired cooking classes among vineyards and redwoods at LAMBERT BRIDGE winery. (707) 431-9600, www.lambert bridge.com
 11 BAIERSBRONN, GERMANY Hotel Traube Tonbach, located in the small, Black Forest hamlet of Baiersbronn, is a haven for those who can swallow the idea that spa living and gastronomy are not mutually exclusive. Sit in the Finnish bio-sauna, enjoy floral steam baths and an igloo with cooling ice crystals, and then feast on a Picasso-like deconstructed Black Forest cake at chef Harald Wohlfahrt’s SCHWARZWALDSTUBE, Germany’s only three-Michelin-star restaurant. The service is impeccable but unpretentious, despite its top ranking. 011-49-7442-492-0, www.traube-tonbach.de
12 CHICAGO Capitalizing on the growing trend of “flights,” Chicago’s new all-sampling restaurant ENO (pictured left) in the InterContinental Hotel offers three simple but mouthwatering choices: chocolate, cheese, and wine (5,000 bottles representing 500 varietals). Expert sommeliers pair the wine with gourmet chocolates and rare cheeses. (800) 972-2494, www.icchicagohotel.com. In the River North neighborhood, guest interaction will be the mantra at ZED 451. Architect Chris Smith (Buddakan, Nobu) designed the interior of the restaurant, which opens in October. Expect a two-story glass atrium, lounge, wine bar, and “green” rooftop lounge. www.tavistockrestaurants.com
13 NEW ORLEANS Chef Donald Link is number one, so say the members of the prestigious James Beard Foundation who awarded him Best Chef South. Link reminds Americans that New Orleans is still the epicenter of culinary inventiveness with his new restaurant, COCHON, in the thriving warehouse district. Don’t miss the delicious fried chicken livers with pepper-jelly toast (pictured above right). (504) 588-2123, www.cochonrestaurant.com. Another new warehouse hot spot: 7 ON FULTON (pictured above left), where chef Michael Sichel’s menu of contemporary New Orleans cuisine changes daily. (504) 525-7555, www.7onfulton.com
14 PARIS Turning his attention to improving classics, über chef Alain Ducasse has a delicious new project up his chef’s sleeve. At the newly restored 1925 classic seafood restaurant, RECH, Ducasse draws from his gourmet escapes to the Breton coast to inspire new dishes such as langoustines straight from Brittany served in a citrus-fruit vinaigrette. 011-33-45-72-29-47, www.rech.fr
15 LONDON Another project up Alain Ducasse’s sleeve is DUCASSE, set to open this fall at The Dorchester, London’s famed Park Lane hotel. The 70-person restaurant will feature soaring ceilings and views of Hyde Park. 011-33-1-45-72-29-47, www.dorchestercollection.com
16 LAS VEGAS DAVID BURKE LAS VEGAs takes the art of food quite literally. The new Las Vegas restaurant in The Venetian features two walls made entirely of pink Himalayan rock-salt bricks (Burke shipped 44,000 pounds to New Jersey and turned it into bowls and serving platters for his restaurant empire). (702) 414-1000 or (877) 883-6423, www.thevenetian.com. Meanwhile, Jean Philippe Patisserie in the Bellagio features something straight out of Willy Wonka: the tallest chocolate fountain in the world (pictured right), standing 27 feet tall and moving more than 2,100 pounds of melted dark, milk, and white chocolate. (888) 987-6667, www.bellagio.com
17 MILFORD, PENNSYLVANIA Savvy Philadelphians and New Yorkers are dining on frogs’ legs (pictured right) in the lovely DELMONICO ROOM at the new Hotel Fauchère, a quaint 19th-century inn with a sophisticated boutique hotel feel. (570) 409-1212, www.hotelfauchere.com. Just 30 minutes away, the new Tree restaurant at The Lodge at Woodloch inspires guests with organic cuisine plus tasting-size portions of indulgent desserts. (570) 685-8500, www.thelodgeatwoodloch.com
18 ARBOIS, FRANCE In the tiny town of Arbois, in the famed cheese-making region of Franche-Comtè, HIRSINGER is where fourth-generation chocolate maker Edouard Hirsinger entices chocoholics with unique seasonal combinations such as basil and tomato coulis. Venture downstairs and enter something magical: a museum which houses antique candy-making machines, and even the original storefront from his great-grandfather’s first chocolate shop. 011-03-84-66-06-97, www.chocolat-hirsinger.com
19 SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA One of California’s most powerful culinary duos is soaring to the top of the food chain with their latest venture: a new Santa Barbara location of Los Angeles favorite THE HUNGRY CAT. Suzanne Goin, a James Beard pick for California’s best chef and owner of the celebrity-studded Lucques and AOC, and husband/chef David Lentz feature handmade cocktails, a raw bar, and a constantly changing menu of seasonal seafood dishes. (805) 884-4701, www.thehungrycat.com
20 MIAMI The brainchild of Miami restaurateurs including Nicola Siervo (Joia and Metro Kitchen + Bar) and Karim Masri (Astor Place, Bambu, and Metro Kitchen + Bar), QUATTRO GASTRONOMIA ITALIANA offers something truly unique: authentic Northern Italian fare prepared by identical twins, chefs Nicola and Fabrizio Carro. (305) 531-4833, www.quattromiami.com. Also new: chef Christian Delouvrier’s bistro concept, LA GOULUE, at the luxurious Bal Harbour Shops. After making his mark at Lespinasse, Alain Ducasse, and Essex House, Delouvrier was excited to bring a “fresh outlook on the traditional French bistro” to the ultra-glam shopping area. (305) 865-2181, www.lagouluebalharbour.com
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