Elegant dining : TRAVEL/FOOD

NYTimes: The 25 Essential Dishes to Eat in Paris

Elegant dining, Gastronomy, Historic foodways, Historic Restaurants, Regional & Ethnic, Restaurants

The 25 Essential Dishes to Eat in Paris https://nyti.ms/3E4VH0d

Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte’s Secret Sauce: A Parisian Mystery Solved

Elegant dining, Europe, Food, Historic Architecture, Historic Restaurants, History, Paris, Recipes, Regional & Ethnic, Road Trips, Travel, Wine

Little did we know that when we dined at the corner restaurant near our hotel in Paris we were eating at a place where for decades a family divided had fought over the secret sauce served with their steaks.

Maybe it’s a French thing.

For some background. My husband and I were on our honeymoon and had booked a Viking River Cruise on the Seine and then added some before and after stays in Amsterdam where it is more easy to get run over by a bicyclist then a car and Paris where we stayed at a little hotel near the metro in the 17th arrondissement, known as Batignolles-Monceau, so we could visit other parts of the city without spending a fortune on cabs. Though we didn’t plan it this way, Hotel 10 Le Bis, our hotel was near numerous little cafes and a little grocery store where we could easily—and cheaply–buy food for quick meals and snacks.

One intriguing café was Le Relais de Venise (the name translates to Venetian Inn) where every night we would see long lines of people waiting to eat either in their dining room or on their outdoor patio. The interior of the restaurant looked so French bistro with its polished dark wood, tiny tables with crisp white table cloths, and servers dressed in black uniforms, the outdoor section was right on a busy corner filled with traffic and pedestrians, noise, and the rumbled of trucks and sounds of horns honking. So depending upon your mood you could choose where to dine.

What could be so great that people would wait for hours for a table when there were so many great cafes and restaurants around? And so we didn’t go until one evening, after ascending from the metro station and seeing there was no line, we decided to give it a try. The only tables available were outdoors and so we sat at a very small table next to another small table where a single woman sat, smoking a cigarette. That turned out to be a very lucky thing.

When our server arrived I asked to see a menu and she (we would find out later her name was Gertrude) abruptly told us she was the menu. Well, what’s on the menu? Steak frites, she replied. “bloody or well done.”

We told her “bloody”, and she gave us an approving look. But we were a little baffled. Was there really only one dish on the menu? As it turns out, there is no menu and only one entree, one salad with one dressing, steak frites (French fries), and bread. Do not expect butter, ketcup, mayonaaise, or any other condiment. They do only one thing but they do it very well. That’s how it was when Le Relais de Venise opened in 1959 and that’s the way it is now at all the restaurants throughout the world–New York City, London Marylebone, London City, Mexico City

When Gertrude returned with a salad topped with walnuts (no one inquired whether we had a nut allergy—which fortunately we don’t) and a crusty French baguette, I saw there wasn’t butter on our table and asked for some. Oops, one would think I had tried to order a Big Mac.

“No butter,” Gertrude told us.

“There’s no butter?” I asked.

“No butter,” she replied.

“How about olive oil?”

“No olive oil,” she told us.

Now, I knew that in a French restaurant there had to be both in the kitchen, but I guess neither butter nor olive oil was allowed to be carried into the dining area, so we ate the bread—which was very good—without either.

This is when the woman at the table next to us decided to intervene. She lived in Paris she told us but had spent years in the United States working as a publicist for musicians in New York. Le Relais de Venise de Entrecote was unique, she continued, because they only served one dish—steak with French fries and their famed green sauce called Le Venise’s Sauce de Entrecote. I guess that makes decided what to order for dinner super easy. If you’re wondering what entrecote is, as I was, it’s a cut of meat like a New York strip or strip steak. Or at least in it is in Paris.

Since the creation of the sauce, its exact ingredients have long been a secret and that probably worked until invention of the internet. After a family squabble resulted in a going of separate ways, the sauce itself became a battleground so complex and full of intrigue that the Wall Street Journal did a lengthy article about it all eight years ago. I guess when you serve only one dish and the sauce is a necessary part of it, feelings about who owns the recipe loom large. So large in fact that’s there was a million dollar lawsuit as to who had rights to use the name and sauce.

Anyway, after we ate our salad (no choice of dressing as it already was dressed with a vinaigrette which was very good), our steak with fries arrived—with the sauce spooned over the meat. It was delicious.

What’s in it? I asked the woman next to us.

“It’s a secret,” she said. “But I’ve been eating here for decades so I know it. But it’s really better to come here.”

She promised to give me the recipe, but she must have changed her mind because she never returned my phone calls or emailed it like she said she would. She may have been afraid Gertrude would get mad at her or maybe the restaurant owners wouldn’t allow her back in. Neither would be surprising. And believe me, you don’t want to cross Gertrude.

I noticed, as we were eating, that the servers were moving through the crowded café with platters of meat and piles of crisp, hand-cut pomme frites. Almost as soon as I had cleared my plate, Gertrude showed up again, heaping—without asking but that was okay—more frites and slices of bloody steak and then pouring the secret sauce on top. At no charge. but no ketchup or mayonnaise either for dipping the fries Gertrude informed us.

“They’ll do that until you say you don’t want anymore,” the woman told us about the second and third helpings.

“Is there a charge?”

“No, it’s all part of the meal.”

Which was a deal as the tab wasn’t very high even with the addition of a glass of the house wine produced at the family owned vineyard Chateau de Saurs in Lisle-sur-Tarn, 30 miles northeast of Toulouse. Indeed, the restaurant was opened by Paul Gineste de Saurs as a way to help market the wines but now there are at least three more restaurants—in New York City, Mexico City, and London. As for the sauce there are several stories. A rival restaurant said to serve a similar sauce says that it is not new but instead wis one of the classic sauces that are considered the backbone of French cuisine.

Another has it that the restaurant where we ate was modeled after Cafe de Paris bistro in Geneva which has served this dish since the 1940s. The sauce, according “The History and the Development of the L’Entrecote Secret Sauce,” a Facebook page devoted to the subject, was developed by the owner’s father-in-law.

I told you it was complicated.

Of course, as soon as we got back to our room, I Googled the restaurant and the sauce. It took some digging, but I found recipes for both the secret sauce and the salad. Or so I think. I’m planning on trying them soon along with a French baguette or two from Bit of Swiss Bakery which I will be serving with butter.

Le Relais de Venise-Style Salad Dijon Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Kosher salt to taste (nutritional info based on 1/4 tsp)
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or walnut oil)

Whisk or shake in a mason jar until mixture is homogenous.

Serve on a bed of mixed salad leaves topped with some chopped walnuts and shaved Parmesan.

Serving Size: 4

Le Relais de Venise’s Steak Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large shallots
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons mustard
1 bunch tarragon
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Peel and slice the shallots.

Peel and roughly chop the garlic.

Add the olive oil to a small pot over medium heat.

Add the garlic and shallots and cook until soft and slightly colored.

Add the chicken stock. Simmer for three minutes.

Pull the tarragon leaves off of the stems and put them in a blender.

Add the remaining ingredients to the blender.

Carefully pour the chicken stock mixture into the blender.

Puree until completely smooth.

Pour back into the pan and bring to a boil. Cook for one minute. If the sauce is too thin simmer for a few more minutes.

Pour over slices of rare or as Gertrude calls it “bloody” or however you like your steak. Serve with potatoes or French fries.

Supper Clubs: An American Dining Experience

Chicago restaurants, Elegant dining, Film, Historic foodways, Historic Restaurants

Neon lights. Big cars with rich men and beautiful dames. Martinis and music. Relish trays and super-sized steaks. Tucked away on country roads—perfect for bootleggers to deliver their goods in the dark of night or on the streets of big cities where midnight deliveries are no problem.

These are the supper clubs of old and while these vestiges of a glamorous past maybe somewhat different now, author Ron Faiola chronicles it all in his series of book, including the most recent, “The Wisconsin Supper Clubs Story: An Illustrated History, with Relish” (Agate Midway 2021; $26.66). His other two books, “Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old Fashioned Experience” and “Wisconsin Supper Clubs: Another Round” as well as his movie, Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old Fashioned Experience makes Faiola a supper club expert. His books, which make for great reading, are also perfect as guidebooks, taking us on a round of supper clubs still in business.

In his latest book, Faiola, a native of Wisconsin a state that seems to have the most of supper clubs of any state, went deep into their history and along the way dispelled at least one major legend—that the first American supper club was established in the 1920s in Beverly Hills, California by Milwaukee native Lawrence Frank.

“It always bothered me because it named the guy, but not the supper club,” said Faiola. “And why Beverly Hills and not New York City or even Wisconsin? Once I delved into the Frank family history, I had my answers which became chapter one in the book.”

There was another legend to question as well. Faiola has visited close to 150 of the places. But there was a guy named Al (last name Capone) who seemed to have visited even more—at least according to claims by owners. Faiola demolished that one as well.

Join us in a conversation with Faiola.

The resurgence of supper clubs has been going on for several years. It first began when my documentary, Wisconsin Supper Clubs – An Old Fashioned Experience,” was released in 2011.

Additionally, once the first book–“Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old Fashioned Experience” was released, instead of sitting on a coffee table, people brought their copies along on trips to supper clubs and had the owners and staff sign their pages. They’d put menus and make notes about the drinks and food that they had. That snowballed as more people saw what others were doing. It was fun for them and the supper club owners loved the attention. I’ve heard from so many owners about the number of books they’ve signed. They’re very proud of that.

More recently, when all restaurants closed as the pandemic started, people thought they were going to lose their favorite supper clubs. Once clubs started reopening, even just for take-out orders, customers were very supportive. As clubs fully reopened, diners returned in droves in the summer of 2020 and even more so during 2021. I’ve seen photos on social media of people standing in line waiting to get into supper clubs. Last summer the wait for a table at Ishnala was three to four hours and yet people were cheerfully tailgating in the parking lot! The great return to the Restaurants of Yesteryear has not only drawn more people to the clubs, but there is now a wide range of supper club souvenirs: glasses, apparel, posters, and even more books.

One of the things that surprised me the most was that the price of food was about the same as today when adjusted for inflation. I tell people to multiply the menu prices they see in the book by 10, so those $3.95 T-bone steaks and 60¢ old fashioneds in 1950 would be about $39.50 and $6.00 today.

If readers wanted to take a road trip and visit some of your favorites that are still in business, which ones would you suggest?

Start by going to some of the supper clubs that are a little below the radar – Roepke’s Supper Club in Chilton, Pinewood Supper Club in Mosinee, The 615 Club or The Butterfly Club in Beloit or The Duck Inn in Delavan. Then hit the more well-known clubs: Ishnala or the Del-Bar in the Wisconsin Dells, HobNob in Racine overlooking Lake Michigan, Five O’Clock Steakhouse in Milwaukee and The Buckhorn Supper Club in Milton with a great view of Lake Koshkonong.

Do you have a favorite supper club dish? Besides, the relish tray that is?

I enjoy a nice medium rare cut of prime rib, or a New York Strip, but one of my favorites that is only found in the southern part of Wisconsin is Shrimp de Jonghe. It’s a Chicago recipe and is basically a garlicky, buttery shrimp casserole.

How did you get interested in supper clubs?

I’ve always enjoyed going to supper clubs my whole life, whether it was around where I lived in the Milwaukee suburbs, or up north when I’d go fishing with my grandfather. I got the idea to do the movie when I was working on a fish fry documentary–Fish Fry Night Milwaukee, 2009–and I was looking for a supper club fish fry to put in the movie. I realized no one had documented supper clubs and there needed to be a light shined on that tradition. I went on the road to visit 14 clubs in 2010 and the documentary aired on Milwaukee PBS in 2011 and was licensed to PBS stations nationwide for several years.

Anything else you’d like readers to know?

I’m going to be busy visiting even more supper clubs this summer (hint hint).

Photo credits: Hoffman House courtesy of Bob Prosser. The El Dorado photo and the Ray Bussler photo are Photo courtesy Ron Faiola.

Grub Street: 2022 James Beard Award Winners: The Full List

Chicago restaurants, Chicagoland Area, Chinese, Elegant dining, Farm-to-Table, Farm-to-Table Restaurant, Fruit, Historic Restaurants, Home bakers, Indian Food, MasterChef, Plant Powered, Podcasts, Regional & Ethnic, Seasonal Recipes, Southern cuisine, Vegetarian

Grub Street: 2022 James Beard Award Winners: The Full List. https://www.grubstreet.com/2022/06/2022-james-beard-chef-and-restaurant-award-winners-full-list.html

Oceania Cruises’ Regatta a trip of a lifetime that inspires the desire for more

Cruise, Elegant dining

By Special Guest Blogger Kathy Witt

When starry-eyed wanderlusters dream of that trip of a lifetime, don’t be surprised if Oceania Cruises’ Regatta glides into their mental picture. The ship is elegant but comfortable, exquisitely styled but approachable, expensive but worth every. single. penny.

Much of the allure lies within the ship’s luxury-level décor, finishing appointments and amenities – thanks to a multimillion-dollar stem-to-stern redesign in 2019 – paired with attentive service, an unstuffy attitude and warmly welcoming atmosphere.

Oceania *Regatta’s* Grand Staircase welcomes guests aboard. Photo: Kathy Witt

From sweeping Grand Staircase, its balustrades framing a gold-leafed tree against a silver backdrop and given soft illumination by the crystal chandelier to chummy lounge areas and seating nooks, to tastefully decorated staterooms and suites – each an oasis of calm and comfort with custom-crafted furnishings and designer accessories – this ship is catwalk ready.

DINING IN BEAUTIFUL DIGS

Regatta Toscana. Photo courtesy Oceania Cruises Regatta

The Grand Dining Room channels a stately five-star sensibility one might find in European restaurants, with seating, linens and tableware working in concert beneath a chandelier centerpiece that sets the stage for the global-inspired cuisine featured on the Chef’s Tasting Menu. Chicken ballotine, molten cheese souffle and caviar-stuffed potato fritters open an evening of gastronomy that moves onto Marseillaise fish soup, duck a l’ orange and butter-roasted Maine lobster and finishes with ice cappuccino parfait, apple crumble pie and a velvety-rich ice cream dish called “Elvis, the Fat Years.” (The chef is not without a sense of humor.)

Two specialty dining experiences await at the Italian restaurant, Toscana’s, where family recipes of the Italian staff are incorporated into the menu, and Polo Grill, a classically styled steakhouse with all the time-honored food and furnishing traditions one would expect – including the tableside fanfare of preparing the Caesar salad. There is no upcharge for either restaurant, but reservations are required and should be made as early in the cruise as possible.

Tea time aboard Oceania *Regatta.* Photo: Kathy Witt

At Horizons, the English custom of four o’ clock tea is celebrated daily. Four-tiered, glass-topped carts laden with finger sandwiches, petits fours, crumbly scones with clotted cream and bite-size sweets roll from table to table, the white-gloved waitstaff plating up the goodies. As napkins drop in laps and tea is poured and sipped, a classical string quartet plays softly in the background.

LIBATIONS, LIVE MUSIC, LIBRARY

Whether shaken or stirred, Martinis offers the classic cocktail in a sophisticated setting that feels like the kind of place James Bond might foil an espionage plan – all Grecian blue and chocolate brown, silver-white marble and walnut paneling. Live piano music adds a dash of charm in the evening. Poolside, Waves sets the afternoon cocktail hour in motion with the Grand Bar a hotspot for pre-dinner gatherings.

Showtime in the Regatta Lounge might mean an afternoon watching an Oscar-winning movie or attending a guest lecture on astronomy or another topic. Evenings bring on the Motown classics or Great American Songbook standards, a 1920s floorshow accompanied by Prohibition-era cocktails or a dance party tribute featuring hit makers like Gloria Estefan and Michael Bublé.

An old-world aesthetic emanates from the library, from the glass-fronted cabinets shelving two thousand books to wingback and leather chair and ottoman seating groups to cushioned window seats overlooking the sea to the fireplace focal point. Above, a curved atrium ceiling charms with its painting of birds, florals and trees against a sky blue background. The library is a refuge for reading and working (if one must work on a cruise) where everyone tends to talk in whispers.

ONBOARD INDULGENGES

Regatta has numerous places to indulge in a little self-care, with the Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center topping the list. The wellness retreat menu includes all those rejuvenating therapies that pair so well with a vibe of relaxed luxury, like the moisture-boosting Caviar Firm and Lift Facial. A selection of complimentary classes offers gentle guidance for finding your center: sunrise and sunset stretches, guided meditation and re-set breathing classes and yoga flow vinyasa sessions.

Some cruise lines host hairy chest contests and come-as-a-pirate party nights on their pool deck, but Regatta eschews these in favor of an atmosphere designed for R and R, with shimmering pool flanked by two whirlpool spas and surrounded by plump loungers and daybeds. A frothy cocktail in one hand and book or tablet in the other completes the picture of sliding directly into vacation mode.

Oceania is known for its onboard art collections, and the Regatta enchants with its paintings and sculptures splashing color and drama across the walls, surprising from pedestal perches tucked near the stairwells and posing within niches about the ship.

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS

At a time when many cruise lines are trimming housekeeping staff and duties, Oceania continues to offer twice-daily maid service to refresh and restock cabins and provide evening turn-down with those coveted Belgian chocolates placed on the pillow. Bathrooms are stocked with Bvlgari bath amenities – shampoo/shower gel, shave balm, lotion and more – fragrant with notes of green tea, the citrusy scent of Italian bergamot, cardamom and other spices. Complimentary 24-hour room service is an appreciated touch (and one many cruise lines not only limit in terms of menu options but charge a fee for) that includes items such as avocado toast, Tuscan kale salad, omelets, petit beef fillet and Thai coconut red curry.

Luxurious with an atmosphere of laissez-faire, there is never anything stuffy about Regatta. It strikes just the right balance that inspires dreams of future Oceania cruises.

PLAN YOUR TRAVELS

Featuring a beautifully re-inspired ambiance with decks resplendent in teak, custom stone and tile work and lounges, suites and staterooms showcasing designer residential furnishings, Oceania Regatta carries under 700 passengers. It is the flagship of a fleet of six designer-inspired ships of a cruise line known for its culinary- and destination-focused experiences. Cruises are offered across Europe, Alaska, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, New England-Canada, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Tahiti and the South Pacific and epic 180-day Around the World Voyages.

For more information: www.oceaniacruises.com.

About Kathy Witt

Kathy Witt is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer who writes a monthly syndicated travel column for Tribune News Service, is a regular contributor to Kentucky Living, Georgia and Travel Goods magazines and RealFoodTraveler.com as well as other outlets like County. She is the author of several books, including Cincinnati Scavenger (Fall 2022) Secret Cincinnati and The Secret of the Belles, and is working on another travel-themed book for Fall 2023 release. Kathy is a member of SATW (Society of American Travel Writers), Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Kathy has a new interactive Cincinnati-themed book arriving summer 2022!

Follow Kathy on Instagram, Facebook , and Linkedin.

EXPLORE THE NORWEGIAN FJORDS AND MOUNTAINS ON AN ELECTRIC SUPERCAR ROAD TRIP

Elegant dining

Weeklong program is an eco-sensitive, road-tripping adventure in a Porsche.

If you’re a fan of adventure and luxury cars, this new supercar driving program is for you. Adding the glide of a luxury electric car, you’ll travel through Norwegian fjords and the Sunnmore Alps on a supercar road trip, enjoying empty open roads and breathtaking scenery behind the wheel of an electric Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo. The route is pre-programmed; you do the driving.

Driving the roads along mountain passes, bridges and labyrinthine tunnels will amp up the adrenaline of any driving enthusiast. And this time, it’s done in the most sustainable, exhilarating fashion–in an electric supercar of the highest renown.

The seven-day Drive the Fjords supercar adventure–available on June 12; August 7; and September 4, 11, 18 — has been created by specialist travel company Off the Map Travel to showcase Norway’s National Tourist Routes in the Fjords, an exciting adventure of extreme roads that are renowned as some of the best in terms of views, engineering, and. Should you decide to go for the ultimate splurge, a private version of the program is also available.

Pre-Programmed Routes Through Mountains and Fjords

Delivering a racetrack experience along the edge of the fjords, the emission-free electric supercar Porsche comes equipped with pre-programmed routes that journey through Norway’s stunning fjords and mountains.

The Porsche has room to hold everything needed for the six-day trip. An engineering marvel, it smoothly handles the winding mountain and forest routes that have inspired Norwegian folklore. Set the car on cruise control, feel the power, and take in the ever-changing scenery outside.

Enjoy a night in the art nouveau town of Alesund, where a boat ride among the fjords provides an extra sense of adventure. A night in a traditional Sami tent deep in the pine forests plus all hotel accommodations along the route support the program’s sustainability emphasis. All provide eco-toiletries in the rooms, locally sourced produce in the restaurants, and use only electric or hybrid vehicles. Onsite chargers are provided for your vehicle.

“We created this program for guests to travel through the stunning Norwegian fjords in a stylish and comfortable manner without impacting the environment,” said Jonny Cooper, founder of Off the Map Travel.

Inclusions

The adventure aspect of the trip is paramount. Travelers will journey along the spectacular Atlantic Road known as “the road across the sea” with its imposing seven bridges and network of tunnels, travel deep into the magnificent mountains to the Troll Wall, the largest rock wall in Europe; take a ferry into the gaping Geiranger fjord; journey up a gondola for the views of the North Atlantic; and experience the fjords from the sky in a private helicopter.

The cutting-edge electric supercar achieves 283 miles on a charge and has a built-in “charging planner” that calculates the optimum route based on your charge status.

The menu each day features the region’s best local cuisine including seafood from hyper-local purveyors.

The seven-day, six-night drive the fjords itinerary is priced from £7899 per person ($9747 USD at the time of this writing) including all meals and accomodations, based on double occupancy; with accommodations in Brosundet, Storfjord and Union Oye; transfers; all activities; and use of the electric Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo. Flights are additional.

Full itinerary:

Day 1:

Arrive in Alesund. From the window of your aircraft, you’ll see the crystal clear fjords and jagged peaks of the Sunnmore Alps.

Transfer from the airport to the art nouveau town of Alesund to check into Hotel Brosundet. Once settled, you will board a boat and head out into the fjords to Flatsea lighthouse. Enjoy a delicious lunch in the lighthouse and make use of the jacuzzi and sauna before heading back to your hotel for dinner in Apotekergata No. 5.

Day 2:

In the morning, check out and meet your driver who will take you to Hotel Storfjord in the town of Storfjord. Enjoy a welcome cocktail at the Lavvu, a traditional Sami tent set deep in the pine forests surrounding the hotel. Take in your surroundings and learn about some of the highlights of the trip ahead. Spend the rest of the evening relaxing and maybe head to the spa.

Day 3:

After breakfast it’s time to start your personal driving adventure along the North Atlantic Drive, described as one of the most scenic drives in the world. It’s also the perfect challenge. According to Dangerous Roads, “driving along this road is like teetering on the edge of the sea.”

There are eight bridges on the Atlanterhavsveien (Atlantic Road) but the most dramatic–as well as a marvel of engineering–is the Storseisundet Bridge which at times it appears to just drop off completely into the surrounding waters. the road travels from island to island, whales and seals can often be sighted near the shore and birds soar overhead. The Storfjord Hotel provides a picnic basket brimming with local cheese, meats, berries and sparkling wine so find a place to enjoy the breath-taking scenery and look for whales and seals and soaring birds. Take note on your way back, of the rugged Sunmore peaks dotting the horizon and the beautiful colors of the sunset on the water.

Savor the realization that this will be your playground for the next few days as your adventure takes you deeper and deeper into this land of fjords.

Day 4:

Head to the mountains of Romsdal. The first stop will be at the Troll Wall, the highest rock wall in Europe. Enjoy pastries packed by the kitchen and continue deeper into the mountains where the Trollstigen will appear with a winding road up to the summit. This is one of the most magnificent vantage points in Norway. Descend into the Valdel Valley which will lead you back to the fjords.

A ferry to Stranda offers a glimpse of things to come as the fjords get narrower and deeper. Pause at the view point between the tunnels and stare directly into the gaping chasm of the Geiranger fjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site The final destination is Union Oye – an historic royal oasis that opened in 1891 and is nestled at the end of the valley.

Check in and enjoy a delicious dinner. Relax and enjoy an after dinner drink at the Palmehagen, the hotel’s enchanting bar known for its vintage cocktails.

Day 5:

After a night’s rest and breakfast that includes locally sourced foods, continue on along the winding roads heading west along the coastline to Stryn, Here, take Loen Skylift from Fjord Norway to Mt. Hoven where you can enjoy lunch and the panoramic views of Mt. Skåla and Lake Lovatnet to the east and Jostedalsbreen Glacier and Olden to the south.

Then hit the road again, moving inland to the fjord hamlet of Geiranger. Board the ferry, sit back and enjoy a cruise through the grandest fjord of them all with waterfalls cascading off the mountains. Disembark at Hellesylt and drive to Union Oye.

Day 6:

A visit to the Sunmore region celebrates the seafood heritage of the region including a visit to an island off the west coast for a five-course seafood dinner. On the return journey, skirt Storfjord as you arrive back for your final meal.

Day 7:

For the final morning you’ll say farewell to you luxe Porsche supercar and take to the skies for an aerial tour of the roads you’ve traveled. This trip provides an immersive experience aboard the helicopter as it weaves in and out of the fjords high above the mountain peaks. At the end, a private driver will transport you to Alesund Vigra Airport for your departure.

OFF THE MAP TRAVEL

The team at Off the Map Travel works with experiences and destinations that allow people to explore hidden wonders of our planet. Specializing in Soft Adventure OTMT creates tailor-made holiday itineraries offering authentic experiences not offered by many larger travel companies. For more information on Off the Map Travel itineraries visit www.offthemap.travel; call 1-646-701-0041; email info@offthemap.travel or join in the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or Pinterest

West Baden Springs Resort: Southern Indiana’s calming oasis

Elegant dining, Golf, Hotels, Resort

By Special Guest Blogger Kathy Witt.

It is fitting that West Baden Springs Hotel, a magnificent domed resort built in 1902 in the manner of the grand spas of Europe, sits along an Indiana Historic Pathways route. The roads tell the story of Indiana and the country, beginning with the hoofs of the bison and moving through time to the wheels of the stagecoach, the tracks laid by the railroads and the cars meandering along today in search of a historic resort that looks more Bavaria than America’s Crossroads.

Located in the southern part of the state, West Baden Springs’ own story begins in the mid-nineteenth century with a stretch of marshland, a hidden natural spring and one man’s dream to create a holiday destination that would ultimately overshadow the prestigious French Lick Springs Resort, built in 1845 and located just a mile down the road.

It is a story of intense rivalry between two visionary hoteliers, devastating fires and full-scale renovations and expansions that brought each resort to national prominence as luxurious health resorts. Both properties took advantage of their location amidst the natural mineral springs of the area, promoting the springs for their medicinal value and successfully marketing the “curative” water as Pluto (French Lick) and Sprudel (West Baden).

Today, the hotels are part of French Lick Resort, a classic, family-friendly destination with three golf courses, two spas and plenty of activities and entertainment to fill a long weekend. While the onsite casino, bowling alley, arcade and children’s activities give French Lick Springs a kickier vibe, West Baden Springs is a calming oasis that retains its Old World charm with European architecture, fairytale towers and a bricked entrance road that rolls out alongside the hotel’s formal gardens.

Favorite pastimes at West Baden Springs are lounging, dining, sipping cocktails and enjoying afternoon tea in the enormous atrium, a light and airy gathering space, once known as a Pompeian Court, with comfy, cushy seating scattered throughout. It is topped by the free-spanning dome, a steel and glass marvel measuring 195 feet in diameter and 130 feet in height and the reason the hotel was branded the “Eighth Wonder of the World” when it opened.

Guests naturally gravitate to this stunning space, where they can see remnants of the mosaic terrazzo tile flooring that, when originally installed in 1916, consisted of two million squares of marble, plus a fireplace that looks like a piece of art and passageways that spoke off to various parts of the hotel, including registration, dining and the pool and spa.

The hotel’s six stories and their 243 guestrooms and suites encircle the atrium, with about 40 of these inviting retreats featuring a balcony that opens up to an incredible view of the dome and everything beneath it. Like the atrium itself, the balcony rooms are a perfect nook for relaxing and listening to the piano player as his fingers travel through a playlist of familiar melodies each evening.

Relaxation

Also relaxing is a visit to the spa, designed using historic photographs to capture the resort’s original two-level natatorium layout. Like the resort itself, the spa combines that Old World sensibility with European elegance to create a tranquil retreat. The spa offers a number of different treatments, including massages, facials and body scrubs.

Hidden History

Hidden off the registration area is the library, a hushed spot that brings to mind Agatha Christie novels, brandy snifters and hound dogs dozing by the fire with its plump chairs, dark paneling and classic rolling library ladder. Another one: The museum gallery tucked off a first floor corridor. It is a history lesson, arranged in glass cases and on the walls, of West Baden Springs as seen through its early hotel décor and dishware, promotional posters and vintage pictures.

Acitivities & Events

West Baden Springs Hotel offers numerous activities – onsite shopping, historic and horse-drawn carriage tours, strolling the formal gardens, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and indoor hot tub, fitness center access, horseback riding, golfing and a variety of scheduled events and concerts.

It also inspires slowing down, relishing being in the moment and appreciating all the stories told through the architecture, activities and traditions of one of the country’s most beautiful and historic resorts.

Plan Your Travels

The AAA Four Diamond West Baden Springs Hotel is a National Landmark Hotel and member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts. Its 243 luxury guest rooms and suites are each individually decorated. The room rate comes with a number of complimentary items: valet and self-parking, resort-wide shuttle service, two bottles of water daily and Wi-Fi/Internet. It is also a pet-friendly hotel. Note that daily housekeeping and nightly turn-down service are currently suspended.

A trolley, running seven days a week, takes guests back and forth between West Baden Springs and French Lick Springs hotels. At West Baden, the depot is located adjacent to the gardens; at French Lick, it is near the casino.

Information and reservations: 888-936-9360, www.FrenchLick.com/hotels/WestBaden.

Packages

The resort offers a number of special packages (www.FrenchLick.com/hotels/packages for details), including these:

Mother’s Day (May 7 and 8) – includes overnight accommodations at West Baden Springs on Saturday or Sunday and Mother’s Day Brunch for two in the Atrium on May 8, featuring omelet, waffle and carving stations, chilled seafood bar and more.

Romance – includes resort accommodations, red rose on check-in, bottle of house wine and special welcome gift, plus a $105 French Lick Resort dining credit.

Happy Birthday – includes resort accommodations, welcome gift, birthday cake, $20 in ice cream credit and a $75 dining credit.

About Kathy Witt

Her writing has led to many cherished experiences and memories, including glacier walking in the foothills of Denali; being a Guardian on an Honor Flight from Louisville, KY to Washington D.C.; interviewing Dolly Parton several times; sailing with Oprah with Holland America Cruises; riding BOLT!, the roller coaster aboard Carnival’s Mardi Gras; and attending the 70th Anniversary Re-Premiere of Gone With the Wind, hosted by the Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum, where she got to enjoy the company of actress Ann Rutherford (“Carreen O’Hara”) and the “Three Beaus” – Mickey Kuhn, Patrick Curtis and Greg Giese.

The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook

Elegant dining, Fruit

Didn’t receive an invitation to dinner at Lady Granville’s nor to Lady Danbury’s party? They must be lost in the mail. And no, you didn’t enjoy the bonbons at the Grand Buffet. That’s because no one asked you to attend. How infuriating not to be able to taste all those luscious foods while mixing with dukes and lords at fancy parties like on Bridgerton, the award winning costume series on Netflix series.

Unfortunately I have some bad news for you. Odds are almost 100% you’ll never get an invitation to any of the grand homes in Grosvenor Square like those you see on Bridgerton. Without an invitation, there goes you chance of snagging a duke or a duchess, but as for the food, well you can still dine like the characters on the show.

That’s because Lex Taylor has written The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook: From The Viscount’s Mushroom Miniatures and The Royal Wedding Oysters to Debutante Punch and The Duke’s Favorite … 100 Dazzling Recipes Inspired by Bridgerton (Adams Media; $21.99). It’s a very pretty book with lots of photos and drawings, all to make you want to put on your best tiara and low cut ballroom gown (or if you’re a man, your cutaway tuxedo and top hat) and dine on Taylor’s recipes for Spice Trade Biscuits and Lady Varley’s Special Chicken. Unfortunately though you’ll have to cook the dishes yourself as well and clean up afterwards. How unfair not to have a butler.

The cookbook’s release is perfectly timed as the show’s second season is starting and trailers for the series already show this year’s brooding handsome hero and the lovely young ladies whose mothers have told them to make sure they snag a lord or higher. That’s because Bridgerton is set in 1813 during England’s Regency period when marrying up was the equivalent of a woman earning a college degree today.

Taylor created and adapted recipes that could have graced the tables of the Bridgertons and other families in the series. And that’s surprising given Taylor is the type of guy who’s spent a lot of time fishing and hunting with the Inuit of Baffin Island, foraging for food in the Hudson Valley, immersing himself in cultures that rely on ancestral knowledge for survival, and hanging out in the Sahara and the Atacama deserts and the jungles of Central America and West Africa. His previous book, Grill Fire: 100+ Recipes & Techniques for Mastering the Flame shows, among other things, how to turn your backyard grill into a Brazilian churrascaria and the way to make your own chicken wing racks. He is, he says, “a wilderness- survival-outdoor-chef and barbecue guy.”

“I never expected that the editors would choose my proposal,” Taylor told me on the phone as I assume, he was on his way to fish with the Inuit, not to a high tea.

“I was a hundred percent certain that there were a large number of Bridgerton fans who had already published several books with Simon and Schuster and one of them would write the book,” he continues.

But obviously it worked out differently. Was that a mistake on Simon & Schuster’s part?

Not at all. Choosing Taylor actually makes a lot of sense. How he lives, is in ways, reflective of life during the Regency. He’s been asked to join the Explorer’s Club because of his extensive travels with their focus on the indigenous people and he loves delving into exploration and research. Indeed, inspired by trips to New Orleans, he won Esquire magazine competition’s “The Next Great Burger” for his meat patty creation using such ingredients as caramelized pears, a saffron aioli, and deep fried beignet bun. He also appeared on “Chopped” and the Food Network and was a judge on “Beat Bobby Flay.”

2022 may sounds like a different world than London during the Regency which was from 1811 to 1820. But Taylor sees the similarities.

“The Regency was a time when many of the ships that traveled for English companies were bringing back exotic ingredients and people were completely fascinated by the foods and spices they brought back with them,” he says, noting that he likes to cook wild and crazy stuff as well and stages large dinners in the Hudson Valley region after successful foraging trips. “It’s so me. The food of that time is like what I do—curing and pickling, collaborating with people who fish and hunt and cook with fire and who try new things.”

Taylor didn’t want his cookbook to be a half-hearted spin-off. That was one of several goals he had when writing—to riff off the foods eaten on the show, ensure the ingredients were readily available and the recipes easy to make. He also wanted to approach the project with a sense of humor. Take his inclusion of lavender as an ingredient.

“Not only is lavender a beautiful plant that was used for table decorations, but it was also used during the Regency as a perfume and a medicine because it was thought to help with romance and love,” he writes about the lavender drink he created. “Both men and women used considerable amounts of perfume, as bathing was not a major part of their hygienic practice.”

Rumor-Stirring Blueberry Lavender Fizz

SERVES 1

1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
1 tablespoon blueberry jam
1⁄2 ounce lemon juice
1⁄2 ounce lime juice
1⁄2 ounce heavy cream
1 large egg white, pasteurized
8–12 ounces cooled sparkling water
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Muddle lavender in a cocktail shaker.

Add remaining ingredients except sparkling water and lemon zest. Shake vigorously until texture changes to a foam, about 10 seconds.

Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Shake 15 seconds or until cocktail is well chilled.

Strain into a Collins glass. Top with sparkling water and garnish with lemon zest.

Lady Featherington’s Society Sponge Cake

For the macerated berries:

1 pound fresh berries, sliced, (dry after rinsing)
1/4 cup Moscato or other sweet wine
2 tablespoons granulated sugar or amber honey

For the sponge cake:

8 cold large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola or other neutral oil
1/3 cup pulp-free orange juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup fresh berries
1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar

Place all the ingredients for the macerated berries in a large bowl and stir gently, cover and refrigerate 24 hours or until the berries are softened. Next line to make sponge cake Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8 inch springform pan with parchment paper.

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk eggs and large bowl until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. Turn mixer speed to low and slowly add oil and juice.

On lowest speed, mix in flour and baking powder until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer immediately to a wire cooling rack, releasing from pan to cool upside down for about one hour.

Flip over so the rounded part is on top and cut into two equal rounds. Spoon macerated berries evenly over one cake round and top with the second cake round. Top with fresh berries and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

The above recipes are from The Unofficial Bridgerton Cookbook by Lex Taylor. Copyright © 2021 by Alexei Taylor. Photographs by Harper Point Photography. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

THE 2022 JAMES BEARD AWARD RESTAURANT AND CHEF SEMIFINALISTS

Chicago restaurants, Chinese, Elegant dining, Farm-to-Table, Farm-to-Table Restaurant, Fruit, Gluten-free, Historic Restaurants, Plant Powered, Southern cuisine

The James Beard Award Semifinalists today announced their 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists in advance of the returning James Beard Awards® presented by Capital One. Winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 13, 2022, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Restaurant and Chef Awards nominees, in addition to honorees for Leadership, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Humanitarian of the Year Awards will be revealed on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, in Scottsdale, AZ. Nominees for the James Beard Foundation Media Awards will be released on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, in New York City.

The James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards were established in 1991 and is one of five separate recognition programs of the Awards. James Beard Awards policies and procedures can be viewed at jamesbeard.org/awards/policies.

Check out the 2022 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists below.

Outstanding Restaurateur 

Ashok Bajaj, Knightsbridge Restaurant Group (Rasika, Bindaas, Annabelle, and others), Washington, D.C.
Kim Bartmann, Bartmann Group, Minneapolis
Chris Bianco, Tratto, Pane Bianco, and Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
Jason and Sue Chin, Good Salt Restaurant Group, Orlando, FL
Brandon Chrostowski, EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute, Cleveland
Larry and Jessica Delgado, Delgado Collective, McAllen, TX
Ravi DeRossi, Overthrow Hospitality, NYC
Greg Dulan, Dulan’s Soul Food Restaurant, Los Angeles
Kevin Gillespie, Red Beard Restaurants (Gunshow, Ole Reliable, and Revival), Atlanta
Andrew Le, The Pig and the Lady and Piggy Smalls, Honolulu
Marc Meyer, Vicki Freeman, and Chris Paraskevaides, Bowery Group (Shuka, Shukette, Vic’s, and others) NYC
Joe Muench, Black Shoe Hospitality, Milwaukee
Willy Ng, Koi Palace, Dragon Beaux, and Palette Tea House, San Francisco
Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom, Langbaan, Hat Yai, Eem, and others, Portland, OR
Todd Richards and Joshua Lee, The Soulful Company (Lake & Oak), Atlanta
J.D. Simpson and Roger Yopp, SavannahBlue, Detroit
Deborah Snow and Barbara White, Blue Heron Restaurant & Catering, Sunderland, MA
Chris Williams, Lucille’s Hospitality Group, Houston
Ellen Yin, High Street Hospitality Group (Fork, a.kitchen + bar, High Street Philly, and others), Philadelphia
Edwin Zoe, Zoe Ma Ma and Chimera Ramen, Boulder and Denver, CO

Outstanding Chef 

Reem Assil, Reem’s, Oakland and San Francisco, CA
Mashama Bailey, The Grey, Savannah, GA
Andrew Black, Grey Sweater, Oklahoma City
Peter Chang, Peter Chang, VA and MD
Austin Covert, Rosewild, Fargo, ND
Christopher Gross, Christopher’s, Phoenix
Stephen Jones, The Larder + The Delta, Phoenix
Ji Hye Kim, Miss Kim, Ann Arbor, MI
Kyle Knall, Birch, Milwaukee
Emiliano Marentes, ELEMI, El Paso, TX
Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles
Keiji Nakazawa, Sushi Sho, Honolulu
Josh Niernberg, Bin 707 Foodbar, Grand Junction, CO
Alex Raij and Eder Montero, La Vara, NYC
Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, Don Angie, NYC
Michael Schwartz, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Miami
Douglass Williams, MIDA, Boston
Cindy Wolf, Charleston, Baltimore
Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle

Outstanding Restaurant 

Brennan’s, New Orleans
Butcher & Bee, Charleston, SC
Chai Pani, Asheville, NC
Cora Cora, West Hartford, CT
Di Fara Pizza, NYC
El Burén de Lula, Loíza, PR
Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia
Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm, Boulder, UT
La Morada, NYC
Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy, Depew, OK
Métier, Washington, D.C.
Mixtli, San Antonio, TX
Parachute, Chicago
Paragary’s, Sacramento, CA
Post & Beam, Los Angeles
Odd Duck, Milwaukee
Oriole, Chicago
ShinBay, Scottsdale, AZ
Sushi Izakaya Gaku, Honolulu
The Walrus and the Carpenter, Seattle

Emerging Chef

Manuel “Manny” Barella, Bellota, Denver
Angel Barreto, Anju, Washington, D.C.
Kristi Brown, Communion, Seattle
Rochelle Daniel, Atria, Flagstaff, AZ
Calvin Eng, Bonnie’s, NYC
Casey Felton, Bahn Oui, Los Angeles
Shenarri Freeman, Cadence, NYC
Ben Grupe, Tempus, St. Louis
Donald Hawk, Valentine, Phoenix
Cleophus Hethington, Benne on Eagle, Asheville, NC
Brian Hirata, Na‘’au, Hilo, HI
Serigne Mbaye, Dakar Nola, New Orleans
Thuy Pham, Mama Đút, Portland, OR
Mia Orino and Carlo Gan, Kamayan ATL, Atlanta
Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria, Austin
Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club, Philadelphia
Amanda Turner, Olamaie, Austin
Chris Viaud, Greenleaf, Milford, NH
Crystal Wahpepah, Wahpepah’s Kitchen, Oakland, CA
David Yoshimura, Nisei, San Francisco

Best New Restaurant

ABACÁ, San Francisco
Angry Egret Dinette, Los Angeles
Bacanora, Phoenix
BARDA, Detroit
Café Mamajuana, Burlington, VT
Casian Seafood, Lafayette, CO
Dhamaka, NYC
Fritai, New Orleans
Gage & Tollner, NYC
Horn BBQ, Oakland, CA
Kasama, Chicago
Kimika, NYC
Laser Wolf, Philadelphia
Leeward, Portland, ME
Lengua Madre, New Orleans
MACHETE, Greensboro, NC
Matia Kitchen & Bar, Orcas Island, WA
The Marble Table, Billings, MT
Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken, Asheville, NC
NiHao, Baltimore
Owamni, Minneapolis
Oyster Oyster, Washington, D.C.
Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House, San Leon, TX
República, Portland, OR
Roots Southern Table, Farmers Branch, TX
Sooper Secret Izakaya, Honolulu
Union Hmong Kitchen, Minneapolis
Ursula, NYC
Zacatlán Restaurant, Santa Fe
Zitz Sum, Coral Gables, FL

Outstanding Pastry Chef

Antonio Bachour, Bachour, Coral Gables and Doral, FL
Nicolas Blouin, Destination Kohler, Kohler, WI
Warda Bouguettaya, Warda Pâtisserie, Detroit
Mark Chacón, Chacónne Patisserie, Phoenix
Angela Cicala, Cicala at the Divine Lorraine, Philadelphia
Kate Fisher Hamm, Leeward, Portland, ME
Michelle Karr-Ueoka, MW Restaurant, Honolulu
Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles
Claudia Martinez, Miller Union, Atlanta
Elise Mensing, Brasserie by Niche, St. Louis
Camari Mick, The Musket Room, NYC
Ruben Ortega, Xochi, Houston
Shannah Primiano, Porto, Chicago
Rabii Saber, Four Seasons, Orlando, FL
Caroline Schiff, Gage & Tollner, NYC
Anne Specker, Kinship, Washington, D.C.
Krystle Swenson, The Social Haus, Greenough, MT
Sofia Tejeda, Mixtli, San Antonio, TX
Jen Yee, Hopkins and Company, Atlanta

Outstanding Baker

David Cáceres, La Panadería, San Antonio, TX
Maya-Camille Broussard, Justice of the Pies, Chicago
Atsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, ME
Susannah Gebhart, Old World Levain (OWL) Bakery, Asheville, NC
Marissa and Mark Gencarelli, Yoli Tortilleria, Kansas City, MO
Joseph, Archalous, and Caroline Geragosian, Old Sasoon Bakery, Pasadena, CA
Don Guerra, Barrio Bread, Tucson, AZ
Aaron Hall, The Local Crumb, Mount Vernon, IA
Mike Hirao, Nisshodo Candy Store, Honolulu
Clement Hsu, Katherine Campecino-Wong, and James Wong, Breadbelly, San Francisco
Nobutoshi “Nobu” Mizushima and Yuko Kawashiwo, Ihatov Bread and Coffee, Albuquerque, NM
Evette Rahman, Sister Honey’s, Orlando, FL
Rhonda Saltzman and Mercedes Brooks, Second Daughter Baking Co., Philadelphia
Caroline Schweitzer and Lauren Heemstra, Wild Crumb, Bozeman, MT
Khatera Shams, Sunshine Spice Bakery & Cafe, Boise, ID
Zak Stern, Zak the Baker, Miami
Elaine Townsend, Café Mochiko, Cincinnati, OH
Maricsa Trejo, La Casita Bakeshop, Richardson, TX
Louis Volle, Lodi, NYC
Pamela Vuong, The Flour Box, Seattle

Outstanding Hospitality (Presented by American Airlines)

BaoBao Dumpling House, Portland, ME
Bar del Corso, Seattle
Binkley’s, Phoenix
Coquine, Portland, OR
Cúrate, Asheville, NC
House of Prime Rib, San Francisco
Hugo’s, Houston
Johnny’s Restaurant, Homewood, AL
José, Dallas
Lil’ Deb’s Oasis, Hudson, NY
Mudgie’s Deli and Wine Shop, Detroit
Phoenicia, Birmingham, MI
The Preacher’s Son, Bentonville, AR
Sanford, Milwaukee
Spuntino, Denver
Steve and Cookie’s, Margate, NJ
Sylvia’s Restaurant, NYC
Ticonderoga Club, Atlanta
Tutka Bay Lodge, Homer, AK
Valter’s Osteria, Salt Lake City

Outstanding Wine Program

a.kitchen + bar, Philadelphia
The Four Horsemen, NYC
Frenchette, NYC
Golden Age Wine, Mountain Brook, AL
High Street Wine Co., San Antonio, TX
Hiyu Wine Farm, Hood River, OR
Kai, Phoenix
L’Etoile, Madison, WI
The Little Nell, Aspen, CO
Lucky Palace, Bossier City, LA
Lyla Lila, Atlanta
Madam, Birmingham, MI
Maydan, Washington, D.C.
Polo Grill, Tulsa, OK
The Punchdown, Oakland, CA
Rainbow Ranch Lodge, Gallatin Gateway, MT
Rebel Rebel, Somerville, MA
Sachet, Dallas
Tomo, Seattle
Vicia, St. Louis

Outstanding Bar Program

Alley Twenty Six, Durham, NC
Attaboy, Nashville
Avenue Pub, New Orleans
Bar Leather Apron, Honolulu
barmini by José Andrés, Washington, D.C.
Cafe La Trova, Miami
Chapel Tavern, Reno, NV
Friends and Family, Oakland, CA
Genever, Los Angeles
Goodkind, Milwaukee
The Jewel Box, Portland, ME
Julep, Houston
La Factoría, San Juan, PR
Las Almas Rotas, Dallas
Llama San, NYC
Nobody’s Darling, Chicago
Shelby, Detroit
Valkyrie, Tulsa, OK
Vicia, St. Louis
Water Witch, Salt Lake City

**Best Chefs (Presented by Capital One):**

Best Chef: California

Chris Barnum-Dann, Localis, Sacramento, CA
Sylvan Mishima Brackett, Rintaro, San Francisco
Val M. Cantu, Californios, San Francisco
Keith Corbin, Alta Adams, Los Angeles
Srijith Gopinathan, Ettan, Palo Alto, CA
Tony Ho, Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant, Rosemead, CA
Judept Irra, Tamales Elena y Antojitos, Bell Gardens, CA
Nobody’s Darling, Chicago San Francisco
Matthew Kammerer, The Harbor House Inn, Elk, CA
Bryant Ng, Cassia, Santa Monica, CA
Heena Patel, Besharam, San Francisco
Natalia Pereira, Woodspoon, Los Angeles
Melissa Perello, Octavia, San Francisco
Minh Phan, Phenakite, Los Angeles
Justin Pichetrungsi, Anajak Thai, Los Angeles
Carlos Salgado, Taco María, Costa Mesa, CA
Sarintip “Jazz” Singsanong, Jitlada, Los Angeles
James Syhabout, Commis, Oakland, CA
Pim Techamuanvivit, Nari, San Francisco
Anthony Wells, Juniper and Ivy, San Diego

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)

Omar Anani, Saffron De Twah, Detroit
Rodolfo Cuadros, Amaru and Bloom Plant Based Kitchen, Chicago
Diana Dávila Boldin, Mi Tocaya Antojería, Chicago
Paul Fehribach, Big Jones, Chicago
Jason Hammel, Lula Cafe, Chicago
Anthony Lombardo, SheWolf, Detroit
Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, Baobab Fare, Detroit
Thomas Melvin, Vida, Indianapolis
Dave Park, Jeong, Chicago
Michael Ransom, ima, Detroit
Darnell Reed, Luella’s Southern Kitchen, Chicago
James Rigato, Mabel Gray, Hazel Park, MI
Jose Salazar, Salazar, Cincinnati, OH
Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago
Ahmad Sanji, AlTayeb, Dearborn, MI
John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, Smyth, Chicago
Jill Vedaa, Salt+, Lakewood, OH
Sarah Welch, Marrow, Detroit
Erick Williams, Virtue Restaurant & Bar, Chicago
Kate Williams, Karl’s, Detroit

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)

Anthony Andiario, Andiario, West Chester, PA
Joey Baldino, Zeppoli, Collingswood, NJ
Angel Barreto, Anju, Washington, D.C.
Amy Brandwein, Centrolina, Washington, D.C.
Adam Diltz, Elwood, Philadelphia
Antimo DiMeo, Bardea Food & Drink, Wilmington, DE
Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer, Canal House Station, Milford, NJ
Matt Hill, Ruthie’s All-Day, Arlington, VA
Bill Hoffman, The House of William & Merry, Hockessin, DE
Jesse Ito, Royal Izakaya, Philadelphia
Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski, Apteka, Pittsburgh
Wei Lu, China Chalet, Florham Park, NJ
Cristina Martinez, South Philly Barbacoa, Philadelphia
Peter Prime, Cane, Washington, D.C.
Carlos Raba, Clavel Mezcaleria, Baltimore
Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C.
Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, Kalaya Thai Kitchen, Philadelphia
Yuan Tang, Rooster & Owl, Washington, D.C.
Wei Zhu, Chengdu Gourmet, Pittsburgh
Bethany Zozula, 40 North at Alphabet City, Pittsburgh

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI) 

Dane Baldwin, The Diplomat, Milwaukee
Karen Bell, Bavette La Boucherie, Milwaukee
Daniel Bonanno, A Pig in a Fur Coat, Madison, WI
Rob Connoley, Bulrush, St. Louis
Jorge Guzmán, Petite León, Minneapolis
Michael Haskett, M.B. Haskett Delicatessen, Sioux Falls, SD
Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite, EsterEv, Milwaukee
Mary Kastman, Driftless Cafe, Viroqua, WI
Anthony Kueper, Dolce, Omaha, NE
Gregory León, Amilinda, Milwaukee
Rachel McGill, DISH Restaurant, Lincoln, NE
Ryan Nitschke, Luna Fargo, Fargo, ND
Craig Rivard, Little Fox, St. Louis
Kevin Scharpf, Brazen Open Kitchen | Bar, Dubuque, IA
Sean Sherman, Owamni, Minneapolis
Erik Skaar, Vann, Spring Park, MN
Evy Swoboda, Brasserie by Niche, St. Louis
Carl Thorne-Thomsen, Story., Prairie Village, KS
Yia Vang, Union Hmong Kitchen, Minneapolis
Ben Welch, Botanica, Wildwood, MO

Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)

Saibeen Acord, Saibeen’s Kitchen, Great Falls, MT
Salvador Alamilla, Amano, Caldwell, ID
Dan Ansotegui, Ansots, Boise, ID
Jose Avila, El Borrego Negro, Denver
Mike Blocher, Nick Fahs, and David Barboza, Table X, Salt Lake City
Cody Cheetham, Tavernetta, Denver
Logen Crew and Paul Chamberlain, SLC Eatery, Salt Lake City
Caroline Glover, Annette, Aurora, CO
Briar Handly, Handle, Park City, UT
Suchada Johnson, Teton Thai, Teton Village, WY
Kris Komori, KIN, Boise, ID
Chris Lockhart, PREROGATIvE Kitchen, Red Lodge, MT
Chris McDonald, Cowfish, Lander, WY
Mawa McQueen, Mawa’s Kitchen, Aspen, CO
Brian Menges, The 2nd Street Bistro, Livingston, MT
Paul Naugle, Izakaya Three Fish, Bozeman, MT
Dana Rodriguez, Work & Class, Denver
Eric Skokan, Black Cat Farm Table Bistro, Boulder, CO
Luis Young, Penrose Room, Colorado Springs, CO
Dave Wells, The Tasting Room at Chico Hot Springs Resort & Day Spa, Pray, MT

Best Chef: New York State 

Einat Admony, Balaboosta, NYC
Mary Attea, The Musket Room, NYC
Albert and Malenda Bartley, Top Taste, Kingston, NY
Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy, NYC
Nick Curtola, The Four Horsemen, NYC
Eric Gao, O Mandarin, Hartsdale and Hicksville, NY
JJ Johnson, FIELDTRIP, NYC
Gabe McMackin, Troutbeck, Amenia, NY
Helen Nguyen, Saigon Social, NYC
Ayesha Nurdjaja, Shuka, NYC
Chintan Pandya, Dhamaka, NYC
Kyo Pang, Kopitiam, NYC
Junghyun Park, Atomix, NYC
Carla Perez-Gallardo and Hannah Black, Lil’ Deb’s Oasis, Hudson, NY
Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn, NYC
Romeo Regalli, Ras Plant Based, NYC
Irwin Sánchez, Under the Volcano, NYC
Bryce Shuman, Sweetbriar, NYC
Hillary Sterling, Ci Siamo, NYC
Dale Talde, Goosefeather, Tarrytown, NY

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)

Bowman Brown, Elda, Biddeford, ME
Vien Dobui, CÔNG TỬ BỘT, Portland, ME
Patricia Estorino, Gustazo Cuban Kitchen & Bar, Waltham and Cambridge, MA
Tiffani Faison, Orfano, Boston
Jeff Fournier, Thompson House Eatery, Jackson, NH
Daniel Gursha, Ledger, Salem, MA
Tico Huynh, Yvonne’s, Cambridge, MA
Ben Jackson, Magnus on Water, Biddeford, ME
Jeremy Kean and Philip Kruta, Brassica Kitchen + Cafe, Boston
Christian Kruse, Black Flannel Brewing Company, Essex Junction, VT
Brian Lewis, The Cottage, Westport, CT
Courtney Loreg, Woodford Food and Beverage, Portland, ME
Macarena Ludena, Cora Cora, West Hartford, CT
Nisachon Morgan, Saap, Randolph, VT
Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville, MA
William Rietzel, COAST, Watch Hill, RI
Damian Sansonetti, Chaval, Portland, ME
John DaSilva, Chickadee, Boston
David Schrier, Jessica Pollard and David Clegg, Daily Operation, Easthampton, MA
David Vargas, Vida Cantina, Portsmouth, NH

Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA) 

Nathan Bentley, Altura Bistro, Anchorage, AK
Nick Coffey, Ursa Minor, Lopez Island, WA
Erasto Jackson, Lil Red’s Takeout and Catering, Seattle
Jonathan Jones, Epilogue Kitchen & Cocktails, Salem, OR
Liz Kenyon, Rupee Bar, Seattle
Carlo Lamagna, Magna Kusina, Portland, OR
Robynne Maii, Fête, Honolulu
Melissa Miranda, Musang, Seattle
David Nichols, Eight Row, Seattle
Vince Nguyen, Berlu, Portland, OR
Brandon Pettit, Delancey, Seattle
Thomas Pisha-Duffly, Oma’s Hideaway, Portland, OR
Mark Pomaski, Moon & Turtle, Hilo, HI
Beau Schooler, In Bocca Al Lupo, Juneau, AK
Sheldon Simeon, Tin Roof, Kahului, HI
Mutsuko Soma, Kamonegi, Seattle
Robert Urquidi, Ethel’s Grill, Honolulu
Jojo Vasquez, Fond, Lahaina, HI
Aaron Verzosa, Archipelago, Seattle
Chad White, Zona Blanca, Spokane, WA

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)

Katie Button, Cúrate, Asheville, NC
Greg Collier, Leah & Louise, Charlotte, NC
Mike Costello and Amy Dawson, Lost Creek Farm, Lost Creek, WV
Oscar Diaz, The Cortez, Raleigh, NC
Sunny Gerhart, St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar, Raleigh, NC
Jake Howell, Peninsula, Nashville
Philip Krajeck, Rolf and Daughters, Nashville
Cheetie Kumar, Garland, Raleigh, NC
Anthony Lamas, Seviche, Louisville, KY
Jason Liang, Brush Sushi Izakaya, Decatur, GA
Ouita Michel, Holly Hill Inn, Midway, Lexington, and Versailles, KY
Ricky Moore, SALTBOX Seafood Joint, Durham, NC
Orlando Pagán, Wild Common, Charleston, SC
Craig Richards, Lyla Lila, Atlanta
Alison Settle, Barn8, Goshen, KY
Peyton Smith, Mission Pizza Napoletana, Winston-Salem, NC
Stephanie Tyson, Sweet Potatoes, Winston-Salem, NC
Aaron Vandemark, Panciuto, Hillsborough, NC
Joey Ward, Southern Belle and Georgia Boy, Atlanta
Mailea Weger, Lou, Nashville

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR) 

Blake Aguillard and Trey Smith, Saint-Germain, New Orleans
Michael Beltran, Ariete, Coconut Grove, FL
Valerie, Nando, and Fernando Chang, Itamae, Miami
Clay Conley, Buccan, Palm Beach, FL
Adam Evans, Automatic Seafood and Oysters, Birmingham, AL
Jeremy Ford, Stubborn Seed, Miami
Hao Gong, LUVI Restaurant, New Orleans
Francis Guzmán, Vianda, San Juan, PR
Timothy Hontzas, Johnny’s Restaurant, Homewood, AL
Melissa M. Martin, Mosquito Supper Club, New Orleans
Matthew McClure, The Hive, Bentonville, AR
Abel Mendoza, Estela, Rincón, PR
Henry Moso, Kabooki Sushi, Orlando, FL
Michael Nelson, GW Fins, New Orleans
Niven Patel, Ghee Indian Kitchen, Kendall, FL
Alex Perry, Vestige, Ocean Springs, MS
Michael Pirolo, Macchialina, Miami
Allison Richard, High Hat Cafe, New Orleans
Rafael Rios, Yeyo’s, Bentonville, AR
Isaac Toups, Toups’ Meatery, New Orleans

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK) 

Matthew Amberg, Oren, Tulsa, OK
Wanda J. Armstrong, Evelyn’s, Tulsa, OK
Indri Bahar, Rendang & Co. Indonesian Bistro, Tulsa, OK
Troy Cannan, LuLou’s Restaurant, Reno, NV
Kwok Chen, Kwok’s Bistro, Reno, NV
Andrew Donovan, Basque, Tulsa, OK
Lori Hashimoto, Hana Japanese Eatery, Phoenix
Zach Hutton, Scratch Kitchen & Cocktails, Oklahoma City, OK
Gina Marinelli, La Strega and Harlo, Las Vegas
John Martinez, Tito & Pep, Tucson, AZ
Maria Mazon, BOCA Tacos y Tequila, Tuscon, AZ
Ahmed Obo, Jambo Cafe, Santa Fe
Fernando Olea, Sazón, Santa Fe
Martín Rios, Restaurant Martín, Santa Fe
Salazar Brothers, La Guelaguetza, Albuquerque, NM
Giovanni Scorzo, Andreoli Italian Grocer, Scottsdale, AZ
Eben Shillingford, Sisserou’s, Tulsa, OK
Jamie Tran, The Black Sheep, Las Vegas
Hongrui Xin, Big Dan Shanxi Taste, Las Vegas
Marie Yniguez, Bocadillos, Albuquerque, NM

Best Chef: Texas

Alex Au-Yeung, Phat Eatery, Katy, TX
Damien Brockway, Distant Relatives, Austin
Aaron Bludorn, Bludorn, Houston
Sylvia Casares, Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen, Houston
Tiffany Derry, Roots Southern Table, Farmers Branch, TX
Christine Ha and Tony J. Nguyen, Xin Chào, Houston
Quy Hoang, Blood Bros. BBQ, Bellaire, TX
Kaiser Lashkari, Himalaya Restaurant, Houston
Matt McCallister, Homewood, Dallas
Steven McHugh, Cured, San Antonio, TX
Misti Norris, Petra & the Beast, Dallas
Anastacia Quiñones-Pittman, José, Dallas
Esaul Ramos Jr., 2M Smokehouse, San Antonio, TX
Felipe Riccio, MARCH, Houston
Regino Rojas, Revolver Taco Lounge, Dallas
John Russ, Clementine, San Antonio, TX
Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland, Burnt Bean Co., Seguin, TX
Iliana de la Vega, El Naranjo, Austin
Finn Walter, The Nicolett, Lubbock, TX
Koji Yoshida, EBESU Robata & Sushi, Plano, TX

Valentine’s Day Destination: Vegas Romance

Elegant dining

Always a popular place for romance, Las Vegas has been the destination for those in love and wanting to get married since 1939. That’s why it was called the “Marriage Capital of the World.” Indeed, in a recent online issue, Brides.com rated Caesars as the best overall venue for weddings. The reasons? Their numerous and include offering both indoor and outdoor venues for hosting intimate and large weddings, giving clients the option of choosing customizable all-inclusive packages, and available room blocks with discounted rates at all Caesars Entertainment properties.

Shania Twain residence opening night Zaps Theater Planet Hollywood Dec 6 2019 Photos By Denise Truscello

So whether you’re looking for a romantic destination or a place to tie the knot, consider these Valentine Day romantic options available at Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas.

Bugsy & Myer’s Steakhouse at the Flamingo Hotel: With an authentic old-school romance vibe, this steakhouse, located at the Flamingo Las Vegas, is the perfect dinner spot this Valentine’s Day. The restaurant will serve a prix fixe menu, priced at $198 per couple. This price includes an appetizer, entrée, two sides, dessert, and a sparkling wine toast.

Eiffel Tower Viewing Deck at Paris Hotel

Paris, France is known as the city of love. However, for many, leaving the country is off the table. At 46 stories high, the Eiffel Tower located at Paris Las Vegas, is the next best thing. Taking a trip to this iconic replica is the perfect romantic activity for Valentine’s Day. To purchase tickets, please visit here.

Sweet Spa Specials from Caesars Palace

Located at Caesars Palace, the Qua Baths & Spa are offering remarkable Valentine’s Day specials for you and your partner. These specials include the Sweet Strawberry Crush Massage ($690 per couple for 80 minutes) and the Hugs and Kisses Facial ($250 per person for 50 minutes). Relax and unwind throughout the whole month of February- to book please visit here.

Shania Twain live at Planet Hollywood

Couples can sing and dance the night away at Shania Twain’s “Let’s Go!” Las Vegas Residency. Held in the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Shania is planning to surprise her concertgoers with something special for the holiday! Valentine’s Day performances include dates, February 11^th, 12^th, and 14^th. To purchase tickets please visit: here.

Get Hitched at Caesars Palace

There is nothing more iconic than getting married in Vegas! Starting at $3,000, Caesars Palace offers a wedding package at one of the largest chapels on the Las Vegas strip! This package includes Three nights in a Premium Room at Caesars Palace, VIP hotel registration for the wedding couple and much more! For more information and to book, please visit here.