No visit to Chicago is complete without sampling a thick, buttery slice of deep-dish pizza, slathered with chunks of rich tomato sauce and layers upon layers of melted mozzarella cheese. The city is famous for its signature pizza style (invented in 1943 by Pizzeria Uno) – and has since spawned some of the best pizzerias in the world.  In the past, travelers looking to savor the city’s best in just a few short days were left to their own devices (and guidebooks) to pick which pie to try. Now, foodies and pizza freaks alike can taste all of the best in a single day on Chicago’s first official pizza tours. Read the rest of this post »

Move over, Montreal; Vancouver is Canada’s new culinary hot spot. A few days ago I blogged about the hipster neighborhood of Mount Pleasant with its chic shops and sidewalk cafes lining colorful Main Street. SOMA, as locals call the area south of Main Street, is also quickly becoming the go-to neighborhood for eclectic dining. Ping’s Café, for example, is a pretty little restaurant in creamy whites, slate grays, and inky blacks designed by local hotshot Omer Arbel (the Olympic medals designer and creative director at Bocci, a high-end lighting and furniture manufacturing house). Ping’s is about Japanese comfort food, like kabocha pumpkin croquettes and deep fried tofu with chili mayo, served on kitschy mismatched dishes. Read the rest of this post »

2010 VANCOUVER OLYMPICS
Join our Vancouver stringer, Celeste Moure, for daily happenings from the host city.

There’s no shortage of apres-ski options to choose from in Whistler, from the relaxed vibe at Garibaldi Lift Company where live bands often play to a hip crowd to the casual sports bar ambiance at Merlins, which reputedly serves the best nachos in town. With the recent opening of the Belvedere Ice Room in the award-winning Bearfoot Bistro restaurant, patrons can really chill out in style. The sleek sub-zero vodka room (Canada’s first) is kept at a frosty -18 degree Celsius and showcases standout spirits in individual ice sculpted display boxes behind a frozen bar. Electronic beats blast in the background and the crowd mingles in loaner Canada Goose down parkas and winter hats while examining a menu featuring an impressive 50 vodkas from around the world. On a recent visit I washed down a chilled plate of caviar, oysters, and gravadlax with a flight of vodka samples from Poland, France, Sweden, Russian and even nearby Pemberton, British Columbia. Not a bad way to end a day on the slopes.

2010 VANCOUVER OLYMPICS
Join our Vancouver stringer, Celeste Moure, for daily happenings from the host city.

Once known primarily for its dilapidated storefronts, sketchy Chinese restaurants, and convenience stores, Vancouver’s neighborhood of Mount Pleasant, located less than a 20-minute walk from the Olympic Village, has reinvented itself as hipster central. Walk around the stretch of Main Street between Broadway and 21st Avenue, now known as SoMa or the “fashion district,” and you’ll encounter a number of cool little boutiques, galleries, and vibrant sidewalk cafes. Start your adventure with a freshly brewed cup of Joe at JJ Bean, then meander over to The Regional Assembly of Text, a delightful little store featuring all sorts of stationary, notecards, and funky handmade rubber stamps. At Smoking Lily you can stock up on t-shirts, coin purses and silk scarves with whimsical prints of bugs, sea horses, and other creatures. Down the street at Hum you can score distressed denim with contrast stitching, eco-friendly (organic cotton and hemp) tops, and tote bags made with military surplus and vintage fabrics—all created by emerging Canadian designers. Come dinnertime, the Cascade Room is the place to go for delish thin crust pizzas, wild salmon burgers, and beetroot risotto paired with a glass of local BC wine or microbrew. But don’t leave Cascade without having mixologist Nick Devine pour you a classic cocktail. Negroni anyone?

For hotel reviews, restaurant recommendations, and general trip-planning advice, check out our Vancouver Travel Guide and Whistler Travel Guide. Score cheap airfare and bargain hotel rates with our Vancouver travel deals.

In Peru, Lima and Cusco are well-established hotbeds of cuisine. Yet thanks to recent trends outside these cities, one can eat well all the way to Machu Picchu.

Peruvian food combines diverse indigenous ingredients (fish from the Pacific, tropical fruit and herbs from the Amazon, maize and potatoes from the Andean foothills) with a myriad of foreign influences (including Spanish, African, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese). The result is South America’s most sophisticated and widely exported cuisine.

Ceviche—raw fish marinated in citrus juice and spices—is undoubtedly the breakout international star. Many diners will sample variations of the dish, whether at a seafood joint in Palm Beach or Nobu in New York City, without realizing its Peruvian origins. Read the rest of this post »

Theater buffs and foodies alike better hightail-it to New York City this month to take advantage of deep discounts on some of the Big Apple’s best shows and restaurants. Now through February 7 as part of the city’s bi-annual Restaurant Week fete, 260 of the fanciest eats in town are hocking three-course prixe-fixe menus starting at just $24.07 (for lunch) and $35.00 (for dinner). The roster of drool-worthy participants includes Gramercy’s Craftbar, Fig & Olive in the fashionable Meatpacking District, and Smith & Wollensky – Midtown’s prime steakhouse. After indulging your taste buds without breaking the bank, take your leftover cash to the theater. NYC & Co., the city’s marketing and tourism organization, is hocking two-for-one tickets to over 20 different Off-Broadway shows running from February 8-28. Read the rest of this post »

If we gave you one guess as to where Sir Richard Branson was opening his first U.S. resort next summer, we’ll bet you wouldn’t say New Jersey. Alas, 45 miles outside New York City in bucolic Somerset County (half the distance from Manhattan as the Hamptons), Virgin’s daring renaissance chief, defying the Garden State’s “guido” stigma, has converted a century-old, 90-acre estate into the posh $90 million Natirar Resort and Spa. The estate itself, formerly owned by the Moroccan Royal Family, sits within a wider, 500-acre expanse of rolling lawns and woods now accessible as public parkland; its exotic moniker “Natirar” is a reversal of “Raritan,” after the local river. When complete, the resort’s Tudor-style mansion will feature 76 guestrooms with interiors designed by David Rockwell, as well as an adjacent spa, croquet field, greenhouse, and 4,000-square-foot pool. Tomorrow, the first phase of the estate’s reincarnation, the Ninety Acres Culinary Center, debuts as a sustainable restaurant and cooking school set inside a renovated carriage house. Most of the farm-to-table restaurant’s New American fare will come directly from the on-site organic farm and feature, in addition to lamb and lobster, scrumptious seasonal specialties like pizza topped with pumpkin, kale, and sage, and gingerbread panna cotta accented with poached pear and pomegranate. With entrees priced between $20-35, the menu sounds easy for any gourmand to swallow (let’s hope come summer the room rates are, too)!

Given that 16th-century Jesuit missionaries cultivated the first grapevines of Chile’s Colchagua Valley, it seems right to bunk up at one of their former haciendas when visiting the region. Such is the allure of Residencia Histórica de Marchihue (from $200/night), an 18th-century estate transformed by its new owners into a 22-room hotel.

Set in the small town of Marchihue, a 40-minute drive from the region’s hub of Santa Cruz, the Residencia feels utterly remote (especially when trying to find it after dark). Once there, guests will discover a serene little sanctum, guarded by towering eucalyptus, rose bushes, and fruit trees. From a large garden, the amiable, talented young chef Pablo Galvez culls many of his ingredients (the hotel raises hens, ducks, and chickens as well). Read the rest of this post »

With vineyard land in Napa Valley growing ever more scarce and expensive, vintners are increasingly specializing in Cabernet Sauvignon, the grape best suited to the valley and one with an exceptional track record. For most wineries, their Cab defines them—but not all Cabs are created equal. Luckily, in Napa this big red is made well at every price point; you just have to know where to look. These bottles have national distribution, so you can find them back home, too.

Villa Mt. Eden, Grand Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2005, $17
This is a great gateway Cabernet: It’s relatively soft and smooth and more like Merlot than some—perfect for Cab beginners. It has fig and berry flavors and just a touch of the charming bell pepper taste characteristic of this grape.

Beaulieu Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rutherford 2005, $30
Founded in 1900, the historic Beaulieu Vineyard impresses with this lovely wine at a very reasonable price. There’s a dusting of licorice flavor, along with the classic Cab note of cherry. Its slightly chewy texture means that it pairs nicely with grilled meats.

Chappellet Winery, Signature Cabernet, Sauvignon Napa, Valley 2006, $42
Chappellet isn’t as well known as some Napa wineries, especially on the East Coast. But this family-owned operation should be at the forefront of any Cab lover’s mind. Sweet fruit is the focus, with blackberry and plum tastes accented by dark chocolate.

Rubicon Estate, Rubicon, Rutherford 2005, $145
When filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola bought the Inglenook estate (and rebranded it Rubicon), many doubted that he and his team could craft wines worthy of its legacy. But their flagship wine—a big, brooding beauty—shows that value can apply even to a wine that’s fairly pricey. It’s good now and will taste even better in five years. Don’t rush it.

From the Summer 2009 issue of Sherman’s Travel magazine

Set amid a striking natural harbor and backdropped by imposing jade-colored mountains, Asia’s hyper-vertical metropolis commands attention from any angle, at all hours. But Hong Kong’s famed views are perhaps best savored over the city’s equally celebrated cuisine.

For a quintessentially scenic lunch, ascend Victoria Peak by tram for dim sum at Tien Yi in the renovated Peak Tower shopping complex. With its lofty panoramas of Hong Kong and the surrounding islands, this restaurant is a must, especially for those accustomed to eating their barbecued pork buns and shrimp dumplings in gaudy Chinatown banquet rooms. Ask to sit next to a window overlooking Victoria Harbour, and you’ll understand why the restaurant’s name means “the pinnacle of the world.” Read the rest of this post »