Search results for

Elizabeth street cafe is the charming outpost offering French breakfast bites & creative Vietnamese plates you didn’t know you needed in your life. The menu consists of everything from ho and bun bo hue to sticky rice, banh mi, and chocolate croissant and macaroons. It’s most known for its brunch, but they also server dinner.

Need some boba for bubble tea? Done. Seafood that’s alive and kicking? No problem. Fancy Russian chocolate? Easy. Dragon fruit? Cactus (edible cactus, of course)? Seven different kinds of eggplants? Frying cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano (not the parmesan that comes from anywhere buy Parma), brie, feta? Wine, beer, sake, lychee juice? Japanese curry, Thai curry, Jamaican curry? Wasabi mayonnaise? Lard, blood sausages, chicharrones? Eclairs, honey cake, baklava? You get the point, right? You even get your number one priority when looking for a farmers’ market: laundry detergent. This market has aisles for tons of cuisines, and free samples to boot! Try tacos, rice with furikake, you name it. And that doesn’t tie you over, buy some empanadas or korean sweets to eat on the spot.

At Tin Roof, diners can witness Top Chef finalist Sheldon Simeon joyously connecting with his Hilo roots. The counter-service spot—run by Simeon and his wife, Janice, a talented artist who designed the restaurant’s distinctive doors—serves traditional Hawaiian dishes made with local ingredients. Order online ahead of time because the lines can get intense, and make sure to get the garlic shrimp and the mochiko chicken (marinated overnight in ginger, sake, and shoyu, then covered in a sweet mochiko batter, fried twice, and topped with house-made su-miso sauce, gochujang aioli, and mochi crunch). For dessert, don’t miss the mango pono pie, which features a breadfruit-thickened custard inside a crumb-style crust with powdered coconut and macadamia nuts.

Surprisingly, great cocktails and an ocean breeze can be hard to find in San Diego, which makes JRDN at the Tower23 Hotel somewhat of an anomaly. It may be a scene—there are bouncers at the door, and the 70-foot-long wave wall would be more at home in Miami—but the wind-protected patio is practically on the boardwalk, offering great views of Crystal Pier and surfers catching waves. On warm evenings, drinks like the cava-based Raspberry Sparkler and the spicy chili-mango margarita make the experience even sweeter. JRDN’s happy hour (Mondays–Fridays, 4 p.m.–6 p.m.) offers discounted beer, wine and sake and coincides with the sunset for much of the year, making it a prime time to score a seat outside.

Not to be mistaken for the popular izakaya of the same name (and same owners) down the street, on Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Avenue des Pins, this Big In Japan is on the corner of Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Rachel. You may not notice the sign, or even the door – it adds to the sense of mystery of this high-class drinking establishment (look for the black door near the fast-food restaurant Patati-Patata). From the vaporous curtains to the long shiny U-bar, the atmosphere here is distinctly speakeasy, and the classic cocktails maintain that illusion. The champagne cocktail will never go unwanted, and the Tom Collins is fizzy and tart, as it should be. Or you could dip into the house specialties: sakes, prune wines and Japanese whiskeys, used bottles of which serve as the basis for this stylish spot’s contemporary lamp fixtures.

In an area rife with traditional, minimalist ryokans, the Four Seasons Kyoto is a spectacle of grandeur. The opulence is subtle, however, camouflaged by clean, Zen-like style. At the hotel’s heart is a beautiful, 800-year-old pond garden, which features a picturesque teahouse surrounded by cherry, maple, and willow trees. Inside, luxurious details abound, from the seasonal floral arrangements, to the iPads and in-mirror TVs in the guest rooms, to the plush cabanas and atmospheric lighting at the underground pool. For even greater indulgence, guests can head to the spa for such treatments as sake baths, bamboo-and-green-tea scrubs, and jade-stone massages, as well as facials from cult French brand Biologique Recherche. When hunger strikes, the Michelin-starred Sushi Wakon is waiting. Helmed by master chef Rei Masuda, the 10-seat restaurant serves fresh fish, flown in daily from Tokyo’s Tsukiji market.

An Art Deco landmark on Rio’s famous stretch of sand, the Belmond Copacabana Palace has set the standard for visiting celebrities and discerning guests for nearly a century. In the luxurious rooms, muted colors, original artwork, and botanical murals serve as the backdrop for views of the ocean and black-and-white boardwalk. Outdoors, guests can lounge around the almost Olympic-sized pool—much like Marilyn Monroe once did—or take advantage of the hotel’s beach service, complete with assistants to watch your belongings while you swim. Visitors also have access to the hotel spa, which uses Brazilian fruits and Amazonian ingredients in its treatments, as well as an impeccable concierge team, which can arrange exclusive sunrise visits to Christ the Redeemer before it opens to the public.

The restaurant and nightlife scene may be hotter in Ipanema these days but Belmond guests are spoilt for dining choices. Hotel Cipriani Restaurant—named for the Copacabana’s sister hotel in Venice—serves elegant Northern Italian, while Pérgula is bustling day and night thanks to caipirinha cocktails prepared tableside and a menu of Carioca favorites like grilled seafood and steaks. For an award-winning meal, there’s also Mee, which holds a Michelin star for its haute Pan-Asian dishes and extensive sake selection.

Situated in the center of the USA’s largest Japantown, this Joie de Vivre Hotel unveiled a $32 million renovation in May 2018. While the property’s historic exterior hasn’t been changed—it was once a 1960s Community Center and the former Japanese Consulate—the interiors have been redone by Brooklyn-based MARKZEFF Design with custom leather furniture, shibori accents, and contemporary Japanese art. Each of the 13 new Garden Suites face the Japanese zen garden that includes a koi pond, firepit, and a custom Godzilla mural by San Francisco-based artists Yukako Ezoe and Naoki Onodera of Bahama Kangaroo. At the center of the renovation is the living-room like lobby decorated with mid-century couches and lit with vintage factory pendants. The seasonal cocktail menu at the lobby bar focuses on Japanese whiskey and sake, while the bar menu includes Japanese-inspired bites like shishito peppers and chicken katsu sliders. There are happy hour specials every weekday from 4 to 6 p.m. and every Monday between 5 and 6 p.m. the bar hosts a vinyl hour where you can pick a record to play from the hotel’s collection of classics. For wellness-minded travelers, the new 3,000-square-foot fitness center located one level below the lobby looks out onto an open-air tea garden and features a yoga room and a Peloton bike (guests also have complimentary access to the nearby Kabuki Springs & Spa communal baths).

The Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a gorgeous park that’s just a short walk from Shinjuku Station. There are several gardens within the space, including a formal French one, an English landscape garden, and a traditional Japanese design. While the admission fee is nominal (about $2), it helps assure that it is surprisingly quiet, with fewer visitors than parks open to the public for free. If the weather is good, consider picking up a bento from nearby Takashimaya’s depachika. Convenience stores sell plastic “blue sheets” for impromptu picnics. The only downside to this park is that it is alcohol-free; if you want to drink sake at your picnic, head down the road to Yoyogi Park.

Routinely crowned the city’s top seafood restaurant, Blue Water Cafe is also among the continent’s best. After honing his skills at Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, executive chef Frank Pabst opened this Yaletown classic to marry fine-dining techniques with local, sustainable ingredients. Eventually, the restaurant became a founding member of the Ocean Wise program, which helps consumers make ocean-friendly seafood choices. When visiting, you can belly up to the bar—which boasts more than 200 whiskeys and 1,000 wine labels—or reserve a table in the elegant brick-and-beamed dining room, housed in a heritage warehouse. Come summertime, however, you’ll want to head straight to the patio for sushi and premium sake. Fancy a splurge? Go for the seafood tower, which showcases the bounty of British Columbia.

Near Shinjuku Station you’ll find Takashimaya Times Square, which includes the Takashimaya department store and a large branch of Tokyu Hands. The depachika, or basement food floor, at Takashimaya has some excellent food counters for sukiyaki and both Japanese and Western sweets. Home cooks can pick up all of their pantry staples at Kinokuniya supermarket, which also has a colorful variety of prepared foods and seafood counters with takeout sushi, and the wine and spirits department hosts jizake vendors who offer samples of local sake. The rooftop garden has seating for impromptu picnics, so you may want to pick up some sake—just remember to ask for a small cup.

The Four Seasons earns its five stars for everything from its location—smack in the middle of Seoul’s most-visited palaces and landmarks—to its detailed amenities, such as customizable mattresses. Rooms overlook Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest and arguably most beautiful of the royal residences, or Cheonggyecheon stream, each a few minutes’ walk from the hotel. Its seven restaurants and lounges include a two-level sushi and sake bar, a Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant, and an exotic cocktail bar hidden speakeasy-style in the basement. The massive wellness center combines traditional Korean spa rituals with personalized beauty treatments and a 24-hour gym with panoramic views. An indoor pool and saunas, a virtual golf simulator, and a Lego kids’ lounge provide something for every guest.

You don’t know you need a paperweight shaped like a dumpling until you see it. Hidden behind sliding doors on an unassuming street corner in Shanghai‘s Jing’an District, Spin is the best place in the city to buy modern Chinese ceramics. The shop works with artists in Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital, to make original, limited-edition works of art at competitive prices, from a small porcelain and wood display table to delicate celadon-green teacups and dainty chopstick rests shaped like chili peppers. Spin ships worldwide at a reasonable cost, so you don’t have to worry about lugging a vase the size of a small child through Asia.

Owned by a Japanese-Israeli couple, Sakana is situated near the red cliffs of Vagator Beach. The interior is fittingly adorned with photos of sake and kimonos, and an oversize sakura tree sparkles with white lights. Though one of few Japanese restaurants in Goa, Sakana still works hard to stand out with traditional dishes like sushi, udon noodles, beef yakiniku, salmon rolls, and chicken katsu with pickled radish. The sake is flowing, naturally, and there are cocktails and refreshers like lemon soda on hand, too. If they’re available, order the amaretto or cherry ice cream for a light and sweet finale. Note: Sakana is closed during monsoon season, so make sure you eat there before the end of May.

Why we love it: A historic hotel where Old Florida elegance meets contemporary style

The Highlights:
- Unique amenities like a tennis complex, golf course, and private marina
- A wide range of dining options to suit everyone’s tastes
- A prime location near Tropicana Field and The Dalí Museum

The Review:
A member of Historic Hotels of America, the Vinoy Park Hotel opened in 1923—a Mediterranean Revival property overlooking Tampa Bay, designed for America’s elite. It served as a training facility for the Army Air Corps for a brief time in the early 1940s, but reopened as a hotel in 1945 and continued operations until 1974, when it closed in disrepair. Following a $93 million restoration and expansion in 1992, the hotel reopened once again as the Vinoy Renaissance, complete with a new guest tower and an 18-hole golf course designed by Ron Garl.

Today, the Vinoy also features 360 guest rooms and suites, complete with well-lit workspaces, pillowtop mattresses, and Aveda bath products, as well as two swimming pools (one heated), a spacious tennis complex, a 5,000-square-foot fitness center with complimentary workout classes, and an elegant spa offering massages in poolside cabanas. Thanks to the hotel’s waterfront location and private marina, guests can even charter a boat for the day and explore the bay. Dining options range from sushi on the Veranda Patio to farm-to-table fare at Marchand’s Bar & Grill. The culinary standout, however, is Paul’s Landing, named for a Navy carpenter who once fished, farmed orchards, and cured meats and seafood along the St. Pete waterfront. Don’t miss the citrus-glazed shrimp and grits, or the crispy Brussels sprouts with key lime.