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This rustic barn turned tasting room, museum and shop highlights Tasmania‘s apple- and cider-producing heritage, while also serving as the home of Willie Smith’s Organic Cider and Charles Oats Distilling. It offers a delicious food menu, too, featuring the stars of southern Tasmanian produce (Huon cold-smoked salmon, Spring Bay mussels, Summer Hill bread) plus cider pairings. A hive of activity year-round, the Apple Shed really heats up in the Austral winter, when you can sip spiced cider (Willie Smith’s Original plus ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and pimento) during live music on Fridays as well as the first Sunday of the month. Better yet, come for the Huon Valley Mid Winter Festival: a pagan-inspired weekend of music, merriment, and wassailing—scaring nasties out of the orchard to ensure a bumper autumn crop.

Like Five Guys in DC, Whataburger in Texas, and Shake Shack in NYC, In-N-Out is the West Coast burger joint for those in the know. It’s been a SoCal staple since it first opened in 1948 and has since developed a cult-like following throughout the Southwest. Order like a local off the not-so-secret-menu and either indulge with an “Animal Style” burger (extra pickles, extra spread, grilled onions and a mustard-fried patty) or pretend to be healthy with a “Protein Style” burger (gluten free with lettuce instead of a bun).

Tacos. Traditionally Mexican. These days, however, tacos are taking on some new personalities. Though some of the most memorable flavors I’ve ever had on a corn tortilla are still traditional, (pickled onions, please) there are a few new taco flavors that thrill me. Blanco Tacos and Tequila in Scottsdale, Arizona, has created a taco with bbq pork, rich cream, and roasted corn. A nod to the taco’s Mexican heritage, with a hint of the American South.

Las Vegas may be seated in the heart of the Desert Southwest, but there are still a few places to pluck apples from trees and choose the biggest pumpkins from right off the vine. Gilcrease Orchard is one of those places. The orchard is only open seasonally, but when it is open, people descend upon it in herds to get their hands on several varieties of apples, leafy greens, peaches, pears, plums and many row crops. Grab a gallon of the orchard’s famous apple cider if you decide to visit!

Going to dinner at Little Ochie is as fun as it is delicious. Pick your dinner—from a cooler of freshly caught fish—by species and by weight, then pick the style in which you’d like it cooked: jerk, grilled, escoveitch, and more. Pick a side of bammy, a thick round of cassava bread, to go with it. Your next decision is where to eat—head outside and choose a picnic table under one of the thatched huts carved in the shape of a fisherman’s canoe. The combination of beachy atmosphere and great fish makes this relaxed yet lively slice of Jamaica well worth the hour-long drive from Treasure Beach.

Ever heard of a bonut? Neither had we until we visited Biscuit Love, a cult-favorite breakfast spot in Nashville‘s happening Gulch neighborhood, where morning queues often exceed an hour on weekends. And bonuts—deep-fried biscuit dough slathered in lemon mascarpone and balanced on a sticky heap of blueberry compote—are just one of the many hits on the menu. The restaurant had its origins in 2012 as a food truck, where husband-and-wife team Karl and Sarah Worley’s made-from-scratch biscuits made them an overnight success. In January 2015, they opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant, where Karl mans the stoves and Sarah runs the front of the house, making sure patrons get their Southern classics while they’re hot. Be sure to order a bonut, along with the sweet-and-spicy Chronic Bacon, shrimp and grits, and the off-menu Nasty Princess, a biscuit topped with Nashville-style hot chicken, gravy, pickles, mustard, and honey.

It sounds like a Portlandia sketch: the Northwest pizza joint with an on-site chicken coop, where you can get any pie topped with a soft-cooked egg. But Humble Pie is quite serious about their pizza (and their chickens); their goal is balancing Asian and Pacific Northwest architectural elements with sustainable urban farming. That means sunny wooden picnic benches right next to the outdoor coop, and sharing a table with new friends during their busy happy hour. The menu is heavy on local and organic ingredients, including the beer and cider selection. Our favorite was the pulled pork, pickled onion, and Beecher’s mozzarella cheese pizza — with an egg on top, of course.

Opened in 2012, Hattie B’s is the new kid on the block for hot chicken, Nashville’s most iconic dish. Still, what the restaurant lacks in history it makes up in flavor, proven by the long queues that don’t seem to diminish until the kitchen closes at midnight. The hot chicken, made in the traditional style with a hot cayenne paste, comes in a variety of forms, from wings to dark meat; order the half bird if you want to try a little of everything. Then decide how much you want to crank up the heat, which ranges from mild to “Shut the Cluck Up: Burn Notice.” Half the fun is choosing the sides, which include pimento mac and cheese, Southern greens, baked beans, and extra pickles.

Eat Your Heart Out is a cool corner deli with a Jewish inspired menu, located in the bustling Maboneng Precinct. This particular morning I’d met up with a friend and his family for a quick breakfast before heading onto the Market on Main, located just down the street. I’d chosen the “Israeli Breakfast” which is an omelette lightly spiced with a mix of Arabic herbs, served with toasted pita, diced salad, pickled lettuce, chilis, olives, chunky feta and organic humus.

Aunty Doris is always behind the small counter dressed neatly in her red-and-white palaka shirt, with her hair fixed just so. She knows everybody and your madahs and fadahs and all da keeds too around here. Stop in for a taste of her old-fashioned crack seeds all lined up neatly on the shelf. Carry the jar over to the counter and talk story with Aunty as she spoons out your selection of sour cherry, football, olive seed, pickled ginger, li-hing mui, prune mui, dried lemon or wet seed. Chances are while you wait you’ll experience a “taste” of local color too. Eh no eat all da sweet sour cherry. I gotta get my fix!

Surrounded by bold artwork inside and magnificent ocean views outside, guests are never quite sure where to direct their gaze when they arrive at Ellerman House. A stay here is a bit like visiting an elegant and attentive friend, starting with the complimentary airport pickup straight through all the thoughtful, personalized touches (guests might find a bottle of their favorite vodka already stocked in their room). The hotel owner is a well-known aficionado of South African art, and his private collection graces the walls of the guestrooms and public spaces. True art fans should be sure to visit the on-site gallery to view masterpieces by Louis Maqhubela, Wayne Barker, and Angus Taylor. If it’s not occupied, also sneak a peek at the breathtaking wine gallery, which features a wall made of soil from the Cape Winelands and a spiral-shaped wine rack modeled after a corkscrew.

Sitting on the edge of a cliff, this luxuriously appointed hotel makes for one of the best spots in Cape Town for a sundowner. Have a cocktail on the terrace while watching the fiery African sun meet the tumultuous Atlantic waves.

Carmen lies at the crossroads where quality, creativity, and sustainability (plus every other big-city culinary trend) meet. The namesake proprietress, alongside musician husband Rob Pevitts (both San Francisco Cordon Bleu graduates), is the genius who imported the restaurant’s California-sybarite style to Cartagena. She also brought a passion for everything that comes from the sea, and even imported her father, who’s responsible for serving up crab, lobster, fish, and octopus in line with standards he picked up on his many travels in New York and Japan.

Why we love it: An apartment-style hotel designed by acclaimed architect Jean Nouvel

The Highlights:
- Individually decorated rooms with modern appliances created for longer stays
- A thoughtful mix of modern and historic design elements
- A rooftop lounge that looks out over the Roman Forum

The Review:
When the Fondazione Alda Fendi-Esperimenti acquired the Palazzo Rhinoceros—a 17th-century palace near the Roman Forum—and handed renovations over to Jean Nouvel, something special was bound to happen. The renowned French architect transformed the historic palace a stone’s throw from Rome’s birthplace on Palatine Hill into a 24-apartment sanctuary for guests staying anywhere from one night to one year.

The apartments—which all have kitchens designed for longer stays—each have their own unique layout with sliding steel walls so you can close off the living room from the bedroom, or create one massive space. Even though the use of steel materials and contemporary furnishings makes for a thoroughly modern atmosphere, Nouvel kept some old paint intact and installed window panels with photographs of the space before renovations to help tie the property to its historic location. For the best views in the building, head to the six-floor terrace, where you can take in the sunset over the Roman Forum with a cocktail in hand.

Located in Allentown, down a quiet, tree-lined street, Betty’s is the perfect spot if you’re searching for simple, comforting fare. While the restaurant is open for all three meals, breakfast takes top honors—the Luv Sandwich (a toasted bagel with bacon, cream cheese, pickled onions, sprouts, and tomatoes) is simply the most delicious way to start the day in Buffalo. During the warmer months, guests can grab a table outdoors and people-watch while they eat. The restaurant’s residential location is ideal, as it’s away from the noise but still immersed in the neighborhood atmosphere.

Dinner at The Kitchen Table is best described as a “culinary journey.” Here, the experience of lingering over seven to eight courses is limited to just 16 diners a night. Meals begin with a sunset cocktail, during which guests are encouraged to mix and mingle. Then, it’s time for artfully presented dishes made with local ingredients and homegrown produce. The dynamic menu changes often but usually includes standbys like salt-cured tuna with native greens and Creole sauce, and black salmon topped with mango chutney, saffron sauce, pickled squash, and curried popcorn. Vegetarian menus are also available.