Search results for

Part restaurant and part performance venue, the Rendezvous is a full night out in one cozy spot. The restaurant has typical bar food (burgers, salads, deep-fried snacks) that’s basic but good; happy hour goes from 3-6 pm daily with food specials. The tiny Jewelbox Theatre is an intimate cabaret-style theatre, where you’ll find everything from burlesque to comedy variety shows to live music and theater. They also have two excellent private rental rooms for parties. Upstairs, the Red Velvet Lounge looks out onto the main dining floor and has its own sound system. Downstairs, the basement-level Grotto is a dark, red-lit cave with its own private bar and plenty of room for dancing.

Lake Mary is as bike-friendly as a city can be. Throughout the day—especially on the weekends—locals and bikers from neighboring cities can be found out and about getting exercise or enjoying a leisurely and scenic ride. Alongside the bikers on the path are rollerbladers and walkers. The Lake Mary stretch of the Cross Seminole Trail is about four miles, and runs parallel to the residential Rinehart Road. Tip: A good place to park your bike and take a break is behind Panera or Peach Valley Cafe on International Parkway and Lake Mary Boulevard. This is also the prettiest portion of the trail, with pastoral scenery away from traffic.

We have lived overseas for many years, around different American bases but no matter where we are we can always enjoy a good fireworks show on the 4th of July. This time it was at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) that we got to see them. What is really great about this is that people from all the NATO countries got to enjoy them too, families and friends included. We were sitting on the grass and around us were people speaking so many languages and all celebrating America’s most special day. It was pretty neat. *SHAPE is not in Soignies but Casteau. I choose Casteau and then Soignies appears in the location. Not sure why.

Well, my favorite beach at Washington Ave. in Avon, New Jersey is ready for the Summer of 2013. After the severe damage to our area beaches and beach towns, New Jersey is “Stronger than the Storm.” On June 15th, the season will begin. Not everything is the way it was, but the boards are down, the beaches are replenished, and you can buy your beach badge because the Jersey Shore is open for beach goers. The little shops and many restaurants are operating out of trailers. Many are being rebuilt. And the rebuilding goes on. So, I’m ready and can’t wait. Let’s hope for good weather.

Tastee and Juicy may be the two most popular brands of Jamaican patties, but one definitely should not miss out on the super premium patties on offer at Devon House Bakery. Set on the grounds of the historic Kingston mansion, just a few minutes from such notable area hotels as the Courtleigh, Jamaica Pegasus, and the Knutsford Court, Devon House Bakery espouses some serious Old World cafe charm. A fine selection of sinful sweets – brownies, butter cookies, cakes, muffins – awaits inside. So too does one of the most amazing Jamaican patties I’ve ever tried. Options go well beyond the usual beef with fish, pork, shrimp, and lobster elevating the typical Jamaican patty to new heights. The best choice, though, is the curry goat. Spicy and succulent, the Devon House goat patty melts in your mouth while warming your soul. Pure, delicious niceness and most certainly the very best Jamaican patty I’ve ever had. Don’t miss it!

Outfitter to the Great Klondike Gold Rush, this Seattle-based company supplied stampeders with boots, sleeping bags, Mackinaw wool blankets, and rugged attire made from water-repellent Tin Cloth. “Our materials are the very best obtainable, for we know that the best is none too good and that quality is of vital importance,” explained founder C. C. Filson. His legacy lives on with exquisite craftsmanship and a lifetime guarantee for each item, right down to the 100 percent virgin-wool dog coat. Stop into the 6,000-square-foot SoDo flagship store—treasured by local “lumbersexuals"—for limited-edition finds not available elsewhere.

If you didn’t know before you dug into your meal, you might not realize that every item on Sage’s menu is vegan (a nice bonus for parents eating with kids). The jackfruit or tempeh tacos are so good many devoted carnivores choose to get their Mexican food fix here over local nonvegan Mexican joints. Sage also makes excellent vegan burgers, potato flautas, and salads filled with great crunchy textures and pops of flavor. Follow lunch or dinner with a slice of coconut cake or vegan birthday cake ice cream.

With a smart and simple chalkboard menu of cheese plates, salads, sandwiches made with homemade bread, good coffee, and Argentinian wines by the glass, Pain et Vin is a lovely venue for lunch or an afternoon glass of Malbec rosado. The Palermo Soho eatery doubles as a tasting space and shop: look for Friday evening events open to the public, or stop by to choose from the excellent selection of boutique wines to take on a picnic to the park.

This handsome resto-bar on Boulevard Saint-Laurent trades in a fantastical aesthetic reminiscent of old timey circuses featuring mustachioed acrobats in striped leotards. The interior is panelled wood with a stuffed dear head and a long pale-wood bar, with disparate chairs around small tables for intimate get-togethers. Their curvy emblem glasses are filled with house cocktails or good beer, and the plates filled with delights conceived by chef Charles-Antoine Crête, of Toqué! fame. Try their Sunday brunch every week starting at 11 am, featuring a salmon feuilleté that will make your day.

Start your day at Deus Ex Machina, a motorcycle store in an alley full of them, whose café is the perfect spot for a cappuccino and soft scrambled eggs while you ogle the Ducatis.

For a huge selection of fruits and vegetables, artwork and handmade clothes and accessories, visit Puerto Vallarta’s Old Town Farmers Market and Tianguis Cultural. Participating vendors must live or work within 50 kilometers of the markets, so all goods are local. If you’re traveling with kids, be sure to visit the market’s “Children’s Arts and Crafts Area,” where your kids can have their faces painted or participate in an art project. The market is held every Saturday from 9:30am-2:00pm.

The recipe for the delicious, tiny truffle-cream sandwiches at atmospheric old Procacci is a guarded secret but, oh boy, are they good, especially when accompanied by a glass of prosecco. Smart Florentine ladies-who-shop flock here for a pit stop between purchases, but it’s also popular for an early-evening aperitivo. Procacci is additionally one of the few places to buy just-harvested truffles in Florence: look out for them in November and December. Heap truffle shavings over fresh, buttered taglierini pasta or a simple scrambled egg—after only one bite, you’ll understand the attraction to these precious, musty-smelling delicacies.

Get creative at Lagniappe, a homey New Orleans–style wine house with a backyard grill and live music every night. They don’t take reservations, so you’ll wait in line to order simple grilled fish or chicken or the cheese and charcuterie plates, and then head out to the garden oasis for twinkly lights and good vibes. The kitchen staff will cut up your cheese and meats and serve them with olives, bread, and jam for an additional fee (around $4). If it’s too hot, head indoors and sit in the comfy living room where jazz and blues bands perform nightly.

This is the place to visit if you are looking for a multicultural neighborhood that is getting better and safer every day that passes. Near Mouraria, once a degraded neighborhood, you will find Martim Moniz’s Square—full of life, with many kiosks with esplanades, serving food and drinks from all over the world. Weekends feature the Fusion Market, with DJs, concerts, workshops, and debates. Even the city’s mayor changed his office to this area, to show that is a good neighborhood. From the square, you can see São Jorge’s Castle, up there on the hill, protecting us from evildoers.

“First stop in Barcelona is Bar Mut. Great vibes, wine, and this house classic of egg yolk, prawns, and crispy potatoes. Hot damn, it’s good to be here."—Matt Duckor