Search results for

Located just a short walk from the Four Seasons Resort on Pinney’s Beach, the colorful Sunshine’s Beach Bar gets its name not just from its brilliant surroundings but also from its proprietor, Llewellyn “Sunshine” Caines. A popular lunch spot with both locals and tourists, Sunshine’s offers better-than-beach-bar food—you really can’t go wrong with the barbecue ribs or the grilled lobster in garlic butter. The bar’s most famous item, however, is the seriously potent Killer Bee rum punch. Just know that one is more than enough in the hot Nevis sun.

An unassuming little neighborhood restaurant in the shadow of Mount Tabor, Coquine offers one of the best dining experiences in the city. Chef Katy Millard cooks what tickles her fancy, usually something seasonal, vaguely Continental, definitely Northwestern, and always interesting. (One constant, though, is the whole chicken to share, a crowd favorite.) Unlike at many fine-dining establishments, you can stop in for breakfast or lunch, too. Try the chocolate chip cookies, which are so popular that you used to have to call ahead and order them in advance if you wanted them at dinner. Ksandek Podbielski, Millard’s husband, oversees the regionally focused yet still surprising wine list.

Besides Poás’s impressive volcano, this beautiful region is home to cozy down-home restaurants. One standout is Freddo Fresas, named for the strawberries (fresas) that constitute the region’s principal crop. Diners here enjoy tasting local specialties such as hand-thrown tortillas, chorreadas (a sweet-corn pancake iteration), tamales, bean empanadas, and other rustic yummies. Their strawberry-based desserts—fashioned from fruit just picked from the restaurant’s garden—are a must. Never too acidic or overly sweet, the perfect berries are like nothing you can get at your hometown supermarket. Try fresh strawberry juice or eat the fruit in the Costa Rican mode, i.e., with condensed milk or melted chocolate.

Although the Smoking Goat is credited with pioneering a culinary renaissance in a once-sleepy corner of North Park, nothing else about chef Fred Piehl’s flagship restaurant screams “culinary vanguard”—and that’s precisely what devotees love about the place. Regulars come here for the reliably exquisite staples: French onion soup with what’s essentially an open-face grilled cheese sandwich afloat in rich veal broth; duck fat truffle fries with pecorino romano and mustard aioli; beef cheeks à la Bourguignonne with carrots, cioppolini onions, cherry tomatoes, mashed potatoes, and braising jus; and other creations that blend traditional French tastes with sustainable, organic San Diego–sourced ingredients. While dinner at this rustic, romantic spot is hardly the time to eat lightly, if you want to go vegetarian, opt for the indulgent raclette au gratin with fingerling potatoes, cornichons, and toast, along with a salad of poached and raw pears with mixed greens, pistachio pesto, and champagne vinaigrette. And as befits the restaurant’s caprine theme, the goat cheese cheesecake with poached peach and whipped cream is a favorite dessert.

Casablanca’s Marché Centrale (Central Market) is the hub of Casablanca’s shopping experience. Come here to sample true tastes of Morocco: amazing arrays of olives, fresh produce, fruit and nuts plus street food stalls whose vendors serve tasty lunches. A diverse selection of local handicrafts is also available.

While it might come as a surprise, Tokyo is known for its Neapolitan pizza. One of the great pizza makers in the city is Hisanori Yamamoto, whose restaurant is a short walk from Nakameguro Station. The tables are squeezed next to each other, but everyone is happy to dig into the pizzas that emerge perfectly blistered from the wood-burning oven. If the weather is good, there’s alfresco dining. The menu is unlike most Neapolitan pizzerias, which only offer a few options; here you’ll find about three dozen. Order some wine and start off with antipasti and fritti, and the pizza will have you feeling like you’ve taken a detour to Naples on your trip to Japan.

Irene, a bright and colorful restaurant at the Hotel Savoy, is great for lunch on the sunny bistro terrace outside or for a nightcap sipped on a velvet banquette at the bar inside. The kitchen turns out traditional Tuscan cuisine with surprising modern touches: The classic tomato-and-bread pappa al pomodoro comes stuffed inside ravioli, and the vitello tonnato (veal with tuna-caper sauce) is topped with ribbons of shaved fennel and served with the sauce on the side. On Sundays, the popular “Lunch at Nonna’s” menu is a loving nod to the restaurant’s namesake. Pre- or post-dinner, grab a seat on the terrace, overlooking Piazza della Repubblica, to enjoy wines served in retro-style carafes and bubbly poured into 1950s coupe glasses.

A maze of narrow medieval streets wind up and down this village perched along the Grande Corniche. The ruins of a château are now an exotic garden, and the 18th-century neoclassical Notre Dame of the Assumption church is a national monument. Spectacular views inspire artists and artisans, and their galleries fill the village. Exceptional restaurants like the Château Eza are happy to welcome guests for a drink or a Michelin-starred meal as they relax and savor the scenery.

This eco-friendly property is unlike anywhere else in the Caribbean. A 400-acre working farm built within a sustainable community on Mount Liamuiga, the low-key luxury resort has St. Kitt’s requisite gingerbread trim and banana-plant landscaping. Here, however, signs tell guests when the fruit is ripe enough to pick—even the golf course is designed to be harvested. Belle Mont’s 84 clapboard cottages have open-air baths and wrap-around verandas that look out on the neighboring islands of Saba and St. Eustatius, but the resort’s real draw lies in its six farm-to-table restaurants, where guests can enjoy global takes on West Indian specialties (think papaya lamb stew and wine-braised pork with coconut, pumpkin, and chocolate) under the stars.

When you’re staying at this historic property, it’s worth waking up early to watch the sun rise and turn the sky pink against the San Jacinto Mountains. Romance suffuses this upscale three-acre resort of low-slung bungalows, designed in 1952 and later refreshed by acclaimed designer Steve Hermann. The light-drenched Fireplace Junior Suite Bungalow—once Marilyn Monroe’s room of choice—is a favorite for couples, with its private outdoor shower and wood-burning copper fireplace, plus Frette robes and L’Horizon-branded eye masks. The property’s restaurant, SO•PA, is equally alluring, thanks to a linear fire pit and fountain outdoors and sparkling modern metallic chandeliers inside. While the menu of New American fare is inspired—try the honey mussels paired with an Infinity Paloma cocktail—the chef will also create, with advance notice and upon request, a personalized tasting menu riffing off the day’s best produce and in keeping with any dietary restrictions. Pro tip: The deep-tissue rubdown at the indoor-outdoor spa is unparalleled, but pampering doesn’t need an occasion here—hit the poolside sun beds early for complimentary back and foot massages.

Built in the 1920s, San Diego’s onetime Naval Training Center began its transformation into a cultural and retail space in 2000, when the city bought this massive Spanish colonial revival complex to house galleries and shops as well as concert, movie, and lecture venues. The shopping is largely culinary here, with food hall–style purveyors of everything from coffee to pasta (don’t miss the vinegar tasting station at Baker & Olive). But there are also local accessory shops worth visiting: Down a small, out-of-the-way corridor, you’ll find the only wholesale outlet of Double Happiness Jewelry & Home. This San Diego–based producer of handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces is a favorite of celebrities (Oprah, Cindy Crawford, and Blake Lively, to name a few). The jewel-encrusted hoop earrings are especially hard to resist. Other Liberty Station accessories worth checking out: the rotating assortment of local home goods and accessories at Moniker General (look for Norden Goods candles and Bradley Mountain bags).

This isn’t your local Walgreens—the edgy glass-and-steel facade should tell you that. And while you can buy aspirin at its pharmacy or Le Figaro at its newsagent, Publicis is really about upmarket retail: Petrossian caviar, Acqua di Parma cologne, Harmon Kardon speakers, an 1,100 euro handbag from Jerome Dreyfuss. You can also pick up a fine cigar from its humidor or a fine Bordeaux from its wine cave. The two-story “drugstore” also houses a cinema, brasserie and two gourmet restaurants.

As a fan of all things artisanal, nothing excites me more than stepping into a place that looks the same as it did 100 years ago. When my eyes adjusted to the dim light, inside the Brasserie Caracole, I could see this Belgian brewery was just such a place. Dinant’s Brasserie Caracole brews artisanal and organic Belgian beer over an open fire, just as they have since the 18th century. In the centre of the front room stands one large vat for mixing the 850kg of malt with hot water. (Caracole is apparently the last beer to be brewed over an open fire in all of Europe.) Hops and spices are added to the mix as the beer gradually ferments. From there, the beer is piped into a holding tank, for 15 days, where it will become clearer as it cools. My favourite part of the Brasserie Caracole was tucked behind the brewing room. Here, the building opened into a large hall, filled with tables, and the prominent bar displaying Caracole’s Belgian beer varieties. The walls were decorated with posters of the colourful and quirky beer labels, each one sporting a ‘caracole’ or snail-shell. The Brasserie Caracole is well worth a visit. It’s open every day during July and August and Sunday afternoons the rest of the year. To organize a tour, be sure to contact them in advance. More Information: http://cheeseweb.eu/2013/10/artisanal-organic-belgian-beer-caracole-brewery-dinant/

The outside of the Sky Hotel is very deceiving. It looks like any other lodge in Aspen and then when you go inside it is quite the opposite. As you walk into the lobby there are high-backed chairs that are white in front and red with white writing on the back. The carpet is a chaotic pattern of circles and bright color dots—it all seems like something out of Alice in Wonderland. This modern, hip motif is transferred to all the guest rooms.

Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar may be a global tourist trap, but isn’t nearly as rage-inducing as the squawking group tours inside the Grand Bazaar. Here, a remnant of authenticity lives on in this 17th century building, created by commission for Sultana Turhan Hatice. Visually-arresting piles of spices and Turkish delight, and rows of pushy men, make for a wild afternoon of souvenir shopping and colorful conversation. Inside the Ucuzcular stall the sellers are friendly and happy to let you browse. A bag of “love tea” ensures romance in a pot. In that vein, on my way through the bazaar, a man trotted up to me and said, “Excuse me. I think you dropped something...” I looked puzzled. He smiled and theatrically clutched his chest, "...my heart.” He probably does that for all the Westerners, but I pretended it was as real as the magic in the spices.