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Modeled after the cafes of Europe, Cafe Intermezzo brings you to Vienna with its European-style coffee, desserts, and late-night bites. Their sweet and savory crepes, breakfast dishes, and selection of more than 70 cakes and pastries are all well worth a try. The 50-page menu is chock-full of delicious food, as well as their range of liqueurs, wines, champagnes, and beers from around the world. Pick a seat on the patio for the full experience.

Brunost (brown cheese) is a staple of Norwegian kitchens, usually cut thin with a cheese slicer to top buttered toast or warm waffles. Despite the name, brunost isn’t technically cheese; it’s the whey of goat’s milk, boiled for hours until caramelized. This imparts a distinctive brown color, a salty taste, and a texture like goat-cheese fudge. The specialty food store Fenaknoken carries brunost from a range of brands, including the ubiquitous Ski Queen and the more traditional Synnøve Finden. Tordenskioldsgate 12, 47/2242-3457.

In a sprawling white building on a bustling square in Berlin’s Mitte district, the Circus Hotel offers crisp design and easygoing service at shockingly affordable prices. The owners also run a popular hostel across the street. In 64 airy rooms, suites, and apartments, dark oak floors and funky splashes of red, mint, and hot pink accent a minimalist aesthetic. Offbeat amenities include access to the house Smart car, Segway scooters, bikes, and local cell phones. Make sure you ask for a room on the courtyard: Rooms facing the street can be noisy because of the rattling trams outside.

This appeared in the May/June 2010 issue.

Exposed brick, bright windows, fresh flowers and cushy seating set the scene for this French bistro– cozy, classy and fragrant. The food is fresh and French, so it is inherently delicious. Everything is prepared from scratch, using seasonal quality ingredients– many of which come directly from their upstate farm. Perfect portions with a price to match. Did I mention the husband and wife team (Zeze and Peggy O’Dea) also own a flower shop, which explains the fabulous arrangements wich they call “A labor of love”.

We found the best spot for the freshest açai bowl on the west coast of Puerto Rico. Da Bowls in Aguadilla beats anything in Rincon or anywhere else on the island. Mix and match your own, or go with their selection. We chose the Reef Bowl, which has a bit of everything—including the health-crazed addition of bee pollen. With a price that fits your budget and enough food to fill your stomach, this is the best place for a quick and healthy snack.

You can’t beat this - a delicious, freshly caught seafood dinner on the edge of the Aegean Sea. Sunset Taverna is located in Ammoudi, at the base of the cliffs in Oia, Santorini - dramatic scenery for simple, rustic, delicious food. From the castle in Oia, enjoy a leisurely, winding walk down to the marina (or take a car down the coastal road). Feast on lobster spaghetti, fresh grilled seafood, baked feta, stuffed eggplant, Fisherman’s Salad. Hike back up to Oia under the clear, starry night.

Ethiopian wine? An unlikely pairing of words, for sure, and an unlikely beverage that you may regret having ordered while traveling around this fascinating country. I was at Castelli’s, a famous Italian restaurant in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. The restaurant is a relic from Italy’s failed attempt to colonize the African country. The food may be forgettable at Castelli’s, but this wine is even more so. Some day, perhaps, “Ethiopia” and “wine” may have a more congruent appeal. Just not any time soon.

Saturday morning and this is the place to be to get a true slice of the Pacific. The Otara Flea Markets have rows and rows of fresh fruit, clothing, bric-a-brac and of course food, but it’s the Polynesian colour and music that makes it so special. Far from the traditional shop fronts of Queen Street, this is where commerce meets culture and you can pick up a mighty decent bag of apples for $1.50.

Once the hip newcomer, this craft cocktail lounge is now a King Street veteran that attracts a more mature crowd than the line-up-outside adjacent clubs catering to the college set. Locals meet here for half-price happy hour (Wednesdays feature bourbon) and before shows at the Charleston Music Hall nearby. The stock of spirits is impressive, as are the intricate ways they’re mixed, like a “Macho Man Dandy Savage,” with house-infused dandelion gin, honey, and yellow Chartreuse. The mixologists here have a history of winning local bartender competitions. Complementing the flavors are the gorgeous environs in an historic building that features exposed beams, leather furniture, and a swanky rooftop garden that’s a welcome respite just off the buzz of King Street below. It all sits atop The Macintosh, chef Jeremiah Bacon’s stunning seasonal fare restaurant that shares a mutual owner.

Built in 1703, Heidelberg’s oldest and most famous tavern has certainly had some illustrious patrons. Mark Twain, Marilyn Monroe, and John Wayne are just a few of the celebrities who drank and dined here—a fact that’s proven by the many photos of famous faces hanging on the walls. Notable clientele notwithstanding, Zum Roten Ochsen is all about simplicity. Still run by the same family that opened it hundreds of years ago, it serves rich local dishes, from goulash soup and bratwurst to Swabian Maultaschen (meat-filled ravioli) and Käsespätzle (cheese-covered noodles), as well as fresh herring, boiled beef, and several vegetarian options. Also on offer is a drinks menu heavy on regional wines and local Heidelberg beer, all of which are complemented by the restaurant’s old-fashioned interior, friendly service, and live piano player in the evenings.

Set on almost four acres in the Catskill Mountains, a couple of hours outside of New York, The Villa at Saugerties is a tranquil four-room inn surrounded by stunning gardens, complete with weeping willows, streams, and a lily pond. All four rooms here are impeccably maintained, with gas fireplaces and lovely bathrooms complete with Moroccan tiling. While the Villa’s pleasant grounds and the 40-foot swimming pool are enough to keep guests from leaving the property, there’s also plenty to do in the sylvan surrounded, from hiking and mountain biking on local trails to touring the myriad quaint old towns for which the Hudson Valley is known. The gourmet breakfasts here cooked with local ingredients get rave reviews, as does the warm hospitality from the inn’s owner-operator couple, Amanda and Joe.

Opened in 2017, Hayes Street Hotel may occupy a modern building in Midtown, but the boutique lodging has made every effort to highlight the area’s historic past and the local makers who adhere to its traditions. A nod to the city’s former life as one of the country’s busiest printing centers, the lobby features poster art from famed letterpress studio Hatch Show Print, which has created musical renderings for the likes of Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley, and Loretta Lynn over its 140-year lifespan, while white porch swings invite you to sip a cup of joe from Bongo Java, Nashville’s oldest coffeehouse. Local bourbons, whiskeys, and microbrews make up the menu at the Hayes Street Bar, and guest rooms favor minimalism with hardwood floors and mint-green accent walls, their clean lines providing a serene backdrop for the city’s myriad pleasures.

Starting at the sea gate, pick up a map from the tourism board office to get oriented. Then, wander past innumerable shops and cafés, taking note of Korčula’s fishbone layout, which was intended both to protect the town and make use of local winds. Also be sure to admire Korčula’s signature stonework, best displayed in the Gothic-Renaissance-style St. Mark’s Cathedral.

The Copenhagen Admiral Hotel began its life as an 18th-century warehouse on the Copenhagen waterfront, before being turned into a maritime-themed hotel in the 1970s. With the royal family’s Amalienborg Palace on one side, the lively and picturesque Nyhavn canal on the other, and the Copenhagen Opera House across the water, the hotel couldn’t be better placed for feeling like you’re in the heart of Copenhagen’s sights. Historic tall ships regularly dock out front, and, when the sun comes out, locals and guests alike spill onto the waterfront patio for a Carlsberg beer.

Inside, the hotel feels quintessentially Scandinavian, with exposed beams and a blue-green color palette. The acclaimed SALT restaurant puts a modern spin on traditional Scandinavian cuisine with inspiration from local, raw produce and French cuisine.

Hemingways is a new hotel in Karen, which is sort of the equivalent of Atlanta’s Buckhead in Nairobi. It is near the Wilson airport, where so many of the domestic Kenya flights fly out. Traffic is a huge issue in Nairobi and cars creep both by day and night, so being in this area puts you near many of the best restaurants and shops like Anna Trzebinski’ s studio. The Giraffe Manor and the Sheddrick orphanage, where one can adopt a baby elephant, are also nearby.


If you arrange your trip to Kenya with Betty Jo, she can arrange upgrades at Hemingway’s, private visits to the elephant orphanage and Trzbenski’s studio, as well as private local drivers and drinks with a local Kenyan personality. “I can basically do whatever anyone wants,” says Betty Jo. “All bespoke.” Contact her at [email protected].