Search results for

The Huffington Post named the Hilo Farmers Market the best in the United States. For fresh local flavors, the market is open every day except Sunday. The big market days are on Wednesdays and Saturdays where more than 200 vendors including farmers and crafts people gather to sell their goods. If you’re looking for local souvenirs to take home or just a place to grab a quick fresh and tasty lunch, the Hilo Farmers Market will provide a beautiful morning or afternoon of shopping and eating.

If you’ve been pacing up and down the passages of the Grand Bazaar contemplating that perfect purchase, chances are you’ll need refueling eventually. Hidden on a backstreet just outside gate 16 of the Grand Bazaar is the cozy and charming Keyf-i Mekan Cafe and Restaurant. “Keyfi” means “merriment,” but in Turkey keyfi is also a way of life, one that’s full of pleasure. So expect the small menu featuring delicious Turkish-style home-cooked food to fulfill both these meanings. The food will surely fill the belly and energize you to take those bazaar vendors head on! Choose from the menu of mezes, or meat dishes or peek at the mouthwatering “specials of the day” on the counter. The cafe is open every day, except Sunday when the rest of the bazaar is closed too.

Skillet started life as a food truck, and you’ll still see their mobile kitchen popping up around Seattle throughout the week (check their website for location info). But sometimes it’s easier to head to one of their permanent diners, where you know they’ll be in the same place day after day. The truck always offers their famous burger and poutine, along with rotating specials, but the restaurants have an expanded menu, including an excellent brunch. Locally roasted Fonte coffee is served while you wait, which is a good thing, as the line can be long (an hour or more on weekends for brunch). The dinner menu is hearty, rib-sticking comfort food like southern fried chicken or pork belly confit. If you see elk meatloaf on the menu, order it without hesitation — it’s out of this world.

No trip to Belgium is complete without experiencing the Belgian beer culture. The best place in Brussels to take a look at beer history is the Cantillon Brewery. Even as a non beer drinker, it’s a fascinating place to visit. One of the things that makes Cantillon so special, is that it has hardly changed since it opened its doors in 1900, (including the dust and cobweds!) The second unique aspect of Cantillon, is the spontaneous fermentation of its tart Lambic beers. Beer really is in the air around Brussels! Cantillon beers are 100% organic and come in a variety of styles and flavours, from traditional Lambic and Faro beer to the tart cherry beer, Kriek. Tours take place every day in multiple languages and, if you’re lucky, your visit could coincide with brewing or bottling days.

Elwood Bar and Grill now lies in the shadow of Comerica Park on Adams but it was built in 1936 by Charles Noble at the corner of Elizabeth Street and Woodward Avenue. Moved in 1997 to make way for the new Tigers stadium (Comerica Park) it was and still is downtown Detroit’s most recognizable art deco diner. Now restored following its move, it is the premier place for sports fans, history buffs, couples, singles, and anyone looking for a good time to hang out on game day or any other day of the year. Its proximity to Comerica Park and Ford Field (the latter is where the Lions play), also makes it ideal both for pre- and post-game enjoyment. A recently expanded menu also makes it a great place not just to drink, but also to eat.

While most pizza in the Napa Valley is made with thin crusts and cooked in wood-fired ovens, Velo Pizzeria takes a different approach, featuring a yeast crust that’s doughy and chewy and using pizza ovens. The result is more like the stuff you might find in New York City. Options abound but the Nineteen Steps is by far the most creative, topped with rosemary fries, fennel sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and citrus zest. (There’s also a white pizza topped with wine grapes and gorgonzola.) The menu at Velo also offers pasta, subs, and salads. Inside, the pizzeria has a warehouse vibe, with exposed brick walls and steel railings that lead to a second-floor loft. The restaurant looks out onto the Napa River, providing great opportunities for people-watching on sunny days.

The Santa Monica Pier embodies what Southern California is all about: fun in the sun. Popular with tourists and locals alike, this iconic boardwalk adjacent to the Pacific Ocean—filled with all the amusement rides, midway games, fried food, ice cream and cotton candy you can dream up—is a fantastic place to spend a nice day. My favorite attractions are the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and the world’s first solar-paneled Ferris wheel, which provides breathtaking beach and ocean views as you ride ‘round and ‘round. Be sure to dip your toes in the soft Santa Monica sand, too. Nearby, you’ll find the Third Street Promenade, a bustling entertainment district filled with wonderful eateries and shops.

Privacy and discretion reign supreme behind the iconic red door of this Jacques Garcia-styled hideaway between the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysées. The smallest of the capital’s Palace hotels, La Réserve Paris is set up in a former mansion that belonged to the Duc of Morny (Napoleon III’s half-brother). The hotel maintains the feel of a private home, thanks to a mix of Second Empire decorative touches, including parquet floors, crown moldings, cordovan leather paneling, and velvet drapery. It’s easy to linger in the public areas, including the library packed with 3,000 books reserved for guests during the day, the fumoir that looks out onto a leafy courtyard, and salons with plush banquettes and club chairs.

A favorite for weekend brunch, this French-inspired bistro in Inman serves flaky croissants, avocado toast, and brioche topped with scrambled eggs and smoked trout. Later in the day, it also offers ratatouille, beef tartare, and steak frites. Complete with stamped ceilings, bistro tables, and green-tiled walls, the intimate spot is even great for dessert and a drink, whether you’re after a negroni, a glass of chenin blanc, or a locally brewed beer. For drink specials, come during the week when B&B offers its version of happy hour, called L’Apéro. Note: Bread & Butterfly does not take reservations.

Sunshine, surf, sea breezes, and an overflowing platter of curry prawns with rice. Welcome to Zeebop by the Sea, an award-winning eatery that specializes in Goan and South Indian cuisine. With the rolling dunes of South Goa as a backdrop, the ambience here is simple and unadorned. Don’t let the plastic tables and chairs distract you from the superstar menu: Try the stuffed crabs or the catch of the day, often red or black snapper, kingfish, or mackerel. Finish your meal by sipping a cocktail crafted with feni, a local spirit traditionally made from cashew fruit. Feeling active? Order your meal and head out to the beach; the waiters will call you when your food is ready.

Cheap house wine for sale on the side of the road outside of the village of Pyrgos. Santorini is famous for its tradition of small vineyards that produce fruity wines. Visitors can easily spend the day winery-hopping around the island.

It’s pretty amazing what you can do with some old stables. Vienna’s vast former quarters for the imperial horses, designed by the great baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, were turned in recent years into the MuseumsQuartier. It could take days to see all the works in this 15-acre, multi-museum complex that lies just off the Ringstrasse and is devoted to collections of modern and contemporary art. The limestone Leopold Museum for Austrian art is named after an early collector of the bold painter Egon Schiele. Its Café Leopold includes courtyard seating under umbrellas. For your Picassos and Giacomettis, the nearby MUMOK specializes in the giants of modern art. The MuseumsQuartier’s huge courtyard is a popular Vienna hangout where many festivals take place and DJs spin on weekends.

Pearl restaurant is a short, ten-minute walk along the water from the Fairmont Hamilton Princess. Its second-story location—above the Port o’ Call restaurant—provides views over the harbor, but you may find that the sushi and the sake cocktails here command your attention. “This is the place to go for melt-in-your-mouth sushi,” according to Rebecca. “My favorite is the Rockfish Usuzukuri which comes with red onion, pink ginger, and a rice wine vinegar and chili oil reduction. It is pure heaven! After dinner, stop at the Port o’ Call downstairs for a drink. It’s a perfect and popular Friday night itinerary.”

The friendly neighborhood of Rue des Martyrs is a favorite destination for buying edible souvenirs of Paris. To get started, head to No. 9, where the beautiful Chambre aux Confitures stocks endless jars of jam for your morning tartine as well as chutneys and caramel spreads and honey. Première Pression Provence bottles the sunny taste of Provence into excellent olive oils for the larder. The pastry shop Sébastien Gaudard has sweet treats for consumption now or later. Down the street at No. 30 is a honey shop, Famille Mary, which sells ultralocal honey produced by three apiaries around Paris. Order vacuum-sealed cheeses to be sent home from the extraordinary displays at Fromagerie Beillevaire. A walk along this street offers many culinary temptations—go discover some on your own.

As one of the most innovative players on the Marrakech restaurant scene, Kamal Laftimi spearheads projects that are nothing if not showstoppers. This buzzy, green-on-green–tiled riad, bristling with courtyard banana trees, is a case in point. It’s a hip hangout by day for locals and expats who meet for coffees throughout the morning and pop into celebrated kaftan designer Norya ayroN’s little boutique, which occupies a small space on the first floor. By night, it sparkles with the light of hundreds of glittering candles while large extended families and cooing couples gather over Moroccan classics such as pigeon pastilla, vegetarian couscous, and chicken tagine with olives and raisins, as well as a handful of crowd-pleasing classics such as steak frites and burgers (no alcohol served).