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From Garden to Table in L.A.

With only a couple of exceptions, you can’t soak in Yellowstone’s thermal features (this is for numerous reasons, not the least of which is that most are so scalding hot they’d burn the flesh off you). North of Gardiner, Montana, though, in the no-stoplight community of Pray, Chico Hot Springs has welcomed soakers to its spring-fed hot pools since 1900. Spend the night in one of the quirky rooms in the historic main lodge, originally built as a boardinghouse for miners, or in a refurbished caboose from the Northern Pacific Railroad. If at all possible, plan to be at Chico on a Sunday morning, when it serves the best brunch in Montana.

When the Art family bought the struggling Chico Hot Springs Resort in 1972, some of the earliest improvements they made were to its dining room. The idea was to create one of the best restaurants in the state; if guests came for the food, maybe they’d spend the night. The family succeeded. Today the Chico Dining Room is so beloved it spawned a cookbook, A Montana Table: Recipes from Chico Hot Springs Resort. While ingredients are as fresh as can be—with produce from on-site greenhouses, meat from local ranchers, seafood flown in overnight from the coast—the menu includes some dishes that have been around for more than 40 years. The classic Chico meal is beef Wellington (service for two) and, for dessert, a Flaming Orange, which is exactly what it sounds like.

The Big Easy is a heady swirl of horns, parades, chicory coffee, creole cuisine, and rich, deep history. Most visitors wander the French Quarter and pay homage to the mighty Mississippi, but there is much more to this Gulf Coast city once you venture beyond the usual tourist stops. Follow along as Lolis Eric Elie, a documentarian, food historian, and television writer, reveals what to do off the beaten path in New Orleans.

Chef Chico Mendonça brings a taste of Portugal to Orlando with his food truck, Bem Bom. For the signature Prego de Frango Piri-Piri, he marinates chicken in his own piri-piri and serves it on fresh, warm prego (a crunchy yet chewy Portuguese bread) with hot mustard, cilantro, and pepper relish. If you’re lucky enough to be at the truck when Mendonça has piri-piri for sale, don’t leave without buying a bottle.

Café Du Monde is always open; it’s the clientele that changes—from visiting families and local pensioners early in the morning, to couples in the evening, to Bourbon Street refugees looking for coffee and ballast in the night’s thinnest hours. This huge coffee stop is a rarity—a tourist trap that locals actually love (although they will rarely wait when lines are long). It’s been around for more than a century, and basically serves two items: beignets and café au lait. The beignets are similar to Spanish buñuelos, fried fritters of dough, and are one of those French traditions that’s survived here more durably than in France. While probably not on anyone’s diet list—they come piled with powdered sugar—they’re surprisingly light, and an order (which equals three beignets) disappears with unusual haste.

This place is mandatory, especially if you want to hear some fado. Here you can listen to Fado Vadio (sung by nonprofessionals) on Mondays and Wednesdays, hear consecrated artists and potential stars, or hear a regular who just feels like singing a fado accompanied by Portuguese guitar. Once an old tavern, A Tasca do Chico was restored in 1993; on the walls are paintings, posters, and clippings. Go early, because it can be crowded. If you like chorizo, ask for “chouriço assado"—basically, this chorizo is on fire. Let the flame disappear and then eat it with some bread.

So this is my favorite cafe back home. They have this delicious chamomile tea with frothed milk and honey. The drink is called bowl of soul, and the cafe “The Naked Lounge.” ...or as locals and pretentious people call it, “The Naked.” It is so much deliciousness! It’s very relaxing, and the cafe has a great atmosphere with very interesting local art.

The family-owned Yandup Island Lodge is located on a private island across from the remote Playon Chico community on the Caribbean coastline of San Blas, Panama. The eco-lodge offers two tours a day: a visit to a beach on one of the archipelago’s deserted islands and a cultural tour that connects guests to the local Kuna Yala indian community.

What could be better than pulling into pretty little Gardiner after a long day on the road, ordering up a fresh pizza, and staring out over Yellowstone National Park while the sun goes down? Yellowstone Pizza Company is a great dining option whether you’re staying in Mammoth, at a campsite inside the park, in Chico, or Gardiner itself.

At around 120 feet high, easily 50 feet wide, and fed by the Arroyo Chico river barreling down from jungle peaks, El Salto del Limón Waterfall is an awe-inspiring addition to any Samana peninsula trip. With family in tow, be sure to secure some horses and guides. From there, it’s a short ride into the jungle, and before you knew it, you’ll be basking in the magnificent spray of the falls!

Cairo is more than camels and desert, although they have that too. The areas around the Nile are green and lush with trees. Sometimes when I’m walking in Dokki or Zamalek I feel like I’m walking in my hometown in downtown Chico. Unlike the posh island of Zamalek, that’s filled with expats, Dokki is quite authentic. This bustling very local area is full of interesting and unusual restaurants such as my favorite, the Yemeni restaurant. You can also find delicious Sudanese food nearby.

Sure New York City, Paris, Milan, and Tokyo are full of beautiful, stylish people, but in my opinion Buenos Aires has the best looking people per-capita of any city in the world. It must be the mix of the European with South American combined with impeccable fashion sense. It is in the genes of these chicos! Buenos Aires is a city where you can afford to shop until you drop (until their economy fully recovers from the political blunders that caused its demise), but you want to be sure you return home with something unique. Something special that captures the essence of the place you visited. My recommendation is underwear. Yes, underwear! Or I should say sexy lingerie? And the best that Argentina has to offer is Caro Cuore. To my knowledge this brand is not sold or available in the US. And Caro Cuore offers a type of “elegant South American sexy” that even the likes of La Perla and Cosabella simply cannot touch (according to my girlfriend who is the expert in this area)!

I believe we have ourselves a trend here in PDX with the notion of gourmet Mexican cuisine. While that may sound a bit oxymoronic, there has been room for years in the Mexican food scene to step up the game. Enter Xico (pronounced chico), with a style and a flair that’s as hot as some of their salsas. Out in the hinterlands of SE Division in a chic (pronounced cool) upscale remodel of an old Eastside house, Xico serves up some serious, innovative dishes which certainly have their roots in Mexican culinary culture. The Oaxacan art of mole is traditionally represented in dishes like the Mole Amarillo con Pollo which graces the specials board. Starters beg for the Sopapillas and a round of mezcal margaritas. Move up with Quesadillas con Rajas and the Brisket Barbacoa. Crush the evening with the flourless Woodblock Chocolate Cake. The space at Xico is split between a comfortably stark interior and an extravagant patio that is a delight during the warmer weather. Happy Hour gives you a small sampling but begs you to just dive into the main event. Xico remains true to the tastes of MeXico, while instilling refinements to make them more than just spicy. The flight of salsa delivers a subtle variety of flavor and an education in the art of the pepper. Use them to draw out the characteristics of the food in front of you. Sunday Brunch is an easy way to go beyond the typical Huevos Rancheros. Arriba!

A landmark property perched between the city and the ocean, the El San Juan blends Old World elegance with tropical vibes. The famed hotel reopened on December 14, 2018 after a full restoration following Hurricane Maria and now features updated guestrooms, public spaces, and landscaping. Thankfully, the original feel was left intact, and details like the iconic chandelier and hand-carved mahogany ceiling in the lobby remain. Guests can still sip Champagne under sparkling crystals at the Chandelier Bar or party the night away at BRAVA, but now they can also sample Puerto Rico’s national spirit at rum bar 1958, grab a glass of vino at Wine Bar, or refuel with locally roasted Alto Grande coffee at El Cafecito. Also new to the property is Caña, a locally minded restaurant from Puerto Rican chef Juliana Gonzales, and Chico Cabaret, a hotspot off the lobby featuring live entertainment.

Ranging from guestrooms in the grand tower to villas surrounding the pool and beach, the 388 rooms all feature floor-to-ceiling windows with city, ocean, or pool views, as well as modern conveniences like sensor-activated air-conditioning, large HDTVs, and complimentary Wi-Fi. When not lounging on their Lovell Plush mattresses made exclusively for the hotel, guests can take a dip in one of four pools, sunbathe on the two-mile-long Isla Verde Beach, or visit the brand-new, tri-level Well & Being center for balancing spa treatments and fitness classes on the open-air rooftop.

The Absaroka Range, stretching across the Montana-Wyoming border, is often overlooked by visitors in a hurry to get to Yellowstone. In fact, most people don’t realize that when entering Yellowstone from the northeast gate, they’re actually zipping through one of the most spectacular parts of the Absarokas. If you were to backtrack a bit to the Paradise Valley or Livingston, Montana, and set a course for the Absaroka wilderness, you could have world-class fishing, hiking, and camping at your fingertips. The Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness is home to more than 700-miles of trails, hundreds of lakes, streams and rivers (pack your fly rod) and big game, including grizzlies, black bears, wolves, lynx, and hundreds of species of rare birds. Add a bit of Absaroka to your summer schedule – consider a visit to East Rosebud, which offers access to Granite Peak, the highest mountain in Montana (12,799 feet), or Mystic Lake, the deepest in the Absaroka-Beartooth system.