It was getting late at night, and I was tired and hungry. Of course that led to an unwise dining decision. Choosing a Vietnamese restaurant in Indonesia is akin to choosing an Indonesian restaurant in Paris. Sure, there might be a decent to good option, but chances are you are setting yourself up for disappointment. … Read more
Khaosan Khaosan is a recently opened Thai restaurant that specializes in “street food”. The restaurant is fairly small, but the vaulted ceilings make the space look much larger. Upon entering we were warmly greeted, and offered a table. Thai Tea Lemonade The Thai Tea Lemonade ($3) is a refreshing change of pace from the usual Thai … Read more
Frontera Grill is Rick Bayless’ flagship restaurant, and one that I had been wanting to visit for many years. Bayless is considered one of the top experts in Mexican food, having lived in Mexico for several years back in the 1980’s. He continues to take his staff on yearly “food missions” to Mexico to this … Read more
La Mallorquina La Mallorquina is a famous bakery in Madrid. They are known for the Napolitana de chocolate, which is semi-croissant like. The bakery has been opened since 1894 The place seems to be busy from opening to close, as there was a steady stream of customers during our quick visit. Window Display It was … Read more
Cervejaria Ramiro Cervejaria Ramiro has always been a popular seafood restaurant, but became more so after it was featured in an Anthony Bourdain “No Reservations” episode in April 2012. The restaurant is quite unassuming from the outside. The only thing that would suggest something special presided inside is the usually long lines outside of the restaurant. … Read more
Locol Locol is the brainchild between Roy Choi, of Kogi fame, and Daniel Patterson, of Coi fame, a 2 star Michelin restaurant in San Francisco. Patterson recently relinquished control of Coi to Matt Kirkley, as Patterson decided to focus more on Locol. An impressive group of advisors also includes Chad Robertson of Tartine Bakery and Bar … Read more
Reservations were already relatively hard to get at n/naka before Chef’s Table, Season One, but after the Niki Nakayama episode aired tables became almost impossible to secure. Prior to Chef’s Table, reservation calls went directly to the chef’s cell phone, but they were inundated with reservation calls after the episode. They have since gone to … Read more
Tulip Restaurant Dining at Tulip Restaurant last year, we went all out and gorged ourselves. I previously detailed that dining experience in my prior visit. Well, we must have made quite an impact. After being seated, the waiter asked if we had been there before, more to confirm that he recognized us than anything. He then went on … Read more
The West Pasadena The Westin Pasadena is located within the Plaza Las Fuentes in downtown Pasadena. It is situated just a couple blocks off of Colorado Boulevard, which is within easy walking distance. Upon check-in, my reservation was noted, and I was thanked for being an SPG Gold Member. I had quickly had keys in hand, but … Read more
Air Canada Flight 782 Los Angeles to Montreal Depart 8:00 AM, Arrive 4:17 PM Seat 4B, Business Class Upon boarding, I was pointed in the direction of my seat. Although this was an international flight, the seats were standard domestic business class seats. The seats are larger, but with not much recline. The seats are … Read more