As a consumer I really like Yelp. As a restaurateur? Not so much. My restaurant, Sugo Trattoria, has a solid four stars out of five in their rating system, so I am not just saying this because our reviews suck, because they don’t…most of the time. And I am more than willing to admit that on occasion we screw up. As I am sure you sometimes do too. But, here’s a prime example of why as a restaurateur I am… Read More »
After painfully climbing the 268 steps to see Hong Kong’s Tian Tan Buddha, Peter and I took a short bus ride to visit Tai O Fishing Village, also known as the Venice of Hong Kong. Since Venice, Italy is one of my favorite cities in the world, I had high hopes for this Asian-style water town. On the Western side of Lantau Island lies the quaint fishing village of Tai O where the homes are built on stilts and the… Read More »
As you read this we will have already started our overloaded 3 day Hong Kong itinerary. But, travel continues after Hong Kong. There will be a short two hour flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand. And I didn’t fail to make an extensive plan for that trip either. The compulsive over planner in me led to creating a 6 day Chiang Mai itinerary. Though travels to Chiang Mai will last 13 days, I only planned six. See, I can be spontaneous.… Read More »
While I was in Maui, in Hawaii, I was able to check quite a few items off my Bucket List. And I also found quite a few more to add to yours. 1. Attend a Luau Not many people travel to Hawaii without attending the quintessential luau and there are no shortage to choose from. The Feast of Lele in Lahaina puts on one of the few luaus in Maui that is not a buffet. And the backdrop ain’t too shabby… Read More »
While in Maui, there were a few expected Hawaiian delicacies eaten; fresh pineapple straight from the farm, juicy shrimp from a food truck, and even sweet shaved ice. What was unforeseen was the popularity of Spam Musubi, both the Spam itself part, as well as, the Asian musubi twist. Spam Musubi is like Hawaiian sushi; seaweed wrapped around rice and topped with a grilled slice of Spam (a canned pork patty). Prior to my first ever Spam adventure, there was a… Read More »
I do a lot of things solo with absolutely no problem; eat dinner at fancy restaurants by myself, go to the movies alone, take tours, etc. But, there was something about attending the super swanky Vegas Uncork’d preview event in San Francisco that made me nervous. Not only would I be going to this foodie bash solo, but also would be hobnobbing with chef heavy hitters like Michael Mina, Charlie Palmer and Mary Sue Milliken. Oh boy. The Vegas Uncork’d… Read More »
I have said many times before that no one should actually eat all-you-can-eat. But, that did not stop me while attending my very first Crab Feed at Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma. After overdosing on fresh crab, I finally had to wave the white flag, or rather paper napkin. Twice. The local live theater in town, Cinnabar, put on a weekday Crab Feed benefit. And they scored the uber-cool taproom location at Lagunitas Brewing Company. Who can resist all-you-can-eat fresh crab at a place that brews renowned… Read More »
I dig beverage in food tastings. I am sure that is overly evident by the amount of tastings I attend. It really makes no difference whether it is peppery olive oil, jammy red wine, rich South American coffee, unique honey or, in this case, a tea tasting. I don’t discriminate. It was pure luck that right next door to Portland’s meaty Olympic Provisions restaurant was a tiny tea house. Even more lucky, they serve a Fez tea. And also have a Fez… Read More »
Our plans this night included eating dinner at San Francisco’s Water Bar with a friend. But, he had to cancel just a few hours before and I am happy he did. Not because we don’t enjoy spending time with, but because I would jave missed out on the opportunity for eating pigs feet, blood sausage and pigs head otherwise. Screwed up priorities. Offal is the entrails and internal organs of a butchered animal that is used for food and is not a skeletal muscle. The gross… Read More »
When we were spending a short time in the town of Paia we ate at one restaurant twice, Flatbread pizza. We love pizza but there were other reasons that made this joint so great, many of their menu items feature local and organic products. And one of those products was a mild and creamy goat cheese from Surfing Goat Dairy. Luckily, this goat dairy was just a twenty minute drive away. Surfing Goat Dairy is located in lower Kula of Maui’s Upcountry and has been producing gourmet goat… Read More »