This installment of Three Things is courtesy of Shelley Kekuna, Executive Director of the Kaanapali Beach Resort Association.

1. Question: What are some of the “things” or activities that people at Ka’anapali or Ka’anapali Resort do for fun?

Answer:

Ka’anapali is a diverse vacation destination that can appeal to any kind of traveler when it comes to activities. Not only have we been rated as a top beach in the world, which lends itself to multiple water activities, but the mountains behind us are also rich with things to do.

The beach is generous with sand, snorkeling opportunities, paddling canoe, stand up paddle, surfing, embarking and disembarking of luxury catamarans for snorkeling, whale watching (within season), dinner cruising or a cocktail sunset cruise. When the Humpback Whales are not visiting (May 15 – December 15), We have parasailing, jet skiing and small craft fishing. All of the activities mentioned can be accessed from the shoreline.

Ka’anapali is located at the foot of the West Maui Mountains, which has ziplining, quad riding and lots of fantastic hiking. A helicopter ride over the West Maui Mountains reveals the intricate network of natural fresh water flow that is captured at the top of the mountains, considered one of the second wettest places in the Hawaiian Islands.

Culture is also a big component of the Ka’anapali Beach Resort. Once a place rich in Hawaiian history, many properties offer cultural classes and ways to learn of this history over and above a simple hula lesson.

2. Question: What’s one thing the public probably does NOT know about Ka’anapali?

It’s difficult to name just one thing when it comes to Ka’anapali’s mystery and secrets so I will list them below:

A. Ka’anapali Beach Resort is the original master planned resort in the Hawaiian Islands. After it was developed, it became the benchmark for all other self contained resort destinations.

B. Ka’anapali is rich in history because Historic Lahaina (1 mile away) was once the original capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, prior to well-known Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Because of Ka’anapali’s location, there are significant pieces of history and legends that center around this special location on Maui.

C. Ka’anapali Coffee, grown in this region on the side of the West Maui Mountains is the largest commercial coffee production in the United States and is shipped all over the world.

3. Question: What has Ka’anapali contributed to the world?

Regional Hawaiian Cuisine! While not the only birthplace in the Islands, HRC is available at all of our F&B outlets, expensive or otherwise. We continue to welcome global visitors and make them aware of the beauty of the culture through the amazing cuisine, which has change the way the world prepares food, by mixing traditional and inclusive combinations of flavors from a variety of cultural influences.

Ka’anapali has taught the world that it is possible to mix culture, recreation and community in a world class setting. Ka’anapali, Maui is an exotic location with a unique eco system and rich culture that you can experience without leaving the US.

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Despite his dream of building a capital city along the banks of the Potomac River and unlike the real estate cliché “George Washington slept here,” America’s first president never once laid his head down on a pillow within the District of Columbia, aka Washington, DC. The closest he ever got was a good night’s sleep at his homestead in nearby Mount Vernon, VA.

Some 228 years later, our nation’s capital welcomes more than 22 million visitors a year. A world-class city embedded with a vibrant history, spectacular monuments, outstanding museums, plentiful parks, lush gardens and exceptional chef-driven cuisine, Washington, DC is well worth a visit. But, don’t just take my word for it, join me as I take the lens cap off and document this monumental city originally planned by Pierre L’Enfant.

For starters, there’s the Smithsonian Institution, a collection of 19 massive, artifacts-filled museums and galleries and the National Zoo, many standing shoulder-to-shoulder on either side of the two-mile long National Mall, “America’s front yard.” Art, history — natural and chronicled — science, and red-white-and-blue ingenuity to rocket into space, are all on display inside these titanic buildings. And, the best part? Entry is absolutely free for we, the people.

Bookending the Mall is the Capitol Building at the eastern end, where the legislative branches of government apply their checks and balances atop old Jenkins’ Hill, and the awe-inspiring Lincoln Memorial, where Honest Abe sits in deep contemplation at the western edge along the banks of the Potomac. And, smack dab in the middle of it all stands the Washington Monument, a 555-foot marble obelisk — the tallest structure in the District — honoring the “Father of His Country” that’s encircled by 56 American flags, one for each state along with the five territories and the District of Columbia.

Our historical walk around the Mall also includes a bevy of memorials: Jefferson, Vietnam and Korean War Veterans, Martin Luther King, Jr., FDR and World War II. Join the lengthy queue to get inside the National Archives to view John Hancock’s John Hancock on the Declaration of Independence, along with the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. Book way in advance for access to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the newest venue on the Mall. Spend an entire day exploring the myriad of exhibitions at the National Galleries of Art and Portrait. Reach for the sky and the stars beyond at the National Air and Space Museum. And, stop long enough to smell the plant life inside the US Botanic Garden.

The United States is a cultural melting pot and its capital reflects the nation’s sea-to-shining-sea international roots. Heavily influenced by Egyptian, Greek, Roman, medieval European and 19th-century French architecture, wherever you look, especially up, you’ll see an abundance of tall columns, massive domes and the occasional flying buttress. From the White House to the U.S. Capitol, from the Washington Monument to the Library of Congress, from Union Station to the National Cathedral, a simple stroll around architecturally impressive DC alone is well worth the airfare. Right?

The District’s a showcase of American performance arts and is home to such iconic venues as the National Theatre and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In the early 20^th century, jazz music had a dizzying effect here as DC natives, like Duke Ellington, played the night away on stages up and down famed U Street. Years later, homegrown go-go, a blend of funk, R&B and hip-hop set the beat around clubs and out on the street.

And, let’s not forget that John Philip Souza came marching down Pennsylvania Avenue at the dawn of the 1900s leading the Marine Corps Band, the oldest musical group in the US. Today, Souza’s iconic march music is one of the highlights at the annual A Capitol Fourth, the national Independence Day celebration that unfolds at twilight on the West Lawn of Capitol Hill.

The White House, Congress and the Supreme Court, the three pillars of the US government, all punch their clocks here, while the Pentagon, the State Department, the World Bank and embassies from almost every corner of the globe float around their orbit. Power, those that carry it and those eager to wrestle it away, is why DC emits such a 24/7/365 buzz. Can you feel it?

Washingtonians, all 700,000+ of them, know full well the difference between the city itself and the District of Columbia, aka “inside the beltway.”

Beyond the high profile attractions, the politics, the leaks, the lobbying and the “fake news,” the city, all 68 square miles of it, is made up of small, distinctive neighborhoods where normal folk live and breathe. Here, restaurants, cafes, bars and nightclubs are hopping; Ubers are hailed and bicycles and electric scooters are shared via smartphone apps, and one of the cleanest metro systems in the world moves the populace quickly; and, where friends share a laugh, like my DC-based fam, on colorful row-house front porches or on terraces atop apartment complexes with fab views of their fair city spread out below.

While we’re here, let’s grab some cutlery and tuck in to one of the country’s hottest food scenes. The District is a can’t-miss epicurean destination touted by the likes of Bon Appétit, the Michelin Guide and Zagat, and where celebrity chefs like José Andrés, Tim Ma and Marjorie Meek-Bradley conjure up their culinary wizardry.

From food magazine-worthy dishes created and plated at coveted tables around Penn Quarter, to local favorite half-smokes served at a 24-hour diner up in Adams Morgan, to one-stop grazing at foodie mecca Union Market, just about every kitchen on the planet is represented within DC.

Regardless of your crave, one thing’s for certain: it’s all delectable no matter where you dine. Uh, I’ll have the Maryland crab cake sandwich topped with crispy bacon, please.

With loads of attractions and activities for every visitor, budget-minded and value-added, Washington, DC is teeming with a good-time vibe. Affording unmatched free access to museums, monuments and memorials and one-of-a-kind events, like the National Cherry Blossom Festival, not to mention five pro sports teams — Redskins, Nationals, Wizards, Capitals and DC United — the District is in a class all by itself.

Washington, DC, America’s monumental city that our first commander-in-chief envisioned, is all grown up now. I’m just happy that you let me show you around.

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Until recently Britain was portrayed as a culinary wasteland, home to overcooked, boring food and an abundance of uninspired bland chefs. There were only a few tasty exceptions to their miserable repertoire — namely, fish ‘n’ chips, tea, beer and dessert. In this decade, respected food critics have reversed the hype, citing a virtual renaissance in the London food scene — raving about the hot new London chefs, touting its incredibly diverse restaurants, in fact anointing London as the Crown Jewel of European cuisine… London, London, LONDON! !!

The real question is… what happens when you leave the city? Are you back in a world of sub par dining? Is the rest of the country still an abyss of mushy vegetables and lumps of gray indistinguishable meat?

Well the answer is a resounding NO! Today the English countryside offers some of the most consistently appetizing, delightfully satisfying FRESH fare a traveler could hope for. The vast majority of local pubs, inns and bed & breakfasts scattered across Britain boast menus of substantial variety and above-average quality.

But increasingly, fresh ingredients are a rarity in restaurant food, especially for us nomads on the road. Perhaps because Britain is an island, still largely agricultural outside of London proper, many products are locally grown. Whether or not that’s the reason, the fact is that the base ingredients used by English locals have a farmer’s market level of quality and no long-standing relationship with plastic containers, chemicals or freezers to interfere with natural taste. Fruits and greens are crisp and just picked from the garden, home baked breads and pastries are noticeably textured, fish tastes barely plucked from the sea, cheeses creamy, nutty or tangy, but bursting with flavor-the offerings vary, but the sum total of these parts is nothing short of sublime.

Although I’ve had occasion to visit the U.K. many times over the years, this past summer I traipsed across the island with a twenty-something city crowd visiting for the very first time. Our route initially curved south through the small villages of Sussex and Kent, amidst cascading bouquets of flowering vines, hollyhocks, 7-foot wide roads and ancient castles. Then on west to Cornwall with its uniquely quaint fishing villages dotting the shoreline and its famously breathtaking coastal scenery.

I finally got a taste of real Cornish flapjacks — yes, they’re different — soft, dense and chewy, these porridge oat bars were totally addictive and surprisingly decadent for just three ingredients: 6 oz. Demerarer sugar, 6 oz. soft tub margarine (or butter), melted together with just 8 oz. of oatmeal, topped with mini egg pieces, (!) then baked for 30 minutes.

Along the way we happily ate and drank to excess, routinely asking to partake of the warm and friendly specialties of the house. We sampled all the peasant staples: crispy fish ‘n chips, steak & mushroom and cheese & onion pies, dip-in egg cups, cock-a-leekie soup, Cornish pasties, bangers and mash, toad in the hole, shepherd’s pie, the ubiquitous ploughman’s lunch, fish cakes, bubble and squeak, Welsh rarebit, cheese straws, John Dory, and roast lamb with mint chutney, to name a few, followed by a never ending selection of desserts, such as shortbread, fruit trifle, spicy gingerbread, sticky toffee and bread & butter pudding, cream cakes, pies and custards galore. Of course most establishments offered many less traditional options as well, reflecting ethnic trends that are not restricted to the city.

And oh, the English beer… we mustn’t forget the libations! An incredible array of our favorite ale styles — mild, bitter, best bitter, porter, stout, barley wine — not to mention hard ciders, lagers and lime and shandies. All luscious and at the proper temperature, of course. We seriously almost lost some of our party permanently to the small village of in St Just, after sampling the finest, creamiest hand pumped Real Ale imaginable in the (only) local pub. I could retire here based on the beer alone, plus there were young folks inside as well.

But that was when, and this is now: Jonny McFadden, who runs the Star Inn in St Just, Cornwall, installed an electric fence in front of the pub’s bar for social distancing purposes. “We have had enough of people doing as they pleased and ignoring social-distancing guidelines,” said McFadden. “The fence had been placed there to, ahem, shock locals into behaving. To protect staff and myself and my customers you have to put in the meter [distancing] rule,” he said. Asked how customers reacted to the innovation, McFadden said, “It was quite comical. We’re in a rural area, so everybody knows what an electric fence is. I got a little sign too on it — ‘electric, danger.'”

Inevitably, in the course of our sampling, we made friends of all ages. A gentle couple in Lewes who found my oh-so-youthful companions most entertaining invited us into their home to share a traditional tea. They had a lovely manor estate complete with a croquet lawn, a wishing well and a glorious tended garden too pretty for words. The fellow next door owned homing pigeons and about 60 of them dotted his roof.

Once in Looe, we enjoyed an incredibly picturesque 180 degree view of the harbor from our bedroom window at the Deganwy Hotel perched on the hill overlooking the harbor, only a hundred yards or so walk from the station. Our luck held out even at the beach, which was sandy, sunlit and full of mostly British tourists. After sunning, we consumed a host of Cornish pasties, mostly sold as take-out. Each shop seemed to have their own slant on construction and fillings, offering us no choice but to sample them all. We ate potato and lamb and mushroom and onion and cheddar and beef and olive and chicken. A few were hefty with dough similar to a calzone; the majority were rich and flaky with a lot of shortening in the crust.

Looe itself proved to be a quaint, quiet fishing village with lovely pubs and lots of souvenir shops, bustling but not overrun with curious visitors. By far it’s best attribute, though, was its starting point for the 5-mile mostly cliff-side Looe to Polperro Walk, finishing at the next pretty fishing village up the coast. Full of incredible vistas, hauntingly beautiful rolling hills, a vivid assortment of flora and fauna and the constant sights, smells and sounds of the sea below you, it is an unforgettable sensory experience. While much of the hike was leisurely, some of the final uphill stretches were fairly aerobic, a good thing considering the delectable Cornish Clotted Ice Creams available in the teeny Talland bay shortly before its Polperro end. Without a doubt, this coastal walk was the stunning highlight of our trip.

Our hike ended on a winding street which brought us quietly down into the picturesque fishing village of Polperro. As in Looe, clusters of cottages perch on steep slopes overlooking the boats in the harbor. Narrow cobblestone streets abound in between tightly spaced homes, gurgling waterways and footbridges, garden window boxes and brightly colored flowers. The high street is tiny, so a bit crowded, but charming. Working our way slowly up the main street incline to the bus stop, we were stopped by some friendly ladies at a church yard sale. Comically, there we purchased all sorts of unique treasures, new and old, to bring back to the States… and a few homemade flapjacks for the ride home.

Getting There

If you haven’t yet toured the British countryside, here are my tips for sights and flavors you will want to sample along the way, and several ways to accomplish your travel.

TIP: Lunch is usually served from noon to 3 p.m.; the time of day to enjoy your large meal of the day throughout Britain. Prices are generally less, portions are generous — you will save a considerable amount of your travel budget by eating more at mid-day and enjoying a light meal, say soup and sandwich or salad for supper.

TIP: You can generally tell if you are drinking Real Ale if it is served using a hand pump.

TIP: Some B&Bs will help arrange for car and/or car and driver hire for day trips about the area. B&B owners are also a wealth of information on local sights, tours and best meal options. Through photos and email, you can oft-times narrow down your choices and book the best establishment for your needs well in advance. This gives you time to establish a relationship and along with it, maximum planning ability and control over your travel budget.

TIP: One aspect of traveling the British countryside that truly cannot be missed is the walking tour. Whether initially you get where you’re going by train, car or bus, the most wonderful way to truly capture the essence of England is on foot. There are a mind-boggling 630 miles of superb walks promising “the ever present sense of the sea” just on the southwest coast alone… and that comprises only one of fifteen National Trails in England and Wales.

Audrey’s Recipe for Cornish Pasties
(makes 3 large)

Processor Dough

• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1-tablespoon sugar
• 1 stick cold butter (or margarine or combination)
  cut up
• 1 egg, separated (yolk used in dough, white as glaze)
• 5 tablespoons ice water
• 1 Tablespoon milk (for wash)

Filling

• 2-3 medium potatoes, chopped in ½ inch cubes
  (about 2 ½ cups)
• 2-3 medium carrots, chopped in 3/8 inch pieces
  (about 1 ¾ cups)
• 1 med. large onion, diced ¼ inch (about 1 cup)
• 2 celery stalks, leaves okay, diced ¼ inch
  (about ½ cup)
• 1 pound ground beef or turkey (about 2 cups)
• 1-oz. packet beef au jus (or turkey) gravy mix or seasonings to taste
  (*plus additional packet for gravy)

Gravy

• Reserved vegetable water
• 1 Tablespoon flour or cornstarch (optional)
• 1 packet au jus (or turkey) gravy mix

For the dough: Put the first four ingredients in an attached food processor bowl and process with a steel blade until the consistency of coarse meal (no big lumps). Add the egg yolk, and while the processor is running, add your ice water one tablespoon at a time, stopping as soon as the dough begins to clump. Process only until it forms a loose ball. Divide the dough into three pieces. Gently form each piece into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature. If the kitchen is too hot, put the dough in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

For the filling: Wash and scrub vegetables; there’s no need to peel. Place the cut up vegetables in a roomy pot. Add only enough water to cover and boil gently about four minutes until partially cooked. Reserve (drain and save) the boiled vegetable water for the gravy, increasing both the flavor and vitamin content of your meal. Next, saute the ground beef or turkey until cooked through. Don’t indiscriminately discard juices, but do skim any excessive grease if using a high fat ground. Add to the meat one package of gravy mix (I prefer au jus even with ground turkey) or season to taste with up to one teaspoon bouillon and a sprinkling of onion and garlic powder. Add the vegetables and briefly mix together; set aside.

Constructing the pasties: Lightly flour a flexible plastic mat or cutting board and roll out one dough ball into a round-ended oval measuring approximately 10 x 7 inches and about 1/8 inch thick. Carefully transfer the dough to an outside corner edge of a large baking tray, letting one long half of your oval dough hang over the side (see photo). You will not be able to move the pasty once filling is added. Mound a generous, tall amount of filling on the supported half of the dough, leaving a ¾ inch margin around the edge. Then fold over the other half on top to resemble a filled-in letter “D”. Press the edges together, then fold the outer edge in on top of itself again and press to seal shut. Repeat with remaining dough balls. If any holes or tears result, just press the dough together to repair. Make a 1-inch slit in the top of each pasty for steam to escape. Moisten the top of each pasty with a little milk before placing in the oven, and brush with beaten egg white about 10 minutes before done. This will keep your pasty crust soft and add a lovely glazed patina. Bake at 375 degrees a total of 25 – 30 minutes.

Gravy: Use the reserved vegetable water as the liquid called for in your gravy mix. Au jus style can be thickened slightly by adding a little flour or cornstarch to the dry mix and making a smooth paste before gradually adding the vegetable water. Stir or whisk frequently while cooking to prevent sticking.

TIPS:

• Any favorite pie crust recipe can be substituted for the pasty dough. Even (horrors!) store-bought pre-made pie crust works fine. Either way, the milk and egg wash steps will enhance your results.
• Kids love a happy face or other fun design on top of their pasty. For finicky children, cook the potatoes, carrots, onion and celery six minutes and smash together to achieve a more uniform texture (i.e., hide the veggies).
• If you want to make little pasties instead of larger ones, you will need almost twice the amount of dough (up to 2 recipes, see below) for the same amount of filling. Baking time may need to be reduced to as little as 20 minutes.
• Anytime you are doubling or otherwise increasing the dough recipe for the pasty crust, make sure to process only one 2-cup recipe at a time for optimum results. Larger quantities will not process as quickly or uniformly and your crust may end up tough and overworked.
• Pasties freeze well and reheat without major repercussions in the microwave.

There are no rules as to quantities or proportions with pasties. You can put in them what you like and have on hand, change the ratio of meat to veggies, etc.; do what you will. Any leftover meat or poultry, as long as it is not too dry, makes a fabulous pasty.

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The 340-square-foot Deluxe King Suite features a plush king-size bed, hardwood flooring, granite bathrooms, flat-screen television, fully stocked mini-bar, and a coffee maker. The room also comes with a comfy sleeper sofa, office desk with free hi-speed WiFi and beautiful, music-inspired artwork that is a nod to the hotel’s location across the street from Costa Mesa’s Theater and Arts District.

The highlight of the suite is a giant sliding glass door and balcony, overlooking the hotel pool and a large community park and lake full of tall trees and walking paths and flocks of ducks, geese and other local birds. The vantage point also offers incredible views of planes heading to and from John Wayne Airport about 4 miles away.

When not relaxing in the room, the family and I lounged poolside or explored the eclectic Theater District. The pool is situated on the ground floor beside the lake. It is a shady haven beneath tall trees, with umbrellas, chairs, a Jacuzzi and crystal clear water. It is a peaceful and playful spot where one can relax poolside while watching ducks and geese play in the lake.

Beyond the hotel, we found exciting and delectable food choices within walking distance or a very short car ride. One of my favorite spots was Habana, a Cuban-inspired restaurant with a large outdoor patio and fire pits. Named one of the best outdoor dining spots in the U.S by Open Table and most romantic restaurants in the U.S. on Yelp, Habana serves up tasty Cuban dishes such as Ropa Vieja with shredded beef, sofrito black beans, white rice and sweet plantains; and El Churrasco grilled skirt steak.

For our lunch we devoured Salmon a la Parrilla, a memorable piece of succulent salmon in a spicy tomato cream sauce, with sofrito black beans, buttered white rice, and sweet plantains; and a half roasted chicken with garlic mojo, pickled white onions, sofrito black beans, buttered white rice and sweet plantains.

Habana is located in an eclectic enclave called The LAB. The name stands for “Little American Business” and is a celebration of small and unique businesses and restaurants. Besides Habana Restaurant, The LAB features old, silver Airstream trailers selling clothes and jewelry, an organic coffee shop, a few small hidden bars, and more.

After lunch we headed back to Avenue of the Arts Hotel to relax by the pool and walk around the lake to watch geese, ducks, fish and turtles frolic in the water. We then explored the 238-room, AAA Four-Diamond hotel. Located in the heart of Costa Mesa’s Theater and Arts District, Avenue of the Arts is an eclectic art-filled property with boutique charm and a flair for luxury. The modern rooms and suites are stylish, with plush furnishings and beds, and a resort-style feel.

Next to the hotel is the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, a world-class performing arts campus and Orange County’s largest non-profit arts organization. An architectural gem, the center boasts six performance venues — the main two being Segerstrom Hall and Renee & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The place is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School. The campus is getting a new addition later this year when the new 53,000-square-foot, Orange County Museum of Art opens.

Across the street from Segerstrom Center for the Arts is South Coast Plaza, a renowned international destination for shopping and dining that is home to more than 250 prominent boutiques and acclaimed restaurants.

After touring the area we had drinks and appetizers at the hotel’s signature dining spot, Silver Trumpet Restaurant & Bar. The restaurant offers an artisanal culinary experience to match the creative arts district. The contemporary California cuisine is served under the direction of expert Chef Hector Zamora in a sophisticated dining space surrounded by tranquil lake views.

Our next stop was an outdoor dance class at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Every Tuesday night a professional dancer leads participants in different types of dance, from Broadway shows to Salsa.

From here we headed to Spain, via Costa Mesa. In other words we had an exciting and delicious Authentic Spanish dinner at Vaca. Located next to Segerstrom Center, Vaca is operated by Chef Amar Santana (runner up on Bravo’s Top Chef Season 13). Vaca is known for specialty imported meats and cheeses, and assorted tapas from the diverse regions of Spain. At Vaca dishes are tapas and family style and are “meant to share over great conversation, atmosphere and with an amazing crafted drink or aromatic wine in hand.”

Our meal was highlighted by various tapa plates such as Pulpo A La Gallega, warm spanish octopus, fingerling potatoes, pimentón, spanish olive oil; Gambas Al Ajillo, sautéed shrimp , olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, grilled bread; Albacore Tataki, albacore tataki, strawberry, yuzu-ginger-soy, toasted sesame seeds, crispy quinoa, cilantro; and Piquillos Rellenos, beer battered, cheese stuffed piquillo peppers, pickled grapes, peanut romesco. For dessert we had decadent and delicious fresh-made churros with chocolate dipping sauce.

Other tasty food places to try in Costa Mesa include Outpost Kitchen, a gourmet coffee and organic food eatery; Marugame Udon, homemade noodles; Pie Society, a local speakeasy / pizzeria with hand-crafted cocktails and pitfire pizza; and Sidecar Doughnuts, which was recognized by Food & Wine as California’s Best Doughnut.

More info on Avenue of the Arts Hotel

More info on Costa Mesa

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“The past is for the present, the present for the future.”
— William Least Heat-Moon, Blue Highways: A Journey into America.

Travel writer William Least  Heat-Moon  in his stunning 1982 memoir, Blue Highways: A Journey into America, said you could  once tell what side of the Missouri River you were on by how the catfish was prepared. Yes, some cities and regions — Paris, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires — still have cuisines so distinctive that when blindfolded you can actually tell exactly where you are in the world. While many others have transitioned with a spectacular fusion of flavors and ingredients, due to the rich immigrant experience.

Culinary tourism is the exploration of food as the purpose of traveling. Dining out is common among tourists and food is believed to rank alongside climate, culture, and scenery in importance to tourists. Indeed, flavor is very much in the taste of the beholder, so we thought it would be fun to compile our members’ selections of favorite food destinations. Needless to say, I was more than a little interested to read their choices in a subject which we’ve never addressed. — EB

Favorite Food Destinations Cities:

Stephen Brewer — T-Boy writer:

• Ferrara — Yes, Bologna is considered Italy’s food capital, but nearby Ferrara adds twists of its own with cappellaci di zucca, round pasta stuffed with squash, and coppia Ferrarese, sourdough bread stretched into the shape of intertwining legs. Salama da suga (local sausages) are the bases for the city’s own versions of grills and ragu.
• Palermo — The heady mix of Arabic, French, and Italian influences come to the fore in markets, street food stalls, and bustling restaurants. A walk through the blocks-long Capo market is a head-spinning introduction to the island’s bounty. Fish, especially swordfish and tuna, show up in such exotic preparations as tuna with a sauce of pistachio and mint. The favorite street foods are panino con la milza, little sandwiches with boiled spleen and cheese, and arrancine, little rice balls filled with meat and cheese. Top stop for sweet tooths is Segreti del Chiostro, bringing together old recipes from around the island for a rush of almond paste, pistachio, and mandarin cream.
• New York — It’s all here in one of the world’s most ethnically diverse cities, from traditional Italian and French to nouvelle Israeli, Haitian, blends of Cuban-Chinese, pizza, and lox and other classics of our own.

Rourke — Musician & composer:

• New York City — My walking tour of Manhattan starts in the morning in the lower east side at Kossar’s for a warm bialy, and then the Donut Plant.  Meandering through the streets of the lower east side, you burn off the calories until you end up at Clinton Street for some breakfast noshes, then press on, burning more calories, just in time for a little snack of some pastrami at Katz’s.  You end up in the streets of Chinatown for some soup dumplings and press onward through Soho, up to the village, to the west village, then back east, zig-zagging your way, all day uptown.
• Rome — Another great city for walking and getting lost.  If you’re lucky to be there in the fall, there will be street vendors everywhere selling roasted chestnuts, markets with tons of porcini and truffles, fried artichokes.   My best tip is to find out where the locals go, like Pizzeria Formula One.   In Rome you can eat just as well on a low budget as on a high budget.
• Hong Kong — This is where two worlds collide.  On one hand you have ultra-modern food and architecture, and then you find yourself in old world China, as you walk in out of alleyways.  The American Restaurant is an institution there; despite the name, no one speaks a word of English.    In Wan Chai is Hay Hay Kitchen for classic roast meats. In Hong Kong, you get the best of every region of China, all within a few square miles.
• London — Usually not on foodies’ top five destinations.  Tourists will be tempted to try classics like fish n chips, meat pies, and English Country breakfasts with blood sausage, but the real treasure in London is the ethnic foods.  The best falafel I ever had is at the Falafel King.   London is well known to have the best Indian food outside of India, but I found myself eating Lebanese and Iraqi food more than anything.   Still, I wanted to try a classic old-world British supper, and I found out in Kensington, called Maggie Jones.  It’s a space that’s over two hundred years old, lit only by candles in old bottles.  The food was so good, I went two nights in a row.
• Italian Wine Country — Rent a car and get lost.   There’s no wrong turn.  There’s no bad wine.  There’s no bad meal.  Siena is as good a starting point as any.   From there, it’s one small hillside village after another, my favorite being Spoleto, which is swarming in truffles during truffle season.

Ringo Boitano — T-Boy Writer:

• East Berlin, Germany — Arriving by time machine to the preunification GDR restaurant PILA (Pionierlager) was a fascinating step back into history.  Nostalgia restaurants are now spread across East Berlin, popular with locals for a taste of the past, and curious tourists in understanding the simple dinning experiences at the East German table. PILA’s small GDR museum, adorned with posters, artifacts and musical remembrances, puts everyone in a festive mood. Their menu features selected dishes from the former GDR as well as ‘bourgeois’ cuisine from today.  The Pioneer Camp Menu (three different course selections, including barrel shower – beer brewed in a barrel — or Berliner Pilsner) offers a good overview of their kitchen. I opted for pork chops, with sides of two epic boiled potatoes, and spinach, dressed with a unique concoction from a tube of unknown substance. The chops were tough and rather grisly, but I was appreciative of their authenticity.

Deb Roskamp — T-Boy photographer & writer: 

• Papeete, Tahiti — What is more alluring to the senses than tropical fruits and fresh catch from the Pacific in a seeming paradise?!?  Poisson cru (or, in Tahitian, ia ota), mango, papaya … bring it on!  When there, one must also explore the ornately painted vans (called les roulettes) serving inexpensive cuisine influenced by the French, Vietnamese and Chinese.
• Monterosso del Mare, Italy — Again, fresh catch from (this time) the Mediterranean, pasta, vegetables from the terraced hillsides – all cooked with centuries old traditions in a setting that is sublime.
• Parma, Italy — So much to say!  Hands-down, some of the best prepared food I’ve eaten in just a lovely little town.
• Copenhagen, Denmark — Had the most memorable meal in Tivoli Gardens!  Would love to be transported NOW!
• Coyoacan, Mexico — Fantastic lunch of exotic flavors after visiting the Frida Kahlo and Leon Trotsky museums.  Never to be forgotten.

Richard Carroll — T-Boy writer: 

• Los Angeles — The most ethnically diverse city in the world, Los Angeles offers an incredible dining scene with a huge number of culturally rich neighborhoods and the opportunity to experience authentic cooking. Ongoing cultural festivals with dining in the forefront are offered in a stunning collection of neighborhoods including, Little Tokyo, Thai Town, Little Ethiopia, Koreatown, Little Armenia, Boyle Heights and Mariachi Plaza, Olvera Street, Little Bangladesh, Leimert Park Village (African American), and Pico-Robertson where some 30 Kosher restaurants line the streets. The city is noted for Mexican cuisine with restaurants covering Northern Mexican cuisine, to dishes of Southern Mexico, the hot spicy sauces of Veracruz, and Puebla’s tasty mole, The French have also made their mark with a huge selection of restaurants, bistros and brasseries. Petit Trois, Barbette, Republique and Monsieur Marcel offer memorable pleasure along with a host of others all equally top drawer.
• Mexico City — Long celebrated among the world’s top five dining cities. A visit to Mexico City is a glorious dining experience. I found the cuisine in a city like this, noted as a dining mecca, would take years to cover. With more than 15 visits there seem to be surprises around every corner. The dining here ranges from home cooking and family recipes, to Maya influenced dishes, and special entrees from the various regions, along with high end international cuisine, and down home authentic Mexican dishes featuring variations from a hundred different styles of moles. A wonderful Mexico dining tradition is live music, sometimes it’s street musicians who wander in or it may be a house band or a single guitarist. Mexico City’s excellent selection of restaurants include Pujol ranked 13th in the world in 2018, Chef Rafael Bautista’s elegant Les Moustaches, influenced by the dishes of France, El Cardenal flying the Mexican flag and the essence of authentic Mexican cooking, Nico’s dating to 1957 serving traditional Mexican dishes with a modern touch, and San Angel Inn, located in a 17th century monastery, are only a tiny sampling.. For me, Mexico City is an international dining treasure.
• Grand Cayman — The island has an astonishing medley of chef’s and cooks who have landed here from all parts of the globe, all responsible for the island tabbed as The Capital of Caribbean Cuisine, Chef’s I enjoy are Executive Chef Massimo Defrancesca cooking at the Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa, Executive Chef Danny Flanagan at the Sunshine Grill, Chef De Cuisine Crystal Marshall making her mark at the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort, Anchor & Den, and Sous Chef Chamara Jeewantha, creating in the Grand Old House.

Tom Weber — T-Boy Writer:

• The Salento, Puglia, Italy — The Salento, a sub-region of Puglia in the southeastern corner of Italy where the Adriatic and Ionian seas embrace, is best savored with a knife, fork and wine goblet as its grassroots la cucina povera (poor kitchen) — the quintessential Mediterranean diet — comes straight out of the “zero kilometer” soil and nearby seas and right onto your plate and into your glass.

Ed Boitano — T-Boy editor:

• Bologna, Italy — Bologna has long been considered the gastronomic capital of Italy. With the moniker of La Grassa (the fat one), it is the birthplace of Mortadella di Bologna, Tagliatelle al ragù, Lasagne alla Bolognese, Tortellini en brodo, and Polpette alla Bolognese all washed down with a bright, frothy Lambrusco. Nearby in the rich agricultural Po Valley, the cities of Modena hail balsamic vinegar as its home, and in Parma, Parmigiano–Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma, which all seem to make their way onto the Bolognese table. My waitress looked down at my half-eaten plate of rich lasagne, and asked if it was ok.  I replied it was beyond tremendous, but I just couldn’t consume any more food.  She smiled, Well, we are called the ‘Fat One’ for a reason.
• Valparaiso Chile — I jumped into my rental car at dawn’s first light, and traversed down Valparaiso’s winding cobblestone streets to meet the fishermen as they first pulled their boats upon the shore. Locals were already there, negotiating the cost of that night’s catch. I checked my watch and realized it was actually eight in the morning. Nevertheless, there was still a bounty of the sea to be purchased: Congrio (Conger Eel); Merluza, (hake), Reinet, (pomfret), and, Jurel, (Jack Mackerel). I took a stroll over to Valparaiso’s fish market for a look at local crustaceans: ostra chilena, oysters only harvested every five years; lobsters without claws and shrimp; and the delicate Machas pink clams, that really do melt in your mouth. Too early for a nap, I took a chair in one of Valparaiso’s rustic fisherman cafes for a Pisco Sour. As I glanced around the modest cafe at the tired, rugged-looking fishermen, silently huddled around tables, I realized I was on the edge of a world which I knew nothing about.
• Hanoi, Vietnam — Phở is still Vietnam’s national dish, but after 70 years of French colonialism, traditional Vietnamese cooking also has a Gallic accent, with a remarkable fusion of flavors, ingredients and combinations. To and from the main roads of Hanoi, peddlers sell baguettes (soft interior, slightly sweet, sans the Parisian air) to motorists in plastic bags.  The sliced baguettes also serve as an essential component in making Banh Mi, the vastly popular Vietnamese sandwich. Other dishes with a Franco-Vietnamese twist include Bún Ốc, a noodle soup containing sea snails; Bò lúc lắc, marinated cubed beef; and Bánh patê sô, a hybrid savory hot pie originating from the shores of Brittany. For this, Hanoi is considered the culinary capital of Vietnam.
• Province of Genoa, Italy I am biased for the little mountain towns and villages in Northern Italy’s province of Genoa is my families’ ancestral homeland. The province of Genoa (similar to a U.S. county) claims pesto, focaccia, Geno salami, and ravioli — the traditional Genovese Christmas day meal — as its origin. I was initially introduced to these dishes by my Italian born Nonna in Seattle, whose cuisine was almost identical to those made in Genoa, give our take a few imported items. Plus, there’s an abundance of additional delicacies borrowed from other northern regions: polenta, risotto, gnocchi, Parmigiano–Reggiano, Modena balsamic vinegar and Lucca olive oil.

T. E. Mattox — T-Boy music critic:

• Tokyo — You can find the best food underground in the massive subway systems. Any cuisine, American diners to Ethiopian spices and French delicacies! Truly International.
• San Francisco — From Fisherman’s Wharf to Italian Deli’s on Mission and in the Haight. A 45-year favorite, a little workingman’s cubbyhole in Chinatown called, Sam Wo’s. The Bay area is also a cornucopia of chocolates and wines.
• Austin, TX — Blue Balls and Fried pickles. Don’t miss the Mean-eyed Cat Cafe. B-B-Q in the back!
• New Orleans — This town is one giant bowl of Gumbo! Try the Red Fish.
• Sorrento, Italy — Seafood with the ultimate pastas. Even the truck stops and gas stations on the Autostrada serve phenomenal panini and vino. Grappa is hallucinogenic!

David Erskine — T-Boy VP of advertising:

• Munich, Bavaria, Germany  My Onkel Pitt lived on Damenstiftstrasse just off the famous Marienplatz in Munich’s town center (Stadtmitte) since 1158.  A favorite restaurant was the Augusteinerbrau Bierhalle, one of Munich’s oldest breweries started in 1328 with its award-winning lager (Helles Lager).  I traveled to Munich a number of times in the 70’s, 90’s and after 2000.  One of my favorite memories was walking from my Onkel Pitt’s apartment to the rear entrance of the Augusteinerbrau to pick up a few liters of lager for supper.  In fact, for many years, I didn’t even know of the famous restaurant because my first memory was always walking up the alley with my Onkel Pitt to get a few liters of that famous beer.

Roger Fallihee — T-Boy writer:

• New York — My wife and I are very fond of the NYC cuisine. We had the privilege to visit Red Rooster in Harlem, one of Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s signature restaurants. Also, Aureole, Chef Charlie Palmer; and lastly, D.B. Bistro, Daniel Blulud. Great tip for frugal travelers. Going to lunch at these places, if open, gives the opportunity to enjoy the world class cuisine at 1/2 to 1/3 less expensive.

Gary Brouwer — Therapist:

• Lima and Peruvian villages With 4,000 varieties of native potatoes grown in the Andean highlands, it’s hard not to be impressed. In a kaleidoscope of unique shapes and colors; blue, yellow, red, pink and bright purple, each has its own cultivated flavor.  Peru also included my first encounter with Coy a deep-fried or spionitted guinea pig, served only at special occasions. Also, the Chinese-Peruvian fusion Lomo Saltado, a stir-fry of beef and vegetables, and Aji de Gallina, a creamy chicken stew served with boiled eggs, potatoes, olives, and rice.

Richard Frisbie — T-Boy writer:

You’ll find spectacular food destination on my colleagues’ lists, but this doesn’t tell you the most important information, namely, what my favorite food region is. Hands down, that designation has to go to New York State’s Hudson Valley region. Here’s why:

It is the home of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), arguably the world’s most prestigious cooking school. Because of that, the Hudson Valley has the highest concentration of CIA graduate chefs. It makes sense. After spending years living and learning in one of the most scenic sections of the United States, these top chefs don’t want to leave. Or, after leaving to pursue hands-on education in some of the top restaurants in the world, they return to the Hudson Valley with their skill honed to settle down and open their own restaurants. They know the markets and sources here, they have a steady supply of vetted employees from their alma mater, and NYC is an hour train ride away. They have the best of both worlds.

New York City is where chefs of all backgrounds go to prove themselves. The “If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere” mentality is especially true in the restaurant world. But what comes after that? A move upstate 40 to 90 miles north of Manhattan is the logical choice. Chefs are closer to their farmers and purveyors here, their customers all own second homes here or vacation here, and the quality of life is just better.

Trust me — I live in the Hudson Valley, next door to the best restaurant in my mid-Hudson Valley county, and I work at what is consistently called the Best Bakery in the Hudson Valley. One chef friend has won Chopped three times, others own or work in “Best of” category restaurants, and still others are great chefs respected by their peers. New York State’s Hudson Valley is home to all this talent. If you haven’t eaten here yet, I can only ask “What are you waiting for?”

Susan Breslow — T-Boy writer:

• New York
• Tokyo
• San Francisco
• Milan
• Quebec City

Greg Aragon — T-Boy writer:

Porto, Portugal — Porto is a beautiful waterfront city set on the Douro River. The city is best known for its legendary port wine industry, but visitors also love its sights, highlighted by old fishing boats, historic cathedrals, arched bridges, cobble stone streets, colorful Portuguese tiles and lots aromatic sidewalk cafes.

During my visit to Porto, I was enchanted by the exciting and eclectic cuisine. Some foods that tantalized my taste buds include the francesinha sandwich, a warm sandwich with ham, sausages, and steak. It can be topped with melted cheese and an egg and served with French fries.

Another local delicacy is Porto Tripe, a traditional tripe stew usually featuring veal tripe, white beans, smoked ham, pork sausage, carrots, onions, spices such as paprika and cumin, and various cuts of chicken and pork.

I also enjoyed a delicious Bacalhau (cod fish) plate with shrimp, potato and cream sauce; and Cozido À Portuguesa, a Portuguese boiled soup with different kinds of meats, sausages and vegetables, slow cooked until the flavor jumps out of the pot.

Other dishes to try include Petiscos, which are Portuguese “tapas.” While in Porto, I had dozens of different Petiscos. They were all tasty and featured ingredients such as shrimp, ham, cheese, pork, sausage, and lots of canned fish such as sardines, mackerel, tuna and more.

Fyllis Hockman — T-Boy writer:

China — Nope, for me, not a city — a country. In addition to just eating regularly while traveling around the country, we were lucky enough to experience a vast number of banquets, where massive amounts of food — all different — are served over hours on a table-size Lazy Susan — and God-forbid you should sip your beer a bit, it will be immediately filled to the brim — again and again…..

So yes, there were a number of foods I passed on such as worms, jellyfish and duck-foot webbing and I did put the fried bee I had picked up with my chopstick down fairly quickly. I just couldn’t imagine eating something with which I had just made eye contact.

But after 36 Chinese meals over our 12 days traveling, I arrived home wanting more Chinese food. But definitely not American Chinese food — which bears no resemblance.

James Boitano — T-Boy writer:

• Paris It’s hard to find a bad meal anywhere you go, given the high culinary standards the French demand. And in the unlikely event you grow tired of French food, Paris boasts restaurants featuring nearly every cuisine in the world.

Chloe Erskine — Educator:

• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — Had one of the best meals of my life there.
• Ilhabela, Brazil — An archipelago and city situated in the Atlantic Ocean four miles off the coast of São Paulo state in Brazil. The feijoada completa to die for, but the folx I was with were mostly cooking. A friend’s dad, who I stayed with, started Kinino Spice Company and he’s brilliant in the kitchen.

Brent Campbell — Musician and Composer:

As you can see by my list, I love red meat and classic steakhouses. In fact, I may be gone before you read this.

• New York — Delmonico’s, Sardis. Historic, Classic, old school.
• Chicago — Gene & Georgetti, another classic, exceptional service.
• Seattle — The Met, easily the best in Seattle.
• Atlanta — Bones Restaurant
• Portland — Ringside Steakhouse

However, my list of European selections is limited. That’s because whenever I have been either a vagabond hippie (wimpy, fish in newspaper, ham in a baguette, etc) or a dad with a hungry family in tow (local coupons or referrals, street food). Sadly, Mexico has usually been all inclusive. Nothing special there.

My real favorites have vanished in Seattle:

• Twin Teepees
• Clark’s, Dublin House, Red Carpet, et al — Almost affordable luxury.
• The original Black Angus on Elliott — A fine steak dinner with all the fixings for $3.49 before Stuart Anderson sold out.
• Frederick and Nelson’s lunch counter — Simply amazing!
• The Dog House — Last of the smoke filled, after hours joint.
• Blazes Broiler in Ballard — Eat a 64 oz steak and it’s free.
• Rossellini’s 4/10 — Get lucky on prom night.
• The Homestead — West Seattle, recently burned down. Seattle’s best fried chicken.
• Roses on Pacific Highway South — Western Washington’s best fried chicken, also burned down – who gave matches to the chickens?

A Seattle neighborhood called Magnolia (where I grew up with the one and only Ed Boitano):

• Gi Gi’s — A slightly, very slightly, upscale village cafe. I would go there to splurge while on break from the local gas station.
• Hickory Hut — A tiny cafe, but oh boy, Joe could flip a good burger.
• Magnolia Bowl — I would save two weeks allowance for a side of their sublime fries.
• I would be amiss to not mention Al’s Burgers on QA Avenue. Al’s tiny place (maybe where Betty’s is now) had the best burger secret sauce ever. I can almost taste it now.

Readers’ Poll

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston Culinary Tours offers the best of Charleston history, food, and drinks! — BB

Tenby and Swansea, Southwest Coast of Wales Welsh Rarebit, served with back bacon or tomatoes; cockles & mussel; Bara Brith, speckled bread; and laverbread — made of seaweed, described by Richard Burton as “Welshman’s caviar.” Best to enjoy while listening to a recording of Dylan Thomas’s poetry. — LF

The post T-Boy Society of Film and Music’s Favorite Food Destination Cities appeared first on Traveling Archive.

The historical layers that built Trinidad and Tobago have created one of the most splendid melting pots in the world, with a remarkable degree of affability between the diverse groups that built the nation. Understanding those historical layers is key to appreciating the country’s many grand offerings to visitors.

Like many other Caribbean islands, the original population was Arawak and Carib Indians, after the latter came to the islands and conquered the former. Columbus landed on Trinidad in 1498 during his third voyage, during which he again missed India but discovered South America, thinking it part of Asia. In keeping with their usual pattern, the Spanish wiped out most of the Indian population, and assimilated the survivors. Trinidad was a magnet for French, free blacks and other non-Spanish, but Spain ruled it until the British captured it in 1797.

Tobago was much more in play. French, Dutch and British forces perpetually contested possession. During colonial times, the island changed hands twenty-two times, setting the record for West Indies turnovers. In 1803, the British took final possession.

African slaves formed a majority of the population, but after slaves were emancipated in 1838, the melting pot became much more interesting. The Europeans needed to fill a labor shortage, so in 1845 they begin bringing in both Muslims and Hindus from India as indentured servants in order to work the large sugar and cocoa plantations.

Meanwhile, Chinese started finding their way to the islands. A couple hundred came in 1806, on the ship Fortitude, part of an experiment in setting up a settlement of farmers and laborers, in anticipation of the eventual ending of slavery. It was a disaster, and the couple dozen who remained started shops or did carpentry or gardeners. A second wave came in the mid-1800’s after slavery ended, mostly from Macao, Hong Kong and Canton, as indentured laborers. A third wave came after 1911 and the Chinese revolution of that year. The pace picked up between the 1920’s and 1940’s, most of them families and friends of immigrants who’d arrived earlier. Instead of working on estates, they adapted to roles as peddlers, traders, shopkeepers and merchants.

Additionally, many Chinese from elsewhere in the Caribbean came to Trinidad after they’d finished their indenture obligation on other islands. When China started opening up to the outside world in the late 1970’s, a fourth wave of migration began. In 1960, Sir Solomon Hochoy was knighted by the Queen of England and became the only nonwhite British governor of Trinidad and Tobago, becoming Governor-General when the country became independent in 1962.

People from these divergent backgrounds have blended their heritages, and often their families. Although the number of unmixed Chinese Trinidadians, or Sino-Trinidadians, probably peaked in 1960 at eight and a half thousand, many more islanders have some Chinese in their ancestry. Among the much larger Indian population, it isn’t unusual for Muslims to marry Hindus, with a marriage in each religion to please the families. The families then just double down on the religious holidays. The racial and religious tensions found in much of the world’s regions are hard to find here. It’s a very refreshing experience.

If you ask a cab driver his family’s ancestry, be prepared to hear a long story about a well-branched family tree, likely to include Europeans, Amerindians, Africans, Indians, Chinese and others such as Portuguese, many of whose ancestors were also indentured laborers, and Arabs. They all bring something to the cultural mix, not always in proportion to the size of the population. For example, Buddhists may only be a percent of the population, but the country was recently fascinated by introduction of the Shaolin Martial Arts of Ch’an Buddhism.

One of the pleasurable spill-overs of this melting pot is the cooking pot, and its been simmering for centuries. Consider the dish of curry chicken and roti, inherited from indentured laborers from India, along with curry versions of crab, shrimp, duck and potato. The roti is of various ingredients, including cowpeas. Sometimes its served on a skewer with eggplant relish and tomato chutney vinaigrette. A sample from Africa is callaloo, a spicy dish made from dasheen leaves, okra, crab, coconut milk and cilantro. Many dishes are stewed, barbecued or curried with coconut milk.

Spice is king. Hot peppers concoctions, including a hot sauce called “mother-in-law” that makes some people’s faces sweat just from thinking the name, often figure in. Mango chutney and curry mango are among the treats resulting form fusing the brad array of delicious fruit with spice.

Breakfasts include fried corned beef with onions and tomatoes. Fried figs with saltfish – cod in a packet – is common. Homemade coconut bread with black pudding – a blood sausage including onions, pork fat, oatmeal and spices – is a hit.

Bake and shark is popular at breakfast and at any time of day. The moment the shark shacks open up at Trinidad’s stunning Maracas Beach, long lines appear in anticipation. The local shark is deep-fried and and stuffed in pocket of deep-fried batter that is similar to the fry bread of American Indians in Arizona and New Mexico.

Maracas Beach, one of the beautiful beaches on the north side of Trinidad, is protected by a deep bay. The broad beach is dotted with tall palm trees and hardwoods, with soccer games making the sand fly about. The hour or so drive to the beach from the capital, Port of Spain, goes through mountains covered with rainforest and along cliffs overlooking the coast. One overlook area has roadside stands selling dried sour prunes, red mango and other preserved fruits with hot spice that locals can’t resist.

Rich soups and stews are known as “blue food.” The seafood offerings are superb, particularly curried crab and dumplings, and king fish. A small fresh water fish, the cascadura, is used in a rare specialty dish, with the legend that those who eat it will return to Trinidad to send their days.

The most popular drink is a rum punch made from sugar water, dark rum, lime juice and Angostura bitters.

If you really want to make your lips quiver with the local cuisine, my pick is Jemma’s Treehouse, in Speyside, Tobago.

The historical melting pot has also brought forth unique recipes for music. Among them is the steel drum.  It’s a brilliant innovation that began in the 1930’s as orchestras of dustbin lids, prying pans and oil drums.  The tops of 55 gallon drum tops are hammered into a pitched percussion instrument called a steelpan, with pitched notes based on the size of the ovals in the pan. One might have thirty soprano-range notes, another only three bass notes, necessitating a player to have six pans. There’s a large range of instruments between them, and pan orchestras might have a hundred or more players. High tech techniques are continually developed to better tune the pans, and some are designed at the outset to be musical instruments, including by one manufacturer in Switzerland. The music a good orchestra puts out is a marvel to hear.

The pan evolved from traditions of African drums and sticks used by slaves to communicate, which were suppressed on the islands. Percussion bamboo sticks were banned in 1883 after they were used as weapons in conflicts between groups who lost control during the Mardis Gras carnival celebrations inherited from the French. Drumming traditions were also strong in India. After the initial bans, bottles and spoons were used until the pans were created.

Another of Trinidad and Tobago’s musical gifts, Calypso, has its roots in attempts at communication between slaves. Strongly harmonic and rhythmic, the songs are often in the language of a French creole that was created to allow the melting pot to better communicate, as the slaves from different tribes and the other inhabitants originally came with very different languages. Songs are led by a griot, a poet and wandering musician who is both witty and very knowledgeable on local history and events. The griot style has been traced to West Africa and the old Mali Empire of seven hundred years ago. After slavery was abolished on the islands, carnival festivals began to develop in the 1830’s, with large tents for Calypso concerts and competitions.

Soca music is a more recent local creation, from 1963. It originally included instruments from India, though they were used less when the form later adopted elements of American soul and funk. Good times are at the core of the songs. Soca is also the venue for lively carnival competitions.

Other variations on these musical forms include Extempo, a type of freestyle calypso war for which the lyrics are improvised on the spot. Singers don’t just compete for the carnival title of Extempo Monarch. Some wander the streets with a guitar or walk onto a bus and make up songs on the spot about the people they see. Rapso is another musical style, with more political and spiritual themes, and Chutney, which grew from the Indian populations. These and other styles are woven into the carnival competitions but are prevalent throughout the year.

Rapso is well-suited to the carnival street party J’ouvert, which uses any materials that are handy to beat out rhythms. The celebration starts around three or four in the morning and lasts until a few hours after sunrise. The calypso and soca bands that lead their followers are now often on large sound trucks, with beverage trucks close by. Celebrants, known as Jab Jabs, throw colored powders and water, and smear paint, mud or oil on each other. The customs come from a disturbance long ago that became a riot, with people disguising themselves, and from a festival held by the Indian population, Holi. There are often fire breathers, using a high alcohol rum, who punctuate the darkness with blasts of flame.

Throughout J’ouvert and the daylight carnival parades, there is a great deal of “wining”. Celebrants, in mud or in risqué costumes, often complete strangers, suddenly do a comical bump and grind with each other to the music, or with onlookers who get too close, for a brief moment, and then move on. At times, a dozen people might line up for some periodic wining as they dance along. It’s a lively reminder of ancient carnival traditions in Europe that centered on fertility, and on the chance for slaves and the lower class to cut loose. After Christianity gained control of carnival, the wildness and chaos led up to the sober period of Lent that leads up to Easter. But carnival, with its satirical traditions, always retains its resistance to authority, and its embrace of sex.

While the focal point of carnival is in Trinidad’s capital, Port of Prince, it has smaller celebrations throughout the island, including one in a village up in the hills where “blue devils” dance through the street and demand tribute from onlookers. If a dollar isn’t given – keep the rest of your money well-hidden, the devils will grab what they can – the devils will smear them with blue paint, (it doesn’t wash out of clothes, this writer attests).

In the evening, as with the steel pan competition, Panorama, with its huge orchestras, and the Soca and Calypso competitions, which include singers, bands and dancers, there is also a “Mas” competition for King and Queen costumes that can only be believed if seen. It’s often accompanied by elaborate music, dancers and impressive stagecraft. One person, aided by no more than two or three small roller wheels, wears a huge costume weighing hundreds of pounds, and it is not unusual to see someone collapse after getting his or her costume across the stage. The technical expertise that goes into making these huge costumes wearable is part of the art form, and it’s impressive, though everyone prays there is no strong wind that might sail a contestant off the stage. Themes are often drawn from China, India, Africa and American Indians.

No less impressive are the costumes worn by children at their carnival. It’s also a pleasure to see how inclusive it is, with a good number of children with disabilities, mental or physical, putting on elaborate costumes and joining the parade with everyone else. A large number of kids are up on stilts, often very high stilts, in tribute to the Moko Jumbies. Legends had them walking across the Atlantic Ocean from Africa, to eventually walk the streets of Trinidad in freedom. They also acquired a ghost persona from the Indian population, and powers to protect people by driving off evil spirits. Adults also have Moko Jumbie bands, and the very tall, costumed figures are remarkable dancers.

While many of the costumes are known for their brevity, one of the most fun is a satirical costume tradition that pokes fun at the wives of the French plantation owners of long ago, who liked to dress up as aristocracy. The carnival version adds wildly exaggerated rumps and busts, and sports parasols. There are many other traditional costume characters, including Navy sailors, Fancy Indians from North America, dragons, Minstrels with faces painted white, and Bats with big wing spans.

While Tobago, better known for a huge jazz festival in April, also celebrates carnival, it’s much less grandiose. For many Trinidadians, it is a post-carnival retreat where people can calm down. They hop a plane or ferry to get to the country’s alter ego island. While Trinidad’s modern economy leaned heavily on oil and now is focused on being a major producer of natural gas, Tobago’s riches are mostly in its unspoiled natural environment.

Among its natural offerings is the Main Ridge Reserve, created to ensure that sugar planters wouldn’t fell all the trees for timber. There was a remarkable realization by a mid-18th century scientist, Stephen Hales, that taking down the trees would eventually end the moisture cycles that brought rain, turning islands like Tobago into a desert and ending all agriculture there. It was a tough sell in the British Parliament, where many members also owned plantations in Tobago. But after eleven years of effort, one member, Soame Jenyns, convinced his colleagues that Hales was correct. Protected by law in 1776 not to preserve royal hunting and pleasures, but to protect the watershed, this is the world’s oldest legally protected forest reserve of its kind.

The act creating the reserve is a marvel of environmental foresight that much of the world could still greatly benefit from emulating: “Did also in pursuance of your said Instructions remove to Your Majesty a tract of Wood Land lying in the interior and most hilly parts of this island for the purpose of attracting frequent Showers of Rain upon which the Fertility of Lands in these Climates doth entirely depend. William Young assented to by his Honour the Commander in Chief this Thirteenth day of April One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy Six.”

The reserve now covers over two-thirds of the island. Most of the forest is very similar to the type of forest that dominates in the Amazon. Unlike Trinidad, there are no poisonous snakes in the forests of Tobago, making them a worry-free pleasure to hike. Waterfalls abound, including Argyle Waterfall, which has 54 meters of stepped cascades and cold, deep pools one can swim in. Along the walk to the falls from a visitors center, one can see caymans in a river, and some of the 469 species of birds on the two islands, including many humming birds.

Beyond the local birds, from August to October the islands are visited by many migratory species form North America. There are also interlopers from South America, such as the nation’s national bird, the Scarlet Ibis. It breeds in Venezuela, which is so close it can be seen from Trinidad, but spends most of its time feeding in mangrove swamps on the islands.

Many visitors to Tobago spend their time at the western tip, Crown Point, with its restaurants and bars, and the beautiful beaches of the peninsula Pigeon Point. But this writer found a great retreat at the far eastern tip. One can meander on the drive there, visiting sites like old colonialist forts and the ruins of sugar mills being reclaimed by jungle. Be very cautious on the winding roads, it’s easy to be absorbed by the views of many stunning bays, cliffs and beaches, when you really need to have your eyes on the road. Better to stop at safe places to take in the sites, or to take a cab.

The North End of Tobago is the island’s most mountainous, and the beautiful bays on the Caribbean side are great for swimming, with extensive protective reefs for snorkeling. One might recognize locations like Pirates Bay that were used in the 1952 film, “Swiss Family Robinson”. You might have to hike a ways from small villages on the Caribbean side, but it’s not unusual to find coves and beaches that you can have entirely to yourself.

Just off the southeast side of the far end of Tobago is a small island, Little Tobago, across from Starwood Bay and the resort, the Blue Water Inn. There is good snorkeling and diving, with the world’s largest known brain coral and many leatherback turtles, but the Atlantic currents are powerful and one needs a good guide and experienced boatman who can keep you from harm’s way. The area attracts many sport fishermen.

Little Tobago is a bird sanctuary with boobies, terns and the red-billed tropic bird, and offers some challenging hiking up steep slopes covered in parts by cactus and dry forest, but with much denser forest toward the top, and huge ferns. Whether or not you make it all the way to Little Tobago, Tobago is well worth exploring if you seek an experience that truly gets you away from crowds for the chance to experience environments that have mostly disappeared from the Caribbean.

Trinidad and Tobago offer a tale of two islands. Between them the diversity of people and offerings is one of the most satisfying in the Caribbean.

The Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain is an excellent carnival headquarters that also organizes carnival involvement. It’s also frequented by business travelers and diplomats.

Blue Water Inn on Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago Tourism

There are various do’s and don’t and etiquettes, do some research on line. Avoid taking a nice camera to the paint-splattered J’ouvert, if you want images take a waterproof camera, and make sure your clothes are expendable.

Crime in Port of Spain is not unheard of, be aware and don’t press your luck. Ask folks who know the territory.

Carnival in 2019 comes later than usual, March 4 & 5, but check schedules for various music and mask competitions that might precede.

My best to Superblue. And to Caesar’s Army, you know who you are.

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It is said that about half the Norwegians who immigrated to America came in order to escape the hated lutefisk, and the other half came to spread the gospel of lutefisk’s wonderfulness.
– Norwegian-American joke

I vividly recall standing on the deck of a Hurtigruten vessel, just outside a Lofoten, Norway fishing village. While marveling at the truly one-of-a-kind scenery of the fjords,  I overheard an American passenger ask a Norwegian what those things were hanging on stilts. The Norwegian replied that it was air-dried cod for making Lutefisk. The American exclaimed, “And the birds don’t eat it?” The Norwegian shrugged, “No, they don’t seem to like It.” Never-the-less, Lutefisk is a popular Christmas dish in the U.S. that graces the holiday table for many people of Norwegian ancestry. In Norway it’s an everyday dish, with Norwegians preferring pork or beef ribs, as special treat for the holidays.

All about Lutefisk: everyone of Scandinavian heritage knows of Lutefisk (pronounced lou-tah-fisk), but for many it is more a source for jokes than actually eaten it. Lutefisk is a traditional Nordic food of dried cod or stockfish – today mostly made with dried ling – prepared in lye. It is soaked in cold water for five to six days (changed daily). In some recipes the fish is also hammered with a wooden mallet to soften it before its first soaking. It is then soaked again in another solution of cold water and lye for an additional two days. When this treatment is finished, yet another round of four to six days of soaking in cold water (also changed daily) is needed. Eventually, the lutefisk is ready to be baked in the oven for 40-50 minutes. Once cooked, the lutefisk has a very mild flavor and rather pronounced odor. People have mixed opinions of the deliciousness of the dish; some loving it, others feeling sick just from the smell of it.

It is generally served with baked potatoes and potato lefse – a flat and dense potato bread. For the record, I quite enjoy it.

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Just before the “fasten seat belt” sign is lit and the Lufthansa Airbus A320 — en route out of Munich, Germany —  starts its descent through thick clouds and out into the gray, overcast late afternoon, I pinch myself to make sure that I’m not dreaming. OUCH! Yep, this is real as the tires on the craft go SCREECH announcing I’ve touched down at Pulkovo International Airport, the gateway into and out of imperial St. Petersburg, Russia.

For the next eight days I’m a guest photojournalist of Insight Vacations (Insight), invited along to independently document my experience on its Easy Pace Russia journey, a sort of “tale of two cities” to Moscow, the country’s largest city, and St. Petersburg, the country’s cultural and artistic epicenter.

Founded in 1703 by Emperor Peter the Great, the boat-building, visionary tsar, St. Petersburg, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was once home to the Romanov Dynasty that ruled for more than 300 years until the Bolsheviks stormed the Winter Palace during the 1917 Red October uprising, ending forever the Russian Empire and paving the way for the Soviet Union, the world’s first, self-proclaimed socialist state.

Only a short, one-hour flight from the Arctic Circle, St. Petersburg, stretched out along the banks of the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, is in the midst of its seasonal White Nights, those 80 or so evenings between May and July when the high-latitude, luminous northern lights bathe the city in a bright, all-night glow.

Met in the arrivals terminal by Insight’s local car hire service — nary a worry when you book with this upscale travel company — my bags are stowed and away I go, as fast as traffic permits, until I arrive at the Crown Plaza Ligovsky, my four-star, city-center digs for the next five, naturally-lit nights.

Conveniently located right across the way from Moskovsky Railway Station and the Galeria, and just a stone’s throw away from famed Nevsky Prospect — St. Petersburg’s main street and a well-read avenue in several of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s classic works — the CPL, an InterContinental Group hotel, is within easy reach of many of the city’s major attractions, shopping, dining and nightlife.

With apologies from the front desk — my room is not quite ready — I’m ushered into the Lobby Bar for a complimentary flute of bubbly, make that two, until I’m finally beckoned up to the fourth floor, directed down to the end of the corridor, through a private vestibule, past a double-door entry and into my boutique style deluxe room.

I definitely signed up to take in the iconic sights and absorb as much of the imperial history St. Petersburg can muster, but I’m also here to sample Mother Russia’s cuisine. My craving is easily satisfied just two floors below at Olivetto, the hotel’s elegant, pan-European restaurant with a fine selection of wines from around the globe.

Taking my first sip from a chilled bottle of South African Chenin Blanc-Chardonnay, I scan the Taste of Russia menu and choose the absolute best appetizer one can order while in the Land of the Tsars: red caviar and crepes. Mmm.

This is followed by a hunter’s salad main course: a food magazine-worthy dish of a pan-fried half quail accompanied with a potato, fresh cucumber and mushroom salad bound together in a homemade mayonnaise-mustard dressing. And, for dessert, syrniki: small pan-fried cheese pancakes served with sour cream, fresh strawberries, blueberries and kumquats.

If tonight’s savory taster’s menu is any indication of what lies ahead for me over the next eight days, I’d better pace myself as I ease into this Easy Pace Russia journey.

Go here for detailed information on Insight’s six itineraries to Russia, as well as more than 100 other premium and luxury-escorted routes around Europe, or call toll-free (888) 680-1241, or contact your travel agent.

See you tomorrow morning when we’ll put our best foot forward and, like Porfiry Petrovich, Dostoevsky’s lead detective in Crime and Punishment, take a long, leisurely stroll down Nevsky Prospect and conduct our own investigation of St. Petersburg.

Dobroy nochi (Good night).

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The attractive Catalan language drifts through Barcelona, an ancient port city built atop Roman ruins with bits and pieces of 4^th century architecture proudly standing tall amidst the mad crush of 21^st century tourism. With its countless tree-lined streets and glorious architecture, Barcelona appears to have been blessed by a goddess from the World of Art who draped her large silk scarf over the city to ensure an artistic bent.

Always an impressive dining city, it boasts an assemblage of 23 Michelin starred restaurants and myriad artistic chefs whose soaring vitality and dedication to a creative culinary experience create traditional Catalan and Mediterranean cuisine with flair.

Executive Chef Jorg Lehmann, working on SeaDream II, a sea-worthy yacht which often calls on Barcelona said, “I admire Catalan cuisine, the city and the chefs. Tapas and small bites have been copied world-wide, Spanish soups are wonderful, as is wine pairing with the cuisine, but I know if service is not up to par it doesn’t matter what the chef is doing in the kitchen.” Frequent dining visits for this feature were unannounced and regardless of award-winning cuisine, we agree with Chef Lehmann that service is a high priority.

Sensi Bistro, tucked away in the Gothic Quarter on Carrer Regomir, a small passageway off Placa De Sant Jaume, is a joyous dining experience where willing Catalans wait patiently outside on Regomir for one of 32 seats in the narrow room with scarcely enough space for the smiling staff to pass between.

Creativity rules here and the menu features Sous Chef, Lionel Goitia, 31, cooking elevated classic tuna tartar tapas, the tastiest seafood paella in Barcelona, and small cubes of roasted potatoes splashed with a spicy Peruvian sauce and a touch of light garlic. Reservations advised.

Orio, located in the Gothic Quarter on lively Carrer Ferran, presents a taste of Basque cuisine with large Basque-style tables and an extended tapas bar showcasing seafood and vegetable pintxos (toothpick tapas) that add to the animated ambience. The tab is cleverly compiled by the number of accumulated toothpicks. If time is short, Orio is nicely located, and an intriguing choice for lunch.

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MariscCO is ensconced in an 1879 building in historic Placa Reial where, in the same year, the great Antoni Gaudi designed the attractive Placa lampposts, now a favorite pigeon post. Near Las Ramblas, MariscCO is encircled by some 15 competing dining choices all with alfresco tables. Greeted by a colorful seafood display, the open kitchen restaurant is decorated with historic black and white photos, including a large print of Dali riding a baby rhinoceros who looks deep in his cups. Chef Victor Izquierdo brings to the table a creamy seafood soup, grilled lobster, king prawns, a goat cheese salad, a platter of grilled farm-fresh vegetables, and a selection of Spanish wines. It is ideal for an early dinner while indulging in the art of people-watching.

7 Portes, one of Pablo Picasso’s favorite Barcelona restaurants, has a designated Picasso table positioned directly by the entrance below an invaluable, signed and framed work of art by Picasso himself. The oldest restaurant in Barcelona, 7 Portes was established in 1836, and has remained open to this day. Spiffy, formally attired servers speak knowledgeably about authentic Catalan cuisine, cold garlic soup, and traditional paellas thoughtfully prepared with fresh fish and seafood and house-made stock.

Overseen by Executive Chef Jaime Perez Sicilia, the menu of grilled beach prawns from Palamos and a wine list with more than 100 selections is something that Hemingway would have perused during his Barcelona visits.  Tourists should wear their finest travel clothes for dinner in this elegant restaurant since the Catalans certainly know how to dress for an evening out.

Black Remedy is a lively welcoming breakfast room and a great way to begin a Barcelona day. Close by if one is booked in a hotel in or near the Gothic quarter, Black Remedy is just steps from Placa De Saint Jaume, on Carrer Ciutat, which is right in the heart of the city, and on the same passageway as Sensi Bistro though the name changes. Catalans dine here en masse, making room for a scattering of visitors. House-made blueberry and mango muffins, avocado toast with feta cheese, and eggs Benedict are created by a formidable cook in an open kitchen with flair. Great for lunch, too, with fresh salads, stir-fried zucchini, specialty coffees, and wine.

Sola, a hidden Barcelona gem that is well known by Catalans who live or work in and near the Gothic Quarter, is found near Sensi Bistro on the identical Regomir passageway. Sola, the current matriarch and namesake of this small, family-owned bakery that has operated in the same location for 100 years, is eager to share an old black and white photo of herself, standing in the bakery as a young girl watching her grandfather and uncle prepare the specialties of the day. The bouquet of freshly baked begets, sweet rolls, cookies, bread, cupcakes and croissants, fills the air and warms the heart. With a smattering of Spanish, ask Sola and she will show off the old baking ovens and tools used by her family throughout the ages.

Chefs Not to be Missed

Executive Chef, Andrea Tumbarello, was born and raised in Sicily, married a striking Spaniard from Madrid, and with immense care and preparation opened Don Giovani on the ground floor of the NH Collection Constanca Hotel in the center of the financial district on Carrer de Constance in 2014. Tumbarello, leaning on his Italian heritage, has developed a following of Catalan diners who allege his masterly Italian cuisine is the charm of Barcelona. Tumbarello works with premium quality truffles and is noted for his linguini al tartufo, burrata pugliese, and spaghetti alla carbonara l’originale, and a menu that evokes memories of Venice, Rome, and Sicily. www.nh-hotels.com

Executive Chef, Marc Gascons, a Michelin Star honoree, and his team create fresh, long-established, and contemporary Catalan dishes at Informal, an admired restaurant in the 28-room Serras Hotel in the Gothic Quarter overlooking Port Vell. Cooking with seasonal and local produce, and merging the finest of Catalan haute gastronomie with refined service and elegantly balanced plates, Gascons has made his mark at Informal which was recognized by CNN in 2016 as “One of the World’s Best New Restaurants.” www.hotel/theserrasbarcelona.com

Catalonia Recommendations

More than twenty additional dining choices were avidly recommended. Here are five of the most repeated suggestions: Viana, Tickets, Vivant, Bambarol, and Somorrostro. For those who take pleasure in inspired cuisine, Barcelona is a winner.

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The city lies on the lower slopes of the Pichincha Volcano in a narrow Andean valley at an implausible 9,350-feet above sea level, where dynamic and imaginative Quiteno chefs have noticeably advanced the city’s dining prospects. The youthful and flourishing chefs, influenced by ancient preparations and produce grown by local farmers in rich volcanic soil, have also augmented their culinary skills in Europe and elsewhere. Now they are busy creating inspired offerings spawned from the interplay of Incan, Spanish, traditional Ecuadorian, and South American mores. With new restaurants on the rise, Quito’s gastronomic prospects are worthy of exploration.

Epicureans can take pleasure in a traditional Ecuadorian lunch by partaking of one of the legendary variations of Ecuadorian soups. The much-loved potato soup, a Quito specialty often accompanied by fresh avocado slices, cheese, and a sizzling hot sauce, is found on menus throughout the city. Encebollado, regarded as a national dish, is a succulent fish soup prepared, in one rendition, with slabs of fresh tuna, cassava root or yucca, sliced tomatoes, a sprinkling of cilantro, and a variety of spices, with pickled onions. Quito chefs put a spin on their individual sopa or soup adaptations choosing from an array of Andean potatoes, squash, quinoa, and various combinations of fresh seafood, spices, herbs, and exotic fruit.

Gourmands hot on the Quito food trail will encounter Cevichochos, a vegetarian ceviche; Seco de Chive, a tasty goat stew; and Empanadas, a half-moon turnover overflowing with everything from mashed green plantains, cheese, and shrimp, to green peas, raisins, and rice. Classic Ecuadorian cooking is abundant at Mercado Central and the older Mercado San Francisco dating to 1893, located in the indigenous San Roque neighborhood where small stoves are steaming with deep-fried green plantains.

Restaurants included below all stress quality and freshness, and source their produce from local organic farmers. Thankfully, smoking is taboo in Quito restaurants, but bottled water is recommended.

Zasu in the north of Quito, noted by CNN in 2015 as one of the world’s top 15 restaurants, currently remains among Quito’s elite. Quitenos admire the imaginative menu of Executive Chef, Wilson Alpala, 28, who has created a notable table with his Roasted Tomato Soup, Asparagus Risotto, and a Cazuela shaped with prawns, plantain, and peanut ‘salprieta’ assembled in a rich sauce. The elegant and modern two-level room has a 10-page wine list showcasing 1,300 vintages in a large, glassed sphere artistically spiraling upward.

Chefs at Plaza Grande Hotel, in an historic, restored Spanish colonial mansion on the edge of Independence Square in the heart of Old Town, offer cooking classes on a lower floor. Assistant Chef, Christian Pillajo, age 25, meticulously demonstrates the classic Ecuadorian ceviche topped with toasted corn, and dessert is a taste of strawberry ice cream made in a large copper pan on a thick bed of ice. Pillajo said, “Cooking is the basis of life for me. I experiment at home with different flavors, spices and herbs, and I also love chocolate because we have the best chocolate in the world.”

Restaurante Santa Rosa Historica: Three spirited brothers in an historic 1845 building, working with hops, malts, and Andean grains have fashioned, American Style craft beers and ales on tap which flourish nicely with 28-year old Chef Sebastian Moscoso’s inspired menu of salmon, marinated with honey and ginger sauce, grilled in a banana leaf, and served with yucca croquettes and vegetables, or a well-chosen deep fried Ecuadorian shrimp dish together with a spicy house sauce and French fries.

La Mirage Garden Hotel & Spa: The two-hour drive from Quito to the town of Cotacachi and the La Mirage Garden Hotel, a former hacienda, converted to an award-winning restaurant and 23-suite hotel, is an admirable culinary journey. Attracting celebrities world-wide with a lavish and stylish hacienda-style dining ambience, the overwhelming essence of the property is one of elegance and romance.

Chef Flores, clocking in at La Mirage for some 25-year, s delivers straight forward cooking with a traditional, indigenous potato soup with fresh farm cheese. Other specialties are also from the Andean Highlands such as morsels of seasoned pork, potato dumplings filled with farm cheese, and an avocado Empanada with toasted corn.

Neuma: Chef Alejandro Chamorro who worked at NOMA, a two-Michelin-Star restaurant in Copenhagen, and at the famed Astrid and Gaston Restaurant in Lima, has journeyed back to the roots of Inca and Andean cooking. Chamorro’s farm to table insights and distinct cooking style can pull diners from their comfort zone with new tastes. With soft background jazz heard on the sound system, and Chamorro toiling in the open kitchen, his small bites unfold temptingly: first, a portion of watermelon with a mint leaf; then, a cube of tender pork with Andean root and sauces; next, a soup prepared in the traditional style of the region layered with milk foam and a cheese truffle served in a capachino cup. A petite portion of lamb with fermented corn, with touches of cauliflower, light cream and kale tucked into in a small square cube, enhance the ongoing wonder of Chamorro’s cooking skills.

Quitu: Chef Sebastian Perez and his vigilant staff have designed Quitu around traditional 100 % organic Ecuadorian ingredients with three prix fixe tasting selections in a colorful room with a welcoming wood burning stove tucked between tables. Starters are a selection of freshly baked bread made in house with six flavored butters and herbs. A sea bass marinated in banana passion fruit together with roasted corn, peppered and smoked, is prepared to be shared family style, while course-after-course are served on small heavy stones and crude wood platters of various shapes. The array of new tastes derives from ancient cooking practices using Maiz Morado, a dark Kulli corn originating in the Andes Highlands, and Mashua, a South American edible plant. Quitu does not offer sodas. Filtered water and a small wine list are available.

Pizzamama in La Ronda, Quito’s striking block-long, pedestrian-only enclave of craftsmen, artists and boutiques, is a small multi-hued, café, bakery and pizza room on Morales Street. The name is a clever reference to the indigenous Quichua Pachamama Motherland. With 10 tables, and a non-pretentious, relaxing ambience, Pizzamama offers Ecuadorian beer on tap, wine, and a delightful hot bun with figs.

At Saguamby, it seems as if you are sitting on the crown of Quito. Nestled atop Hotel Castillo Vista del Angel with an unparalleled 360-degree view of the city, the restaurant is home to Chef, Mijael Proano, 25, who cooks with long-established Ecuadorian products. Proano’s fresh sea bass with garlic, herbs and spices is admired by both Quitenos and visitors alike.

WHEN YOU GO

Visit Quito

Bi-lingual Tour Guide, Marcelo Guerra, born and raised in Quito, is a great asset for those with time restraints.

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