Archive for the ‘food’ Category
Italy, the land of pizza, pasta and gelato, is a culinary paradise. Every region has its own distinct flavors, and among the best is Tuscany. Here are a few delicious spots to savor la dolce vita in Florence, the heart of Tuscany.
Le Bertucce
This fantastic pizza and panino joint has a small, simple dining room and adjoining counter centered around a wood burning oven. Located right in the heart of central Florence steps from the Duomo, friendly staff serve up freshly baked meals at reasonable prices to hungry crowds of locals. Honestly, I’ve never had a panino as perfect as the ones at Le Bertucce. Their panini feature mouth-watering combos with cured meats and tuscan staples. The best part is the bread—baked fresh on the spot once you place your order. It’s an unforgettable sensation to bite into a steaming panino with bread pulled straight from the oven!
Le Bertucce | Via Santa Elisabetta 16/r
Perched 28 floors up at the top of Hong Kong’s fashionable Hotel ICON in Kowloon, Above & Beyond serves up dim-sum and seasonal Cantonese cuisine amid a spectacular harbor view. This upscale restaurant is just minutes away from the bustling urban center of Tsim Sha Tsui, buzzing with shops, restaurants and museums. However, all that excitement melts away the minute you step into Above & Beyond’s sleek, modern realm.
We’re doing a live tweet tasting at Panzano restaurant in downtown Denver tonight starting at 6:30p. Follow along via #Panzano or at @CultureVixen. See you there!
Located among the lapping waves and pelicans in Redondo Beach, California is one of South Bay’s best kept dining secrets. Lined with palm trees and overlooking a quiet stretch of the marina, Baleen, named for a type of whale, feels miles apart from the bustle of Los Angeles, but chic enough to be a major player on the restaurant scene.
I love Moroccan cuisine. Pastilla, or meat pies encased in puff pastry and covered with powdered sugar and cinnamon, savory lamb tajines, and hot mint tea don’t even begin to scratch the surface of this complex culinary culture. My food obsession led me all the way to Morocco where I followed my taste buds right into the Moroccan kitchen.
Zanzibar is an exotic enough destination in itself, but things just got even more interesting. Check out this restaurant on a rock in the Indian Ocean.
The St. Regis hotel in Beijing is home to a number of the city’s hottest dining spots and watering holes. Highlights range from Cantonese to Italian cuisine, and from a cigar lounge to a steakhouse with city views. Yet one standout among these is the Press Club Bar, a stylish find located just off the hotel’s opulent main lobby.
Outside the Tonga Hut in North Hollywood, a giant Polynesian Moai statue greets those seeking a little tropical bliss. Wedged between a brightly-lit bridal shop and a model store on a quiet strip of Victory Boulevard sits the oldest remaining tiki joint in Los Angeles, dating back to 1958.
The Birth of the Tiki Bar
The tiki bar itself was an L.A. concoction, pioneered with Don’s Beachcomber Cafe in the 1930’s, which quickly became popular with Hollywood celebrities. This ushered in an era of south seas chic that saw the spread of tiki establishments across the country, famous for their exotic cuisine, rum-based cocktails, and wonderful island atmosphere. Created to give late night revelers dreamy island vibes to swoon over, tiki bars served as houses of island kitsch filled with the rich iconography of far away destinations like Tahiti, Fiji, Easter Island, Hawaii, and The Cook Islands, to name a few.
Looking for a good breakfast joint with healthy ingredients that serves up both classic and unconventional treats? Then look no further than Jinky’s Cafe. With a relaxed California vibe and four locations across Los Angeles, Jinky’s has you covered for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If chili is your thing, Jinky’s has a whole section of the menu devoted to it. In fact, they’ve got a menu so long it’s dizzying.
I was hooked the minute I tasted the Pumpkin and Baked Apple Crepes, a pile of savory crepes buried beneath layers of cinnamon-spiced apples topped with whipped cream and creamy pumpkin marmalade. Better yet, go for the 2 + 2 + 2 add on and you’ll get two slices of bacon and two eggs any style alongside most breakfast items.
Jinky’s Cafe
Restaurant locations in Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Santa Monica, and Agoura Hills.
Article originally published at Examiner.com.
Catal Restaurant and Uva Bar is a must try restaurant in the Downtown Disney district serving unique Spanish cuisine, just steps from Disneyland in Anaheim.
Lovely and light Spanish cuisine is the specialty at Catal, a Downtown Disney establishment, just a short walk from the entrance of Disneyland and California Adventure in Anaheim. Spanning four unique dining areas, diners can choose between the upstairs windowed rotunda with warm yellow walls and panoramic views or the upscale fireplace room, decked out in rich earth tones with plenty of intimate lighting. There’s also an outdoor terrace overlooking all the action, as well as the Uva Bar downstairs.
