Posts Tagged ‘restaurant-guide’
Good afternoon tea spots are hard to find. Los Angeles has a diverse collection of tea houses that range from traditional English to sleek and modern—you just have to know where to look. All the classics are present, from luxury hotels to Asian-inspired tea rooms. Here are our top 10 favorite spots:
10. Tudor House, Santa Monica
This Santa Monica tea room is classic English, casual, and perfect for tea followed by some beach time or shopping at Third Street Promenade. You won’t be fawned over by white glove waiters, nor hear harpists strum. Instead you can relax, enjoy classic English fare and pastries, then grab a pint at the English pub next door.
Tudor House Santa Monica
1403 2nd Street
Santa Monica, California
310.451.8470
The national dish of Scotland is haggis. This hearty dish consists of minced sheep’s liver, heart, and lungs, mixed with suet and oatmeal and seasoned with diced onions and spices. All this is then cooked in the sheep’s stomach. It’s also served with neeps and tatties, or puréed turnips and mashed potatoes, respectively.
Berlin is a city that is constantly changing. Ultra modern building projects glisten beside historically grand structures and the occasional art-covered chunk of the Berlin Wall. In this constantly evolving landscape, there is never a shortage of sleek and stylish hotels either, many which have become some of the city’s most daring expressions of new design. Among these trendsetters Nhow Hotel has to be one of the most beautifully designed of them all.
St. Gallen, tucked away in Switzerland’s northwestern corner, turned out to be a culinary slice of heaven. This city has it all—classic and modern architecture, a vast historical legacy, a focus on fashion, UNESCO world heritage sights and an emphasis on good food.
Monastery Haute Cuisine
Hands down, the most unique meal in town is the St. Gallus haute cuisine dining experience at Gaststuben zum Schlössli, a restored castle in the heart of St. Gallen’s old town with themed dining rooms.
I was drawn to Lausanne by a distant memory. Back in my college days when I was studying abroad in Italy, I took an overnight train to either Barcelona or Paris. On the way I remember waking up early in the morning and looking out the train window. I was so stunned by the beautiful view that it’s still etched in my mind. The day was crystal clear and there was a big blue lake, reflecting the sky and snow capped mountains in its waters. The hills were exploding with green and tumbled straight onto the water’s shore. I looked for a sign of where we were: Lausanne. I vowed to come back here one day, stop, and linger, instead of just passing through.
Finally today I caught a train back to Lausanne.
In the old Muhu dialect of Estonian, “neh” roughly translates to a combination of “yes,” “naturally,” and “of course.” After being treated to a generous multi-course meal at this entrepreneurial spinoff of Pädaste Manor’s Alexander Restaurant on Muhu Island (Estonia’s third largest island), the idea of simply saying “yes” to Neh makes perfect sense. Why wouldn’t I say yes to fresh ingredients, creative recipes and a welcoming staff?
Tallinn, Estonia is the perfect weekend addition to a tour of Scandinavia. It’s a quick, easy and inexpensive ferry ride away from both Stockholm and Helsinki. With its charming and well preserved old town, ringed with stone walls adorned by fairytale turrets, it’s the perfect place to experience pure Baltic flavor laced with a sliver of Scandinavian influence.
Stockholm’s Nordic Sea Hotel is not only home to the Icebar, but it’s home to an Ice Menu too. In the Sea Bar & Restaurant you can get this set menu featuring dishes inspired by the flavors of Jukkasjärvi in Swedish Lapland. Here dishes are served on plates and bowls made of pure ice from the Torne river in Northern Sweden!
Inside trendy Hotel Monaco in downtown Denver, award-winning Panzano serves up Northern Italian fusion fare with inventive zest while maintaining a commitment to sustainability. Decorated in hues of plum, mocha and chocolate, pen and ink drawings of Italian landmarks line the walls while the windows overlook busy city streets. Best of all the food here is as artful as the decor.
Seeking a stylish place to sleep in Denver? Then check out Hotel Monaco. With the scent of flowers wafting through the air and the mellow beat of eclectic lounge music filling your ears, this hip retreat in the heart of the city is filled with designer flare. Just steps away from the bustling shopping and dining district of 16th Street Mall, the hotel’s lobby houses shelves of graceful ceramics and is populated with contemporary furniture in bold colors juxtaposed with a western theme (think modern leather chairs with horse stirrups hanging from the arms). All this is set beneath a star-studded ceiling hung with a Moroccan-inspired globe chandelier.
