Intelligent Travel

Guilty Pleasures: Crab Legs

As the weather warms up along the Mid-Atlantic, people inevitably start thinking crab. But writer Jody Mace admits that for her, crabs are a borderline obsession. She takes us through the entire thought process at her favorite crab shack Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

I hold the crab leg with both hands, my thumbs almost touching. I give it a sharp, measured, snap. The goal is to crack the shell, but not tear the meat.

I turn it over and snap again, cracking the shell all around. I gently wiggle the two sections apart, revealing a long piece of crabmeat hanging, quivering, from the shell. I dip it in the butter and bring it to my mouth. I hold the crab leg lightly with my teeth, and, closing my eyes, pull the meat from the shell. Sweet crab, rich butter, and a hint of salt mingle in my mouth. Heaven.

Going for all-you-can-eat crab is de rigueur when my sister and I visit Myrtle Beach. We’ve got a strategy. First there’s the basket of hushpuppies. I could eat them all. But that’s just what they want us to do! If we fill up on hushpuppies, we won’t put a hurting to the crab legs. So we resist.

Whoever has the best view of the buffet bar alerts the other when a new vat of steaming hot crab legs arrives. It’s easy to be sidetracked by the 70 other items at the buffet. I skip them all. Each bite of shrimp scampi takes up a little stomach room reserved for crab legs. You have to focus.

When in Hawaii, Drink the Local Brew

As any good traveler knows, there's no better way to get a taste of a place than by sampling the local cuisine. In Hawaii's case, there is of course anything with macadamia nuts (from macadamia-nut honey to wasabi macadamia nuts—those'll clear your sinuses anyday). When I think of Hawaii, beer isn't the first thing to come to mind. But the Maui Brewing Company deserves a second look, not only for its uniquely Hawaiian-flavored beers but also for its sustainable practices.

Garrett Marrero (originally from San Diego) and his wife Melanie bought the brewing business three and a half years ago. It is the only brewery on Maui and has won several awards for its unique beers. Their Coconut Porter, which is spiced with natural toasted coconut, won a gold medal in the 2008 World Beer Championships. Maui Brewing also takes environmental matters into their own hands. Their beer comes in cans (thus eliminating the risk of broken glass littering the islands), and the owners even reuse their  brewpub's vegetable oil to power their vehicles.

You can't find the beer on the U.S. mainland quite yet, but it is available in many locations throughout Hawaii. Yard House, located in Waikiki, just began offering Maui Brewing Co. beer on tap, and is the first restaurant in Oahu to do so.

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Photo: Garrett W. Marrero

Beyond the City Limits

Mid-April, I decided to visit my hometown of Seattle. Seeing as the Emerald City is in the peak of its rainy season at that time (believe it or not, the rain does stop eventually), my mom wondered why I'd ever want to visit for a week of gray drizzle. Well, I found round-trip airfare for $178 (which I ended up paying for in the end, when my MD-80 flight was canceled and I spent an extra six hours in BWI—I'm not bitter), and I knew visiting in April would allow me to see my favorite parts of the Pacific Northwest sans camera-toting tourists. Fortunately, I ended up bringing with me about 36 hours of sunshine, so my mom and I ventured out of the city.

Our first stop: Whidbey Island. About 30 miles north of Seattle is the ferry from Mukilteo (its small port has no more than a lighthouse, small market, and Ivar's restaurant—their smoked salmon chowder is to die for) to Whidbey Island.  There's not much on Whidbey, either, but that's the beauty of it. We stopped by Greenbank Farm, a 1930s berry farm on the south-central part of the island. In 1972 Greenbank was considered the largest grower of loganberries, a cross between a raspberry and blackberry, for which the farm is now famous (stop by in July for their Loganberry Festival). Unfortunately, we arrived before the farm actually opened for the day, so instead of testing some delicious loganberry products, we were instead greeted by some of the farm's furry friends (pictured left).

We continued north through Deception Pass, a 4,134-acre marine and camping park with great views and wildlife-watching opportunities. Stop your car before Deception Pass Bridge and take a walk along one of the short trails, or check out the view from the lookout on the other side (for more information, the visitor center is located about one mile south of the bridge). After leaving Whidbey Island, we continued east on Route 20 and north on 237, on a mission to make it to Edison, Washington, for lunch.

Backstage at the Café Orlin

Friend of IT Julia Obermiller, a beauty intern and blogger for CosmoGirl in New York, moonlights at the Café Orlin on St. Marks Place in the East Village.  Do you think New Yorkers are unfriendly, we asked this young transplant from genteel Virginia?  Julia finds the opposite is true:

Working in a New York City restaurant is like so many other things in life: If you find the right fit, you'll love it. I managed to find a small café in the East Village that seems to fit me to a tee. It's casual, comfortable and brings new meaning to the industry's word "regulars," as it's not unusual for customers to come in twice a day for our beloved hummus or flourless chocolate cake. In one of the world's most bustling cities, it's comforting to find a place full of familiar faces at any given time. The café has been around since 1981 – it's older than I am – and the kind of character that accompanies such history is impossible to fake. People tend to think of New York City as such a cold, unfeeling place; I'm constantly asked by outsiders how I'm faring. "Aren't the people rude? Don't you get lonely?" And my answer is always "No!" These people I see everyday, both the patrons and my coworkers, have become exactly that – the people I see everyday, the people who know about me, about my life.

In a review by New York magazine, the employees of Café Orlin are summed up as "tall, skinny...wait staff," but we actually come in all shapes and sizes from places all over the world. I've found a place to work, a restaurant at that, which embodies everything I love most about Manhattan – diversity, creativity, and authenticity.

She neglected to mention that the New York review also described the wait staff as "cute," which is true in Julia's case.

Photo: Susan NYC via the Intelligent Travel Flickr pool

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Cocktail Caucus in the Emerald City

Recently a friend and I stopped by Seattle's Tini Bigs Lounge, a black-wall, pink-light cocktail lounge just steps from the Space Needle. The sign outside claims it is the "second best cocktail lounge" in Seattle. At first, I wasn't quite sure why—after sampling a couple varieties of their ten-ounce 30 martinis, I'd happily call them the best around.

"Everyone claims to be number one regardless if it’s earned or just a marketing ploy," says manager Patrick Haight. "We like to think of ourselves as a humble cocktail lounge that is progressive in creating a good quality cocktail with unique and fresh ingredients. Being number two always gives us room to strive in doing better."

Fair enough. That night we sampled the Florida Keys, Aloe, and Lemon Drop varieties, avoiding the (we felt) more adventurous flavors, like the Burning Man-tini (mazama chili pepper vodka mixed with chocolate liqueur), voted best martini by Seattle Weekly.

But if you stop by the lounge this week, stay away from their classic varieties, step up to the 1909 Brunswick bar to order a "Bama-tini" or "Clin-tini," and watch as Tini Bigs's Democratic cocktail caucus takes place right in the lounge. Both drinks are made from the exact same ingredients, and for every drink ordered, the tally will go up on the board (pictured, above).

"We will be serving and keeping our unofficial results until one of the candidates drops out," says Haight. "From that point I will already have a McCain and 'fill in the blank' board ready to go until the election. We’ll have our election night party at Tini Bigs and our adjoining bar Hula Hula to root for the perspective candidates. Last election we had a more than enthusiastic party." This is one political party we'd be glad to take part in.

Tini Bigs is located at 100 Denny Way (+1 206 284 0931), on the corner of First and Denny, near the Space Needle and Pacific Science Center.

Photo: courtesy of Patrick Haight; Tini Bigs chalkboard art by Martin Hester

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Shack-tastic

Ever since Marilyn posted about Manhattan's Secret Burger, I've been meaning to offer my own love letter to New York's Shake Shack, the burger I dream about now that I'm in D.C. Admittedly, the Shack is as much about the scene as it is the food, but the 40 minute-plus line snaking through Madison Square Park is a perfect excuse to gossip and gawk at the eclectic slice of New Yorkers queued up: brusque business-types (or the interns who cater to them), skinny-jean clad hipsters, dog walkers, the elderly, and college students galore. The outdoor burger stand is the brainchild of restauranteur Danny Meyer (of Union Square Cafe and Eleven Madison Park), and since opening in the park in 2004, the line has yet to dwindle.

But believe me, it's worth it. The Shackburgers, made of choice bits of sirloin and served with the delicious Shack sauce, have me salivating as of this writing. The fries are best of their species: crinkle cut and amazingly crispy, they're fantastic even without ketchup. Don't be deterred by the long line, for it serves to give you enough time to fully ponder the options on the menu. Should I opt for the 'Shroombuger (a fried portobello stuffed with Muenster) or the Shack-cago dog (a hot dog bedecked with a garden's worth of veggies)? Should I select a frozen custard (soft-serve and ice cream) from their daily Custard calendar or go with a Concrete (frozen custard plus mix-ins)?  What is a purple cow and how will my life change after I've had one?

No Beer at the Inn

The Halal Inn opened last December in Oldham, England, as the first Islamic pub in Britain. Buzzing (albeit a bit hesitantly) with a decidedly sobering business model, the place adheres to a strict no-alcohol policy, opting instead to serve fizzy non-alcoholic juices, drinks, and spritzers.

The Daily Mail explains:

Pubgoers can play snooker, darts or karam, an Indian board game similar to billiards. Islamic-themed quiz nights have also been organised.

Owners Azizur Rahman and business partner Muzahid Khan spotted the potential in the former Westwood Inn which was lying empty on the edge of the town centre.

Muslims are a major consumer group and they need somewhere to relax and socialise just like anybody else," said Mr Khan yesterday.

"But the presence of alcohol means traditional pubs are off-putting to those who want to follow strict Islamic rulings, so this is the perfect place for them to come.

I'm all for diverse businesses, especially ones that cater to under-represented demographics. And considering Britain is home to around two million Muslims, the concept certainly hits an untapped niche. But at the risk of sounding like a lush, I can't help but agree with Vagabondish: "Why not just call it a café instead?"

Photo: Karam board game, by Domini_ via Flickr

The Luck of the Suck

Contributing editor Andrew Nelson is in San Antonio this week celebrating Fiesta, and he'll be sending us dispatches from the road all this week.

How hard is it to eat a Texas-sized bucket of baked oysters? Really hard, I'm discovering. Each mollusk is the size of your fist, shut tighter than Area 51, they mock my feeble efforts to pry them apart.

I'm at the 92nd annual Oyster Bake, one of the kick-off events Fiesta San Antonio, a ten-day-long party that is to the Texas city what Mardis Gras is to New Orleans: colorful parades and raucous revelry marked by too much food, too much drink and way, way too much fun.

Around me swirl many of the 70,000 people who will pour into the campus of St. Mary's University on the city's west side, home of one of the USA's oldest and proudest Mexican communities.  Tonight San Antonians of all backgrounds are going to drink, dance, listen to Tejano and rock and roll, and wolf down entire beds of shellfish. This is their party, and San Antonio, unlike Louisiana's Crescent City, appears to have kept the fun to themselves. Few travelers outside of Texas it seems have heard of Fiesta. But while it's on, America's seventh largest city can think of little else.

Fiesta San Antonio began in 1891 as a way to honor the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto. It's evolved into 100 different events, which include over-the-top balls held by San Antonio's Old School Old Money elites, spectacular parades and satirical mockery of pretense in a counter-cultural Fiesta Cornyation. Here's a guide to the whole shebang.

A Taste of Oz

Last week, I took a trip to Australia while waiting for my lunch to heat up in the microwave. Standing in the NG cafeteria, I noticed with surprise the package the man next to me was holding.

“Oh my gosh, you have Tim Tams!”

My new friend grinned and revealed to me that he got these Aussie cookie treats (known in the Land Down Under as “chocolate biscuits”) at D.C.'s E Street Cinema. We shared recollections of eating this heavenly délice across the world, and he gave me one. At the first bite, my memory rocketed back to the tastes of teatime at my elementary school in Sydney.

So I thought I’d share a few of my favorites with you, IT readers. What can't be found here in the U.S. can be purchased online and shipped, although my suggestion is to head to Australia and try them firsthand. For a true Aussie experience, here are some snack foods you just shouldn’t miss:

Tim Tams. By far the most well-known and delicious chocolate biscuit, Tim Tams are produced by the Arnott's company. They come in flavors like Chewy Caramel, classic Dark, and Latte, and share a general theme of two crispy wafers surrounding a creamy filling, the whole thing covered in a layer of velvety chocolate. You can even use the biscuit (or “biccie”) as a straw to suck up hot chocolate or milk—a trick known as the "Tim Tam Slam."

Lift and Squash. Although it sounds like an uncomfortable sport, these are actually two of the country’s most refreshing drinks. Lift is a lemon-flavored soda similar to Sprite, although it’s more flavorful, being sweetened with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. Squash is Australia’s answer to lemonade, and it can vary depending on where you get it.

Smith’s Potato Chips, Chicken Flavor—Chicken-flavored potato chips, you ask? To which I answer a resounding yes. This equivalent of America’s Lay’s company produces several varieties of chips, including most of the standards, but the chicken flavor is perhaps the most authentic. Its sweet and spicy saltiness is something you won’t find in the U.S., although a somewhat similar chicken taste can be found in America’s Chicken in a Biskit cracker.

Just the Very Best Please

Senior Editor Sheila Buckmaster is known for her good taste, so for our Authentic New York coverage, we wondered which New York City locales can satiate her appetite.

Cookbooks and guidebooks aren't all that different when it comes to taste. When I thumb through a cookbook, I think, "Okay, of the dozens of recipes here, which are the really great ones?" When I thumb through a guidebook, I think, "Okay, of the dozens of eat/see/do/stay recommendations here, which are the really great ones?"

I'm always after the "don't miss" spots, and I don't want to have to guess. But I know that a book can't have just 30 pages....Which is why I loved writing the New York City Place of a Lifetime mini-guide for the National Geographic website. There is no padding in this set of recommendations, just the very best. As a native New Yorker now living in Maryland and working in D.C. at Traveler, I try to get "back to my roots" as often as I can so that I can see my pals, walk my favorite streets (Madison, Bleecker), and eat the food that transports me to my New Yorker days.

Here are a few of my favorites, one of which I included in the online New York guide:

• No falafel sandwich I tasted in Israel holds a candle to what's served as Mamouns, a hole-in-the-wall West Village storefront open 365 days a year, 11 a.m. - 5 a.m. (119 MacDougal Street).

• "I'll have a cappuccino, please." Invariably the place I place that order is La Lanterna di Vittorio, a Greenwich Village wine bar and coffee house down the street from Mamouns. At night, enjoy live jazz along with your coffee, pizza, desserts, and wine (129 MacDougal Street).

• Cookie! Oversize and like a nearly flat iced cupcake, the black-and-white has been a staple at Glaser's Bake Shop since 1902—and in my family's house since the 1940s. New York all the way. In the "Dinner Party" episode, Jerry Seinfeld says, "The thing about eating a black-and-white cookie, Elaine, is you want to get some black and some white in each bite. Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate. And yet, still, somehow racial harmony eludes us. If people would only look to the cookie. All our problems would be solved." (87th Street and First Avenue).

Do you have your own New York dining recommendations? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo: Nikkicookiebaker via Flickr

Funky Brunch in Pittsburgh

I finally got a chance to eat brunch in an antiques shop. My daughter Lucy, who's an engineering student at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, had been trying to arrange it, but each time I visited I had to leave before this once-a-week event occurred. The antiques shop is called The Zenith, and it's located at 86 S. 26th Street, on the eclectic, artsy South Side of Pittsburgh. It's right along the Monongahela River, just across the wonderfully named Hot Metal Bridge (a former railroad bridge that reopened in the fall for bike and pedestrian traffic only).

Every Sunday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Zenith serves an extremely popular vegetarian brunch for $10, which includes an entrée, a huge array of homemade salads, delectable all-you-can-eat desserts, plus coffee or your choice of 75 different kinds of tea served in wacky teapots. The teapots, as well as the glassware, plates, silverware, tablecloths, lamps, artwork on the walls, and even your chair are all for sale. Zenith specializes in 20th century collectibles and vintage clothing, and they have chairs and baby carriages hanging from the ceiling as well. We lucked out with the big table near the window that we snagged without a wait (very unusual), despite having a large group. The food was so good I didn't realize until later that it was vegan, and I'm happy to report the dish did not run away with the spoon, at least not while we were eating.

Photo: Lucy Terrell

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Manhattan's Secret Burger

It's about the last place you'd expect to find a greasy spoon. After you enter the swanky, hushed lobby of the $400/night Le Parker Meridien hotel on West 56th St., immediately turn left and push aside the set of heavy floor-to-ceiling brown drapes. Then walk down a narrow hallway and follow this neon cheeseburger sign (left) to the end and turn right. Suddenly you're down the rabbit hole into the noisy, throbbing Burger Joint. Customers shout orders at the counter, cooks flip burgers behind the flaming grill, the jukebox is blaring, graffiti is scrawled on the walls above the few vinyl booths, and a fat, juicy burger comes broiled to order for seven bucks, with a side of hot fries in a greasy paper bag for $3.50. The menu is minimal: your choice of hamburger or cheeseburger, with lettuce, tomato, onion, sliced pickles, mustard, ketchup and mayo. That's it. They've got Coke, Sam Adams on tap and thick milkshakes, with brownies for dessert. If you don't like a long wait, get there right at noon or after the lunch rush around 2:30 pm.  Cash only, and hurry up and order because there's a line of impatient New Yorkers behind you who know exactly what they want.

Burger Joint, Le Parker Meridien hotel, W. 56th St. entrance between 6th and 7th Aves.  Open for lunch everyday and 'til midnight Fri. and Sat. Don't forget: CASH ONLY.

Photo: www.burgerclub.org via Flickr

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Filipino Brunch in SoHo

Associate Editor Amy Alipio shares her New York long-weekend tradition: Sunday brunch at Cendrillon.

Um, brunch where? you might ask.

Cendrillon restaurant in SoHo flies under the radar because of its Filipino menu. Not one of the better-known Asian cuisines, Filipino fare is a mix of Chinese, Malay, Spanish, and even American influences. (How else to explain the fascination with canned meats?) But this isn’t the typical Filipino buffet-style diner that you might find in other places with a high concentration of Filipinos (NJ, Toronto, the West Coast). Chef Romy Dorotan brings his own contemporary, but still authentic, take to Filipino food. Which means you won’t find anything with Spam in it, but your Filipino grandmother would still recognize the fried lumpia egg rolls.

New York may be the only city in the world where you can name any ethnic or global cuisine and find someplace dishing it up (hello, Caracas Arepa Bar). But it’s not the faithful menu of dishes from the old country that interests me as much as the New World interpretations that reflect the chef’s newfound American roots.

As a second-generation Filipino American married to a Hungarian-Romanian-Canadian (I can’t even begin to count how many hyphens our two-year-old has), I love New York’s United Nations diversity—but I lovelovelove how so many individual everyday New Yorkers are a global mix in themselves: the Ethiopian chef raised in Sweden, the Chinese-Jewish journalist who speaks Arabic, the Cajun-Italian fashion designer (ok, I’m beginning to make these up here).

Which brings me back to Cendrillon—a top-notch (the New York Times gave it a two-star review in 2005), contemporary Filipino restaurant with a French name, located right around the corner from a Kate Spade boutique.

Here’s what I’d order for brunch: kalamansi (Philippine lime) juice to drink, ukoy (shrimp, tofu, and bean-sprout fritters) to start, followed by tocino (pork sausage) & eggs with garlic fried rice, and ending with halo-halo (“iced dessert with red beans, coconut, jackfruit, sugar palm fruit, coconut & pineapple gel, toasted young rice topped with purple yam ice cream”).

Mmm, I love New York.

Photo: 536 via the Intelligent Travel Flickr pool

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Coffee with an $11,000 Price Tag

As I deliberated over coffee beans in my neighborhood grocery store, the guy next to me struck up a conversation. It was run-of-the-mill small talk at first, but soon he was swooning over Grape + Bean, a combo wine-and-coffee shop that had just opened in nearby Alexandria, Virginia. Clearly still on a caffeine high from his visit, he was positively rapturous over the “best cup of coffee he’d ever had.” Intrigued, I pressed for details—after all, anyone who knows me at all understands coffee is my true love (sorry, Noah). And a couple of weeks later, I hopped on D.C.’s Metro on a pilgrimage to check the place out for myself. 

Just off bustling King Street in Alexandria’s adorable Old Town, Grape + Bean beckons with a cozy-but-classy feel (hardwood floors, exposed brick walls) and a friendly barista manning the coffee bar’s coveted gem: the much-buzzed-over Clover, only one of about 200 such high-end machines scattered throughout the world that brews coffee (not espresso) on a cup-by-cup basis. Produced by a small Seattle company, the machine costs a mean $11,000 and is for the bean connoisseur, or, really, anyone who’s willing to shell out more than $3 for a cup of joe. Sort of like a French press, the Clover precisely micro-manages each variable of the brewing process (temperature, time, et al), ensuring each cup’s quality is consistent. At Grape + Bean, each cup steeps for 44 seconds, though you can request longer or shorter if you know what you want.

Slate’s Paul Adams managed to get his hands on a Clover to tinker with the brewing process. In his words: “I'm sure I'm not the first Clover user to experience a quick flashback to a vivid childhood memory—watching, horrified, as Darth Vader lowers Han Solo into his carbonite freezer.”

Random Tea

Despite what the vernal equinox might say about spring, I'm still freezing at my desk this afternoon. So when I read this post from The Poverty Jet Set about the new Random Tea Room in Philly, which offers a wide selection of teas from around the world (and, according to PJS, also has the best chai around), I started to get a hankering for some of the liquid magic.

Poking around their website (still in progress it seems) I turned up an extensive list of teas, with elaborate descriptions that would normally befit a bottle of wine, i.e.: "The Autumnal Flushes are mellower and markedly less common — their darker, woodsier qualities remind one of walking through a path of fallen leaves." But I was also instantly drawn to their sensibilities — and the opportunity to experience many of the teas as they were traditionally poured. From their website:

Taking the time to sit and sip a pot of tea can do wonders for clearing the mind from some of the excess baggage we carry with us in our daily routines. But tea isn't only about relaxation – it's about fresh experiences, entertaining the taste buds with previously unknown sensations, delighting the senses and savoring the richness of life. Some new experiences you'll encounter upon spending time in our tea room include Gong Fu tea service, drinking from the Chinese Zhong and sipping the finest Yerba Mate from the traditional cuia (Mate gourd) and bombilla (filtered straw).

I for one know that my instincts to visit a place have certainly been kicked into high gear by getting a taste of foreign food (or drink!) beforehand. So perhaps it makes sense that the word Travel starts with "tea."

Read More: The New York Times had a great piece recently about exploring the tea shops in the city. The founders of the company In Pursuit of Tea have traveled the world to find exotic blends. And I highly recommend high tea at The Savoy hotel in London...the finger sandwiches alone make me wistful...

Photo: Mark Schoneveld at the Poverty Jet Set

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Local Flavor: Organic Sparkling Wine

The Domaine Carneros Winery in Napa, California announced today that they'd received their organic certification from California Certified Organic Farmers, making them the first organic-certified sparkling winery in the United States. I had the chance to sit down with the company president and chief winemaker Eileen Crane to learn more about the process behind making a fine wine an organic wine as well.

Crane grew up in New Jersey, but packed up her car 30 years ago and headed west to pursue her passion for wine. In that time, she's worked her way up through the vineyard ranks, and now oversees the development of new wines each season. She sums up her line of work as the pursuit of "Aha!" moments, the times when your taste buds quiver with delight at a delicious sip. Fortunately for us, Crane says that since switching to organic farming, the flavor of the grapes have intensified, leading to even more satisfying "Aha!" moments than even she expected.

Congratulations on your organic certification. I understand the process takes over three years, what changes did you have to implement at the winery?

It’s a return to doing things the natural way – the way that preserves the earth. You have to learn how to farm differently. Instead of using herbicides, we had to learn how to cultivate. You’re not spending money on chemicals, you’re putting money into labor instead. But it also needs to be efficient to compete in the market. Running organically is more expensive, but I always say that we can brainstorm and find ways to run efficiently while being organic.

Have you noticed a difference in the wine since switching to organic farming?

I was really surprised at how much better a product it makes. When we started doing it, I thought, Will I really be able to notice a difference? How substantial would it be?  You know when you get a teabag, you can tell whether it's good tea or great tea? You can tell the gradations: This is really awful, this is reasonably good, or this is something with that “Aha!” to it – this is really lovely. People always have descriptors for wine, and we use those, but some of it is just the feeling, just being conscious of that “Aha!” moment. It’s just wonderful. It’s like when you sit down to a meal and the presentation and balance is just perfect. The ingredients and seasoning is perfect, it just seems really right. I say yes, there’s more flavor in the grapes and there’s better balance, but it’s really the “Aha!” sense – this is really fabulous quality.

And I'm sure the vineyard has changed a bit as well.

The vines look happier when you look at the vineyard; the greens seem more vibrant. It’s like when you see a child that’s well nourished and cared for: the rosy cheeks. The vines have a sense of vibrancy.
Going organic is restoring the natural balance of microbes and animals. I realized that the three years that it took for certification is the time it takes to start to restore the earth to its natural state, the way it should be.

Frolicking with Fruit

Friend of IT Roger Hamilton isn't afraid to dribble fruit juice down his chin in the name of research...

OK, it’s not one of tourism’s top ten. Still, Honduras’ Bay of Tela looked great in the aerial shot, a crescent-shaped tropical paradise anchored at both ends by national parks. But on the ground, I quickly tired of seeing dead and diseased coconut palms and hearing the roar of bulldozers carving out a sprawling golf and condo community. Land prices were soaring and squatters were laying claim to beach frontage even as the native Garinagu were happily selling their quaint communities out from under their feet.

So I turned my back on the beach, and a short taxi ride later, joined four workers and scientists eating dusky red passion fruit and spitting the seeds in a plastic pot.

Seed collecting not your taste? There’s more to the Lancetilla Botanical Garden than wiping passion-fruit juice off your chin. It’s the second largest collection of tropical plants in the world, with some 1,200 species. A botanist with the United Fruit Company started it in the 1920s with a collection of banana plants. From that humble start, the garden grew and grew, along with United's success in creating banana republics. Governments rose and fell, banana workers struck and rioted, but through all the commotion, the garden kept on photosynthesizing.

Finding Japan in D.C.

This weekend's Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. plays host to thousands of tourists looking to get a taste of Japan. But former Traveler intern Amy McKeever offers a selection of Japan-inspired locales that are available in the city year round.

If the idea of dropping a grand on airfare has been keeping you from taking that trip to Tokyo, then April is your lucky month. Each spring, a little bit of Tokyo blooms in Washington, D.C., during the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Over a million visitors descend upon D.C. to marvel at thousands of pink blossoms lining the embankment of the Tidal Basin, take in live music from local artists, and watch the parade. But the most popular event of the festival is the sakura matsuri, Japanese street festival. Pennsylvania Avenue transforms into Tokyo where visitors can sing karaoke, read manga and, of course, eat deliciously authentic Japanese dishes.

But if you look hard enough, it's possible to make your own Tokyo in D.C. any time of year—nearly as good as the real thing.

Daruma: Tucked away in a little shopping center in Bethesda, Maryland, Daruma is a gourmand's delight. Stop by and stock up on frozen dumplings, Kirin beer or your favorite brand of wasabi. If the shopping whets your appetite, order a meal at the back counter—my Japanese teacher swears by their miso ramen. You might even run into diplomats from the Japanese Embassy.

Sushi Taro: This well-known restaurant in Dupont Circle is where the Japanese journalists based in D.C. order their meals during late nights. This family-owned joint offers some of the best sushi in town and, more importantly, it offers a broad menu of other Japanese specialties. After all, even the Japanese don't eat sushi every single day.

Greening the World, One Shot at a Time

One shot of vodka, that is. We've written about green brew before, but were intrigued to hear about the self-proclaimed "world’s first eco-friendly premium spirit," Vodka 360.

So, why drink this vodka (as if one needs a reason)? The bottles are made from 85 percent recycled glass and the logo is blown into the glass (saving paper). When paper labels are needed, 100 percent post-consumer waste materials are used, as well as water-based inks. Every bottle also comes with a postage-paid envelope so that drinkers can mail back the flip-top cap for re-use.

Inhabitat explains further:

All impurities are removed by distilling the vodka four times using the column distillation process and later it is filtered five times though granulated charcoaled coconut shell filtration system. The state-of-the-art distillery meets or exceeds all EPA air and water quality standards for distilleries. The production process reduced its volatile organic compounds output by 70% and sulfur dioxide emissions by 99% and the company states that it uses 250% less fossil fuel energy during production process.

In addition, McCormick Distilling, America's oldest continually operating distillery and the manufacturer of Vodka 360, promises to donate $20 for every case purchased to Florida's Coastal Conservation Association.

Now, there are other eco-friendly vodkas out there. Purus (which calls itself the world's first organic Italian wheat variety), and VeeV, made from the Brazilian açaí berry, which Dr. Nicholas Perricone told Oprah was his number one "superfood" (and if Oprah endorses it, it must be good). VeeV donates $1 per bottle purchased to the Sambazon's Sustainable Acai Project and, for every person who registers on its website, Purus will plant one tree in America. To which we say, bottom's up!

Photo: Vodka 360

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Dine-In Brooklyn for $23

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz gets a taste of Brooklyn.

I'm a big fan of D.C.'s Restaurant Week, where foodies can eat a multi-course meal at some of the city's greatest restaurants for a set price (this year it was $20.08 for lunch, $30.08 for dinner).

Brooklyn has a similar deal, the fifth-annual Dine-In Brooklyn, which started on March 24th and goes through this Monday the 31st. Patrons dining at some 200 Brooklyn restaurants (including Michelin-rated spots) get a three-course prix-fixe meal for only $23. For a list of the restaurants and a map of their locations, click here, or search by neighborhood here.

Photo: Kathryn Kirk

Veg Out in New York City

Friend of IT Marissa Bea, a theater student and recently converted vegan living in the Big Apple, knows that the foodie options in New York are endless. But where to start if you're looking for restaurants catering to the vegetable-conscious clientele? After six months of searching, Marissa gave us the low-down on some of her favorite vegetarian and vegan options in the city.

Candle Cafe (1307 Third Ave. at 75th St. 212-472-0970; pictured left) and more posh Candle 79 (154 East 79th St. near Lexington Ave.; 212-537-7179) both serve organic vegetarian food, from classic Caesar salads to the more innovative BBQ tempeh and sweet potato sandwich. Both spots also offer wide selections of beers, wines, and cocktails.

Marissa recently discovered New Hampshire-originated Curly's Vegetarian Lunch (328 East 14th St. between 1st and 2nd Aves.; 212-598-9998), a vegetarian diner (believe it or not) for "vegetarians, vegans, and sympathetic omnivores" that serves up "fakin'" (meat-free bacon) and veggie burgers. The NYC location opened in 2005 and has become a local favorite.

Chennai Garden (129 East 27th St.; 212-689-1999) is an all-vegetarian kosher Indian eatery that dishes up some of the best curry, chapati, and dosai in town. Says Marissa, "Their service suffers... but their food is awesome and really inexpensive."

Destination: DC Dessert

Traveler Intern Catherine Pearson learned that sometimes the sweetest trip can be the one that you take without leaving your city. Ladies and gentlemen, we present you with a "Staycation."

Catherine and her roommate can always make room for cake...

We were bound for Niagara Falls. My roommate and I had never been, and it was her requested birthday celebration. Yahoo! and Google both estimated drive time as less than 8 hours from just outside Washington, D.C. Expedia pinpointed a hotel just north of the border. By our calculations, we were ready to go.

Then a glance at Weather.com froze us in our tracks: Winter snow advisory for the entire Northeast. Impaired visions of weighted-down windshield wipers and sealed-shut car doors chilled our revved-up plans. The perfect storm was toppling our last-minute birthday getaway.

Crestfallen, we dove deeper into the web to find a toastier weekend vacation. But prices skyrocketed as the latitude plummeted.

Admitting defeat, we hung up the mouse and went to bed. My roommate would have to settle for cake and ice cream without waterfalls. Revelation settled in overnight, like a silent snowfall. D.C. is a destination for travelers. Why not make it one for residents? Travel is my roommate's first love, but chocolate is a close second.  If museums and politics were the meat and potatoes of D.C., then we would partake in the capital's desserts.

Sip Wine with Sonoma's Pros

San Francisco-based writer Matt Bloom is back with another insider's tip, this time on where to sip wine with Sonoma's pros.

With 14 different appellations, or grape-growing districts, in Sonoma County, a booze cruise down Highway 101 can be overwhelming. And not just because of the midday hangover. There’s a lot to learn about wine, and you won’t get it swirling a pinot—or whatever they said it was—in a tasting room. To really make the most of wine country, head to Carneros Bistro and Wine Bar for a tasting and some wisdom from locals who know. Twice a week, the restaurant, which is part of the 182-room Lodge at Sonoma, hosts wine-education nights. More of a casual conversation than a formal lecture, the evening gives visitors the opportunity to clear up any hazy parts of the day—how tannins affect a wine’s flavor profile, or why people were spitting perfectly good alcohol into buckets.

Tuesday nights, visitors will find sommelier Christopher Sawyer—who also happens to be a wine journalist and owner of WineRadius.com, a soon-too-launch online wine retailer —pouring complimentary tastings from the restaurant’s award-winning wine list. Sawyer chooses a seasonal theme (for spring: rosé, sauvignon blanc, and the like) and provides comprehensive tips and info on enjoying the wine without all the highfalutin' vino verbiage. “I’m not snooty about wine,” he says, “I just like it, and I want to put it on peoples’ tables. There’s never a dumb question here.”

On Thursdays, Sawyer invites local Sonoma celebs, aka winemakers and proprietors, to pour their creations, talk about their grapes, and schmooze with guests. It’s a good time to get to know one vineyard exceptionally well. “Thursdays are great because it’s not really something that anyone else does,” Sawyer says. “You aren’t talking to a wine rep or someone from the tasting room, these guys made the wine you’re drinking.”

Make nice with Sawyer, and you might just find yourself closing the bar over a 2002 bottle of Peter Michael Red Meritage. And if you do, you’ve definitely learned a thing or two in wine country.

Read more: IT admits to having a strong affection for the vino. We'll sip it out of baby bottles, hell, we'll even bathe in it if you let us.

Photo: Courtesy the Lodge

Let's Play Ball!

 
Baseball season is almost here (which means it's getting warmer, too!), and our hometown Washington Nationals just got a brand new ballpark. But this year, in addition to serving traditional hotdogs and Miller Lite, Nationals Park is adding a bit of local flavor to its menu.

The 41,222-seat stadium, which officially opens March 30, will feature 11 local independent businesses, including favorites Ben's Chili Bowl, Noah's Pretzels (which will serve its pretzels in the shape of a "W"), Boardwalk Fries, and Dinger ice-cream sandwiches from Gifford's Ice Cream & Candy. Fans might even be able to ditch big-name beer for local brew from Capitol City Brewing Co. (negotiations have not yet been settled).

"Our offerings are going to be hard to rival," Nationals spokeswoman Chartese Burnett told the Washington Post. "I'm a vegetarian, and to be able to get sushi and veggie burgers at a ballpark? Come on. We'll have something for everyone."

Global Frappuccino

Say what you will about caffeine-giant Starbucks. Because apparently, Prague is saying only good things.

In January, Starbucks opened its first location in the Czech Republic. The retailer is located in an 1874 building (which, appropriately, used to be a coffee house), and includes the building's original flooring, "use of recommended paint color palettes, maintenance of all existing windows, and design and installation of subdued exterior signage in keeping with the ambience of the town square," according to the Starbucks press release.

Said Cliff Burrows, president of Starbucks Europe, Middle East, and Africa: "We are thrilled to welcome the people of Prague back to the Palác Grömlingovský to enjoy Starbucks finest coffees in the location they have known and loved for years.”

Checking In: The Hotel Hershey Turns 75

Associate Editor Susan O'Keefe caught up with Brian O'Day, the general manager of The Hotel Hershey, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and is still as sweet as ever.

    

The Hotel Hershey when it opened in 1933, and the hotel today.

Hi Brian, Congratulations on Hershey Hotel's 75th anniversary. We've all heard Hershey Pennsylvania is the "sweetest place on Earth." Is it really true?

Absolutely! It's a great place to live, work and raise a family. There's always plenty to do here, yet it still maintains its small-town flavor and feel.

What's the story behind The Hotel Hershey?

The hotel had long been a dream that Milton Hershey and his wife Kitty shared. Mr. Hershey built his hotel in the 1930s, right in the midst of the Great Depression. It was his goal to ensure that nobody in town was unemployed during that time. He created 600 construction jobs, and the projects he developed are now called his "Great Building Campaign." The campaign was about building structures, obviously, but also about building hope that the country would recover and life would go on. The hotel is built on the highest point in the area—on top of what's called "Pat's Hill"—so it has the most spectacular view of the town below.

Can you tell us about Mr. Hershey, the inspirational man behind the brand? I understand he started a boy's school that continues to serve kids in the area?

It's an amazing success story. He gave his entire fortune (when he was still alive!) to establish a school for disadvantaged children. He built the entire town as an idyllic community. It's wonderful working for the hotel, because we're owned by the trust that Mr. Hershey established. So we're all working for a "higher purpose," as our profits are returned to the trust to help perpetuate the Milton Hershey School. Today there are 1,700 boys and girls living and learning in Hershey because of Mr. Hershey's generosity and foresight.

In what ways is chocolate used at the hotel?

We're very creative in our use of chocolate and try to incorporate it into our menus, themes and retail offerings. (Have you heard about our chocolate diamonds or chocolate pearls, which we sell at our Jeweler?) Naturally we use chocolate in our culinary programs; chocolate desserts are a natural. However, Ken Gladysz, our executive chef, also incorporates it into savory dishes and entrees. He uses it as a rub or in sauces. One of the most popular dishes in our Circular Dining Room is our Cocoa-Seared Scallops. We also serve chocolate butter (as well as sweet cream butter) to accompany our chocolate cherry bread.  And at breakfast you can't miss our famous chocolate bread pudding. I'm getting hungry just talking about it!

So what does a guest received at turndown?

Naturally...a goodnight Kiss!

Indulge at Philly's Beer Week

Oh, Philadelphia, always trying to get us drunk.* But as the place that bills itself as the "best beer-drinking city in America" and keeps a beer reporter nicknamed "Joe Sixpack" on its newspaper staff (who penned the great line "The new Miller Lite: The Kenny G of beers"), it's not hard to see why they're eager to ply us with spirits. So if you consider yourself a fan of the ales, pils, lagers, and stouts, clear your schedule from March 7-16th to check out Philly's first annual "Beer Week."

The ten-day beer extravaganza has over 120 events that cater to the variety of beer enthusiasts: those interested in pairing beers with dinner, out-geeking the competition in a beer tasting contest, dessert lovers (like us) who are interested in incorporating beer into their sweets, and visitors looking to sample the many locally brewed beverages.

For a preview of what's in store, you can even watch videos featuring Joe Sixpack himself leading the lucky cameraperson through the town's many taverns. All of which is getting us thirsty.

Read more: IT has had to raise our glasses numerous times in the name of research. We trekked along the Eco-Brew trail, went to the source for some Belgian brews, and left on a microbrew pilgrimage.

*Just kidding - we love the City of love and all of its responsible drinkers!

Image: Philadelphia Beer Week

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