Category Archives for America.
First things first: I won’t be addressing the tragedy today surrounding MH17. It’s a horrific event and nobody in the world needs a snarky food and travel writer such as myself weighing in. Back to our regularly scheduled programming… Have you ever been to Japan to experience the Tanabata Star Festival? I haven’t, but I…
If you have any doubt that we’re living in a globalized world, look no further than Dominique Ansel’s “Cronut,” the croissant-doughnut hybrid that set the food world (and regular world, really) abuzz a little over a year ago in Ansel’s Manhattan Bakery. What’s a cronut? First of all, we need to get some internet in…
This is why I love running Fly&Dine! Earlier today I posted a story about tipping at hotels and, lo and behold, one of San Francisco’s top butlers took the time to weigh in with his perspective and it’s amazing. Instead of leaving it in the comments of the other post, I wanted everyone to see…
I’m always relieved when I go to a foreign country that hasn’t established a tipping standard like the US. I don’t have to carry around that anxiety of “Should I tip that person? How much? Is that enough? Too much?” Back here in America, though, I do have that anxiety. Respect is a big issue…
Have you signed up for the dining rewards programs through the various airlines? They’re a great way to earn miles without doing much of anything at all besides eating. Rewards Network operates the programs for both American and United and I was pleasantly surprised to get their emails today promising major mileage bonuses. United is…
Chocolate Fried Chicken. It’s a thing now, people, and if you’re traveling to LA any time soon, you can get your hands on some by swinging down near the Staples Center where you’ll find ChocoChicken, the brand new chocolate fried chicken concept from the guy behind Umami Burger. The chocolate’s in the batter but it…
Part of the life of the food writer is getting invited to really, really nice dinners. Honestly, besides the trips, it’s pretty much the best part of the job. Last Friday, I had the good fortune of being invited to an unbelievable meal at Mélisse in Santa Monica, CA where chef Josiah Citrin is carrying the…
No, Justin Bieber is not dead. Honestly, I don’t care one way or the other. I just needed something more attention-getting than “Hotel Restaurant News,” because that is not a sexy headline. No siree. Dead Bieber? Sexy headline. You’re with me on this, right? The truth is, I think hotel restaurant news IS exciting and…
I love chicken wings. Ever since my college days where I’d routinely put down double-orders from Buffalo Joe’s with waffle fries (aka buffalo chips) and an RC cola, I’ve been enamored of the little flavor bombs. Last week, I had the good fortune of being invited down to Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City,…
One of the most neglected areas of the Fly&Dine universe is hotel restaurants. For decades, people knew that eating in the hotel restaurant meant uninspired meals in a stuffy dining room (or low-rent diner) with a super-high bill at the end. Those days are luckily behind us. In just the past month, I’ve had incredible…
It’s hard to believe that I was soaking up the Hawaiian sun a week ago and now I’m sweltering in my tiny house in LA, but life could be much, much worse. If you’re a regular reader, then you were able to follow along as I ate my way through the Kohala Coast on the…
If you ever went to Vegas and thought “there just aren’t enough dining outlets here,” then fear not. First of all, I’m so sorry that the brain surgery went awry. Second, MGM is converting the space between New York-New York and Monte Carlo into an outdoor pedestrian park (called “The Park”) with a planned opening…
The Mauna Kea is the oldest hotel on Hawaii’s Kohala Coast and next year it’ll celebrate its 50th anniversary. Built by a Rockefeller, this beautiful hotel doesn’t look anywhere near its age and Manta, the signature restaurant at the Mauna Kea is no exception. Do you see that photo above? That’s the view from my…
I’ve been down on the Kohala Coast on the Northwest side of Hawaii (aka The Big Island) and I’ve been feasting like some kind of modern day Kamehameha. So far, I’ve enjoyed a private chef’s tour to the farmers market with Executive Chef Jayson Kanekoa of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott, a righteous steamed monchong at…
