Bourbon. Baseball. Bluegrass. The Derby. These all immediately come to mind when thinking of Kentucky. After my return visit this snowy, grey March, I also think of rolling hills in the historic town of Bardstown – home of Stephen Foster, of burgeoning, small distilleries popping up all over the countryside, of bluegrass families singing around the Galt House for the Itchin’… Read more →
Back again in Bourbon Country, catching up on new restaurants and bars since my visit one year before. While visiting eight distilleries from Bardstown to Lexington, I particularly enjoyed a lunch in the historic town of Frankfort (home to Buffalo Trace Distillery) and fueled up on breakfast and coffee in Louisville before long days of spirits judging/tasting. RICK’S WHITE LIGHT… Read more →
My second return to Chicago in 6 months (and 4th trip overall) was a freezing journey, warmed by fantastic friends and family, food and drink. Here are more Chicago standouts and newcomers from late February. OWEN & ENGINE, Logan Square Perhaps my favorite find this visit is Owen and Engine, a gastropub-esque restaurant/bar marked by Old World British elegance (black… Read more →
My second return to Chicago in 6 months (and 4th trip overall) was a freezing journey, warmed by fantastic friends and family, food and drink. A highlight was visiting funky, small Few Spirits distillery in Evanston with Master Distiller Paul Hletko. In my book, Few is the most exciting distillery to come out of Chicago, both in the gin and… Read more →
Nestled in the cove of Napili Bay, swimming with the sea turtles and gazing out at the islands of Molokai and Lanai, Napili Kai Beach Resort was my favorite stay in Maui. First driving up to the resort off a winding neighborhood road, the appearance is dated: like a weathered 1980’s resort well past its prime. But I needn’t have… Read more →
My favorite stay in Maui was on the West side (see my article on West Maui). Wailea, with its posh resorts and mega-malls reminded me of the OC or Beverly Hills of Hawaii – not what I wanted to head to Hawaii for. But I relished in the sugar cane fields, country towns and mountain glories of Haleakal?. Wailea Though… Read more →
OKC is far from hipster, which, granted, has its pluses. Years behind national food and drink trends, they’ve only recently opened their first third wave coffee haven (Elemental Coffee, a true coffee oasis with sleek cafe and roasting facility), a proper cocktail bar (the bar at Ludivine – see below), a couple hipster food outposts and further from Oklahoma City,… Read more →
Volcanoes. Black rock expanses. Coffee berries growing on mountain foothills. Some of the best stargazing in the world. Rolling, green farmland. Waterfalls. Sandy beaches. Singing classic Hawaiian tunes to ukelele under the stars. These are but a few things I beheld and experienced on Hawaii, the Big Island. Flying around the entire island via helicopter (I’d recommend Paradise Helicopters’ circle… Read more →
An October week in what has historically been a Central California ranching (some say “cow”) town, Paso Robles is now best known for wine, maintaining its small town, cowboy spirit with a thriving wine scene that has everyone from natives to the creators of American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance opening wineries (I visited the gamut). Ever… Read more →
Imagine if the Wild West collided with a European village. There might be winding, narrow streets through neighboring towns, plotting through pine trees. Old West saloons, wood sidewalks and columns, classic homes in walkable small towns. Not far from Lake Tahoe, at the foothills of the Sierra Mountains, there are two such tiny towns. The Gold Country towns of Grass Valley,… Read more →