Archive for January, 2009

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The Inn At Little Washington – Washington, Virginia

Thursday, January 8th, 2009


The Inn at Little Washington
Middle and Main Streets
P.O. Box 300
Washington – Virginia 22747
United States
Tel.540 675 3800
Fax. 540 675 3100
Website: www.theinnatlittlewashington.com
Opening Hours: Dinner nightly (closed Tues Jan-March and July-Aug)
Cuisine: Refined American
Dress Code: Dressy, Jacket required
Executive Chef/Owner: Patrick O’Connell’s
Reservations: Required
Wine List: An expansive wine list (14,000 bottles) from Bordeaux, Burgundy, California and Virginia
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Very Expensive
Prix fixe menu from $138 to $168

Outdoor dining, Valet parking, New: a small ballroom
Restaurant of a Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux and hotel in the country
Sixty-seven miles from Washington DC and set on 25 acres this is truly a beautiful property. I was very impressed when I dined there in the mid-eighties and it is still going strong. They have added some bedrooms and two cottages.

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Marcel’s French/Belgian Restaurant – Washington D.C.

Thursday, January 8th, 2009


2401 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC‎
(202) 296-1166‎
Website:
Opening Hours: Dinner only, Sun. 5:30-9:30pm; Mon.-Thurs. 5:30-10pm; Fri.-Sat. 5:30-11pm.
Cuisine: French, Belgian
Reservations: Suggested
Full Bar
Dress Code: Casual
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Very Expensive

Marcel’s, inspired creation from Chef Robert Wiedmaier who cooks in the French style although with a Flemish touch. This equates to great amounts of shellfish and piles of excellent crisp, twice-fried Belgian frites. Lively bar.

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Le Tre Vaselle Restaurant & Hotel, Torgiano – Italy

Monday, January 5th, 2009

On our way driving up to the Le Tre Vaselle restaurant-hotel in Torgiano we stopped for lunch at a restaurant by a lake presumably Lake Trasimeno. I have forgotten the name of the restaurant. In fact, I can’t remember what I had for lunch, although I will always remember drinking the best bottle of rose-tinted Pinot Grigio I have ever had the pleasure to drink, made increasingly better by the intense heat, while dining on the shaded terrace on that very hot day. So good, that I had to order another bottle when one would have sufficed; it was plunged into the ice bucket straight-away.
The village of Torgiano has been made famous due to the wines produced by Dr. Lungarotti. The village is surrounded with vineyards set in the hills.
The 17th century building of Le Tre Vaselle is within the medieval walls of Torgiano, a peaceful village set in the heart of the Umbrian countryside. Its warm hospitality, elegant decor and exquisite cuisine are reminiscent of the aristocratic country houses of times past, and offer an ideal environment for those wishing to have excellent accommodations, an outstanding restaurant and beautiful wines grown and produced in the area surrounding the hotel and restaurant. Maria Grazia and Giorgio Lungarotti established the Museo del Vino, which is dedicated to wine; the Lungarotti winery is one of the most important in Italy. The restaurant offers game and black truffles in season, the superb Chianina beef and pike and perch from Lake Trasimeno, in addition all produce is supplied from the Lungarotti estate and of course, we cannot forget the Wines—and the cellar contains an abundance of Lungarotti’s rare, older vintages.

Restaurants around the vicinity of Torgiano:

Città della Pieve (21 km)

Il Pinzimonio, In San Litardo (3.5 km north towards Po Bandino): (0578 298105) It is a good value restaurant with a pizzeria, popular with locals. Closed Tuesday.
Restaurant, Trattoria Tawny, V. Vannucci, 135  Citta’ della Pieve (Perugia) Tel. +39 0578298108 Fax +39  Closed Monday
Restaurant the Flour Mill Of Drago, Str. St. 71, 54  Citta’ della Pieve (Perugia) Tel. +39 0578222170  Closed Monday
Restaurant 27 Pinzimonio, S.S.71 – Loc. S. Litardo  Citta’ della Pieve (Perugia) Tel. +39 0578298105  Closed Tuesday
Restaurant Arches, It V. Stradone, 105  Citta’ della Pieve (Perugia) Tel. +39 0578294303  Closed Wednesday
Restaurant The Source Of The Folletto, Str. Stat. 71 North, 15 Citta’ della Pieve (Perugia) Tel. +39 0578298752  Closed Tuesday
Nardelli Restaurant, via G. Di Vittorio, 62 Citta’ della Pieve (Perugia) Tel. +39 0578248081 Fax +39 057824807  Closed Tuesday
Small restaurant Eden via S.Lucia, 53 Citta’ della Pieve (Perugia) Tel. +39 0578297065 Fax +39 0578297066  Closed Tuesday
Restaurant, Trattoria Serenella, V. Fiorenzuola, 28  Citta’ della Pieve (Perugia) Tel. +39 0578299683  Closed Wednesday
Taverna Restaurant of the Perugino, V. Vannucci, 37  Citta’ della Pieve (Perugia) Tel. +39 0578298848  Closed Monday
Vannucci Restaurant, via Icilio Vanni, 1  Citta’ della Pieve (Perugia) Tel. +39 0578299572 Fax +39 0578298063  A typical Umbrian kitchen; Closed Friday

Other villages in close proximity:

Panicale (13 km)

Lillotatini, Piazza Umberto I 13–14  Top end of the main square. Good restaurant presented properly. Booking usually necessary.
Masolino, Via del Filaoio 4 (075 837 151)
Le Grotte di Boldrini (075 837 161)  Outside the West gate.

Piegaro (16.5 km)

Il Mondo Antico, Via G Garibaldi 1/a (075 835 8351) – in old town, 100 m from top gate. Friendly service and the restaurant is surrounded by antiquity.
Da Elio, on SS220, 0.5 km from Piegaro junction towards Tavernelle (075 835 8017) Typical Italian restaurant, friendly staff and good food. Excellent value.

Paciano (18 km)

Il Casale, In Cereto (2 km off road westwards, follow signs from the main road) (075 830 465) worth finding it; the terrace looks over the hills towards Lake Trasimeno. Very good food, booking is essential. Closed Wednesdays.

Lake Trasimeno

Advance bookings suggested
L’Acquario, Via Vittorio Emanuele 69 (075 965 2432)
La Cantina (075 965 2463)
La Fontana It is attached to the Miralago Hotel. The terrace looks over the lake. Good food.
A.Z. Bar Ristorante Pizzeria Excellent home made pasta dishes. Via Roma 25 Tel/Fax +39-075-953326
San Feliciano (28 km) East side of the lake
Da Settimio (075 847 6000) Good restaurant specializing in fish dishes. Excellent view of the lake. Closed Thursdays.
Below: La Tre Vaselle

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Sushicyu & Carnival Yakiniku – Bangkok

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009

Thonglor Eight Building:

138/1 Thonglor Soi 11
Tel. 02-381-2882.
Open daily 11:30am-2:30pm, 6-10pm
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate

Original Restaurant All Seasons Place:

3rd Floor, CRC Tower#303-4
All Seasons Place 87/2
Wireless Rd., Phatumwan, Bangkok 10330
946 Rama IV Road
Bangkok 10500
+66 (0) 2 251 1995

On the second floor of the Eight Thonglor Building on the corner of Thong Lor and Soi 8 the sushi bar is on the left along with some well appointed private rooms and the Korean Barbeque Japanese-style is at the back and on the left.
Sushi-chu imports fresh seafood that is transported from Tsukiji, the best fish market in Tokyo, three times a week by air. They are able to do this since their head office is located in Chichibu, Japan and overseen by General Manager, Fukushima.
The sushi is absolutely fresh; they do not depend on anything else to embellish the taste.
The Japanese BBQ restaurant follows the original recipes from Tokyo Calbi House using special Calbi sauce. The Japanese BBQ chef is, 26 years old, Sutsakrn Wongtakee he has had 13 years experience in preparing meat.
It is also very pleasant that in this combo of restaurants you have the opportunity to start with sushi or sashimi as an appetizer and then follow with Japanese BBQ.
Carnival has a broad selection of Japanese Sake and Shochu.
The Japanese barbecue is certainly the best quality you can find in Bangkok and the sushi that is imported from Japan is fresh and excellent as well.
Now that there are two in different parts of the city it makes it more convenient to indulge in these great tastes of Japan.

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Crêpes & Co. – Bangkok

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009

Crêpes & Co. has two locations in Bangkok and serves Breakfast and Brunch everyday, anytime!

18/1, Sukhumvit Soi 12
Klongtoey 10110
Bangkok
Tel. (662) 653-3990 or 653 3991
Fax. (662) 653-3992

88 Soi Sukhumvit 55, Soi 8 (Thong Lor)
Klongton-Nua, Watana, Bangkok 10110
Tel. 02-726 9398-9
Website: www.crepes.co.th/
Opening Hours: daily from 10:00am until 11pm
8Thonglor building, ground floor
www.8thonglor.com
88 Thonglor Soi 8
Bangkok
Tel. 02-726 9398-9
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Inexpensive

The location on Sukhumvit Soi 12 is situated in an old Thai house and the space in the building on eight on Thong Lor Building is on the ground floor on the corner of Soi 8 and has a clean design with a “homey” atmosphere.
Crêpes served in twenty different ways both either:

Savory:
Cheese:
Feta. Gruyère, Cheddar, Blue
Meat & Fish:
Bacon, Egg, Ham, Prawns, Squid, Tuna, Chicken, Smoked Salmon
Sauces:
Béchemel, Blue Cheese Béchemel, Mushroom Cream, Onion Fondue, Tomato Sauce, White Wine Sauce, Bolognaise Sauce
Spices:
Chili Powder, Lime, Mixed Nuts, Olive Oil, Oregano

Sweet:
Fruit:
Banana, Pineapple, Apple, Fruit Salad, Melon, Papaya
Ice Cream:
Choc Chip, Chocolate, Coconut, Coffee, Orange, Rum Raisin, Strawberry, Vanilla
Sauces:
Caramel, Chantilly, Chocolate, Honey, Mango, Peach, Pear, Raspberry

Fresh Salads

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Sprinkles Cupcake Shops – U.S.A.

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

Photo Credit: Vicbria Pearson

9635 S Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90291
Phone: (310) 274-8765
www.sprinklescupcakes.com
Prices: Expensive
$3.50 each $46 per dozen

Candace Nelson and her husband opened cupcake only shops about three years ago with a distinguishing trademarked dot within a dot as a design on most cupcakes, that same mark also distinguishes what flavors are being used. Other cupcakes in their lineup use smaller imported French sprinkles or grated coconut as a topping, and it should be mentioned that it is commendable that they do not bake with hydrogenated oils and use only natural ingredients for their icings and baking. What is more interesting, is the legal frenzy and law suits that have developed out of this, and after all, they are only cupcakes and nothing to get so worked up over. Or are they? Because as every entrepreneur knows; if it is innovative enough other persons will surely copy it and you must defend your brand. Sprinkles is the pioneer of the cupcake-only shop fancied by various American celebrities and it is really turning up the heat on competitors. The question is: can they really defend their trademarked “dot” and the name Sprinkles that is commonly used when referring to frosting and ice creams. Are they good or worth $3.50 when most cupcakes are going for $2.00 or less? That is a matter of conjecture and you will have to be the judge.
They have opened a few other branches already in Newport Beach in Corona del Mar Plaza, 944 Avocado Ave.; Dallas at Plaza at Preston Center, 3020 Villanova Dr.; Phoenix-Scottsdale at 4501 N. Scottsdale Rd.; S.F.- Palo Alto on 393 Stanford Shopping Center; Houston at Highland Village, 4010 Westheimer Rd. (Apr. 2009). Coming Soon: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, London, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, SAn Diego, Seattle, Tokyo, Washington D. C. and other future locations worldwide.

Below: Candace Nelson of Sprinkles Cupcakes

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Akaligo Restaurant, Mandarin Oriental Hotel – Chiang Mai, Thailand

Friday, January 2nd, 2009

Akaligo (means timeless in the sanskrit language)
51/4 Chiang Mai – Sankampaeng Road Moo 1 T. Tasala A. Muang
Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi
Chiang Mai, Thailand 50000
phone: +66 53 88 8888
fax: +66 53 88 8928
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate-Expensive

Situated in the elegant Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi Hotel, which is set in a lush valley, which is also know for its abundance of snakes is one of the most impressive hotel properties I have ever seen and stretches over 50 acres or more. Akaligo Restaurant happened to be closed for redecoration and we were seated in the French Restaurant Farang Ses although we were handed menus from Akaligo that serves its customers with the taste of Mediterranean Italian cuisine. Throughout the property you are surrounded by both ancient Thai and contemporary architecture and provided with panoramic views of manicured gardens as well as rice paddies and forests of tropical hardwoods. The pity is that the chef is from Burgundy in France and in the past was the chef at the prestigious Normandie Grill at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, and you can see that he is not too enthused to prepare 80% Italian dishes. As the saying goes, Do not let a French chef make pasta nor an Italian chef cook potatoes”.

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New Year’s Eve at the Four Season’s Hotel – Bangkok

Thursday, January 1st, 2009

The Four Seasons Hotel transformed their grand and elegant lobby into a New York Disco scene to celebrate New Year’s Eve. For a 2000 baht per person charge you could consume as much Champagne, red or white wine and cocktails as you fancied between 10:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. with the added attraction of two attractive female bartenders to do the stirring and shaking.

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