Conceived of by an architecture student, Church Street Marketplace in Burlington, Vermont, brought a touch of Europe to New England. This brick-paved pedestrian-only strip in the heart of the city draws about three million visitors annually to its shops and restaurants, fairs and festivals. At the center of it stands Leunig’s Bistro & Café, a Parisian-style eatery that opened in 1980 with an espresso machine and strains of Edith Piaf, and that has evolved into one of the city’s finest restaurants. Read more >
Tag Archives: dining
Miami’s Nod to Great Tuscan Food
I had already enjoyed an excellent Cuban meal at Havana 1957 and a wonderful Argentinean dinner at PM Buenos Aires just a few blocks away from my hotel in the Brickell area of Miami, Florida. As I scoured the same neighborhood for another restaurant the next night, I found myself in Mary Brickell Village, a little collection of shops and dining options a couple of blocks south of the Miami River. Every restaurant seemed to be playing music, loudly, but pumping house beats were not exactly conducive to the pleasant meal that I was searching for. So I found the quietest of the group, upscale Toscana Divino, and serendipitously stumbled upon the city’s outstanding contribution to Italian cuisine. Read more >
Share my story:
San Chez Bistro: Stellar Spanish Tapas in Grand Rapids, Michigan
After the terrifically bizarre blatherskite stumbled out of Divani, the pleasant bar where I was enjoying a glass of Bowen’s Harbor semi-dry Riesling, produced in Michigan, I shared a good laugh over her antics with the bartender and the woman whose ear she had been chewing for a while. During the conversation that ensued, I broached the topic of restaurant recommendations here in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. They offered several suggestions, but the one that kept popping up was San Chez Bistro, only a couple of blocks away. Heeding their advice, I popped into San Chez the following night for dinner. And I’ve been recalling it fondly ever since. Read more >
Share my story:
Custer’s First Choice: Sage Creek Grille
The small city of Custer, South Dakota, served as my base for exploring the region’s Black Hills National Forest and the treasures within its boundaries: Mount Rushmore National Memorial, one of the world’s 10 most beautiful drives, and two of the world’s top 10 caves and caverns. Once I returned to the town at night, dinner was never more than a little walk from my hotel, and one of the best I had was at Sage Creek Grille, an unpretentious little place where you can contemplate which pieces of artwork you’d like to take home as you enjoy your evening meal. Read more >
Share my story:
Sampling a Fantastic Cross-section of Latin American Cuisine
When I was on weeklong vacation in San Diego for the first time and ended up having dinner at the same restaurant a second time because the first time was so spectacular, I knew somebody was doing something right. Case in point: Berta Utreras, chef and owner of her eponymous restaurant who has been achieving unforgettable results for 26 years. Ever since then, I’ve been insisting that anyone visiting San Diego must frequent this pan–Latin American establishment that will leave them hankering for more. Read more >
Share my story:
Excellent Roman Cuisine Where Julius Caesar Was Murdered
Just a block or two from where I was staying in Rome, the Hotel Teatro di Pompeo, I spent a couple of hours developing a voracious appetite by strolling through the fantastic farmers market in the Campo de’Fiori. Endless forms of pasta, bottles of limoncello, and the freshest eggplant, tomatoes, strawberries, and olives I’ve ever seen provided visual stimulation for my salivary glands, encouraging thoughts of dinner. The aromas from the cheese stand made me want to change careers and become a fromager, and a generous free tasting of all kinds of spreads, from sage to walnuts with mushrooms to sweet red pepper, prompted me to start searching for the nearest place to dine. The restaurants all around the campo looked appealing but a little touristy, so I exited the square directly into the adjacent little Piazza del Biscione, where I stumbled upon Ristorante da Pancrazio—home of fantastic food, on the site of one of the world’s most infamous assassinations. Read more >
Share my story:
Savor the Flavors of the Best Restaurant in Niagara Falls, New York
After a day wandering around both the American and Canadian sides of the Niagara River, crossing the Rainbow Bridge between the two countries by foot and soaking in one perfect view of Niagara Falls after another, I had generated quite an appetite. Back on the New York side, just a couple of blocks from Niagara Falls State Park and all the activity surrounding one of the world’s top five waterfalls, I fortuitously happened upon Savor, the fine-dining restaurant of the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute. Read more about the best meal possible in Niagara Falls >
Share my story:
Comfort Food at Its Best at Omaha’s Twisted Fork
I had already found, somewhat miraculously, a fantastic upscale seafood restaurant in the heart of cow country in Omaha, Nebraska. But now I was feeling a bit more carnivorous, with a yen for beef and something self-indulgent that would never be approved by a personal trainer or a nutritionist or a cardiologist. But treats like that are what vacations are for, and the Twisted Fork delivers in every way. Read more >
Share my story:
Fine Dining on the Beach in Grand Cayman
Every night, after a late afternoon swim in the Caribbean Sea and yet another glorious sunset, I would walk past the beachfront Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa on my way back to my hotel across the street and note the very satisfied customers enjoying dinner at the hotel’s Beach House restaurant. On my last night in Grand Cayman, I decided to be one of them. Read more >
Share my story:
Indulging in a Dutch Tradition at The Pancake Bakery
All around Amsterdam, I had been noticing a formidable number of restaurants touting their pancake menus. I didn’t realize what all the fuss was until I read up a bit on this traditional Dutch mainstay, and then I was intrigued when I learned just how creative pancakes can get in the Netherlands. They’re not your typical grilled batter with maybe some blueberries or chocolate chips thrown in. At The Pancake Bakery, a menu of 79 different types will make you completely reevaluate your notion of what a pancake can be. Read more >
Stephen Travels 