On another perfect Caribbean day in St. Kitts, I hopped in my rental car and headed out from my lodging, the wonderful Ottley’s Plantation Inn, and began the drive on the road that loops around the island, with Cockleshell Beach slated as my final destination. By the time I reached Frigate Bay, the first thought of lunch popped into my head. Two minutes later, I spotted the sign advertising authentic Caribbean and local cuisine at an unpretentious restaurant called Creole. It would turn out to be one of the best meals I had over the course of a week on this verdant island. Read more >
Tag Archives: food
Dine Like a Knight at Palazzo Preca in Valletta, Malta
When the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, more easily referred to as the Knights of St. John, arrived in Malta in 1530, they began a prolific 250-year rule, during which time they famously defended their new homeland against a three-month siege by the Turks in 1565, dealt a fatal blow to the Ottoman navy three months later, and built the city of Valletta, filling it with elaborate churches, grid-pattern streets, and sumptuous palaces as their homes. One of those 16th-century palaces has been converted into the Palazzo Preca Restaurant, where the exceptional food, wine, service, and atmosphere combine to form a truly memorable dining experience. Read more >
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Linger Over Casual Caribbean Fare at Ferdinand’s in Grand Cayman
I had already relished a fantastic dinner at Beach House, the more upscale of the two restaurants at the Westin hotel adjacent to Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman. The next night, happily fatigued from a day of cycling and swimming, I decided to return to the more casual Ferdinand’s Caribbean Café, where an informal atmosphere negates the need to dress up and unhurried service accommodates your need to unwind and enjoy the view. Read more >
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Pure Comfort Food in Freiburg, Germany
The drizzly weather that continued all morning into the early afternoon kept everyone dining at the restaurants around the cobblestone Münsterplatz in Freiburg from eating al fresco. I was in town on the third day of a weeklong pilgrimage through German Christmas markets in seven different cities, and this small city had emerged as one of my favorites. I spent the morning ambling around the City Garden and exploring Freiburg Münster, the beautiful Gothic cathedral completed in 1330 that withstood the bombings of World War II. Before I ventured to the markets, lunch was in order. The conveniently located Ganter Brauereiausschank, just across from the cathedral, beckoned me with its Baden atmosphere and hearty menu, perfect for a wet day in early December. Read more >
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Fantastic French Cuisine at Pittsburgh’s Le Lyonnais
When Zagat crowned Pittsburgh the number-one food city in the United States in 2015, they knew what they were talking about. During a week in this western Pennsylvania city, I sampled a wide variety of excellent cuisines, from Greek to Thai to Italian to Peruvian to Polish. The best of them all? A superior French restaurant called Le Lyonnais in the heart of downtown. Read more about it >
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A Decade of Fine Dining at Capistrano in Valletta, Malta
On my first night in Valletta as a Maltese culinary abecedarian, I devoured a three-hour, eight-course dinner at Legligin Wine Bar. Instantly hooked on Maltese food, I spent the next week eating my way through this small country that’s big on flavors. And it didn’t get much better than at Capistrano, where, over the course of the past 10 years, the flawless quality and presentation of the food has been expertly paired with the sharp, perfectly paced service and an attractive décor. Read more >
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Leunig’s Bistro & Café: “The Panache of Paris and the Value of Vermont”
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 >
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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 >
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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 >
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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 >
Stephen Travels 