Bites from the Road

Lunch at Stonehouse, San Ysidro Ranch, Montecito, CA

After my Connecticut friend, who now lives in Montecito, picked me up at the Santa Barbara airport, we drove up to San Ysidro Ranch for lunch. This idyllic, spectacular 500-acre California property is the place where Jackie and Jack (Kennedy, for you millennials) honeymooned as they guarded their guests' privacy. If you recall, Montecito is where the heavy rainfall after the Thomas Fire deforestation caused mudslides, forcing the property to close. It reopened this April. Although there is a terrace on the lower level, we chose the upper one with a spectacular view of the Pacific. We opted for the three-course prix fixe market menu ($47) that emphasizes local ingredients. [...]

By |2025-05-29T15:05:02-04:00December 25th, 2019|Bites from the Road, USA Restaurants, USA Travel|0 Comments
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A Birthday Dinner at Community Table, New Preston, CT

We made a day of it, heading up to Northwest Connecticut to see our friend Joann Makovitzky's new home, shop in New Preston and dine at her restaurant. The Community Table is located in Litchfield County, close to Washington Depot and New Preston. It's a casual welcoming restaurant where we enjoyed the cooking of Chef Paul Pearson of Yorkshire, England.   We started with a few apps, enjoying their hummus made from kabocha squash hummus and served with sliced radishes and the homemade seeded crackers ($16) that we saw on sale at The Smithy on Main Street in New Preston.  I loved the rich Raven and Boar Farm pork liver paté [...]

By |2019-11-26T10:23:23-05:00December 23rd, 2019|Bites from the Road, USA Restaurants|0 Comments
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Italian Meal at Olio E Limone Ristorante, Santa Barbara, CA

One of my responsibilities before heading to California for a sister's trip was to research dining options. Everyone I asked about Santa Barbara restaurants included Olio E Limone Ristorante on their list. We stopped in for lunch at this Italian trattoria, one — according to the photos on the wall — that Julia Child also enjoyed. We each picked one dish and shared them all. Our favorite (not to be missed) is their Soncino con Anatra, that's thick slices of duck breast roasted until only rare (perfect!) over mâche with clumps of goat cheese all drizzled in a balsamic vinaigrette ($19). That dish and what followed worked well with our bottle [...]

By |2019-11-26T10:24:08-05:00December 13th, 2019|USA, USA Restaurants, USA Travel|0 Comments
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Lunch at Mockingbird, Nashville, Tennessee

Maneet Chauhan — celebrity chef, restaurateur, author and celebrity judge on the Food Network’s Chopped! — gave the keynote "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained" at the opening session at Les Dames d'Escoffier International 2019 conference in Nashville earlier this fall.  Later that day, a group of us headed to lunch at The Mockingbird, one of Maneet's many restaurants. We sipped the unusual cocktails we had selected while we all enjoyed reading the creative names of the food and drinks.  We sampled the La Pamplemousse Is Loose (Cathead Honeysuckle vodka, grapefruit and lemon, $12),  the Old Fashioned-Ish (Buffalo Trace, Mantra Japa Simple, Averna and chocolate bitters ($11) and the cutely named Tequila [...]

By |2019-11-09T14:01:42-05:00December 9th, 2019|Bites from the Road, USA Restaurants|0 Comments
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The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club + Nashville Palace

The first stop on our Nashville eating and drinking crawl was at the Nashville Palace to listen to "50 Shades of Hay" country music with singer/songwriter Wendy Newcomer on lead vocal and her husband David Spicher on upright bass. We sipped a drink and nibbled some sweet potato fries while enjoying the music. Next, we headed to the unique Fox Bar & Cocktail Club not far from Opryland Hotel, hidden behind Nicoletto’s Italian Kitchen. The Fox serves imaginative, seasonal cocktails changing its offerings monthly. Its unusual multi-page menu is replete with a drink-key explaining the images that accompany their cocktails. That includes the specific glass, the type ice (one cube, [...]

By |2019-11-09T12:47:35-05:00November 25th, 2019|Bites from the Road, USA Restaurants, USA Travel|0 Comments
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Folk, Rolf and Daughters’ Sister, East Nashville, Tennessee

Many attendees to Les Dames d'Escoffier International 2019 conference in Nashville last month mentioned dining at Rolf and Daughters, the Mediterranean eats place from James Beard Award-nominated chef Philip Krajeck. Some friends and I instead headed to the chef's newest neighborhood restaurant and bar called Folk in McFerrin Park, East Nashville. It's a hip place with custom artwork from local artist Alex Lockwood and Paul Collins lining the walls. This was our last stop on our eating and drinking crawl that had started with breakfast at the Old School Farm (more Nashville posts to come!) earlier in the day. With pizzas made with flour from non-GMO mills in the region, [...]

By |2019-11-11T14:14:02-05:00November 11th, 2019|Bites from the Road, USA, USA Restaurants, USA Travel|0 Comments
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A Must-Try: L’essential in Périgueux, France

We lucked out as the weather was ideal for dining on the courtyard terrace. That and we arrived early at this tiny Michelin-starred restaurant to be lucky enough to secure one of the outside tables. Magali and Eric Vidal offer impeccably served culinary specialties of Périgord and the region. We started with our aperitif of Lillet blonde that had become our tradition while in the Dordogne. Each dish from the amazingly inexpensive 31 € two-course menu was better than the next and was beautifully plated. For the two courses, we selected either an appetizer or dessert and an entree. A real bargain. First came the ethereal multi-studded amuse-bouche along with [...]

By |2019-10-12T19:22:06-04:00October 23rd, 2019|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|2 Comments
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Ròda at Le Moulin Du Roc, Dordogne, France

We were staying at Maison Rose in the small village of Saint-Jean-de-Côle in the Dordogne not too far from Le Moulin Du Roc, a former Michelin-starred restaurant, where we had booked lunch. Being our first full day in the area, we hadn't a clue how long it would take on the back roads towards Brantôme, the city near the restaurant. We gave ourselves lots of time to get there for our lunch reservation arriving so early it was even before their meal service began. Our hosts welcomed us to the flower-filled garden terrace on the Dronne River adjacent to the elegantly furnished old mill. With a chill in the air [...]

By |2019-10-12T20:33:18-04:00October 7th, 2019|World, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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Terry’s Place, Charlevoix, Michigan

Whitefish? My friends told me I had to sample both the Whitefish and Walleye from Lake Michigan while visiting. We headed to Charlevoix to Terry's Place, a restaurant known for their fresh fish. We lucked out getting a table as Terry's does not take reservations. Renee, our lovely waitress, shared that she had worked at the restaurant 28 of the 34 years Terry's was open. Her hubby Matt, the bartender, makes a mean martini — making the cocktail the way he likes to drink them — strong. We each had a fresh whitefish dinner with the green salad. Two of us had the evening's special whitefish ($32) beurre blanc topped [...]

By |2019-09-22T12:21:57-04:00September 15th, 2019|Bites from the Road, USA Restaurants|0 Comments
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Zak Pelaccio’s Backbar, Hudson, New York

A group of us were walking the streets of Hudson (NY) going in and out of antique shops when we got hungry. Right next to the shop we were in was a funky area that looked inviting. We sat at one of the outside picnic tables, without even looking at the name of the place or menu. On each table was a checklist of items we could order. Once I looked, I announced to the group to expect really good food as I noticed it was one of Zak Pelaccio's places. I was right on! I had the slushy "where there's smoke" cocktail made from mezcal, chili-infused Aperol and smoked [...]

By |2019-09-22T12:22:51-04:00September 13th, 2019|Bites from the Road, USA Restaurants|2 Comments
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Trattoria Stella, Traverse City, MI

We lucked out on our visit to Trattoria Stella an Italian restaurant in Traverse City, Michigan.  We were seated not in the dark dining area of what used to be the state mental hospital but at a quiet well-lit table in an arched walkway. (If you plan to go, ask for the arches when you make your res.) The char-grilled oh, so tender Spanish octopus tentacle with tomatoes, beans and orzo (although the menu said rice) is not to be missed. The documentary film Funke inspired our pasta dish of hand-rolled al dente cavatelli with a sausage and pork ragu with freshly grated Pecorino Romano. Interesting, isn't it, that the [...]

By |2019-08-30T11:08:36-04:00August 29th, 2019|Bites from the Road, USA Restaurants|0 Comments
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Dinner at Larimar, Spring Lake, NJ

There's an upscale place restaurant on Third Avenue in the beach town Spring Lake that I'd recommend you try. Both the food from Chef Anthony Palangi and service are quite good. Plus you get to bring your own wine with no corkage fee since they do not have a liquor license. I recommend the refreshing fresh summer strawberry salad with shaved fennel, fresh arugula, toasted almonds and chevrè came in a delicate champagne vinaigrette. Worth ordering. Their veal ragu over short twists (casarecce) of al dente pasta was a bit light on the meat although super-flavorful from olives and capers all dusted with shredded pecorino ($27). I also suggest the [...]

By |2019-08-30T11:21:32-04:00August 21st, 2019|USA Restaurants, USA Travel|0 Comments
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Bareli’s By the Sea, Spring Lake (NJ) in the Grand Victorian

Bareli's By the Sea is a fairly new restaurant with good food and service with ocean views from inside the Grand Victorian on Ocean Avenue in Spring Lake. Don't let the hostess's scowl put you off, the rest of the staff are warm and welcoming. I started with their Sinfully Spicy Margie. I was a bit worried about the muddled strawberries over-powering the drink. They didn't.  The drink had a nice spicy kick. I'd order again ($14)! We ordered from the "specials" menu that is so much more interesting than their regular one.  Enjoyed the refreshing chunks of watermelon and tomatoes sprinkled with goat cheese crumbles and fresh mint ($14).  [...]

By |2019-08-15T13:21:46-04:00August 15th, 2019|Bites from the Road, USA Restaurants|0 Comments
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Ocean at Main, Laguna Beach, California

While in Laguna Beach (CA), I sampled Chef Craig Strong’s approachable eclectic Coastal California cuisine at Ocean at Main. The restaurant is located in the early 1940’s building that once housed the city's Federal Savings and Loan. We sat outside on the covered patio, which was perfect for us as when we sat down for drinks, both grandkids had fallen asleep — one in a stroller, the other carried in and laid down on the bench. Always trying the spiciest cocktail on the list, I went for their tasty Lover's Beach Retreat made with jalapeno-infused tequila. Quite nice with a slight heat kick All our apps are worth trying, including [...]

By |2019-07-09T10:58:52-04:00July 14th, 2019|USA, USA Restaurants|0 Comments
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Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse Dallas Churrasco Experience

By Bite of the Best regional correspondent, Stephanie Amsel We had no idea what to expect when we went to Fogo de Chão, Brazilian Steakhouse, to experience the Southern Brazilian Churrasco that included steak, lamb, pork and chicken. First, there was a lovely salad bar and immediately across from the salads was a plate piled with glistening, crispy bacon. The salads looked fresh and inviting, but the bacon looked amazing! Since this was our first visit, we needed to learn the house rules. Rule #1: Pace yourself You get a little card that is red on one side and green on the other. Keep the green card showing if you [...]

By |2019-07-05T10:09:08-04:00July 8th, 2019|Bites from the Road, USA Restaurants|0 Comments
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A Wishbone at Le Soufflé, Paris

After peeking in Le Soufflé's window, seeing this quintessential Parisian place and checking out their incredible lunch deal, we made a res and returned. We were headed elsewhere. Monday through Friday from noon to 2 pm, Le Soufflé offers a prix-fixe menu for €29, which includes a choice of starter, main course, dessert, and a beverage, including wine. Although they offer meat and fish entrees, the main event here is the eponymous dish resulting from the addition of stiffly beaten egg whites to flavored egg yolks. Le soufflé. We each had a savory main dish and then a sweet dessert, plus a green salad. To serve each, the waiter places [...]

By |2025-05-29T15:06:41-04:00June 16th, 2019|World, World Restaurants|0 Comments
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Paris and West Village Visits to Jody Williams’ Buvette

So enjoying Jody Williams Buvette when I had eaten there that I decided to head to her Paris establishment when I was there recently. That visit in the City of Love made me hunger for another trip to the West Village one. In the 9th arrondissement in the Pigalle neighborhood of Paris, we shared a croque forestier, Jody Williams vegetarian alternative to the croque-monsieur sandwich with layers of Gruyere with roasted mushrooms and hearty French bread (12 €), some roasted fresh beets  (9 €) topped with Roquefort crème fraîche and a lightly dressed salad with celery olives and tender chicken (15 €). We also indulged in her heavenly mousse au [...]

By |2019-04-24T11:38:10-04:00May 30th, 2019|Big Apple Life, World Restaurants, World Travel|0 Comments
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In Paris, Don’t Miss Ellsworth

My friend who owns La Cuisine Paris, the fabulous cooking school in the heart of the city, invited us to join her at Ellsworth on rue de Richelieu. She's a fellow Dame, President of the newly formed Paris chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier. This restaurant is the concept of Braden Perkins (and is named for his grandfather) and of Laura Adrian, Americans who also own/run the more upscale Verjus around the corner. The seasonal menu offers prix-fixe at lunch, with a trio of choices at each course (€24 for two courses; €30 with dessert). It's a veggie-heavy menu that also features fried chicken. Odd you may think for a Parisian [...]

By |2019-05-18T08:53:59-04:00May 22nd, 2019|World, World Restaurants|0 Comments
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The Fisherman’s Restaurant & Bar, San Clemente, California

We decided to meet at the Fisherman's at the wharf in San Clemente as it was about half-way between where I was staying and my friend's home. We met on a train from Antwerp to the then ferry in  — gulp — 1965; we've been connected ever since. The sun hadn't yet risen high enough to shine on the deck, so we sat near a heater to keep us warm until it rose enough to do the job. We each had a bowl of their creamy clam chowder, chock full of the bivalve mollusks and potato chunks. A soup rich enough to be a meal in itself — especially along [...]

By |2019-04-20T20:53:36-04:00April 6th, 2019|USA Restaurants, USA Travel|0 Comments
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Breakfast in America (BIA) Diner in Paris, France

Breakfast in America (BIA) is not your typical place to stop for a meal in Paris. It's famous for the classic American diner breakfast where the server comes by and continues to fill up your mug with drip coffee.  Occasionally x-pats do yearn for a good ole' American diner breakfast like this. I stopped by the original location with my son and granddaughter one day for eggs  (7.95 €) over easy, crispy bacon (+ 1 €), pancakes with real maple syrup (7.95 €) and constantly refilled coffee.  We so enjoyed those eggs that came served with home-fries or tomatoes and toast. While there you can purchase founder Craig Carlson's book [...]

By |2019-04-15T12:27:50-04:00April 2nd, 2019|World, World Restaurants|0 Comments
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