Discovering America bite by bite A three day in-depth culinary excursion to…Detroit? Well, then, trade toques and tasting menus for moonshine and muskrat when you join American Table Culinary Tours to explore the culture and cuisine of Motor City. more>>
Los Angeles Bad boy Gordon Ramsay descends on the City of Angeles with the opening of Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood hotel (formerly the Bel Age), part of the LXR Luxury Resorts collection. more>>
New Canaan, Connecticut A few years back, Jack and Grace Lamb, Manhattan's Lower East Side trendsetters behind Jewel Bako Sushi, Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar, and Degustation Wine and Tasting Bar, swapped gritty city living for the orderly suburbs, which turned out to be fertile grounds or their fourth venture, the 36 seat Harvest Supper (15 Elm Street), opened in March. more>>
Central America Hilton opened three hotels in Costa Rica in January. At the Hilton Papagayo Resort in Guanacaste, exec chef is Dirk M. Troop, previously exec sous chef at the venerable Caribe Hilton in San Juan, Puerto Rico. more>>
America loves remakes. And just as the Rat Pack's original Ocean's Eleven has been remade and twice sequelled with fresh chemistries of Hollywood stars, so too have the party gang's iconic Martinis and Manhattans been recast—along with a posse of sidekick classics—by dust-raising mixologists using previously unimagined ingredients to capture today's freewheeling palates. more>>
Prices have doubled, but wine at auction shows no falloff and plenty of benefits for restaurants. more>>
Best Buys
Hahn Syrah Central Coast 2005
This Syrah shows jammy mixed berry fruit aromas along with the classic varietal character of black peppercorn and violet. On the palate, the spice, blackberry, bramble, and cedar flavors are nicely integrated as they cascade through the finish. Full bodied and firm in its tannins from the addition of 11 percent Petite Sirah. 10,000 cases made.
Score: 87 Cost: $120 per case
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