One of the things I love best about traveling in a foreign country is the feeling of being out of my comfort zone. When I’m in a place where I don’t speak the language, every day tasks such as finding a good place for lunch, catching the right bus or trying to buy shampoo become…
September was truly a month of gluttony for me. Knowing that I’d be on the road for months with a mostly street food diet to stretch my budget over the course of my trip, I wanted to be sure leave on a high note. I created a “Honolulu bucket list” of sorts – places I’d…
It might seem odd that, although it’s been a good 15 years since I’d seen her last, Coral looked exactly the same as she stepped out of the helicopter and ducked across the helipad. Come to think of it, she pretty much looked the same as I remembered her from elementary school days, going on…
I have to admit that I was not expecting much of the food scene in Cancun. My only other trip to Mexico was last year when I’d won a stay in Cabo San Lucas at a resort that – while not an all-inclusive – was one of those “party party” hotels right on the playa….
Deconstructed fajitas. A “pinata” filled with guacamole. Foie gras posing as roasted baby corn. A beautiful seascape where the “starfish” draped over the reef are meant to be eaten. An edible garden as dessert. An invisible margarita. Such are the descriptions we were given during our extended tasting menu at Benazuza, and each time I…
This morning my dad sent me a link to an article on Huffington Post about McDonald’s Japan launching Tofu McNuggets which made me laugh with their dramatic reaction to the news: Tomorrow, they’ll premiere their first completely tofu nugget, called Tofu Shinjo Nuggets, and we don’t know what to think. Some are saying it’s a…
Portland is like Mecca for craft beer lovers. You can find small breweries and brewpubs specializing in many different types of brews – sour ales, barrel aged beers, super hoppy IPAs. Thanks to it’s thriving food scene, you can also find many food-friendly beer pairings to go with your food cart finds, shared plates at…
A month has gone by, yet I’m still craving some of the great meals that I had in Portland. If you love food, this town is serious about ingredients and giving them the respect they deserve before they end up on your plate. Whether it’s a lunch with beer and charcuterie, crazy flavor combos in…
When I mention to people that I’ve never been to Portland, they’re always surprised. It’s one of the great food cities of the West Coast, and it’s been on my radar for years but I had never gotten around to making an actual stop there for one reason or another. My cousin Daniel moved up…
The 2014 AWP Conference took place this year in Downtown Seattle at the Washington State Convention Center. It was a great location, just minutes from the Pike Place Market and with easy access to public transportation to take you elsewhere if you desire. We were fortunate to have great weather the first day or so,…
