All stories about "Restaurants"

Ever since baby-faced oil swindler Roman Abramovich traded Moscow for Mayfair in 2003, a red tide of Russian super-rich have been making London their home. Belgravia estate agents have gleefully rubbed their hands raw as Russian bidding wars pile tens of millions onto already obscenely-priced luxury mansions, and obsequious Knightsbridge jewelers are now employing Russian-speaking staff to help part these newcomers from their cash. So if a prospective billionaire settler, fresh off his Lear jet, asks you to show him around town for a day (money no object of course), what are you going to do? Here's a sample itinerary you might try, costing a paltry sum northwards of twenty thousand pounds for the day.

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Parisians are notoriously dedicated to the outdoor consumption of their cafés and apéros (kind of like Californians are dedicated to wearing shorts in the winter on the East Coast) to the point where you can see them huddling under heat lamps in mid-January. Needless to say, the sidewalk café culture gets a lot more enjoyable as the temperatures rise and the layers shed. The great boulevards are lined with chairs and tables conveniently arranged for people watching, but real gems are hidden in narrow streets. The true joy lies in finding the ideal time of day and street angle to catch the rays in your sunglasses. Gridskipper has done the legwork and found the sweetest cafés in the sun around Paris after the jump.

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In San Francisco, where everyone seems to be a vegan/plastic bag-hating hippie, there are still vices that other San Franciscans hold dear: our alcohol and our smoking. Despite smoking regulations and the annoyed looks smokers catch while trying to get their fix, we're holding strong to our convictions and looking for bars that support our habit. Even more reviled than cigarette smokers are those that smoke cigars -- and while technically you can smoke anywhere cigarettes are welcome, it's becoming harder and harder to find places that welcome the sweet smell of stogies. Here are the best places to take your cigar and light up -- with the least amount of glares, anyway.

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There's no point raving about Sydney's harbor, because you've really got to see it to believe it. While those who live here don't take its beauty for granted, many forget to actually leave the foreshore. While taking a ferry over the water is a quick and easy means of claiming to have lived the Sydney Harbour experience, the moment really shouldn't be rushed. The best option is a cruise aboard a slow-moving vessel, replete with quality dining and drinking, so every sight and sound can be properly absorbed. Luckily, there's no shortage of options.

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Everyday on Gridskipper we give you a new map. Some are new, some are fetched from our archive, newly updated. Happy Gridskipping. Washington DC is a middle-class town filled with middle-class tastes. That explains the 45 minute wait at the Cheesecake Factory and why chicken fried steak is a daily special every day, everywhere. But what if you're making money in this town? And you wanna blow loads of cash? On food that means something? Where can you go? Wealthy Washingtonians usually skip town for the glamours of the Inn at Little Washington, which twice made it to Forbes' list of the Top Ten Most Expensive Restaurants in World. Otherwise, petit bourgeois get their inner peace at the following venues, where price matters as much as taste. Any restaurant that you can walk out of without dropping a hundred bucks doesn't make the cut. (photo)

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Everyday on Gridskipper we give you a new map. Some are new, some are fetched from our archive, newly updated. Happy Gridskipping. Nothing converts otherwise civilized gwailo into ravening gluttony-obsessed oinkers than dim sum. Or maybe that's just me. San Francisco has one of the largest Asian populations on the West Coast, and with that comes excellent pho, superlative lumpia, and of course, dim sum. My intrepid group of investigators sacrificed their time to accompany me to these hallowed havens of gustatory glee. Dim sum, for those not in the know, involves sitting down in the middle of a crowded dining room surrounded by ladies with little carts. When the cart comes around, you giggle and point at things that look interesting. Chao siu bai, siu mai, har gow -- one's knowledge of various aspects of Chinese languages expands immeasurably. Traditionally good for large groups and weekend brunch, dim sum tends toward the cheap side for a meal that's big enough to kill a yak. Make sure you don't show up too late, as most places stop serving with the carts at 11 a.m. or noon.

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Everyday on Gridskipper we give you a new map. Some are new, some are fetched from our archive, newly updated. Happy Gridskipping Another favorite in the Berlin pastiche of "multi-kulti" is Indian food. Though certainly not as popular as Arabic and Asian cuisine, India's curried stews and lentil soups have a tender place of their own in Berlin's heart. Once again, spicy dishes are prepared to suit fearful palates, so expect a kind of simulacrum of Indian cuisine. Follow the map for some genuine, lovingly made dishes. But if you like hot, be sure to make that clear when ordering.

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Everyday on Gridskipper we give you a new map. Some are new, some are fetched from our archive, newly updated. Happy Gridskipping. One of the problems with Sydney is the dearth of late night kitchens. After 10ish you tend to find your options limited to dodgy kebabs, crappy pizza, or whatever travesty the Quickie Mart has warming up in the pie heater. As always, we have tracked down the city's hidden gems, be they Chinese, Italian, something classy, or a decent slice made desirable as the night drags on and your stomach seeks solace in the form of booze-absorbing foodstuffs.

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In every major cosmopolitan capital one is faced with countless options in the form of culinary temptation. And Paris is no exception. From Foie Gras-filled crepes, to multi-tiered macaroons, there are plenty of places to get ones foodie fix. So, to help narrow things down a bit, five not to be missed French dining experiences in the City of Lights.

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Click the image above to view the full photogallery.

Courtesy of Gridskipper sister site Eater LA, here's the very latest and greatest in the world of Los Angeles eating and drinking:

1) Mallibu Pier Club: Just as the name states, this little number is at the foot of the Malibu Pier, just off the street, with perfect views of Surfrider Beach to the right, millionaires' homes to the left, nothing but horizon and waves directly out front...Original photos, tile murals, nice wookwork inside. Beachy snacks like caesar salad "fondue," grilled chicken sandwich with prosciutto, truffle chips, martinis, wines, beer are on the menu.

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[The Blue Parrot sits empty and forlorn, 2:33pm, May 18, 2008]

Up until the close of summer 2006, the Blue Parrot offered one of the more pleasant spots to enjoy a margarita and some guac in East Hampton. The restaurant shuttered, sadly, though word on the street last spring had Ralph Lauren taking it over to open, oddly, a restaurant modeled on The Ivy in Los Angeles. But plans for this particular part of Ralphampton seem to have fallen apart, which is how the lease on the old Blue Parrot space came to fall into the hands of one Julie Stone, who planned to reopen it this spring with a similar menu but a different name. Fair enough.

Except that there's clearly no activity going on at the location, and, um, there's a for-lease sign from Corcoran posted prominently out back. And, yeah, this real estate listing, offering up the lease for $675,000. So let's not count on a margarita rebirth here this summer, friends, though we've got a call into Corcoran broker John Taylor to find out if anything is stirring, salt or no salt.
· Listing: East Hampton Commercial/Restaurant [Corcoran]
· Blue Parrot Redux [Dan's Papers]
· Blue Parrot Demise, Hello Ralph Lauren [Dan's Hamptons Food & Wine Blog]

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Every so often a book is published that makes you ask yourself: how much weight did the author put on researching it? Jamie Cahill, author of the recently published Pâtisseries of Paris, has compiled the city's best pastry shops, bakeries, ice cream shops, chocolatiers, and salons de thé. Many of them happen to be concentrated in Saint-Germain, which has a sort of cruel irony to it, as this former intellectual nerve center of Paris has undergone a transformation in the last 10 years to become the center of a very expensive, very chic fashion scene, putting the Rive Gauche in YSL. But it's time you learned the sublime tension of consuming millefeuilles while not gaining mille poids. Cahill's publicist, by the way, reassures us that even after four years of this research, plus a professional pâtissier's course, plus two children, Cahill has managed to stay a size 2. "But that's another story," we are told. So, Jamie? What's the story? We'd love to know.

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Megan Zanke is known throughout the pages of this site, but she's moved on to work as an editor of Coutorture -- a fantastic fashion-centered website with bite. While she definitiely knows a thing or two about fashion, Megan also knows a thing or two about being young and hitting the streets of New York.

We're going to imprison you in the city of your choice for the rest of your natural life. You can do anything you want there, but you must stay in that city forever. Where would you choose?
So Gawker really is going to take over the world, eh? Okay, I choose South Beach. Only kidding! I choose New York, of course.

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A few weeks ago I was raving to my father-in-law about Rustico, a neighborhood restaurant in Alexandria, VA, just outside of DC. Between its 331 types of beer and new American cuisine, I figured it'd be a great place to take him on his next visit. But when I said that my favorite meal there was macaroni and cheese, he laughed. "You go to a restaurant for macaroni and cheese? How much is it?" "$16," I whimpered and his laughter intensified. You know, maybe I am a fool. But damn it, ex-editor Chris's write up of New York's best restaurants for mac and cheese was one of the most read posts of 2007 on Gridskipper. So I can't be the only idiot. Maybe as current editor John said, "All these urban sophisticates are just softies once you crack the surface." Regardless, whether you're a fool, urban softy, or yuppie who can't fathom paying $0.50 for something when you could pay $16 for it, here's are DC's best restaurants for mac and cheese. (photo)

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It's that magical time of year again! The season of all seasons -- spargelzeit (asparagus time). Bunches of chlorophyll-deprived white asparagus hit the veggie stands last week.Among the rest of the colorful fruits and vegetables, it sticks out like some sickly and awkwardly tall kid, a gangly outsider. But that doesn't deter the Germans. For the next two months, the strange white vegetable will be the envy of all edible herbaceous plants, as the star of spring-time menus in restaurants across the country. And Berlin is said to have among the best, getting it fresh from the sandy soils of surrounding Brandenburg.

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There's a reason why New Yorkers are still spending their sad little dollars in Paris: the food here is better. Backing us up on that one is Restaurant Magazine, with their just-released update of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. The City of (Culinary De)Light captured more of the 2008 top spots (8) than any other town. As for NYC: only five of their restaurants made the cut, and four feature imported French chefs. While nay-sayers have long decried France as losing its culinary edge, les trois couleurs took home more rankings (11) than any other country, including Spain (7) and the UK (6). The World's 50 Best list was formulated by a jury of 651 well-respected food professionals. Restaurant's selection of Paris addresses, with accompanying description from the magazine, is waiting after the jump.

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Remember the exciting day Trader Joe's opened its doors in Union Square? How about the WINTER day Shake Shack started dispensing its custard and burgers for the 2007 season? Magnolia Bakery on any goddamn weekend day? Long lines, people, everywhere! All of these so-called godsends in our fair city may have the edible goods, but only if you're willing to wait upwards of an hour or so to obtain them. Is it all the blog hype? Do we all just need new and interesting "food concepts" in order to get through a Manhattan lunch? Are we missing something at home, in our love lives, in our life's central purpose, that results in ecstasy over a slice of pizza or free sample of organic cheese, after 45 minutes of standing time? I haven't a clue. Anyway! Lines, insanely, painfully, tortuously long ones. Ignoring post office branches and the hell that is TKTS, what are your worst long line experiences? The most rewarding? The dealbreakers?

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We recently discussed where to get blitzed in Culver City, so today we will embark upon a discussion of where to line your stomach beforehand. The restaurant scene in Culver City has been getting ever more impressive over the last few years, so yes, there is some attitude present, both among the restaurateurs and the patrons who think they're awesome for "discovering" a restaurant and/or a neighborhood. But the food's good -- in some cases excellent -- so just ignore that and concentrate on your steak. I'm sure a few dear readers with be outraged by the inclusion/exclusion of some place or another, so just leave it in the comments and try not to pop a blood vessel. Happy eating!

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Have you ever said to yourself, "Maybe tonight, instead of eating out at an overpriced LA restaurant with vaguely Asian decor, I'll just stay home and have ramen, then donate the difference to a worthy cause?" Um, yeah. Me neither. Fortunately, there are periodic occasions when you don't have to choose, one of which is fast approaching. DineOut LA, which happens on Thursday, April 17, is an excuse to eat out while actually doing something nice for others in the process: at least twenty percent of all participating restaurant proceeds will be donated to AIDS research. So check out our guide to saving the world by having a bite to eat -- we've chosen some highlights, but a full list is available here. Don't forget to order dessert.

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