Dining Dish: Travel

Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

FALLing in Love with Harrisonburg Virginia - weekend getaways

Fall is officially here, the autumnal equinox arrived September 22 letting us know that the summer sun and hot, humid days are almost a memory – enter the cooling brisk air and the turning of the leaves. What better place to enjoy the seasonal changes than in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, where apples are crisp, vineyards dot the landscape, hiking, biking, and our country’s history permeates every nook and cranny. An ideal weekend getaway, this fertile valley offers something for everyone’s taste and enjoyment.

Nestled in between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians is Harrisonburg, Virginia – an American Main Street Award winner; a mini metropolis, and thriving university/college town. Harrisonburg is an ideal hub, base camp, for all your activities, whether motoring through Skyline Drive for fall foliage, Mossy Creek fly fishing or indulging in the region’s rich arts and culture.

Read the full story on Dara Cooks Blog - Baltimore Post Examiner

Friday, February 23, 2018

New culinary options at Baltimore Washington International Airport

I’m not as old as the Wright Brothers, but I do remember when Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport was Friendship Airport. It was a time when one dressed up to travel; ladies in dresses, high heels, and white gloves not pajamas and slippers that I’ve seen recently. We could go outside onto the observation deck and watch the planes taxi and take off. Meals were served on flights, definitely not haute cuisine, but more than the bag peanuts or pretzels offered today by the airlines.

I remember a trip to Paris with my friend, a caterer, who beautifully packed up meals tied with multicolored ribbons to eat on the plane and sharing the remains of cheese from Paris’s street markets on the flight home. Those days are gone!

Check out the full story and slideshow at the Dara Cooks column at Baltimore Post Examiner

Monday, September 11, 2017

Top-notched Virginia hospitality at the historic Jefferson Hotel

From the moment my car approached the impressive 19^th century Jefferson Hotel, pulled into the cobblestoned drive lined with well-manicured topiary, greenery and flowers, I knew then that a luxury stay was eminent. Weary and road tired from a week long culinary road trip through the Carolinas, we were looking forward to our stay at the historic, AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia. This stay would be the cherry-on-the-top, the icing-on-the-cake, and the crème-de-la-crème in sumptuous creature comforts especially in contrast to our trip’s previous Air BnB and Comfort Inn accommodations.

One cannot but be gobsmacked by the beauty of the Jefferson’s Palm Court lobby with its centerpiece, a statue of Thomas Jefferson, the focal point under the skylight of stained glass, with a selection of 1907 Tiffany side windows. The beaux arts continue as we peered down the 36 step grand staircase to the rotunda level from the mezzanine with its 70 foot decorative pillars. It surely feels like a step back in time, stunning – one can almost feel the exuberance of past guests and revelers.

Watch the entire slideshow and read more at the Dara Cooks blog at Baltimore Post Examiner.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Adult vacation playground: Virginia

For a couple of weeks, I’ve been trying to focus on writing my story about a recent trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, finding a focal point. First, Virginia is core to our American History, over 400 years since the landing of the first English colony, Jamestown, and of course historic Colonial Williamsburg, where one steps back in time to what life was like in the days of yore. Virginia is steeped in the roots of America’s history.

Virginia boasts an ever growing aquaculture, the largest producer of oysters on the East Coast. Oyster lovers can indulge by following the Virginia Oyster Trail to 8 distinct locations throughout the state. As aquaculture grows, so does the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

You could win a restaurant in the Caribbean

Have you thought about opening a restaurant in a tropical Caribbean paradise? Are you good at expressing your passion for food and travel? If so, here is your opportunity.

In Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica, Penny and Jack Williams, the owners of Outback Jack's Beach Bar N Grill, are finally retiring to write their books. Rather than selling their internationally known restaurant, they thought it would be a lot more fun to run an essay contest for someone to win the restaurant.

This might just be the answer for a chef who lacks the dollars but has a heart of a poet and could put into words why they should be the new owners of Outback Jack’s Beach Bar N Grill. There is a $175 fee per essay – but if you can write, write well, you could be one of the 10 finalist who will receive an all inclusive round trip ticket to Costa Rica for a week.

Here is information from the press release received:

An easy and fun way to become the owner of an ongoing business

The participants will only have to write an essay of 300 words or less to get a chance to become the happy owner of Outback Jack's Beach Bar N Grill. The subject is simple: tell why you would like to own the restaurant and live in Paradise in Costa Rica. Essay has to be posted on the dedicated website before December 15th, 2015. The entry Fee is only US$ 175 per essay.

Also a prize will be awarded to the Top ten finalists. It will be a US$ 3000 all inclusive round trip ticket to Costa Rica, for a fun filled week of exciting adventures to end with the announcement of the winning essay during Saturday night festivities. Airfare, accommodation, food, and tropical drinks plus a side trip to Panama are included. The winner gets an ongoing business and can enjoy the beautiful beaches and jungle surroundings.

A great place to work and live

Outback Jack's Beach Bar N Grill is located just a stone throw from the beautiful Caribbean Sea... This area is a true tropical paradise. It has a unique simplistic lifestyle, surrounded with jungle, palm trees, and wild life in abundance: monkeys, sloth, toucans, jaguars, frogs...

It is a spectacular establishment with great food, a funky vibe, and a fun atmosphere.

Internationally known Outback Jack's Restaurant to win and much more

The Winner does not only get Outback Jack's Beach Bar N Grill, but also a rum, tequila, and beer garden, a fully equipped place, one year lease paid in advance, US$ 10 000 for running expenses, fully trained crew, all licenses and permits in place, and even more come with it.

About the owners and the restaurant

Penelope and Jack Williams have operated the Outback Jack's Beach Bar N Grill for 7 years. They have truly enjoyed running this place. But they now want to take time to write books about all the adventures they have been through all around the world.
It is time for someone to take over.

Website of the contest: http://www.outbackjacks.org

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Virginia launchs new " 7 stop Oyster Trail"

The State of Virginia is the largest producer of oysters, both wild and farm raised, on the East Coast with a 31 percent increase in sales in 2014 with more than 658,000 bushels, with a dockside value of 33.8 million dollars. Virginia’s Governor McAuliffe, an oyster lover for sure, launched the Virginia Oyster Trail and kicking off November as Virginia’s Oyster Month. There are seven areas on Virginia’s regional waterways: seaside, upper bay eastern shore, lower bay eastern shore, upper bay western shore, middle bay western shore, lower bay western shore and tidewater – each oyster with its own unique flavor.

Governor McAuliffe, along with the First Lady joined oyster farmers and wine producers at the Tides Inn in Irvington Virginia for the launch of the Oyster Trail. Virginia is the 5^th largest wine producer in the United States and it was apropos to showcase and pair their wines and oysters. The governor sipped and slurped at each regional booth, including and nod to Tangier Island before his official decree for the press on the new Virginia Oyster Trail.

Read the full story and watch the slideshow HERE.

Monday, August 18, 2014

The Mill Street Inn Bed and Breakfast: Tales of Dorchester County

For me, when given a choice of staying in a top rated hotel or bed and breakfast, the bed and breakfast always wins out. There is warmth, a feeling of belonging that innkeepers exude; a genuine interest in their guests. If you have never stayed at a bed and breakfast your vision just might be a revitalized Victorian mansion with beautifully decorated suites, spacious common rooms, modern amenities yet still maintaining that slice of living in past times. And that vision would all come true with the Mill Street Inn Bed and Breakfast in historic Cambridge, Maryland. Guests luxuriate with a gourmet breakfast, lemonade and cookies on the veranda while feeling a cool summer breeze or a glass of wine fireside taking off the winter chill.

What made Jennie and Skip Rideout, retired educators, want to take on a rundown, over-worn historical house and spend two years, 8 months uninhabitable, and go into the hospitality business? The answer is passion, sheer passion. That passion for creating their own bed and breakfast started during their domestic travels throughout the east coast and travels abroad to the United Kingdom, having relished their stays in bed and breakfasts.

In our chats, Jennie responded to my question as to who was the most unusual guest or guest scenario at the Mill Street Inn Bed and Breakfast? She smiled, laughed and said, “A magician who tried to make his bill disappear.” For a more realistic look at their guests it has run from a mortician’s conference to Brits on a mid-Atlantic history tour from Philadelphia to Williamsburg. On my stay, a couple picking up their 6^th grade daughter who was finishing her work at Hornpoint, University of Maryland’s environmental camp on the 850 acre old DuPont Estate. When I inquired why the couple picked the bed and breakfast over the traditional hotel/motel experience they responded, “We wanted a more local experience, to get a sense of the community.”

View the slideshow, read the full story and get the recipe for grit souffle HERE.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Inn at the Black Olive: A place where everyone knows your name

Jack Dwyer, Woody Harrelson, Dimitris Spiliadis, David Blaine, Chrissa Carlson

Welcome to Baltimore’s Inn at the Black Olive, a green hotel with luxury suites and two restaurants that embrace farm-to-table, organic and the raw food movement. With the additional help and guidance of the new owners Jack Dwyer, founder of the Capital Funding Group and award-winning actor, known for his iconic role on Cheers and most recently for True Detective and Hunger Games , Woody Harrelson - the vision of the luxury, ecological full service inn continues being managed by Dimitris Spiliadis.

A dinner was held to kick off this new phase of the Inn at the Black Olive with a multi-course dinner at their rooftop Olive Room Restaurant that benefited Great Kids Farm. Being able to sit down with the new owners one got the sense of respect both Dwyer and Harrelson held for Spiliadis and his vision.

At the press conference it was made clear that Spiliadis’s vision of a green hotel and organic, farm-to-table restaurants would continue with Dwyer guiding where needed. Harrelson would be more behind the scenes and when his schedule permits visiting the Inn at the Black Olive.

Watch the video, slideshow and full story HERE.

Monday, July 21, 2014

Slow Down: Tales of Dorchester County

Crab Trio - Old Salty's, Hoopers Island

A recent trip to the often overlooked, driven through Dorchester County unveiled numerous stories of land and waterways; generations of watermen and farmers, a revitalized community and rich history. Other than a pit-stop, fast food quick bite on the go or picking up produce at a farm stand most travelers to Maryland’s eastern shore drive through Dorchester County on their way to Ocean City. My advice, slow down – take time to partake of all the entire county is offering.

From my first morning’s stop at the new Cambridge bakery Elliott’s Baking Company to my final stop at Layton’s Chance Vineyards and Winery in Vienna the day after, a few things were crystal clear; two days were insufficient to encompass everything that should be seen and enjoyed in Dorchester County. And the sense of community and working together with the folks I met was preeminent.

Check out the slideshow and full story HERE.

Monday, October 07, 2013

Chesapeake Wine Trail: Crow Farm, Vineyard, B and B

The Crow farm, vineyard and farmstay bed and breakfast makes for an ideal day trip while investigating the Chesapeake Wine Trail or weekend away at their bed and breakfast.

Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the area east of the Chesapeake Bay, is most known for its beaches and seafood but it now has a burgeoning wine trail. The climate and sandy soil are ideal for growing grapes. The Chesapeake Wine Trail will open up new vistas for the oenophile.

The Crow family re-imagined their family farm and in 2010 planted a 4 acre vineyard with additional acres planted in 2012. Achieving great success early with their 2012 Vidal Blanc and Barbera Rosé which just won gold medals at the 23^rd Annual Maryland Governor’s Cup. A small vineyard at this time, you won’t be seeing them at the large wine festivals – they aren’t producing in those quantities but the wines are available for tasting at the vineyard.

Watch the video, slideshow and more about Crow Farms and Vineyard HERE.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Give the gift of Italy: Enjoy the Amalfi Coast

So this story begins at the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s holiday party when I chatted up my friend Mary Ann Cricchio, owner of Da Mimmo Restaurant in Baltimore’s Little Italy. The question to her was what’s new since I last saw you? The dam broke as Mary Ann exploded with excitement about an Amalfi Coast tour that she and her executive chef Masood Masoodi had put together for 20 customers.

photo courtesy of Steve Filippi

I love Italy; have been twice on cost effective tours where we were packed liked sardines on tour buses. Do you remember the old movie If It’s Tuesday it must Be Belgium? That is what my tours were like, packing and unpacking, going from city to city. Mary Ann’s tour had her guests stay in one city, Maiori, where they relaxed and didn’t have that syndrome of being in a new city every other day.

Check out the slideshow, video and the full story HERE