As a travel writer I’m often sent new travel products to test. Many of them quickly end up in the garbage (like the “body-pillow” that you plug into the airplane’s air vent to blow-up. I couldn’t get it unplugged and it almost exploded on the plane. Needless to say, the flight attendants were NOT happy with me) or being re-gifted to other, less particular travelers.
But after trying many lemons, I’ve discovered the love of my travel life…Landor and Hawa’s International Traveller IT-0-2, “The World’s Lightest Luggage”. (I’ve tested them and you really can lift them with just your pinkie finger!) Even more good news, they are also unbelievably light on your pocketbook.
International Traveller IT-0-2 is the second rendition of “The World’s Lightest Luggage”. Building off of the success of IT-0-1, International Traveller still brings you the world’s lightest luggage, but now with improved features, such as larger front zipper pockets (perfectly sized to hold all your travel docs and onboard reading material) and a super-comfy foam push-button handle, but IT (which stands for International Traveler) still uses their original high-tech polyester and innovative ultra-strong fiberglass structured frame, which can take a licking and keep on traveling, which is why they are comfortable including a 10 year manufacturer guarantee. The corner mounted ball-bearing wheels, connect directly to the body frame, providing smooth, stable, ninja-quiet rolling.
For sample sizes and pricing check out their website.
The other night I attended a San Francisco press event featuring two chefs toquing it out for the title of Olive Chef. In one corner of restaurant newbie, Txoko, we had all the way from Washington D.C., Iron Chef America champion, Katsyua Fukushima. In the other corner was home-town fave, Chef Ian Begg, one of San Francisco Chronicle’s Rising Star chefs.
The Challenge: The sponsor, Olive Oil from Spain, challenged these two talented chefs to come up with “50 Ways to Love Olive Oil from Spain”. (I can’t wait to try # 21. Drizzle over thin baguette slices spread with bittersweet or milk chocolate. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes.)
The public was able to watch both chefs in action-packed demos and then sample the results which were paired with some delectable wines from Spain. Top crowd-pleasers were Katsuya’s UnDirty Martini with Liquid Olive and his Mato Cheese with Tomato and Begg’s Olive Oil Ice Cream Sandwich.
The Venue: This was my first opportunity to visit Txoko (sounds like Cho-Ko) which offers amazing San Sebastián-style pintxos–the Basque equivalent for tapas. I can’t wait to come back and try the Mesquite Grilled Quail on a ragout of mushrooms, padron peppers, smoky chorizo and dandelion greens followed by Begg’s Foie Gras Ice Cream with a Pedro Ximenez Reduction. (This is one dish you’ll instantly love or hate. I’ve been a fan since I tried his first rendition a few years ago at Cafe Majestic)
Txoko is located on Broadway’s strip club row in a building that was previously home to the famed Enrico’s. It’s the second eatery opened by the popular tag team of Ian Begg and Ryan Maxey.
The Outcome: Although I already knew that Spain is the world’s leading olive oil producer and exporter, I was still surprised by the diversity of aromas and flavors when doing a blind tasting of these Extra Virgin Olive Oils. Fruity, grassy, bitter, peppery, nutty and buttery were just a few of the adjectives we bandied about during the press tasting conducted by Jeffrey Shaw, Marketing Director of Olive Oil from Spain, which is based at the Trade Commission of Spain in New York. We also learned some helpful cooking techniques, such as Picual and Hojiblanca varietals are best suited for high-heat applications without losing flavor.
Only two weeks ago, I had been cooking these very dishes (all right…so maybe I just helped a bit) with a whole bunch of feisty "Village Housewives of Zakopane". This was just one of the many fun culinary activities I (along with 6 other discerning, well-traveled foodies) enjoyed during our “Cooking your Way from Krakow to Zakopane” tour put on by Poland Culinary Vacations.
Sarna Rose stirring the pot
PCV is the brainchild of Polish born, Sarna Rose, who now lives in Bozeman, Montana, when she isn’t busy leading groups on one of her many culinary tours throughout Poland. She knows all the celeb chefs, best markets, off-the-beaten-track sites and lucky for us, she’s only too happy to share. Be it an old-fashioned Milk Bar (zero atmosphere, steamy cafeteria serving huge portions of soups and stews for small change), or recommending the best toppings for your Zapiekanka (popular 1 ½ ft. long toasted baguette sandwich with assorted toppings, melted cheese and ketchup), or getting one of Krakow’s top chefs, such as Adam Chrzastowski, who mans the stoves at the Michelin recommended Ancora Restaurant, to stop by for a chat, Sarna can make it all happen. (When we asked Adam where to go for the best pierogi, he replied, “My mother’s house!” Hmmm, maybe next time Sarna can add that to the list.)
This Zapiekanka should tied me over until dinner.
This particular tour featured the best city & country cooking . For the first four nights we explored agritourism at its finest, in the gorgeous mountain area of Zakopane -Poland’s leading mountain resort. The always-popular town is filled with tourists, busily eating, shopping and then eating some more, along the action-packed main street, Krupowki.
We stayed a few blocks away from all the commotion, at the 4 star, Villa Marilor, a restored palace sprawled over a park-like setting. The crystal chandeliers, hot breakfasts served in the ornate dining room, an in- house spa/pool and large, old-fashioned bedrooms-many overlooking the park, made for a happy stay.
River rafting
Over the next few days we enjoyed some lazy river rafting, explored the unique Zakopane wooden churches and homes, sampled our way through the markets (we became experts after tasting about 20 different versions of the local oscypek, a salty, smoked sheep’s milk cheese that partners perfectly with beer.
Oscypek cheese stall
The highlight of our stay was our cooking classes with the local village ladies, who could have been poster children for the Slow Food Movement. It was an incredible experience, eating food that was just minutes away from being freshly plucked, slaughtered, smoked, and harvested. Through Sarna’s interpreting we found out that these women had grown most of the vegetables, churned the butter, canned the pickles, beets and jams, rendered the (totally indispensible) pork fat, baked the breads and pastries and even brewed a delectable rose-hip wine.
Pierogi, potato pancakes and goulash
It was a bit difficult getting the recipes down since they are definitely a “pinch of this and a handful of that” type cooks. But we could figure most of it out as they prepared a variety of traditional Polish recipes (pierogie, potato pancakes, meat cutlets, dumplings, soups, the most addictive wafer cookies, etc.) stopping only for a quick giggle as they looked at my misshapen attempts.
Love their traditional dress.
After preparing our 12 course meal, they left the room for some quick-change artistry and reappeared in traditional costumes and graciously entertained us by singing Polish folk songs. (Some of them were in a professional choral group.)
Walking off our lunch with one of the youngest cooks
All too soon it was time to leave for the two hour drive to the bustling city of Krakow, centered around Europe’s largest medieval market square. Before we reached town, we stopped on the outskirts for a final professional cooking class at the state-of-the-art, Culinary Institute of Cracow, where we cooked alongside English-speaking chefs who, when not teaching, are busy cooking in some of Poland’s finest restaurants. We left with a packet of recipes, also in English, which I am preparing right this moment.
I always stay at the same hotel on the West side of Manhattan. Not because it’s particularly wonderful, or that I get a great rate or anything, but because it’s geographically desirable–right across the street from my sister’s apt. However, on a recent visit ( my mom and I were back for a second try at my niece’s wedding-the first one had been canceled last minute due to Hurricane Irene) the hotel was completely booked, so I was forced to change my usual M.O. Thank heavens, or else I would never have discovered Affinia 50, a marvelous boutique hotel right in the heart of Midtown East.
From the moment we were greeted with a cheery “Welcome home” by the bell-hop, I knew this was not going to be a typical NYC impersonal hotel experience. Actually, I kind of had a glimmer of the special service they provide when I received an email, about a week before my stay, from my own personal concierge, enquiring if I had special requests. (Since I’m allergic to feathers I did ask for hypoallergenic bedding, which was all ready when I arrived. And don’t even get me started on how in love I am with their custom-designed Affinia bed. After the first dreamy night’s sleep I realize why one side of the “please clean my room tag” has “I refuse to get out of this fabulous bed” on it.
Sadly, I didn’t realize beforehand that this was just one of many lovely little perks that my go-to concierge could have provided. They offer tons of other thoughtful amenities (many complimentary-others for a small charge) to customize your stay, such as an Ibanez acoustic guitar, golf balls and putter, bathtub rubber duckie, six-choice Dream pillow menu, cupcakes, iGo® cell phone, laptop and Blackberry chargers, or a Walking Tour Kit-complete with guidebook, map and iPod loaded with the Affinia City Walking Tour. Or if you’d rather stretch out those flight kinks faster than you can say Namaste, ask for Affinia’s StayFit kit which includes a Yoga mat, stretching bands and blocks, and workout bands and weights to use with the exercise DVDs.
Our room, a Junior Suite, was HUGE–not a word often used to describe a NYC hotel room. Our spacious digs were nice and bright, with lots of windows (loved that we had a private outdoor terrace where we could sip a glass of wine while taking in the Manhattan skyline) a fully stocked kitchen -with microwave oven, refrigerator, toaster, utensils and a coffee maker with complimentary coffee and an over-sized mirror right next to the door for a final check before heading out for a night on the town. Kudos for the double bed-mounted reading lights, perfect for late night readers.
Don’t forget to visit the expansive second-floor Club Room, open to all guests, where you’ll find the business center, complimentary coffee & tea available all day, and Mon-Thurs stop in for some ‘Evening Cheer’ which includes complimentary wine & refreshments. An extensive Continental Breakfast (complete with smoked salmon) is offered for a very reasonable $14.75.
Checkout their website to review special package rates that are being offered not only at Affinia 50 but also at their sister hotels located throughout NYC and other parts of the country,
Affinia 50 | 155 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022
affinia.com | T: 212-751-5710 | F: 917-339-3874
This year’s Outside Lands music extravaganza will be taking place, August 12-14 at Golden Gate Park, in the Polo Field and Lindley Meadow. The festival will kick off with a splash as Phish takes to the stage Friday night followed the rest of the weekend by Muse, The Black Keys, MGMT, Girl Talk, Arcade Fire, Deadmau5 among others.
And, since this IS San Francisco, just check out the incredible array of food & wine vendors that will be onboard. Sure, you’ll be able to grab a burger (4505 Meat cheeseburger- recently voted “Best Burger in the Bay Area”) or a dog (a Let’s be Frank’s pasture-roaming hormone-free doggy) but if you choose to, you can really go off-the-grid and snack on some Frickles (deep-fried dill pickles) schwarma snowcones, salumi by Flour & Water, Namu’s Korean tacos, Memphis Minnies succulent southern BBQ or just about whatever your lil’ heart desires will be offered the over 60 eateries (and wineries) that are popping up for the occasion. So get your ticket, bring a blankie and nab your spot in the park.
Just one of the many fab foodie events that have been going on all over San Francisco during the 2011 SF CHEFS. FIJI Water decided to step up to the plate and resolve ( at least for one day) the problem Bay Area foodies have always had: too many restaurants, too little time, don’t want to drink and drive and not enough parking.
Hamachi shots at Alexander's
Lucky participants were transported via electric cable car between some of San Francisco’s most delectable restaurants, such as Butterfly, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Roy’s and Luce, for delish culinary bites perfectly paired with wine or a special cocktail. SOOO fun!
Smoked Salmon/strawberry rolls at Butterfly
But don’t hate…there’s still a few tickets available for some of the following events, at http://www.sfchefs2011.com/ .
Thursday August 4th
Food Arts Industry Series | Location! Location! Location!: Westin St. Francis, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
SOLD OUT! Food Arts Industry Series | Illy Coffee Aficionado: Westin St. Francis, 3:00 – 6:00 pm
Sugar & Spice Party: Westin St. Francis, 6:00- 9:00 pm
Friday August 5th
Food Arts Industry Series | The Secrets of our Success: Westin St. Francis, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
SOLD OUT! Friday Night Grand Tasting | Opening Ceremony: Grand Tasting Tent on Union Square, 6:00 -10:00 pm
Friday Night After Party | Late Night Affair: The City Club of San Francisco, 10:00 pm – 1:00 am
Saturday August 6th
Anolon Chef Demo | Michael Chiarello & Tyler Florence: Westin St. Francis, 10:25 am to Noon
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir | A Mosaic of Distinctions: Westin St. Francis, 10:30 am to Noon
Gin Blossoms: Westin St. Francis, 10:30 am to Noon
Talking and Tasting Pork: Westin St. Francis, 10:30 am to Noon
Culinary Design | Palate Meets Plate: Westin St. Francis, 10:30 am to Noon
Saturday Afternoon Grand Tasting | Classic San Francisco: Grand Tasting Tent on Union Square, 12:00 – 4:00 pm
Illy Chef Challenge | As Seen on TV: Westin St. Francis, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
The Real Restaurant Wives of San Francisco: E&O Trading Co., 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Saturday Night Grand Tasting | Decadence After Dark: Grand Tasting Tent on Union Square,
6:30 -10:30 pm
Saturday Night After Party | Late Night Booze and Bites with Top Chef All-Stars Winner Richard Blais: Westin St. Francis, 10:00 pm – 1:00 am
Sunday August 7th
Anolon Date Night Dinner | Seduction in Three Courses: Westin St. Francis, 10:30 am to Noon
Secrets of the Sommeliers | Rhone Valley Wines: Westin St. Francis, 10:30 am to Noon
Four Star Family Meal: Westin St. Francis, 10:30 am to Noon
Wake up Your Palate: Westin St. Francis, 10:30 am to Noon
Pioneers of San Francisco: Westin St. Francis, 10:30 am to Noon
Sunday Afternoon Grand Tasting | The Culinary Innovators: Grand Tasting Tent on Union Square, 12:00 – 4:00 p
Visit http://www.sfchefs2011.com/ for complete event details and to order your tickets today.
Rock, scissor, paper…and one-of-a-kind silk, porcelain, baubles and beads and a whole bunch of other inspiring handmade works from 230 of America’s best craft artisans will be on show and sale at the largest juried craft show in the West. The American Craft Council will be celebrating it’s 70th birthday this year so a special feature will be the artist-inspired cake designs by select Bay Area confectioners.
The ‘Handmade Under $100’ category offers some incredible deals and is the perfect place to do some early Christmas shopping but I suggest you come early (check out the generous $5 after 5 deal below) for the best buys since they expect 10,000 visitors over the weekend!!!
$5 After 5
Friday night offers a special $5 admission after 5 p.m. and features ‘Hot Glass and Cold Beer’ with locally produced craft beer poured into unique glassware created onsite by artisans from San Francisco’s Public Glass and Half Moon Bay Art Glass.
Let your creative juices flow
Visitors can also exercise their own creativity with Kirigami card making at the Museum of Craft and Design’s MakeArt Craft workshop on Saturday afternoon. Or head over to the DEMO STAGE, for a variety of fascinating demonstrations such as “Japanese style wheel-throwing” or one that caught my eye was “How to make purses out of wood”, which look like something Carrie Bradshaw would be carrying. Click here to download a pdf of the demo schedule.
LOCATION
Fort Mason Center, Festival Pavilion. (*Due to construction on Herbst Pavilion, the show will only appear Festival Pavilion.)
Enter Fort Mason at the corner of Marina Blvd. and Buchanan Street.
DRIVING and PARKING INFORMATION – Click here for driving directions and a map of the area. Parking is challenging at Fort Mason. Shuttles will be running from Marina Greene to the show on a regular basis.
DATES AND SHOW HOURS
Friday, August 12 (10am – 8pm)
Saturday, August 13 (10am – 6pm)
Sunday, August 14 (10am – 5pm)
Become a member now and gain free admission to this show! Or make a donation to the American Craft Council.
ADMISSION
$14 per person – One Day Pass
$18 (online only) / $20 (on-site) for a three-day pass
**Special Friday night admission: $5.00 at 5pm! Starting at 5:00pm admission drops to $5.00 for the remainder of the evening (8pm). No discount offers apply.
Do you have a BFF that has made a wonderful addition in your life? You know the kind. That special woman who’s always there for everyone, always has your back, and always supporting you through bad times and rooting for you in the good times. Why not give the special lady the recognition she deserves by nominating her for a starring role in Sevierville’s new Girlfriend’s Getaway advertising campaign (and if she wins, you just know she’ll invite you to join her on the G.G. of a lifetime;-)
The Sevierville Chamber of Commerce has launched The Great Girlfriend’s Getaway Search, an opportunity to nominate a woman who makes a positive impact on others for a chance to win an over-the-top Girlfriend’s Getaway and a starring role in Sevierville’s new Girlfriend’s Getaway advertising campaign.
The winner will share her Sevierville Girlfriend’s Getaway experience with three of her closest gal pals from September 25-October 1, 2011 and be featured in the city’s 2012 advertising campaign.
“A Sevierville Girlfriend’s Getaway can be a high-end outlet shopping trip, a confidence boosting outdoor adventure, a golf excursion with the ladies, and so much more,” says Sevierville Chamber of Commerce marketing director Amanda Marr. “Our destination offers a tremendous variety of activities so your getaway can be whatever you love to do. We want to focus on that while also reminding women that it’s important to take away time for themselves guilt-free.”
To nominate an amazing woman in your life, go online to www.OfficialGirlfriendsGetaway.com. Nominations may be submitted from now until August 15, 2011.
Sevierville is located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is Dolly Parton’s hometown and is The Official Destination for Girlfriend’s Getaways™.
Warning: You only have a couple more weeks to buy your tickets (and in my case, crash diet, so I’ll be guilt-free while I eat to my lil’ heart’s content) and join San Francisco’s shining culinary stars (a marvelous mixture of Michelin and rising stars ) under the humongous tented pavilion at Union Square for three glorious gourmet days, August 5-7th. The Grand Tastings will be filled with epicurean food delights prepared by San Francisco’s favorite chefs, paired with handcrafted cocktails created by amazing mixologists, primo wines, beer or spirits.
During the day,you can mix and mingle with the culinary celebs at a variety of culinary, wine and cocktail classes. Choose from a morning stroll through the botanical gardens showcasing original cocktails featuring Hendrick’s gin to hearing about the good old restaurant days from San Francisco’s Leading Ladies: Legendary chefs Cecelia Chaing, Joyce Goldstein and Nancy Oakes. Perhaps you’d rather join the fun at the Cable Car Crawl, stopping in for taste sensations at Butterfly, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Roy’s and Luce. These are but a mere sampling of activities SF Chefs 2011 has cooked up.
For all the yummy details visit www.sfchefs2011.com
August 2-7, 2011
Union Square and the vicinity
San Francisco, CA 94108
Tel : 415-781-5348
Tickets from $35 to $150
( Some events may be sold out but *Limited Visa Signature tickets still available)
San Francisco’s American Lamb Jam Tour promises to be even bigger and better this year. The second annual “everything you ever wanted to know–and more importantly, taste –is being held, Sunday July 17th at the Golden Gate Club! From 3pm-6pm, top Bay Area chefs will ferociously compete to see who can prepare the tastiest lamb dish. Samples will be paired with over 100 wines from Paso Robles. In between tastings you can watch a butchery demonstration by Don Watson (local Shepherd) and chef Matthew Accarrino from SPQR.
Popular emcee Liam Mayclem, from TV’s Eye On The Bay, will calling the shots as 16-20 SF restaurants/chefs compete for “Best in Show,” “People’s Choice” and “Best Leg, Loin, Shank and Shoulder” categories with voting by a panel of key media representatives and event attendees.
Come vote for your fave. Just a few of the big-name chefs include: Jeffrey Lunak (Morimoto Napa), David Bazirgan (Fifth Floor), Antelmo Faria (Tacolicious), Yang Peng-Wood Tavern, Banks White (FIVE, Berkeley), Dino Vazquez (Eastside West Restaurant & Bar), Eric Berg (Wente Vineyards) and Jeff Mall (Zin).
They deserve extra-credit points for the feature event: Lamb (The Whole Beast) cooked on a spit by Chef John Fink.
The Whole Beast, started by Chef John Fink, features farm-raised animals cooked whole over flame. All parts of the animal are cooked and prepared for delicious side dishes. At the Lamb Jam, Chef John Fink will be cooking a whole, farm-raised lamb over almond, oak and juniper wood. Chef Fink and Don Watson of Napa Valley Ranch will carve the meat and prepare lamb gyros for tasting. To learn more about The Whole Beast please visit the site.
DETAILS:
Where: Golden Gate Club
135 Fisher Loop San Francisco, CA 94129
