I am Lost and Found

Category: Feast

Blackberry Mountain Is Sensational

Tucked up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Blackberry Mountain sets a high bar by combining unique adventures and holistic wellness activities. And, it takes adventures even further with locally sourced food, and the comforts of home. This post describes how Blackberry Mountain entices each of the senses, in completely unexpected ways.

This is Blackberry Mountain

Big Double Shelter is a wide, wooden deck at the end of Big Double Trail. The treetops in the distance look freshly painted. Brushstrokes of oily red, orange, and yellow skim the uppermost leaves.

The result is an undulating wave of late autumn color. Big Double Shelter hovers above pine trees adorned with clusters of prickly pinecones jut precariously over a deep ravine. We are the only hikers out this brisk November morning. The silence is deafening.

THUMP.

“Uh oh,” my friend says, “there goes the walkie-talkie”.

I peer over the edge. But she’s already scrambling down the steep slope to recover it from the forest floor. I think to myself, this is the part of the film when things begin to go horribly wrong.

What’s to fear? It’s not as if there are black bears roaming the Smoky Mountains in late November. Or, that the walkie-talkie is our sole connection to the lodge? Alerting the front desk of our hiking route, as recommended, is no longer unimportant.

We’d brought only a 4 oz bottle of water between us because we want to travel ‘light’. And, perhaps I’m not the confident map reader I pretend to be. Is the sky starting to turn an ominous gray? Is the wind picking up? Why do I feel suddenly parched? Curse you, my overactive imagination.

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At Blackberry Mountain, adventure and luxury overlap

If this mini-adventure appears to be threaded with fear, it is fleeting. In this case, the ‘Girls’ Weekend Gone Wrong’ thriller would have to wait, as our hike had an uneventful ending. My friend recovered the slippery walkie-talkie, the skies reverted to cerulean blue, the wind abated, and the water sufficed. The only evidence of bear was an ambiguous claw scrape in the dirt.

Blackberry Mountain, a luxury/adventure lodge in Walland, Tennessee, is as eventful or uneventful as one wants it to be. The property’s sweet spot is best illustrated between the layers. Layers as thick and interesting as the Smoky Mountains themselves.

Blackberry Mountain, in brief

The Beall family started Blackberry Farm as a six-room country inn in the mid-70s. Over the years it has grown and gained worldwide attention in the hospitality sphere. In 2018, the Beall family opened a sister property, Blackberry Mountain. Blackberry Mountain covers eight miles of protected ridge line over 5200 acres. Almost half of which is dedicated to land conservation. Not to overdramatize, but it’s spectacular.

The Watchman Cabins

Ramshackle, Cripple Creek, Crackling Hen, and Old Smoky. Welcome to the watchman cabins. A six-of-a-kind collection that lines the top ridge of the property. Each cabin comes with its own personalized golf cart so getting around the property is never an issue. Our cabin is Ramshackle, set just across from the forest-enclosed, infinity-edged, hot tub. No golf cart is needed.

Outside, the smell of new wood-burning wafts from the neighboring cabins. And the fresh scent of morning dew is ever more noticeable after the night’s heavy downpour.

The cabins are rustic-chic. For instance, Ramshackle has layers of wooden beamed walls, and wide, wood-planked floors. Additionally, there’s a wood-burning stove and a free-standing deep soaking tub to complete the comfy, cozy setting. Endless little luxuries are sprinkled throughout the cabin.

Amenity Overload

As an example, Aesop toiletries sit at the edge of the deep, stand-alone tub. A Nespresso maker and assorted teas are on hand for a morning caffeine fix. And, remote-controlled roller shades reveal the lofty view from floor-to-ceiling windows. Amenities, galore.

Additionally, brass binoculars (for bird or bear viewing) are set atop the iron stove. Also, there is a basket of firewood ready to take the chill from the cool evening air. Thick, wool, blankets drape the chairs, begging to be worn. So, that regardless of the outside temperature, we could still enjoy views from the deck.

The trees in front of Ramshackle’s picture window are stark, having already lost most of their leaves. Spindly branches overlap one another, an inky contrast against the morning’s milky fog.

7am. I’m not a morning person. But, I try to keep my eyes open long enough to witness the mist rise beyond the windows. I want to watch the sun break through to reveal the patches of farmland below. Watercolor hues of overlapping blues shape the mountains. Steel blue, gray-blue, periwinkle, cornflower, and as expected, smoky blue. I don’t even have to leave my bed. If there is ever a place to have cabin fever, this is it.

Naturally, views trump everything at Blackberry Mountain. And none are more intoxicating than from the hilltop Watchman Cabins.

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THREE SISTERS, AND A FIRETOWER RULE OVER BLACKBERRY MOUNTAIN

There are two restaurants at Blackberry Mountain: Firetower and Three Sisters. Firetower is aptly named. It sits at the base of a restored 1950s fire tower that guests can climb for sweeping views. The restaurant is an uphill stone’s throw from our cabin and is where we enjoyed many of our best meals. Three Sisters is a slightly more formal dining experience at the main lodge. We divided our meals between both—always in fear of missing out on something the chefs were inventing. Foodie FOMO, it’s real.

In an effort to try every dish on the menus, we shared everything. My friend has been a vegan for 20 years. I decided to become one for three days. I was curious if my tastebuds would forgive me. If I was making too big a culinary sacrifice. My fears were unwarranted.

Breakfasts and dinners are included in the room rate at Blackberry Mountain, which made being experimental easy. The chefs are more than happy to split the meals so that guests can try everything. In one case, we couldn’t decide on which two of the three main courses to share. Our waitress surprised us by bringing all three.

The chefs and waitstaff were as excited and eager for us to sample the entire menu as we were. It is just that type of ‘above and beyond’ service that shows up in every facet of Blackberry Mountain. No ask was too much trouble. Ever.

Executive Orders

The executive chefs, Joel Werner, of Firetower, and Joey Edwards, of Three Sisters, both create extraordinary multi-course and multi-dimensional meals. The dishes have layers of colors and textures—as interesting visually as culinarily.

Fresh, foraged mushrooms sit atop a crusty flatbread with piles of herbs and garlic. A warm grain bowl explodes in flavors as bold as its colors, a brushstroke of cashew butter at its base. At breakfast, sweet potato hash is sprinkled with crispy rice on a thinly-sliced avocado.

Each dish is an unpretentious work of art; confident, simple, and purposeful. I made no sacrifices being a part-time vegan. Although I did allow myself one diversion, as I couldn’t pass up the wagyu beef entree at Three Sisters.

With chefs like this cooking for me each day, I could easily imagine life as a vegan. At least a part-time vegan.

Pretentious Glass, a Blackberry Mountain exclusive

Speaking of unpretentious works of art, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the decanter. In fact, I could write an entire post about the decanter. Matthew Cummings, owner, founder, and glassblower-in-chief of Pretentious Glass spent years cultivating a relationship with Blackberry Mountain. He now creates exclusive pieces of glassware for them. A fine art sculptor turned commercial artist, Cummings’ creations in glass are a modern, festive, take on classic styles.

His decanter is a carnival of glass. Wide and round with long, whimsical ribbons that stretch from bottom to top. It begged us to choose a wine worthy of it. As a side note, I’m angling to buy one. But I’m told they’re not yet for sale. Yet, I will keep inquiring. Matthew, are you listening?

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BATHED IN SOUND AND LIGHT AT BLACKBERRY MOUNTAIN

Perhaps, the highlight of the getaway is one that I hadn’t anticipated. I was prepared to love the food, the atmosphere, the lodge, and the lodging. I had seen photos, heard stories from friends, and read about the chefs and food. Blackberry Mountain is not an inexpensive undertaking, so a certain level of expectation was inherent. However, the sound bath experience was unexpectedly transporting.

That blustery morning we meet our master of ceremonies. Chris introduces us to the ritual of sound bathing with his warm, lulling voice. The room has high ceilings and is drenched in champagne light. Chris is surrounded by a multitude of instruments; gongs, rainmakers, and chimes, among them. Next, all six guests form a wide semi-circle on the floor with our yoga mats. Lastly, we drape ourselves in soft blankets and placed lightly-scented lavender cloths over our eyes. This is already amazing.

Gongs, Chimes, and Rain

The senses in my body awaken and are warmed from the inside out. I melt into the sounds. The gongs overlap the chimes. Then, the chimes overlap the rainmaker, which sounds like waves crashing onto a beach. First softly, then gaining power, before receding again. I fall asleep, I think. Then awaken to tuning forks in G major, chants, and a few unnameable sounds. The vibrations of those sounds lift and settle within me as I drift in and out of a dream-like state.

All too soon, Chris asks us to sit up. I reluctantly follow orders. The gauzy roller shades are raised, the curtains are drawn. Had I even noticed them earlier? I find myself facing purple mountains— the start of sunset. The ridge is razor sharp, and pink and orange hues are just beginning to appear behind it. I smile. Then wonder when I can do it all over again.

Time’s Up

We attempted a leisurely pace throughout our three days at Blackberry Mountain. We were aiming to find the right balance of chill time and activities. There is much we left undone, which is all the fuel I needed to plan a future trip.

On our final afternoon, a layer of dark clouds descends over the tree line. As if to remind us that it’s time to go. The wind whips in gusts and rattles the stark branches. Not surprisingly, it is still incredibly scenic. But, our time is up.

Blackberry Mountain alighted my senses. It reminded me to admire beauty in the ordinary. Like trees, birdsong, and morning mist. Yet, it had the understated comforts of home but felt extraordinarily luxurious.

It is a hideaway that sparks creativity, calm, and restorativeness. And, it is just what I needed at this moment in my life. To feel snug and secure somewhere outside of my own home.

Whatever it is—the food, the cabins, the hospitality, the treatments, or the adventurous hikes. It is an escape from the familiar. And, who doesn’t sometimes need just that?

Next hike, though, I will take more water.

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October 6, 2022
This Lake Como Hotel Has Great Expectations

The Lake Como hotel everyone is talking about these days is Il Sereno. With a Michelin-starred restaurant and all-encompassing lake views, it’s no wonder this lakeside gem is so hot. Take a peek inside this glamorous, yet understated, Lake Como hotel and start packing.

It’s hard to think of a destination with more at stake than Lake Como. Famous for extravagant villas, breathtaking views, Neoclassical hotels, decadent food, and the Clooneys, of course. Lake Como has a lot to live up to. Choosing a Lake Como Hotel, however, is a no-brainer.

Where is Lake Como?

Lake Como is about an hour from Milan airport, but in many ways, a world apart from the busy city. It’s a wonder there aren’t more accidents on the narrow, winding roads that curve serpentine around the lake. We aren’t the only ones with mouths agape, trying desperately to catch a view as we peel around corners. It’s like we are in fear that the lake may vanish if we didn’t see it at that very moment.

Boats dot the water, looking computer-generated and perfectly placed Truman Show-style. Sailboats mix in with wooden Rivas, Vaporetto water taxis, and other flashy speedboats. One especially unique sight is of two nearly naked Italian men in a narrow canoe, most certainly intoxicated, rowing their hearts out to American jazz. The lake offers all kinds of entertainment!

When it comes to Lake Como Hotels: Research pays off

After a fair amount of hotel research, we opt to go against the Renaissance and Neoclassical grain. We choose a new, mid-century modern Lake Como hotel. Il Sereno sits quietly on the edge of the lake, in one of the prettiest spots on the eastern bank.

It’s a stark contrast to the lakes’ expected architecture. A contrast that calls for a moment’s pause, as it somehow naturally feels like it belongs in that very spot. A wondrous feat by acclaimed Milan-based designer, Patricia Urquiola/ She created it in tandem with botanist Patrick Blanc in 2016. I read that she didn’t want to produce a ‘fake, old’ hotel. Instead, she was inspired to be modern in a sea of tradition.

The gardens are wild, yet elegant, with an ever-so-slightly haphazard feeling. But, make no mistake—each plant, flower, and tree has been purposefully and thoughtfully placed by Mr. Blanc to achieve this laissez-faire effect. One of the best moments of each day is the short walk to the hotel’s entrance. Vivid flowers line the entryway and spill out onto the path.

Lake Como’s Lake Drama

Part of what makes Lake Como so dramatic is how it looks magically dropped between the tall mountains like a puddle. No beaches, just the idyllic villages that cluster at the base of the mountains and on the edge of the water, usually with a church tower in sight.

Villas of all sizes creep up the steep hills, which makes Lake Como feel hidden away from the rest of the world. The ubiquitous Italian terra cotta and slightly sloped rooftops lump together. They form a soothing warm palette against the green mountains and the brilliant blue lake.

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Lake Como’s Glitzy Side

Lake Como, the third largest lake in Italy, is famously shaped like an upside-down ‘Y’, with the glitzy town of Bellagio at the crux of the three branches. We take a water taxi one morning from Il Sereno to the bustling village. It’s clear early on that Bellagio is destined to be a tourist trap, and we settle into a café for a cappuccino to discuss our next move.

Bellagio is pretty in a fairytale kind of way. It’s home to many Lake Como hotels along its steep, narrow lanes and cobbled streets. But, it’s heaving with uninspired and uninspiring boutiques, souvenir shops, and tourists. We think ahead to what lies beyond Bellagio.

The Other Bellagio

Google Maps pinpoints we are a 20-minute walk from the ‘other’ Bellagio. Quiet, unassuming homes, cobbled streets, and only one restaurant—a world away from the masses. We finish our espressos and take a scenic walk through Villa Melzi d’Eril Gardens en route to find the other Bellagio.

The villa and gardens of Villa Melzi d’Eril date back to the 1800s. While the villa itself is not open to visitors, the stroll through the gardens is a highlight of our trip. We pass Japanese maples and koi ponds with large flowering lily pads. Enormous trees, oversized rhododendron, and clusters of mature hot pink azalea bushes line the paths. Some trees are so old and knotted they hang precariously over the lake like frail, flowered limbs.

Ancient cedar trees and various Egyptian and Roman sculptures complement the botanical scene. Twenty minutes later we find ourselves in a little village where time seems to have completely stopped.

Finding Silvio in Lake Como

There are no shops or boutiques in this other Bellagio, just quiet, peaceful, steep lanes. We meander towards Silvio’s. We arrive at noon, early by Italian standards, and the kitchen isn’t open. Ordering a bottle of white wine seemed the Italian thing to do. So we do it and settle into the afternoon. It’s the antithesis of our early morning start in Bellagio, which is already a distant glitzy memory.

Silvio’s is a genuine European throwback. Built in 1919, this Lake Como hotel has only 21 rooms and is simple and lovely in a timeless way. The vine-covered garden patio where we have lunch slowly begins to fill up, and a muted buzz sets in. Fresh fish, local homemade pasta, and delicious olive oil for the warm bread have us taking our time. Soon enough two hours have passed.

The Lake Como Hotel with 360 views

Our room at Il Sereno is a corner suite that boasts a long outdoor terrace and unobstructed lake views through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. This Lake Como hotel is a mix of contemporary and functional design and uses a combination of natural materials. Ms. Urquiola is adventurous in her scope. Leather, fabric, stone, wood, and metal, all feel as if they are meant to be combined.

The exterior lines of the hotel itself are a lesson in geometry—a Bauhaus lover’s dream. Offset by the lush gardens, Il Sereno, while über-modern in architecture, looks inviting and warm, rather than severe and angular.

Despite the fabulous materials, architecture, and gardens—natural light is the ultimate design component in this Lake Como hotel. And it comes at no cost. When light is used the way it is at Il Sereno, every room and detail naturally reaps the benefits.

Lake Life and Pool Life at Il Sereno

The large, rectangular pool at Il Sereno looks as if it is hovering above the lake itself. At 60 feet long and dotted with well-placed loungers and teepee-like canopies, it’s a perfect spot to waste time. The dedicated pool staff is on hand with wine, water, towels, and just about anything else we need. Clouds roll past and create different patterns on the lake’s surface. I find it impossible to concentrate on my book. Eventually, I give up altogether and succumb to the views.

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The Lake Como Hotel with a Michelin Star

One of the main draws of Il Sereno is its restaurant, Berton Al Lago. Milan-based restauranteur/Michelin-starred chef, Andrea Berton, and Executive Chef Raffaele Lenzi team up to create a chic vibe in a grotto-like Venetian stone setting.

The original stone archways are over 100 years old and create an intimate dining experience. They artfully frame the awe-inspiring mountains. Each time I walk past an archway, a new and slightly different view appears.

The food is modern Italian, using ingredients sourced from Il Sereno’s own gardens. The wall-to-ceiling glass wine cellar, with its sleek, modern fixtures, is a dramatic focal point. The wine list is equally dazzling. We choose the tasting menu and put ourselves in the chef’s hands.

It’s one of those moments when Lake Como decidedly lives up to its amplified reputation. The service may have been a touch slow, but we soon realize that is just the Italian way. Slow and relaxed, leisurely and calm. Maybe we have something to learn from Italian life?

Food for Thought in Lake Como

Having only three dinners in Lake Como, we give some thought to satiating our inner foodies. My husband had seen an Instagram post for Ristorante Crotto dei Platani, and we spontaneously booked it based on the idyllic lake setting.

The veranda at Crotto dei Platani floats above the lake, with snow-capped Italian Alps in the distance. It’s a bucolic scene worthy of its many insta-likes. But truth be told, the food is conventional, and we felt that the restaurant relies on its epic views at the sacrifice of the food.

The next night we drive inland for a Northern Italian meal. We sacrifice the lake view for an intimate, hilltop village restaurant in Cernobbio. In the early 1900s, Trattoria del Glicine was a rest stop and community center for passing villagers. Now, it’s a beautiful family-run trattoria.

Its outdoor veranda is on a quiet street and ancient wisteria hangs en masse overhead. Our waiter jokes that he isn’t sure ‘if the canopy is holding up the wisteria, or the other way around’. Either way, it’s a tranquil and serene dining experience. Diners hoping to walk in for a coveted table are sadly turned away. I try not to look smug.

The food is local, fresh, and authentic—exactly what we are hoping for. It’s worth passing on the lake for this tucked-away spot in the middle of nowhere.

Great Expectations in Lake Como

As we prepare to leave this idyllic Lake Como hotel, I’m reminded of a moment just a few days earlier when we first drove into the town of Como.

That Sunday morning the crowds were minimal, the shops closed, and from the medieval side streets, we heard only the occasional clanking from kitchens preparing for lunch. I didn’t know what to expect then. I didn’t know if Lake Como was just an overhyped tourist destination that couldn’t live up to expectations.

Sometimes, it’s nice not knowing what to expect.

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April 30, 2022
5 Top 5 Travel Wish Lists: Where To Go Right Now

I’m at Black Coffee, sitting on a cushy, green leather banquette—my usual spot. On my right are two well-heeled Washingtonians talking about Koks, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in, wait for it—the Faroe Islands. I can’t contain my excitement! I know Koks–it’s on my travel wish list! How in the world do they know about Koks? I’m dying to ask. Then reconsider.

That would be weird.

My excitement manifests physically. It’s like I’ve had six espresso shots in as many minutes. I’m quite literally bouncing off the banquette. The women leave rather suddenly. I wonder if my bouncing has something to do with it.

What’s the point?

Let me back up a few hours—to 8am in my kitchen. I settle into a swivel chair with an oat milk cappuccino. I swirl, twirl, and sip while playing Worlde, Quordle, and Spelling Bee. This perky combination of caffeine and wordplay ignites my brain on even the dreariest DC mornings.

That the outcome of these games determines my mood is an overstatement. But I’d be lying if I said the days I get Wordle-in-two doesn’t feel good. Combine that with ‘genius’ status on Spelling Bee and a winning Quordle, and it’s the trifecta of morning happiness. Sometimes I go right back to bed, exhausted from having overachieved so early in the day.

I’ve devoted a paragraph to my New York Times-centric morning routine for good reason. ‘Geez, get to the point already!’, you’re thinking. The point is, while most mornings are uneventful and dominated by a trio of silly brainteasers, some days I overhear a pair of chatty women in a coffee shop, and my brain kicks into overdrive.

Travel talk gives me a jolt as powerful as those six shots of espresso. It fuels me in a way that can only be described in multiple coffee-related metaphors. As illustrated by my encounter at Black Coffee, being a participant in the conversation is irrelevant.

Travel Wish Lists

My travel wish list has been curated from multiple trustworthy sources. Sources like Condé Nast Traveler’s ‘Gold List’, Travel+Leisure’s ‘It List’, Forbes Travel Guide’s Star Award Winners, and San Pellegrino’s ‘World’s Best List’. And increasingly more often from the most-addictive travel resource ever—Instagram. My wish list is always at hand, by which I mean is on my phone, which is always in my hand.

‘But, where to begin?’ My travel wish list is a lengthy, unorganized account of hotels, lodges, countries, cities, ranches, and restaurants. An inventory of adventures, experiences, and expeditions. Describing them all would far exceed my typical 2500-word count.

I pause to think. (This pause lasts a week). My brain, only moments ago on a Quorldle high, is now creatively stuck. I’m swimming in mental cement.

Aha! I’ll list my top five travel wish lists. Not only will it be entertaining to write, but it will also force me to organize this ongoing, unsystematic list that has been vexing me for years.

PC: Hotel Esencia

Wish List v. Lust List

Years ago, I created an entry in my ‘Notes’ app called, ‘Travel Lust’. For the sake of SEO, I’m renaming it Travel Wish List. If you think the words Travel Wish List are being overused already, it’s not by accident. Anyone who’s had experience with Search Engine Optimization will understand why. And, I certainly don’t want this post to rank for ‘lust’. That’s someone else’s blog, I mean, website.

My top five travel wish lists in five categories follow. Hotels and Resorts, Lodges and Retreats, Experiences, Countries, and Culinary Adventures. One winner and four other winners per category. There are no losers, it’s a wish list remember.

This is going to be fun, and possibly very expensive—for all of us.

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PC: Hotel Esencia

My Travel Wish List: 5 / Hotels and Resorts

Wish List Winner: Hotel Esencia, Xpu-Ha, Mexico

Last month, a friend sent me an article about Hotel Esencia, in Mexico. After reading it, I sent it to my husband Daniel, explaining my deep need to go there. He now deeply dislikes her.

This happens often, much to my husband’s chagrin. Many of these seemingly harmless emails turn into future three-night, non-refundable deposits. My list is longer than I have time or money to accomplish. But please, keep sending. Daniel will need to postpone retirement for a few more years. I’m sure he’s ok with that.

PC: Hotel Esencia

Esencia sky-rocketed to the top of my travel wish list. Conceptualized by a Hollywood producer and entrepreneur, the hotel’s 45 rooms and suites, and three uber-sophisticated villas were once the private hideaway of Italian duchess, Rosa de Ferrari. Lucky duchess.

Quiet, unassuming, and refined luxury abounds. Located between Tulum and Cancún, Esencia’s home-away-from-home vibe is intentional (that is, if your home is beachside, flanked by jungles, and includes sea turtle nesting grounds).

Morning treats are delivered to rooms through secret cubby holes. That’s pretty irresistible. I imagine enjoying warm brioches and flaky croissants while lounging in my pjs. The bold, bright tropical decor adds to the hotel’s glamour. It reminds me of Mondrian, the Dutch painter who rejected perceived reality and stripped form down to its most basic elements. Esencia’s palette is a refreshing change from most Mexican resorts which rely heavily on traditional colors and rustic furnishings.

The yoga loft is insta-perfect, with ecru, crocheted hammocks hanging below an open-air wooden platform. My savasana would surely last hours, which would put me at risk of missing afternoon cocktails. I’d best leave the chaturangas to Daniel.

PC: Hotel Esencia

USP (Unique Selling Point):

Esencia’s two-story, Rooftop Wellness Suite is the ultimate in modern Mayan jungle luxury. With a full-sized pool, multiple terraces, and a private fitness studio (including a Peloton bike and The Mirror), I see no compelling reason to leave it. As an aside, I see no compelling reason for a private fitness studio, either. I’m on holiday. I’ll punish myself with The Mirror when I get home, thank you.

This premiere suite acts as a ‘hotel within a hotel’ at this sweeping 50-acre estate. So, if you’d like to go on a resort holiday without having to see another soul, Hotel Esencia is the place for you. It’s most definitely the place for me.

PC: Hotel Esencia

Note: August 26, 2022. As I place the finishing touches on this post, Forbes Travel Guide has just announced today that Hotel Esencia earned its coveted five-star award for 2022. Well deserved Esencia, but now I’ll never be able to get a reservation. (See how I’m able to be both topical and tropical at the same time here?)

Four other winners:

Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, California

Hacienda AltaGracia, Costa Rica

San Domenico Palace, Taormina, Italy

One&Only Moonlight Basin, Montana (Opening 2024)

Why did these make the list?

Each of these hotels and brands is not only top of its class in terms of service and accommodations but also takes style and artistry to innovative levels.

Swoon over the organic architecture and natural coastal beauty at Post Ranch Inn. Spot the elusive Quetzal in Costa Rica at Hacienda AltaGracia. Prepare to get lost in the Montana wilderness, at One&Only’s first US-based resort. The Four Seasons’ San Domenico Palace in Italy is a restored 14th-century convent with views of Mount Etna. Enough said.

Click the links at your own risk. Yes, they are expensive. Whoever said, ‘you can’t take it with you,’ is my soul mate.

PC: Islas Secas

My Travel Wish List: 4 / Lodges and Retreats

Wish List Winner: Islas Secas, Panama

I’m reluctant to write about Islas Secas. I don’t want you to know about it. Yes, that’s how selfish I am. That I’d rather not write about a hot, new destination for fear that you get there before I do is indefensible.

I’d like to go to Panama before every else has it on their radar. Ten years ago we told friends we were headed to Costa Rica. We may as well have said we were taking the kids to North Korea on a beach holiday. Look at Costa Rica now—the epicenter of spring break family travel.

As is evident by its name, Islas Secas is an island. An archipelago, to be more clear, comprised of 14 volcanic islands off the Pacific coast of the country. With iconographic names like Isla Barracuda, Isla Iguana, and Isla Coco, I imagine days snorkeling beside shiny, snake-like fish, photographing colorful reptiles, and drinking from oversized coconuts. Over-caffeinated yet again, my imagination runs wild.

Panamanian design is everywhere; light, breezy tactile fabrics, plantation shutters, and thatched rooftops. The four-bedroom Casita Grande looks especially captivating. I daydream about a milestone birthday there. It could be mine, a friend’s, or a neighbor’s. I’m not going to be picky.

PC: Islas Secas

USP:

The website affirms Islas Secas’ devotion to sustainable and nature-driven tourism. It tempts me with stats like 750 species of fish, 80 species of birds, and humpback whale-watching.

When I read the website, I almost can’t bear it. I bounce again, the universal sign for overexcitement.

I think you should go. And I think you should take me with you.

Four other winners:

Taylor River Lodge, Colorado

Bishop’s Lodge, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Kachi Lodge, Bolivia

Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Why did these make the list?

It’s a secret to no one who keeps up with luxury and adventure retreats that these four make the list. Known for tailor-made, one-of-a-kind experiences, Eleven Experience owns 13 remote properties around the world. Its Colorado-based Taylor River Lodge was once a local fishing and tackle shop before it became an off-the-grid, eight-cabin river retreat.

Auberge-owned Bishop’s Lodge in Santa Fe embraces the rich mountain colors of New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo range. Each room, with woven Navajo rugs and textiles, is a sanctuary unto its own.

Kachi or Mashpi? Both/and, please. This duo of South American lodges is equally breathtaking. Mashpi Lodge is set deep in the Chocó-Andean Cloud Forest. No, I didn’t make that up. Conversely, Kachi Lodge sits at the foot of the Tunupa Volcano, and atop Bolivia’s famed Uyuni Salt Flats. Cloud Forest or Salt Flat? How to choose? I’ll repeat. Both/and.

Want all 5 winners in one place?
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PC: Pikaia Lodge

My Travel Wish List: 3 / Travel Experiences

Wish List Winner: Explore the Galápagos Islands via Pikaia Lodge

I must have a thing for archipelagos because here I am adding yet another to my list. Archipelagos are obviously all the rage.

PC: Pikaia Lodge

One thousand kilometers off of the Ecuadorian coast lies 19 islands of marine wonders—the Galápagos Islands. They are often referred to as a ‘unique living museum of evolution’. If that isn’t a tantalizing travel soundbite, I don’t know what is.

That the Galápagos Islands’ wildlife lacks natural predators is pretty well-known. This is partly due to the islands’ volcanic origin and extreme remoteness. I’d love to swim with sea lions, dolphins, and giant tortoises. I want to admire exotic birds and uncover species that don’t exist anywhere else in the world. The animals are approachable and tame (and I hear they love the camera). Sign me up.

USP:

Pikaia Lodge’s prime access to this extraordinary part of the world is why it pairs so organically with a Galápagos Island adventure. Pikaia Lodge is a luxury eco-adventure property with cutting-edge architecture and a strong environmentally conscious mindset. Its 14 rooms sit 450 meters above sea level on the edge of an extinct volcano. I’ve always wanted to stay on the edge of an extinct volcano, (rather than an active one), naturally.

PC: Pikaia Lodge

Pikaia Lodge is entirely carbon-neutral and is made up of stone, lava, glass, and steel. This striking architectural combination doesn’t attempt to steal the limelight from the landscape. It looms high over Santa Cruz Island as if it too is leisurely observing the wonders of the Galápagos.

PC: Pikaia Lodge

Four other winners:

Hike Acadia National Park, Maine

Vineyard stay in Bordeaux

Photography Safari in Namibia

Polar Expedition to Antarctica

Why did these make the list?

Hiking at Acadia National Park complements my passion for photographing panoramic views. A vineyard stay in Bordeaux embraces my obsession with cabernets, berets, and soufflés. (I don’t actually like berets, but I’ll do anything for cadence). My love of wildlife would be taken to extremes in Antarctica and Africa.

Narrowing down my top five travel experiences is a challenge. Each time I think I have a final list, another idea emerges. It’s like whack-a-mole in my head. That these five experiences align with my favorite activities is no surprise. What is a surprise is how well these wish lists are acting as birthday, anniversary, and Christmas gift lists, too! I’m nothing if not efficient.

PC: Dylan Shaw, Unsplash

My Travel Wish List: 2 / Countries

Wish List Winner: The Faroe Islands

Do you know where the Faroe Islands are? Despite my current obsession with this self-governing nation, I didn’t know exactly where they were either. I’ve since learned this archipelago of 18 mountainous islands (yes, another archipelago!) is located halfway between Scotland and Iceland and is named after sheep. I love sheep! Now, I want to go there more than ever.

PC: Marc Zimmer, Unsplash

Turf-roofed houses are nurtured by the year-round rainy climate. Even your year-round rain isn’t enough to deter me, Faroe Islands. And I hate getting wet.

PC: Lynn Fae, Unsplash

The hamlets of the Faroe Islands are the stuff of fairy tales. Frodo would feel at home in the shire-like countryside. Lakes, lagoons, and lighthouses are all virtually untouched by tourism. At least for the moment. That I’d like to get there before everyone else reinforces just how selfish I am.

Four other winners:

Panama

Bolivia

Ecuador

Namibia

Why did these make the list?

If you’ve read this far, it’s clear why these countries round out this travel wish list. They each have resorts, hotels, retreats, or experiences I would love to visit or do one day. They are also countries not quite on the mainstream travel radar.

PC: Beinta á Torskilsheyggi

My Travel Wish List: 1 / Culinary Adventures

Wish List Winner: Koks, The Faroe Islands

What a coincidence! If you believe in coincidences, that is. The restaurant at the top of my culinary wish list is located at the top of my country wish list—the Faroe Islands. A visit there would be a travel wish list twofer. I wonder if I’ve lost Daniel by now?

Chef Poul Andrias Ziska is the culinary creator-in-chief behind Koks (which since my morning at Black Coffee, I learn has been temporarily relocated to Greenland). That’s ok, I’m in no rush. That he uses mainly Faroese ingredients in his Michelin-starred dishes compels me to open up another tab and find out exactly what those ingredients are.

PC: Claes Bech-Poulsen

Being a set of islands should be a significant clue. However, beyond fish and seafood, the Faroese diet consists of organic lamb, fermented meat, and root vegetables like kohlrabi, turnips, and rhubarb. I wonder if the two ladies at Black Coffee are aware of this?

Koks is known as the ‘world’s most remote foodie destination.’ Its imaginative dishes follow the seasons and its architecture follows the traditional Nordic style. I will follow Koks anywhere, even to Greenland, if I have to.

Left, PC: Claes Bech-Poulsen Right, PC: Beinta á Torskilsheyggi

Four other winners:

Single Thread, Healdsburg, California

The Three Chimneys, Isle of Skye, Scotland

Restaurant La Chassagnette, Provence, France

été, Tokyo

Why did these make the list?

Dine in the gardens of Arles-based, Michelin-starred La Chassagnette or at farm-inspired micro-seasonal Single Thread in Healdsburg, California. Their spectacular settings match their equally spectacular culinary offerings.

With no sign and one table, Restaurant été, run by female chef Natsuko Shoji, is one of the most coveted reservations in Tokyo. Her French-Japanese-inspired menu is considered flawless, as is her sense of style and design.

Finally, Three Chimneys marks yet another impossible-to-reach-but-worth-the-effort restaurant. It’s hidden on the dramatic shores of Loch Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye. The Nordic-Scottish epicurean experience can only be topped with a night’s stay at adjoining House-Over-By. Those Scots are nothing if not literal.

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Aspiration v. inspiration

On the surface, these lists seem superficial. ‘I want to go here. Eat there. Do this.’ I dig deeper into the ‘why’ and notice it’s the experiences I crave. Would I like those experiences to be in or near lovely places, at nice hotels, and with extraordinary food? Why, yes I would

There are many ways to experience cultures, countries, and food. Less expensive ways and more authentic ways, no doubt. This is my wish list so I get to choose the way I want to explore the world. You get to choose yours.

My lists are both aspirational and inspirational. Reading about them makes me happy. Sharing them with you makes me happier (earlier selfishness aside). Going to them would make me ecstatic.

Go big or stay home

My daily life in Washington DC revolves around a one-mile radius. I go to Black Coffee for golden lattes, Millie’s for overpriced salads, CVS to channel inner patience, and Battery Kemble Park to walk my labs. I like my routine, it centers me.

Sometimes inspiration strikes, whether by eavesdropping at Safeway or reading the Sunday Style section of the New York Times. I write lists. Sometimes those lists lead to trips where I leave my DC bubble and discover a far-flung corner of the globe. Sometimes they gather dust up there on the cloud.

But, the days I get Wordle-in-two? Watch out world, anything can happen.

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Author’s Note: I am grateful to the hotels, resorts, restaurants, and lodges who kindly gave me high-res photos for use in this post. I’m also using Unsplash for the first time, and praise the photographers who are giving away their gorgeous photos for free. Typically, I only feature my own photos. But alas, if I had my own pictures of these stunning places, they wouldn’t be on my wish list.

If you ever want to get in touch, ask a question, or discuss a way to partner, please email me at [email protected].

April 26, 2022
The Best Food In Tokyo, A Primer

The best food in Tokyo is easier to find than you think. This isn’t because there are endless lists, guides, and blog posts written about it. It’s because the Japanese take every world cuisine and perfect it. Whether that be French, Spanish, Lebanese, or one of the many styles of Japanese food, the best food in Tokyo can be found in many places. Here are some of my faves. And why Tokyo is a food lover’s dream destination.

In Tokyo, it’s all about the food

Halfway into our first lesson with our Japanese tutor, Mika states, “The best food you will ever eat is in Tokyo.” I glance at my husband, and our eyes locked. I caught the hint of a smirk. We had lived in New York City for more than ten years. I’m a self-appointed foodie. We are raising foodie kids. Mika, a lovely woman and an excellent tutor, clearly doesn’t know what she’s talking about, I think.

Four years later, I eat my words—along with the best food I’ve ever eaten.

Moving To The East Side

In 2007, my family had the opportunity to spend a few years in Asia. Choosing from a handful of Asian capitals, we ultimately decided upon Tokyo, thinking it would offer us a unique experience, not to mention a great launchpad for travel. We also now know that the food in Tokyo is unparalleled.

With Lost in Translation and Nobu as our only Japanese points of reference, we impulsively leave our Upper West Side apartment behind. Bags packed, passports in hand—we fly east.

Tokyo’s Grand (Hyatt)

Before our Tokyo apartment was ready, we moved our jet-lagged selves into the Grand Hyatt Hotel. It’s within walking distance of our apartment building and in the heart of the Roppongi district. The Grand Hyatt is as comforting and welcoming as we could hope for our first days abroad. We renamed it ‘The Womb’ and always stay there when in Tokyo.

In those early days, from a food point of view, there is very little need to leave the safety of the Grand Hyatt. Ten unique restaurants were a part of The Grand Hyatt. While not all were within the hotel’s walls, they could each be accessed without stepping outside. This was just as well since I was still less than confident with my Japanese language skills (no offense, Mika). I wasn’t ready for the outside world quite yet.

But I was hungry.

Check The Grand Hyatt Availability Here

Diving into the Tokyo food scene

Our favorite restaurants at the Grand Hyatt remain favorites years later—the Oak Door, with its tender and break-the-bank priced wagyu beef. The ambiance is low-lit—the kind of lighting that makes everyone look gorgeous. We spend many nights with friends at the convivial bar, my favorite cocktail in hand—a Shiso Leaf Mojito.

The French Kitchen is at the top of a large, central staircase in the hotel lobby. It has an enormous open-plan kitchen and is especially popular for its champagne brunch. Decadent choices include melt-in-your-mouth French Toast—a sweet tooth’s BFF. Pale, fluffy omelets, fresh local sashimi, and buttery homemade croissants are artfully presented. I dare any buffet snob to pass it over, as pretty as it is appetizing. The service is seamless.

Another dinner choice is Keyakizaka, an upscale teppanyaki restaurant that slices, sears, and serves seasonal food table-side. No, it’s nothing like Benihana.

Even within the world of Japanese cuisine, there are countless options, many of which I am completely unfamiliar with. Okonomiyaki, tonkatsu, shabu-shabu, and kaiseki are new to me, and I dive head-first into experimental dining mode. The kids slurp soba with pride. I devour deep-fried pork with wild abandon—gastronomic nirvana.

Beyond the Grand Hyatt

There is no end to the food adventures I collect while living in Tokyo once I venture beyond the womb. I learned to take a leap of faith when presented with a non-English menu, pointing aimlessly at the intricate kanji characters and the Japanese hiragana alphabet. I hope for the best and usually get it.

In Japan, I learned to love all things tofu, crave raw tuna for breakfast and try chicken sashimi without fear of salmonella poisoning. I eat a tomato that has never felt the rays of the sun. In short, at least from a culinary perspective, I go for it.

Michelin, Meet Tokyo

Serendipitously timed to coincide with our arrival, 2007 marks the first-ever Michelin Guide review of food in Tokyo. After a year of research by five undercover food inspectors, Michelin awards eight restaurants the coveted three-star rating, more than any other city. A food coup unlike any other, Michelin reveals what everyone in Japan already knows. Tokyo catapults into foodie stardom.

Seeing stars in Tokyo

We dine at Quintessence, a Japanese-French fusion restaurant, just before it’s awarded three Michelin stars. Quintessence is our first experience with omakase, ‘chef’s choice.’ Omakase allows the chef to create new dishes on a whim and use seasonal ingredients. Sea bream might grace the plates in the spring, while fugu, or blowfish, might do so in the winter.

Quintessence had been recommended by a colleague of my husband, Daniel, who happened to know the chef. She asked us if there was anything we didn’t eat. The last time she was there, they had served her sandpiper, and she wasn’t particularly fond of sandpiper. Sandpiper—where was my dictionary? Was that a fish, a bird, or a reptile? How could I answer? ‘Oh, I’m not particularly fond of salamander, or squirrel, or pangolin.’ Naively, I just asked that nothing on my plate be moving.

The meal was unlike anything we’d experienced before. The chef must have used tweezers to lay that baby fern precisely on the rice, revealing a hidden, edible flower. The service is invisible and seamless. I had no idea what I ate, but I knew I loved it. When we left, the chef and waiters followed us outside, emphatically waving goodbye, smiling, bowing, and saying thank you—an unforgettable introduction to Japanese dining.

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Destination Dining in Tokyo

As of 2019, Michelin had designated stars for a staggering 230 restaurants in Tokyo, thirteen of which had the highest status—three stars. If there is ever a time to plan a holiday around food, the time is now.

The New York Times published an article not long ago highlighting a trend where people book holidays based solely upon getting a reservation at a coveted restaurant. Having been guilty of this in the past, I am thrilled to know I’m not the only one with obsessive-compulsive reservation disorder.

A few restaurants I have on my future dining list are Narisawa in Minami Aoyama, L’Effervessence in Nishi Azabu, Den in Shibuya, and Florilège in Harajuku. In my next life, I’d like to be a food inspector for the Michelin Guides.

Getting molecular at the Mandarin Oriental

Molecular dining is flawlessly executed in Tokyo, most notably at TAPAS, the Michelin-starred restaurant/bar in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The molecular theory of food juxtaposes ingredients’ chemical and physical attributes, transforms flavors, and defies beliefs about taste and overall conventional wisdom about food. Culinary jargon aside, it’s incredibly fun!

Cue wagyu beef ‘grilled’ to perfection without ever touching a flame. Carrot ‘caviar’ delicately pressed through a grid of glass syringes that look like a prop from a high school science class. The entire dinner feels like a chemistry lab but in a far more beautiful environment, with no odorous formaldehyde and no quizzes.

The final course was over-the-top (the Japanese interpretation), which means understated. We are presented with an unusual assortment of fruit. Unusual in the sense that it contains lemons, limes, and grapefruit, among the more traditional fruits one might expect. The chef asks us to eat a small berry first.

I then take a bite of the lemon. The berry trips a switch in my brain, it is sweet. The same goes for the lime—a potent burst of sugar. Is this fake fruit? Next, I try a strawberry. My mouth puckers violently. It’s sour and almost inedible. The African ‘miracle berry,’ sometimes called, changed our taste buds instantaneously. Turning sweet into sour and sour into sweet. A mind-blowing, or should I say mind-altering, curtain call.

Savoy Pizza

Savoy is one of our guilty pleasures: one table, two styles of pizza, ten barstools. Savoy opened on a backstreet of Roppongi in 2006, and the queues haven’t stopped since. We always wait as the line moves quickly. The bar stools aren’t very comfortable, and the staff doesn’t encourage guests to hang around after the meal.

Margherita or marinara (and I was told a secret white style) pizzas sum up the menu. It is impossible to say how they make these thin-crust, wood-fired pizzas so superior. What’s the magic ingredient? The water, the salt, the flour? Whatever it is, it’s the best pizza ever. Apologies to Italy and New York.

That place Behind Kiddyland

In our first few weeks exploring Tokyo, friends tell us about their favorite, no-frills lunch spot. They don’t know what it’s called or how to get there. ‘It’s somewhere behind Kiddyland’, they say—as if that singular bit of information will suffice. But, they warn, it’s critical to arrive before the clock strikes noon. That’s when Japanese businessmen take lunch. Sure enough, by 12:05pm, a line has snaked around the corner from this simple izakaya.

Two kinds of gyoza (dumplings) grace the limited menu: seared garlic and leek, or original, and either can be served fried or steamed. This hidden dive behind Kiddyland became our go-to for years. Only while researching the best food in Tokyo for this article did I discover its actual name—Harajuku Gyoza Lou.

Dining Traditions in Tokyo

It’s easy for someone like me, who thrives on consistency, stability, and structure, to fall in love with Japan. I love the ‘no shoes’ in the house tradition and have continued since returning to the US. I love the oshibori, or hot towel, presented to us when dining out. Itadakimasu, or ‘I gratefully receive,’ becomes a part of our vocabulary at mealtime. Interestingly, there is no tipping culture in Japan. Whether it be a restaurant, a taxi, or a hotel valet, the Japanese take pride in their jobs, and no tipping is expected.

Designer Sushi

I missed dragon rolls and California rolls as much as the next ex-pat, but designer rolls didn’t seem to catch on in Tokyo. Rainbow Roll Sushi gave many foreigners their fill of ‘Americanized’ sushi, but it seemed destined for failure. It was no surprise to discover they are now permanently closed. As a Japanese friend pointed out, ‘Food is not a trend in Japan; it is a lifestyle.’ Amen.

A sushi restaurant we frequent in nearby Roppongi is called Sushi Ikekan. Reveling in minimalism with mainly counter seating, the food is divine. We watch the chef create magic with the ingredients— precision and concentration used to design each piece. Anyone who has seen Jiro Dreams of Sushi will understand. There is a quietness and an integrity, neither showy nor flamboyant.

Timeless Tokyo

While Tokyo is always trending and reinventing itself, at its core, Tokyo is a timeless place. Japanese culture prides itself on consistency, aesthetics, and structure juxtaposed with the hip, cool, and avant-garde. I see Tokyo through a rose-colored lens, having been an ex-pat there for many years. Yet, ask anyone who has spent time there. It’s hard not to be smitten. In Tokyo, it’s all about the food.

Mika, wherever you are, you were right.

Calling all Foodies! Here are some unique experiences to book in advance:

• Sumo Wrestling and Chicken Hot Pot Experience

• Tokyo Shinjuku Food Tour

• Sushi Making Class

• Famous Tsukiji Fish Market Street Food Tour and Tasting

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December 16, 2021
The Green O Strikes Gold. Montana’s Newest Luxury Retreat.
The green o is Montana’s answer to the latest travel trend: luxury-minded adventure escapes. A place that strikes the right balance of indulgence and adventure, and includes culinary experiences and tasting menus worth traveling for. Follow me to the green o, and read about the newest adults-only luxury retreat in the Montana wilderness.

“Are you sure the Sunset Trail goes through this field?” I ask my husband, warily.

“Trust me”, he replies, unhinging the creaky, metal gate, and ignoring the wooden sign marked: “DO NOT ENTER.” I bite my tongue, then follow.

We’ve been at the green o, Montana’s newest luxury adventure property, for all of two hours. My ‘adventure mindset’ is not yet fully formed. But here I am mountain biking toward a herd of hairy bison. Blind faith semi-firmly placed in my husband’s overly confident orienteering abilities.

Does anyone see the bright red flags waving in the distance? Unfortunately, I don’t.

Survival Skills at the green o, Montana

Daniel speeds past the bison with the grace of Chris Froome in the early stages of the Tour de France. I bumble along, struggling to find my balance. My shoes are too tight and my seat is too high. I can’t quite figure out the gears. I’m already parched.

I stop to take a photo—a thin disguise to catch my breath.

The bison look at me. One snorts loudly, breaking the silence of the pasture. Others chime in. Their collective snorting sounds threatening. They shake their massive wooly heads in utter disbelief, unleashing a flurry of flies.

“City folk”, they must be musing in their pea-sized brains, “Should we give them a free pass just this once?”

I feel judged. And rightly so. Daniel is miles ahead. I’m within 10 feet of these massive beasts and suddenly feel like a mid-morning snack. Daniel contends bison eat grass, not humans. But don’t grizzlies eat fish? Daniel has no comment, naturally.

Take deep breaths, I tell myself. Then channel my inner Soul Cycle warrior and power past them.

Spoiler alert, I survive.

The green o: Fields of Gold and Silver Linings

If the pasture where the Sunset Trail may or may not have cut through was any less captivating, I would have put down my size six sneaker in toddler-like defiance. But I see butter-yellow grasses glow against distant mountains. The bison, while terrifying, dot the field in wispy, chocolate-brown brush strokes.

The scene has all the makings of the 20th-century realist paintings I studied in Art History. A canvas imbued with the mysteriousness of Americana. Fields of gold and weathered farmhouses. An extraordinary sight for my city-centric eyes, and one of many Wyeth-inspired moments I discover at the green o.

So yes, I live to tell the tale. In the way of silver linings, I have more than a few bison portraits to show for it. And no permanent scars. Risk, meet reward.

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Welcome to The Green O

The green o (intentionally lowercase to exude an approachable, casual vibe) is an adults-only property located in the Blackfoot River Valley, in Greenough, Montana. It has 12-stand alone accommodations, each called a ‘haus’. If you are any good at math, you will quickly calculate that the green o has a max capacity of 24 guests.

Each haus accommodation at the green o is made from stunning combinations of wood, glass, and other stylized design elements. The hauses are scattered so haphazardly throughout the pine-laden property that they may well have sprung up from the earth itself. The green o refers to the hauses as romantic ‘glamping’ accommodations. But with eco-kitchens, outdoor hot tubs, and wood-burning fireplaces, they go well beyond any glamorous camping I’ve experienced.

The green o vs Paws Up

Hundreds of pines stand at attention in this small gated enclave on the southern edge of Paws Up near the scenic Blackfoot River. Paws Up Ranch is the sister property of the green o—a family-friendly resort established in 1915 by Paul Greenough. His property encompasses a whopping 37,000 acres of land. Well played, Paul.

Back in the early 1900s, Mr. Greenough, for whom the town and ranch are named, painted his flock of sheep with a large green “O”. A simple mark that was certainly ahead of its time from a corporate branding perspective. Does Oprah know about this? Hence the name of this Montana woodland escape—the green o. A tribute to the founder, rancher, and all-around man about town. Literally.

The relationship between the family-friendly Paws Up and the adults-only green o is decidedly one-sided. Guests of the green o are welcome to use any facilities at Paws Up. But guests of Paws Up are unable to access the restaurant’s tasting menu and common spaces of the green o. This lop-sided relationship adds an air of exclusivity for the 24 oh-so-lucky green o guests.

Finding Gold at the green o

While green is undoubtedly the signature color of the property, I can say without fear of my kids’ ridicule, that I found gold. Well, perhaps some fear. That does sound kind of corny.

I’ll attempt to exhaust the limits of the metaphor. Yellow tamaracks burst brightly from a forest of otherwise green firs, creating a ripple of gold. They shed their short needles so that the paths around the property appear to be paved in gold. A large, gooey golden honeycomb sits atop the bar in the main restaurant ready to be drizzled on my morning granola. Metaphor officially exhausted.

Earning Dinner at the green o

Luxury adventure retreats are popping up around the country at lightning speed. The appeal is clear. Travelers are looking for places that provide interesting combinations of active excursions, indulgence, and unique culinary experiences.

Hotel trends show heightened popularity in places where guests feel they have ‘earned’ that Michelin-worthy meal, multi-course tasting menu, and one-of-a-kind styled lodgings. Or, maybe that’s just me?

‘Earned’ could mean climbing a mountain. Or, taking on the green o’s mile-long Grizzlyman Trail. In our case, earned means outrunning simple-minded wild beasts. It’s a reward to mark a day we pushed beyond our comfort zones.

The green o takes it further by adding on unusual experiences, like an ATV ride to a remote ghost town or fly fishing in the Blackfoot River. A day-long Frontiersman Ride on horseback or participating in an authentic cattle drive. It’s all too easy to see the allure of adventure-inspired trips. Especially ones in remote wilderness locales like Montana.

At the Green O, It’s all about me us you

My husband and I come to the green o to create adventures based on our vacation style. Our trip doesn’t look like anyone else’s. I mean that literally and factually. Since our return, I’ve been stalking the green o and its guest posts on Instagram. Not one reel, story, or little square tile replicates our trip. Yet, they all look equally spectacular.

This is the beauty of the green o—that we can interpret the activities and offerings to reflect our own personal brand of adventure. Like on our first bike ride when Daniel chose to interpret the ‘DO NOT ENTER’ sign differently than me. Needless to say, we decide upon a few other activities with slimmer chances of being trampled to death.

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Choose our own adventure

Montana is a new state for both of us. We’d like to get up close and personal with the natural beauty for which it’s so well known. We opt for a six-mile hike through the ominously named Lubrecht Experimental Forest, which we access from a path behind our Tree Haus. I dismiss the irrational fear of being abducted and experimented on by a mad scientist named Lubrecht.

But trails named Grizzlyman, Hunter’s Point, and Anaconda are surely trying to shake my confidence level, which is medium at best. Dictated in part by past hiking adventures gone awry (Exhibit A: Wyoming) and (Exhibit B: England).

Thankfully mountain lions hadn’t been spotted recently around the green o. We are told that the bears are probably hibernating by now. That’s mildly reassuring, I think.

On another day we take a 12-mile bike ride through everchanging scenic terrain. Over burbling streams, and through grassy pastures with snow-covered mountains in the distance. We head up to a rocky lookout and admire the Blackfoot River below. It’s one of my favorite ways to spend a day.

I get to burn hundreds of calories in order to ‘earn’ the Wagyu smash burger waiting for me at the Social Haus. All the while admiring stellar views.

The Green Haus

Our haus, in the middle of the trees

The green o has four different haus accommodation types: the Round Haus, the Tree Haus, the Light Haus, and the Green Haus. All are within striking distance of the Social Haus—the green o’s main (and only) restaurant, which has a different tasting menu each evening.

The Tree Haus

I have my heart firmly set on the Tree Haus. The idea of sleeping among the stars in the wilderness must have awakened some part of my inner child. (My parents are surely wondering whose inner child I am referring to.) I hated camping as a kid and still do.

Maybe I was just waiting for the right kind of Tree Haus? Sleeping 23 feet in the air and seeing the stars blinking brightly between the tall pine silhouettes is ethereal. Even if it is from the second floor of our glass-enclosed heated Tree Haus.

The Round Haus

And, even if the bedsheets are so insanely cushy and cozy that we buy them the moment we arrive home. And that we can order on-demand wood-fired pizzas to that very same bed. This is my kind of camping.

Views Win at the green o

The design of our Tree Haus is inspired. A small glass entryway pops from the ground like a submarine’s periscope and invites us to shed our boots and coats. A floating spiral staircase snakes upwards toward the first-floor landing.

The drama is worth the climb—360-degree views of pine forests from floor-to-ceiling windows.

I stop to take in the space and first notice the modern wood-burning stove neatly tucked in the corner. There is an oversized chair beside it, and I make a mental note to curl up in it with my new Amor Towles novel as soon as possible.

In the freezer, I discover two homemade ice cream sandwiches just waiting for the midnight munchies to surface.
Pine-filled views trump all, which is likely why the green o gave us so many places to admire them. A hanging outdoor chair sways in the breeze on the wraparound outdoor deck. The bedroom balcony is the ideal spot to spy deer traversing the landscape. Even the view from the bathtub windows maximizes the woodland panorama.

The only other place for guests to mingle indoors at the green o is the Social Haus. That is perfectly fine with me, as the only thing that will get me to leave a fabulous room is a fabulous meal.

Getting Social

I’m not a ‘save the best for last’ type of person. I like the best first. So why am I writing about our culinary experience at the green o last?

The answer is simple but wordy.

If the green o had no hikes, no bikes, and no ATVs. No Tree Hauses, Round Hauses, or Green Hauses. If the woodlands were devoid of mountain lions, deer, and hibernating bears. If there were no golden tamaracks, golden pastures, or golden paths of golden needles. I would still go to the green o—for the food.

The Social Haus

I am a self-appointed foodie and travel for food the way others travel for a Broadway show or a music festival. I expect the food at the green o to be spectacular. Incredibly, I get much more than I expect.

Every meal at the green o is included in the price of the room. Craft cocktails and (most) wines are included as well. The culinary talents of Chef Brandon Cunningham are almost impossible for me to describe. But I will try.

3 dinners x 7 courses = 21 courses

The highlight of each evening, without a doubt, is the inventive 7-course tasting menu prepared by Chef Brandon and his faithful team. Seven unique courses each night for our three nights without a single course overlapping. Factor in that every other guest will also not overlap a course during their stay and you can see why this is a Mensa puzzle I’ll never solve.

The Social Haus has a convivial bar where guests can have dinner while watching the chef and his team create culinary magic. I order the Greenough Gimlet, with local Spotted Bear Gin, yuzu, and rosemary.

Daniel has Sudden Smoke, which requires the bartender to light a piece of wood on fire then place the glass upside down to absorb the smoke. It is just this kind of attention to alcoholic detail that makes the cocktail experience another green o adventure.

A dark green leather banquette semi-circles around a large glass-enclosed fire. Daniel and I sit facing it, as do all the guests, which creates an informal dinner party ambiance. Conversation flows, as do healthy pours of wine.

Seeing is believing, at the green o

The execution of Chef Brandon’s culinary creations is better seen than told. And better eaten than seen. One artfully designed course follows another. Like his version of Chinese take-out, complete with the ubiquitous cardboard box and chopsticks. Or, a modernized ham and cheese sandwich.

Meals are prepared with absolute intention and often with the help of tweezers. No detail is overlooked, whether that be the leanest slice of hamachi, the flourish of a matsutake mushroom, or a flowering spiral of avocado upon sourdough toast.

Each night I swear I couldn’t possibly handle another seven courses. But I do. I only wish I could stay longer. If for no other reason than to see if Chef Brandon ever slips up and serves the same course twice.

Lunches and breakfasts are as inventive and mouth-watering. Fried chicken and waffles with golden raisin chutney and coconut syrup; chamomile yogurt panna cotta with fresh berries, honeycomb, and pistachio; and the famous Wagyu smash burger. With its secret sauce, griddled onions, and pepper jack cheese, Daniel says it is the best burger he’s had. Ever.

Add in service with a Midas touch (notice how I continue to flog the metaphor?) and it’s obvious why the food experience at the green o is another star among stars.

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Your green o

What will your green o experience look like? Will you opt for a spa treatment or a leisurely hike? An ATV ride or a horseback ride? Mountain biking or fly fishing? Perhaps a long hot bath followed by a fire and a good book? The combinations are as high-adrenaline or as low-key as you’d like.

It’s worth mentioning a few other perks included in the room rate, which may seem high—until you have your first tasting menu Then you will realize that you are winning, as every single meal is included and is better than the last. Guests are welcome to dine at the restaurant at Paws Up, which I’m sure is lovely, but don’t. There is no reason to leave the Social Haus. Trust me.

The green o includes transportation to and from the airport in a hybrid Lexus. That same Lexus (or one from the on-site fleet) is at our disposal should we want to go off-property. Lastly, we are given a $500 voucher that we can use towards anything not included in the room rate. We used ours for a special bottle from the reserve wine list and a massage.

Gold abounds at the green o, no matter where you look, and no matter what season. I found gold everywhere, but none more noticeably than in the service, the food, and the bucolic setting. The only thing missing from our trip to the green o was more time.

It’s a sign

On our last afternoon, we drive along the road where we started our first bike ride. Just past the spot where the Sunset Trail may or may not have been. About 50 yards away we see a different sign, this one is a tad more informative: ‘DO NOT ENTER ENCLOSURE. THESE ANIMALS ARE DANGEROUS’.

I don’t gloat. But I want to.

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December 7, 2021
Hiša Franko is the 21st best restaurant in the world

Hiša Franko is #21 on San Pellegrino’s ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list. Hiša Franko’s chef is ranked #7 on the ‘Best Chef Awards’ list and has two coveted Michelin stars. Detect a pattern? Hiša Franko is climbing culinary ladders at breakneck speed.

Chef Roš has everything to do with it.

Honorable Mention: Culinary Travel

Hiša Franko

Perhaps you envision the world’s 21st-best restaurant in a cosmopolitan city like New York, with an inaudible hum coming from behind an unmarked door on West 9th Street. Or, in a posh Mayfair hotel, where London suit and ties gather to discuss private equity amid a buzz of banking activity. Where numbers and figures float around the room like musical notes.

Maybe you assume Chef Roš graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America or L’Ecole. Or, that Roš was taught to cook by a nurturing grandmother and spent hours in the kitchen recreating family recipes, eventually trading a stained apron for crisp chef’s whites.

You’d be wrong on all fronts.

Hiša Franko’s Lucky #21

The 21st best restaurant in the world, Hiša Franko, is not in a sleepless city or a swanky hotel. It isn’t on a quaint American main street or hidden in a European city’s back alley. It’s not anywhere you’d ever imagine. Unless you imagine it’s on a rural, tree-lined road in Slovenia.

Then, you’d be right.

You’d also be off-base about Chef Roš, who studied international science and was destined to become a diplomat. Or that Chef Roš played competitive sports and rarely stepped foot in a kitchen other than to eat.

Would you believe that Chef Roš entered Hiša Franko’s kitchen and had to start from scratch? Chef Roš, who is now a culinary powerhouse, has earned two Michelin stars and is a force to be reckoned with. Don’t believe me?

Just ask her husband.

Have passport, will travel

I travel for food the way others travel for a music festival, Broadway show, or museum exhibit. An extraordinary dining experience invigorates my senses in the same ways. A multi-dimensional artistic endeavor in its own right. When done well, for instance, a meal can be an Oscar-winning performance.

This summer, I drove four hours for lunch. I crossed an international border and through multiple microclimates with my passport and rapid antigen test results in tow. Then, I drove four hours back.

Was it worth it?

Chef’s Table, Hiša Franko

It’s June 2016. My husband and I are watching one of our favorite guilty pleasures, the culinary docu-series Chef’s Table. Chef’s Table is to food what the BBC’s Planet Earth is to nature (minus David Attenborough’s distinguished narration).

The series documents chefs in far-flung destinations and overlays interviews with dramatic music to reel the viewer in. I’m that fish who gets hooked every time.

Who’s the Chef?

Tonight’s episode features Chef Ana Roš, a chef I’d never heard of. This is exactly the point of the show—to introduce cutting-edge culinary talent to food-obsessed people like me.

Chef’s Table serves up unusual food adventures in destinations around the world. It delivers them to our living rooms to be enjoyed alongside our UberEats and DoorDash orders.

Food is presented much like a docent introduces a Manet at the Met. A well-thought-out but concise narration of the artist and painting. Using all the right descriptors to whet the appetite, create intrigue, and allow for personal interpretation.

My husband lights a fire, and we settle in. Ready to travel to Hiša Franko from the comfort of our well-worn leather couch? Beside us, the dogs are snoring. ‘Where are we going tonight?’ I wonder as I pull a cozy Sferra blanket over my legs.

Slovenia.

Slovenia?

Do they mean Slovakia? Sardinia? Or, Armenia? Where is Slovenia? We are less than two minutes into the show. I press pause to find an Atlas. My husband sighs.

‘Slovenia is in Eastern Europe, above Croatia, below Austria. Next to Italy and Hungary’, I proudly relay to Daniel. ‘Some might say north, south, east, and west,’ he replies with undiluted sarcasm. I ignore him. Geography lesson complete. I press play.

The episode chronicles Ana’s unlikely journey from a woman destined to become a diplomat in Brussels, who instead inherits a local inn and restaurant. With no culinary training, she turns it into one of the best restaurants in the world and inadvertently puts Slovenia on the culinary map.

Franko’s house

Ana Roš and Valter Kramar took over his family’s inn and restaurant, located deep in Slovenia’s Soča Valley, in 2000. It had been owned by the Kramars since 1970. Franko is Valter’s father. Hiša means house. Franko’s House.

The inn and restaurant are not only Ana and Valter’s business; they are also their family home. With Ana in the kitchen as the chef, Valter was able to realize his lifelong dream of creating a cheese and wine cellar.

Valter ages his ‘Tolminic’ cheese for years and stocks his cellar with natural Slovenian vintages. His appreciation for crazy and unusual wines adds yet another dimension to the dining experience at Hiša Franko. Ana and Valter are as naturally paired as their food and wine.

Find out about Hisa Franko’s availability and even more glowing reviews here!

Serendipity

Years after watching Hiša Franko’s episode of Chef’s Table, we plan a family trip to Istria, Croatia. My trusted atlas is again put to good use. I quiz Daniel, ‘Did you know that the Istrian peninsula borders Slovenia?’ A slightly raised eyebrow leads me to believe I just may have sparked an idea.

Serendipitously, we discover our Istrian villa is within driving distance of Hiša Franko. That is if you consider 4 hours driving distance. I hop on the computer and make a reservation.

With far fewer destination diners to compete with, I secured a reservation for our date. But truth be told, Slovenia isn’t simple to get to even when there isn’t a worldwide pandemic. And, even if you are already in the country below it. Correction, south of it.

I didn’t factor in the border crossing. Or the need for a 48-hour advance negative COVID test to cross it. More importantly, there is the minor issue of transportation. Details to be figured out at later date (aka procrastination).

What kind of foodie are you?

There are two kinds of foodies. Those who would drive 4 hours for lunch, and everyone else. If the thought of driving 300 miles round-trip for a meal seems reasonable to you, then you are my people.

At 8am, we leave our villa. Our minivan driver is a Croatian woman named Marta. She tells us about a lesser-known border crossing into Slovakia, I mean, Slovenia. This is August in Europe, and border traffic is a killer. Passport in hand, the excursion feels like a covert mission.

En route to Hiša Franko, we pass hamlets puddled at the base of towering mountains. It’s a dreary morning, and fog hangs low in the air, cutting the mountains in half. This only adds to the mystique of the journey. However, it creates drama, especially as we drive through dense forests filled with Croatia’s famous truffles. My excitement is as palpable as the earthy, musky scent in the air.

Border patrol

At 915am, we pull up to a sleepy border patrol crossing cut into the hills. Why do I feel like I’m doing something illegal? This is just lunch, after all, not the finalé of The Sound of Music.

Menacing clouds press up against the Slovenia landscape in the distance. My hand shaking slightly, I hold up my phone to show the border police photographic evidence of our negative test results. I accidentally swipe left, and the faces of my nieces fill the screen. Whoops.

The policeman grunts a guttural, ‘cute’ at their insta-worthy faces before I quickly swipe back to the results. The rain starts to gain momentum. He waves us through. We are in Slovenia. 3 hours to go.

Colors of Slovenia

The sun cuts in and out, revealing towering mountains with sheer rock face walls. Thick clouds that pool heavily in the valleys are just beginning to lift. The scene auto-fills with gem-like tones. Lapis lazuli, malachite, and topaz eke through.

In the final stretch to Hiša Franko, we notice golden flax-rolled hay bales, an emerald green river (no doubt filled with trout), and lush trees. The colors, after hours of heavy rain, are unreal.

At Hiša Franko, It’s all in the details

It’s 1145am. When we arrive at Hiša Franko, the sky is fully transformed. The ominous weather has moved on. Or, maybe it never reached this magical enclave in the Soča Valley. It hardly matters now. The blue sky is a gift after hours of murky fog and narrow, winding roads.

The Hiša Franko farmhouse is located just beyond the small settlement of Kobarid, (est. population: 1060, as of 2016). Its exterior echoes Benjamin Moore’s ‘Dark Salmon’ paint chip.

Flowers the colors of ripe red fruits spill out from tall shuttered windows. Originally built in the 1860s, it’s a small peach of a building set in front of a big apple-green mountain.

The common spaces at the inn are designed by someone with a true eye for art and photography. I intend to seek that person out, but can’t help thinking it’s none other than Ana and Valter. That their eye for food and wine naturally extends to every other type of design comes as no surprise.

Inside Hiša Franko’s dining room, the warm hues continue. Tomato red walls act as a rich contrast to white linen. A long, central, wooden table is the hub for wine bottles, glasses, and barware. Valter’s domain.

Abstract art is framed along the main wall of the intimate space. It’s aligned at the baseline, which is atypical. As is the decanter, which spirals upwards like a snake being charmed. I am in love with the decanter. I hope my husband reads this before Christmas.

Hovering disk-shaped light fixtures lower the ceiling and add even more intimacy. It’s subtle details like these that make me appreciate all that has gone into making Ana’s restaurant such a treasured place.

23 and me

How does one prepare for a 23-course lunch? With healthy trepidation and an empty stomach. We are no strangers to chef-led dining experiences, as it’s the surprises that make them all the more worthwhile.

We are a group of six, including my 17-year-old daughter. Hiša Franko is one of her first true multi-course, experimental culinary adventures. I am silently proud when she opts to try everything despite any preconceived notions of what is being served.

This is no simple undertaking, as many ingredients are unlike anything we have seen, eaten, or even heard of before.

I’m prepared for the variety of locally inspired ingredients. The hearty foods that have kept Slovenians fed for generations: notably, lamb, pork, and trout. I’m less prepared to see bear paw on the menu. Immediately, I assumed that bear paw is the name of a wild mushroom, like Lion’s Mane or Hen of the Woods.

Leave it to my curious daughter to point to the menu and ask, “Is this really bear paw?’. ‘Indeed it is!’ comes the unexpected reply.

Our server goes on to explain that a certain number of brown bears are culled each year due to the increase in population and the risks they pose to local villagers.

Was I ready to try it? Ummmm, sort of?

The meat of the bear paw is supposedly very tender, on par with slow-cooked beef. Our bear paw is minced and nestled into a beautiful dumpling. The dumpling is surrounded by a forest consommé and topped with green leaves.

I savor each bite, letting the earthy broth linger on my tastebuds. It’s worth the trip for this course alone.

Yet, there are 22 more to go.

Chestnut dumpling filled with bear paw, forest consommé

Hiša Franko: A story of reincarnation

Our menu is titled, ‘Reincarnation.’ It’s particularly fitting, as Ana effortlessly brings new life to humble ingredients. Cauliflower is accompanied by black truffle, egg, milk skin, and buttermilk powder. Trout is cured with fig leaves, barley water, cucumber, and elderflower.

Valter’s cheeses are served with local beeswax and nettle gnocchi. Unique combinations of well-known ingredients create layers of new tastes and textures. A culinary story of rebirth.

Corn beignet, fermented cottage cheese, smoked trout roe, wild chives

My favorite course at Hiša Franko is one that I had prematurely decided would be my least. Two warm corn beignets are plated on a thick slab of a tree trunk. Inside is a mixture of fermented cottage cheese, smoked trout roe, and wild chives. Heaven in a bite. Always trust the chef.

Each course is one artistic expression of Ana’s homeland after another. I photograph discreetly to have visual proof of a meal that is almost too hard to describe.

Impression of charcuterie

Valter’s Cellar

Hiša Franko’s menu has three ways to pair wine: ’Funky’, ‘Local’, and ‘Juicy’. We choose ‘Local’ as I can’t imagine having the opportunity to try eight different types of Slovenian wine again in the foreseeable future.

While I’ve never heard of any of the wines being served, each is a natural fit for its course. A 2013 Royal PetNat, a 2005 Stemberger Cherry Oxy, and an intriguing wine called Aci Urbajs Organic Anarchy are examples. If I didn’t say it then, Valter, thank you! Next time, I’m coming back for ‘Funky’.

Choreographing a meal at Hiša Franko

Hiša Franko’s dining room is slightly more formal than its farmhouse exterior belies. The servers are dressed in what can best be described as costumes rather than uniforms. Their jackets are adorned with bold patterns of vines and clusters of grapes. The experience is an organic, whimsical, and well-orchestrated performance.

It’s a ballet of sorts. Touches of theater are dotted throughout the meal. The way our table had three servers present each course in unison, making sure to use eye contact to stay in sync.

World’s Best

Ana and Valter’s is just the kind of unlikely, unconventional, and unexpected culinary story that the world needs. A world where a small restaurant, deep in the virtually unknown Julian Alps, is discovered and acknowledged for extraordinary food. Where a chef with no formal training can not only thrive, but reinvent.

Ana Roš’s star is still rising, and we are all the lucky beneficiaries of her journey. If we choose to follow.

Her story is just one reason of many to visit Armenia, I mean Slovenia.

Find out about Hisa Franko’s availability and even more glowing reviews here!

October 31, 2021
Searching for the peaceful life, at Amanzoe, Greece

Google Amanzoe. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

With 156,000 search results, Amanzoe is hardly a well-kept secret. What can I say or write that hasn’t already been said or written about this palatial property? How can I uncover beauty not instantly available by scrolling postage stamp-sized squares on the phone? Or, found in a quick Google search?

Let me give it a try. But perhaps first, a few things you will find in a quick Google search of Amanzoe, because essentials are still important, naturally.

Amanzoe, Greece: The Facts

Where is Amanzoe?

Amanzoe sits on the Peloponnese Peninsula, which is on the southern coast of the Greek mainland. It’s about a 2.5-hour drive from Athens and overlooks the Argolic Gulf and the Saronic Islands.

How do you get to Amanzoe?

There are three ways to get from Athens to Amanzoe: helicopter, Aman private car, and rental car. As you might imagine, this list is not only ordered from most to least expensive but from shortest to longest travel time.

How many rooms does Amanzoe have?

Amanzoe has 38 unique accommodations. A combination of one-bedroom pavilions, beach cabanas, and villas. The villas range in size from one bedroom to nine.

Nine-bedroom Villa 20 is the stuff of Aman legend. It has six swimming pools, multiple dining areas, four kitchens, and a Greek Taverna barbecue. Villa 20 also has a private spa, a private gym, sculpture gardens, and 360-degree panoramic sea views. Did I mention it is spread over a whopping six levels on four acres?

Oh, and a staff of 18.

Villa 20—an Aman within an Aman. How meta.

Amanzoe Facts aside

Six days isn’t enough time to become an expert on Amanzoe, or on anything, for that matter. Nonetheless, six days was enough time to learn a few noteworthy aspects of the property. As well as the people who keep it running seamlessly. Not to mention the Argolis peninsula, which is ever so gracefully situated between the Saronic and Argolic Gulfs.

Amanzoe, First impressions count

We arrived at Amanzoe at 4pm, after three flights, two layovers, and a scenic 30-minute helicopter ride. Any signs of fatigue evaporated the moment we walked through the monumental entrance. Greek in design, glossy, and white. The scent of jasmine filled the air. I turned my head left and noticed the tell-tale, star-shaped flowers, en masse.

Looking ahead, a wide, elongated reflecting pool drew my eye toward the centerpiece of Amanzoe. An enormous circular marble platform hovered above the Aegean Sea. When I use the term jaw-dropping, it is not metaphorically.

Olive trees with their chalky green leaves, and age-revealing gnarled trunks, dot the Amanzoe property. Some, are crooked and wrinkled (the elders), others skinny and lanky, (the teenagers), and all the life stages in between.

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Amanzoe, Sunset commentary

In May, the sun starts to set well after 8pm. That gave us plenty of time to settle into our villa and return to the platform for cocktails. Later, we would witness the nightly ritual of ‘sunset commentary’.

We overheard guests compare the sky to the one of the previous night—were the streaks more tangerine or pumpkin-colored? Those purples, would you say plum or eggplant?

I wondered if the staff ever tired of the setting sun, or the running commentary. I imagine they don’t since each night was similar in terms of sheer beauty but quite different in the details.

The shifting rays made the marble glow and forced deep shadows from the olive trees. Mother Nature must live here, I thought.

To add an unnecessary, yet ethereal touch of theater to the scene, a fire table was ignited each evening. A gesture of solidarity with the sun’s disappearance.

Amanzoe, Greece: Questions, Answered

Paul Linder is the master of ceremonies (aka General Manager) at Amanzoe, Greece. He floats breezily among the guests, speaking en français to the French, and en español to the Spanish. All the while looking like he stepped out of Italian Vogue. And ever-smiling—Paul is in his element.

“What don’t people know about Amanzoe?” I asked, “because it seems as if it’s all been said.” Paul paused. Then he told me that the area where Amanzoe resides, Porto Heli, is considered “the Hamptons of Greece”. That, I didn’t know.

Kings, former kings, celebrities, former celebrities, shipping, and business tycoons come here to not be seen. The entire peninsula has a distinguished air of privacy. Their mega-villas dot the landscape. And their bespoke super-yachts peek out from secluded coves and pop from the sapphire blue waters.

Paul went on to speak of the architectural elements that make up Amanzoe itself: stone, glass, marble, and wood. He spoke of the natural elements, the flora, and fauna, all native to Greece.

Each olive tree at Amanzoe had been artfully placed or replaced—some of which are up to 600 years old. Ed Tuttle, the creative genius behind Amanzoe, as well as over 30 other Aman properties, sadly died last year. But his work lives on, and what an awe-inspiring body of work it is.

If you build it

The palette of the Peloponnese Peninsula, and Amanzoe, is subtle shades of yellow, green, and purple. Wispy grasses, Mediterranean herbs, and slender emerald-colored cypress trees thrive. Bursts of fuchsia breakthrough in the form of a single flower. Or, a cluster of berries and a wave of bougainvillea. Lavender abounds.

Perhaps, the most interesting thing Paul remarked upon, was how the setting of Amanzoe was purposely built and designed. The grandiose main pavilion was created to represent the Acropolis. The villas below symbolize the city of Athens. How clever.

An intentional nod to ancient times. Amanzoe even replicated the famous theatre from nearby Epidaurus (in miniature, thankfully) on the property. Guests can reserve the amphitheater in advance, and dine privately among a hundred ambient lanterns. Mr. Tuttle, I stand in awe.

This intriguing mini-city design is certainly one way that Amanzoe stands out among its peers. Which prevents it from ever feeling crowded, even at capacity. If I had Villa 20, I would never leave it. In fact, I doubt I could even find my way out.

Amanzoe’s Villa 31

Villa 31 has the distinction of being the only one-bedroom villa at Amanzoe. There are many freestanding one-bedroom pavilions. However, Villa 31 is one-of-a-kind, perched on the far western tip of the property. It quietly overlooks the untamed landscape and the Aegean Sea.

Towards late afternoon, the mountains across the gulf start to lose detail and their sharp edges. The layers of blue melt into one another, creating a panoramic watercolor.

Mediterranean gardens surround the villa and the 25-meter infinity-edged pool. Bees feast on lavender. Amanzoe’s Villa 31 is made of stone and possesses a rustic, farmhouse feeling, unlike the other villas.

The interior is as serene and inviting as the exterior. Nearly every window and door open to the pool and sea.

A shaded terrace with cushy seating and a small reflecting pool form a separate structure from the villa. This is where our inventive chef, Stelios, created our in-villa meals.

Irina, our lovely dedicated host, helped organize everything from bicycles and golf carts to picnics, and afternoon cocktails. The staff is so warm, knowledgeable, and friendly. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t come home with a few new people to follow on Instagram.

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Plain Sky, at Amanzoe

The most unusual aspect of Villa 31 is its immersive art installation created by the acclaimed artist, James Turrell. The only one of Turrell’s permanent works found in the Mediterranean.

“Sky Plain” is a subterranean room accessed by a hidden staircase on the side of the villa. The perimeter of the 20 x 20-foot space is lined with built-in cushioned benches. The walls and floor are comprised of streaky, glossy black marble.

A square opening, in what looks like a paper-thin ceiling, appears cut with a razor. It established a one-dimensional color-blocking effect as we looked toward the sky. This flattened effect, we were soon to discover, was an essential component of the display.

In the span of about twenty minutes, colored lights in the room slowly changed, and so seemingly did the sky. It was an illusion. The sky was not gray, green, or dark blue.

In fact, it was sunset. (Or sunrise, which is the two times of day the exhibit is displayed.) The sky was pure cerulean blue. Believe me, we checked.

Only guests of Villa 31 have access to Mr. Turrell’s perception-defying installation, which made us feel like total Amanzoe VIPs.

Daytrippin’ from Amanzoe

One of the many things Aman does extraordinarily well is excursions. Amanzoe has more ways to explore the Peloponnese than we had time. We chose carefully, knowing how hard it would be to leave the villa.

At 9am, we boarded the Amanzoe One, a Wally powerboat, with a bottle of wine and a picnic lunch.

We sped past the islands of Spetses and Dokos on our way to Hydra. Hydra, we were told, is an island where time has stood still for over 200 years.

Hydra, Idra, Ydra

There are no motorized vehicles on Hydra (aside from the local ambulance). Horses, donkeys, and mules roam the streets as they had done in centuries past. They carry packaged goods, produce, and sometimes people, from the port into the town. Water taxis bob in the marina to take residents and tourists to the mainland.

Hydra isn’t only a picturesque town, with a central clock tower, and lemon and orange trees growing in abundance. It’s also an appealingly quiet one. The clip-clop of hooves was a welcome change from engines.

The slick stone steps led us high above the port, from where we could see daily life unfolding below. I got lost in a daydream of living on Hydra, with its simplicity, calm, and natural beauty.

Where wellness began

It can appear that ‘wellness’ is a new phenomenon, as it’s so trendy and newsworthy these days. The ancient town of Epidaurus, however, was at one time considered the healing and wellness center of the universe.

Sick people traveled by boat, and then walked for miles, to cure their ailments here as early as the 6th century B.C. As the fame of the region grew, so did its prosperity, which enabled an enormous stone amphitheater to be built.

When completed, it seated 14,000 people. To this day, while in partial ruins, even a lowered voice still carries to the uppermost rows. In fact, a yearly music festival returns to the stage each June. Mark your calendars.

Epidaurus also includes the ruins of a sanctuary, a hospital, temples, and a posh hotel. In 1988, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since Greece had just re-opened its doors to tourism, we were nearly alone at this ancient spiritual site.

Lunch Detour

We took an alternate route back to Amanzoe via the enchanting seaport town of Nafplio. Nafplio is a popular weekend destination for Athenians, the authenticity of the old town was palpable. There we shared a traditional Greek lobster and pasta lunch. To say we overindulged is an understatement.

Tourism is the primary source of revenue in Nafplio. Yet, it didn’t feel overly touristy. I noticed how everyone seemed to know one another along the waterfront promenade of local restaurants. After a few hours of wandering, we headed back to the resort. We were eager to sit poolside and dream about our next meal.

Amanzoe’s 24-hour menu

Excellent food and wine are to be expected at Amanzoe. That again is nothing Google can’t tell you. No guest will go hungry between the two open-air Greek/Mediterranean restaurants, and Nama, the Japanese-inspired restaurant off the main pool.

Thankfully, we discovered the 24-hour menu on our first day. No, not the room service menu, but a list of special dishes that need extra preparation time. The choices were abundant, and I wished I had another week to try them all.

We opted for Lamb ‘Kleftiko’ the following evening. It was presented in a traditional rustic dutch oven overflowing with aromatic scents. Like, rosemary, cinnamon, honey, and lemon. The 12-hour slow-baked lamb fell off the bone and soaked up the juices below. Potatoes and cubes of melting ‘Kefalotyri’ cheese completed the dish. It was divine.

Our personable waiter, Adam, revealed the origin of ‘Kleftiko’, which means ‘stolen’. During the Greek revolution, the guerrillas, called Klephts, survived by stealing lamb or goats from the hillside. Who needs Google when you have Adam?

Amanzoe’s Sustainability Sidebar

The Aman brand has a strong commitment to sustainability, environmental protection, and local culture. As an example, the food at the resort was both seasonal, as well as ethically-sourced.

Wine, From the Fire

The ‘Greek Hellfires’ ravaged 670,000 acres of land in 2007. Thousands of fires scorched the hillsides, and many vineyards didn’t survive, including the Brintziki Vineyard outside of Olympia. However, almost miraculously, their grapes did. From those unscathed grapes, left to struggle in extreme conditions, came wine. They named it ‘Dia Pyros’—‘from the fire’.

There are only 2300 bottles of this celebrated wine, each bottle numbered and signed by the vintner and the oenologist. Our waiter offered us a glimpse of this rare vintage, paired with the story of its endurance.

Peaceful Life found, at Amanzoe

What’s left to know? What parting words can complete our extraordinary experience? Perhaps this—in Sanskrit, ‘Amanzoe’ means ‘peaceful life”, a fitting name if there ever was one. But, maybe you already knew that.

Go ahead, Google it. I’ll wait.

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May 30, 2021
How I got a reservation at Eleven Madison Park—the best restaurant in the world. (And how you can, too).
A dinner reservation at Eleven Madison Park is coveted. Places like Eleven Madison Park are re-imagining their place in the new culinary landscape. The most inspiring example of this comes from Daniel Humm. Mr. Humm is the chef and owner of three Michelin-starred, Eleven Madison Park. I listened to his podcast with Guy Raz and was humbled. Eleven Madison Park has surprised the restaurant industry by creating completely plant-based menus. I only hope I can get in.

My husband, Daniel, doesn’t understand why I would write about how I got a dinner reservation at Eleven Madison Park. He doesn’t think anyone will read it.

Maybe, he’s right.

For the Love of Food

I’m banking on the fact that there are people out there, like me, who want to eat their way through a city, or a country. People who want to discover a region’s local delicacies or experience flavors and spices that aren’t readily used in their own cooking. People who would give their pinky toe for a reservation at Eleven Madison Park.

While it may seem that if a person is intelligent enough to follow the directions on a restaurant’s website, regardless of the restaurant’s popularity, a reservation would naturally follow. Well, it doesn’t. Not always.

Online platforms like Open Table, Tock, and Resy, have certainly helped the foodies of the world book great tables around the globe. Reservations at Eleven Madison Park, for example. However, there are tricks, hacks, strategies, and (dare I say) skills involved in the process.

I have been known to book a holiday around a particular restaurant, securing the table long before the flights or hotel. I scour the San Pellegrino list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants prior to committing to a country to visit. It may sound extreme, but as it turns out, I’m not alone. The New York Times recently wrote an article about a trend called ‘destination dining’. The article highlighted people who created entire itineraries around the reservation at a particular restaurant. Those who live to eat, rather than eat to live. My people.

Worshipping San Pellegrino

Year to year, the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best List ebbs and flows with the finest epicurean experiences of the times. Some restaurants hold their title for a few years, while others have a shorter tenure. It’s a culinary roller coaster for those in the business of food, and for those who love to eat. I often find myself watching the rise and fall of restaurants the way others might watch the stock market. Can we agree that food is more fun than stocks?

Simply summed up, the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best List ranks the top restaurants in the world according to unique culinary experiences. The list acts as a barometer for dining and food trends—a defining list of what is hot right now.

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Beat the Restaurant Reservation System

There are a few ways to beat the reservation system, which can be frustrating at the best of times. Ways to grab the table you’d like, on the day you’d like, and without fear of getting saddled with the dreaded 5pm or 11pm time slot.

A few personal case stories follow, describing how I secured reservations at some of the best restaurants in the world, including, then number one, Chef Daniel Humm’s Eleven Madison Park. Want to skip the stories and head straight to the cheat sheet? Scroll down. Otherwise, read on. As an aside, I have very little in the way of photographs for these experiences, as I spent my time fully absorbed by the food. Indeed, the sign of a fabulous meal.

Case Story #1: The Test Kitchen, Cape Town

The Test Kitchen (then ranked #50) is one of the hardest restaurant bookings to get in South Africa. Rumor has it that even TV’s most well-loved talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres, was turned away without a reservation.

We were heading to South Africa for a week in Cape Town. I had The Test Kitchen firmly in my crosshairs, yet knew it was going to be a challenge to reserve if I relied solely upon reading the website reservation directions, as my husband seemed to think was so simple.

Reservations open up four times a year at 8am for the following three months. That means if you’d like a table in April, May, or June, you need to book at exactly 8am on March 1st, South Africa time. Did they really mean four times a year? Yikes.

I live in Washington DC, which meant a 1am alarm. Factor in the other like-minded, overachieving foodies scrambling for the same date. And those who live in more accessible time zones. Not as simple.

Having booked the trip months in advance, I had the luxury of time on my side. I emailed our hotel in Cape Town to ask/beg the concierge for help. First, I explained the situation and the semi-problematic time difference. Then, I assured her that my expectations were low, and would appreciate her willingness to try.

As any concierge worthy of her post would do, she replied that she’d be happy to help. I gave options for dates, as we were in Cape Town for 7 nights, thanked her in advance, and followed up immediately to confirm our conversation.

A few months later, she replied with the news that she had successfully secured the booking. I was amazed, but not completely surprised. Never underestimate the power of a detail-oriented, capable, and willing concierge. In case you’re wondering, the hotel had no special ‘in’ or connections to The Test Kitchen, just a finger on the trigger, in the right time zone, at exactly the right time.

The evening began upon entry into the Dark Room—cozy, ambient, and moody. We were handed a scrolled parchment map that outlined the origins of the upcoming bite-sized courses.

After drinks, and the ‘map of small bites’, we were ushered through an unassuming doorway. Hello, Light Room—buzzing and bustling with bright-eyed waiters and an energized open-plan kitchen. A contrast in settings, decor, and festivities. It was theater, and we were an eager audience.

Chef Luke Dale-Roberts’ inventive food hit all the marks. Each dish had an interesting juxtaposition of ingredients. It was, however, the Billionaire Bite, an indescribable savory shortbread, topped with gold leaf, that sent our tastebuds into overdrive. We paired the meal with the sommelier’s wine choices, rolled back to the hotel, and immediately fell into a food-induced coma. Bravo, Chef Luke.

Case Story #2: Pujol, Mexico City

The Netflix series, Chef’s Table, has always been a stimulant for our food obsession. One lazy winter’s night, an episode about Chef Enrique Olvera from Mexico City’s Pujol, particularly caught my husband’s attention. Then, Pujol was rated the 12th-best restaurant in the world by San Pellegrino and the 3rd-best in Latin America. When the show ended, Daniel casually intimated that he would love to go there one day.

My mind began to spin. Daniel is not one to ask for much in the way of gifts. He had a birthday coming up the next month. That birthday happened to fall on a Saturday night. I discovered there was a direct flight to Mexico City from DC. The stars were beginning to align.

While I could book the flights to Mexico City on miles without worry, I didn’t want to book the hotel until I had the restaurant reserved. What to do first? Another situation where my new BFF, the concierge, came into play. Even if it was a future concierge.

I called the hotel and explained my predicament. I assured him that I would book a room the moment the reservation was secured. Again, a reliable and helpful concierge to the rescue.

Less than a month later, we were happily sitting in the dimly lit, black-walled dining room of Pujol in Mexico City, savoring Chef Olvera’s famous 100-day mole, and tasting menu. We overheard a young couple next to us explaining to the waiter that they had based their entire trip around this reservation after having seen Chef’s Table. So much for originality.

I’ve since discovered that Pujol can be reserved on Open Table. I plugged in today’s date as an experiment. The next available is three months from now at 6pm.

Case Story #3: Eleven Madison Park, NYC

How to get a reservation at the best restaurant in the entire world? Perhaps the triad of strategy, knowledge, and plain old good luck. In the case of Chef Daniel Humm’s Eleven Madison Park, luck was a key player.

A girls’ trip to NYC in February 2019 seemed a good way to beat the winter blues. After choosing the date, we decided to divide and conquer—one friend chose the hotel, and another the Broadway show. I was in charge of dinner.

I googled the reservation policy for Eleven Madison Park, which then held the #1 spot on the San Pellegrino 50 Best List. The site read: ‘We open reservations at 9am EST on the first of every month for the following month. For example, all May reservations will become available on April 1st at 9am EST’. Seemed simple enough under ordinary circumstances, but Daniel Humm’s restaurant is considered anything but ordinary.

For a February reservation, the date to book was January 1st, 9am EST—New Year’s Day. What better way to try to beat the system than to take advantage of a morning when a good part of the country is sleeping late, hungover, or both? I marked my calendar and created a Tock profile, as recommended. As long as I didn’t oversleep, I had a shot.

Timing Is Everything

At 8:55am, on January 1st, I was waiting with my finger on the trigger. Eleven Madison Park has a pay-in-advance dinner policy, so I had already cleared it with my friends should the reservation come to fruition. Refresh, refresh, refresh. Click. Click. Ticking clock, ticking clock…. 8pm. Confirmed. Wow.

The strategy of working the timeline backward to a holiday is not foolproof, but will certainly increase the odds, especially if you have any flexibility in dates and times.

Eleven Madison Park was formal, yet not stuffy, with an intelligent, funny, and self-deprecating waitstaff. Its location is in a 30-story art-deco skyscraper that originally housed Metropolitan Life. The grandiose pillars and sky-high ceilings had a warmth and happy buzz that filled the entire space. Culinary bucket list—check.

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Eleven Madison Park In the news

Chef Daniel Humm’s recent announcement to serve a 100% plant-based menu upon re-opening is one that will likely have a ripple effect on the restaurant world. As he points out in his podcast, it is harder to turn a carrot into a meal than a tail of a lobster. Each of his plant-based dishes will certainly still uphold his four-pronged combination: to be delicious, beautiful, creative, and intentional. In his soothing understated manner, Daniel Humm maintains that if all four are achieved in a single dish, he has created a new language.

I can’t wait to learn it. Eleven Madison Park, here I come.

Tips and gratuities

Finally, the cheat sheet. Ten practical, logical, and strategic tips on how to get that coveted reservation, regardless of price or popularity.
1. Follow the rules: Look at the restaurant’s website in advance and take note of their particular method of reserving.
2. Mark your calendar: Once you have the date in mind, backtrack to the day (and time) you can officially book. Set an alarm, or two, so you don’t forget.
3. Be flexible: Are you able to book the restaurant for a variety of dates? Mark your calendar for multiple days in case the first time you aren’t successful. Have those dates ready so you can make a snap decision.
4. Create accounts in advance: Many restaurants, especially the ones you pay for the meal in advance, have an online system to join or use a reservation platform like Tock. Get your account set up and credit card input.
5. Refresh: Get the website up and ready five minutes before the allotted time to book. Refresh the page as needed.
6. Make a new BFF: Don’t be afraid to ask the concierge for help, especially when dealing with countries that don’t speak your language, or are in a different time zone. Then don’t forget to tip when they come through.
7. Dial it in: When all else fails, try calling for a reservation. We have gotten lucky with last-minute cancellations time and again. Keep calling, you never know.
8. Think backward: Take advantage of holidays like New Year’s Day and Christmas morning. Plan ahead to that date.
9. Settle for the next best thing: A chef’s expertise goes well beyond dinner. Does the restaurant also serve lunch? There is something wonderful about devoting an afternoon of vacation to a long boozy lunch.
10. Time out: Many reservation systems time out after five minutes. If the system opens at 10am and you miss it, log back on at 10:05am, as some people may have changed their minds or have run out of time.
Admittedly, there are many great places to eat around the world, and most don’t require the advanced legwork described above. From the ones in Manhattan with white-linen tablecloths to the ones in the backstreets of Cartagena with red and white plastic ones. We all have different tastebuds, but we all want to eat where we want to eat. Yet, in the end, it’s just food, after all. Daniel, don’t you agree?

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where will you find yourself next? Just Click.

Head to Cape Town and try your luck reserving The Test Kitchen.

Don’t forget the wine and the wine country of South Africa. Stellenbosch offers panoramic views and decadent restaurants.

If a long, boozy lunch is your idea of a perfect afternoon, head to Catherine’s Café on the lovely island of Antigua.

If you ever want to get in touch, ask a question, or discuss a way to partner, please email me at [email protected].
May 6, 2021
The Vines, Mendoza—Culinary Highlights and Amazing Adventures

Mendoza, Argentina /

Francis Mallmann may be one of the top chefs in the Americas, but as of January 2016, we had never heard of him. That is, until one snowy night at home we saw his episode of the Netflix docu-series, Chef’s Table. Each episode highlights a chef from around the world, and the footage and scenery intertwined with the food can be mesmerizing, especially if you watch it when you are hungry!

Part of what makes Mallmann unique is his use of cooking on open flames, whether that be above ground or underground, and never in an expected way.

So when the show zeroed in on his Argentine restaurant in the Uco Valley of Mendoza, Siete Fuegos (literally Seven Fires), which is in a resort called The Vines, nestled at the base of the Andes mountains, we headed straight for the computer and booked on the spot. A spontaneous and slightly alcohol-induced move, no doubt. From there, we built our two-week spring break holiday and didn’t look back.

Mendoza’s Top Winery/Luxury Resort

The Vines is a spectacular find. Set, as you’d imagine, around an expanse of vineyards, it is part winery and part luxury resort. You can take the complimentary bikes and explore the 1500 hectares of private vines, where you will inevitably stumble upon the free-standing, all-glass gym and rock climbing wall that rises above the grapes so that you have an unobstructed view of the Andes while you work out.

The villas at The Vines are beautifully decorated, I wanted to move in and stay there, it felt like a home, not a hotel. Stone hot tub, rooftop seating, complimentary iPads and Apple TV for entertainment, all the creature comforts of home, nestled along a path of desert-like gardens, it far exceeded our expectations.

The Siete Fuegos Experience at The Vines

We dined at Siete Fuegos more than once, the main restaurant at the resort. True to Argentine custom, dinners were served quite late (with service being much slower and leisurely than we were used to) and the Malbec flowed generously and at all hours. One night we left the kids behind and had one of the Mallmann’s Seven Fire dining experiences.

Set outside, yet within the open kitchen, and surrounded by the seven different ‘fires’, a table for 30 was set up for a long Argentine communal meal. As the night went on, and the courses came out, the decibel level got higher and higher.

Guests from Norway, Finland, Brazil, and Connecticut—everyone with a different story about how they found themselves here. The salmon had been baked in a cast iron skillet for hours and within a three-inch crust of salt. We had goat that had been strung up to a cage with an open bonfire-style fire surrounding it. It was a culinary adventure with a chef we had all traveled far and wide to see. No one was disappointed, it was a magical dinner experience.

Bodegas and Surprises in Mendoza

We were told we couldn’t leave Mendoza without lunch and a winery tour at Bodega La Azul. Due to an unexpected glitch, we found ourselves without a lunch reservation as planned. However, the owner said he would still happily take us on a tour of his boutique winery.

Falling into the category of ‘sometimes things happen for a reason’, we let nature take its course, although truth be told I was envious of all the guests being seated on the patio as we walked past. Maybe he saw my disappointment because he then told us about a family he knew that was opening a restaurant nearby out of their home. It sounded intriguing, so we got the address, took a leap of faith, and headed into the foothills to find El Paisano.

It was far from a restaurant; it was a home, but we ate one of the most authentic meals we could have hoped for, all eight traditional courses prepared and served by five members of a lovely Argentine family. We sat at a table on the banks of a freshwater stream, the kids found some fishing poles and tried their luck. Daniel and I sat with a bottle of wine and wondered how we ended up here. Oh, and the wine? La Azul, of course.

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March 5, 2021
The Best Lunch Spot in Antigua is…

Catherine’s Café, The Best Lunch in Antigua

Some days I can hardly remember what I ate for breakfast. On other days, I can’t remember what book I am reading. More often than I’d like to admit, I can’t remember what day of the week it is. What I do remember though, is the best beach lunch I had on the island of Antigua nearly 15 years ago.

My husband, our daughter (who was then nine months old), and I, traveled to this charming Caribbean island in the West Indies for the wedding of close friends. Being new parents, and tired parents, we tried to keep up with all of the festivities of the young, hip, and childless wedding crowd.

We made a decent effort, and really placed it all on the line for a festive lunch at Catherine’s Café, knowing full well that daytime drinking, and parenting an infant, could be a disastrous combination.

Catherine’s has since changed locations, from a waterfront deck at English Harbour, to a beachside one, at the tip of Pigeon Beach, overlooking Falmouth Harbour.

However, much remains unchanged — the salty, seaside vibe, the perfectly-paced tempo of the music, and the dreamy lull of the breezy sea air. So what if I can’t remember exactly what Catherine’s looked like back then, or what I ate? The feeling was the memory. And it felt right, again.

Booked on a feeling at Catherine’s Cafe

When we decided to book a family trip to Antigua, it was based on emotion and memory. My husband and I had two priorities, lunch at Catherine’s Café, and sunset views at Shirley Heights Lookout.

For those who know us, it isn’t completely surprising that we would plan a trip around a restaurant, or a view, or a feeling. Not that our knee-jerk reactions to travel haven’t occasionally led us astray. I have booked a hotel in the wrong part of a city, or the country, or unknowingly during the rainy season. Whoops.

More often than not, however, I do the research and the planning. Yet, being surprised by a mistake can sometimes be exciting. It can also cause marital stress, but that’s a different post.

Set sail for Antigua

The islands of Antigua and Barbuda were settled by the English in 1632 and eventually gained independence in 1981. Antigua has much to offer tourists, yet for some reason doesn’t feel ruled by tourism.

In 2016, Antigua became home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Nelson’s Dockyard. In order to be deemed a UNESCO site, a place or landmark must have ‘cultural, historical and/or natural significance’. It is legally protected from then onwards for future generations to enjoy. We walked around this small piece of history at dusk, the orange glow of the sun simmering in the inky sea—mere inches from some of the world’s most expensive and drool-inducing yachts.

Nelson’s Dockyard is also the home to Antigua’s famous annual sailing regatta. Drawing competitors worldwide, and heading into its 53rd year, I was amused to discover the inspiration for the famous week-long regatta.

As the story goes—in 1968, a group of island hoteliers and friends thought they could extend the winter tourist season by adding on the regatta. This clever idea has since become a strong part of Antigua’s heritage and culture, not to mention an excuse to check out the 150-200 yachts that descend upon the island each year.

Antigua: the Nature Island

Despite the glamorous yachts and sailboats, Antigua is remarkably chill in attitude, content to allow its natural wonders to take center stage. These natural wonders, many small and hidden, are patiently waiting for you if you take the time to really look.

We kayaked along shallow serpentine inlets that opened up to a large, serene pond. Gray herons swooped noisily over our heads, while clusters of flying fish paralleled our route. I collected microscopic, pale pink, jewel-like shells. Both full, and double, rainbows appeared after nearly every passing shower.

Early one morning on the beach, I watched Piers Morgan (yes, that Piers Morgan) take a photo of his wife in front of a particularly vibrant double rainbow. Nearby, an Antiguan woman from the resort murmured, “We see that every day.” I wasn’t sure if she meant the double rainbow or Piers Morgan. A unique daily sighting, either way.

Zooming in on my photos a little later, I laughed as I realized that my shot of the double rainbow captured Piers taking a photo of it, too. When I checked out his Instagram feed, sure enough, there it was. How meta.

Overall, there is a kind of beauty in Antigua that can only be revealed by allowing the mind to stop thinking and just look. A slow burn of beauty, a marathon, rather than a sprint, of beauty. (Note to self: you have officially overused the word ‘beauty’. Find thesaurus.)

Antigua’s Shirley Heights Lookout

Once a military lookout and gun battery, Shirley Heights is now a party every Sunday night for locals and tourists alike. In order to fully appreciate this sunset celebration, you need to get past the expected cheesiness; the loud reggae band, the cheap drinks, the throng of (sometimes not so civilized) tourists, and just go for it. Why? Because Shirley Heights, at 490 feet and with 360-degree views, offers the best panorama of the island, hands down.

If you are at all like us, and only interested in the sunset, go early, grab a drink, and a coveted spot on the ledge that overlooks Falmouth and English Harbours. Then, hold your ground.

We watched as a rainstorm swept over the harbors, obscuring them completely, and then clear just in time for the sun to re-introduce itself and descend. Despite the drizzle, we stayed put, refusing to give up our perch. It was worth getting a little wet, the sky was mesmerizing and dramatic, offering up prismatic colors and textures that are hard to define. Shirley Heights, fifteen years later, and still on top of its game.

Taking it slowly in Antigua

Many Caribbean islands have their version of the boozy beach lunch. St Barths has the colorful daytime club/restaurant, Nikki Beach. The under-the-radar glam island of Mustique is known for its equally understated beach bar, Basil’s.

Yet, there is something about the inherent low-key-ness of Antigua that especially lends itself to dedicating long sun-framed hours to lunch. I love the natural, lazy blurring of meals when lunch is leisurely and sometimes surprisingly turns into dinner. The un-rushed antithesis of real life. Again, giving time to lingering, watching, and absorbing.

Being responsible parents, we decided to taxi to Catherine’s from our resort. Antigua is particularly hilly, with narrow roads, and it is difficult to tell what is around each corner, whether that be a secluded cove, a colorful church, or a careening truck. We thought it best to leave the driving to an island expert.

Catherine’s, at last

A wooden planked path past a bakery and a boutique led us to our destination—open-air, louver-shuttered, sea-breezy Catherine’s Café. Ahead, Veuve Clicquot branded, butter yellow umbrellas popped brilliantly from the sand, adding another layer of warmth to the already warm atmosphere.

Inviting circular loungers were haphazardly scattered around, and large Neem trees offered shade. Naked, sun-kissed French toddlers ran amok. I could tell right away that the new Catherine’s was going to be worth rediscovering.

We arrived at the unfashionably early time of 12pm, which afforded us a chance to snag a prime beachfront table. Our shoes promptly came off as we settled into the plush chairs, and into the scene. The tables filled up quickly, and we overheard one entitled guest try to buy their way to a better table position. He was really going to kill the vibe, I thought. Then I smiled and relaxed. My uncool, early timing had paid off.

Later, I overheard another guest pompously remark, “I’ve gone off Ott in favor of Whispering Angel.” A few hours at lunch here and I could easily start a new instagram account: OverheardAntigua. Maybe it already exists?

Damien, the charmer

I introduced myself to Damien, the effervescent bartender, and asked if he would mind if I used his photo on my site. Happy to oblige, he smiled, posed, then told us about his favorite drinks.

From behind the row of garnish-filled mason jars, he produced an extensive gin and tonic menu. I think he knew we were there for the long haul. Drinks-wise, Damien nailed it. Never doubt a Caribbean bartender on his own turf.

Even the color palette of Catherine’s—ecru, ivory, eggshell blue, and foamy green—seemed designed to compliment the beachscape. Tightly woven Chilewich mats, pale rattan chairs and oversized dangling, domed lampshades added to the gentle vibe of the café. The soundtrack— the ebb and flow of the sea, the soft clinking of glasses, squealing babies, and the best sound of all, the sound of true vacation laziness.

The background music that particular day was Jamiroquai, and I was suddenly overcome with nostalgia, that English funk and acid jazz brought me back to the early 90s in NYC. I love when music attaches itself to a moment. A past memory and a current one collide in the best way.

The Parisian-influenced menu made us feel like we were on a French island rather than a former British one. Halfway into our meal, a group of 15 gorgeous, tanned, twenty-somethings sat at the table beside us. The four of us quietly argued whether they were mega-yacht owners’ kids, or the cast of the TV show, Below Deck.

After a bit of research (aka questioning the waiter), we discovered they were, indeed, the crew from one of the yachts in the harbor. I kept a sharp eye on my daughter who had already fallen in love with a ruggedly handsome deckhand sitting at the head of the table.

Choices at Catherine’s

We indulged in almost everything the menu had to offer. The roast chicken was artfully placed on a slice of layered potatoes. Freshly diced tuna tartare was garnished with a touch of fennel and greens—another standout. The gazpacho was almost too pretty to eat.

A cheese course seemed important to complete the meal, or maybe just to elongate it. The baguettes were freshly baked, with perfectly salted, creamy French butter served alongside, and cut on-demand at a central area that also doubled as the barista station.

The service might have been a little snail-paced that day, but those who complained missed out on the very reason for lunching at a place like Catherine’s in the first place. It is the long meal, the marathon of courses, and the multiple bottles of wine, that make the boozy lunch a boozy lunch. The sooner one gets on island time, the better.

Memories of Antigua

So, while my memory is unreliable at the best of times, I have learned, above all else, to trust my feelings. Thank you, Catherine and Shirley, for living up to expectations, and even exceeding them in some ways. As an aside, today is Tuesday, I had a peanut butter banana smoothie for breakfast, and am currently reading The Hungry Tide, by Amitav Ghosh.

Long live the boozy beach lunch.

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February 4, 2020

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