Culinary – Page 2

These are Canada’s top 10 best new restaurants

November 3, 2023 No Comments

The 2023 Canada’s Best New Restaurants Top 10 were recently unveiled by Air Canada, with Toronto restaurant Kappo Sato taking the coveted top spot.

Led by chef Takeshi Sato, Kappo Soto is a Kappo-style Omakase restaurant where the tasting menu is prepared entirely in front of guests. In second place, the lavish steakhouse Wild Blue elevates fine dining in the mountain ski town of Whistler through its prime selection of meat and seafood. This year’s third-place winner, Marilena Café and Raw Bar, serves upscale seafood in a relaxed environment in Victoria on Vancouver Island.

Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2023 highlights the top restaurants that have opened across the country between late spring 2022 and May 31, 2023, and deliver exceptional experiences through the quality of their food, level of service and commitment to culinary creativity.

It is the only cross-country restaurant ranking to use a single, anonymous reviewer, and now in its 22^nd year it is also the longest running. From the culinary vision and quality of ingredients on the menu to the team spirit that surrounds it, every element factored into an equation to determine the Top 10 list.

About the top 10 restaurants

The Top 10 were selected by food critic and author of Canada’s Best New Cookbook, Amy Rosen, who returns to the program having been the program’s first anonymous writer from 2002-2003.

Over the course of a secret month-long cross-Canada journey, Amy dined anonymously at more than 30 establishments that were nominated by a panel of food industry experts.

Here is the complete list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2023:

Kappo Sato (Toronto, ON): Chef-owner Takeshi Sato, who worked at Tokyo’s Michelin-starred Ukai, conducts a two-and-a-half-hour kappo omakase in a tranquil room, where a tasting menu is prepared entirely in front of guests sitting comfortably wrapped around a smooth wooden counter.
Wild Blue (Whistler, BC): The luxurious steakhouse Wild Blue has elevated fine dining in the resort town Whistler. Highlights from Chefs Alex Chen and Derek Bendig include a tender pink ribeye, served with the ocean-deep umami of yakiniku sauce, and buttery pommes purées.
Marilena Café and Raw Bar (Victoria, BC): Chef Kristian Eligh and his team provide a new form of Vancouver Island hospitality that is upscale yet assertively unstuffy. Negroni’s on tap mix well with the Victoria restaurant’s seafood towers, plush pea agnolotti tossed with truffle butter, and ceviche mixto with pomegranate seeds.
Rizzo’s House of Parm (Fort Erie, ON): Chef Matty Matheson’s hometown of Fort Erie is host to his newest restaurant. Hefty mozzarella sticks with a fresh marinara dipper are a must for the table before enjoying the name-sake saucy, cheesy, and broiled Parms, available in chicken, eggplant or veal.
Petit Socco (Winnipeg, MB): The intimate restaurant has 10 seats, an open kitchen and only two employees; co-owners and life partners Adam Donnelly and Courtney Molaro. The four-course dinner includes tempura shishito peppers coated in house berbere- spiced mayo sprinkled with sesame seeds and a giant tostada for two piled high with chopped poached prawns, sushi-grade tuna, Salvadoran curtido and avocado crema.
Bonheur D’Occasion (Montreal, QC): Chef-owner Philippe Gauthier creates one of the most generous meals of the year with a level of hospitality best described as kindness. One of the most beloved dishes is the mille feuille by pastry chef Victor Adnet made with phyllo dough, deeply caramelized with maple sugar and layered with gently whipped clover cream.
Folke (Vancouver, BC): In the hands of co-owner and chef Colin Uyeda, Folke’s vegan food is for anyone who enjoys gorgeous, inventive and extremely delicious food that happens to be plant-based. Co-owner and pastry chef Pricilla Deo bakes a magnificent chocolate cake, layered with mousse, strawberry gelée, Earl Grey custard and fudge crunch.
Le Molière par Mousso (Montreal, QC): Chefs Antonin Mousseau-Rivard, Daniel Vézina and Samuel Sauvé-Lamothe bring the classic brasserie to life in a soaring new Quartier Latin space. Stay for dessert and order the doré meunière that usually is pan-fried in browned butter with hazelnuts and lemon, but here, uplifted with siphon sauce.
Espace Old Mill (Stanbridge East, QC): Jean-Martin Fortier’s inn and restaurant in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, provides visitors the most pleasant of countryside experiences. Guests will enjoy Chef Éric Gendron’s hand-chopped Legacy Speckle Park beef with sweet peppers and nasturtiums from just outside the window.
Darlings (Bloomfield, ON): Jesse Fader left Toronto for Prince Edward County, where he has opened this upscale pizza restaurant in Bloomfield. Dishes worth visiting include the fresh-made Stracciatella made by Fader, which is suggested as a dipping sauce, and slices of sugar pie served in crimson County cherries.

The full Top 10 list is featured in the November issue of Air Canada enRoute magazine and online at CanadasBestNewRestaurants.com.

This luxury cruise line’s menu just got a Puerto Rican revamp

October 23, 2023 No Comments

Fresh, local flavors lead the way for Holland America Line‘s cuisine on Caribbean sailings with new regionally themed menus in the Dining Room and Lido Market.

Adding to the culinary journey, Caribbean-bound guests can now enjoy a new themed brunch, indulge in local rum tastings, and savor a traditional, pirate-inspired rum punch crafted by renowned mixologist David Wondrich, who also will share his expertise on a March cruise aboard Zaandam.

Offered on sea days, all dishes on the new Caribbean Brunch menu in the Dining Room showcase fresh, local ingredients.

Local flavors on display

The Dining Room features a range of new dishes showcasing island staples and favorites on all Caribbean cruises, including:

Chilly Caribbean shrimp cocktail with orange habanero aioli
Jerk pork tenderloin with peanuts, rice pilaf and black beans
Mahi mahi diablo with cilantro rice and guajillo chilies
Spiced pork belly with pineapple, salsa, roasted squash and sweet potatoes
Corn and salt fish fritter with garlic aioli
Chicken and callaloo soup with butternut squash, garlic, thyme and toasted coconut
Steamed stone crabs served chilled with a Dijon aioli dipping sauce (supplemental charge).

Taste the Caribbean islands in Lido Market

During Caribbean sailings, the casual Lido Market features regional favorites like Puerto Rican tostones. Made fresh daily with plantain chips, Puerto Rican tostones are served open-faced for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Topping selections range from tropical fruit for breakfast to pulled pork, garlic shrimp or vegetarian for dinner.

The Lido Market’s popular crepe bar features regional fruits and toppings with a buttered rum sauce. Lido dinner options include Caribbean lamb curry, Caribbean roasted pork sandwich, jerk lamb shank, braised brisket criollo, frita cubana, Jamaican garlic shrimp, Jamaican braised oxtail, rockfish cou-cou, and a selection of regional island hot sauces.

For more information, visit hollandamerica.com.

The secret to making Royal Caribbean’s signature onboard cocktails

February 17, 2023 No Comments

Over the course of a year, over 44 million alcoholic beverage transactions are made across Royal Caribbean International’s fleet of 26 ships. What goes into making the drinks you get on a cruise?

When it comes to creating cocktails for Royal Caribbean International’s fleet of 26 ships, Director of Beverage Operations Ed Eiswirth isn’t in the market of competing with what other cruise lines are doing.

“Although Norwegian, Carnival and MSC are my competitors, absolutely, their beverage program — I don’t try to compete head-to-head,” he says. “I pay attention to what they’re doing and I follow what they’re doing. But, realistically, the guests that are coming on board — I’m competing with the local bar they go to… We spend a lot of time looking at what’s going on shoreside.”

Calling it a mix of “a little bit of art and a little bit of science,” he says menu ideation and cocktail concoction starts with looking at the trends. While cruise lines have historically been late adopters to trends, often garnering a reputation for serving up popular drinks like strawberry daiquiris and pina coladas, Eiswirth says Royal Caribbean aims to be ahead of the curve.

“We spend an awful lot of time on trend data, trend analysis, trend research, just what’s going out in the world, plus, what’s going on our ships, what are we selling, what’s selling well, what’s working on the menu,” says Eiswirth, who was in the midst of developing cocktails for Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s newest ship launching in 2024. “If there’s a trend, guests are going to start coming on board looking for it.”

For example, during the planning stages for the launch of The Mason Jar Southern Restaurant & Bar, a new southern comfort style concept that launched on Wonder of the Seas, after some market research, Eiswirth and his colleague Alexandra Palmeri, Beverage Operations Lead, knew they wanted to “lean heavily on bourbon and moonshine — the spirits of the south.”

After multiple trials and tribulations, one of the hits that they developed was a creative take on a classic old fashioned — a peanut butter and jelly old fashioned. Although the recipe came together quickly, and they knew “Screwball whiskey was taking off,” it took a long time to master the garnish. Notably, it’s served with two tiny peanut butter and jelly sandwiches presented between two circular pieces of white bread.

“This is about taking the nostalgia of that crust-off peanut butter and jelly sandwich that somebody’s grandmother made you and then putting it on a cocktail you’re enjoying as an adult. If we have people who come on the ship who are excited to get the PB&J old fashioned, that’s a win for me,” he says. “Honestly, that drink would not be as popular without the garnish. I really think that garnish makes that drink, it makes it saleable and it makes it Instagrammable.”

Another hit is a take on a manhattan, made with brown sugar bourbon and topped with candied bacon.

When they’re gearing up to revamp a menu, Eiswirth says they work their way down to 75-100 serious contender recipes with input and ideas from mixologists.

“The first cut we do is literally read through each recipe and we will look at a couple of different filters. Ease of execution is probably the first filter we look at. Over the course of a year, our 26 ships do over 44 million alcoholic beverage transactions. Call it five million guests, 44 million transactions. And that’s just alcohol transactions,” he explains. “So obviously, we’re very busy. Shoreside restaurants do 25-30 drinks a half hour, we do 150-200 drinks a half hour on the pool deck.”

Another filter, which wasn’t even in the picture six years ago, is how Instagrammable the end result is. The majority of the time, he says recipes get the boot “if they don’t make sense on paper.” However, sometimes there’s an exception made when things that don’t seem to work do — like pineapple and peanut butter. Factors like availability of the ingredients also come into play, eventually cutting the original list down to 30.

“We will then go into a test kitchen or borrow somebody’s bar and we’ll make every single one of them. Tasting them ourselves, we’ll cut that 30 down to 20. And then we start really testing those 20 — we do a testing around the office within the food and beverage group,” he says. “Then we get everything ready to go. Everything costed out, garnishes figured out, what we want to replace, what the new menu looks like.”

Next, it’s time to present the options to Sean Treacy, Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations and Linken D’Souza, Global Vice President Culinary, Dining & Beverage.

“It will go through the tasting and they will give us a thumbs up or thumbs down on a cocktail. We expect the success rate of about 50% of what we provide to Lincoln and Sean will, on the first taste, get approved for going on a menu. Alex and I do not name drinks when we’re in development because when you put a name on something, you grow attached to it,” he says. “If we believe in the flavour combination, if we believe in the drink, we’ll go back and tweak and re-taste it [if it doesn’t get approved.”

In the end, he says it’s all about balance and finding something that appeals to the diverse pallets of the people who come on board.

“Our goal is to balance menus to a point where every guest that comes on board can find three or four things that they like or crave on a menu in each venue,” he shares. “Once we get the drinks approved, the work really starts because we have to write all the recipes, get the training done.”

—STORY BY ANN RUPPENSTEIN

Four festive Caribbean cocktails to try this holiday season

December 12, 2022 No Comments

For children, the holidays are a time to sample the latest and greatest in seasonal confectionary; an all-you-can-eat feast of whatever cookies and sweets their relatives baked that year. For adults, the holidays represent a time to indulge in sweet things of a more liquid and alcoholic variety. Mulled wine, snowballs, and spiked eggnog may headline the list of festive favourites for many cocktail drinkers, but they certainly aren’t the only drinks you should be filling your glass with this season.

For a bit of mixological inspiration, we looked to the sunny islands of the Caribbean: renowned both for their love of rum and fruity flavours and their general enthusiasm for the holidays. We embarked on a bit of a Caribbean tour to bring you signature recipes from four different destinations. Inject a little tropical sun into your festive fun this year with these flavourful, punchy cocktails that are quintessentially Caribbean.

The Bahamas: Goombay Smash

The Goombay Smash is a rum-based cocktail with a historic pedigree in The Bahamas, originally formulated by Emily Cooper on Green Turtle Cay. While the original recipe may remain a secret, versions of the drink have spread to all of The Bahamas’ major islands, impressing locals and visitors alike with its strong fruity flavour.

Recipe:

11 ounces dark rum
11 ounces light rum
11 ounces coconut rum
11 ounces apricot brandy
A whole can of pineapple juice (46 oz)

Mix in a container and shake vigorously before serving over ice.

Anguilla: Sorrel

Sorrel is a tangy, intensely aromatic brew with a trademark red colour derived from the plant of the same name – a close relative of Hibiscus. Sorrel drinks are the holiday drink in the Caribbean, and that includes Anguilla, the luxurious yet quiet island known for embracing the holidays with its own dedicated “Festive Season”. This a cocktail that smells as delicious as it tastes and immediately conjures nostalgic memories for many Anguillian drinkers.

Recipe:

Sorrel petals – 4 ounces
Ginger- 2 ounces
Cinnamon- half a stick
Cloves- 4
Lemon or orange rind (let this boil and steep overnight)
Add ¼ water

Combine ingredients in heatproof bowl

Boil water and pour over mixture. Cover, and refrigerate overnight

Strain the mixture, then chill it again. Strain once more if desired. Add rum to dilute or sweeten your liking and enjoy!

St. Martin: Guavaberry Kir

Guavaberry is one of St. Martin’s most famous flavours and exports. Boasting a complex flavour profile including woody, sweet, and spicy notes, Guavaberry is carefully cultivated on both the French and Dutch sides of the island and used in jams, spreads, and spirits. This simple cocktail highlights the incredible flavour of Guavaberry Liqueur. Feel free to substitute raspberry liqueur or your favourite fruity schnapps if you forgot to bring some Guavaberry back with you on your last trip!

Recipe:

1oz St Maarten Guavaberry Liqueur
5oz Champagne

Pour pre-chilled liqueur into a frozen champagne glass. Top with chilled champagne and dress with a small curl of orange skin.

Antigua & Barbuda: Hibiscus Sangria

Nothing says “indulgence” like Sangria, and where better to get a Sangria recipe from than one of the capitals of indulgence, Antigua and Barbuda? This dual-island destination may be known for its mix of excellent resorts and wild beauty, but it’s quickly developing a reputation for excellence in mixology! Here’s a fresh take on using the familiar ingredient of sorrel to achieve some truly refreshing flavours.

Recipe:

1 bottle of red wine
1 cup of sorrel juice
1/2 cup of hibiscus tea
1/2 cup of brandy or rum
Assorted fruits (pineapples, oranges, limes, grapes)

To brew your own hibiscus tea: place several (2-3 fresh or ¼ cup of dried flower) petals in a teapot and cover it with boiling water; allow to steep for approximately 5 minutes. Strain and bring to room temperature (preferably the tea should be chilled). Combine red wine, sorrel juice, and hibiscus tea with brandy or rum. Add sliced fruits of your choice to the mixture. Using a ladle, serve the beverage in a glass of your choice. Ensure you include a mixture of the fruit for a festive holiday beverage.

A tantalizing food journey through San Juan, Puerto Rico

November 28, 2022 No Comments

With a blowtorch in one hand and a rocks glass in the other, Dennis Rivera meticulously lights a small pile of tobacco leaves sitting on a slab of wood from a Spanish white oak sherry barrel on fire and places the glass on top to infuse it with the smoke. Rivera, a brand specialist at Puerto Rican rum distillery Ron del Barrilito in Bayamón, is creating a cigar fashioned — a twist on an old fashioned — made with ingredients like chocolate and orange bitters, cocoa powder, and rum instead of rye.

“It smells amazing already,” he says. “This is a cigar simple syrup. We do it here ourselves; we create the tobacco syrup in house.” Ron del Barrilito is the oldest Puerto Rican rum, made in the same way since 1880, but the cocktails on offer in the visitor’s centre are fresh takes on classic cocktails. Here, rum bottles fetch as much as US $750 for a collector’s edition that’s been aged for 35 years.

After touring the premises and learning all about the history of the business and the distilling process, the tables have turned, and now I’m the one mixing drinks by taking part in a mixology class offered on site, concocting three rum-based drinks, including a pina colada.

Nicknaming the one-ounce shot glass “Monday” and the two-ounce glass “Friday,” we follow the instructions and skillfully create some top-notch cocktails. The reward is not only to drink the fruits of our labour — everyone in the class is also presented with an official certificate for successfully completing the course.

Now, who said drinking couldn’t be educational?

A gastronomic adventure

The next morning, as local chef Nivia Villanueva arrives at Plaza del Mercado de Río Piedras, a traditional market in San Juan, her eyes light up when she sees the abundance of fresh local produce on offer just a few short weeks after the destination was hit by Hurricane Fiona.

“Look at this!” she says with excitement, holding up a large avocado that’s quadruple the size of the typical ones found in grocery stores back in Canada. “We also need peppers, onions and garlic.”

Our mission today is to pick up the ingredients needed to prepare a typical Puerto Rican feast for lunch. We’ll soon be whipping up dishes like mofongo, a local favourite made from fried mashed plantains. Since moving back to Puerto Rico to be part of the solution and recovery efforts after the devastating impacts of hurricanes Maria and Irma back in 2017, Villanueva has been on a quest to share her love for cooking and the history of Puerto Rican cuisine with travellers. She strives to source local ingredients as much as possible as well as to support nearby farmers and small businesses.

“I share my passion for Puerto Rico’s culture and cuisine, emphasizing local products and my secret ingredient — a pinch of love,” she explains. Although the bounce back was much quicker this time around (there are barely any traces of impact left in the San Juan area), the Puerto Rican-born chef wants to get the message out that the island is open and ready for visitors. By night, we’re told the area surrounding the market transforms into a vibrant spot for nightlife with ample bars to choose from.

Food: a cultural connection

After gathering all the necessary ingredients for our gastronomic venture, we head to Villanueva’s condo apartment to get cooking. Our group is spread out across the kitchen chopping vegetables and mashing the plantain down in small wooden containers. Progress is made quickly and a short while later, we’re lining up to plate our concoctions. The end result is quite possibly the best tasting meal I’ve ever had a hand in cooking.

The next day, Elliot Cintron of The Spoon Experience guides me through the picturesque cobblestoned streets of Old San Juan to five culinary stops while also stopping by some interesting sights in the area like the smallest apartment building in San Juan — which fits between his outstretched arms — and La Puerta de la Bandera, a large colonial door with the image of the Puerto Rican flag alongside some street art. I’m on the Sunset Walk & Taste Tour, which is as much about food and drinks as it is about getting a historical overview of the 500- year-old city.

Our first stop is Chocobar Cortés where almost everything on the menu has a chocolate element from the avocado toast to the aptly named chocoburger. Even the cocktails incorporate the sweet ingredients with options like a chocolate old fashioned using chocolate bitters. We’re here to sample frozen chocolate — essentially the opposite of hot chocolate and more like a chocolate shake, which hits the spot. Another delicious stop is at Singular restaurant for cocktails and Arroz Congri, a dish made up of black beans and rice in this case topped with steak. The restaurant is located in the Hotel El Convento, a historic hotel in the historic walled city of Old San Juan set in a former Carmelite convent dating back to 1651.

Just when I think I can’t possibly squeeze in even more food, Cintron brings the group to Señor Paleta, an ice-cream and popsicle shop utilizing local products. The locations of the food tour stops vary slightly each day but one thing is for sure — no one leaves hungry.

—STORY BY ANN RUPPENSTEIN

Hotel brand seeks foodie “CEO” for new job sampling food on all five continents

October 26, 2022 No Comments

Sampling Mexico’s sizzling street tacos, inhaling the bold aroma of Turkish coffee, uncovering the tangiest chimichurri in Argentina – it’s a job any foodie would covet and now, it could be yours. Ramada^® by Wyndham, one of the world’s most well-known hotel brands, is searching for its first-ever Chief Eats Officer (“CEO”), a newly created role that will take one lucky job-seeker around the globe as they help the brand uncover and share some of the world’s best culinary and cultural delights. Best of all, the gig comes with a $10,000 payday and bragging rights as the most mouth-watering job ever.

Known for its diverse portfolio of award-winning hotels in more than 63 countries around the globe, Ramada helps travelers sample the world. The appointed “CEO” will be tasked with uncovering the culture and cuisine throughout five different continents and creatively showcase their finds on the brand’s social media and marketing channels. In exchange, the selected candidate will receive $10,000 and a $150 daily travel stipend to help them make the most of their globetrotting adventure. The “CEO Comp Package” also includes paid accommodations and air travel, an upgrade to Wyndham Rewards Diamond membership and bucket-list travel experiences.

For more information and how to apply, visit www.ramada.com/ceo.

Bottoms up! Just in time for summer, a new take on a Cuban classic

June 17, 2022 No Comments

Maria Teresa Bacallao Maceyras is inviting Varadero vacationers to quench their thirst in the same manner that Ernest Hemingway would during his many years in Cuba.

Tour guide Bacallao Maceyras notes that Varadero has seen the opening of the Floridita bar, patterned after the famed watering hole in Havana.

The community has had a Bodeguita del Medio — again modelled after a famous Havana namesake bar — for close to a decade.

Hemingway used to say during his Cuba time that he’d visit El Floridita for his daiquiris and the Bodeguita del Medio for his mojitos.

“Ernest Hemingway didn’t really visit Varadero,” Bacallao Maceyras reports.

Nevertheless, Hemingway — who loved Cuban cocktails — would appreciate the two additions to Varadero’s bar scene, she adds.

El Floridita’s Varadero bar has a metal bust of Hemingway and staff sport the same red aprons their Havana counterparts do.

Pedro de la Conception says those visiting Varadero’s Bodeguita del Medio will quickly be made aware that they aren’t the first visitors, with its walls coated with a staggering number of signatures of previous guests in the same manner that its Havana counterpart is.

Indeed, the bar once removed thousands of names because the walls were becoming overwhelmed by signatures, he says. “Imagine 25,000 a year every year for nine years.”

Cuban music will be heard in a structure that has light blue walls and a red-tile roof, and displays a large Cuban flag.

And de la Concepcion is confident that those who stop at Varadero’s Bodeguita del Medio for a mojito will leave convinced that they got great value for their money.

“This is the mojito place,” he confidently states. “The best mojitos and the best restaurant are in the Bodeguita del Medio.”

Bourbon, breweries and beyond in Louisville, Kentucky

June 10, 2022 No Comments

Bourbon aficionados will clearly find Kentucky a spirit-ed place.

The state accounts for 95% of the production of the distinctively American spirit of bourbon, and is cheerfully promoting both the alcohol and bourbon-related tourism attractions to potential visitors.

“There’s so much culture around the bourbon heritage,” says Jessica Morgan of Louisville Tourism while citing her city’s Urban Bourbon Trail.

Bourbon distilleries fled Louisville for the countryside during the Prohibition era in the United States but have now returned in force, with 10 urban distilleries opening since 2013.

Louisville visitors can opt for Bourbon City Cruiser tours that use a tuk-tuk-style electric-powered vehicle operated by a tour guide who will take them to distilleries and cocktail bars.

North of Bourbon in turn enables people to dine in an oversized replica bourbon barrel, while bourbon-themed accommodations are available in the Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel Distil, B&B-style Chateau Bourbon, Louisville Marriott East and the Omni Hotel.

“The downtown area is thriving and vibrant and has really come back from Covid,” Morgan continues.

Morgan noted bourbon is used in many Kentucky food dishes. “We have a phrase — ‘Eat your bourbon.’”

Louisville also has a burgeoning craft beer scene, with the Brewgrass Trail — the name of which is a take on the state’s popular bluegrass music — linking 18 independent breweries.

Other downtown Louisville attractions include the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, home of the famous baseball bats, the Muhammad Ali Center, which tells of the boxing great, who was from Louisville, and a host of museums.

Tourism authorities also praise Louisville’s varied architectural styles, with Old Louisville being a registered historic district that has the largest collection of restored Victorian mansions in the United States. The district comprises more than 40 city blocks of Beaux Arts, Cateauesque, Italianate, Neclassical and Queen Anne-style homes.

Daytime Old Louisville walking tours are available, as are nightly ghost tours that describe why Old Louisville was once named “One of America’s Most Haunted” districts.

Gina Christ-Kohler of Meet Northern Kentucky notes Air Canada has restarted twice-daily Toronto-Cincinnati service, with the Cincinnati airport actually being found in Kentucky.

The Ohio-Kentucky border is defined in part by the production of alcohol, she says, adding area visitors will find “breweries on the Cincinnati side, distilleries on the Kentucky side.”

Kentucky marks the spot where the northern United States meets the southern United States, she continues.

Christ-Kohler, who hosted tourism industry staff at a Toronto Blue Jays game during a Toronto visit, adds that baseball fans will appreciate Cincinnati, home of the storied Cincinnati Reds.

Meanwhile, Anne Sabatino Hardy of Lexington visitors bureau visitLEX labels the Lexington area both the “horse capital of the world” and the “center of the thoroughbred culture” in the United States.

Visitors can go on guided tours of area horse farms while in a state that’s home to the famed Kentucky Derby.

Those visitors can also see retirement homes for race horses.

Officials also praised Kentucky’s natural side, noting it has 29 state parks and landscapes include caves, with Mammoth Cave National Park home to the longest known cave system in the world.

Some Kentucky caves can be explored by kayak or by paddle boards.

Angela Blank of the Kentucky Department of Tourism says tourists will enjoy Kentucky’s “incredible musical heritage.”

An all-female team of chefs and artisans are bringing their talent to this luxury Mexico hotel

April 11, 2022 No Comments

UNICO 20°87° Hotel Riviera Maya, the redefined, adults only all-inclusive hotel located in the heart of the Yucatan peninsula, has announced the women-powered line-up for its fourth annual gastronomy series, Superbia Summer.

From July 11 to Aug. 21, the hotel’s multi-sensory experience will feature an all women roster of chefs, mixologists, and local artisans all coming together to showcase their talent from different regions of Mexico. Each week will feature one chef, one mixologist, and one artisan implementing their unique twist to transform the hotel’s experiences.

Additionally, this year’s event will also include a variety of pool activations, live entertainment and more. Superbia Summer invites guests to indulge in paradise and embark on a journey through the senses alongside the following talent:

July 11-17: Chef Marcela Bolaño, Mixologist Rocio Frias, Artisan Carina Barbachano
July 18-24: Chef Regina Escalante, Mixologist Mafer Tejeda, Artisan Cristina Arnedo
July 25-31: Chef Lupita Vidal, Mixologist (not confirmed), Artisan Juana Gomez
August 1-7: Chef Marta Zapata, Mixologist Fatima Leon, Artisan Claudia Ponce De Leon
August 8-14: Chef Adria Montano, Mixologist Claudia Cabrera, Artisan Paloma Santa Cruz
August 15-21: Chef Celia Florian, Mixologist Majo Cruz, Artisan Gaston Gallardo

“Women have always been at the forefront of UNICO 20º87º Hotel Riviera Maya’s identity. From ideation to execution, the hotel would not be what it is today without the powerful women-led team behind it. This year, on the heels of its fifth anniversary, we wanted to pay homage to our roots and bring in a number of exceptional women across the food, beverage and arts industries to showcase their talents,” said Irma Yeo, Director of Sales at UNICO 20°87° Hotel Riviera Maya. “Incorporating a memorable multi-sensory event into a culturally immersive, all-inclusive experience while highlighting outstanding women demonstrates our commitment to offering our guests a curated, one-of-a-kind vacation.”

UNICO 20°87º Hotel Riviera Maya redefines the all-inclusive vacation experience and offers an unfiltered view of modern Mexico. From the concept, to the rustic-meets-modern design, and even the cultural art displayed around the property, UNICO 20°87° Hotel Riviera Maya is completely ideated by women.

Born out of a desire to create an unparalleled journey within the region while encompassing relaxed luxury and cultural immersion, UNICO 20°87° celebrates five years as the new standard for the sophisticated travellers looking for an all-inclusive vacation. Located south of Playa del Carmen in Mexico, this exceptional, adults only, all-inclusive hotel features 448 lavishly appointed guest rooms boasting predominantly ocean-views with semi-private swim-up pools on all ground floor rooms and outdoor double-hydro spa tubs on all remaining rooms, an in-room mini bar stocked by guest preferences, three expansive pools, a state-of-the-art wellness gym, a full-service spa, five globally-infused gourmet restaurants, six bars and lounges, and two swim-up bars.

Summer Sippers

July 8, 2021 No Comments

Splash a little Chablis in your glass and take a sip. Suddenly you’re in France. Same holds true for Champagne, Rioja, Barbaresco, and all the rest—wines that take you to these fabulous places. Pair the wine with food from the same region and things get really trippy. Enjoy a little European escape with these six smart summer sippers and suggested nibblies.

PROVENCE ROSÉ AND TAPENADE

Score: 90 | $19.15

For a taste of the South of France, enjoy the 2020 Carte Noire Rosé from Provence, France (Vintages Essential 319384). This pale coral blend of Grenache and Cinsault swirls with delicate flavours ofripe red fruit laced lightly with wet stones, dried herbs, and green olive.

Pair it with tapenade — an olive and anchovy spread seasoned with capers, garlic, and lemon — spread on small pieces of toasted bread, and bring the Côte d’Azur to you.

CHABLIS AND OYSTERS

Score: 91 | $32.80

Staying in France, head north to Burgundy for the 2019 Joseph Drouhin Chablis Drouhin-Vaudon (LCBO 284026). In Chablis, the grapevines grow in soil rich in Kimmeridgean clay, which produces a stony, slightly saline-style Chardonnay, shimmering with crisp acidity. And this bottle is a prime example. Each sip is silky, seamless, and scented with seashells.

Pair this beautiful Chablis with oysters, lobster, or any fish dish at all. The match is pure perfection.

CHAMPAGNE AND SMOKED SALMON

Score: 92 | $57.50

For a brilliant bubbly, pour the NV Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne from France (LCBO 537605). Each glass shines straw-coloured with golden inflections, while tiny bubbles bead to the surface. The attack engages instantly with the fragrance and flavours of buttery brioche, baked apple, and a touch of almond. Elegant, quenching, and dry.

Serve this Champagne with smoked salmon on toast points for a little je ne sais quoi in the afternoon. Or add a salad and suddenly you’ve got lunch.

BARBARESCO AND MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Score: 90 | $29.95

Head to Piedmont in northern Italy with the 2017 Castello di Neive Barbaresco DOCG (Vintages Essential 160143). This pale expression of the Nebbiolo grape fans out with gorgeous, elegant complexity. It’s whispered with violet and earth, cherries and chocolate, and blackberries and olive, forming a sheer, allusive tapestry of flavour that is fabulously food friendly.

Pour this Italian classic with a bowl of mushroom risotto or kick it up a notch with shaved truffles, truffled cheese, or even a drizzle of good-quality truffle oil on top.

RIOJA RESERVA AND MANCHEGO

Score: 93 | $27.45

Skip over to Spain with a glass of the gorgeous 2015 Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva (LCBO 32656). From the muted aromas of vanilla and cherry-cola to the generous sweep of smooth flavour, this wine offers immediate pleasure. It is a cashmere crush of black cherry, burnt sugar, and cola nut—but dry—before tapering to a long finish of rubbed oregano.

For a touch of Spanish charm, serve this Rioja Reserva with some slivers of Manchego cheese. Crackers optional.

AMONTILLADO WITH MARCONA ALMONDS

Score: 93 | $17.95

Or take a trip to southern Spain with a sip of Emilio Lustau Los Arcos Amontillado (Vintages Essential 375097). This fortified wine made in the sherry style, and is bone dry, amber toned, and complex. Expect aromas of roasted nut, caramel, coffee, and orange that echo on the palate.

Serve this Amontillado well-chilled with a handful of salted Marcona almonds from Spain. Magic.

So, stock your wine rack, pantry, and fridge with these European wines and foods and get ready to experience some exciting getaways from the comfort of your deck or dock.