One of my biggest highlights at my most recent trip to Bilbao, Spain (for the 2018 World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony) was dining at a txoko— a Basque type of closed gastronomical society which began in 1870,  previously only for men– as a place […]

We had just boarded our plane from Washington DC to Miami (where I’m spending the summer) when my boyfriend asked me, “Would you be interested in going to Cartagena?” “In Colombia???” I responded as we fastened our seatbelts. (*To backtrack: We had just come from three […]

Hi everyone! My events platform Cross Cultures’ (yes, it has its own website now!) first event for 2018 is also our first… in the United States of America!!! This month, in Miami, Florida, we are working with one of the nicest, humblest chefs– the very talented Andrew Zarzosa of Yuzu […]

Valentino Cucina Italiana is regarded as one of the top restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, Florida serving a cuisine that’s described as “innovative with a modern Italian twist” since opening in 2006. Chef-owner Giovanni Rocchio, who had trained at various restaurants in New York and Italy, has put together a […]

Red Hook in Brooklyn is probably best known for IKEA. But Popina, an Italian- Southern American restaurant by the waterfront established by Maialino (Union Square Hospitality Group) alums, chef Chris McDade and general manager James O’ Brien— is another reason to visit this rapidly gentrifying enclave. (If […]

Amorita Resort Bohol.  I was here first seven years ago– back in 2011– just a couple of years after it first opened. I really like Bohol because it has a great mix of what the Philippines has to offer:  beach, culture, history, greenery and, of course the smallest […]

Sawasdee (again), Bangkok! I recently called the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok home— for the inaugural Bangkok International Taste Experience (BITE) organized by Gastronauts Asia (led by Mason Florence and Filippo Cassabgi). Before I tell you a little bit more about this new platform that’s part forum and part […]

Dinner in the Sky is finally in the Philippines… only from this April to May 2018— at Solaire Resort and Casino.  This “floating restaurant”– where you’re literally suspended midair hanging from a crane– originated from Belgium in 2006, and that year, Forbes USA named it “one of the most unusual restaurants in […]

Gaggan in Bangkok, Thailand was named the 2018 Best Restaurant in Asia—its fourth consecutive year. Chef-owner Gaggan Anand addressed the “49 restaurants and chefs” present onstage at the Wynn Palace’s grand ballroom on Tuesday, March 27. “I am not just a proud winner but this […]

New Orleans. Mardi Gras notwithstanding, this city in southeastern Louisiana remains an evergreen  destination because of its history, melting pot of French, Spanish, African and Caribbean cultures, architecture– and of course, FOOD! It was my first time in the”Big Easy” and on this very quick […]