Travel
Food lovers will embrace Sicily with its abundance of fruit,
vegetables and stunning seafood.
Our journey started in Palermo at the Hilton Villa Igiea www.villaigiea.hilton.com a
landmark property and an oasis in this bustling and chaotic city. Designed by
architect Ernesto Basile, the hotel is a good example of Art Nouveau and the
stunning gardens provide an exceptional view of the water.
Seafood stands pop up frequently along Palermo’s
roadsides and the large vegetable market was a sight to behold. A particularly
good place for Sicilian food is Bellotero,
where a starter portion of pasta is the equivalent
to a meal. I also witnessed some of the most amazing pasta dishes being served...
Thursday, September 1, 2011 - 14:39
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San Francisco was home to the 37th Winter Fancy Food Show earlier this year and it was a welcome break from our Canadian winter. We arrived, tossed away our winter coats and started a three-day journey. Here are the highlights:Saturday• A walk to the Ferry Building where the outdoor Farmers Market was being held on a picture-perfect sunny and warm morning. • As luck would have it, some of the Good Food Award winners were on site to sample their wares: a dizzying array of stellar, award-winning cheeses, chocolates, coffees and charcuterie. Pickles, sauerkrauts and preserves were also in abundance. We tried so many – before 11 a.m.! • The outdoor market is a feast for the senses, as is the...
Friday, June 17, 2011 - 12:19
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The Languedoc-Roussillon in France is one of the most fascinating areas of Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the east and the Pyrenees Mountains to the south, and it has become a favourite destination for Jill in the past few years.It’s a wonderful area with a spectacular coast and a surprising history, Jill explains. There are awe-inspiring abbeys and cathedrals, chateaux and castles, fabulous terrain, landscapes and vistas, modern urban cities and quaint, old-world villages and towns. “I’ve visited a number of the World Heritage sites in the region,” says Jill, including Carcassonne, the Canal du Midi and the Pont du Gard. Jill’s favourite village, though, is Beaufort, home to an...
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - 22:55
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San Francisco is a terrific city to visit. Places to get to when you are there include:The Ferry Building, which hosts a California-certified outdoor farmers market operated by the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA), is open Tuesdays and Saturdays. Inside The Ferry Building is a people’s marketplace serving residents and travelers alike, offering everything from artisan cheeses to the freshest of local fish. Restaurants and cafés serve cuisine representing the quality and cultural diversity of San Francisco’s best chefs. Of particular note is Cow Girl Creamery’s Artisan Cheese Shop (www.cowgirlcreamery.com) where you can sample many of the premium...
Sunday, November 15, 2009 - 23:57
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The Big Apple is one of my favourite cities. Here are a few tips and recommendations:
Where to Stay: The Roosevelt (great lobby bar with a painting of Guy Lombardo!) Big martinis!
Plust it’s around the corner from Grand Central Station
What To Do:
Grand Central Station: Be SURE to go through the small market. It’s amazing! Lots of other neat shops and you have to drop into the Grand Central Station Oyster Bar for oysters.
I absolutely LOVED the Chelsea Market. It’s the old National Biscuit Company that has been converted into amazing shops, food markets and restaurants.
Where to eat.
For the better restaurants… you usually have to book a month ahead to the day you...
Sunday, November 15, 2009 - 23:51
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This is one of my favourite cities. Chicago is clean, safe and there’s tons of “green” space. The waterfront is so well maintained. If you stay somewhere relatively central, you can walk just about anywhere. Public transit is very affordable and easy to use. Cabs are also easy to access... much more so than New York! I usually stay either in the Lincoln Park district or right downtown. Where to Stay:The Beldon Stratford. One of my absolute favourite places. Across from Lincoln Park (part residential and part hotel), this beautiful old building has two great restaurants on the main floor, one of which is Mon Ami Gabi, a lovely French bistro. Many of the guestrooms are filled with...
Monday, November 16, 2009 - 00:10
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