Lake views and no cooking; that's what we call Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving can either make you feel elated or totally stressed out—usually some combination thereof. After that Pumpkin Pie high, your mind might turn to thoughts of dishes that need to be washed, relatives that need to be entertained, and horrific Black Friday shopping. The benefit of hightailing it out of town during this time is being able to push some of these worries away, while still enjoying the Thanksgiving spirit.

Lake Tahoe is always a favorite holiday destination, for its views of the water, skiing, and the fact that it's pretty much the opposite of a harried urban setting, however overrun with tourists it can get. We found some last minute event deals at the Hyatt Regency Resort that offer easy and relatively cheap remedies to some of the problems we mentioned above. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-11-16T15:24:28-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/6/153743/599

There is a certain romantic allure to train travel—just ask fictional sweethearts Jesse and Céline of Before Sunrise. But Stateside, unfortunately, the mode of transport isn't as common as it is in other parts of the world. While you continue to dream about hopping aboard a Darjeeling Railway car, we're happy to report that a smaller-scale train trek can be had in California, even if it is less grand than journeying across exotic international ground.

The Napa Valley Wine Train is a refined alternative to unofficial "drunk buses" tourists often book to stay safe while sipping wine flights throughout the day. Equally drinker-friendly, and much more respectable, the train is holding a special Thanksgiving dinner aboard its Gourmet and Vista Dome cars for $104 and $139, respectively. Sadly, lunch tickets have already sold out. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-11-06T15:40:49-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/29/1101/1608

Northern California native Ash Fulk didn't have it easy during his run on Top Chef. He didn't win one challenge on the show, and was eventually asked to pack his knives and head back to New York City, where he serves as a Sous Chef at Trestle on Tenth. The Swiss-French-American restaurant is a neighborhood-y locale open for breakfast, brunch (on weekends), lunch and dinner, making it a go-to spot for Chelsea diners looking for elevated comfort food. And schnitzel.

Trestle's menus aren't intimidating in the way that many contemporary, haute cuisine restaurants tend to be. Here you'll find familiar dishes with a Swiss-French influence that makes them just different enough to be memorable, without being too perplexing or stomach-turning. We're still wondering why fellow TC contestant Hector would dare include Tofu Ceviche on his menu. No, Trestle is where you'll find a Signature House Burger, Cobb Salad, Roasted Chicken with Seasonal Vegetables in Consommè, and Coriander Hanger Steak. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-10-29T14:24:18-05:00 40.7483811 -74.003639 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/23/113037/11

San Francisco's majestic orange gateway, the Golden Gate Bridge, has served as highlight in panoramic film shots, and famously, a protest site for a green-friendly Hollywood actor. It's come to represent the City by the Bay like no other landmark, hence the throngs of tourists and locals that flock to it for photo opportunities, or to see its fantastic details up close.

To augment its beauty, the San Francisco Chronicle reported this week that The National Science Foundation "awarded the bridge district $3 million...to install outdoor exhibits explaining "its engineering and history." For visitors, this offers the chance to soak up some educational details while ogling its impressive construction. During most of our visits to the Bridge, we've seen people cruise by for a quick picture and maybe a moment of reflection, then quickly depart. The installations will, hopefully, remedy this hurried tourist mindset. Reports the Chronicle: ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-10-23T11:58:42-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/16/105430/91

Skiing in Southern California sounds like a horrible oxymoron, or a poorly conceived of joke. But it's true, Golden State foreigners: There's snow to be found around our usually heat-stricken climes, namely at Mammoth Mountain.

In recent years we've heard reports of poor snowfall and late season starts in some California skiing regions, Lake Tahoe in particular. That isn't the case at Mammoth in 2009, though; the mountain was hit with two-to-six feet of snow ahead of schedule, according to a report from the Los Angeles Examiner, boding well for ski bunnies itching to hit the slopes early. The Examiner states that Mammoth's current "26 inches of snow is the highest October total since the 2004-05 season," with "warm temperatures approaching 60 degrees" around the mountain. Now that's oxymoronic. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-10-16T11:41:51-05:00 37.6500824 -118.99772 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/15/114837/22

As we uphold our weekly tradition of highlighting ex-cheftestants, giving due attention to the poor souls that didn't make it to the Final Three, we arrive at sprightly French chef Mattin Noblia. With a million-watt smile and red neckerchief that we hope he was wearing ironically, Noblia stole our hearts for being so disarmingly sweet...or maybe it was the accent. Either way, Padma and Co. bid Mattin au revoir after he presented a disastrous ceviche that Tom Colicchio found so offensive he actually spit it out. Tragic.

When he's not flashing his boyish grin on national television, Mattin can be found at Iluna Basque, his San Francisco restaurant. As you can guess from its name, the cuisine is inspired by the Basque region, served up on small plates that diners are encouraged to share. ]]> Heidi Atwal 2009-10-15T17:08:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/5/21/8210/71292

Please welcome our favorite super world travelers back onto the scene. Tuesday night in Antibes, France, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had a romantic dinner at Michelangelo's restaurant. The two are in town while Brad promotes Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds at the Cannes Film Festival.

The restaurant, located about seven miles outside of Cannes, is known for serving a variety of Mediterranean cuisines and being a nice dinner escape for celebs at Cannes. Last night's entree came with more than just a dose of Brangelina; Twilight star Robert Pattinson also made an appearance at Michelango’s, although he was a third wheel, dining with Emile Hirsh and his girlfriend.

In other date night news, The new Captain Kirk, Chirs Pine, was spotted out with Audrina Patridge at the Red Lion Tavern in Silverlake, CA. The two are reportedly dating, or at least Chris wishes they were dating. The Red Lion is known for their extensive selection of German beer so maybe he can blame it on the alcohol and move on before he ends up a special guest star on The Hills.

Related Stories:
· Brangelina Hit Cannes! [Perez Hilton]
· Chris Pine & Audrina Patridge Couple Up? [Just Jared]
· Cannes Gets Ready for Another Brangelina Invasion [Jaunted]

[Photo: Just Jared] ]]> cmb 2009-05-21T09:31:58-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/