Jaunted editor Ellen Wernecke just got back from a trip to the Dominican Republic and before she's even unpacked, will be giving her take on jungles, jingoism, and the Caribbean tourism slump.
If it looks like a banana but is treated like a potato, it must be a plantain -- a staple of Central American food which pops up all over in Dominican cooking. ]]>
Is your sweetheart a wine expert, or does he or she just want something to wash down some delicious pizza with? A Valentine's Day culinary tour in Detroit will satisfy either way.
Taste-Full Tours was founded by two foodies and former Williams-Sonoma employees who take foodies on a bus ride to sample all kinds of treats from the Detroit metro area. The Pizza and Wine Lover's Tour begins at noon and involves four and a half hours of all-in tastings (included with your $60 fee).
We guess this could work just as well as an Anti- Valentine's Day activity as well, if you are brave enough to actually leave the house for your pizza and wine. Which you totally are!
Related Stories:
· Upcoming Tours [Taste-fulltours.com]
· Detroit's New Terminal Opens Today [Jaunted]
· Recession Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Abstract Gourmet]]]>
To deal with holiday stress, some of us reach for the bottle. Turn stress-induced drinking into a learning experience with the Willamette Valley Wineries' Wine Country Thanksgiving.
Over a hundred wineries are throwing open their doors over the holiday weekend for wine snobs and "Sideways"-watching amateurs alike. How to choose? Check out the incentives some vineyards are offering: At Carabella Vineyard in Newberg, you can buy wine "futures" to get a great deal on next year's vintages along with this year's bottles; Stag Hollow Wines in Yamhill promises chocolate pairings with your vino.
Remember: Be safe and use a designated driver. Try sweetening the deal by offering to get them a Black Friday treasure like a Blu-Ray player!
Related Stories:
· Active Travel: Willamette National Forest [Jaunted]
· Portland Avalon Hotel and Spa: Don't Call the Town Car A Drunk Bus [HC]
· Set the Poker Table Instead of Mom's [Jaunted]
· Breathe! Restful Retreats At Home and Away [Jaunted]
· Thanksgiving coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: themarioblog]]]>
Trade the marshmallow salad for haute cuisine and backyard sports for the sports book in Vegas next weekend: For Turkey Day itself, dig into a pumpkin baked Alaska at Brand Steakhouse (at the Monte Carlo, one of the casinos with special deals at our sister site HotelChatter) or arrange for a $185 eight-person dinner, potatoes to pie, to be delivered to your room at the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas in nearby Henderson. Find roast turkey too bland? Take in turkey tacos and mucho tequila at the Luxor.
Meanwhile VegasChill.com recommends catching David Spade at the Hard Rock (Friday and Saturday, November 28-29) or the Cirque de Soleil show LOVE at the Mirage (Thursday-Sunday, 7 and 10 pm).
Criss Angel's "Believe" show is getting horrible reviews, so So Bad It's Good connoisseurs should enjoy it. Craving a little more wholesome entertainment? Sell a kidney for a ticket to see the Jonas Brothers at MGM Grand on Saturday (3 pm and 8 pm shows), 'cause that's about how much scalpers are asking right now. (We kid: There are still some for $50.)
Related Stories:
· Thanksgiving in Vegas Ultimate Guide [VegasChill.com]
· Thanksgiving 2008 [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
· Book Two Nights in Vegas and Get a Third for Free [HC]
· Restful Retreats at Home and Away [Jaunted]
· Thanksgiving coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: vegasrob]]]>
Don't count on Sweet Walks' Luxury Chocolate Tour to help you burn off those Valentine's Day-related calories. This isn't one of those walking tours that involves long, punishing distances, though you might break a sweat being chased by perfume hawkers at Saks Fifth Avenue on a Saturday. But if you like chocolate and want to know where to find the really fancy, top-of-the-line goods, the Luxury Chocolate Tour is a splendid method of whiling away a Friday or Saturday afternoon in NYC.
Our fun and knowledgeable guide took us to five different European chocolate shops on the Upper East Side in two and a half hours. At each place we sampled chocolates (included in the price!) and learned about the history of the store and the process of chocolate making. These stores are so exclusive and relatively unknown that, as our guide said, 80 percent of tour-goers are locals. (Can't say that about those double-decker buses.)
Our favorites? The buttery-caramel centers of the Rigoletto chocolate at La Maison du Chocolat (30 Rockefeller Center) and the spicy hot cocoa and adorable cocoa-butter-painted chocolates at MarieBelle (762 Madison Avenue).
Related Stories:
· Sweet Walks [Official Site]
· Chocolate coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: chrisglass]]]>