Jaunted - Tag: Restaurant Travel

London: In London's Soho, No-Reservations Restaurants are Where You Want to Be

Heidi Atwal — 2011-12-15T15:46:40-05:00

Spuntino's Peanut Butter and Jelly Dessert "Sandwich"

In London, our preference is for restaurant trawling, not pub crawling. The local culinary scene has undergone subtle yet significant changes over the past year: artisanal coffee is easier to come by, locals are every-so-slowly embracing the concept of brunch, there is an increased presence of street food, and a handful of strictly no-reservations outposts have made a splash among critics and discerning diners alike.

It's the latter trend with which we're most taken, as these democratic, "queue-with-the-rest-of-'em" restaurants are focusing more on putting out great food rather than trying to compete with their five-star contemporaries. Their websites are typically devoid of essential intel, save for the locale's address. If you're lucky you'll get a phone number, not that it will help in trying to wrangle a dining spot.

London: London Restaurant Festival Rails Against the City's Middling Culinary Rep

Heidi Atwal — 2011-09-29T15:05:23-05:00

The London Restaurant Festival's Gourmet Odyssey bus won't be stopping at any soggy fish 'n' chip joints

We vacillate between taking obvious, stereotype-driven jabs at London's cuisine—for good reason, oftentimes—and bringing you pleasantly surprised reports from the city's gastronomic field. The rise of chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Marcus Wareing and the opening of respectable restaurants in recent years notwithstanding, London still suffers from a middling culinary reputation. Yet, the city's gastronomes soldier on, endeavoring to ensure that soggy fish 'n' chips don't define its fare.

Miami: Three Hot Tables to Book for Miami Spice's Two Months of Discount Dining

MsRebecca — 2011-07-20T12:25:57-05:00

Red, The Steakhouse

Good news: the city of Miami isn't just reeling in spa junkies with its summertime promotions--it's after foodies as well. And forget Restaurant Week--here the lunch and dinner deals run for two entire months. Ladies and gentlemen, prepare your taste buds for Miami Spice, August 1 through September 30.

The program celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, with more than 125 restaurants across Miami participating--including 35 new ones, which certainly helps keep things, well, spicy.

Three-course dinner menus are $35 (plus gratuity and drinks), and many restaurants are also offering three-course lunches for just $22.

Shanghai: Chow Down During Shanghai Restaurant Week in September

Jennifer Kester — 2010-08-23T13:28:48-05:00

Whampoa Club

Foodies who will be in Shanghai from September 6 to 12 better make reservations now for the second annual Shanghai Restaurant Week.

An extra incentive to hit up the participating high-end restaurants is that you'll get a great deal: a three-course dinner will cost you 238 RMB, or about $35, and a three-course lunch will be 118 RMB, or $17.

But don't expect to be overwhelmed by options for authentic Chinese cuisine. According to CNNGo, most of the 28 participating restaurants skew toward Western cuisine or are in hotel venues, although few of the major Chinese restaurants will take part.

Manhattan: NYC Foodie Tour Shows You What It's Like to Be a Top Chef

Jennifer Kester — 2010-02-25T11:45:23-05:00

If you love Top Chef or just wish you had the cheftestants' skills, a new walking tour called "In the Steps of a Top Chef" will lead you around New York City to see sights from the show's Manhattan-set season five, learn some culinary know-how and, of course, eat some good grub.

During the three-hour tour, you'll chow down on sandwiches at lead judge and James Beard Award-winning chef Tom Colicchio's 'wichcraft; a treat from a Chinatown bakery; cheeses at Di Palo's Fine Foods in Little Italy, where the competitors shopped; and snacks at 24 Prince, the American bistro of season four cheftestant Nikki Cascone. When she's in the restaurant, Cascone will chat with tourgoers and relay her experiences of being on the show.

New York: Book These Top Five NYC Restaurant Week Reservations Today

JetSetCD — 2010-01-12T11:39:59-05:00

Calling all foodies! We hope you've already booked a quick trip to New York City sometime between January 25 to February 7, because that's when Winter Restaurant Week will be in full swing, offering up prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus at some of the best and most famous restaurants in the Big Apple.

And although restaurant week has been around in NYC since 1992, the prices haven't changed for the menus since 2006, meaning that 3-course lunches are a set $24.07 and 3 or 4-course dinners are $35.

Reservations officially open today, although if you follow NYCGo as we do, you had first dibs on booking the best tables yesterday when they twittered a special link. And since we know that sluicing through over 250 restaurants to nail down a few choice reservations is tough work, allow us to help you out with our list of the Top Five NYC Restaurant Week Reservations...

Atlanta: Flavor is the Focus For Top Chef's Eli Kirshtein at Atlanta's ENO

Heidi Atwal — 2009-11-19T16:44:30-05:00

Spiky-haired, bespectacled Top Chef contestant Eli Kirshtein garnered the ire of Tom Colicchio after serving up what the judge deemed "raw lamb." That's no mark of a master chef, but as we know, even talented artisans are prone to missteps, perhaps owing to the pressure of a major prize and a national audience in the millions.

Off the show, Kirshtein serves as the Executive Chef of Atlanta's ENO Restaurant and Wine Bar. No relation to Brian Eno as far as we can tell, although that would make it infinitely cooler. Like many of his competitors, he's a locavore, sourcing ingredients for ENO's menu from farms and specialty stores around the great state of Georgia.