dining

How to Eat Tafelspitz

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

If you should find yourself in Austria and served a generous, yet rustic meal of Tafelspitz, you'll need to know what to do. Look no further than Luxist; we've got you covered.

Tafelspitz is a traditional Austrian meal meaning "tip [of meat] for the table." Big copper pots of beef, bones and vegetables (all together) are typically served. They are still simmering, so it's important to eat your meal correctly and in order.

The first step of eating Tafelspitz is the soup. Ladle a generous helping of the hot broth into the soup bowl you've been given. Enjoy -- those Austrian noodles are especially tasty.

Next, ladle out a bone. This is not for the delicate. Bone marrow has only recently become popular in the United States, but is a time-honored traditional food in many European countries. Chunks of bone will be in your Tafelspitz pot, and you are to scoop them out and eat the gelatinous marrow inside. Spread the marrow on slices of bread. According to my Viennese friends, it's a fatty, yet nutritious food, comparable to the fatty-yet-nutritious values of avocado. I ate it prepared this way myself and can report it's very tasty -- just don't let the texture ruin your experience.

Tags: austria, bone marrow, BoneMarrow, dining, tafelspitz, vienna

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VivaTerra's Loose Leaf and Blooming Teas Gift Box

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Green

Whether you're a tea drinker yourself or just like to have it on hand to offer friends and family, this Loose Leaf and Blooming Teas gift box from VivaTerra is a beautiful and elegant way to store and serve hot tea. The box is made of sustainable wood and comes filled with six varieties (two of each makes twelve) of tea, with some herbal tea blends and some handwoven blooming teas that open into pretty flowers when placed in hot water to steep. All the teas are all stored in individual cleartop tins and refills are available. $69

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Tags: dining, gifts, hot drinks, HotDrinks, organic, tea, vivaterra

Harrods Makes Whoopie (Pies)

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Coming soon to Harrods' already divine line-up of fine dining delicacies will be the Whoopie Pie. Whoopies are little cake-like cookie sandwiches filled with buttercream that started in New England and have now spread to the famous European food hall. Their skilled pastry chefs have crafted four flavors of Whoopie, all featuring fluffy cake "pillows" filled with delectable vanilla buttercream and topped with darling (and beautiful) edible designs.

There's Gingerbread (spices, vanilla, and chocolate w/polka dots), Pistachio (pistachio, green fondant icing, and edible glitter), the Classic (chocolate, vanilla, and sparkles), and Red Velvet (chocolate, peanut butter cream, and little candy hearts).

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Tags: cake, cakes, dessert, desserts, dining, harrods, sweets, whoopie, whoopie pie, whoopie pies, WhoopiePie, WhoopiePies

How to Sweeten Up Without Sugar

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Trying to cut back on sugar but love sweets? Although the only real solution is to wean yourself off sweets altogether (at least to a degree) there are other ways to quiet your sweet tooth without going the refined sugar route. Here are a few ideas, many of which are great for baking.

Honey Made up of a combination of fructose, glucose, maltose, and sucrose, honey is as much as 50% sweeter than sugar and has a distinctive flavor that can vary depending on location, time of year, and the bees diet. Honey also offers some nutritional benefits in the form of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients.

Maple Syrup Real maple syrup (not the 'maple-flavored' syrups) contains magnesium and zinc and comes from sugar maple trees. It's boiled down to the desired thickness and is usually about 60% sweeter than traditional table sugar.

Agave Nectar A fructose syrup that's slightly thinner than honey and originates from the Agave plant in Mexico, it's 25-30% sweeter than white sugar and has a mild flavor along with some nutrient properties (mostly minerals). It also has a lower glycemic index than sugar so is often favored by diabetics.

Molasses A byproduct of the sugar refining process, molasses is dark and heavy and has a very strong flavor. It is sweet (made up of fructose, glucose, and sucrose) but slightly less so than sugar itself. Molasses is high in iron and calcium and also contains several B-vitamins.

Raw Sugar If you must have sugar then go for raw sugar, or sugar that has not been refined and still maintains its nutritional value. Tastes very much like brown sugar (essentially it is, although even less processed).

Stevia Made from the leaf of the stevia plant, stevia sweetener is 200-300 times more potent than sugar and is usually found in liquid and powder form. Stevia leaves (although not always the end product) contain many nutrients like iron, calcium, and zinc.

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Tags: agave nectar, AgaveNectar, baking, cooking, dessert, desserts, dining, honey, main-pedia, molasses, stevia, sugar, sweets-pedia

Silver Spoons and Party Tips From Park Avenue

by Amanda Gordon (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Dining, Books

There's a lot to like about the Park Avenue lifestyle, especially as it is captured in the book "Park Avenue Potluck: Celebrations," published by Rizzoli. This book takes us inside the apartments facing the broad boulevard with a European feel, to tell us, if not everything, then just enough, to entertain Park Avenue style. Hint: there may be a cook for hire involved, and you'll want to get out the china, write place cards, and dust off the napkin rings. As for what you'll be serving: The ladies are not cutting-edge professional chefs, so this is not the place to find culinary revelations on par with "Momofuko." Rather the recipes are for comforting dishes, not too healthy or unhealthy, and presented simply but beautifully. Vetted by New York Times food writer Florence Fabricant, these are gold-plated go-to dishes. And some, such as Coco Kopelman's baked latkes, are a real find.

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Tags: cookbook, dining, entertaining, florence fabrikant, FlorenceFabrikant, food, park avenue, ParkAvenue, recipes

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Setting a Formal Dinner Table: What Goes Where?

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Hosting formal dinner parties isn't an everyday event for most of us, so don't feel bad if you need a refresher course on how to properly set a table. Here are a few basics.

Start with the dinner plate, which we all know goes in the center, and place a salad plate or soup bowl on top of it. The charger, if you're using one, goes underneath the dinner plate. To the upper left of the dinner plate goes the bread plate and butter knife, and to the upper right goes the water glass and wine glass (and the coffee cup, but it usually isn't placed until the dessert course).

Tags: dining, dinner party, DinnerParty, fine-dining-pedia, table

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iGourmet.com: Specialty Cheeses, Fine Foods, and Exquisite Gifts

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Can you shop online and have your specialty cheeses and fine dining too? iGourmet.com thinks so, and it seems plenty of others agree as it has been nominated for a Luxist Award in the Best Gourmet Food category and was named 'best gourmet food website' by Forbes for five years in a row: from 2003 to 2007. It's a family business that originated from three generations of cheese importers and started as a mail order business (known as "International Gourmet") well before the internet was even invented. With no "brick and mortar" shop, igourmet.com has an extensive website complete with large photos, flavor descriptions, usage ideas, and recipes in an effort to not only offer exquisite edibles but also educate its customers so they really get what they're shopping for.

iGourmet.com offers everything from meats to sweets to oils and vinegars, but they especially pride themselves on their extensive line of gourmet cheeses imported from France, Italy, Sweden, and every other European country that exports it. They also offer a wide array of unique gift options for the holidays or any time of year in the form of luxe and beautifully packaged gift boxes, gift baskets, and cheeseboards plus a selection of 6 different gourmet monthly club options including Cheese of the Month (of course), Tea of the Month, and Connoisseur of the Month clubs.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed in Gourmet Foods. Readers' Choice Awards for Food will be announced on November 30th.

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Tags: awards-main, cheese, dining, food, food-awards, igourmet, igourmet.com, luxist-awards, online shopping, OnlineShopping

Harrods Food Hall: History, Opulence, and Grandeur

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

The Harrods Food Hall in London has been nominated for a Luxist Award in the Best Gourmet Grocer/Food Hall category. Harrods is known worldwide for its opulence and grandeur, and the Food Halls are no exception. Harrods has been around since 1834, founded by Charles Henry Harrod and originally operating in a single room selling a mix of grocery goods, perfumes, and stationary items.

Today, it's grown to boast a series of food halls (a luxury food court of sorts) that each specialize in something different but combine to make for a total experience. Many visitors are struck by the sheer volume and selection of international goods, all presented in breathtakingly beautiful displays, counters, and luxury eateries. Harrods is known for offering everything from fine chocolates to lavish cuts of meat and seafood, cheeses, baked goods, and even fine wines, with tasting events scheduled in-house. There are also restaurants serving up gourmet meals, sandwiches, and snacks so you can taste before you buy (or simply enjoy a good meal).

The holidays are an especially grand time of year for Harrods, with many finding great gifts in their selection of food hampers. Prices vary but this year their most divine option is called The Supreme (£1,250) and includes the best of the Food Halls offerings from main courses through dessert, wine and spirits not to be left out.

Many of its products are available for purchase on its website, from pate, biscuits and jam to chocolate, coffee and an impressive selection of teas.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed in Gourmet Foods. Readers' Choice Awards for Food will be announced on November 30th.

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Tags: awards-main, dining, food, food-awards, harrods, luxist-awards

Understanding the Basics of Cheese

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

There are literally hundreds of different kinds of cheese in the world, all with different characteristics, flavors, and origins. Many different factors determine how a cheese turns out but some of the most influential are what kind of milk is used (cow, sheep, or goat), how it's prepared, and how long the cheese is aged. As a general rule, the longer a cheese is aged the more aromatic and flavor-intense it is. Here's a guide to just a few of the world's most popular cheeses and what makes them unique.

Cheddar One of most widely used cheeses here in the States, cheddar cheese is made from cow's milk and was first 'born' in England in a little village called Cheddar. It comes in mild, medium, and sharp varieties and can be off-white to dark orange in color.

Blue Cheese is a white cheese with unique blue/black spots and veins in it that are the result of mold. Made from a combination of sheep, goat, and cow's milk, blue cheese has a both a strong smell and a very strong flavor -- for many it's an acquired taste.

Swiss Originating in Switzerland, Swiss cheese is unique for its 'eyes' which are the holes left by bubbles that form during the aging process. The larger the 'eyes' the more intense the flavor.

Feta originated in Greece and is made with a combination of sheep and goat's milk. It's a white, soft or semi-firm cheese that is aged for several months and has a mild to strong tangy flavor.

Asiago cheese hails from the Asiago High Plateau in Italy (at least originally) and has a full, nutty-flavor. It comes in two main varieties, Fresh Asiago made from whole milk and Asiago d' Allevo made from part-skim milk and aged much longer.

Brie is a soft, light white to yellow cheese with a thick, somewhat tasteless, edible rind. It originated in France and is traditionally made with raw milk, meaning true Brie is not available in the United States due to pasturization laws. Many pasteurized varieties are available, however, and are usually enjoyed sliced with fruit or bread.

Limburger Perhaps most famous for its "stinkiness," Limburger cheese originated in Belgium (before becoming popular in Germany) and gets its trademark odor from bacteria living in the rind. The cheese itself, made from cow's milk, has a mild tangy flavor and is often enjoyed with beer.

Have another cheese you'd like to know more about? This website has an easy-to-navigate alphabetical guide.

Tags: asiago, awards-main, brie, cheddar, cheese, cheeses, dining, feta, food-pedia, limburger, swiss cheese, SwissCheese

Insider's Guide to Montreal: 12 Ways to Do the City Right

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas, Men's Style

photo of lobby at Montreal's Place d'armes

Montreal is a fantastic destination, but like any city, it can be hard for a visitor to get to know. To that end, Tourisme Montreal has engaged five in-the-know locals to basically blanket social media from Facebook, to Twitter, to blogs, sharing all of their knowledge about their city -- and answering questions from travelers in town. Katerine Rollet is one of these insiders, and she recently selected these 12 can't-miss experiences in Montreal for Luxist.

1- Go for tea at the St. James Hotel. This chic boutique hotel is where the likes of the Rolling Stones and Madonna stay when they're in town, and the tea at newly renovated restaurant XO is a a great way to experience a proper British tea with a modern twist. UPDATED: The St. James no longer serves afternoon tea, but the new Salon XO is worth a visit.
2- Experience the spa at Place D'armes -- one of the best places in town for a mani-pedi, not to mention one of the few places in Montreal to experience a hammam, or Turkish bath. Wrap up with a drink on the terrace.
3- For men: at Québec's own Phillipe Dubuc -- the place for a man to fill his closet with stylish, business appropriate clothing with an edge.
4- For women: fill your suitcase at Montreal's achingly stylish, unfailingly feminine Marie Saint Pierre.
5- For everyone: visit Oglivy, a lovely shopping mall filled with charming boutiques, great book stores, stationary shops, international designers and more.
6- For the shopping-shy: Engage the style hounds at Les Effrontes to have your own guided tour of Montreal's up and coming designer's ateliers.
7- Dine at Joe Beef, on raw bar and steak in up-and-coming neighborhood Little Burgundy ("Petite Bourgogne") .
8- Or, hit Toque -- widely considered one of the best meals you can have in Montreal. Try the tasting menu.
9- Or reserve the chef's table at Europea, and dine in the kitchen of charismatic Chef Jérôme Ferrer. 10- After dinner drinks: check out Hotel St Paul's bar for cocktails with Montreal's chicest.
11- Sweet treats: visit Point G for waffles, artisanal ice cream, and most importantly, macarons.
12- Brunch the next day: La Cantine in the Plateau neighborhood, for a traditional Québec brunch revisited.

Gallery: Insider's Montreal

Tags: dining, fashion, hotels, macarons, montreal, wintertravel-pedia

Dining in Style in Singapore

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Ciabatta wrapped crispy egg with Parma ham, girolles and summer truffles at Les Amis

Should you happen to visit The Lion City, there are a number of fabulous options available for dining. Whether you're looking for a classy place for a business meeting or a more romantic venue, we've got you covered.

Fine dining in Singapore is a major national hobby. As I commented in another article, 10 Things to Eat in Singapore, in most countries, people say: "Hi, how are you?" In Singapore, they say "Hi, have you eaten?" usually followed by "What?" "Where?" and "How was it?"

I was introduced to Singaporean fine dining by Les Amis Group spokesman Raymond Lim at their decadent Les Amis restaurant on Scotts Road (above is their Ciabatta wrapped crispy egg). The restaurant is very true to the French methods of cooking and presentation, but what makes the experience so unique is the Japanese ingredients. It's not quite fusion; they're just making French food with different raw materials -- the results are delicious.

Les Amis Group owns a handful of beautiful dining venues in Singapore, including French, Japanese and Italian restaurants (the most popular European cuisine in the country). Have a look through the gallery for peeks into restaurants all over Singapore including the 2am Dessert Bar, City Space on the Swissotel's 70th floor and the sexy Scarlet Hotel.

Gallery: Fine Dining in Singapore

This trip was paid for by the Singapore Board of Tourism, but the views expressed within the post are 100% my own.

Tags: dining, food-awards, les amis, singapore

Celebrate Brazilian Independence Day With SushiSamba

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

What sort of event calls for a cocktail of Leblon Cachaca, Strawberry-Cinnamon "Conserva", Sweet Basil & Pop Rocks? You can drink the Sambista and other concoctions at the Brazilian Independence Day festivities at SUSHISAMBA 7 (87 Seventh Ave.; 212-691-7885) on Sunday, September 6. The event also includes performances by Arte Capoeira performers with Samba dancers. The food specials are also adventurous with treats such as the amazon roll of alligator tempura, smoked soy, chiles & bacon farofa. Now that's not your average Labor Day food!

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Tags: brazil, dining, food, new york city, NewYorkCity, sushisamba

Catching A Cocktail At Spice Market NYC

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Hopefully you aren't at your desk right now but if you are and you are in New York City over the Fourth of July weekend Spice Market would like to suggest their outdoor patio in the Meatpacking district of NYC as a place to grab a bit of weekend enjoyment. Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has added new dishes including Peeky Toe Crab Dumplings and Steamed Red Snapper with Shiitake Mushrooms exude the types of bold spices and flavors he is famous for. For dessert the Thai Jewels with Crushed Coconut Ice offer that a refreshing and sweet treat for a hot summer night. This weekend Spice Market NYC is debuting carafes of the signature Ginger Margarita or Sangria cocktails. They also serve non-alcoholic drinks including the new Ginger-Lime Soda, Jasmine Lemonade and Cherry Yuzu Soda. Spice Market's Tasting Menu is $48 per person and includes samplings of 10 flavors in five courses.

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Tags: cocktails, dining, food, jean-georges vongerichten, Jean-georgesVongerichten, new york city, NewYorkCity, spice market, SpiceMarket

OpenTable Diners Rank 50 Favorite Restaurants

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

OpenTable has released the list of the national winners of its 2009 Diners' Choice awards for Best American Cuisine. The list of winning restaurants was created using the 2.5 million reviews submitted by OpenTable diners for more than 9,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The list on Open Table shows the restaurants in alphabetical order and includes some very well-regarded restaurants such as New York City's Blue Hill and Gramercy Tavern, Thomas Keller's The French Laundry and Per Se and Michael Mina in San Francisco. One restaurant chain, The Capital Grille, a steakhouse located in many major cities including Chicago, Boston and Denver is prominently featured.

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Tags: dining, opentable, restaurants

Lufthansa Enlists the Ritz-Carlton to make Gourmet Airplane Food

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Wings

You don't often hear "gourmet" and "airplane food" in the same title, but that's because Lufthansa hasn't teamed up with the chefs of The Ritz-Carlton until now!

Naturally, creating meals that can be mass produced and still impress at 30,000+ feet is quite the culinary challenge. Some of the best chefs in the industry, including Denver's Andrés Jiménez, New York's Thomas Surowka and Jacques Sorci, DC's David Serus, San Francisco's Nathan Beriau, Boston's Clayton Van Hooijdonk, and Ritz-Carlton Vice President, Culinary Corporate Chef George McNeill teamed up to create the finest airline dining experience we've ever seen, and they held an event at the NYC loft home (above) of Barry Appelman (father of the AOL Instant Messenger) and Ildiko Sragli to kick off the collaboration and allow guests to sample the culinary masterpieces!

The First Class and Business Class menus on Lufthansa flights will now include items like:

Omelette with Mushroom Ragout, Potato Rösti, and Bacon
Smoked Trout Mousse with Poached Leeks and Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette
Seared Cod in Artichoke and Carrot Broth with Roasted Garlic
Spinach Stuffed Gnocchi with sautéed Cremini Mushrooms and Pine Nuts in a Vegetable Butter Sauce

Have a look through our gallery below to see some of the mouth-watering dishes that will now be available in First and Business Class on Lufthansa flights!

Gallery: Food by the Ritz-Carlton for Lufthansa Airlines