Belfast made a lasting impression on me. From the moment I set foot in the city, I wondered what took me so long to finally make it to this vibrant and friendly city. A week wasn’t nearly enough time to do Belfast right. I found Belfast to be perfect for […]
Food
30 posts
The Testaccio Market is a Rome foodie adventure, only a short metro ride from the Centro Storico. I love getting off the beaten path when traveling, but especially when food is involved. It's a thrill to wend your way through the Testaccio Market shopping for dinner ingredients, but even the most casual walk-through […]
After a whirlwind day in Naples we jumped on a ferry in the shadow of Vesuvius for an hour-long boat ride, headed to our island destination of Ischia and the resort of Punta Chiarito, set at the mouth of the Bay of Naples. We quickly left Naples in our wake. The impetus for […]
On a recent Sunday in London, I headed east to explore Brick Lane street art, having no idea what awaited me. I was at the end of a month-long trip traveling around Europe, and I was in the mood to just chill and wander London with no set plans. When I […]
I could spend my days ensconced in Soho, wandering its charming, cozy streets from cafe to galleries to eateries to bars, completely content that I had fully experienced London. London is enormous, and best navigated by Tube. But when I think of it as series of neighborhoods, I don’t find […]
2016 Oakland Restaurant Week is in full swing and will run through January 24th. This annual event, which brings together the community, takes place every year at this time and is a great way to kick off the cold, rainy New Year. Oakland Restaurant Week is an opportunity to try out […]
Rome Wine Bars are my favorite way to dine when I'm in town. After I’ve been in Rome for a while and satiated myself with pasta, pizza, and fritti - the Rome dining experience can start to feel a little homogeneous. From restaurant to restaurant you will typically find the […]
Verjus is an enthralling dining adventure from beginning to end. It was an exhilarating experience that left me perfectly happy to have dropped $150 on a meal… and look forward to doing it all over again. A bit of a travel splurge, but well worth it. From the moment I made my online […]
After a day-long drive al We had intentionally made no reservation so that we would have no time pressure as we popped in and out of cute towns along the coast. By early evening, we had checked into our strategically situated downtown hotel. Our plan was to have a leisurely […]
My amazing 3-day trip along the Maine coast could surely be conveyed in pictures alone. Lots of gorgeous scenery and tasty food. Maine really is dotted with picturesque lighthouses that peer out over a rocky blue ocean. And my big discovery may be that three days in Maine is just […]
I was anxious to check out Toro on my Boston travels, for its modern take on Spanish Tapas – and luckily it was conveniently located not far from my South End hotel. I knew that Toro was popular and trending – and didn’t take reservations. So strategically, I aimed for […]
I just returned from two amazing weeks in New England, and while it was filled with stunning scenery and interesting festivals, it was clearly dominated by food. I spent nearly half the trip in Boston’s city center, with focus on the city’s hip South End …but also did a lot […]
Meeting House Square is one of my favorite cozy spots, located in the heart of Dublin’s Cultural District. It is a charming and modern modular square that packs a ton of activity inside its high walls. It is ringed with tasty restaurants, art, and history. Here you will find indie […]
The next time I go to L. Mulligan, I will go hungry. Sure, I knew it was going to be stick-to-your-ribs, inventive pub fare with an interesting beer selection, but I wasn’t prepared for how immensely filling it would actually be. And with all the other great food options in Dublin, I didn’t appropriately […]
After a whirlwind roadtrip around the countryside, we arrived back in Dublin for our five final days in Ireland. We immediately made a reservation at The Chop House restaurant for the next night. The Chop House had intrigued me for its modern Irish menu and focus on local products. I […]
Hung-over from lack of sleep on my overnight flight from California to Dublin, I stumbled into my hotel, stashed my luggage, and headed immediately to one of my favorite breakfast spots, The Queen of Tarts. Only about two blocks from my hotel and nestled in the unassuming Cows Lane, lies […]
My first jetlag night in Dublin and I had been struggling to stay awake since my 6am arrival. Six weeks before I had brazenly decided to book theater tickets on my first night in Dublin, as part of my strategy to maximize performances of the Dublin Theatre Festival. When “Spinning” […]
Escaping Galway’s bustling center of shopping and swarms of students, we crossed the River Corrib into a more peaceful neighborhood. We had ended up at Kai Café & Restaurant for lunch rather than dinner simply by how the puzzle pieces of our numerous dining options fell into place during our short 2-day […]
Our first night in Galway, we decided to stop first at Cava Bodega for drinks and an appetizer before heading to Ard Bia for our 8pm dinner reservation, down by the Spanish Arch. We had only two days in Galway and there were a lot of interesting food options to […]
I arrived at the Hotel Isaacs in Cork City and immediately made a reservation at their downstairs restaurant Greenes. Greenes came highly recommended as creative modern Irish cuisine, with a focus on seafood. Having Greenes just downstairs was a big plus, and it seemed like the perfect first night-in-Cork dining experience. […]
On a recent visit to Cork City, Cafe Paradiso was one of my must-try restaurants, based on many rave reviews. Even I, as a mostly-vegetarian, was biased that a restaurant solely focused on vegetarian cooking could really be a fine dining foodie experience, since they are often an afterthought. But […]
Arriving back in Dublin from Galway, our first priority was lunch. Since The Fumbally was on my must-try-before-leaving-Dublin list, we headed off-the-beaten path to find it. St. Patrick’s Cathedral Diversion En Route to The Fumbally We walked down the wide trafficky boulevard where Patrick St. turns into New St. and […]
I was drawn to the Adare Manor for its elegant Afternoon Tea that appeared as if it would be picture perfect. Situated in the small and charming Limerick countryside, the town of Adare is renowned for its funky thatch-roofed houses. It was a short scenic drive from our wonderful stay at The Old Convent in County Tipperary, […]
We had been drawn to this part of Ireland by Castles…and a former Convent. After we bravely picked up our rental car at Shannon Airport, we made our way from the miniscule town of Bunratty toward County Tipperary. Traffic on the roads was light and we quickly grew accustomed to […]
While I love to cook and have complex-menu dinner parties, sometimes I just want to keep it simple so I can actually enjoy my own dinner party, instead of frazzling away in the kitchen. But I still want my guests to feel like I gave dinner some special thought. So, when I decided to invite a couple […]
Car Ferry to County Clare After two days of driving around counties Tipperary and Limerick, we got up early anxious to jump back in our car and escape our soulless Adare hotel. We were excited about our Tarbert Ferry ride from County Kerry into County Clare, which we had decided to do rather […]
Spoiler Alert – I loved Cork City. It was urban, but down to earth. Sophisticated, but unpretentious. Cork felt European with a tinge of edginess – and, in a way, a little reminiscent of my hometown Boston. Falling in Love with Cork City on Day One Arrival into Cork City’s small […]
Getting down to Ballymaloe House from Dublin was as easy as I had hoped it would be, considering I was not driving and it is out in the countryside of East County Cork. I changed trains in Cork City and then caught the 20 minute commuter train to Midleton. Midleton […]
After a walk exploring Smithfield on my last, lazy day in Dublin for a while, I was enthusiastically looking forward to having a meal at the Winding Stair. Because I was immersed in the Dublin Theater Festival every night, lunch was the natural option. I easily found the restaurant just […]
Exhausted and still jet-lagging on my second day in Dublin, I let myself sleep-in and wasn’t up till 11am. Disappointed after that first crisp sunny day in town – I could hear the early October rain beating firmly on my hotel window sill. The rain served to warm Dublin a […]