Somehow I managed to stay away from Santa Barbara–a quick 90 minutes north of Los Angeles–long enough for it to grow some very interesting contours. They all talk about the ‘Sideways’ effect, but I think it’s more than that. Great wines, great vistas, great people. Here’s my story for 360 West, and a few personal [...]
As I’ve said before, it’s never a bad idea to know your food sources. During a recent trip to Santa Barbara, I got to make a fascinating side-visit to a moderate-sized abalone and halibut farm just north of town, poetically called The Cultured Abalone. For those who may be most accustomed to seeing it on Asian menus, abalone is a actually a type of snail (called abulon in Latin countries, ear-shells or mutton-fish in Australia, ormer in Great Britain, and venus-ears in South Africa) that lives in a half-shell which is a popular source of mother-of-pearl. Abalone meat might be easiest described as somewhere between scallop and clam, as it can be bigger like the former but firmer like the latter. If cooked right, it’s not chewy but tender and mild.
I’ve attended Aureole’s Wine Weekend for the past two years, and I remain convinced that this small, rather under-publicized affair, is among the best annual food and wine events in the country. The first year, 2009, I documented on this website, here. The second, 2010, on EscapeHatchDallas.com, here.
It’s hard to find a better definition for modern urban luxury without ostentation than the Ritz-Carlton LA Live. I recently reviewed the hotel and it’s adjoined twin JW Marriott for 360 West magazine (see below) but thought I would also post some more details on the property…
Last Friday, USA Today devoted the better part of a two-page spread on The Best of Las Vegas Nightlife, a pictorial written by Kitty Bean Yancey with the input of Vegas “panelists” Norm Clarke (Las Vegas Review-Journal gossip columnist), Anthony Curtis (LasVegasAdvisor.com), Sarah Feldberg (Las Vegas Weekly), Oscar Goodman (outgoing Mayor of downtown Las Vegas), Dan Hippler (Vegas.com), Jack Houston (Las Vegas Magazine), John Katsilometes (Las Vegas Sun), and Abby Tegnalia (VEGAS magazine).
I have to tell you, I was pretty dumbstruck by it. I had to check the date of the paper—and wonder how much input my colleagues actually had. Because without exception, every single one of the choices—most of which wouldn’t generally be considered ‘nightlife’ specifically—could have been made two years ago. If not longer. YAWN.
Seems like all you hear about in Las Vegas anymore is the Cosmopolitan. That’s probably partially my fault. Here’s yet another piece I wrote on the resort, for Dallas/Ft. Worth’s 360 West:
Fuzzy Zoeller Meets the Tasting Panel Magazine
Well, maybe not so much song. But the Universal Whisky Experience, which gathered together dozens of distilled malt beverages from around the world at the Wynn resort in Las Vegas March 19-20 2010, was both educational and entertaining. Covering for The Tasting Panel, I took some candid snaps. Here’s the album:
And here’s my Tasting Panel [...]
One of the best kept secrets of the wine world is the fact that there is a steadily growing high-quality wine industry right across the US border in Baja, Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe, just outside Ensenada. Owing to Mexican government export tariffs favoring tequilas, and a general disbelief in Mexican dedication to quality, most of these wines never make it out of their country. But things are changing, aided by growing attention to the Valle de Guadalupe’s annual Fiestas de la Vendimia every August. I got the opportunity to visit one of the top producers, Monte Xanic, and taste many of its competitors during a crush season visit a few months ago for a story in The Tasting Panel.
After staying away for a few years, it was remarkable to return to the Indio valley and note the cultural changes in Palm Springs, a once-sleepy, retirement-centered town which has now re-embraced its Hollywood connections and surviving midcentury modern architecture. Several boutique hotels have been restored to create some of the hippest resorts anywhere. Take a look at my feature article for Dallas/FtWorth’s 360 West magazine, or just enjoy some of my candid pics…
One of the most unforgettable travel experiences of my career was visiting Mexico’s incredibly exclusive Las Alamandas resort, south of Puerto Vallarta. Dreaming of simple luxury, prompt service and unspoiled nature in one spot? This is it. Take a look at my story for Fort Worth/Dallas’ 360 West magazine, or just enjoy some of my [...]
Steven Siegel is Las Vegas Businessman of the Year–at least, if you ask me. I can’t think of any other entrepreneur who has made more dynamic, adventurous, and smart business moves in a challenging economy than the owner of the ever-expanding Siegel Suites as well as the Artisan, Rumor, Lodge at Mount Charleston, Gold Spike [...]
I’ve been inside some of the most impressive high-roller suites in Las Vegas–almost too many to name (Oh alright, I’ll name them: The Paiza level at Palazzo, Villas at Mirage, MGM Sky Villas, several at Caesars Palace–though not the Presidential–Bellagio, Vdara, Aria, Mandarin Oriental, Tropicana–new and old–Imperial Palace, Harrah’s, and Metro at Flamingo, all the kooky ones at Palms and Hard Rock and a few at Wynn/Encore, though not the Wynn Villas).
One of the hardest parts of blogging LA is covering it’s recent explosion of boutique hotel experiences and spas. Gosh, staying in different fancy suites and getting pampered every night can really wear you out. 
I’ve had the pleasure of writing about the astounding WET company (the forces behind the Bellagio fountain and so much more) three times now. I hope to do it again.
Click above for my Las Vegas Weekly on WET and the creation of the City Center features.
Click above to download my story about the new Mirage [...]
As some might know, gourmet/creative food trucks are the biggest trend in Los Angeles right now, bringing creativity to street food, and to LA, that hasn’t been seen in some time. It’s a hit-and-miss experience of course, as the trend gets exploited, but at it’s best, it is not only a great alternative to the [...]
Food festivals touting Star Chef appearances are nothing uncommon these days—they take place seemingly everywhere from Aspen to the Bahamas—but in Vegas, they like to do things a little bigger. Which is why Bon Appetit’s fourth “Vegas Uncork’d” fest (up and down the Strip May 6-9, 2010) not only featured healthy quotients of local and [...]
One of the coolest events I’ve gotten to report on are the one-of-a-kind Reno Air Races (click above to download full PDF). You want death-defying excitement? This is as intense as it gets.
Even while it caters to tourists from Boise, Beijing and Bavaria, Las Vegas has become a legitimate foodie destination…if you know where to go. Here’s a primer on All The Star Chefs of Vegas… And click here for my ratings on:
• Top Ten Strip Steakhouses
• Top Ten Italian Restaurants
• Top Ten Gourmet Burgers
• Top Ten [...]
Here are my answers to your burning questions about Las Vegas:
My Best of Vegas 2010 for Away.com
And more from the Orbitz Vegas files…
• Secret Stays and Sorting out City Center
• New Nightclubs, Top Ten Casino Lounges and Hot new Club Lounges
• Top ten Free Activities… Top Outdoor Activities and top tips for Families on the Strip
• Rating the [...]
After weeks of research, I found so much to write about in Downtown Las Vegas that it took me two blogs to cover… Here are my tips for Best Hotel Stays, Entertainment and Gaming in DTLV… and here are the Restaurants, Bars and other hidden gems around Fremont Street.
By all means, do it with Holly Madison and Playboy model Dana DiCillo. We had fun at Hard Rock’s legendary Rehab party… but these were the real winners.
Don’t let the breezy tone of this Orbitz blog fool you: Rating the very best spas in Las Vegas (a city which may have more spas per-capita than anywhere in the world) was no easy feat! I had to pay attention while being pampered…
In Vegas it’s always hard to separate the hope and the hype. Here are links to my Orbitz Vegas blogs discussing many of the hotels I’ve stayed in on (and off) the Strip: Top Ten Standard Stays … my favorite Hot Habitats and Sumptuous Suites… Where The Celebs Stay… Top Ten Off-Strip Stays…surprising Family-friendly casino-resorts… The new Hard [...]
There’s something about the spirit of Memphis that supercedes its obvious Mississippi river town charms. Here’s a fun guide-yourself tour to Memphis, Tennessee I did for the Rhino Records website. And, for another perspective, an audio podcast interview I did there with dearly departed record producer and legendary session keyboard player Jim Dickinson.
PLUS MY REVIEW [...]
Nightclubbing in Las Vegas is more than serious sport–it’s an industry. Talking to movers and shakers like designer Thomas Schoos and master mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, you realize how much hard work and creativity goes into each experience.
Wayne Newton, the one and only Mr. Las Vegas, just announced his return to a regular gig on the Strip, which reminded me of this feature I did visiting his illustrious home Casa De Shenandoah. I have seen many estates, but this was certainly one of the most reflective of its owner’s personality. Where else [...]
You’ve been there. You’ve done that. Now get out your checklist. It’s time to experience the 12 Weirdest Hotel Stays in the World!
On June 1, the resort unveiled the first redesign of its 2006-vintage Fantasy Suites, rededicating the former “Pink suite” as the “Barbie suite.” And they didn’t just stick a logo on the door: Beyond a collage-walled entry, there are Barbie-cloth upholstered chairs with lace-up backs and tutu skirts, a Barbie dining set, a unique vintage-Barbie mirror and art canvases, silver lamé ottomans, foil-print wallpapers, Pucci-print pillows and pink everything, all with the blessings of Mattel, the ubiquitous doll’s parent company.