all the dish that’s fit to print
february is national pancake month!
While the rest of America is busy gearing up for Valentine’s Day, AMPR is holding off on candy hearts and celebrating the start of National Pancake Month! Flapjacks, silver dollars, griddle backs, or just plain pancakes. Whatever you call them, get in the spirit with a steaming, stacked plate at one of these happening locales. You’ll find everything from simple buttermilk pancakes with syrup, to an edgier order featuring poached pineapple and vanilla yogurt. Dig in!
Just in time for Pancake Month, TOPPER’S restaurant at The Wauwinet is now serving breakfast to all of Nantucket! Order up a plate of Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes and a side of Apple Smoked Bacon from their À la Carte Breakfast Menu. Or stop by the White Elephant’s Brant Point Grill for buttermilk pancakes with soft vanilla butter, Vermont maple syrup, and a sweet Nantucket-y classic – cranberries!
Be first in line for breakfast at Andaz Wall Street’s new restaurant Wall & Water. Go on and overdo it with pancakes smothered in whipped cream, berries, and maple syrup. (After all, you can start your diet tomorrow instead, right?)
There’s nothing quite like a long breakfast spent basking in the Caribbean sunshine. Find it at Parrot Cay in Turks & Caicos, where you can choose buttermilk pancakes topped with maple syrup and Vermont butter or with poached pineapple, blueberries, and vanilla-scented yogurt on the hotel’s Terrace. Overdose on pancakes the first day? Enjoy healthy alternatives from the COMO Shambhala menu, including homemade muesli and energy smoothies.
A hearty morning meal is the perfect fuel for a brisk day out on the ski slopes. Try Park Hyatt Beaver Creek’s fluffy buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup at their 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill. Still hungry? No shame in seconds! Get your daily dose of protein with the organic three-egg omelet and roasted fingerling potatoes.
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autumnal activities on nantucket
Are you lucky enough to be on Nantucket this weekend? If you are, do yourself (and the island) a favor and take advantage of one, or ALL, of the great events happening on island.
- Pork & Beer Tasting Tour at Cisco Brewery in honor of Hogtoberfest- Savor grilled sausage, bacon and other pork basics with beer pairings while touring Cisco Brewers, the region’s first micro- distillery.
- The 2009 Scalloper’s Ball at the Nantucket Yacht Club- Each year this hugely popular annual event on Saturday night draws all sorts of people looking to sip Cisco Brewers beer while noshing on local bay scallops, mussels, quahogs, striped bass, seafood stew and a raw fish bar all caught, cooked and served by Nantucket fishermen. Great music and a live auction (don’t forget to bid on that winter rental slip at the Nantucket Boat Basin!) keep this event jumping all night.
- Sunday’s Annual Chowder Festival- Almost every restaurant on Nantucket has clam chowder on their menu. It is New England after all! This Sunday, island restaurants will vie for the bragging rights of winning “Best Chowder on Nantucket.” Fill your Sunday afternoon (and warm your belly) with exceptional New England clam chowder.
- Golf Sankaty! – This is the first weekend of the season that non-members have access to Sankaty, one of the few true world-class golf courses. The famous Sankaty Head Lighthouse looms over the front nine and still shines brightly over the Atlantic Ocean, making golf on Nantucket truly spectacular. http://www.sankatyheadgc.com/
- Last call for the Farmers and Artisans Market– Quick, this Saturday is the last weekend of the year to wander over to the Nantucket Farmers & Artisans Market. Pick up locally grown vegetables, berries, and flowers, as well as, hand-crafted pottery, jewelry, crafts and more.
Need a place to rest your head after all this fun? Check out the Fall Special Rates at the new White Elephant Hotel Residences. http://www.whiteelephanthotelresidences.com/
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seoul food: park hyatt moves masters spin-off to asia
Seoul is spicing up to be quite the culinary destination this autumn with the Park Hyatt Masters of Food and Wine festival held at Park Hyatt Seoul, October 29 to November 8. While the tradition of an annual food and wine festival was sparked more than twenty years ago, Park Hyatt’s celebration of its foodie roots is stronger than ever.
This season’s event features a new selection of renowned Chefs and sommeliers. Each will host expertise-specific seminars and cook up a range of gastronomic masterpieces – from foie gras dishes, to Japanese, Korean and Thai dishes, and even pastries and desserts.
Highlights of the festival include Michelin-star executive chef Ulf Braunert of the Palace Luzern in Switzerland as well as Park Hyatt Seoul’s own executive chef, Stefano Di Salvo.
The culinary carnival kicks off with a special lunch and dinner presented by Chef Braunert on October 29 and a welcome cocktail reception on November 2. Hone your culinary knowledge the following evening in The Salon at the wine seminar with Hyatt Regency Incheon’s Sommelier. Or head to the asian cuisine cooking classes, where participants are schooled in the preparation of Asian recipes, foie gras dishes, Mediterranean cuisine, and more.
Make sure to stroll on over to The Gallery Park Ryu Sook for the art gallery dinner complete with Korean art and Asian cuisine, and revel in the notes of an international vocalist as three chefs present Asian flavors at The Timber House bar. Masters of Food and Wine Seoul will culminate in a gala dinner, uniting world-class cuisine and wines.
Featured chefs of the event will include:
- Ulf Braunert, executive chef of Palace Luzern in Switzerland
- Daniel Chambon, owner and chef de cuisine of Le Pont de L’Ouysse in France
- Kenichiro Ooe, chef at Park Hyatt Tokyo in Japan
- Sarawut Im-sup, chef de cuisine of The Erawan Tearoom at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok in Thailand
- Ilhame Guerrah, pastry chef at Park Hyatt Shanghai in China
- Stefano Di Salvo, executive chef of Park Hyatt Seoul in South Korea
- Hee Seok Seo, sommelier at Hyatt Regency Incheon in South Korea
For the past three years, Masters of Food and Wine has been hosted by the Park Hyatt properties in Buenos Aires and Mendoza, highlighting South American cuisine and the ever-expanding Argentinean wine world. A spin-off of the festival was also held this past September at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme.
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spooky sweets and dj beats at the met london
Frightfully delightful surprises are brewing at the Metropolitan London. In the spirit of Halloween and for the love of the Brit’s afternoon tea staple, turntable gurus the Broken Hearts have dreamed up their “Scream Tea Spooktacular” at the swanky Met Bar.
Topping the 2009 ‘cool lists’ of the UK’s Elle, Grazia, and The Guardian, the Broken Hearts’ Nisha and Amber are renowned for their uncanny DJ-ing abilities and their equally unique senses of style.
To the tune of an exclusive Broken Hearts handpicked soundtrack, the hyper-chic Met Bar’s ever-popular “Afternoon De-Light” will offer a new seasonal menu of tasty ghoulish creations. Choose from delectable selection of the legendary low-fat cupcakes, spooky bat-shaped cookies, and edible artwork by illustrator of oddities and lover of the macabre, Rob Flowers. Indulge in a pumpkin cupcake (or two!) from 3 PM to 6 PM daily, October 26 to November 11.
Don’t miss the Broken Hearts on October 29 when they DJ the Met Bar’s Halloween Party “Death on the Dancefloor” starting at 8 PM. Hurry and snag your spot on the V.I.P. list by contacting Jamie.holloway@metropolitan.como.bz.
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nantucket’s farmers & artisans market
Courtesy of Nantucket Farmers Market (via Flickr)
Find yourself on Nantucket some Saturday morning? Lucky duck.
Do yourself (and the island) a favor and wander over to the Nantucket Farmers & Artisans Market, happening each Saturday through October 17 from 9 am to 1 pm. Cambridge and North Union Streets, right by the Starlight Theater, are closed to cars for the market.
Spotted this past Saturday was Karin Sheppard of Island Weaves, with her beautiful blankets of alpaca, silk, and mohair, David Berry of Nantucket Honey Bee Company with his light and dark honeys (the color changes depending on whether the bees are pollinating summer or fall flowers), and Dylan Wallace and Claudia Butler of Nantucket Native, with their organic fruits and vegetables – and chocolates. There were plenty more stands, all full of locally made and grown goodies.
A tip for those who wander in unprepared: there’s an ATM around the corner, on the bottom of Main Street.
If you want to book a trip to the island this fall (one of the lovelier times to go), check the Nantucket Island Resorts website for the latest “Hot Dates, Cool Rates” offers.
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masters of food and wine à paris
Executive chef, Jean-François Rouquette, of Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme’s Michelin-starred Pur’ restaurant, has invited six internationally celebrated chefs to join him for the first Paris-based Park Hyatt Masters of Food and Wine event, from September 21-25, 2009. Highlights include Jean Sulpice, executive chef of L’Oxalys, a one-Michelin- star restaurant in Val Thorens, France, and the up-and-coming Benjamin Toursel of L’Auberge du Prieuré in Moirax, France.
For more than twenty years, Park Hyatt has hosted an annual food and wine festival to showcase its serious dedication to its F&B program. For the past three years, Masters of Food and Wine was hosted by the Park Hyatt properties in Buenos Aires and Mendoza, and focused on South American cuisine, with a heavy emphasis on the ever-expanding Argentinean wine world.
This September a spin-off of the Masters festival kicks off in Paris with a VIP cocktail party at the hotel where guests will have the opportunity to meet the participating chefs, followed by a series of exclusive dinners orchestrated by Rouquette and his guest chefs over the next four nights. In addition to the dinners, the hotel will offer a special cultural program, Discovery of Paris, which includes cocktail classes taught by the Park Hyatt barman Yann Daniel, a journey to Billecart-Salmon Champagne house, and a tour of the Boucheron factory.
Featured chefs of Masters of Food and Wine Paris:
- Alex Atala, executive chef of D.O.M. restaurant in Sao Paulo (Brazil)
- Filippo Gozzoli, executive chef of The Park restaurant at Park Hyatt Milan (Italy)
- Jean Sulpice, executive chef of L’Oxalys, a one Michelin star restaurant in ValThorens (Savoie – France)
- Brian McBride, executive chef of Blue Duck Tavern restaurant at Park Hyatt Washington (USA)
- Benjamin Toursel, executive chef of L’Auberge du Prieuré in Moirax (Lot & Garonne, France)
- Mads Refslund, executive chef of MR, a one Michelin star restaurant in Copenhagen (Denmark)
*Chef biographies are available upon request
Le Pur’, Le Bar, and La Terrasse at Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme will serve as the backdrop for the events each evening. A menu will be created each night by two of the chefs, and served at Le Pur’, for 150 Euros per person. The chefs will also offer an exclusive nightly tapas selection at Le Bar and La Terrasse.
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cheers to joe gomes – 50 years and the perfect pour
LUCAS OLENIUK/TORONTO STAR
A keen ear and an ability to talk to anyone has served Joe Gomes well over the years at Park Hyatt Toronto – 50 years to be exact. That’s how long he has been behind the bar at the hotel’s Roof Lounge. Built in the 1940’s, the Roof Lounge was the second bar in the city to receive a cocktail license. The deep suede wall coverings, rich leathers, fireplace, and faint jazz soundtrack give it a 1950’s Rat Pack vibe. Over the years, Joe has shaken and stirred his renowned martinis for famed guests like Jane Russell, John Wayne, and even the Queen.
He admits to the Globe and Mail that part of being a bartender is being a psychologist. He often takes the glass is half-full approach, asking what is there really to complain about? “You’re here enjoying your drink. The bar is filled with good people. How bad can things really be?” Joe still works the 5pm-2am shift with no plans of quitting anytime soon. Talk about stamina, this September will be his 34th year serving celebs and industry giants at the parties that overtake the roof top during the Toronto International Film Festival.
Get an inside peek at Joe’s life behind the bar here.
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date me!
Think you have a dating problem?? Think again!! The Liwa Date Festival is one event where you are sure not to be singled out! Held annually just outside of the city of Abu Dhabi, the Liwa Date Festival pays homage to this deliciously sticky fruit and the date palm from which it hails. This year’s festival runs from July 17 to the 26, drawing thousands of farmers, brokers, and date fanatics alike to see the best of this year’s crop in the largest date festival in the United Arab Emirates. As part of the festivities, 140 couples are expected to be married in a group wedding on Friday, July 24, in the Liwa wedding hall.
If you can’t make it to Abu Dhabi in time to get hitched at this year’s date festival, be sure to check it out next July! Etihad Airways offers non-stop service from three North American hubs (New York, Chicago, and Toronto), so getting there will be a breeze. And, be sure to shack up in the most impressive resort on the block….the soon-to-be-opened Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, just a 90-minute drive from the city of Abu Dhabi. Featuring the ultimate in luxurious desert living accommodations, you’ll definitely want to check it out. No dates required.
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park hyatt moves into the middle east, again
Park Hyatt just announced the opening of Park Hyatt Jeddah – Marina, Club, and Spa, the second in the Middle East for the hotel chain, and the first five-star property to open in the city since 2004.
The second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital, Riyadh, Jeddah is a major center for Middle East commerce. Business travelers will love the convenient location, just a quick five-minute drive to the financial district (traffic jams abound on the congested streets). Organizations can hold massive conferences, and companies can seal the deal at the adjacent Lazurde Meeting and Conference Center that boasts an over 8,600 square foot ballroom that can be divided up for meetings, an outdoor reception area by the sea, and all the high-tech multimedia gadgets needed for an A+ presentation.
Practically built in the Red Sea itself on the Corniche of Jeddah, it’s hard not to appreciate the view as well. The resort is a remarkable engineering feat that reclaimed prime waterfront land from the Red Sea while retaining the delicate surrounding marine life. It’s the closest hotel in the city to the jaw-dropping King’s Palace, which is located on its own island. It also faces the iconic King Fahd’s Fountain, the world’s tallest fountain, which shoots up water at 233 miles per hour and is illuminated by over 500 spotlights at night.
The restaurant, Nafoura, faces this scene (as do most of the guest rooms) and serves up mouth-watering mezzes and grilled Mediterranean dishes from the open kitchen. Sipping tea (no alcohol allowed) and smoking shisha on the outdoor terrace (the menu has over 20 varieties of the flavored tobacco) will undoubtedly be a popular activity. Cigar aficionados can light up in a separate cigar lounge.
Keeping in line with Park Hyatt’s chic and modern yet understated aesthetic , French interior designer Gilles Quiffet and architect Patrice Hart designed the 142 guest rooms and public spaces to fuse a sleek European style with Arab-Andalusian architecture. Native artwork and crafts adorn the rooms, while intricately landscaped gardens surround the complex. Spa facilities are on the way and will feature separate ladies’ and gentlemen’s areas including the region’s first Hydrotherapy center.
Rates start at 1350 Saudi Riyals.
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… it’s good to be first
In celebration of Crystal Cruises 20th Anniversary in 2010, here is a list of the line’s twenty “firsts” that are making over the concept of luxury cruising:
2. EcoHangers
3. WALKVESTS® (Walk-On-Water program)
4. Vintage Room
5. Chef Nobu
8. MiG jet
10. Mixologist
11. Bhutan overland adventure
12. Cleveland Clinic
13. Creative Learning Institute
14. SeaMobileTM Cellular Service
15. UCLA Center for East-West Medicine partnership
16. Berlitz® language instruction
17. Yamaha keyboard lessons
18. TaylorMade® demos
19. Pillow menu
21. Certified cheese sommeliers
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