Church & State isn’t the easiest place to find – for a non-local – but it’s certainly worth discovering! Located in an urban industrial area undergoing a revitalization, Church & State is in a great building. What a great escape! The food is absolutely superb and the service was equally impressive. The environment is great, open, and just enough noise. On our visit, we had:

First Course: Escargots de Bourgogne en croute – the snails were perfectly cooked. Tarte aux courges – caramelized onions, butternut squash, goat cheese, arugala and balsamic reduction – what a great combination and a great dish to share.

Second Course: Paue de Saumon d’Escosse – Scottish salmon, roasted lady apples, caramelized fennel and cucumber – a very good, solid dish. The salmon was cooked just to my liking.

Final Course: A Cherry and Pistachio tarte. And the crème de la crème – the Pot de chocolate et Crème – chocolate coffee custard w/crème. The Pot de chocolate et Crème was to die for! I am still dreaming – and talking – about this dessert.

I highly recommend Church & State, it’s worth a visit! Make sure you save room for dessert. Your belt might regret it, but your tastbuds will love you!

Reservations are recommended.

The Westin O’Hare always stands out to me for their exceptional service. I’ve always had good experiences at the Westin O’Hare and this visit was no exception. After flying in from Philly, I arrived at the Westin at about 10:30pm with a killer tooth ache and an extremely swollen face. At check-in I inquired about an urgent care facility I could visit until I got to the dentist the next day. Vicki, the front desk agent, was more than accommodating. She found me an urgent care facility, got me directions to the dentist, and offered me complimentary hot tea or anything else I needed from room service. When I got to my room, I was pleasantly surprised with a suite upgrade! Before I knew it, room service was at my door with a bucket of ice – for the swelling. Vicki called to make sure I was okay and then hotel security called to see if they could do anything for me. The hotel staff really made me feel like I was at home even though I felt terrible!
The hotel rooms are spacious – my suite is extra great – and it’s always clean. The double shower-heads are a great Westin perk! Currently, the Westin O’Hare is offering a $5 a day voucher or 500 points/day if you opt-out of housekeeping services. Great way to earn some extra points and cut down on the laundry, electricity, washing detergent, etc… – being green is rewarding.
Tonight, room service brought me soup and tea and a bucket of ice. Being on the road and having to deal with medical issues is never fun, but the Westin sure has gone out of their way to make my experience better. Service and experience like this reminds me why I’m a loyal SPG member and why I keep returning to the Westin O’Hare and other Starwood hotels.
When you’re looking for a hotel at O’Hare, you should definitely stay at the Westin!

The Westin Governor in Morristown NJ is a good hotel. It’s not the best Westin I’ve ever been to (that’s the Westin Siray Bay, Phuket Thailand) but it’s has its pros and cons. Parking is free – that’s a huge plus since the price for self-parking can run upwards of $30 at other Westin and higher end Starwood properties. The lobby is bright and spacious. In the morning, they have a full-service Starbucks and in the evenings there’s a massage therapist in the hotel lobby. Wireless in the room worked very well. The room I had was a very clean, large room with two queen beds. There were plenty of plugs (a huge deal for business travelers with lots of electronics) There is no concierge lounge – a definite con and no suite upgrades. Copelands Restaurant is located inside the hotel. Its run by Chef Thomas Ciszak, formerly the executive chef of the banquet department at NYC’s famed Tavern on the Green. The Copeland is a very high-end, high-priced restaurant, but the food is great. The lobster roll and truffle fries were amazing – but be prepared to spend at least $40 on dinner (without alcohol). Overall, a good hotel, I would definitely stay at the Westin Governor again.

The Sheraton Newark, an off-airport property, is old and in need of serious renovations. The rooms were straight out of the 70s with old carpet – the only thing that looked new was the linen and bath products. It was not well light and the bathroom was very small. The saving factor was that everything was very clean. Clean wins over old any day. The lobby is large – there’s an indoor pool – a lobby bar and restaurant (overpriced) and gift shop (that doesn’t allow room charges.) I ended up at the Sheraton after a cancelled flight left me stranded at Newark. I would stay here again in a pinch, but it wouldn’t be my first choice for any other visit.

I had the opportunity to visit Chef Kevin Gillespie’s (of Top Chef fame) Woodfire Grill in Atlanta, GA for the second time. I had a vague memory of how good it was the first time, but couldn’t even imagine the treat I was in for on trip #2. We ventured out in a terrible summer storm looking for a great meal, and we sure found one. They wouldn’t seat us until the 4th member of our party arrived – soaked and ready for a drink – but did offer us a spot at the bar while we waited.

On this trip, we all ordered the five-course tasting menu and it was amazing. The staff was exceptional and service superb. The first thing our server did was ask about food alergies – since I’m alergic to Tomato, this was a great starting point. How refreshing not to have to explain that yes – ketchup does have tomato in it! Our server was familiar with the beer and wine list – a great hit with my fellow diners – and made some great recommendations.

It’s a little noisy inside, but overall a great atmosphere and well designed.

Here is the menu we enjoyed on this trip:
Amuse
Anson mills faro piccolo with cucumber, red onion and parsley

First Course
Alaskan King Salmon tartare, fresh peach, avocado and pickled jalapeno with a ginger vinaigrette (Salmon, my favorite! Great start. I loved this.)

Second Course
Pan roasted Carolina trout, brown butter sauce, sweet corn, peach and green garlic relish with smoked corn puree (Yum, I could have had a full plate of this!)

Taste
Watermelon with peach, cilantro and lime aqua Fresca (this was very interesting….reminded me of some Eye Openers created for Le Meridien by Jean-Georges…buy way better!!)

Third Course
Chaat Masala Spiced local quail, marinated baby beets, spiced carrots and medjool date puree (delish!!)

Fourth Course
Wood oven roasted asparagus over oyster mushrooms and creamed beet greens (this was a substitution becuase the original course had tomato – bummer I got this option – but somtimes you have to suffer with an allergy!)

Dessert
Chocolate mousse, almond Bavarian cream, cherry Chantilly, almond tuile and almond cherry puree (OMG! This was amazing! So glad we got the tasting menu and ended with an amzing dessert)

Wow, that’s about all I can say. There aren’t really words to explain the food, it was just that great. The experience was fantastic and the food was exceptional. I would highly recommend a vist to Woodfire Grill in Altanta for any special occasion. You will not be disappointed. I can’t wait for another visit!

I’ve had many trips to Atlanta for business and pleasure and felt compelled to blog this time. They say there’s a first time for everything, and here it is, my first negative review of a Starwood Property.

I checked into the W Atlanta Buckhead and was so pleased to hear I’d been upgraded. I had no idea the nightmare I was about to have. The lobby is dark and noisy, but the artwork is great. The staff is hit-or-miss. Check-in experience was very good, but when I encountered a problem that evening, it was not dealt with well until I got a manager involved. There’s no concierge lounge and even though I got a certificate in my check-in packet for a free water – they informed me they ran out of mini-bar keys. Hmmm…are people stealing mini-bar keys? How do you run out?

So here’s the story – The man in the room that connected to my spectacular room had his TV on. It was loud! At mid-night, he still had his TV on, and I could hear everything, verbatim. 1am, TV still on, 2am TV still on…and finally, just after 2am someone called security. They knocked, I heard the whole conversation, he turned down the volume slightly and then, about 20 minutes later, turned it right back up. 3am, someone else called security. They knocked, had a conversation, he turned down the volume and again, when they were gone, turned it right back up. So finally at 4:15am I called security. They came back, knocked, had a conversation (yep, I heard the whole thing) and finally, around 4:30am he turned off the TV! Who does this? We’re at the W for heaven’s sake.

Well, it’s not the hotels fault, so I was still pretty calm, but definitely grumpy when my alarm when off 2 hours later. I didn’t get pissed off until I made my way to the registration desk and had a less than lovely encounter with the hotel staff.
I asked, the man at the desk if they could move me to a different room if the person next door was not checking out. He looked up my room – saw that I am Platinum – and then looked up the room next door. He confirmed that the person was not checking out, and promptly told me “sorry, I can’t move your room though, we’re sold out.” I asked if they could move me before some other’s checked in today. “nope, we can’t do anything” was the reply I got.

So, I went to work, and stewed all day. I returned to the hotel after a very long day at work and asked for a manager. I was prepared for a fight. I told him the situation and requested that he move my room – after all, I’m a loyal guest, it’s the least they could do. He actually agreed and within 5 minutes a member of the staff (Robert) escorted me to my old room, got my bag and brought me to the new room. Now that’s what should have happened this morning.

All-in-all, I don’t think the W is worth it. It’s trendy, stylish and the definately cool, but for business, I prefer the W or Sheraton.

Next time I’m back in ATL for business, I’ll be staying at the Westin Buckhead. So much nicer! They have a concierge lounge, great breakfast, bright, airy lobby with lots of space and oh, yes, the rooms are much, much quieter!

The Le Meridien Khoa Lak is nestled between the Phang Na Rain Forests and beautiful white beaches. It’s quite a trek from the Phuket airport, but the serene and tranquil nature of the resort is worth the drive north. We stayed in one of the luxurious pool-side villas that offered an indoor and outdoor shower, private patio with an amazing view of the lake, and plenty of other amenities. The villa was amazing! The service was exceptional and second to none. The standard rooms are lovely, but a bit on the small side compared to other Phuket and Phang Na resorts.

The resort offers plenty of restaurant options, though you’ll have to figure out the schedule upon arrival – they’re not all open at the same time. The Twin Lake Pavilion serves bbq and Japanese cuisine. Surrounded by rain forest, the bugs were out in force here and the service was not as expected. The food, however, was very good. The Bamboo Bar and Seafood Grill was open daily for lunch and dinner. Beach front dining was such a treat and the food was exceptional. We ate lunch here most days, and went for seafood one night. No complaints at all – and it’s priced very well too. Baan Thai was very good Thai food and a great experience. A little pricier than the Bamboo Bar, but still a great dinner option. Baan Thai also served breakfast for villa guests & platinum members. It was a nice alternative to the huge breakfast buffet. Café Lilawadee serves a huge breakfast every morning. The buffet is quite amazing with an array of food and beverages that I’ve never seen before. They also serve the signature breakfast and “eye-openers” created by three-star Michelin chef, Jean-George. I fell in love with the Oatmeal Soufflé. The Bangsak Grill offers Italian food and is definitely worth a visit when you’ve overdosed on Thai. I discovered one of my favorite dishes of all time at the Bangsak and the Chef and General Manger were kind enough to provide me with the recipe and I make it now often.

The pools are exceptional and the beach can’t be beat. Cold towels and fresh fruit are served pool-side throughout the day. There are plenty of lounges and very attentive pool staff. There are many small vendors and restaurants along the beach offering local flair, food and hospitality.

The Spa is amazing and shouldn’t be missed. There are outdoor massages on the beach and a huge spa in the center of the resort. Many specials are offered that made the spa very affordable. I highly recommend the Le Meridien Khoa Lak for a peaceful and restful vacation.

The Pool at the Le Meridien Khoa Lak: