Be Our Guest takes you inside Beast’s Castle from the 1991 film, Beauty and the Beast. Featuring French food, Be Our Guest currently serves Quick Service lunch and Full Service dinner. Be Our Guest is not the first Disney restaurant to have some variation in their serving style throughout the day, but it is the largest to do so. During dinner, between 900-1,000 guests will be served and at lunch, approximately 1,500 guests will be served.

The dining rooms for dinner consist of The Ballroom and The West Wing. The Rose Gallery is only open for lunch. The attention to detail is simply amazing. It really feels that you have walked into the same castle from the film. The “snow” you see falling through the windows is the exact same animation used in the film. The faces of the angels you see flying above you in the ceiling have a special meaning. They are either the young faces of Walt Disney Imagineers themselves or of their loved ones.

Although this isn’t a character dining location, you will get to see The Beast! Approximately every thirty minutes an announcement plays as he greets the guests of his castle. He then parades himself through all of the dining rooms and into the Library. In the Library you can take photos with the Beast.

The food is hit or miss. Three people in our party ordered seafood and loved the dishes. The salmon dish and the shrimp and scallops were the best. The Cornish Hen was dry as was the chicken. The children ordered from a kids menu and enjoyed pasta with red sauce and meatloaf, in the shape of Mickey Mouse ears.

Dessert was also surprisingly hit or miss. The strawberry cream cupcake was the best. The triple chocolate cupcake was good and no one enjoyed the cream puffs.

Currently Be Our Guest is booked for dinner through August 2013. They suggest you book six months in advance. You can, of course, walk up and standby for cancellations or no-shows. There are no lunch reservations and we were told the wait can range from 10-30 minutes when the doors open to 90-150 minutes at the peak lunch period. In general, the new Fantasy Land is jammed packed so I suggest getting there as early as possible to avoid lines.

Overall, Be Our Guest is a great experience and worth a visit, if you can get in. Dinner for 5 adults and 2 kids cost $220 without any alcohol or appetizers. So be prepared to spend more than you would in any other Magic Kingdom restaurant.

Baan Glom ‘Gig is a Thai restaurant located just blocks from the American Embassy on Soi Ruamrudee. The restaurant is a favorite of young professionals and expats alike. The restaurant, opened by TV host Kiat Kitcharoen, has gotten mixed reviews from local Thai food critics. Their chief complaints are the price and service. While you can find many, many less expensive Thai restaurants, I did not find Baan Glom ‘Gig to be expensive at all, in fact, dinner w/one beer ran $12 per person. I spent that much yesterday at Starbucks for a drink and sandwich.

The atmosphere is as warm and welcoming as the staff. The menu is has a variety of options (and is printed in both Thai and English) with great photos of many dishes. Compared to most of the restaurants within walking distance of Baan Glom ‘Gig, I found the food to be above average in terms of taste and presentation. I ordered one of my favorite dishes, Khao Pad, a traditional Thai fried rice served with either chicken or shrimp and topped with a fried egg. The dish is usually served with sliced cucumber and slices of lime. Baan Glom ‘Gig’s version of Khao Pad was delicious. This is a great dish for someone who doesn’t like spicy dishes.

My friend ordered Massaman Curry Salmon, using Salmon was a great twist on the traditional dish. She thoroughly enjoyed the dish and thought the spice level was perfect.

I really enjoyed Baan Glom Gig and will return next time I’m in Bangkok. I highly recommend a visit while you’re in Bangkok.

It’s been a full week since I last blogged and a lot has happened. I headed off to London last weekend for a two-week long business trip. Before I left, I blogged about how excited I was for my first stay at a Hilton hotel in more than year.

The London Hilton Hyde Park

When I made my reservation, I submitted a request for early check-in. I arrived at the hotel around 11am and checked in. The check-in process was easy. I was informed that my room was ready, but because some sort of inspections was taking place, he couldn’t give me the keys yet. The person checking me in said it wouldn’t be too long and he’d bring the key to me in bar area. After about an hour, I went back to the front desk to enquire about the room. The same person who had checked me in, and said it wouldn’t be long, said it should only be another few minutes so I waited by reception where there a very few seats. Twenty minutes passed, I inquired again. He said the room still wasn’t ready and that he’d check w/housekeeping to see when it would be done. I then watched him help 5 other guests before sitting back down at the reception desk. I asked him again if he had called housekeeping and he said he had. I knew that wasn’t true because I watched him stand in front of me helping the other guests. He hadn’t picked up the phone, used a walkie-talkie or anything to reach housekeeping. I asked him to please call and he said he would talk to his colleague. He leaned over and to ask another person about the room. The other person said that my room hadn’t been cleaned yet. What? Wait a minute, the guy who checked me in said it was ready, but being inspected. So what was it? I asked to speak with a manager.

The duty manager, Aaron, came to help. I explained that I wasn’t upset that the room wasn’t ready, or that I couldn’t check-in early, but that I was getting very frustrated by the different stories. Was the room clean? Not clean? Was there an inspection? I just wanted an honest answer. Aaron offered me a room right away, but suggested that I check it out to see if I wanted to stay in it. I went up to the room and it was laughable. There was a twin bed, a small TV stand w/TV, a shower (and I think someone over 5′ 5” would have had a hard time showering in it) sink and toilet. It was smaller than my first college dorm room. I went back down to reception and spoke to Aaron. He said he could have another room ready in about an hour. I thanked him and said I’d come back after getting some lunch. When I came back from lunch, a room was ready. Turns out, I ended up switching rooms 3 times until they found me a room that was ½ way decent. The first room had stained floors and a bathtub that was rusty. I needed a shower so I requested a room change. The next room was okay, except that the internet barely worked. On a business trip, internet is essential, so I had to request another room change. The next room was much better except that there was a crumpled up towel next to the sink and soap in the soap dish. There was also a candy wrapper and some stains on the couch in the room.

A colleague staying here as well described lying in the bed like lying on a table. The phone in one of my rooms was missing ½ its keys. It was really only funny because the bellman said “If you need anything press the button for reception” and the reception key was missing (luckily you could get them by dialing zero as well.) When trying to come up with good things to say about the hotel, I think my colleague put it best –”the size of the bath towels is awesome and the heated towel rack is great.”

Overall, I’ve been very disappointed with my experience here. I’ve had the opportunity to speak with the duty manger and GM several times since checking in earlier this week. I’ve found the management of the hotel to be hospitable and eager to make things right. But it seems that they’re working against the physical condition of the hotel and their own team. The hotel is old and in need of upkeep. The rooms are small and run-down. The non-management staff is less than helpful and doesn’t really want to seem to solve problems – they’d rather leave it to mangers to deal with.

I’ll have a full review on the London Hilton Hyde Park in my London: Week 2 trip report.

London’s Borough Market

If you’ve never been to London’s Borough Market it’s worth a visit when you’re in London. The market is full of vendors selling fresh foods, flowers, and local fare. The smells are marvelous and at times overwhelming (there are some very unusual cheese vendors!) You can find every type of food you’d ever want and a free sample of just about everything.

Nobu London

I love Nobu. There’s just no way around it, it’s one of my favorites. I was very excited to share a meal there with some colleagues who had never been. We started with some sushi – yellow tail and scallions, spicy tuna, salmon roll and soft crab roll. The rolls were delicious, especially the yellow tail. Then we had some rock shrimp tempura with three dipping sauces – a ponzu citrus sauce, a spicy aioli and a mildly spicy habanero pepper sauce. It’s one of my favorites and it was just as good as I had remembered. We had some great tempura vegetables – the highlight was the pumpkin. The absolute highlight of the dinner was the anticucho style Tea-smoked lamb with ancho chili sauce. It was one of the most amazing dishes I’ve ever had. It was the first time I’ve had the dish and I can promise it won’t be the last. I’m hooked!

One thing you might not expect at Nobu are outrageous desserts. I’ve always been a fan and this visit wasn’t any different. We had the chocolate bento box – a flourless chocolate fondant cake with green tea ice cream; a fuji apple crumble – seared fuji apples with sesame oil, miso salt, toffee, peanut butter ice cream, and coconut crumble and the warm chocolate santandagi – warm chocolate filled donuts with caramelized pistachio and almond ice cream. The fuji apple crumble is absolutely amazing.

Nobu has locations around the world, if you’re ever near one, check it out!

Make sure you check out next week’s post – London Week 2 for a full report on the Hilton Hyde Park and the Hilton Green Park where I check in next.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the 2013 Charleston Food & Wine Festival Launch Party with Charleston City Paper’s own food writer, Eric Doksa. It was held at the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina.

The event is a great place to get an insider’s view of what’s to come at the Food and Wine Festival. More than 20 of Charleston’s top chefs prepared amazing food and beverages.

Because of the week started off with terrible weather – including flooding- and the forecast for the day called for rain, the event was hosted both inside and under the hotels covered patios. It got a bit crowded at times, but no one seemed to mind. Of course, a highlight of the evening was meeting celebrity Chef and culinary master, George Mendes of ALDEA in New York. Mendes is quite well known in the food world and became publicly recognizable after appearing in Top Chef Masters Season 3.

Several of Charleston’s favorite chefs ran out of food early, leaving many longing for a taste of what they had to offer. Notably, Chef Marc Collins of Circa 1886 and Jacques Larson from Wild Olive were among those who ran out of food.

So what was a hit with the crowd? I asked Doksa what his favorite dishes were and he thought that the best dishes were the Caw Caw Creek suckling pig sausage with faro and butterbean salad by Chefs Chris Stewart and Sarah O’Kelley from the Glass Onion. I have to agree, and in particular, the faro and butterbean salad was one of the single best bites of food all night. I could have taken home a pound of that! Doksa also loved the Pineapple Upside Down Cheese Cake by Tristan’s Amanee Neirouz. Again, I concur, that was one amazing taste of a deconstructed cheesecake. I can still taste that pineapple! Another favorite was the gin drink served by Gin Joint’s Joe Raya. Doksa said “anything Raya touches turns to liquid gold.”

Gin Joint

Glass Onion

Tristan

My personal favorites were the lamb gyro from Cru Café’s John Zucker. I loved the spice the pickled jalapeño added to it. My favorites of the night? The Virginia Heritage Pork belly pastrami with sweet pickled veggies, rye mayo and Geechie Boy Mills Johnny Cake from Husk’s Chef Travis Grimes. I saw it described in the paper today as a fancy little pizza. I personally would not describe it as a pizza, but no matter how you described it, it was simply amazing. I didn’t realize the dish was from Husk when I tried it, I’ve found Husk to be hit or miss when I’ve dined there and I’m not a huge pork fan, so it came as a huge surprise that this was my favorite. It made me want to head back to Husk and give it another try. The other dish of the night was the previously mentioned Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Cru Café

Husk

So, what got mixed reviews? Everyone agreed that the bratwurst tartine by Chef Todd Garrigan from the soon to open Craftsman Kitchen and Tap House lacked a little flavor. Another disappointing bite was pastry Chef Andrea Upchurch’s southern inspired macaroons. They were very chewy and sticky. I was very mixed about the salmon with apple radish salad on a grit cake. The grit cake was very oily and soaked up so much liquid from the dish that it became dense and heavy. The salmon and radish salad were good and would have been better without the grit cake.

The best single bite of the night goes to Cru Café’s miniature chicken and waffles. The presentation was great and it was really tasty. Chicken in a waffle cone, brilliant!

The festival will run from February 28^th through March 3^rd 2013. Unless you have an unlimited budget, deciding what events to attend can be a challenge. Here are a few events I would personally buy tickets for:

The Grocery Breakfast on March 1^st. Based on last night’s launch event, this breakfast is sure to be popular. Unfortunately, since I’m allergic to tomato, I was unable to taste the breakfast hash prepared by Chef Kevin Johnson. However, I had a great time watching him prepare it!

The Low Country Jazz Brunch at Husk on March 3^rd. I’m sure this will sell out fast; the Jazz brunch is a favorite every year.

The World of Fried Chicken at Hominy Grill on March 2^nd. Hominy is a local favorite and has great fried chicken so I’m sure this will be a fun event.

Tickets will sell fast, so make sure you get them quickly if you have an event you don’t want to miss.

Visiting Charleston for the event?

If you’re coming from out-of-town, you’ll need to find a place to stay. Expect hotels in downtown to be astronomically expensive. I looked at the Renaissance hotel, The Charleston Place, the Doubletree and the Francis Marion and couldn’t find a room under $400/night. The Food & Wine Festival is offering hotel and event ticket packages. There is no way I’d book any of the hotel & ticket packages – unless, of course, money is no object – they’re outrageously priced. For example, the Best Western is offering rooms for $499/night with a minimum of 3 nights and it includes tickets 2 tickets to one of the Perfectly Paired Dinners on March 1, 2 tickets to the Low Country Jazz Brunch on March 3 and 2 tickets to the culinary village and tasting tent on March 2^nd. The value of the events equals $827 dollars. Three nights at the hotel will cost $1497 which means you’re paying $670 or $223+ dollars a night for the best western. I would never pay $223/night to stay at the downtown Charleston Best Western. From there, all of the prices just go up.

So where is one to stay? I would suggest renting a car and staying in one of the neighboring areas. You can stay on the beach in Isle of Palms or James Island or you can stay in Mt Pleasant for ½ the price of what downtown hotels are charging and it will only take you about 15 minutes (maybe more with event traffic) to get downtown. There’s plenty of inexpensive parking downtown and it’s very easy to get around. I’d also look at renting a vacation home – lots of people put their homes and condos on the market for the weekend! There are tons of booking sites easily found on the web.

I grew up just outside of Tampa and after college moved back to work for The Tampa Bay Lightning.  After working for several NHL teams, I moved back to Tampa and spent a few more years there before landing in Charleston, where I call home now.

The Tampa Bay Times Forum, where the convention will be held, was once called the Ice Palace and down below the stands and suites, there was an office with my name on it.  (The picture at left is how I remember it looking!)  I look back very fondly on those years and have a lot of great restaurant recommendations that you should check out if you’re headed down to the convention – that is, if the hurricane doesn’t make a mess of things.

In South Tampa/Downtown

Ciccio’s California Cuisine, located in Tampa’s SoHo neighborhood (SoHo stands for South of Howard. Howard is one of the main streets in South Tampa) is a great place for lunch or dinner. Ciccio’s has the most amazing grilled wraps that come with dipping sauces.  My favorite wrap has been on the menu since they opened (which if memory serves me right, was around 1997) it’s the Southwest wrap with chopped chicken or steak, sweet peppers, onions, mushrooms, yellow rice and jalapeno jack cheese.  It goes incredibly well with the creamy horseradish sauce.   In addition to the wraps, they offer California bowls (think wrap without the carbs), salads, stir-fry and at dinner time, a full menu of options.

Water - connected to Ciccio’s is a sushi restaurant called water.  It’s great because you can order off the menu for either and do take-out!  You’ll find Water has a great atmosphere.

Bern’s Steak House –  Bern’s Steakhouse opened in 1956 and has been a Tampa staple ever since.  Bern’s has its own farm where it grows many of the items it serves.  Bern’s has a 6,500 label wine collection and has won many awards from Wine Spectator.  They also have more than 1,000 after-dinner spirits, wines and cordials.  While Bern’s is one of Tampa’s most well known steak houses…what you really need to check out is Bern’s dessert room. It’s amazing.  You will love the food at the Steak house, but you should make sure to save room for dessert.

Jackson’s Bistro - Located on Harbour Island, just across from the site of the convention, Jackson’s is a great place to sit outside, enjoy the view of the water, and have a great drink, or two.

Fresh – Fresh is a hot new spot in Downtown Tampa to get fast, fresh food.  Fresh bills themselves as a cereal bar, salad emporium, soup kettle and frozen wonderland.  Fresh was recommended by my best friend and she knows what’s good!

Bella’s Italian Cafe – Bella’s, in South Tampa, is a great spot for Italian food.  The restaurant has great outdoor seating – assuming it’s not pouring rain.  Bella’s has been in the same spot on Howard since 1987 when it opened its doors.  They have great wood-fired pizzas and traditional fare.  I was a huge fan of their chicken picatta and caesar salad.

717 South – another SoHo favorite, 717 serves an eclectic menu  of authentic Italian dishes  to exotic seafood from the Pacific Rim.  I’ve only been to 717 South one time, but it was very good. However, it was another recommendation from my best friend and I’m telling you, she knows her stuff!  My mom says they have the best crab cakes in town too!

In Tarpon Springs

Tarpon Springs is a Greek Community located around 30 minutes outside of Tampa and across Tampa Bay.  Tarpon Springs sits on the Gulf of Mexico and offers a very unique experience for visitors.  Tarpon has one of the few – if only- working sponge docks in the country.  You can have dinner and buy a loofah sponge! How great is that.

I went to high school at Tarpon Springs High School and our mascot was the Sponger – yep, the Sponger big old diving mask and all. Most of the restaurants that were on the docks 20 years ago when I was in high school are still on there today.

Hella’s Restaurant – Hella’s is my favorite Greek restaurant and I always visit when I’m in town.  It’s cheesy and traditional and the perfect place to enjoy traditional food that’s been prepared the same way since they opened in 1970.  The Gyro (pronounced ‘year-oh’ not ji-roh or hero, or any other way) is always what I order.  It’s what a Gyro should be and will be the standard to which I judge against forever.   Stop by the bakery on your way out and take home some great goodies.

In St Petersburg

ABC Seafood - There’s no website for ABC Seafood, so I’ve put a link to a map and contact info. ABC Seafood is the only place my family goes for Chinese & Asian food in Pinellas County.  You won’t go wrong at ABC!  We recommend the spicy eggplant and honey walnut shrimp.

Cafe Ponte –  is a trendy spot for contemporary American cuisine with French, Asian, and Italian influences.  The mushroom bisque is amazing!  In addition to how great the food is, the owner Chef Christopher Ponte is incredibly philanthropic and it makes me happy to support his restaurant.

In Multiple Locations

The Columbia – The Columbia is a historic Tampa restaurant and now a landmark.  The Columbia is supposedly Florida’s oldest restaurant and was opened in Ybor City in 1905 by Cuban immigrants.  Today they’re located all across Florida and have locations in St Petersburg, Tampa’s Riverwalk and the original location in Ybor City.  For some traditional Cuban sandwiches and a bit of history, make sure you check out The Columbia.

In Rocky Point

Oystercatchers – which calls the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay Home  is the perfect place to have a drink and watch the sunset over Tampa Bay.  Rocky Point is a short 5 minute ride from the Airport and about 10 minutes from downtown, so it’s very easy to get to.  Oystercatchers is known for its fresh, wild and line-caught fish. The swordfish, when on the menu, is hard to beat and you’d be remiss if you didn’t try the Sticky Toffee Date Pudding – it’s really worth all the calories.

On Clearwater Beach

Frenchy’s – Frenchy’s is a classic spot on the beach, open since 1981, to grab some lunch and relax.  Frenchy’s is famous for its Grouper Sandwiches but also serves some great gumbos, seafood platters and Florida Stone Crab claws.  This is a very fun spot to catch some sun, sand and good food.

Do you have a Tampa area favorite? Let me know!

Photography Courtesy of Killeen Mullen

L’Appart is a modern and charming French restaurant atop the brand-new Sofitel Sukhumvit Bangkok hotel. The restaurant design is based on a Haussmann-style apartment (Haussmann buildings are also referred to as pierre de taille or cut stone) with beautiful decorative finishes, wooden floors, and fireplaces. There are several rooms, just like an apartment, including a library, a living room, a kitchen and dining room. The restaurant feels like a place you would call home.

Sofitel Sukhumvit Executive Chef Aurelien Poirot has worked in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and now, Bangkok. He has cooked at some of the most acclaimed hotels and restaurants around the world including, The Grand Amsterdam, Sofitel Brussels, 3 Michelin Star rated Le Meurice under chef Yannick Alleno, 2 Michelin Star Lasserre, 3 Michelin Star Taillevent, and several Alain Ducasse restaurants including Il Cortile.

Jeremy Tourret serves as Executive Sous Chef at L’Appart and was in the kitchen during both of my visits this month.  His kitchen, which is visible to diners, is pristine.  The kitchen is decorated in black and reds and is quite welcoming – like a kitchen should be.

The attention to detail at L’Appart is inspired.  From the décor – cook books on shelves in the kitchen, dish towels in a cabinet in the dining room, stunning lamps and sculptures – to the presentation of food, no detail is left to chance.

During our first visit, we sat in the living room and had a nice view of the kitchen.  On our second visit, we sat at the chef’s table in the kitchen and it was an amazing experience.

The menu at L’Appart, created by chef Tourret, changes about every two-weeks.  According to General Manager Christian Schlegel, who we met during our second visit, Tourret cooks food that inspires him – food that he loves.

His love of food, and his talent for creating masterpieces is evident in every dish he presents.

Prior to joining L’Appart, Tourret ran the kitchen in the Sofitel Silom Bangkok and the Park Hyatt Daubi.

During our visits we were able to taste some amazing dishes.  On my first visit, I started with the blue crab raviol, lobster bisque, fresh herb salad and combawa oil (an essential oil).  The ravioli were amazingly delicious and the presentation was beautiful.  It was a great way to start the meal.  My main course was the chicken breast with black truffles, pumpkin puree, parmesan foam and poultry juice.   The chicken was so moist and cooked perfectly.  The flavors of the black truffles were delicious and the pumpkin puree was good too.  I loved the chicken.  I finished the night off with a home-made Oreo Cheesecake that was very good.   I loved everything I had that night.

On our second visit we tried a few more items that we shared at our chefs table.  We started with the cod fish carpaccio and fresh herb salad.  I was unable to taste this one because it had tomato in it (I’m allergic). But my friend loved it.  We had the snail raviol which were to die for.  The snails had been flown in from France and the flavor in the dish was simply out of this world.  I could have ordered a second one if there wasn’t so much food coming our way.  We also had the pan fried veal liver deglase sherry vinegare with young cress and crispy speck.  The veal liver was so good and the flavors mixed so well.  I loved the sherry vinaigrette on the dish.

After the starters, I had the lobster cooked in lemongrass butter served with oyster and potato mousseline and my friend had the steamed salmon fillet served with ginger, lemongrass and kaffir lime.   Both of the main dishes were good, but the lobster really stole the show. The presentation was spectacular and it tasted even better.

We ended the evening with several desserts that we shared.  All of the desserts are home-made and we tried the mango cake – which was a little too sweet for me, a triple chocolate cake which was amazing.  It was not overly sweet and had great texture.

After dessert, we were presented with homemade marsh-mellows and candies which were very good and a great way to end the evening.

The meals were so exceptional that I would return to L’Appart anytime I’m in Bangkok and would highly recommend the restaurant to others.  The experience is exceptional and the food is incredible.  You can’t go wrong with L’Appart.

This Saturday I enjoyed a meal with a friend at Pollen Street Social in London. The meal has made it to my list of top 10 meals of all time – yes, it was that good.   Located in the Mayfair district, Chef Jason Atherton – formerly of Gordon Ramsay’s Maze restaurant – has created a contemporary and trendy eatery well worth its acclaim as one of London’s best new restaurants.

I arrived at Pollen Street Social before my friend and was greeted by two hostesses who were very friendly and offered to take my coat.   I took a seat on a comfortable couch in the bar area.  While I waited, I was offered a drink menu by at least 3 different people and offered water a few times as well.  The entire bar and reception staff was very welcoming and accommodating.  The bar is light and airy and has an informal and warm vibe.

Once my friend arrived, we were taken to our table in the main dining area.   The meal started with fresh bread, dips and Spanish olives.  Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and made several recommendations.  Since I have a food allergy- tomatoes- ordering was a little challenging.

I started my meal with the scallop ceviche served with cucumber, apple, radish and yuzu soy dressing. The presentation was beautiful and the dish was delicious. The scallops were fresh and thinly cut and the combination of cucumber and yuzu dressing was great.

For my main course, my options were a bit limited and, in fact, I had to go with my third choice.  The manager even came to the table to discuss my options with me – turns out most of the meats are braised in a tomato base of some sort or another.  So after I gave up on the idea of having duck or Atlantic Halibut, I settled on the roasted sea bass with celeriac, celery and celeriac crumble.  The dish typically comes with a truffle sauce, but that had to be replaced because it had tomato in it.  In the end, I was thrilled with the sea bass. The fish was cooked perfectly and the texture and flavor were dead on.

After the main meal, we were served a pineapple granita topped with Kaffir lime, a thick lychee foam and passion fruit coulis. It was a great way to cleanse the palate and prepare for dessert.

Having read much about the restaurant online, I knew I had to save – or make – room for dessert.  The dessert choices all looked amazing – and in fact, the restaurant has its own dessert bar – but I had to go with the PBJ.  The PBJ looked amazing online, but only tasting it in person can really do it justice (my pictures certainly don’t do it justice).  The PBJ is a peanut butter parfait with cherry jam and creamed rice puffs.  The dish also had a scoop of sorbet and fresh blackberries.  It was as good as I had hoped and just enough sweetness to end the meal – or so I thought.

Just when you think you’re done, the staff, who never stopped attending to our table throughout the meal, return with a box filled with chocolates and miniature macaroons – the macaroons were yummy!  And then, just before you’re served the check, you’re given one last treat – a classic French financier.  Ours were filled with Almond and Pumpkin and were warm and rich.

Every attention to detail was thought through and looked after.  The service was spectacular and the food was magnificent.  Pollen Street Social is expensive – but it’s worth the price for a special dinner you’re not likely to forget.

Pollen Street Social Dining Room

Pollen Street Social Bar

Scallops

Sea Bass

The Granita

The PBJ Desert

Pop restaurant describes itself as a Modern Australian Cuisine with European flair. Located on Hardware Lane, I was drawn to Pop because they offered Kangaroo on their menu.

Hardware Lane is two city blocks full of cafes and restaurants and full of energy. Each restaurant is competing for dinners and as such, offers great specials. Pop offered us a complimentary glass of wine with each entrée and the house tapas – on the house.

We dined outside at Pop and the only drawback is that smoking in Melbourne is very popular and detracts from an enjoyable experience. I was intrigued by the Kangaroo and inquired about it. When we inquired with the host about the Kangaroo, he said, “It’s good, if you like Kangaroo.” That wasn’t particularly helpful. Our server wasn’t familiar with the Kangaroo either, but she called someone over who highly recommended and so I went for it.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the Kangaroo. It was a bit to charred on the outside, but the meat was extremely tender and very flavorful. It came with truffle mashed potatoes and a blackberry sauce. I would highly recommend the Kangaroo, it was delicious (I would describe Kangaroo as similar to venison, but more tender and less gamey.)

I would certainly go back to Pop, but I’d also like to try many of the other restaurants on Hardware Lane and discover what Australian delicacies they have to offer.

Kangaroo at Pop

Google Maze Melbourne and you’ll find many references to celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. But click on the links and all signs of Ramsay’s affiliation with Maze Melbourne have been removed. December 9th was the last night Maze Melbourne operated under the Ramsay name and I had an opportunity to experience one of the final services.

I was told reservations were required for Maze, and so I made a reservation for Friday December 9th. I was told the only open time for 2 people was at 6:30pm, so we accepted. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a hostess who asked us to have a seat in the bar lounge. We did and after about 10 minutes were shown to our table. The dining room was almost empty – there was a table of 1 and a table of 2 already seated. I wondered why a reservation was necessary.

Our server greeted us with a wine menu and took drink orders. She then provided the dinner menu. There was a choice between a $120 (AUD) tasting menu which did not include wine pairings and an a la carte menu with items priced between $16 and $35 (AUD) each. All items on the a la carte menu are small plates, and our server advised us that most guests required 3-4 items to feel satisfied. We quickly discovered that dinner at Maze can become very pricy.

We started the evening with Foie Gras and French toast, caramelized apple and amaranth and Roasted Scallops, sherry caramel, wild rice and spices. The portions were shockingly small, even for small plates. The Foie Gras and French toast was a good concept and very tasty, but the Foie Gras seemed to be an afterthought on the dish…the primary focus being the caramelized apples. The Roasted Scallops were delicious and perfectly cooked. The sherry sauce was marvelous and the crunch of the wild rice added an interesting contrast to the scallops. I would order the scallops again.

Our second course consisted of St Leonards Snapper, chopped Kipfler potatoes and wild greens and a plate of Yarra Valley Duck Breast, roasted squash and beluga lentils. Both dishes were mouth-watering and left us wanting more. The snapper was flaky and moist and the flavor of the potatoes was a perfect complement. The duck was cooked medium and was extremely tender and flavorful. The squash was interesting but the highlight of the dish was most certainly the beluga lentils. They were outstanding.

Still hungry, we requested the menu from the server. It was at that time that we learned there was a special – something she had forgotten to mention when we ordered originally. The small plate was a veal dish and she quickly convinced us to order it. While we waited, we noticed that the dining room was beginning to fill up at about 7:30, but still there were plenty of tables open, which left me wondering why reservations were necessary. When our Poached Veal, Asparagus and polenta dish arrived, we were again surprised at how small the dish was. The veal was cooked well, but very under seasoned and the least successful of the dishes we had ordered so far. The shaved asparagus was the best part of the dish.

Still hungry, we decided to order dessert. We ordered one dessert to share and our server seemed pretty surprised. When it arrived, we understood, the desserts were also “small plates.” We ordered the Coffee Ganache, Salted Caramel, Hazelnut ice cream. The dessert was the most disappointing part of the meal. The ganache did not taste at all like coffee and we only discovered the salted caramel once we got to the center of the ganache. The Hazelnut ice cream was good, but the portions were so small that after one bite each the ice cream was gone. I wouldn’t order the dessert again.

With our check came a plate of salted caramel truffles. They were good, but very, very messy and extremely similar to our dessert – the only thing missing was the ice cream.

I can see why Ramsay’s restaurant wasn’t the success he is used to. Melbourne is a city filled with exceptional restaurants and cafes and Maze, inside the Crown Metropol Hotel was quite expensive and seemed mainly filled with tourists and hotel guests. The majority of the food was very good and some of it brilliant and the presentation was exceptional, but overall, I was left hungry and underwhelmed by Maze.

Chef John Lawson is Executive Chef at Maze, but the staff was silent when I asked if he would be staying at Maze or rejoining one of Ramsay’s other restaurants.

Maze Melbourne Menu

Dining Room

Foie Gras French Toast

Scallops

Snapper

Duck

Veal

Coffee Ganache Dessert

Truffle

Having spent the last 6 years of my life on the road, I’ve seen a lot of interesting and unique places. I’ve been to all 50 states and 4 Canadian Provinces. I’ve been to the UK, Paris, Switzerland, Germany, Thailand, and Singapore and this month I’m headed to Australia and Fiji.

Ironically, I’m writing this post from my home base, Charleston, South Carolina. This is the longest time in 6 years that I have been at home and on November 15th I start year 7 of travel. In 2012, I’ll focus solely on international travel and expect to add a lot of amazing destinations to this list.

I just got Oprah’s O Magazine December 2011 issue filled with her favorite things. The magazine inspired me to think back about my travels and my favorite things. So here they are:

FOOD:
NYC – Morimoto – The Carmel Apple Tourban -a free-form apple souffle sitting on apple confit topped with a housemade cotton candy, accompanied by vanilla bean ice cream and carmel glaze. Morimoto is one of my favorite restaurants, but this dessert is one of my all-time favorites….#2 behind the Pot de chocolate et Crème at Church and State in LA.

LA – Church & State – the Pot de chocolate et Crème – a chocolate coffee custard w/crème. The Pot de chocolate et Crème is to die for. It’s my #1 favorite of all time. I could order it for my appetizer, for my main course and for dessert and be totally happy!

Philadelphia – Abners – The best Philly Cheesesteak I’ve ever had. On the University of Pennsylvania campus in University City, this is a place you must visit.

Sylvia ,NC – Lulu’s on Main – they make their own salad dressings that are to die for. I went twice in the same week – that’s how good it was (it had nothing to do w/the fact that there’s not much else in town!).

Bar Harbor Maine – Guinness and Porcelli’s – a fabulous Italian restaurant in a very small town. We ate here at least once a week over year-long project in Bar Harbor. The Sausage and Fennel Cream Pasta was my favorite. If it’s still on the menu, I highly recommend it. They also have fabulous Crème Brule. Guinness and Porcelli’s is definitely worth a visit. Granted, eating here with one of my best friends in the world, Casey, made it all the better!

Anacortes, WA – Adrift – a very cool place. The food is all locally grown and the restaurant features local art and sustainable wood floors and furniture.

San Francisco, CA – First Crush Restaurant and Wine Bar- has the best desserts in San Fran in my opinion and great dessert wines! The
valhrona triple chocolate mousse was amazing.

Beverly Hill, CA – Bouchon Beverly Hills – my all time favorite restaurant. I love Chef Thomas Keller’s Beverly Hills restaurant. You can’t go wrong with anything you order.

HOTELS:
The JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa, Thailand – the hotel was amazing and the food was exceptional. One of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

The Le Méridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort , Thailand – a little slice of heaven. The Le Meridien offered one of the best meals in Thailand in their Italian Restaurant – the smoked salmon Bruschetta has become a staple at all of my parties (the head chef was kind enough to provide me the recipe.)

The Stanford Court Renaissance, in San Francisco CA – the hotel is a fabulous boutique hotel with exceptional service. Located on Nob Hill, the Stanford Court has a perfect location (on two trolley lines) and amazing views of the city.

I’ll keep adding to the list of my favorite things so keep checking back.

Let’s got to Next Door. Where? Next Door. Seems to be a circular conversation I’m having more often these days. The restaurant, named Next Door, is next to (or a few doors down) Red Drum in Mt Pleasant.

I always loved the interior of Samos, and the owners of Next Door left it mainly intact. They’ve added some new touches and improved on some of what existed. Next Door offers a great bar and outdoor seating area. The restaurant is perfect for a date or dinner with friends. Large booths offer ample seating and tables are cozy.

Our group started with the Thai Coconut Soup with Kaffir Lime, Salmon Belly Crudo, Risotto of Sea Scallops and Local Shrimp with Tomatoes, Citrus, Mint and Parsley and Stracci with Smoked Lamb, Root Vegetables, Swiss Chard and Ricotta Salata. The Salmon Crudo was delicious. It was cut perfectly, had a great rich, buttery flavor, and was beautifully presented. The group thought the Stracci pasta was cut a bit thick, and it was our least favorite appetizer. The Risotto and the soup were big hits.

For dinner, I had the Mustard Roasted Cornish Hen with Papardelle, Mushrooms and Little Onions. The Hen was cooked impecibally. It was moist and flavorful. I had a hard time tasting the mustard, but the preparation was excellent and I loved the dish. I also thought that the papardelle was thick but the taste was wonderful. The others ordered Pan Seared Pork Chops with Bacon Confit and Braised Beef Short Ribs. Everyone loved their meals. The portion sizes are very generous.

Dessert at Next Door is from Wildflour Bakery – a reason in and of itself to visit Next Door. Wildflour makes some of the most amazing desserts. We had the Pumpkin Goat Cheese Cake with a ginger snap crust and maple glaze and the Chocolate Trio Tart with dark chocolate ganache, dark chocolate crip and white chocolate sauce. The cheesecake was amazing. The ginger snap crust and maple glaze was a great addition to the sweet and savory combination of pumpkin and goat cheese. The Chocolate Trio was sinful. A classic combination of chocolate flavors. The meal was capped with French Press coffee.

Next Door, owned by Ben Barryhill is a great addition to Mt Pleasant. In addition to great food, the service was outstanding and atmosphere inviting. I highly recommend a trip Next Door.

Mustard Roasted Cornish Game Hen

Pork Chop

Chocolate Trio Torte

Pumpkin Goat Cheese Cake