I returned recently from a European girls getaway with my three sisters and Florence was our first destination. What can I say, other than bellissimo!

With its red-tiled roofs, centuries-old architecture and open plazas, Florence is perfect for exploring on foot. Shortly after arriving, we walked over to Rivoire – a café conveniently located in the Piazza della Signoria. We visited with a friend over drinks and decadent desserts and soaked up the historic surroundings. The chocolate-covered profiteroles were the group favorite.

Since we were in Florence we had to visit the Duomo and even better, climb the 463 winding steps to the top. When we reached the top we were rewarded with amazing panoramic views of the city.

For art, we visited the Accademia museum where we saw Michelangelo’s famous statue of David. We also visited the Uffizi museum, which contains the Medici collection of Renaissance art and is located in a classic building overlooking the Arno River.

We had lunch one day at Trattoria Mario – a local hang-out where you sit at communal tables. We ordered the Bistecca alla Florentina (steak cooked rare) with rosemary garlic white beans (yum) and pasta. The Italian man we sat next to was so generous he offered samples of his dishes so we would know what to order — just one example of the Italian hospitality we found everywhere.

Artisans

Some of the things I enjoyed most about Florence were found by strolling down the narrow streets between the plazas. Florence is made up of tiny shops and artisan-based businesses. In one shop’s window I saw a man working on a cello, on another street a man was carving an ornate wood frame. In the Santa Croce leather district, at the back of a shop I saw a woman and her assistant creating leather jackets with exquisite workmanship. I saw a man embossing gold leaf to leather books, and a woman making jewelry using Murano glass. Walking past a building where an opera singer was practicing an aria just rounded out my Italian experience.

Last weekend we went on an epicurean girls’ trip to Sonoma for Wine Road. The idea is simple – you buy a weekend or day pass and can then stop in at wineries for a specially prepared wine and food pairing.

We stopped at quite a few wineries and sampled some great wine (red zins, cabs, chardonnay, port) and food: braised beef short ribs, fennel sausage over risotto, Mrs. Scorsese’s lemon chicken, bacon-wrapped dates, chocolate terrine - to name just a few. We also each got a cookbook with the recipes of what we sampled on the Wine Road to take with us.

Almost 100 wineries participated in the event – some had live music, one had a Texas BBQ and one had a soft serve machine with pumpkin ice cream!

All the places we stopped at were really enjoyable. Some of the wineries had beautiful settings - our favorites were Bella, Dutcher Crossing, Francis Ford Coppola, Mazzocco, Rued, Sbragia, Trentadue and Wilson. It’s no wonder this event is popular - buy tickets early because they sell out!

Wine Road

Recently I spent a fun-filled weekend in Toronto. I was there for a cousins’ get together and we stayed in the downtown Entertainment District. With a WalkScore of 97/100 it was within easy walking distance of Queen Street, CN Tower, Kensington Market and many theaters. CN Tower is the major landmark in Toronto’s skyline (kind of the Canadian equivalent to the Space Needle) and helped us get our bearings on more than one occasion.

Exploring the city in July, I saw many beautiful flowers adorning outdoor cafes and pubs. For shopping we headed to Queen Street. Some of our favorite stops included: GetOutside for shoes, Mujamba for an amazing collection of ribbons & shoe laces, and Fashion Crimes for every type of party dress you could imagine. If you’re on Queen Street be sure to stop in at Dufflet, known as the ‘Queen of Cake’ and best baker in Toronto. For lunch or dinner try the secluded patio at the Queen Mother Café which serves Dufflet cakes for dessert.

For more shopping visit Kensington Market to see a collection of funky, local shops and hear live music in the streets.

Take a streetcar or cab to the historic Distillery District to see some beautiful buildings, shop and then relax at Mill Street Pub with some local ale and sweet potato fries. If you have time, catch the short ferry ride to Toronto Island. Walk around the well-groomed park or rent a two or four person carriage bicycle to explore the island. The return ferry ride provides a postcard perfect view of the city.

Oahu is a fun place to try new foods – K-pig, poi or spam sushi anyone?  Unlike Anthony Bourdain, we weren’t looking for extreme food adventures on Oahu, just an introduction to Hawaiian cuisine. 

On our first day in Oahu, we had dinner at the Yard House Brew pub, located a block off of Waikiki Beach.  With 150 beers on tap, this place is great for burgers and beer.  I ordered a Shock Top with a Hawaiian burger and wasn’t disappointed by either one.  Stop by during their happy hour for the best deal on beers.

A few doors down is Roy’s, which started on Oahu back in 1988 and introduced Hawaiian fusion cuisine to many on the mainland.  During our visit to Roy’s the evening temperature was perfect, so we sat outside under a thatch umbrella, surrounded by tiki torches.  Roy’s has a prix fixe menu in addition to their normal menu that includes an appetizer, entrée and dessert.  We ordered from the prix fixe menu and enjoyed perfectly prepared ahi, short ribs, spring rolls and grilled salmon.  The service was exceptional – unobtrusive, but very attentive.   For dessert I had the molten chocolate cake and ice cream.  Yum! 

Oahu is also home to many local eateries unique to the island.  Be sure to have plenty of cash on hand, since some local businesses don’t take credit.  Here are a few eateries worth visiting:

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Downtown Newport may be small, but there are plenty of choices for eating out.  Our B&B was located a block off of Thames Street, which is filled with shops and restaurants.  Our first night in Newport we walked down brick-laden Thames Street to the Red Parrot.  We shared Mediterranean and Lobster pizzas – both surprisingly good — along with some local ale. 

The following day we had a light dinner at the Black Pearl on Bannister’s Wharf.  They serve excellent clam chowder and it’s a great place to go if you want to see some authentic Newport sailboats.

We also had dinner at Pronto during our stay.  This restaurant has great Italian food, very good service and is perfect for good dinner conversation. 

Scales and Shells is a local Newport favorite and popular enough to take only cash (no chance it will be in a Visa commercial any time soon).  It’s a fun, boisterous place for seafood, but can be a little loud. We had to yell, to hear each other speak.

On our last day in Newport we had Sunday brunch at Castle Hill Inn where lodging ranges from $700 – $1500 per night.  This is a beautiful oceanfront resort with rolling lawns to the water, dotted with adirondack chairs.  Brunch was very nice, and this is also a great place for drinks at sunset, with its western facing views of the water.  If you do go for brunch, make sure and check-out adjoining Brenton Point State Park, where locals love to fly kites on the weekends.

  

I spent a perfect weekend in Seattle recently and wanted to share some of the high points in case you plan to visit in the future.  Visiting Seattle in February is, as most locals will tell you, very risky since there’s a good possibility it will be cold and rainy.  We were in town to see our cousin sing the lead in the opera, La Boheme, so we crossed our fingers and hoped the weather would cooperate.  

We stayed at the Hotel Andra, a very chic hotel ideally located within walking distance of Belltown, retail districts and the famous Pike Place Market.   We all loved the stylish and progressive feel of the hotel which carried through to the rooms. 

As it turned out, we were in luck with the weather – it was in the 60’s with plenty of sunshine.

My sisters, niece and I strolled over to Pike Place Market our first afternoon there and took in the huge array of vendors, including artists, craftsmen, fish mongers, farmers, and flower growers.  (more…)

2007 Gingerbread Grand prize winner made by Patricia Howard.
Photo Credit: © The Grove Park Inn.

I love visiting gingerbread villages during the holidays.  Many of them are joint efforts between architects and pastry chefs who team up and spend countless hours in order to create idyllic miniature villages. Most of these villages are sold to benefit a variety of charities.  I try not to let a holiday season go by without paying homage to this wonderful tradition.  

Here are a few of the gingerbread displays around the country that you may want to check out before January:

Grove Park Inn (Asheville, NC)
Home of the National Gingerbread House Competition each year. This year’s Grand prize winner’s creation is shown above.

Holiday Gingerbread Village at Sheraton Seattle
Seattle’s top architecture firms team up with Sheraton Seattle Hotel’s culinary staff to design, bake and build gingerbread holiday creations  benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund. See http://www.nutcrackermarch.org/ for other Seattle holiday events.

15th Annual Gingerbread Village, Prescott, AZ
Over 100 edible & enchanting castles, estates, houses, electric trains, cookie decorating for the kids (Prescott Conference Center through Dec. 27)

Holiday Sugar Castle, St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco
The Sugar Castle is a 12-foot rotating castle which resembles a French Chateau. Weighing in at over 1,000 pounds of confection, the castle has more than 20 towers, 30 rooms and is surrounded by a quaint village and a running train.

Westin Annapolis
This gingerbread village features over 40 houses and historical buildings reminiscent of downtown Annapolis.

Las Vegas Four Seasons - This swiss gingerbread village uses 350 pounds of sugar, 180 pounds of flour, 90 pounds of chocolate and 360 eggs.  

What’s your favorite place to see gingerbread displays? 

Thanksgiving is just a few days away and is the perfect opportunity for those of you who aspire to be a pastry queen.  Pie, the traditional dessert for Thanksgiving, is probably the easiest pastry you can make.

For pie purists, the crust is a key element, so whatever you do, don’t start with a frozen pie crust.  If you don’t want to hunt for a rolling pin, use what other pastry chefs use in a pinch. The refrigerated Pillsbury all-ready pie crust is about as close as you can get to homemade with a store bought crust.

Here are some of my favorite pie and tart recipes – most have been served in our family for years.  Try these out and you’re sure to move one step closer to being the pastry queen in your circle of family and friends. (more…)