Results tagged “Restaurants” from Intelligent Travel Blog

One of a number of popular speakeasy-themed bars sprouting up across the nation, Chicago's The Violet Hour just may be the best. (Don't believe us? just ask these guys.) Toby Maloney--the über-bartender of New York's Milk & Honey fame--has gathered a team of fellow bartenders who see mixing as equal parts science and art.

The elegant bar hides behind an abandoned building exterior; the only piece out of place is a door handle sticking out of the wall, which, once pulled, leads to the Violet Hour's dark waiting room. On my visit, my group and I were initially disappointed at being led to bar seats--we had wanted to sit in the ultra-high-backed chairs grouped around candlelit tables, or better yet, next to the fireplace. But we immediately realized that we had been awarded the best seats in the house. The dimly lit bar gleamed with varieties of booze that I didn't recognize (a bit different from the collection at my local college-town bar). Bottles that looked like they contained potions were lined up as if to say "at your service." I found out later that these were the homemade bitters, syrups, and hand-squeezed juices used in the cocktails.

Here at Traveler we often say the hardest part about our job is being stuck in an office while we tirelessly research exotic and exciting destinations. Instead of overdrawing on vacation days, we have to find alternative remedies to cure our wanderlust. Last week, I quelled my travel bug, and a hungry stomach, without having to purchase a plane ticket.

It was Restaurant Week in D.C., and after perusing a long list of participating restaurants I chose Belga Café, a Belgian bistro in Eastern Market. Walking through the front doors I felt transported to a modern and lively European kitchen, and with one quick glance at the menu I learned there's much more to Belgian cuisine than waffles and beer (although I sampled plenty of the latter).

When you think of Williamsburg, Virginia, a lively culinary scene is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. Strolling down Williamsburg's Duke of Gloucester Street, with its understated colonial houses and interpreters clad in period dress, it's hard to imagine that walking just ten minutes further will bring you to the doorstep of a restaurant where you can order foie gras and pan-seared scallops. But you can--and should. Beth Lizardo recently returned from a long weekend in Virginia's Historic Triangle--composed of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown--and is still longing for some of the food she tasted during the trip. From biscuits and grits to broiled Norwegian salmon, the chefs in Virginia's Historic Triangle know how to cook food that you will not soon forget. Here's a rundown of some of her favorite eats.

Dudley's Farmhouse Grille

When chef Jim Kennedy opened Dudley's Farmhouse Grille in 2007, he set out to create a restaurant where locals could come and enjoy the freshest fare possible. "I envisioned going back to how I was trained to cook. You bought everything fresh. You went to local farmers," Kennedy explains. And this is exactly what he does. Kennedy is a regular at the local farmer's market and keeps an herb garden right outside the restaurant. The basil in Kennedy's caprese salad appetizer--oversized, intensely fragrant basil--comes from this garden. And he won't let you leave without trying his wife's homemade crème brûlé made with local eggs. Other items, such as the Southern-style grilled alligator entrée special, have traveled a little farther to make it onto the Dudley's menu, however.  

Affectionately named after Kennedy's dog, Dudley, the restaurant is a small business set in a1905 farmhouse. "Our kitchen is tiny," admits Kennedy. "We have two cooks and one dishwasher. It's like working on a train." The quaintness of the farmhouse setting is accentuated by its out-of-the-way location, which is in the town of Toano, located just off Route 60 about 25 minutes outside of Williamsburg.

We arrive at Dudley's while it's still light enough to admire the old wooden farm tables and local art--some for sale and some on loan from Kennedy's personal collection--hanging on the walls. As the evening progresses and the sun sets, the servers light candles and the dining room assumes a soft yellow glow. Throughout our meal Kennedy makes frequent visits to our table to sit down and chat. He talks about dishes he's served in the past (lavender-rubbed lamb; scallop and red pepper soup), about the ghost that haunts the upstairs level of the farmhouse, and about his three-year-old daughter who only eats gourmet. By the end of the meal it's clear that Dudley's is armed with much more than good food--it's armed with indisputable character.

Dudley's Farmhouse Grille, 7816 Richmond Rd, Toana, VA. +1 757 566 1157; www.dudleysfarmhousegrille.com

This past weekend I made a trip up to New York City to visit family and was once again amazed at just how much the city has to offer, especially food-wise. Although I usually go directly into Manhattan and stay, my cousin recently bought an apartment in Brooklyn, so we decided to try out new things in that part of the city. Brooklyn has become a hot spot for young fresh thinkers and the restaurants here mirror its transformation.

After sitting for hours in standstill traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike we arrived and immediately stopped for dinner at a place called Brooklyn Fish Camp, which sounds unappealing, but it serves fantastic and unique fresh seafood (try the red snapper, Thai style, or the pan-roasted golden tile filet (above) with a side of shoestring fries). We ate out on the back patio, which was decorated with white lights and old coffee containers retrofitted as flowerpots. When it started pouring rain a tent seemed to magically appear over us and provided an even cooler atmosphere as the sound of water pounded above, and light chatter and a warm glow of lights surrounded us.

When it comes to macaroni and cheese, there are some who believe you can't beat the blue box. Clearly they've never been to S'MAC.

Short for Sarita's Mac & Cheese, the restaurant in New York City's East Village specializes in just one thing--but this is not your mother's macaroni. From the Cheeseburger (ground beef and macaroni smothered in cheddar and American cheese) to the Parisienne Mac (brie, figs, mushrooms, and a certain je ne sais quoi), Sarita and her husband, Caesar (both pictured, below), take this favorite to new heights. The fact that your order comes to you in your own personal skillet (I defy anyone who tells me I can't eat straight out of the pan) makes it that much more fun. As a lifelong mac and cheese lover, I can't get enough of the place--so here's hoping S'MAC makes it to my hometown on the West Coast sometime soon!

Since opening its doors on June 24, 2006, S'MAC has expanded to include a take-out only location and is now collaborating with Pizza By The Inch at PINCH & S'MAC, resulting in one-stop shopping for all your pizza and macaroni needs. On July 13, the original S'MAC began serving beer and wine... so now you're really out of excuses not to go.

I recently checked in with Sarita herself to get an insider's take on how things are going.   

There may be no better way to end a weekend than by paying a visit to the Cafe Hon in Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood. After driving seven hours home from the Catskills this past weekend, I was starving, and recalculated the iPhone map to direct me to the eclectic eatery. Replete with a life-sized Elvis statue, a rack of neon sunglasses, and enough beehive hairdos to make you think you're an extra in Hairspray, this high-ceilinged restaurant anchors funky 36th Street and is easy to find thanks to the huge pink flamingo hung outside. Inside, the restaurant, with its attached bar next door, serves up a mix of American comfort foods with a Maryland twist. (One favorite element: the menu offers its own dictionary of 'Bawlmerese'.) I ordered the crab and shrimp pizza (which comes laden with cheddar cheese) and some mussels along with my cream of crab soup. So stuffed was I that I had to skip the pie, which I later learned was a huge mistake.

So what is a Hon anyway? The cafe's website defines it: "[T]he Bawlmer term of endearment, Hon, short for Honey, embodies the warmth and affection bestowed upon our neighbors and visitors alike by historic working-women of Baltimore." (And yes, my waitress utilized the phrase multiple times during our meal.) Every year, the restaurant's proprietor, Denise Whiting, holds the annual HonFest (pictured, above), a celebration of these women and their role in the community. This event basically manifests itself in the form of beehive hairdos, blue eyeshadow, leopard skin tights, and funky sunglasses, and appears, from the many photos, to be a complete hoot. HonFest just passed two weekends ago, but mark your calendars for next June.

Cafe Hon, 1002 W. 36th Street Baltimore, MD +1 410 243 1230

Photo: Hip2bDaniel via the Intelligent Travel Flickr pool

I spotted this NY Daily News story on ColdMud, an aggregator site I love that scours the Web for interesting food news. (Researcher note: "Cold Mud" is diner slang for chocolate ice cream).

Tired of cooking only for their own sometimes unappreciative families, eight Italian grandmas are taking turns in the kitchen of Enoteca Maria restaurant in St. George, Staten Island in New York City, and diners are praising the results, according to this article by Christina Boyle in the New York Daily News. 

New York state Senator Diane Savino is a regular. "It's kind of like having dinner at your grandmother's every day of the week," she said. "These are not fancy chefs, these are Italian women who know how to cook Italian food."

"My family have this everyday so they don't appreciate it anymore. I prefer it here, because the people love me," she added. "On Saturday nights the customers clap."

Enoteca Maria is located at 27 Hyatt Street, Staten Island, New York +1 718 447 2777 and is open from Wed-Sun.

Photo: via The New York Daily News