Archive for the 'Restaurants' Category
‘Julie & Julia’ foodie tour of France
October 6, 2009 5:56am
Have you seen the movie “Julie & Julia,” directed by Nora Ephron? Read the book?
Much of the film takes off from “My Life in France,” describing Julia Child’s post-World War II encounters with French cooking and eating. The renowned chef was working on the memoir when she died in 2004, leaving it to be finished by Alex Prud’homme.
Now true believers in the “French Chef” can follow her tracks through the land of tripe and escargot on a tour devised by New York-based Tour de Forks, which specializes in culinary excursions around the world, from New Orleans to Australia.
When, where and how: Marvel characters in Disney theme parks
September 9, 2009 9:13am
I’ve heard the same refrain for the last week or so: How will Disney ever incorporate the dark and edgy Marvel comic book characters into its family-friendly fairy tale theme parks?
While at first glance the task seems daunting, upon further reflection the opportunities appear endless. It’s certainly not a question of “if” but rather “when, where and how.”
It’s been fun to imagine the juxtaposition of Marvel’s assassins, terrorists, serial killers and vigilantes mixing on Main Street USA with Disney’s princesses, fairies and army of anthropomorphic animals. But Marvel also has a deep bench of heroes and villains in its 5,000-character catalog that would blend seamlessly into Disney’s theme parks.
The early contenders will almost certainly come from the ranks of Marvel’s past films (”Spider-Man,” “X-Men,” “Hulk,” “Iron Man,” “Fantastic Four”) and upcoming releases (”Thor,” “Captain America,” “Avengers,” “Silver Surfer,” “Ant Man”). There’s even a few minor characters that would fit perfectly in specific Disney attractions and themed lands.
Disney’s done it before with “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” “The Muppets,” “Winnie the Pooh,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” and even Aerosmith.
And while Disneyland might not be the ideal match for Marvel characters, the superheroes fit like a skin-tight spandex suit in Disney’s “studio” theme parks.
So, keeping in mind that Mickey and Spidey have only been in-laws for less than a fortnight, lets take an unofficial and speculative look at how the marriage of Marvel and Disney might play out in the company’s theme parks around the world:
Drinking bubbly in London: All aboard
August 30, 2009 10:12am
When London’s St. Pancras International station opened for Eurostar rail service in November 2007 after decades of neglect followed by a multimillion-dollar renovation, who knew that it would become the coolest place in London— and maybe in all of Europe — to drink Champagne?
Turns out it’s the home of the St. Pancras Grand Champagne Bar, suspended near the glass roof of the old Victorian train station in the Kings Cross section of the British capital. The elegant bar is almost 300 feet long, surrounded by heated banquettes, with smashing views of incoming and outgoing Eurostar trains and the refurbished station’s smart shopping area. Read the rest of this entry »
Three-course dinners for $20 to $30 at Orlando, Fla., restaurants
August 26, 2009 5:55am
Florida’s theme-park capital is serving up great meal deals in September for its fourth annual Orlando Magical Dining Month, when dozens of restaurants will offer fixed-price, three-course dinners for $20 to $30. Though not exactly cheap (McDonald’s, anyone?), this promotion lets you live the high life for half the price at some places. And it benefits others too: $1 from each meal goes to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando.
Deal: Restaurants offer limited-choice dinner menus consisting of an appetizer, entree and dessert for either $20 (”casual dining” places) or $30 (”upscale dining” places) per person. Beverage, tax and tip are extra.
Tested: I called Norman’s, at the tony Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, and was able to reserve the deal for Sept. 25. Its $30 special menu, which gave two choices for each course, would normally cost $54 (if you chose the free-range breast of chicken entree) or $62 (with the pan-cooked fillet of Key West yellowtail).
Theme park news: Wildebeest water coaster, Kennywood launch coaster, Epcot tequila bar, water park Speedo ban
August 15, 2009 9:34am
A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
* Holiday World announces the $5.5 million Wildebeest, the world’s longest water coaster, for May 2010 at Splashin’ Safari water park in Indiana. Photos. (Coaster Warriors)
* Kennywood in Pennsylvania announces an as-yet-unnamed $5.5 million launch coaster with a 90-degree drop and three inversions for 2010. Video. (News Plus Notes)
* D23 Expo announces dates and times for keynote speakers Iger (CEO), Cook (Studio), Rasulo (Parks) and Lasseter (Pixar).
* Photos: “Princess and the Frog“ movie exhibit opens in Animation attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (Laughing Place)
* Princess Tiana (”Princess and the Frog”) to join finale float in Once Upon a Dream parade at Disneyland Paris. (DLRP Magic)
The OrWa road trip diaries, Day 2: The cod and the light
July 15, 2009 1:17pm
Was Day 2 of my Oregon-Washington coastal road trip better than Day 1?
Let’s put it this way: Do a great lunch and transcendent lodging beat a poke in the eye with a sharp stick?
The worst part of Day 1 was Horizon Airlines’ failure to deliver my suitcase, despite having plenty of time and a far from full plane. But all that bad blood is over now, because at 11:45 a.m. a messenger arrived at my Gold Beach hotel with the luggage in question. With that chore done, it was time to ramble. And it was a great day for it — brilliant blue skies and bracing winds.
The great lunch came at the Crazy Norwegian’s, a fish joint in Port Orford, Ore., that was recommended to me by a couple of bikers I met in the shadow of a concrete dinosaur at the the Prehistoric Gardens, a tourist trap/kitsch haven north of Gold Beach that goes back more than 50 years. (The restaurant people use cod in their fish and chips; I subbed pasta salad for the chips and licked the plate clean.)
By the way, everybody in Oregon already seems to know about the Crazy Norwegian’s. I had to wait 15 minutes for a seat on a Tuesday afternoon.
Be my guide: Star or Brother’s? Pizza showdown in Houston
July 1, 2009 11:02am
I thought I’d do something different for my stop in Houston on this two-week road trip. Readers gave conflicting picks for the undisputed champion of pizza in the city. The doughy delicacy being one of my favorite foods, I put them to the test.
On the blog post announcing the reader-driven road trip, Beth wrote, “Go to Star Pizza for some amazing pizza and great atmosphere.” Later, Jeff Flowers (@Bukowsky on Twitter) wrote, “I heart Brother’s Pizza in Houston.”
The Texas city may not be known for its pizza, as New York or Chicago are, but if pizza joints garnered nearly half of reader suggestions (and dozens of user reviews on Google Maps), I figured the Italian pie must be a popular meal here. With the challenge set, I hopped in my car and headed to Star Pizza on Harvard Street to grab a couple of slices.
Be my guide: Following Elvis Presley’s ghost around Memphis
June 29, 2009 10:18am
Responding to reader demand, I added Memphis to my two-week, music-inspired road trip. No one objected to nixing Montgomery, Ala., from my travels — except for Janis Ian, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter I wrote about after seeing her perform at Bluebird Cafe on Saturday night in Nashville.
Ian, who e-mailed travel suggestions after seeing my blog post, said Alabama had good food and music. Following a slight berating for the itinerary change, she recommended B.B. King’s Blues Club in downtown Memphis for ribs and live music.
Sadly, I missed out on what seems like all the choice places to eat. By 8:30 on a Sunday, B.B. King’s kitchen was closed (except for burgers). Interstate Bar-B-Cue, which was recommended by Neal Kaskel and Karen Sheeler, isn’t open on Sundays, and Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous, also recommended by Sheeler as well as Adam Stue and @larasweetworld, fell victim to the dreaded “private party.” I discovered, though, that Pigs on Beale has some pretty good ribs, making me realize why Elvis Presley loved Memphis so much. Great food!
Be my guide: Taste of Chicago and a helping of blues music at Kingston Mines
June 27, 2009 5:18pm
My arrival in Chicago on my two-week, cross-country road trip happened to line up with the city’s annual Taste of Chicago. I grabbed my dinner samplings there before heading north to Kingston Mines to get an earful of some authentic blues music.
The food festival, at Grant Park, has booths set up for local restaurants around the city to showcase their wares and for locals and tourists to snack on a variety of foods.
Reader Mike P. wrote that I should definitely check out “gluttonfest,” as he called it. Another reader disagreed. “Stay away from the Taste of Chicago,” Mike Klempin wrote, calling it “way overrated and too expensive.”
Top 10 ways to celebrate Mother’s Day in downtown L.A.
May 1, 2009 3:30pm
Are you all set to treat your mom to a well-deserved great day on Sunday, May 10? For those of you still racking your brain for ideas, the Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DCBID) has stepped up to help.
On its website, you can find a number of to-dos and deals for Mom’s enjoyment in downtown Los Angeles. For full details on the specials, see the DCBID’s dedicated page, but here’s a handful of the highlights:
1) Dining: Deals include a $20 gift card for Mom thrown in with the three-course brunch at Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion. At Ciudad, dine early (at 10 a.m.) with a party of five or more and Mom gets her meal for free.
2) Afternoon tea: Chado Tea Room at the Japanese American National Museum has more than 200 varieties of tea, and you get a potful of your choice, plus sandwiches, with an Afternoon Tea Tier. The Millennium Biltmore is hosting a special afternoon tea event in its flower garden. Read the rest of this entry »
