Costero is a very pleasant surprise. Formally known as the uber-Italian restaurant “Paparazzi” in the Sheraton Gateway hotel, it is a new home for California style cuisine with a coastal influence.
TASTEABLE: CALIFORNIA visits the Sunburst Calistoga hotel in Napa Valley, with a retro theme and modern style (and a nice pool).
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge watch on as Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup team take the series overall lead on previous leaders Emirates Team New Zealand and current Defenders Oracle Team USA.
Among the hundreds of thousands of supporters that turned out to cheer the British team on were The Duchess of Cambridge – Royal Patron to the team’s official charity, the 1851 Trust, accompanied by The Duke of Cambridge.
Their Royal Highnesses watched the action from the water as Land Rover BAR thrilled the home crowds on the final day of racing.
The British summer finally arrived creating a perfect setting for both the Land Rover BAR sailors and spectators as the team raced their way into 1st place in an action packed weekend of sailing.
Ben Ainslie, Skipper and Team Principal: “It’s brilliant for us as the home team to win again in front of our home crowd, all our supporters. It means a huge amount to us, we’re delighted and I think that for a new team to be leading the World Series now is a good indication of how far we’ve come, but there’s still a long way to go, a lot of hard work between now and the America’s Cup.”
I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR….“A lick-able, likeable, shareable ice cream-centric experience.” The Museum of Ice Cream opens in NYC as a popup experience.
Says Refinery 29: “Inside the museum’s walls, you can roamaround a chocolate room, play on a see-saw designed like an ice cream scooper, and become part of a human ice-cream sundae. You’ll also get an ice cream tasting from a “food futurist.” So, basically, it’s Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. ”
Per Gothamist: “it appears to be basically a frozen dessert fanatic’s fantasy, complete with edible balloons, an immersive chocolate room, a “collaborative” massive ice cream sundae, and a swimmable rainbow sprinkle pool. And it might just be the closest you ever come to realizing that childhood dream of visiting Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.”
OPEN FROM JULY 29TH TO AUGUST 31ST ONLY
Museum of Ice Cream will pop up in the heart of the Meatpacking District at 100 Gansevoort Street with a lick-able, likeable, shareable ice cream-centric experience throughout August. Museum of Ice Cream will live just a few scoops from the Whitney Art Museum and the Gansevoort Street entrance to the High Line, welcoming guests six days a week to enjoy a sweet escape from the summer heat. The Museum of Ice Cream is curated by a collective of ice cream obsessed designers, artists, and friends.
Museum of Ice Cream interactive highlights include a swimmable rainbow ‘sprinkle’ pool, edible balloons, an immersive chocolate room and a collaborative massive ice cream sundae. Guests will swing on an ice cream sandwich made for two, seesaw on an ice cream scooper and find their match/favorite flavor on a custom app in Tinder Land. Visitors will indulge in an exclusive, one-of-a-kind ice cream tasting created by food futurist and overall rad scientist Dr. Irwin Adam, founder of Future Food Studio. Visual designs from renowned NYC artists will serve as the cherry on top of this modern, whimsical urban ice cream playground.
Scoop of the Week, presented by Museum of Ice Cream, features ice cream creations by some of the city’s most beloved arbiters of cool treats, including Black Tap, OddFellows Ice Cream Co., and more. All visitors –singles, couples, families, friends – will swoon on some frozen goodness courtesy of Museum of Ice Cream’s dreamy Scoop of the Week lineup (tastings included in the price of admission).
Free Opening: July 29th, 11am to 3pm; First Come First Serve – Reservation doesn’t guarantee admission. Arrive Early!
New York is a big city. A very, very big city. But that doesn’t mean you have to go to a very large place to get great flavors and a fantastic dining experience.
Tiny restaurants in New York City are ideal for intimate meals and low-key conversations over drinks. Says one lover of the spaces, “These are the pint-sized culinary heroes that keep the New York dining scene feeling fresh, creative and delightfully unpredictable.”
Here are three examples of what you can find when you look for them:
Dining at dinnertable feels as intimate and comfortable as sharing a meal at your best friend’s home. With an open kitchen as tiny as a postage stamp (and lacking gas!), husband-and-wife chef duo Scott Tacinelli and Angie Rito manage to produce some of the most impressive, buzzy and adventurous food in the city. The speakeasy-style restaurant is nestled behind East Village hotspot The Garret East and serves just 19 people at a time. The menu is sophisticated yet unpretentious, allowing diners to savor funky Italian dishes that pair optimally with the venue’s spot-on drink menu filled with updated classic cocktails and exceptional Italian wines (heavy on natural and biodynamic options) from small producers.
Samples from their current menu include:
MONTAUK PEARL OYSTER, vermouth mignonette
MARINATED OLIVES, pimenton & celery
GARLIC PRETZEL, house made cheese
SICILIAN RED SHRIMP, fresh tomato, buttermilk
SMOKED SHORTRIB TARTARE, horseradish, marble rye
CHRYSANTHEMUM SALAD, garlic, parmesan, sesame
ARTICHOKE FALAFEL, spiced yogurt, tahina
BAKED MUSSELS, pepperoni rice
THE DUMPLINGS, potato, pecorino, poppyseed
BODEGA CLAM PASTA, handmade orecchiette, beer, mexican hot sauc
BLACK SEA BASS, tomatillo puttanesca
THE SIXTH GUY’S BURGER, capocollo, stracchino, deli peppers
LASAGNA BOLO FOR TWO
Nestled between sleepy storefronts on quaint East 6th Street, The Eddy features an 11-seat bar area and 32-seat dining room. Owner and executive chef Brendan McHale rotates his a la carte and five-course tasting menus almost daily, updating classic American dishes with unpredictable preparations and exclusively seasonal, local ingredients. McHale’s menu is perfectly complemented by co-owner and wine director Jason Soloway’s sophisticated wine list and the balanced, seasonal cocktails of head bartender Luis Hernandez.
Samples from their A La Carte dinner menu (they also have a Tasting Menu) include:
Raw Summer Vegetables, Smoked Goat Cheese Puree
Chicken Liver Pate, Rhubarb Confit
Pickled Mussels, Herbs, Toasted Miche
Crispy Smoked Pig Trotter, Ricotta, Plum, Anise Hyssop
Fluke, Jugo Verde, Pickled Chili, Pumpernickel
Peach, Watercress Puree, Kunik, Sunflower Frico
Big Eye Tuna, Tempura Pole Bean, Bonito Aioli, Thai Basil
Cod, Fried Polenta, Morels, Peas, Tarragon
Grass Fed Strip Steak, Potato, Arugula Pesto, Charred Alliums
Roasted Duck, Heirloom Beans, Charred Lemon, Nettles
Asparagus, Lovage Butter, Walnut
Charred Carrots, Bonito, Tzatziki
Bing Cherry Ice Cream, Americano Soda, Chocolate Cookie
Buttermilk Semifreddo, Olive Oil Cake, Strawberry, Chamomile, Basil
Cardamom Panna Cotta, Rhubarb Ice, Mint, Sea Salt
Inspired by French-country cuisine, Wallflower in the West Village truly proves the old adage, ‘‘good things come in small packages’. With just 30 seats, the low-key boîte is known for a truly superlative cocktail list (crafted by Xavier Herit, a veteran of Daniel and the Experimental Cocktail Club) as well as adventurous seasonal tasting and a la carte menus. Executive chef Derrick Paez (another Daniel alum) modernizes French classics on his dinner and brunch menus – showstoppers include Caramelized Bread Pudding, Shrimp & Grits and Jerk Spiced Quail.
Big places to eat? Forgetabout it! Three small spaces for big flavor in the Big Apple.
Five of the best Mexican chefs known internationally for their trend setting culinary art will highlight the best of the new tendencies in high Mexican cuisine with the Best of Mexico Riviera Maya. The event will be held from October 5 to 9 at the AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas Riviera Maya.
The exclusive resort invited the prestigious chefs including Zahie Téllez, Carlos Gaytan, Francisco Ruano, and Mikel Alonso to share their creativity, talent and passion for Mexican cuisine through this gastronomic event. The event is a 10-course tasting menu, original dishes featuring ingredients and seasonings from all of Mexico. The special tasting menu will be offered over the four nights, and is included in the daily rate for all guests of this top all-inclusive resort.
“We want our guests to take with them an unforgettable memory of Mexico through the best of its gastronomy,” said Rodolfo González Munguía, Managing Director of Grand Velas Riviera Maya. “The gastronomic event is yet another part of our resort’s commitment to maintaining the highest quality standards, creating unique experiences and adding value for guests. It complements what we call our international culinary tour as we feature cuisines of the world in our Grand Velas gourmet restaurants where guests can dine at no additional charge,” he added.
The hosts of the event, Chef Ricardo de la Vega of Frida, awarded Four Diamonds by AAA, and Executive Chef of the resort, Michel Mustière, Maître Cuisinier de France, added that the Best of Mexico Riviera Maya was designed to promote the richness of Mexican cuisine through its leading exponents and the use of ingredients, colors and seasonings typical of the different regions of Mexico.
Holding a total of 18 Diamonds by AAA, Grand Velas Riviera Maya has set new standards in the All Inclusive World with food, creativity and presentation comparable to top restaurants in world capitals. In addition to Frida’s Four and the resort’s Five, its Cocina de Autor restaurant is the only restaurant in the world that’s part of an All-Inclusive to hold the AAA Five Diamond Award. The resort’s French restaurant Piaf also holds Four Diamonds.
Frida, named in honor of the famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, offers high Mexican cuisine in an atmosphere at once contemporary and relaxing. It has been honored as one of the 50 Best Restaurants in Mexico, featured on the Gourmand of BBVA Bancomer list.
Chef Alejandro Heredia recognized as the best Mexican chef of the 20th century, will be named ambassador of Frida restaurant during this gastronomic event.
About the Chefs
With an insatiable curiosity and a passion to create new dishes, Zahie Téllez transmits her energy and joy of cooking at every step. She produces culinary experiences inspired by her background with Mexican and Italian cuisine and enriched by her Lebanese and Mazatec roots and practical studies in many cuisines of the world. She has participated in six seasons of the leading TV show El Gourmet. Besides giving classes, she has participated in gastronomic festivals in India and Italy and is a Brewery Master Sommelier. Zahie is also the owner of the successful restaurant Jose Guadalupe Platos de Cuchara that promotes Mexican cuisine with a modern touch and great quality.
The culinary voyage of Chef Carlos Gaytan, originally from Guerrero, has been marked by hard work, persistence and dedication. His talent and passion for cuisine has taken him to leading hotels and restaurants and to work together with renowned chefs like Michael Garbin and Dominique Tougne. A former contestant on BRAVO’s Top Chef, in 2011, he was named the chef of the year by the American Culinary Federation. His restaurant Mexique is known as one of the best in Chicago, with a Michelin star and awards from Michelin Bib Gourmand among others. With great creativity, love and dedication he has succeeded in creating a revolution in Mexican gastronomy, applying his knowledge of French cuisine yet rooted in traditional Mexican cuisine.
Francisco ‘Paco’ Ruano became interested in gastronomy thanks to his mother’s and grandmother’s teachings. Encouraged by Mikel Alonso and Pablo San Roman, he studied in the Spanish Basque Country at the Escuela de Cocina Luis Irizar. Upon completion, in Europe, he worked in some of the best restaurants in the world, including Mugaritz and El Celler de Can Roca in Spain and Noma in Denmark where he met Jorge Vallejo with whom he worked upon returning to Mexico, in Quintonil. In 2013, he opened Alcalde restaurant, considered the best in Guadalajara for its unpretentious updated Mexican cuisine.
Originally from Biarritz, France, Mikel Alonso studied in the Escuela de Cocina Luis Irizar and began his career in restaurants in Spain under the likes of the famed Chef Arzak of Northern Spain. In Mexico, he has been executive chef of numerous prestigious restaurants, docent of the Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana, advisor at special events, and speaker and lecturer at leading gastronomic events. Ten years ago he opened Biko restaurant which has consistently been named among The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Mikel alongside Bruno Oteiza create the singular menu at Grand Velas’ Cocina de Autor, the first all-inclusive restaurant to earn Five Diamonds from AAA. Upon opening the restaurant was also named one of the “100 Best New Food & Drink Experiences” in the entire world by Food & Wine.
Born in Mexico City, Chef Ricardo de la Vega began his gastronomic adventure in the city of his birth. His passion for the culinary arts has taken him to leading hotels and restaurants in Puebla, Oaxaca, Yucatan and Quintana Roo. As executive chef of Frida in Grand Velas Riviera Maya, he has focused on exploring in depth the culinary riches of Mexico. The diversity of its ingredients and different preparations to give diners an unforgettable culinary experience with a modern touch without losing the traditional essence.
About Grand Velas Riviera Maya:
Grand Velas Riviera Maya
Set on 206 acres of pristine jungle and mangroves and with the finest white sand beach in the Riviera Maya, the AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas Riviera Maya is an ultra-luxury all-inclusive resort. Guests can choose among three separate ambiances in this Leading Hotel of the World, including adults only oceanfront, family friendly ocean view and a Zen-like tropical setting, embraced by the flora and fauna of the Yucatan Peninsula’s jungle. All 539 designer-like suites are exceptionally spacious, more than 1,100 square feet each, all with balconies, and some with private plunge pools. All feature fully stocked mini bars, plasma TVs, Wi-Fi, L’Occitane amenities, artisanal tequila, and Nespresso coffee machines. Bathrooms deserve special mention with walk in glass shower, deep soaking Jacuzzi tubs and marble interior. Eight restaurants, including five gourmet offerings, present a tour through Mexico, Europe and Asia. Cocina de Autor, at the hands of world celebrity chefs Bruno Oteiza, Mikel Alonso and Xavier Pérez Stone, holds the AAA Five Diamond Award, the first all-inclusive restaurant in the world to win this prestigious distinction. Grand Velas Spa, a Leading Spa of the World, is the region’s largest spa sanctuary at more than 90,000 square feet, known for its authentic Mexican treatments, offerings from around world and signature seven-step water journey. Other features include 24-hour Personal Concierge; 24/7 in-suite service; three swimming pools; two fitness centers; water sports; innovative Kids Clubs and Teen’s Club; Karaoke Bar; Koi Bar; Piano Bar, and business center. The resort offers more than 91,000 square feet of meeting space and outdoor areas for events inclusive of a 31,000-square-foot Convention Center, able to accommodate up to 2,700 guests. The resort has won numerous awards from Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, USA Today and several other magazines and major companies worldwide. This year, the resort entered TripAdvisor’s Hall of Fame for obtaining the Certificate of Excellence for five consecutive years in addition to the Signature Spa being awarded “Best Luxury Resort Spa-The Americas” at the World Luxury Spa Awards 2014. Grand Velas Riviera Maya was built and is operated by Eduardo Vela Ruiz, majority owner, founder and President of Velas Resorts, with his brother Juan Vela, Vice President of Velas Resorts.
http://rivieramaya.grandvelas.com/