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The fare’s nouvelle-ish American — chef Nik Biok’s chic & tasty takes on comfort food like smoked stuffed chicken wings with chipotle tamarind, lime relish, and sour cream, or slow-roasted beef short ribs with guava glaze. But while foodies give the menu a definite thumbs-up, food is still probably not the main reason for a trip to Circus, a sleek spot that opened in early 2010, tucked away on London‘s Endell Street in Covent Garden. Its gimmicky (in a good way), somewhat voyeuristic vib

Oceanside Dining at Ferradura Beach, Buzios, Brazil

By Roy Heale

With over twenty fabulous beaches, great nightlife, and the best gourmet dining in Brazil it is little wonder that Buzios has developed a reputation for fun, relaxing gay vacations. Located only 120 miles north east from Rio de Janeiro, the small peninsula of Armacao de Buzios is becoming renowned as the up and coming gay-friendly resort destination in Brazil. The gay-owned accommodations and resorts of Chez Wadi and Our House pro

Here's my dilemma: I often write about food. I'm supposed to be (and occasionally am) discerning beyond the pale of ordinary mortals — you know, the kind who relish fast food and chain restaurants. I also majored in Chinese. I'm supposed to know the top Zhongguo joints in a 10-mile radius, no matter where I am. Then why, I do wonder, am I so fascinated with Pei Wei, the casual cousin of P.F. Chang's, two chains spreading the length and breadth of our land like crazed straw mushrooms?

Flavor, I

Tucked snugly in a circa 1910 brick storefront just a 5 minutes walk from the train station on Pelham New York’s 5^th Ave., Bistro Rollin recently opened to the immediate praises of the New York Times and local media. “5^th Ave desperately needed something more than red sauce Italian and pizza,” says Bistro Chef Manny Lozano.

Chef Lozano should know, he got the cooking bug in high school working in his friend's parents

Italian restaurant. This curiosity and budding talent carried him to sous-chef in

Call it some kind of fierce, intuitive desire to protect the Olde Continente (e's added here for effecte), aka Die Mutterlande, but I've often experienced a fierce fight-or-flight response when faced with the old travel-writing truism that "Seattle is America's most European city."

Fight generally wins, and I go immediately to sarcastic, Socratic responses.

(Why, because of the medieval walls, pocked and battered by time and war, surrounding the Pike Place Market?)

They tagged Seattle with this ros

In the fall, on assignment for Peter Greenberg, I travelled to the southern tip of Baja California. I had the good fortune to visit not just Cabo San Lucas, the most common tourist destination in the area, but also the nearby village of San Jose del Cabo, which, if truth be told, was more to my liking. 

In both cities, there are many restaurants and bars catering to the tourists who arrive by plane and on cruise ships. For the most part, the food in such establishments is unexceptional. But, with

Sometimes even living in a nation with arguably one of the best cuisines on the planet, I still crave something other than delicous tacos and some of the freshest sea food on the planet. After all, variety is the spice of life.

Table with a view

On Puerto Vallarta's malecón (boardwalk) lies one of the my favorite Italian restaurants in the world, La Dolce Vita.  Yes, I could eat Mexican food on a daily basis if I had to. However, we all have a place that we call home. As pizza and pasta aficionado

Located 10 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, the Fisherman's Outlet is one of L.A.'s favorite seafood lunch restaurants, an iconic L.A. eatery and  "fish heaven" to Angelenos and tourists alike since 1961. The location may not be the best in L.A,  located near Little Tokyo and  Skid Row - so why do people come from throughout the L.A. area to this seedy neighborhood? For mouth-watering seafood cooked to perfection. Open for lunch only, be prepared to wait in line during the lunch rush hour, but

Get in a cab and take a short taxi ride from Playa Del Carmen for a truly unique experience. Alux Restaurant & Lounge Noy is an underground bar, where you might need to go by a candlelight. Overcoming the stairsis half the battle and brings you to the hall, filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Alux (pronounced “ah-LOOsh») – a whole system of caves, which are now established into a restaurant, bar, VIP-lounge. People are thinking that those who will be ready to spend here a lot of time will

By Roy Heale

Latin lovers are world renowned for their passion and intimate love affairs. Perhaps the most famous of these romantic couples was Juan Domingo Peron and Maria Eva Duarte de Peron---more commonly known as Evita. But prior to this historic coupling the 20^th President of Argentina, Maximo Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear, met with a stellar Portuguese opera singer, Regina Pacini, whereupon another great love affair began. The latter couple is less renowned globally but equally immortalized i

Nick and Andrew, the newest Giants fan

As a  diehard San Francisco Giants baseball fan and native San Franciscan, if there ever is such a thing as a “sports bucket list” especially for a San Francisco native, mine was for the San Francisco Giants baseball team to win at least one World Series in my lifetime. The Giants moved to San Francisco after the 1957 baseball season. The great Willie Mays, quite possibly the greatest baseball player of all time, who roamed center field for the Giants, at wi

Tired of the some old greasy burger, boring sandwich, and looking for something other than a pizza slice?  Tired of antibiotic -fed chicken. Should you be in New York City's Greenwich Village,  there is a unique food opportunity that is gaining fans from all walks of life, Sticky's Finger Joint.

What is Sticky's? Chicken strips or chicken fingers. The freshest organic chicken that you will find. Juicy and tender pieces of chicken. So, what's so special about chicken, you ask? The creative flavor

Delta Lake near Rome, New York, is another great getaway in Oneida County.  The lake was created when a dam was built in 1908 on the Mohawk River to guarantee sufficient water for the expanded Erie Canal.  Today, the lake is a multi-use area great for camping, fishing, hiking and other nature-related activities. 

For a relaxing view of the dam and lake and an excellent meal head to historic Delta Lake Inn, which was built in 1903 to house the men who built the dam. It later became a stage coach s

Riggies are a local culinary treat in the Rome, New York area.  Rome is located in Oneida County in the heart of New York State where vacationers have been enjoying themselves for more than 100 years. The Savoy is a local favorite but many patrons travel out of their way to savored riggies at the Savoy Restaurant where they have been serving great food for more than 100 years. Chicken Riggies is a luscious blend of peppers, mushrooms, and onions tossed in a spicy, creamy tomato and cheese sauce.

From July 27th to August 12th, England hosts the Olympics at sites in or nearby greater London. Our traveling foodie, David Latt, recently made a stop in London to search out affordable and interesting places to eat. Long disparaged, English food has had a renaissance with innovative chefs following global trends in the pursuit of locally sourced, farmers market fresh ingredients. 

Going to the Olympics will be a huge amount of fun, especially if you know where to eat. Before I left on the trip,

Any restaurant that plans on thriving in Manhattan better not even think about resting on their laurels for a second. But with Empire Steakhouse, this goes without saying. A venerable shrine to not only prime steak cuts charred to perfection but the whole dining experience sprung from the desire of Jack Sinanaj and his family to elevate the classic steakhouse ambiance to a highly personalized indulgence. Working as a waiter and then as manager at the legendary Peter Luger’s, Jack spent hours in

Back in 1972 when I was in grade school, out across the causeway in Rickenbacker Marina on the way to Key Biscayne, the Rusty Pelican opened, a seafood joint that became a Miami institution. But to paraphrase the old Groucho Marx saw, who wants to eat at an institution? Over nearly 40 years, the wear and tear and decline became noticeable, and so last summer the Pelican closed for a $7 million overhaul, reopening this past December.

Now, I'd always wanted to visit the place, but various factors

by Isaac Gutiérrez

You probably wouldn't associate coming to Spain with chowing down on a big juicyhamburguesa, but the fact is that it's all the rage these days, especially in the country's capital - and even visitors from the birthplace of the burger, the U.S. of A., have noted that there are now some pretty authentic and just downright tasty offerings to be had in Madrid. Here are several of the top patty palaces. Have you been to any others not on this list? 

Home Burger Bar   This is one