Ladurée in Soho
Most people go to Ladurée for the macarons – sweet, meringue-based confections – but the restaurant/tea room has always been the draw for me. Located throughout Paris, the restaurant/tea rooms (as illustrated below) are the perfect place for lunch or a late afternoon pick-me-up but since I don’t live in Paris, my visits have been limited…until recently.
Two years ago, Ladurée opened its first US retail store on Madison Avenue in New York (they’ve since opened up another storefront in Miami Beach) but the long-awaited Ladurée restaurant and tea room (illustrated above) just opened this past February in Soho, and looks like the Parisian salon was moved over from Paris.
Five Specialty Food Stores to Visit
Whenever I travel, I make a point of finding and visiting specialty food stores, farmer’s markets, or independent grocery stores because these stores carry regional and high quality food products that are otherwise unavailable locally. Usually in a downtown area and typically limited to medium to large-sized cities, specialty food stores are like good bookstores: a relaxing place to spend a few hours and take away a special something to enjoy later. The following specialty food stores are worth visiting: Read more 
Picos Camperos
Picos Camperos are delicious mini breadsticks with a crunchy exterior, a delicate center and the aroma of fresh-baked bread. A staple of Spanish culture, picos are used as a vehicle to eat cheese, ham (wrap the slices around), or dips but can also be enjoyed with soup, chowder, and nut butters. Read more
Going to Boston? Go to Veggie Galaxy!
What is it that makes a diner a diner? Is it the feisty, but warm waitresses, quick with a cup of coffee and assumed familiarity? Is it the curved ceiling, the tiled floors, the classic stainless steel exterior? The cozy booths, the counter with stools that puts you right near the action at the grill? The reassuringly familiar menu? Breakfast-all-day? The wide range of customers, who mirror the diversity of America itself? Adam, Founder of Veggie Galaxy Read more
Going to Boston? Try Bob’s Italian Foods
Over the past several months, I have been taking my daughter to visit schools so she can figure out where she wants to attend college. After a few of these scouting trips, the college information sessions started to sound the same and although the campus tours were unique and offered a glimpse of student life, I learned to make the trips more interesting by finding great places to eat or markets in the towns we visit. On a recent road trip to Medford, Massachusetts (5 miles northwest of central Boston), I found a place called Bob’s Italian Foods that Zagat gave a resounding 26 out of 30 prompting me to plan a stop for lunch. Read more
A Special Restaurant in La Antigua, Guatemala
La Antigua or “Antigua” attracts world travelers and tourists alike which means there is a wide variety of dining options in this colonial destination in the central highlands of Guatemala. Among those choices is a very special restaurant called 39 Azul opened by a Norwegian chef by the name of Nils Rykken who looks like the twin brother of Mario Batali, crocs and all. The name of the restaurant reflects the address – 6.a Calle Poniente 39 – and the overriding color scheme of the restaurant, which is blue, a color often associated with the Norwegians or the Danish. But, the food is the star at 39 Azul – locally sourced ingredients expertly prepared with both a Norwegian and an international touch. Read more
Pret A Manger
What do you get when you cross a good restaurant, a top quality grocer, a European style coffee bar, and the speed of light? Pret A Manger: a British-based fresh food provider that makes healthy and delicious food as fast as it flies off the shelves. Read more
Getting To Know Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon is famously known for bikes, breweries, and babes (not in that order) but after a recent visit, Portland seems to be about so much more including farmer’s markets, hazelnuts, apples, bakeries, books, and outdoor sports. A small city that people live and work in, Portland is not a landscape of skyscrapers but rather a city of interesting buildings, greenery, bridges, and roads that are easy to maneuver.
Explore the Farmer’s Market, take a bike tour, spend a few hours at the largest independent bookstore in the country (Powell’s), indulge in the many bakeries (20+), breweries (40+), chocolate shops (10+), restaurants (dozens), visit a museum (more than a dozen), and enjoy the parks and gardens. Read more
The Staff of Life: Poiláne
Everyone knows to visit the Louvre when in Paris, but not everyone knows to visit “Poiláne,” one of the oldest bread makers in the City of Light for a taste of what real bread should taste like. My friend, Nancy told me I needed to visit this bakery so on a beautiful sunny 70 degree day in Paris, I set off on foot for the Left Bank with plans to enjoy a bread – the French sourdough loaf – that’s been made the same way for hundreds of years. Read more
The Repetto Ballet Flat
The Repetto ballet flat is one of the very few fashion purchases that look as good today as they did 50 years ago . Always in style, the ballet flat is often the perfect choice to wear with a skirt, shorts, capris, a dress or pants when simplicity and comfort are paramount.. The ballet flat has the distinguishing characteristic of being both casual and elegant while most shoes are unable to transcend one category. Read more
Paddock Post 