Food Patrol

Who, of any of us, would not want to go to a place where you hear complete quiet, decompress and enjoy nature? It is so good for all of us, if even for just 2 days.

This is such an institution, a true treasure and one of my best! It opened as a coffee stand during the Gold Rush time. All of these years later, it truly is one of the very top restaurants in the fabulous city of San Francisco. You never have to worry about the consistency and quality here. You might want to try lunch and then a few days later come back for dinner.

Hong Kong is a city with so much excitement and extraordinary places to explore. There are pure silks everywhere, open markets, galleries, beautiful beads, antique shops and the very best restaurants. You can see beautiful beaches nearby.

I love to find unusual places to dine, that are complete fun and also very affordable. When I think about Tom and Chee, I think goody goody, skippy do da! Trew and Corey, two very humble guys, had so many great experiences leading them up to this dream becoming true. They started serving good ole grilled cheese from a tent in Cincinnati and then were able to open their first shop. These two guys are making a huge splash in the food industry and it sounds like they are becoming a grilled cheese empire! They blew out into a lot of national press and had success on the show I adore, Shark Tank!

While on a family emergency trip to Beaumont, Texas, we had the fortune of finding the Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen which was at the same exit as our hotel.  Pappadeaux’s is a small chain based out of Houston, Texas.  The restaurant concept was founded by the Pappas brothers who have created a group of different small restaurant chains that serve seafood, Italian cuisine, Mexican cuisine, steaks, BBQ and burgers. They had their start in Houston in 1967 with the opening of The Brisket House in Houston.

My precious daughter, Briana arranged an entire day filled with pure excitement for all of her dear friends and their Moms. We all started our journey by hopping on the train ride from Westport to Grand Central station. It is always so exciting to arrive in Grand Central and be able to gaze at the beauty. Some Moms were not used to the subway so there were a few kid leaders watching over those who felt a little uneasy.

Three luxurious locations for wonderful chocolate for the holidays - or anytime during the year!

This is a casual hot spot in the beautiful neighborhood of Land Park. After you experience this gem, believe me, you will be back again and again! Robert Masullo is the owner. He will be here working right alongside everyone else. There is such a warm feeling the moment you walk in from him and the waiters, all in cool t-shirts with gold leaving. The weekends are really busy here so a little tip from me.....call to see how busy it is before you arrive, especially with a group.

Blondee tells us about four special vineyards to enjoy wine tasting.

On our way to Beaumont, Texas we stopped at the Louisiana Welcome Center for the usual rest break. While there, I thought to ask the attendant about Cajun restaurants close to I-10 where we could stop for lunch. She gave me a number of brochures and finally came to one on Crawfish Town. She said that she had eaten there herself and that it was very good. This turned out to be very fortuitous advice because my brief comment on Crawfish Town would be simply OMG!