Food Patrol

If you are in South Florida, this is such a fun place to go, no matter what age you are! There are so many fun things to do nearby in Fort Lauderdale including beaches. It is fabulous to have a day at the beach and then going to Jaxson's to enjoy such great memories.

I grew up in Chico (northern California). I loved it then and love it even more now since I go to visit often. It is a small college town with beautiful tree lined streets. The campus, Chico State is right in the center of town and so there are a lot of restaurants and shops there. The Esplanade is a long main street (as a teenager I used to cruise with friends down the Esplanade) and you go a little beyond town to see the Italian Cottage. There are two locations.

I have always loved glamour, luxury and castles. I am a true romantic and do believe that all of us, if just once in our life should stay and dine at a castle. Even if you could just dine here that would make me happy for you! You can tell by the photos that this is a must while in Scotland.

Travelers from everywhere love to come to the charming place called Charleston. Cobblestone streets, colonial homes and plantations are everywhere. Husk is the perfect restaurant to visit. You can enjoy an ice cold cocktail on their porch in the afternoon and then return later for an award winning James Beard chef’s dinner menu.

Hugo's is located right in the middle of Houston's Montrosa area. Hugo and Tracey opened Hugo's in the early 2000's. It is in a 1925 building that was designed by a well-known Houston architect. It has a very elegant feeling with fresh flowers daily and traditional stark white tablecloths. There is an accent color of bright cobalt blue.

This product was brought to my attention by a lovely email I received from Kirstin Robison. I was so excited to try these and truly thought all boomers should know about these! There have been so many times I have wondered why no one had ever created a straw for hot beverages. Here it was right before my eyes!

I learned about this from Carla Hall from The Chew on TV. I was so excited about this story. Hot Bread has a lot of dimensions to it besides being a great bakery. It helps to increase economic security for foreign born low income women and men. They sell multi ethnic breads at the retail store on site. They also have kitchen rental in the 2,300 square foot shared commercial kitchen. There are so many entrepreneurs who need kitchen space so how fabulous is this.

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.

Mauricio, Joseph and Chef Jason have combined their talents and passions into this contemporary bistro that offers fresh and fabulous food! They love locally grown ingredients and also use an international influence.

This is a true family affair and I personally know the family and so adore them! The executive chef, Peter Kelly is truly one of the most respected chefs in the country. His restaurants are so close to Manhattan and are as any of the top ones there. I ate at Freelance so often when I lived in South Nyack. I got to know Peter and others in his family. Ned, his brother is the first person you see when you enter the restaurant and probably the last as you leave. He is so gracious as the man in the front of the house.

Join Blondee, the original cyber chef, as she takes you on a gastronomic journey from coast to coast and around the world. She will share her insights on some of the best and most unusual and delightful places to eat. She wants to hear from you as well, so be sure and share your best meals on the planet. Bon Appetit!

Five coffee shops to check out, two in New York in Albany and Manhattan, another in Portland, Maine, one in Chicago, Illinois and finally on the west coast, a coffee shop in Seattle, Washington that is not a Starbucks! 

After leaving Montpelier we decided to start looking for a place to have lunch as we approached Burlington. We exited just before Burlington, but couldn’t find any restaurants close to I-89. Since we had our Garmin GPS to get back on track, we continued about five miles down the road until we came to Essex Junction and saw the Firebird Café on the left-hand side. Since this was obviously a local place and not a fast-food chain, we decided to stop and check it out.

Taffy Morgan organized a field trip for campers who wanted to visit a local maple syrup farm, both to see how the syrup is produced as well as to purchase really high quality maple syrup to take home. Susie and I joined the group going to Dave Matt’s sugar shack on Thursday evening after dinner at camp.

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 a beautifully wow, elegant place to go to sleep, eat and play! All the rooms are Moroccan style and have amazing baths with tubs and monsoon showers. The décor is impeccable. I adore boutique hotels and this is tops. A contemporary, classic gem was created by Vanessa Branson and Howell James. The very historic architecture with terraces and gardens make the perfect place to enjoy Africa's city and you will hear birds humming since they are so happy here.

I truly love this town. It is close to San Francisco, 11 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge and reminds me of a lot of the magical New England towns. It is very picturesque and is surrounded by canyons and hillsides of Mount Tamalpais. The weather here is nice most of the year and is just a few minutes from Tiburon and the ferry. The Mill Valley Inn is a great place to stay....415.389.6608.  The first place I always need to visit is Mill Valley Market. There is parking right next to it and that is where I begin my day. They have everything true chefs and foodies would LOVE in this market. I usually can spend a good hour in here and always come back to walk out to the car with purchases.

One and Only Ocean Club is a luxury place to stay in the Bahamas. It is a grand colonial looking place and has a golf course, spa, tennis and water sports. This is the perfect place to come and just eat, play and completely relax. You might never want to even leave the property. It is very special and has so many luxury activities to offer.

Seven dream locations to enjoy a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner in San Francisco,CA; Stockbridge, MA; Paris,France; Chicago,IL; Washington,DC; Dana Point,CA; and New Orleans, LA.

Wow, I love this chef, Jose Garces! He wants all of us to celebrate culture and cuisine from Mexico, he is the Master of Latin cuisine, has been seen as The Iron Chef America on Food Network and guess who was his influence leading to all of this success?  Yes, just like me, his grandmother!

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!

A snapshot of three cooking schools: Peru Le Cordon Bleu in Lima, Peru; the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont; and Swinton Park in the United Kingdom.

I love to report to you places that are special, in an unusual way! I like to use the word a little mysterious to describe this market. I love the boutique feeling of this small 500 square foot space. Everything is the bestest and the freshest ( Blondee wording). They sell out early so make sure you can go early. Their staff always makes you feel so much at home here too!

This small, classy restaurant is placed right in the center of St. Helena, right in the middle of the wine country. This charming town is so much fun to stroll through all of the shops, galleries and restaurants. Cook is owned by Jude Wilmoth and Michael Wilmoth (brothers).