Celebrating at the Tradewinds Resort

I was invited to Christmas Dinner at the Tradewinds Resort on St. Petersburg Beach, and I’m just now coming out of my food coma. The annual buffet is held in the main lobby and adjacent ballroom, and it’s spectacular. I skipped the huge salad bar station and headed directly for the jumbo cocktail shrimp and cold seafood table, making my way then to the prime rib and turkey carving chefs. One huge table held sides from mashed potatoes to pasta, while another held brunch items for late-rising guests.

My friends Jean and Mark joined me in attempting to taste almost everything, which was an impossible feat. We ate slowly, enjoying the beautifully decorated dining room and the impeccable service, and trying to save room for the dessert station and chocolate fountain.

I tried to taste everything sweet from the German chocolate cake to the petit fours and a few strawberries dipped in the fountain. Jean had a decadent cheesecake and Mark had one of every kind of petit four and truffle on the elaborate table.

It was a lovely way to celebrate Christmas, and even better, to be out of the kitchen and spend time with friends. And judging by the many suntanned diners, a lot of folks came from out of town to escape the snow and bask in the 80 degree sunny day we had. www.tradewindsresort.com

All Trees Are Beautiful

Like brides, all Christmas trees are beautiful. This one, circa 1964, was a bit challenged. My dad, brother Stan and I, hiked into the woods near our house and cut it ourselves. It looked great in the forest, but you had to squint a little to see its beauty once we got it into the living room.

My tree this year is much more perfect in shape, but without family around to share it, it doesn't seem to matter much. I wish you a beautiful day surrounded by those you love. Merry Christmas!

Silvery SENS

Jacques and Laurent Pourcel are Michelin-starred chefs (and brothers) who made a name for themselves with the venerable Maison Blanche in the heart of the couture scene on Boulevard Montaigne. Their latest restaurant, SENS, is located near the Champs Elysées and rue du Fauborg Saint-Honoré, also popular upscale shopping areas, so it seems the formula of fine dining and fashion is successful.

Sens is a glittery silver cave with a décor you might call minimalist disco. The cuisine is global, with a nod to the French-Indian connection. I only had the tomato-buffalo mozzarella starter and dessert, as the entrée was a cod fish cake that isn’t one of my favorite dishes. I liked the presentation of the cherry tomatoes on the vine, and dessert was a duo of strawberry-raspberry mouse and ice cream with fresh fruit. (23 rue de Ponthieu)

http://www.lacompagniedescomptoirs.com

Dining at a Cabaret

The Moulin Rouge in Paris was made famous by the movie starring Nicole Kidman, but the Lido on the Champs Elysées is also a historic cabaret. Actually, these two venues were originally owned by brothers in the mid-20th century. While the Moulin Rouge presents traditional cabaret with its signature French can-can, the Lido’s revues always feature three elements: water, cinema, and ice skating.

We attended the champagne dinner show which has three price points: a budget, mid-range, and premium option starting at about 140 Euros, so this isn’t a cheap evening. We were in the mid-range with banquette seating near the back of the room (cheap seats and poorly dressed patrons are sent to the balcony while premium patrons are down front near the stage)

You get a choice of half a bottle of wine or champagne with your meal, and two choices of starter, entrée, and dessert. I chose the chestnut soup, chicken with mushrooms, and profiteroles and a half bottle of red wine, since the champagne was a no-name brand I had never heard of. I noticed that premium patrons were getting Mumm’s so perhaps their menu was upgraded as well. I tried to take a picture of my entrée but a waiter rushed over and said no photos were allowed. We discovered later that the club had roving photographers selling pictures, which is most likely why guests aren’t allowed to have cameras.

The food was so-so, fairly typical of any dinner show experience. The show was a surprising spectacle of special effects, elaborate sets, and over-the-top costumes. Called Bonheur (meaning happiness), it opened with all of the banquette lights retracting into their bases and the whole seating area around the stage lowering into the floor, while a giant feathered egg glided across the ceiling depositing the lead singer onto the stage. www.lido.fr

Going to Le Cave at the Georges V

The Georges V is one of the oldest luxury hotels in Paris, located on Georges V Avenue, just down the street from Louis Vuitton, across from Hermes, and mere blocks from the couture houses like Chanel on Avenue Montaigne.

Now a Four Seasons Hotel, the George V is a popular choice for well-heeled Americans, combining the best of France with top-shelf amenities. We had the rare privilege of attending a wine tasting in Le Cave, one of the most well-stocked cellars in Paris. To get there, we walked through the extensive kitchens of the George V’s Michelin-starred restaurant, just as they were getting ready for the evening service.

Then it was down a couple of flights on the winding, circular staircase to the famed cave where thousands of bottles of wine from all over the world are kept at a perfect temperature by a computer-controlled thermostat. To aid the sommeliers during service, there is an elevator from the kitchen as well.

A lovely spread of charcuterie had been laid out for us to accompany the excellent blanc-de-blanc we tasted, and one of the hotel’s top sommeliers showed us around the cellar. Wines are numbered and grouped by region to make them easier to locate.

This was a rare treat, reserved for V.I.P. guests and oenophiles who can arrange a tasting through the hotel’s ambassador or concierge for an unspecified price.
www.fourseasons.com

Savoring Surrealism at Le Meurice

One of the highlights of my trip to Paris was an elegant lunch at Le Meurice, one of the city’s palace hotels that is just across from Jardin des Tuileries, between Place de la Concorde and the Louvre.

This historic hotel dates back to the early 1800’s and was the favorite of many creative visitors, from Rudyard Kipling to Salvador Dali. The lobby restaurant just reopened after an extensive renovation by revered designer, Philippe Starck. While Starck didn’t touch the ornate walls and paintings, he did choose the new furnishings in an homage to Dali, after whom the new restaurant is named.

Contemporary chairs with silver and gold finishes, some in the shapes of tree branches or covered with animal skins, are purposely mismatched and used with more traditional furniture. Quirky lamps and a ceiling mural painted by Starck’s daughter, Ara, complete the new “old meets new” look, which will please both modernists and traditionalists.

The menu at Le Dali also combines the best of the old and the new with contemporary dishes like the scallop and beetroot appetizer I had as a starter and the rustic chicken with mushrooms that I devoured for my entrée. The edible gilt on my dessert matched the ornate finishes on the walls.

The casually elegant ambience is perfect for this people-watching spot, as Le Dali is located in the center of the hotel just off the lobby and lounge.

www.lemeurice.com

Tea and Rambling in the Marais

On our first afternoon in Paris, we took a walking tour with Promendade de Sens, a company who creates custom guided tours combining culture with history. We explored one of the oldest parts of the city, the Marais.

Since all of us were jetlagged and starving, we stopped for tea at Chez Pierro, an intimate little café on rue de Birague. We had hot chocolate and tried every dessert in the place, including dense chocolate cake, spice cake, and a lemon tart. Although we went for the caffeine and sugar, the restaurant also serves light fare like soups and sandwiches.

The paintings were all done by local artists, and I was tempted to buy the “birds on a tree” canvas that was just across the table from me. It was a cozy space to take a break from walking in the cold. www.chezpierro.com

Eating Asian Food in a New York Loft in Paris

It seems people always want what they don't have. Instead of "the grass is always greener", in this case we might say "the cuisine is always greener" in a different country. My first dinner in Paris last week was in a fairly new and popular restaurant called Ze Kitchen Galerie.

Designed to look like a New York loft with high ceilings, exposed pipes, and modern art, Ze Kitchen is not your typical French dining experience. Chef William Ledeuil is in love with Southeast Asia, so you can expect a lot of seafood, a lot of ginger, and seasonings and condiments like Thai curry juice and miso.

Typical entrees include grilled squid and octopus with green apple and curcuma, grilled cod with Thai herbs and miso(several of my group had this), and loin of lamb with tuna stuffing. Beetroot and ginger gazpacho or chestnut and sweetbread soups, along with duck minestrone, are offered along with other Asian-fusion dishes on the starter list. Expect techniques like foam (Marcel of Top Chef would love this place!) and purees, along with a contemporary presentation. www.zekitchengalerie.fr

Oh Deer!

The one thing I couldn't get into in Norwegian cuisine is reindeer meat and sausage. We visited a really nice food store close to City Hall on Rosenkrantz street called Fenaknoken and the proprietor offered me some reindeer sausage which he said was really sweet. When I told him I just couldn't bring myself to eat Comet or Rudolph, he laughed and assured me that "our hunters know to stay away from Rudolph"!

He had huge slabs of the dried lamb called Pinne Kjott hanging from the rafters alongside giant dried cod fish. I tried some salted lamb wrapped in the thin bread called lefse (leff-suh) and it was very good. They also had some brown cheese made from the carmelized sugar in the milk. It's eaten with dark bread and often used in gravy.

This is definitely a great shop for true foodies who want to explore the traditional local foods of the region.

Holiday Noshing at the Christmas Market

Oslo has modeled their Christmas Market after the German ones, and even bought their booths and Gluhwein stands from them. But, they have some very regional food stalls that make their market unique. One of my favorite snacks were made-on-the-spot waffles smeared with jam, and it seemed to be a crowd favorite as well, judging by the number of folks walking around with them.

I also tried some local cheese from the Blind Cow Dairy(www.denblindeku.no) and it was exquisite...it just melted in my mouth. At one stall, I sampled the seven varieties of cookies that every Norwegian housewife is supposed to know how to make. These are primarily what I would call butter cookies..most of them made in a cookie press...except for the ice-cream-cone shaped ones that are hand rolled.

There was a full service restaurant set up at the market, in a tented pavilion overlooking the water, and I had a fabulous buffet dinner there. Every kind of fish from Norway, four kinds of potato salad, reindeer and elk, chicken, lamb, and beef and about 15 desserts were loaded on the festive tables. With help from my friendly waitresses, I tried to at least taste a little of everything. I have to say that not only was the food good, but these girls are the best servers in Oslo, and really friendly, so I had a great time at dinner even though I was dining alone.

Putting Out the Porridge

We put milk and cookies out for Santa, but in Norway, they put rice pudding out for the mischievous gnomes called nisse (niss-uh). These cute little creatures live with each family, and if you're not good to them, they can cause a world of trouble. And, even if you move, your nisse will follow you, so you have work at having a good relationship with them since they're part of the family.

The nisse expect their traditional rice pudding with sugar and cinnamon on the 24th when Norwegians have their big Christmas dinner and presents . Kids make gingerbread houses and the colorful paper hearts that hang on the tree are little baskets filled with treats. A big dinner of roasted pork, along with traditional foods like the dried lamb and salted fish we tried at the Christmas market, are also on hand.

Norway, like many other countries, also claims to be the birthplace of Santa Claus. A small town south of Oslo called Droback even has a special postmark to commemorate the famous old elf, although the Norwegian Santa looks more like Professor Dumbledore from the Harry Potter movies than the jolly, Coca-Cola version we have here in the U.S.

Everyone Stays at Oslo's Grand Hotel

This was the scene outside the Oslo’s historic luxury hotel, The Grand, on the night I was invited to a private reception at the new rooftop bar, L’Etoile, followed by attending the Norwegian ballet’s performance of the Nutcracker.

You could say that everyone’s the boss here, because of the VIP treatment they’ll receive, but on this particular night, “The Boss” (Bruce Springsteen) was in residence and these were some of his fans waiting to catch an autograph as he left for his concert venue.

Tonight, the Grand will host Al Gore and the environmental leaders of the world for the Nobel Peace Prize dinner. Appropriately, the hotel not only has many green measures already in place, but the Rica chain who own the Grand, also have a dedicated conservationist on staff to keep improving the environmentally-friendly programs at all of the hotels.

Norway’s famous author, Henrik Ibsen, has a memorial table at the Grand Café, marked by a brass plaque and a top hat, and this is the hotel where visiting dignitaries and celebrities stay when they’re in town. I attended the opening of the new rooftop bar, L’Etoile, which serves light food and has spectacular views of the city from its outdoor terrace. A new world-class spa just opened as well, and I was one of first journalists to get a sneak preview. Made from Norwegian stone and wood, it’s a design triumph, and the light therapy that is the spa’s specialty, is unique.

At our reception, we were served heavy hors d’oeuvres with a decadent dessert table, so I’m sure Mr. Gore and his fellow honorees will eat well tonight.

Pigging out on Christmas Food

I visited the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, a living history village similar to Williamsburg, Virginia. There’s a museum with 1000-year-old Viking ships, a museum with cultural exhibits and artifacts, and a village of wooden houses and a church that date back to 1200. It was here that I discovered the World’s Largest Marzipan Pig.

The pig is a symbol of Christmas in Norway. Pork is a popular holiday dish and candy replicas of the pig are in every store, some covered in chocolate. On the last day of the Christmas Market at the folk museum, the giant marzipan pig is sliced up and handed out to the visitors.

Another traditional food at Christmas is rice porridge with cinnamon and sugar. In one serving, an almond is hidden and whoever gets that portion receives a marzipan pig and is supposed to have good luck for the year or get married.

Since I won’t be in Oslo to share in the giant pig party, I went to the ICA supermarket and bought myself a small, chocolate-covered marzipan pig. On Dec. 24th, I’ll make some rice pudding and eat my pig and wish everyone a God Jul!

Falling Asleep in My Fish

I was seriously sleep-deprived by the time I finally arrived at the Hotel Continental (www.hotel-continental.no) in Oslo, but it was an easy and quick ride from the airport on the express Flytoget train which deposited me just across the street from the hotel.

Fortunately, Theatercafeen was located on the ground floor of the hotel, so that was an easy trip down the elevator to this beautiful, old traditional restaurant. The grand room was decked out for the holidays, with a piano player on the balcony above the dining room who played a medley of Christmas carols throughout the evening. All of the city restaurants including Theatercafeen have introduced their special holiday menus with traditional Norwegian specialties like Lutefisk ( a salted and aged raw trout), Rakefisk (similar to lox and served with sour cream, onions and beetroot), Pinne Kjott (pina-shut) which is a salted, dried lamb, and of course, rice porridge with cinnamon and sugar for dessert. Everyone drinks the national liquor, Aquavit, with their fish so I tried some, but it must be an acquired taste as it was very strong.

I love firm white fish, so I chose the baked halibut, which was served on a bed of onions and fresh spinach sautéed in a red wine sauce. It was hands-down the best halibut I’ve ever tasted…so fresh it could have leaped from the sea onto my plate…and cooked to perfection. I couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough to try one of the decadent desserts or the rice porridge, so I stumbled back to the elevator in a food coma and passed out in the soft cloud of my featherbed.

Holiday Hospitality in Chicago's Gold Coast

I’m finally back home after another 30 hour travel odyssey which took me from Oslo to Stockholm to Copenhagen to Chicago, and finally at 3 a.m. this morning, back to Tampa. I’m ready to buy my own jet like John Travolta!

Before I tell you about Norway’s festive holiday food and fun, I need to start at the beginning of my journey in Chicago. I visited the Gold Coast B & B (www.bbchicago.com) which is located just a few blocks from the lake in one of Chicago’s nicest neighborhoods filled with old brownstones. The cozy townhouse has four bedrooms, each uniquely furnished with an eclectic mix of antiques and collectibles. The kitchen is open 24/7 for guests to make a cup of tea, cocoa, or coffee or pick up one the fresh pastries that proprietor Sally Baker always keeps on hand. The breakfast room just off the kitchen is stocked with cereals, fresh fruit, and more goodies for the start of your day. Guests get their own key and come and go as they please, making the Gold Coast their own personal pied-a-terre while in the city.

Sally invited me to a neighborhood Christmas party a couple of blocks away at Mario’s Ristorante (www.mariosgoldcoast.com). Every year residents, business owners, and community leaders bring new toys to Mario’s for a wrapping party. Sponsored by the North Dearborn Association, the toys go to a local school in a neighborhood where the hardworking parents are hard-pressed to give their children the kind of magical Christmas they deserve. It was snowing heavily as we walked over from the Gold Coast, which really put me in the mood for some holiday cheer.

Mario pulls out all the stops and puts out a complimentary spread of his best food. Fried cheese ravioli with marinara sauce (my personal favorite!), several varieties of the house pizza, penne with red sauce, salad, and a beer, wine, and soda bar are his gift to all of the wrap party participants. It was tough to get a picture of the food since it disappeared so quickly when the servers brought it out, but I managed to catch Mario on the way to the buffet line. As I understand it, not only does Mario do this event every year, but also supports several other local charities and special events. It was first class all the way, as was the food!

The Starbucks of Oslo and an inspirational breakfast

I started my morning with a visit to the breakfast room here at the Hotel Continental. They have a huge spread of hot dishes from scrambled eggs to bacon, sausages, potatoes and more, in addition to the gargantuan cold cuts, cheese, yogurt, cereal, and pastry bars. On the linen napkin at each place was a little card with this quote, "Dream no smaller dream for they have no power to move the hearts of men." (Goethe) Very appropriate from the city hosting the upcoming Nobel Peace Prize and a very nice way to start the day.

This should be called " land of the sleeping late" as it didn't get light until about 8:30 this morning and it gets totally dark by 4 in the afternoon. So, understandably, caffeine is very popular here and my guide, Mathilde and I stopped by the local version of Starbucks for a quick cup. The chain is called Kaffebrenneriet and they had a big selection of yummy pastries as well.

Greetings from Norway

I arrived in Oslo late last night after one of those travel days (or two days actually) where everything that can go wrong, did! After sitting on the runway in Chicago for three hours due to a snowstorm and missing my connection in Copenhagen, finally a nice SAS gate agent took pity on me and miraculously got me on a flight to Oslo that was already overbooked by 12.

I am staying at the gorgeous Hotel Continental right in the heart of the city and had my first taste of fresh Norwegian fish at a lovely dinner in the restaurant attached to the hotel, Theaterkaffen which you'll hear and see more of when I get home with the photos. Let's just say it was a fabulous introduction the cuisine of this country and has my mouth watering to try more of the local food.

I'm off to see the city, the Christmas market by the harbor, and take a boat tour of the fjord which I'll tell you all about on GoNomad.