Category Archives: Travel

Take a Beer Vacation – Almost Anywhere

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

I am not saying you should take a vacation FROM beer. I am saying that you should turn your vacation into a Beer Vacation. With the growth of the craft beer scene all across the country, this is much easier than it sounds. Living with a home brewer, as I do, the task takes on even greater ease! He is willing to do all of the research into finding local breweries and craft beer bars in any area we travel! Consequently, each vacation lately has become a beer vacation for at least one of the days we are traveling. Sometimes we take a guided tour of the brew house; sometimes we just enjoy a flight of whatever happens to be on tap.

Beer Vacation – Hitting Up as Many Breweries as Possible

Vibrant craft beer scenes in the Pacific Northwest are a great place to start. We have made Seattle and Bend, Oregon into craft beer vacations, hitting up as many breweries as possible. (For Bend, go to the “Visit Bend” site and get all the info you need to take a great beer hike around town.) Another great option is the San Diego area. There are dozens of microbreweries there and a few really big ones too – like Stone, Green Flash and Lost Abbey off the top of my head.

Northern California is a Treasure Trove

Last year, attending the wedding of a friend, I had the good fortune to take some of my gal pals on a tour of Sierra Nevada in Chico. None of them had ever done a full blown brewery tour and they will forever be ruined for all others! I have been on dozens of tours, and this one is the BEST I’ve ever taken. The building is Lied Certified and they do all sorts of next level shit in there to help the local community, environment and the craft brew scene. All of Northern California is a treasure trove of amazing taprooms and breweries. The San Francisco area boasts a Rogue taproom, 21st Amendment Brewing and  Speakeasy brewing just to get you started.

On our most recent trip (you can read about it in four installments here on the site) we had the great good fortune of making beer vacation days out of Bamberg, Vienna and Frankfurt. But the biggest happy accident of the trip was finding a small local brewery in Amsterdam. After chatting with the barmaid at VOC Café where we enjoyed bitterballen, we asked about a nearby brewery, Brouwerij De Prael. She warned us that it was small, but we weren’t deterred. Size doesn’t always matter. Great beer does! It was close by so we trekked on over to check it out. We weren’t disappointed!

A Rabbit Warren of Small Rooms

After walking down a cobblestone alley where no car could have driven, we walked into a wild scene of “bingo night” where the grand prize was a scooter. Brouwerij De Prael was packed to the rafters with loud contemporary and 80’s pop music blaring and everyone was having a good time. The building itself is a rabbit warren of smaller rooms. A taproom in the front, several small dining rooms, and an American style bar menu featuring burgers, dogs and sandwiches. Because it was so busy, finding a place to park ourselves was a challenge, but we found a couple of seats at a shared high-top table in the front room near the door and tucked in for a good time. Of course John mentioned to the door man, Nelis, (pronounced NAY-liss) that he is a home brewer. Nelis then proceeded to give us a private guided tour of the brew house, complete with meeting the local homebrewing club! What a Happy Accident!

Clockwise from top left – beer aging in Ardbeg casks, the only burger I ate on the entire 2 week trip – cooked perfectly rare, Hubby John (in the red shirt) with the local Amsterdam Home Brewers Club, Nelis and I in the brewhouse, drinking beer in the taproom, Hubby John’s NotaBrau sticker in the brewhouse with other brewers’ stickers.

Resources to Get You Started

Intrigued? Wanna try it out for yourself? There are several great references out there. Of course you can go to the Chamber of Commerce or tourism site for any city you are visiting. Beware, they don’t always have great info on craft beer bars or breweries, unless the area is known for their craft beer scene, like Bend. Online be sure to check out Beer Advocate. Go to the “places” tab and select “directory”. They list breweries, bars, brew pubs with food, home brew supply stores, and stores with great beer selections. While you are there, subscribe to the magazine! Check out Lonely Planet and their collection of Global Beer Guides, available in print and digital formats. I prefer Lonely Planet travel guides over others because there are always quirky little things they find that aren’t in other guidebooks. You can select individual chapters for just the area you are traveling to, but WHY? Get the whole damn book so you are prepared for your next adventure ($20 in hardback)!

Buy Lonely Planet’s Global Beer Tour book  here in digital or print formats (photo from Lonely Planet website)

Another great book is this one by National Geographic. As with all Nat Geo products, the photography and content are first rate. It is a larger format book, a fantastic “coffee table book” for the beer lover on your Holiday gift list. ($40 in hardback.)

Buy Nat Geo’s Atlas of Beer here direct from National Geographic           (photo from Nat Geo website)

Finally, talk to the bartender at your local craft beer bar, beer goddesses at beer festivals or your local home brewers’ club. Those folks know where it’s at when it comes to craft beer and can point you in the direction of fab bars and breweries. Definitely do this AT your destination. Find one great taproom and the kind folks there will lead you to others. And ALWAYS – drink responsibly and don’t drink and drive!

Amsterdam Street Food – River Cruise Part 4

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

The final stop on our cruise was Amsterdam and though we stayed a couple of days and I could have used a few more even if it rained all but 5 hours of our stay. Amsterdam has a wild food and beverage scene. From the streets, to the cafés, and “coffee shops”, there is so much going on. We learned quickly that “coffee shop” is a euphemism for hash or weed shop. If you actually want coffee you need to go to a café where you can also get beer, wine and some great snacks. What we found fascinating were the number of ethnic restaurants in the tourist corridor and the complete lack of Dutch restaurants. We saw everything from Turkish and Italian to Mexican and Halal eateries, but not one single Dutch restaurant other than the cafés.

Our hotel, the Marriott Renaissance, was centrally located in the downtown, tourist corridor. While it was convenient to everything we wanted to do, we wished it was a better hotel. For the record, we didn’t choose it. The lobby and public areas are contemporary and lovely, but the room was a major disappointment after the opulence and luxury of the River Princess. The carpet was stained in several places, one of the chairs had a tear, the bed was uncomfortable and the breakfast was atrocious. Thankfully we weren’t in an isolated area and could explore Amsterdam easily away from the hotel. The only bright side to the hotel was the café that had some great local beers and a friendly staff.

The Albert Cuyp Market in Amsterdam

After a morning including the happy accident of a Banksy exhibit at the MOCO Museum we decided to continue acting like tourists. In Amsterdam, near one of the seemingly thousands of canals, there is a daily open air market, the Albert Cuyp Market. Here you can find everything your heart desires from souvenirs and clothing to produce and ready to eat snacks. Even in the rain, it was a treat to walk through and check out all the stalls, vendors and food. The produce is glorious, the souvenirs as schlocky as you would expect and the clothes exactly what you would find at a swap meet. What we found really interesting were the cheese, fish and meat vendors selling fresh product to take home. And it wasn’t just tourists shopping at the market; there were plenty of Amsterdam locals who had favorite merchants there. Needless to say, I had a BALL! Of course Gouda (pronounced HOW-duh) was purchased and brought home. The merchant happily pointed out the “factory made” vs. handmade cheeses. Three guesses as to which ones ended up in my shopping bag.

The red is aged, the green has herbs and the yellow is “young”. All together about a kilo and €15

Just Say NO! to Herring

And then of course there was the street food. I had to eat them all! I even tried the herring! It is known that if you are in Amsterdam, you should have some herring. John wouldn’t touch it, and after one bite, I didn’t blame him. I took a second bite, hoping for the best, but it’s just not for me. I like pickled herring and creamed pickled herring and this wasn’t like either of those. And it wasn’t the taste, it was the texture. I found it slimy and a little tasteless if I am being honest. Thank goodness for the dill pickle and the onions on the roll with it, or it would have had little to no taste at all. There is no photo because, well, it was gross and who wants to see that, or my face upon NOT enjoying?

Moving on to Tastier Things

I am not a fan of waffles in general, unless it is a waffle cone with ice cream inside, therefore I wasn’t entirely sure about stroopwafels. Let it be known, I am convert! They are thin (like a waffle cone), crispy, waffle sandWISH cookies with caramel smeared between the layers. The trick to eating them is to keep them in the paper wrapper because the caramel is like glue and will stick to every single thing it touches. Totally worth the trouble, believe me!

Even in the rain, this was a delish treat! Golden brown and crispy with a gooey center. What could be wrong with that?

On board the ship the final night, one of the dessert offerings was poffertjes. We tried them, and frankly were a bit disappointed since we had heard and read a bit about them. So when we saw them being made in the market, we elected to give them another try. I am so glad we did! If you have ever been to an Italian style street fair, like San Gennaro, I hope you have had the good sense to eat “fried dough”. These little puffs of pan fried,  yeasted batter taste similar, but they are tiny, coated in butter and powdered sugar (traditionally) and you don’t feel guilty for eating an order of 10! Check out the video of the vendor flipping them. On the ship they were cooked like waffles between two plates and were more like cake than dough. You can see the difference here in the video and picture. They puff up on the pan and then collapse onto themselves making layers of doughy goodness.

This was an order of 15 and John and I shared them because we were eating ALL the things!

No, I Am Not Making That Up

Then we had the bitterballen. No, I am not making that up and get your mind out of the gutter. Yes, I know we are talking about Amsterdam, but this is about food dammit! These are our favorite of all the snacks we tried. So much so, that I am planning to make them at home. You know how when you chill gravy it turns into gravy jello? Ok, make the gravy even thicker, throw some finely chopped meat in (usually beef or veal). Then chill it, form it into balls, bread it and deep fry it. Yes, my friends. Deep fried gravy balls! We liked them so much that we had three different versions in 2 days and the “original” was our least favorite. They are always served with mustard, and it oddly works! The gravy never gets back to the liquid consistency, so they aren’t a mess to eat. They are just damn good.

L-R – The “original” at VOC Cafe, Chef Sammy D’s take with oxtail at Wyer’s at the DeWitt Kimpton  (more on that soon – these were the best FYI), and beer battered, with beer mustard at De Prael brewery.

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Bartenders, Butlers and Bubbles – All the Drinking – River Cruise Part 3

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

Drinking is a mainstay on all cruise ships. After all, when you are on vacation you feel freer to enjoy a cocktail at any hour. That has been true on our river cruise as well as ocean cruises we have been on. The difference is the quality, not the quantity of drinking. The bar was stocked with brand names you recognize and civilized beer, not only on tap, but in bottles (no Bud, Miller or Coors). And I have to admit, I was drinking more wine and champagne on this trip than I have all the rest of this year. I normally avoid both because of migraines and hangovers in the past, but I had no issues at all in Europe. Was it the wine, or that I was relaxed? I am crediting the wine – perfection!

Each evening we had regional wine pairings created by Sorin our head bartender who is working toward his Sommelier certificate (a little more challenging with his mobile work venue) and has 13 years of experience working in the beverage industry. I am not an expert on wine, by any stretch of the imagination, but I know what I like and can tell you that the wines were delicious. Each region we sailed through had us drinking a different type of wine. In Budapest we had Hungarian wines, Austrian wines in Austria and of course, crisp and clean Riesling and Pinot Blanc were what we were drinking through the German wine regions.

Drinking My Vodka and Soda in a Daiquiri Glass

Without exception, the entire bar staff on the ship was exceptional, starting with Sorin, Stoyan, and Bruno. What makes a great drinking experience for me is that the bartenders knew what I wanted after just a few visits to the bar. We pesky Americans LOVE our ice and I personally love a tall or large glass. These guys had it figured out in just a few days and started serving me my drinks in daiquiri glasses because they held the most ice and liquid by volume. I may have looked a little ridiculous drinking my vodka and soda in a daiquiri glass, but, “Frankly I don’t give a damn.” And Agnes (the only woman on the food & beverage service team) in the dining room had my number too. I asked for a “large glass of caffeine” in the form of a Diet Coke at lunch and she made that happen in a red wine glass, the largest they had in the dining room.

City-side Drinking Experiences

And of course there were the city-side drinking experiences. We hit 5 breweries in 5 hours in Bamberg, found a brewery and a fine American style cocktail and cigar lounge in Vienna, and a craft beer bar in Frankfurt where we were having such a good time drinking with the locals that we skipped dinner on the ship! There were so many opportunities to enjoy local adult beverages and we took advantage of them all!

Bamberg – Five Breweries in five hours! Wish we had more time in this city! Currywurst, pretzels and beer.

Vienna – Left – Beer at a little bar, Kruger American Bar cocktail lounge, 1516 Brewery with the best coaster of the entire trip. Right – all the goodies from Demel Cafe – Amaretto coffee, Sachertorte and the House Specialty torte.

Frankfurt – L – R Mispelchen, Calvados brandy and a special breed of apricot. You do it as a shot – chew the apricot and then drink the brandy, tagliatelle with in season chanterelles, local craft beer, all at Naiv bar; the hilarious trashcans in the touristy city center.

Remember how I mentioned that John upgraded our room to a suite? Well, yeah. The suite came with an honest to goodness butler who has been trained by the head butler to the royal family in England. It is part of the corporate structure of Uniworld and Red Carnation Hotels (sister companies) that the butlers are all trained in classic English tradition. Our butler, as mentioned before is named Panche and I’d love to take him home just for the little details (he folds laundry like it was meant to be folded). John has a sweet tooth and always has some sort of chewy candy on or in his nightstand at home. John had been grabbing a small glass and filling it with gummi bears from the lounge snack bar stash and leaving it on the nightstand. Panche saw this and replaced the offending glass with a proper canister for his chewy treats! We, of course, had a great chuckle over that one! I mentioned how much I have always wanted to learn how to “saber” a champagne bottle and he provided me with an instruction sheet and a lesson using a bottle of bubbles given to us by British Airways as a celebratory gift for our 30th Anniversary. It’s the details kids…it’s the details.

After the sabering lesson, Chef Daniel treated us to caviar complete with accompaniments and fruit.

Service Makes the Difference – River Cruise – Part 2

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

Detail Oriented Service

As I sit waiting to go through one of the many locks (in total more than 60) on this voyage, I am stumped on where to begin and how to share with you how much fun I am having with the food and how much I appreciate the detail oriented service from the ship’s staff. I do miss cooking though, and can’t wait to get back to my kitchen to play with the new spices and pastes I picked up. At home I would just rattle some pans, but I think Chef Daniel might take umbrage with me just waltzing into his kitchen. For the record, I have asked for a tour of the kitchen and have yet to be invited to check it out. According to Marin, the hotel manager, the entire kitchen is electric. As one would expect, no open flames are on board. And there are of course safety concerns with allowing guests into “behind the scenes” areas of the ship.

Continued Excellence from the Kitchen

The food on board this trip continues to be quite excellent. If you have ever been on an ocean cruise, you know how fucking miserable THAT food is, and that is SO not the case here. I expected after the Welcome Dinner (see Part 1) that the food would be simpler, or somehow “less” and that is not the case AT ALL (witness John’s lamb shank, below, from the other night). Continued excellence from the kitchen and the bar staff pleases me to no end. The freshly baked-on-board breads and the variety of European cheeses are truly wonderful. And I feel quite virtuous that I am skipping dessert most evenings or selecting the cheese plate. The other fun thing about the food on board is that regional specialties are served as you sail. For instance in Hungary we had Paprikash, in Austria there was Schnitzel and so on. And to make it even more special, they gifted me with a set of recipe cards of some of the dishes that we have enjoyed on this cruise.

Lamb Shank with roasted root veg

Roast Duck with red cabbage and potato dumpling

Recipe cards featuring some of the recipes from this cruise and a few other Uniworld itineraries as well.

Special Surprise for our 30th Anniversary

Our cabin attendant, Veronika, is a gem. Fast and efficient, she always makes sure the room is perfect whenever we return from any adventure. Upon returning from dinner one night, there was a bottle of bubbly, rose petals, a bow and electric candles set out as a special gift for our 30th Anniversary. I am not sure if a staff member overheard us talking, or our travel agent, Phillip Archer, clued them in, but it was an unexpected treat!

We came back from dinner to THIS – chocolates, bubbly German “champagne” and a beautiful setting. And yes, those are electric candles.

The service from the wait staff in the dining room and bar are spot on! Because the ship is intimate, they are able to provide personalized service and attention. After a few meals, they know I don’t drink coffee, skip dessert most evenings, and always want water. The bartenders know what I want to drink and have it ready in an instant.

Uniworld must have a lock on the best tour guides in the river valley. Without exception, each of the guides has been knowledgeable, entertaining and fun to be with. At the Melk Abbey, we were guided by docents of the abbey, but in every other city thus far, we have had a local who gives great tips on what to see, do and eat outside of the tour. So far my faves have been Elizabeth at the hops farm and Stephanie in Bamberg.

Here I am, bedecked with a freshly cut wreath of hops at the Hallertau Hops Farm. Just call me the Hops Queen!

This is the original “town hall” or Court in Bamberg. When royalty came to visit they stayed nearby and all of the merchants and “support staff” worked from here to accommodate the royals. Grain, beer and other consumables were stored here as well. This building was used in The Three Musketeers version with Orlando Bloom and Mila Jovovich.

And let us not forget our Cruise MANAGER (not cruise director) Heidicha (Pronounced Hi-DEE cha)! She has the patience of Job and has demonstrated that time and again this cruise, not only with me (and I can’t remember SHIT!) but also with a few problem children who don’t listen to anything anyone says. I plan things and get paid to it, but I’d be slapping someone if I had to do her job. She’s incredible

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Stay tuned for more soon! John upgraded our cabin to a suite for the remainder of the voyage and all I can say is WOW! We now have an honest to goodness butler . No. I am not kidding. His name is Panche (pahn SHAY). Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For Facebook, enable ALL notifications so you never miss a post.

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River Cruise? Why You Should Do it!

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

When we started planning our 30th Anniversary trip, and The Hubs suggested a European river cruise, I looked at him slack jawed and said, “Why would you want to do that?! You hate cruises!” We had been on a few ocean cruises and he said he felt “trapped” and really didn’t enjoy the food (I agree), the entertainment (I agree), the other people and their kids or anything about it, so I was beside myself wondering why he thought he’d enjoy a river cruise. Apparently he’d done some research behind my back and hit me with the details.

He had checked out a few different routes, cruise lines and options and had decided on Uniworld’s European Jewels 15 day river cruise over the others for various reasons:

  • Unlike Viking, because Uniworld is a “boutique” cruise line that specializes in river cruises, there was a significant price difference, so the chance that there would be families with young kids was reduced. In fact we anticipated being among the youngest on our ship and we are.
  • All of our meals, snacks and beverages (including alcohol) are included all day long. Many of the other cruise lines had upcharges for beverage packages, just like the ocean cruises.
  • All tips and shore excursions are included on Uniworld. Each city offers multiple excursions, and of course there are options for “bespoke” tours that are exclusive to each ship and itinerary at an upcharge. That was not the case with the other lines. On other river cruise lines the options for shore excursions were limited and all were at an additional fee; just like an ocean cruise.
  • Each ship has less than 200 passenger occupancy. Our cruise has 63 passengers (half capacity).
  • While we had lived in Europe at the beginning of our marriage, each of the cities on this cruise would be new to us.

When it comes to the excursions, Uniworld provides a small “QuietVox” unit and earpiece to help you hear your tour guide in even the noisiest of conditions. The Vox unit also works while you are sailing to indicate and explain points of interest on the banks of the rivers. Everything from castles and ruins to modern architectural marvels and small towns are explained.

Make No Mistake, This is NOT a Budget Trip

Make no mistake, this is NOT a budget trip and it is one you should plan well in advance and be prepared for a bit of sticker shock if you are used to ocean cruises and their pricing. The bonus with THIS type of all-inclusive service is that are really no financial surprises. You can leave your wallet in the safe until it is time to go on an excursion, and sometimes even then.

Our ship is the River Princess and while our cabin is smaller than I imagined, it is outfitted with luxurious linens both on the bed and in the bathroom. It is beautifully appointed in an “old world” style in keeping with the locales we’ll be visiting. Our stateroom attendant offers turndown service and handles special requests of course.

Regionally Influenced Wine Pairings

And let’s talk for just a sec about the food and beverage. SOOOO much better than I could have hoped for! Our welcome gala dinner on this river cruise was beautifully plated and included regional cuisine from the area of Europe we were travelling through at the time. Spot on flavors, regionally influenced wine pairings, with excellent preparation and attention to detail from kitchen to service. After speaking at some length with the Chef (did you think I wouldn’t?), Chef Daniel informed me he shops the markets at each port so all the ingredients are the freshest possible.

River Cruise Welcome Dinner

The following pics are from our welcome dinner. A set menu with the entree as the only option. It was truly fantastic!

Amuse Bouche of bleu cheese mousse

Shrimp cocktail with radicchio

Scallop with risotto and caviar garnish

Broiled branzino with bok choy

Veal Chop with bearnaise – John enjoyed this. I just say “NO” to bearnaise because I dislike tarragon. Had there been another sauce, I’d have eaten this! It was perfectly cooked and seasoned…other than the tarragon.

Chocolate mousse with mango sorbet

Dessert assortment of mousse cakes. These were petit fours sized.

 

Watch for part 2 on this river cruise extravaganza as WiFi permits. Enjoy the photos here and follow along on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for frequent updates throughout this journey.

Traveling with Friends and Conch   

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

If you are lucky, you have a few good friends that you can do anything with, including going on vacation. My friend Laurie earned a trip with the Pampered Chef to Atlantis in the Bahamas and invited her girlfriends, me, Lynn and Janet, to go along with her. We had a great time and I ate my weight in conch while I was there. Traveling with friends is very different than traveling with family. Your family knows what you like to do on vacation, but perhaps your friends don’t.

My idea of a vacation is getting out and seeing EVERYTHING; trying the local cuisine, beer and cocktails and talking with the locals. I don’t sleep in and I stay up late, just like at home. I like to walk around and eat stuff I can’t get at home. That’s what I do when I vacation with John. Laurie likes to sit on the beach or at the pool. Lynn and Janet both go with the flow. I rarely sit on the beach or, heaven forbid, a public pool. This vacation was a combination of all of that. Atlantis has a huge water park and is close to Nassau so we toured, walked, swam, parasailed, rode the rapids and ate…and ate…and ate.

Fried Conch, Conch Fritters, Conch SandWISHes

Here in Vegas I can get nearly anything, but Bahamian cuisine and lovely fried conch is something that is not readily available. I can get scungilli salad, but fried conch, conch fritters, conch sandWISHes? Good luck! I ate all of that and more while I was away. If you have never had conch, it’s sweet in the way crab is, but toothsome the way calamari is. I prefer it fried, but I’ll eat it in scungilli salad too. One thing I re-learned about Nassau is that I don’t like their beer. At ALL. And we tried “Sky Juice” a bizarre concoction of gin, milk and sweetened condensed milk, that on the surface sounds gross, but somehow it works.

One of the oddest things we did was hire a cab to drive us all around Nassau and point out the interesting things about the city. We had a good driver, Alfred, who showed us the sights. Government buildings, Fort Charlotte, “The Fish Fry” and local flora were all included for the ride. I would highly recommend doing this in any foreign city to get the lay of the land and figure out what you want to visit.

One of the Highlights Was Eating at Oh Andros

For me, the highlights of the trip were parasailing (something I was able to check off my Bucket List) and eating at Oh Andros. Oh Andros is located in “The Fish Fry”, an outdoor mall of sorts, featuring restaurants, bars and shops that serve mostly locals, but tourists are welcome. If you plan to go, just know it’s all cash only, so be prepared. Oh Andros serves authentic Bahamian food and when we arrived the joint was packed with locals. The pics below do not do justice to the food for several reasons, mainly, I had my little camera and you can’t see how big the plates were for scale. Each entrée came with rice with pigeon peas and two other sides. The plate was a standard 10” round. Pile it up 5” high and you get the picture. Everything was properly seasoned and there was WAY too much. If you are in a hotel and not an apartment with ability to reheat leftovers, I recommend sharing a plate with a friend. We had NO IDEA we’d be getting that much food.

Fried Conch and pan fried pork chop.

Fried Conch and pan fried pork chops.

Spicy grilled grouper - there were FIVE filets on this one plate!

Spicy grilled grouper – there were FIVE filets on this one plate!

Slipper tail lobster, cracked and fried

Slipper tail lobster, cracked and fried. No joke, it was an entire lobster!

Fried conch and pan fried whole snapper

Fried conch and pan fried whole snapper. One of the pieces of conch was literally the size of my hand.

Is Inclusive Tipping Really the Way to Go?

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

Living in Vegas I know I have become spoiled in so many ways. Access to dozens of live performances a month. Fantastic restaurants with varied cuisine. And some of the best service the industry has to offer. With a lot of restaurants across the country talking about including the tip in the check, I have to ask, “Is inclusive tipping really the way to go?”

Some restaurants in other cities in the USA are already doing this with success. While it may be a welcome change for the guests and clients, how successful is it for the staff? When I was a server I counted on tips to make my bills. Are they making the same amount? Is their healthcare now included? I know one chef driven small chain IS including benefits for everyone in house – both front and back of the house – and everyone had a salary boost, but I don’t think that is true across the board.

Last week I took a trip to Atlantis resort in the Bahamas and it was wonderful! It was a “girls only” trip and we had a great time. Friend Laurie earned the trip with The Pampered Chef and she asked her pals to go along for the ride. What a ride it was! When you are at Atlantis you are on a separate island from Nassau and need to take a taxi or water taxi to the city. All four of being intrepid travelers, we took water taxis and regular taxis to get over to Nassau and off the Atlantis property for some additional fun. The prices on Paradise Island (Atlantis) are higher than Vegas or Disney (now that’s saying something!) and for convenience we ate some meals at Atlantis and some in Nassau.

Tipping is not a city in China

We quickly learned that Tipping is not a city in China, but an included item on your check. When I lived in Europe and traveled outside of the USA it was known that the tip was included in our bill, but it wasn’t a line item on the bill. In the Bahamas 15% is automatically added to your bill as a line item and you can decide whether to tip more. There is a space on your credit card check to allow “additional gratuity”. And our service was spotty at best. At Todd English‘s Olives at the resort (we ate there because we were exhausted and it was close) the only thing that came fast was the check. Having eaten at Todd English restos before, I can promise you he would have been mortified at the service we received. At Murray’s we waited 25 minutes for a table for breakfast and then an additional 20 minutes for water and coffee and another 30 minutes for eggs that were all over cooked and the shittiest corned beef hash I have ever had…EVER. The only edible things were the home fries and the toast. All told it was 2-1/2 hours for BREAKFAST! And the place wasn’t even that busy. And we ended up tipping for crappy service because it was included. On the other hand, in Nassau we ate at Oh Andros and the service was super friendly and a bit slow because the place was PACKED with at least 20 “to –go” orders leaving while we sat there and nibbled on conch fritters. The food was amazing and our server, Shakira, kept checking on us, refilling our drinks and informing us of the status of our food, basically treating us like we were there every weekend (there will be a separate blog about eating on this trip). And yet, at another joint in Nassau the waiter tried to tell us that the tip wasn’t included when it said so right on the menu board. And at a third place, the waiter actually stood there and looked at all of our signed checks to see if we were tipping extra. Like I said, a mixed bag.

“Is inclusive tipping really the way to go?”

If the tip is included on the check, what incentive do servers have, other than pride in their jobs, to provide excellent service? They know they are getting paid no matter what. They know they will probably never see tourists again; it’s not likely that we’ll become regulars. I found in other parts of the world, being a server is a career, not a job, and in those locations the service was always exceptional whether the tip was included or not. Yes, Atlantis and Nassau are tourist destinations with visitors from all over the globe. Well, isn’t Vegas? Isn’t New York? Isn’t Disney? As a server in the USA, it is customary to include a 15% or 20% tip on any party of more than 6 or 8 people, and that is expected nearly universally. Sometimes people tip additionally and sometimes they don’t.

Why was our service so spotty? Was it that I am spoiled? Was it that everyone was on “Island Time”?  Was it the fact that the tip was included? Or simply that service is not as important to some people as it is to me? There is no way of knowing. I have often said that I can forgive mediocre food, but I can’t forgive lousy service. If your food is great and your service sucks, chances are I won’t come back. Sadly, when tipping is included in the check, you never know what you are going to get.

Flushing Money Down the Toilet

Downtown Grand – Not So Grand

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

Ever since the renovation and reopening of the Downtown Grand, I have been a huge proponent of the property. I have booked blocks of rooms for parties, pub crawls and events in the downtown area. Nice rooms, decent house staff, conveniently located, gorgeous pool…and all of that has changed. I have had my final stay at that property.

Upon their reopening, the food and the beverage program needed some work, but they were on the right track. Their center bar NEVER was a draw for me because all they had was crap on tap, but the Mob Bar and the Art Bar both had a decent cocktail menu with friendly staff. Bring in Chef Todd Harington and the food game was brought to a new level. Harrington has exacting standards for his kitchens and it showed in the revved up menus and the wonderful Chinese restaurant on property. His departure saw a complete “dumbing down” of the food and beverage program. The Chinese resto is gone. The cocktail menus have been stripped. Little known fact is that Pizza Rock, Triple George, Commissary and Hogs & Heifers are all owned by The Grand, but to the best of my knowledge, only Pizza Rock solely creates their own menu. The other properties have input and oversight from the Execs at The Grand.

Let’s be candid, if you want luxury, Downtown Vegas is not for you; you should stay on The Strip. If you want clean rooms, nice staff and a good value, in close proximity to our hottest, hippest, growing scene, this is where you want to stay when you come to Vegas. You can find excellent food at value pricing compared to the Strip and you can stay in landmark hotels like the Golden Nugget, Golden Gate (all newly renovated FYI) and Four Queens.

One of the things I have always loved about Vegas is that it is the only major metropolitan area in the country where you do not have to pay for parking at your hotel. In Chicago, NYC, San Francisco, New Orleans, LA etc. you pay per day to park your car starting at $25 a day, sometimes without in and out privileges (meaning there is an additional fee to USE your car during your stay). I even paid to park at a damn Hampton Inn in Ontario, California (not even LA, mind you…). Well, either that is changing or the Downtown Grand thinks it has been transported to another city. They charged me $11 to park my car and I was a hotel guest. To add insult to injury, when we claimed the car the price listed for parking was $7!

Here’s the thing – I think paying to park is the biggest fucking racket on the planet. I was floored when I moved here and found that I need only tip the valet and I could use valet parking. And I LOVE that. I understand wanting to charge for event parking (I don’t LIKE it, but I understand it). I even understand charging tourists who are USED TO PAYING for parking, but when you charge the locals for something they can get free at other and better hotels, be prepared for the back lash. FYI – the Four Queens also charges you to valet if you are NOT a hotel guest, and I even get that thought process.

So let’s take a look:

  • Stripped cocktail program
  • Stripped menu options and closure of the best resto on property
  • Broken A/C in the room (another story entirely)
  • Rude front desk staff when addressing the parking charge AND the A/C
  • Having to pay for parking

I guess I will stay elsewhere when I am downtown. The Downtown Grand is NOT the only game in town and while they were the best for a little while, they aren’t even the best game in downtown any more. I’ve yet to stay in The D, The Four Queens or the Golden Gate and the Las Vegas Club is undergoing renovations to the entire property, so we’ll wait to see what they bring to the game.

The feature Image is from USA Today online.

Sneak Peek at Yardbird

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

I have a lot of friends who are in the food industry in one fashion or another and happily I get invited to some really great outings, but RARELY do I get to eat somewhere before food writer Friend Al Mancini does.  THIS time I can say, “Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner” with glee because I was able to preview some of the fantastic menu items coming to Yardbird Southern Table and Bar (Opening at the Venetian in December) before anyone else in town!

Chef and Friend Todd Harrington, along with Chef and Friend John Courtney are both training in Miami at the original Yardbird. I passed through on my way to a cruise ship and Chef Todd treated Hubby, Sister Nancy and I to a fab lunch with signature dishes and cocktails that blew my socks off. Julian took really good care of us and I know all of Las Vegas will get the same royal treatment. He has been with the company for years and is coming out to train the new staff. When you are served, you get a little “history” lesson on Yardbird and what makes the dishes so spectacular. Hint – it’s the home cooking secret recipes that have been table tested for generations.

First of all you need to know that Fried Chicken is my Kryptonite.  (Moment of Truth: Ask anyone who knows me about my chicken problem.) When Todd told me about the chicken I had to take a seat because I nearly swooned – brined for a day and then secret recipe seasoned and pressure fried…in lard. Be still my beating heart. It’s kind of their “thing” and once eaten I understood. The meat is moist and flavorful all the way to the bone, not just the skin.  Then of course there was the “BLT” with fried green tomatoes, and the deviled eggs…oh shit, I could go on all day!  Just look at the pics and checkout the Miami menu here.

Deviled eggs with "redneck caviar"

Deviled eggs with “redneck caviar”

Fried Green Tomato BLT - see the pimento cheese and the bacon?

Fried Green Tomato BLT – see the pimento cheese and the bacon?

BBQ Ribs and house made pickles. See that pickled okra? It had my name on it!

BBQ Ribs and house made pickles. See that pickled okra? It had my name on it!

Just look at the little captions

Just look at the little captions

The ever popular Mac & Cheese

The ever popular Mac & Cheese

Crunch & Munch Bread Pudding

Crunch & Munch Bread Pudding

Banana Cream Pie with white chocolate ice cream

Banana Cream Pie with white chocolate ice cream

Not shown are the amazing biscuits and house made jam, grilled farmer’s cheese with watermelon, shrimp & grits and a few cocktails.  Once Yardbird opens you are seriously going to want to check it out if you enjoy southern style food at all.  For me, the best thing is that everything is meant to be shared, and the portions clearly reflect that idea. Think about sitting down to eat at Aunt Sally’s table where the plates were passed to everyone…get the picture? There were 3 of us at the table and trust me, we were more than sated and there were leftovers. May I suggest you bring friends and wear comfy clothes the first time? You will want to try everything.

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A Hill Country Wedding and Four Kings

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

My recent whirlwind trip was precipitated by two celebrations – a wedding and a landmark birthday. Travel for almost any reason is a good thing, but when you get to travel for a celebration it’s even better. “My Friend Brian”, dear Friend Nanette’s son, married his sweetheart Krystal in charming Texas Hill Country style and Mom turned 70 on a weekend cruise out of Miami to the Bahamas (read a little about that here).

When I was growing up in New York, there was only ONE WAY to have a wedding “The Right Way”. You start with a ceremony at a church, proceed to the reception hall after pictures. Then there is an open bar cocktail hour, toast by the best man, dinner, cake and bouquet/garter ceremonies and then dancing and more drinking. Clean, simple and in that order every time. Thankfully that mold has been broken!  Now there is so much more variety and happy couples can truly express themselves and make their wedding more about THEM and less about traditional trappings. In a gorgeous outdoor setting amid trees at Ruby Ranch, a converted hunting lodge one used by LBJ, I was treated to a Hill Country wedding and I am honored to have been included.

The Bride and her attendants wore cowboy boots beneath their dresses and there was a completely relaxed atmosphere among the bridal party and the guests that I have NEVER seen before. What a pleasant surprise to feel relaxed at a wedding instead of keyed up and stressed out! Of course at every wedding something goes wrong, but when it happened here, there was laughter, not tension. And then there was the food.  If you know me AT ALL, you know that my least favorite type of cuisine is BBQ (I despise the sauce and most of the traditional sides) and no respectable Hill Country wedding would be complete without it. I will say Bill Miller’s smoked sausage was much better than I remembered. But the CAKE was the star of the food show here. Usually wedding cakes are all form and no function. They LOOK great and taste like shit. Not so here! Letty’s Sweets made a wonderful cake for cutting and light, moist, delicious cupcakes for everyone to enjoy. The buttercream was so LIGHT and filled with flavor it was nearly a revelation.  All my best to My Friend Brian and Krystal for many happy years together.

Brian and Krstal changed into something more comfy for the cake, dancing and singing portion of the evening.

Brian and Krstal changed into something more comfy for the cake, dancing and singing portion of the evening.

My Friend Brian (2nd from the left) and his attendants waiting on the Bride's arrival

My Friend Brian (2nd from the left and brother Daniel 3rd from left) and his attendants waiting on the Bride’s arrival

The Newlyweds

The Newlyweds

And then there was more… Every Wednesday my pals in San Antonio bowl in the morning and then have lunch. The happiest change in the routine is that every now and then a new place opens and there is more variety. So is the case with Four Kings. I can’t say enough good things about Sandra and her team. Each and every thing I had was exceptional. House roasted meats for sandwiches, from scratch baked goods (including their sandwich breads and rolls) and homemade soups that made me wish I was there more than once. I rarely want to go back to Texas (you all know how much I love the west coast and Vegas), but this little lunch spot made me yearn for another trip soon.  No website as yet, but you can follow along with them HERE!

Owner Sandra putting the finishing touches on a sandWISH.

Owner Sandra putting the finishing touches on a Bahn Mi sandWISH.

Sliced roast beef on a pretzel roll, grain mustard aoili, caramelized onion marmalade, spinach, and Colby Jack cheese served hot.

Sliced roast beef on a pretzel roll, grain mustard aoili, caramelized onion marmalade, spinach, and Colby Jack cheese served hot.

Pimento Cheese

Pimento Cheese

Homemade rolls - YUMMM!

Homemade rolls – YUMMM!