Insider Guide to Houston Restaurants

“I love this town, I love this state, I love the Gulf Coast and I couldn’t imagine spending too much time anywhere else,” says Food & Wine Best New Chef 2009 Bryan Caswell. Caswell is the owner of Houston’s highly acclaimed seafood restaurant Reef, a burger joint called Little Bigs, and El Real Tex-Mex Café, which serves comfort food such as a fried egg-topped burrito, in a restored 1930s-vintage theater. Here, he shares his favorite local haunts for suckling pig, a soul food breakfast and the meat-loving city’s most surprising find, a vegetable-driven tasting menu. Bryan Caswell, owner of Houston restaurant Reef.

“Uchi is a model of perfection in my mind. The service and the dishes are so distinct and so tasty and flavorful,” says Caswell. Chef-owner Tyson Cole serves the same inspired Japanese fare as at his Austin flagship restaurant, including amazing crudo and Jar Jar Duck (duck, kumquat, endive, rosemary smoke). Cole recently named former pastry chef Philip Speer his director of culinary operations. “Philip used to work for me and he’s a good friend. I love eating there,” says Caswell. uchirestaurants.com

“This place is two restaurants in one. One half is The Pass, which is super fine dining. Provisions is more gastropub-esque, with suckling pig for two and wood-fired pizzas. Both chefs, Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner, like me, left town and worked for a long time, but came back because they knew there was only one place they wanted to be. The food is fantastic.” passandprovisions.com

One of the city’s most exciting restaurants right now, the vegetable-driven Oxheart offers only tasting menus, with dishes such as turnips baked in salt with radishes, Texas pecans, beef fat and garden leaves. “It’s cool to see the younger generation represented here in Houston,” says Caswell. “Chef Justin Yu worked in California for a long time and now he’s hammering it down in a small 30-seat restaurant with his wife, the head baker and pastry chef. It’s a beautiful space (filled with reclaimed materials) and the menu is probably 80 percent vegetables.” oxhearthouston.com

“Make sure you get there early because after 9:30 a.m., the line at this soul food place is around the building. Every day, literally seven days a week! The pork chops and eggs is by far the best breakfast I’ve ever had and the service here is bad to the bone, too. The nicest people in the world, and they’re always playing good music. Some Sundays they have a bounce house outside for the kids. It’s just a community joint with catfish, grits, chicken and waffles, all that.” thebreakfastklub.com

“I’m at Reef almost every day for lunch, but sometimes I’ll run to this Vietnamese café for a double-pork banh mi sandwich with barbecue pork and pâté, and a sweet basil seed drink—the seeds become chewy like little tapioca pearls. It’s our staff go-to; I’ll take an order from all the guys in the kitchen and bring everyone back lunch.” lesgivrals.com

“At Underbelly, chef Chris Shepherd is doing food that belongs in Houston. It’s incredibly diverse and meat-centric: They butcher their own meat, and serve Korean dumpling dishes and barbecue and the whole myriad of things that exist in this city.” underbellyhouston.com

Bobby Heugel and Kevin Floyd, the founders of the fantastic cocktail bar Anvil, have become local empire builders: They have their hands in Underbelly, and now in Hay Merchant, an amazing beer bar with 80 taps. “It’s attached at the hip with Underbelly,” says Caswell, “and has just really good pub food like crispy pig’s ears and pork trotter tots.” haymerchant.com

“This is a Vietnamese place in the Chinatown area. I was going there in high school, late-night, and you can still go in at 2, 3 in the morning and chow down on some delicious grub.” maishouston.com

“On my days off, I’ll go somewhere I haven’t tried yet, usually near Long Point Road, the main strip in the Spring Branch district. It is a complete and total cross section of the cultural diversity in Houston. There’s El Hidalguense, a Mexican place with a huge earthen pit, like something out of the Hill Country, except they’re roasting goats. There’s a Korean-Japanese place called Dadami, where you can order fresh octopus and they’ll bring it to your table alive, still crawling around. They clean it up and chop it for you right there. When I put a piece in my mouth, it suctions to the roof of my mouth. And there’s a Polish place I like called Polonia, where they’ll serve you shots of frozen vodka between courses.” poloniarestaurant.com

“On Saturdays, Urban Harvest is a great farmers’ market on the eastside. It’s been a long time coming for us to get a great one, and now this one’s been going for about four years.” urbanharvest.org

“I love going down to Bellaire to go to the Hong Kong Market and Ranch 99; they are these massive Asian grocery stores. When I say huge, I mean they’re twice the size of a Walmart. We literally have, like, 25 of them. The gummies they have there are outrageous, too. I’m such a sweet tooth guy. I love all the Southeast Asian candies there.” hkfoodmarket.com, 99ranch.com.

“This is a kitchen supply store in Houston’s old Chinatown. You can get everything there. Because there’s such a huge Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese population here, they have every Asian culinary tool you could ask for, dirt cheap: from hooks to hang half a pig on to woks.” kitchendepot.net

“The Tremont is one of the most underrated hotels in the state. It’s so freaking beautiful, with big skylights and huge, super-skinny palm trees. It has a bar that looks like it’s 300 years old and there’s a rooftop bar as well. There are massive vaulted ceilings in the rooms and—maybe it’s because it’s on the seawall—it’s never expensive. There’s no pool at the Tremont, but its sister hotel, the Galvez, is only five or six blocks away and you can go to the one there and use its beach entrance or its awesome swim-up bar.” galveston.com

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Insider Guide Buenos Aires restaurants

When he is seven fires at home in Buenos Aires, South American grill master and author of the renowned Cookbook, Francis Mallmann often his Argentinean restaurant Patagonia sur find you when time to go, he loves just cantinas and local Bodegónes of the city - "traditional restaurants with the spirit of a French bistro." Here reveals Mallmann of all sorts of insider finds, from the friendly lunch spot with no menu to a tiny but incredibly glamorous stop for coffee. Francis Mallmann photo courtesy of Patagonia sur

"This is an elegant old restaurant - it was more than 30 years - with dark forests and animal head on the wall. The food is very good - Argentinian cuisine with a German twist. You make a beautiful Revuelto Gramajo, an omelette with thinly sliced French fries." Munich recoleta.com.ar

"Although it rather expensive, I think this is the best place for meat - both for its quality and the way they cook it. It is not an elegant place - the decor is casual, with old pictures on the wall. I order always the Tapa de Ojo de Bife, upper or cap from the rib-eye. I think it is the best part of the cow." parrillalacabrera.com.ar

"This small family-run place in La Boca is one of the best simple restaurants in the city. There is no menu — you can sit down and start to bring you eat until you say, "That's enough!" Make your own pasta and a very good Rotolo - an Italian dish consisting of mushrooms and spinach, packaged in a thin dough (similar to a Crêpe). You have wonderful desserts; I like their bread pudding." Brands-699; 54-11-4362-2433

"I love lunch on Olsen terrace on a spring day. The restaurant located in Palermo Hollywood, Scandinavian, with beautiful design and a great Cook. You serve smoked fish such as salmon, herring and Smørrebrød (open-face sandwiches) and salads. It's very civilized. "Gorriti 5870, 011-4776-767"

"This is a small, tiny place, but it is one of the most comfortable and glamorous cafés in Buenos Aires. They are open from 08 to 20 and serving breakfast and lunch with finger sandwiches and good coffee. It has the most incredibly chic ambience and it is always full of beautiful young girls." Farinelli.com.ar

"they make a nice, called Locatelli - kind of like a croissant - little bread and fill it with chicken, mayonnaise and tomato slices. If you order one, she put it in a small box and leave the happiest person in the world." cateringsantapaula.com.ar

"Eating ice cream on the street a big deal here is, all year round. I like Persicco - they have locations all over the city and more than 40 variants each. I get always the same: dark chocolate and dulce de leche. " persicco.com

"For old-fashioned cocktails, I head to the bar at the Plaza Hotel." It is a classic English-style bar with a very old world feel and beautiful images. You can do anything, but I like to order a local Martini called a Clarito that is very dry gin, Vermouth and lemon peel." Marriott.com

"For a modern, trendy feel, I go Isabel, in addition to the upscale Casa Cruz in Palermo Soho. You have a DJ and it's young, hip - a scene much more than the Plaza. " isabelbar.com

Photo courtesy of Park Hyatt Palacio u.

"With its beautiful gardens, first class service and Palace setting channels this hotel the elegant Argentina of the 1920s." The rooms are all fantastic, although the best in the Palace itself (rather than the adjacent plant). "If the weather is nice, I love eat one of their seasonal salads on the terrace with views of the gardens." Hyatt.com

"A bit like a Salumeria Valenti sold cheese, cold meats, jams and bread wonderful. You have multiple sites, but there is a directly opposite the Park Hyatt." Valenti.com.ar

"Laura Orcoyen, one of the best interior designers in Buenos Aires, sold all kinds of home decor article here, from furniture to Argentine textiles, handmade sheets." laurao.com

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Insider Guide to Sydney Restaurants

One of Australia’s most famous chefs, Peter Gilmore is a Sydney native who invigorated the harbor-front restaurant Quay with his devotion to local produce and Asian- and European-influenced cooking. Here, he shares his favorite restaurants in the city, ranging from incredible dim sum to cutting-edge French.

“Owned by the celebrity chef Neil Perry, Spice Temple is in the basement of his steak restaurant Rockpool. You enter through a door that’s actually a big illuminated digital screen and descend a flight of stairs to a very dimly lit restaurant with lots of reds and dark timber. They specialize in regional Chinese cuisine, especially Sichuan food. You can have a crispy cumin-lamb pancake, or a spicy quail dish with peanuts and lots of chiles.” rockpool.com

“This is where to go for a cutting-edge, high-end experience (besides Quay). There are lots of great chefs in Sydney, but I find Mark Best to be the most interesting. Though his roots are French, his food is modern European with Asian influences. It’s a very personal cuisine, and therefore not tied to a specific nationality or movement—it’s more about the quality of the ingredients and using different techniques, as in his pickled Diamond clams with cured sea urchin and hazelnuts. It’s quite an intimate setting—very dark and moody with only 30 or 40 seats.” marquerestaurant.com.au

Photo courtesy of Sailors Club.

“This is a really fun place to go for lunch and sit outside overlooking Rose Bay. The restaurant used to be called Pier but was renovated. They changed the name, the look, the menu—everything. They’re serving really casual seafood like fish and chips and grilled yellowfin tuna.” thesailorsclub.com.au

“There’s a cozy little wine bar in Darlinghurst that does really interesting wines and nice bar snacks. The guy who owns it, Matt Swieboda, is the ex-sommelier at Quay. He’s really into small, boutique, natural wines.” lovetillydevine.com

“There is a really top little restaurant in Stanmore, a suburb of Sydney, run by two talented young chefs, James Parry and Daniel Puskas. They’ve been around Sydney for a while, but have lots of fresh ideas and just recently opened their tasting menu only restaurant. Their food is really modern and very focused on seasonal, local produce.” sixpenny.com.au

“Next door to the Establishment Hotel, this place recently opened and it’s really quite amazing. It seats 240 people and they serve really good dim sum and Cantonese specialties like roast duck and stir-fried rice with pork and prawns. It looks like old Shanghai and the atmosphere is quite fun.” merivale.com.au/mrwong

“On my day off, my family and I go out for yum cha—tea and dim sum—it’s definitely my comfort food. There are heaps of yum cha places in Chinatown, but I grew up on the north side of Sydney and this is my favorite spot up there. They have good food and a great atmosphere.” 46 Willoughby Rd., Crows Nest (02) 9906 6388

“That’s a hard one. I don’t really go for breakfast—I’m too busy! But Bill’s is very good, and quite famous. They have several locations, and serve a full Aussie breakfast with scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, roast tomato, sausage and mushrooms, and incredible ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter.” bills.com.au

“This is a really good pâtisserie in The Rocks [the old part of the city] that serves modern French pastries, beautiful cakes and Sydney’s best macarons. You can pick up food to go or sit outside at their little sidewalk café.” larenaissance.com.au

“Down at Bondi Beach, this is a pizza restaurant that serves really good gelato. I had a fantastic peach gelato there the other day. They also serve a great salted-caramel gelato.” pompeis.com.au

“Sydney has what is probably the most beautiful butcher store in the world. It’s in an Eastern suburb called Wollahra, and the store’s been family-run since 1876. It’s the place to go for amazing meat and charcuterie. You can also take butchering or cooking classes if you like.” victorchurchill.com

“Down in The Rocks, overlooking Sydney’s harbor, this museum just had a major renovation and nearly doubled its size with a new addition. It has an impressive collection from modern Australian artists, including video installations from Shaun Gladwell and works by photographer Tracey Moffatt.” mca.com.au

“If you want a five-star experience, I definitely recommend the Hyatt. It’s right on the harbor down on The Rocks, which is the old part of Sydney. It’s handy to everything. They just had a major refurbishment.” sydney.park.hyatt.com

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Insider Guide to Mexico City Restaurants

The owner of more than 30 restaurants scattered throughout the US, Mexico and the Middle East, chef Richard Sandoval loves eating in his hometown of Mexico City more than anywhere else. “That’s where everything in food happens in Mexico; it has the best up and coming chefs, and all regions of Mexico are concentrated there.” Sandoval himself oversees restaurants in the hip Hotel Brick, including Brasserie La Moderna and Loncheria Olivia, a Mexican diner with a gorgeous terrace. Here, he reveals more culinary highlights, from the best tostadas to incredible tasting menus. Richard Sandoval’s Loncheria Olivia Photo courtesy of Loncheria Olivia

Chef Eduardo Garciá honed his skills in the kitchens of Mexico City’s famous Pujol, and Le Bernardin in New York. Here, in a former medical supply store in the up and coming La Roma neighborhood, he combines the region’s terroir with a more relaxed style of French (and sometimes Italian) food. “It’s Mexican in ingredients and bistro in ambiance—it’s a very relaxed setting, and very small,” says Sandoval. Garciá might cook local mussels in a simple butter sauce or serve sliced duck breast with a creamy risotto made with sheep milk cheese. maximobistrot.com.mx

“Ricardo Muñoz Zurita is probably the most renowned chef as far as research is concerned: He dug into Mexican culture and traveled the whole country to research his recipes,” says Sandoval of this restaurant’s founder. The bi-level spot has an outdoor garden, and is a great place to sample star regional dishes like a Oaxacan mole that takes three days to prepare and seafood Veracruz-style with a salty tomato sauce flecked with capers and Spanish olives. azulcondesa.com

“Pujol landed on the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for the second year in a row in 2012. The venue serves the city’s most acclaimed tasting menu—and it costs just around $100. “Chef Enrique Olvera plays a lot with textures, colors and flavors. It’s very modern and very contemporary: Last time I was there, I remember eating escarole with onion ashes,” says Sandoval. pujol.com.mx

“Traditionally, men go to cantinas to get together and have beers, but there’s been a cantina renaissance—they’ve been really popular in the past 10 years because with the recession a lot of people are going back to basics,” says Sandoval. La Capital is a modernized take on the genre, with an open kitchen and courtyard seating for snacking on finger foods like crispy tostadas and flautas (little fried tacos). Nuevo León 137; 555-256-5159.

“This is a bakery in La Roma neighborhood from Mónica Patiño, one of the most prominent chefs in Mexico. It’s in the style of a deli-market, and she makes great torta sandwiches,” says Sandoval. Patiño stocks the deli cases with European-style charcuterie and local cheeses. Jars of her homemade marmalades line the shelves, alongside bottles of Mexican wines and other regional artisanal products. delirio.mx

Chef Elena Reygadas and her husband, an architect, turned a historic mansion into an Italian restaurant. Rosetta serves handmade pastas and has a fantastic Old World bakery. “She’s Mexican but spent lots of time in Italy. She bakes all of her breads in-house—they’re great, and so is the restaurant. 66 Roma Norte; 555-533-7804.

“There’s a great emphasis on Mexican ingredients right now. The chef here, Arturo Fernández, is young and doing some great, imaginative things,” says Sandoval. The Coronado Institute of Culinary Arts created the restaurant as a school project; its kitchen is staffed predominately by students, who use organic produce from the school’s rooftop garden to create dishes such as seared bass with vegetables and morita chile salsa. raizrestaurante.com

“This a very casual place with a great bar; there are five or six throughout Mexico. Obviously, the menu is based around fish—you can get things tuna tostadas, pescada la baja (whole fish grilled in charcoal), seafood tacos, fish soups and terrific ceviches. If you want to see seafood from all around Mexico, this is the place: They have authentic stuff from different regions. It’s a great place to know.” fishers.com.mx

“This market focuses mostly on seafood and has good little restaurants where you can get really traditional home cooking from mostly women cooks; it’s real Mexican culture.” The three-level indoor market, which opened in 1958, is one of the largest in the country; on its lower level, numerous stands sell the best foods of Guadalajara, like tortas ahogadas (pork sandwiches smothered in chile sauce), posole and tacos. Calle Ernesto Pugibet No. 21.

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Insider Guide to San Diego Restaurants

Trey Foshee, the executive chef and partner at George’s at the Cove on the water in La Jolla, California, and an F&W Best New Chef 1998, has lived in San Diego for more than a decade. Here, he tells us where he likes to eat and drink when he’s off duty, and why the city is as great for food (especially tacos) as it is for catching waves. George's at the Cove Photo courtesy of George's at the Cove

In the Grand Del Mar resort, chef William Bradley creates modern French tasting menus with dishes like coffee-rubbed duck, and langoustines with parsley and caviar. “It’s definitely at the higher end of the spectrum, kind of French Laundry-ish, and a more formal environment: a lot of marble, a lot of wood,” says Foshee, who also praises the global wine list by Jesse Rodriguez, formerly of the French Laundry. addisondelmar.com

“This is one of the first restaurants I went to when I moved here,” says Foshee. “It’s one of the best in town: Pretty much anything chef Martin Woesle cooks is going to be good.” The German-born Woesle, who came to the French–Californian restaurant in 1985 after working in Germany and Hollywood, makes twice-daily trips to the nearby Chino Farm for ingredients he uses in dishes like green herb spaetzle gratin and sautéed quail salad with arugula and persimmon. millefleurs.com

Photo courtesy of NINE-TEN Restaurant

Chef Jason Knibb, who worked under Foshee at the Tree Room in Sundance, Utah, got his start cooking alongside Wolfgang Puck at Eureka. At this spot in the century-old Grande Colonial Hotel, he incorporates Asian influences into his seasonal California menu, as in tuna tartare dressed with shiso, nori salt and ponzu. nine-ten.com

Massive sandwiches served on freshly baked whole loaves of bread are the raison d’être of this casual but sleek downtown sandwich shop, the third outpost of a Nevada-based company founded by Cheri Corsiglia in 1993. Meatballs, cold cuts, and Italian cheeses dominate the menu, and the signature sandwich is turkey with smoked gouda and pesto mayo. therubicondeli.com

Part trattoria, part wine shop, Cucina Urbana is known for lasagna and pizzas made with local ingredients like grilled asparagus and foraged mushrooms. “It’s big, busy and has a good vibe,” says Foshee. The wine shop offers an added boon for diners, who can select bottles there to accompany their meal. cucinaurbana.com

Matt Gordon “is the kind of chef who doesn’t cut any corners. For example, he doesn’t use anything with corn syrup—all of his sodas are natural—and he’s conscious of where he gets his meat,” says Foshee. Gordon specializes in upgraded comfort food, such as a Niman Ranch pork belly pie, and a fantastic brunch. “I love the eggs Benedict, which is served with braised pork belly instead of Canadian bacon,” says Foshee. urbansolace.net

“This is a traditional taqueria, and whenever I’m downtown I try to go there,” Foshee says of this brightly colored hole-in-the-wall. “There’s outdoor seating and they have really good tacos de lengua (tongue) and tacos de cabeza (head meat).” The restaurant, which has been open for more than 15 years, makes its own regular and mini tortillas for large and small tacos. elpaisamexicangrill.com

Old-school video games, Day of the Dead decor and outdoor seating increase this cantina’s youthful appeal. “It’s a cool hipster bar that serves stuff like enchiladas, tacos and gorditas,” says Foshee. elcaminosd.com

“Yu Me Ya is a really funky little Japanese sake and tapas place,” says Foshee. “It’s always packed and hard to get into.” The family-owned Yu Me Ya has a range of Japanese comfort food from takoyaki (fried octopus balls) to udon noodles. sakehouseyumeya.com

The cocktails are very good at this bar close to the airport, but so is the simple food, which is served until midnight. “They use lots of local ingredients and make things like house-made sausage and salami,” says Foshee. The space is also notable for its design, which features black leather booths and a sunken white bar reached through a hexagonal hallway. starlitesandiego.com

SoLo is in Solana Beach’s Cedros Avenue Design District, and Foshee is a regular visitor: “The shop has everything from cookbooks and architecture books to antique flasks. It’s all really tasteful and cool.” solocedros.com

“I surf and paddleboard, and there are a couple places I like to go to for gear. Mitch’s—there are two of them—are kind of old-school surf shops. They have everything: surfboards, clothing, fins, you name it. Bird’s is the same kind of deal. Both give you a taste of ocean life in San Diego.” mitchssurfshop.com; birdssurfshed.com

“This opened downtown with lots of funding from Kickstarter. It’s a structured market, like our version of San Francisco’s Ferry Building, or the Pike Place Market, in Seattle. It has a farmers’ market and lots of different vendors selling things like bacon, seafood, coffee, cookies and prepared foods.” Vendors have included the Sustainable Pantry, a gluten-free bakery, and the Ocean Beach Seafood truck, which sells fish tacos and sandwiches. sandiegopublicmarket.com

“The market on Saturdays is always a really good stop. You can cruise through and get a cup of coffee or stop at one of the food trucks there, and obviously there’s a local farmers’ market. And because it’s in Little Italy you can get a bite to eat in one of the local restaurants.” The market boasts more than 150 booths selling everything from dates and lavender to hummus and tamales. littleitalysd.com/mercato

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Superstar Chef Michael Symon’s Insider Cleveland

Iron Chef, co-host of ABC’s The Chew and a Food & Wine Best New Chef 1998, Michael Symon is the meat-loving chef behind four Cleveland restaurants, including the flagship Lola Bistro and B Spot Burgers. Here, he names the must-visit stops in his hometown. Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Photo courtesy of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

“You have to go to Rock Hall. It represents so much of Cleveland now. We fought hard for it, since everyone thought New York should get it. I’m a huge music buff, but even if you’re not one, there’s so much history, there’s something for everyone there, from classical music to hip-hop.” rockhall.com

“It’s celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and there’s not an Eastern European market like it in the country. When I take New Yorkers there it takes their breath away. It shows you what Cleveland culture is all about. I love J&J, I think they have the best jerky in the world. Ohio City Pasta makes fresh pasta all day. If you want to get some cool, unique spices, Urban Herbs grinds them daily.” westsidemarket.org

“It’s a cafeteria-style Polish restaurant where you can get pierogies and stuffed cabbage and kielbasa, all of those delicious things.” sokolowskis.com

“I love this shop in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood. They smoke their own meats, they make their headcheese. They have the best bratwurst and kielbasa you’ll ever find.” sausageshoppe.com

“This little store next to Lola sells great unique clothing, art and jewelry. It’s gotten me out of trouble many times. I’ve gotten my wife, Liz, a lot of purses, scarves, hats, earrings; it’s where I do the majority of my Christmas shopping for Lizzie.” shopbanyantree.com

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Insider Guide to Dublin Restaurants

Photo courtesy of Queen of Tarts

“You have to try an Irish breakfast when you’re in Dublin,” Armstrong says. The robust meal “includes sausage, bacon and eggs as well as baked tomato, beans and toasted brown bread. This place is really casual and has great scones and all manner of tarts made from scratch, like lemon meringue and warm plum. Their Irish breakfast doesn’t come with beans, but it does include a tasty potato-chive cake.” queenoftarts.ie

“This pub has been there for hundreds of years, and they’ve got great food. For lunch, my wife, Meshelle, and I like to have a good potato and leek soup, or vegetable soup, and a toasted ham-and-cheese sandwich.” dohenyandnesbitts.com

“There’s a place near Christ Church [cathedral] called Burdock’s that’s been open since 1913. There’s always a line out front, there are no seats, and the fish and chips are really excellent. It’s all fried in lard, so it’s hard to go wrong.” leoburdock.com

“My wife, Meshelle, and I love to go here. The chef, Derry Clarke, was one of the early pioneers of the Irish slow food movement, and the restaurant is elegant and romantic. His food is influenced by French technique, using ingredients that are indigenous to Ireland like salmon, lamb, Galway Bay oysters and Dublin Bay prawns, which are extraordinary.” lecrivain.com

“Chef Ross Lewis is very good. He’s also part of the movement to use local farms and small producers. He makes really delicious food like black sole cooked over charcoal with cauliflower and leeks. His restaurant is in the bottom of the Dublin Writers Museum.” chapteronerestaurant.com

“I would definitely recommend a stroll down Grafton Street—a pedestrian-only street where there are lots of buskers playing music—in the Temple Bar neighborhood. This a traditional Irish restaurant there that serves dishes like shepherd’s pie, corned beef, smoked salmon and boxty—a classic potato pancake.” boxtyhouse.ie

“Here, they serve the best pint of Guinness in the world,” says Armstrong. Not only is the beer unpasteurized, the perfect temperature and superfresh because the bar goes through so many kegs, the pub also cleans its taps weekly so each pour is really pure. Though it started as an illegal shebeen (drinking establishment), impressively, Mulligan’s has been legal since 1782, and was frequented by great Irish writers including James Joyce. mulligans.ie

“This restaurant serves really good rustic Irish cuisine, like beer-battered haddock and chips. There’s a really fun pub attached to it and it’s a great place to take a group. Crubeen in Irish refers to ‘a little bite,’ kind of like a snack.” leboncrubeen.ie

“Just south of Dublin, there’s a great ice cream spot out on the water called Teddy’s. You can grab your ice cream and go walk down on the pier at Dun Laoghaire and see all the boats and watch the ferry come in from England,” says Armstrong. The must-order: a “99” cone of soft-serve vanilla ice cream with Cadbury flake chocolate. teddys.ie

“In the nearby village of Sandycove, there’s a tiny little bakery run by a husband and wife, William and Geraldine Flynn. Their bread is phenomenal—William makes traditional brown bread, batch loaves and Vienna rolls. His doughnuts with berry jam are also really good. I actually sent our baker from Society Fair out there to work with him for a week to learn how to make Irish breads.” 33 Glasthule Rd. Sandycove; (01) 280-2571

“This is one of the best hotels I’ve stayed in anywhere,” says Armstrong. The design is meant to reflect an 18th century townhouse with plush beds, Irish fabrics, antiques and marble bathrooms. “It’s two doors down from the birthplace of the Duke of Wellington, and there’s an excellent restaurant in the hotel called Patrick Guilbaud; it’s the only two-Michelin-star restaurant in Ireland,” he says. merrionhotel.com

There’s a great selection of Irish products at this international food shop including fantastic local bacons and terrines, smoked salmon and farmer cheese as well as sweets like whiskey marmalade and oatcakes. Armstrong also likes the upstairs restaurant for lunch, with offerings such as an impressive seafood platter and black pudding with bacon. “When we were developing Society Fair we went to the shop for inspiration, as well as to another high-end grocery store called Donnybrook Fair,” he says. fallonandbyrne.com

“They sell everything from the top-end copper pots to basic stuff, as well as all kinds of food books. It’s a big shop with a broad range of cooking equipment.” kitchencomplements.ie

“There are many great museums in Dublin, but this one is definitely not to be missed. They have tools and daggers and shields and stuff from 5,000 to 6,000 years ago. To have a chance to see artifacts from the Stone Age and the Iron Age is really a stand-out experience.” museum.ie

On the north side of the city, this area is one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. “It has the Dublin Zoo, a monument to the Battle of Waterloo, and lots of open spaces to walk or sit. The US ambassador’s house is there, as well as the Irish president’s house—it’s well-worth taking a stroll through there.” phoenixpark.ie

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Insider Guide to Phoenix Restaurants from a Local Star Chef

Arizona native Charleen Badman is a Phoenix-area booster and a Scottsdale empire builder. With her business partner Pavle Milic, Badman runs the tiny Baratin Café wine bar, a farmers’ market-style grocery called Bodega, and AZ Wine Merchants, a shop dedicated to local wines. She’s currently working on reopening her flagship FnB restaurant under Baratin’s roof with a new name. Here, she shares where to eat, shop and sleep in her town. Phoenix’s famous Pizzeria Bianco. Photo © John Hall Photography.

“I go here every Monday for lunch on my day off. It’s a local pub around the corner from my house and they serve really fresh salads and sandwiches. I have a Sophie’s Salad every week, without the cheese. It’s supersimple, just greens, artichokes, tomatoes, onions, pine nuts and balsamic dressing. Matt, the owner is like, ‘Will you please try another salad?!’ But I’m a creature of habit.” tmialehouse.com

“The omakase at Nobuo at Teeter House in downtown Phoenix is spectacular. It’s only served on weekends and you have to reserve in advance. We went there for Pavle’s birthday recently and they serve things like oysters marinated in ponzu, and grilled Washugyu beef with wild mushrooms. On regular nights, the menu is more izakaya style.“ nobuofukuda.com

“Chris Bianco has always been somebody I admire for his simplicity. He does very simple pastas that they make in-house, and his brother makes all the bread for the restaurant. Bianco is about to put a pizza oven in so he can start doing dinners with whole animals like lambs, pigs and goats from nearby farms.” pizzeriabianco.com

“Bianco’s pizzas are really thin, done in a wood-burning oven. They’re simple, but really delicious. I love to eat here whenever I have the time. Now that they’re open for lunch the wait is better—I once waited two and a half hours to get in for dinner.” pizzeriabianco.com

“I love the ambiance at Quiessence. It’s located at the Farm at South Mountain, a gorgeous property, which also has a breakfast spot, café and spiritual center/spa. During dinner, it’s so beautiful looking out over the farmland and seeing vegetables and pecan trees—well, maybe other people wouldn’t think that’s romantic, but as a chef I think it’s really nice. The menu is really seasonal New American food and we have a lot of the same purveyors—we both buy these great chickens from a guy who’s known as the Egg Man.” quiessencerestaurant.com

“I stopped making ice cream at my restaurant, because I just get it from Helen at Sweet Republic. I usually ask her to make different flavors depending on what fruits I have around. I’ll give her cases of cantaloupes or Arizona grapefruits or peaches and she brings me back sorbets or ice creams. We actually trade—she makes my ice cream and I cook her dinner at one of my restaurants.” sweetrepublic.com

“Eugenia Theodosopoulos makes the best croissants. Her husband is French and they lived in France for a while, so she learned to make croissants there. I’m so glad they ended up back here—her husband went to ASU and he insisted that they had to come back to Arizona. She’d rather be living in France, but I feel fortunate to have her here!” essencebakery.com

“Pavle and I recently found this little gem near Glendale, and owner Sun Johnson does lots of Korean small plates and amazing pickles and little condiments. It’s just delicious. And they’re open until 2 a.m.! Sometimes we’ll get a little group of cooks together after work to get something to eat there. It’s a one-woman show: Johnson is there lunch and dinner, seven days a week. She even does karaoke. She has a little disco ball hanging up and she starts dancing with a microphone.”

“If we get stuck working on a Monday, Pavle and I will run over to get a quick pho. They always greet me and say ‘Hi, Chef! Vegetarian sauce?’ And I’ll say: ‘Yes, please!’ They’ll bring out a bowl of tofu and bok choy and homemade noodles in a delicious broth.”

“Whether you need a knife or tweezers or a peeler or a nutmeg grater, you can find it here. My friend Eytan Zias owns the shop and he has such a passion for knives. I work in an open kitchen, so people ask me all the time where I get mine. I tell them the knife house—I recommend it to everybody.” phoenixknifehouse.com

“Andreoli has a lot of Italian products—the owner, Giovanni Scorzo, brings in meat, cheeses and olives from Italy. He’ll have stuff in the back that just came off the plane from Italy, like this beautiful, silky burrata, and he makes his own bread.” andreoli-grocer.com

“You can get preserved lemons and all sorts of spices like cumin or allspice bagged separately. I buy most of my spices there. They move through them so quickly, so you know they haven’t been sitting long. They have a little Middle Eastern restaurant in there too, so if you’re hungry, try the veggie plate.” haji-baba.com

“Frank Lloyd Wright’s former home and studio is an awesome place to go check out. He designed it, and it’s been there forever. You can see the studio where he worked, and take a tour of his beautiful home.” franklloydwright.org

“Arcosanti is more of a commune, where people live and work, including artist Paolo Soleri. He also has a studio in Phoenix where he makes and sells his amazing Soleri Bells (decorative windbells in materials like ceramic and bronze). He’s in his 90s, but he travels back and forth between studios every week. You can stay at Arcosanti for less than $100 a night.” arcosanti.org

“The Clarendon is a boutique hotel that’s very retro, and they have a terrific restaurant called Gallo Blanco. They do very light, clean, Mexico City-style Mexican food, without a lot of cheese.” theclarendon.net

“This is a historic hotel that opened in 1956 and it’s still very cool, with a midcentury-modern design. It’s not far from FnB restaurant.” hotelvalleyho.com

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Insider Guide to Dallas Restaurants from Smoke Chef Tim Byres

2012 F&W People’s Best New Chef Tim Byres is the barbecue master behind Dallas’s incredible Smoke, and creator of Chicken Scratch and The Foundry—a fried chicken joint and beer garden that share a backyard and offer live music on weekends. Here, Byres reveals where to eat, drink and shop in his city, from a truck stop taco joint to a cigar bar with an Ernest Hemingway feel.

“El Ranchito is a great place to see legitimate family-style Texas Mexican food. No one speaks any English, there’s an abuela (“grandmother”) in the corner making fresh tortillas and they also have mariachis. It’s a cool, old-timey kind of thing. They serve awesome cabrito, a roast baby goat leg meant for four. It comes out on a little hibachi thing with fresh tortillas and rancho beans, so you can build your own roast goat meat tacos.” elranchito-dallas.com

“This local pizza place is in a cool old building in the Bishop Arts District, which is a really awesome neighborhood in west Dallas. It has this almost Brooklyn kind of feel. They do wood-burning oven pizzas and nice salads and pastas. There’s also a fun upstairs bar where you can eat.” enospizza.com

“Lucia is also in Bishop Arts. It’s a great little Italian restaurant where everything is handmade and awesome, like pastas and salumi. It’s real small and pretty much booked all the time. David Uygur and his wife, Jennifer, run the place; he’s the chef, and gets lots of acclaim for the high integrity of his food.” luciadallas.com

“The chef-owners here, Raul and Olga Reyes, are from Veracruz. It’s kind of a Mexican seafood restaurant; they do this awesome crab soup with a whole blue crab in it, shell and all. You’ve got to roll up your sleeves for that one. They also do ceviche, and dishes with high acidity and bright flavors that reflect the cuisine’s Caribbean influence.” mesadallas.com

“This place is in the north end of downtown, in the Arts District. The restaurant is amazing: Teiichi Sakurai, the owner and chef, makes world-class handmade soba noodles. He’s been in the restaurant business in Dallas for like 25 years. Whatever he makes is always great; he has traditional training but does things unorthodox and his way, like a sweet soba dumpling with black honey for dessert. The restaurant has a sophisticated feel: You could bring someone from New York or Chicago and they’d feel at home.” tei-an.com

“West of downtown there’s this massive truck stop, gas station and taqueria that’s renowned for the best tacos around. They have a pool where you can swim, a drive-through beer barn and a huge car wash. And there’s this field behind it with longhorn bulls. It’s pretty wild. They serve tacos 24 hours a day, which is really cool if you’ve been out drinking late at night. It’s crazy, always busy, busy, busy. They do stuff like lengua and barbacoa—it’s not a gringo thing.” fuelcity-tacos.com

“They still have soda jerks at this old-school pharmacy. My kids will go in there and get a grilled cheese sandwich and milk shakes and malts.” highlandparksodafountain.com

“In this east Dallas neighborhood called Lakewood there’s a vegetarian restaurant in the Hare Krishna temple. It’s really cool because it has a changing vegetarian buffet and the food’s always great—real sharp, spicy Indian. They also serve this pretty amazing tamarind punch: It’s almost like a tea. You feel like you need to be quiet and soulful because it’s in the middle of a temple. I don’t think a regular tourist is going to find that.” kalachandjis.com

“The Texas Theatre is where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested after he shot JFK. It’s been reopened as an independent movie house and has a really cool bar. There’s always a record player going, playing stuff like Tom Waits. There are indie, too-cool-for-school types of kids in there, but the theater’s awesome. Barak Epstein, the guy who runs it, is just a cool guy who gets it.” thetexastheatre.com

“Belmont is actually attached to Smoke, and it has the best views of downtown in the city. It’s great for a happy hour situation.” belmontdallas.com

“This is kind of like the grand old lady of Dallas. I used to work there, and the bar is awesome. You go in and it’s like, wow, all these big money deals have gone down here for generations. Everyone’s in a suit, and it’s awesome to sit there with a heavy rocks glass in your hand. The level of service is unmatched; it’s a great adult experience. The building itself has cool features: There’s a wine room in the basement below the bar that seats maybe 15 to 20 people. It’s a private dining room and not a lot of people know about it; you get there by taking a spiral staircase from the lounge. And there’s an elevator that goes up to one of the banquet rooms in the original mansion. It’s where FDR stayed when he was in a wheelchair, so they installed this elevator—it was the only one in the city at the time. So there’s a lot of cool history to the place.” rosewoodhotels.com/en/mansiononturtlecreek

“There’s not a lot happening on the southeast side of Dallas, in the warehouse district, except for this cool cocktail bar from Michael Martensen. I would go there for their fun cocktails. They have a cool menu, too, with dishes like Texas shrimp and grits and Kobe beef meatballs.” thecedarssocial.com

“Over in Fort Worth, our sister city, there’s this really weird cigar and pipe store-slash-wine bar. You can smoke tobacco pipes and hang out. It’s got this Ernest Hemingway hunting den kind of feel.” popssafari.com

“Lula B’s has cool boots and Pendleton wool jackets and Pyrex bowls. Real Americana. It’s also where I buy some buffet stuff for the restaurants.” lula-bs.com

“Neiman Marcus started in Texas and this is the original one. It’s kind of a fancy place; my mom likes to go there when she visits.” neimanmarcus.com

“At this really cool store in the Fort Worth stockyards, they sell handmade boots, Texas-y stuff. You can have an insanely expensive handmade saddle done there.” leddys.com

“This hardware store has been here for about 60 years. They sell tools, camping equipment and guns. Everyone goes to Ray’s, it’s an institution. I don’t own any guns but I value the feel of Ray’s. It’s an interesting place.” rayssportinggoods.com

“This isn’t for everybody, but there’s a cool salvage yard southwest of Dallas where parts of every old building that has been knocked down in Dallas ends up. You can find wood floors and doors and window frames; sconces, chandeliers and doorknobs. It’s a crazy time vault of an experience, a really interesting place.” orr-reed.com

“This is a really fun old lodge from the 1940s. It’s relatively low-amenity but has a lot of coolness. Our restaurant’s in there and the loud and crazy bar is a lot of fun.” belmontdallas.com

“Hôtel St. Germain is a kind of obscure, older house. It’s located right in the middle of everything that’s cool.” hotelstgermain.com

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Superstar Chef Michael Symon’s Insider Cleveland

Iron Chef, co-host of ABC’s The Chew and a Food & Wine Best New Chef 1998, Michael Symon is the meat-loving chef behind four Cleveland restaurants, including the flagship Lola Bistro and B Spot Burgers. Here, he names the must-visit stops in his hometown. Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Photo courtesy of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

“You have to go to Rock Hall. It represents so much of Cleveland now. We fought hard for it, since everyone thought New York should get it. I’m a huge music buff, but even if you’re not one, there’s so much history, there’s something for everyone there, from classical music to hip-hop.” rockhall.com

“It’s celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and there’s not an Eastern European market like it in the country. When I take New Yorkers there it takes their breath away. It shows you what Cleveland culture is all about. I love J&J, I think they have the best jerky in the world. Ohio City Pasta makes fresh pasta all day. If you want to get some cool, unique spices, Urban Herbs grinds them daily.” westsidemarket.org

“It’s a cafeteria-style Polish restaurant where you can get pierogies and stuffed cabbage and kielbasa, all of those delicious things.” sokolowskis.com

“I love this shop in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood. They smoke their own meats, they make their headcheese. They have the best bratwurst and kielbasa you’ll ever find.” sausageshoppe.com

“This little store next to Lola sells great unique clothing, art and jewelry. It’s gotten me out of trouble many times. I’ve gotten my wife, Liz, a lot of purses, scarves, hats, earrings; it’s where I do the majority of my Christmas shopping for Lizzie.” shopbanyantree.com

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Insider Guide to Dallas restaurants by Chef Tim Byres smoke

2012 F&W People’s Best New Chef Tim Byres is the barbecue master behind Dallas’s incredible Smoke, and creator of Chicken Scratch and The Foundry—a fried chicken joint and beer garden that share a backyard and offer live music on weekends. Here, Byres reveals where to eat, drink and shop in his city, from a truck stop taco joint to a cigar bar with an Ernest Hemingway feel.

“El Ranchito is a great place to see legitimate family-style Texas Mexican food. No one speaks any English, there’s an abuela (“grandmother”) in the corner making fresh tortillas and they also have mariachis. It’s a cool, old-timey kind of thing. They serve awesome cabrito, a roast baby goat leg meant for four. It comes out on a little hibachi thing with fresh tortillas and rancho beans, so you can build your own roast goat meat tacos.” elranchito-dallas.com

“This local pizza place is in a cool old building in the Bishop Arts District, which is a really awesome neighborhood in west Dallas. It has this almost Brooklyn kind of feel. They do wood-burning oven pizzas and nice salads and pastas. There’s also a fun upstairs bar where you can eat.” enospizza.com

“Lucia is also in Bishop Arts. It’s a great little Italian restaurant where everything is handmade and awesome, like pastas and salumi. It’s real small and pretty much booked all the time. David Uygur and his wife, Jennifer, run the place; he’s the chef, and gets lots of acclaim for the high integrity of his food.” luciadallas.com

“The chef-owners here, Raul and Olga Reyes, are from Veracruz. It’s kind of a Mexican seafood restaurant; they do this awesome crab soup with a whole blue crab in it, shell and all. You’ve got to roll up your sleeves for that one. They also do ceviche, and dishes with high acidity and bright flavors that reflect the cuisine’s Caribbean influence.” mesadallas.com

“This place is in the north end of downtown, in the Arts District. The restaurant is amazing: Teiichi Sakurai, the owner and chef, makes world-class handmade soba noodles. He’s been in the restaurant business in Dallas for like 25 years. Whatever he makes is always great; he has traditional training but does things unorthodox and his way, like a sweet soba dumpling with black honey for dessert. The restaurant has a sophisticated feel: You could bring someone from New York or Chicago and they’d feel at home.” tei-an.com

“West of downtown there’s this massive truck stop, gas station and taqueria that’s renowned for the best tacos around. They have a pool where you can swim, a drive-through beer barn and a huge car wash. And there’s this field behind it with longhorn bulls. It’s pretty wild. They serve tacos 24 hours a day, which is really cool if you’ve been out drinking late at night. It’s crazy, always busy, busy, busy. They do stuff like lengua and barbacoa—it’s not a gringo thing.” fuelcity-tacos.com

“They still have soda jerks at this old-school pharmacy. My kids will go in there and get a grilled cheese sandwich and milk shakes and malts.” highlandparksodafountain.com

“In this east Dallas neighborhood called Lakewood there’s a vegetarian restaurant in the Hare Krishna temple. It’s really cool because it has a changing vegetarian buffet and the food’s always great—real sharp, spicy Indian. They also serve this pretty amazing tamarind punch: It’s almost like a tea. You feel like you need to be quiet and soulful because it’s in the middle of a temple. I don’t think a regular tourist is going to find that.” kalachandjis.com

“The Texas Theatre is where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested after he shot JFK. It’s been reopened as an independent movie house and has a really cool bar. There’s always a record player going, playing stuff like Tom Waits. There are indie, too-cool-for-school types of kids in there, but the theater’s awesome. Barak Epstein, the guy who runs it, is just a cool guy who gets it.” thetexastheatre.com

“Belmont is actually attached to Smoke, and it has the best views of downtown in the city. It’s great for a happy hour situation.” belmontdallas.com

“This is kind of like the grand old lady of Dallas. I used to work there, and the bar is awesome. You go in and it’s like, wow, all these big money deals have gone down here for generations. Everyone’s in a suit, and it’s awesome to sit there with a heavy rocks glass in your hand. The level of service is unmatched; it’s a great adult experience. The building itself has cool features: There’s a wine room in the basement below the bar that seats maybe 15 to 20 people. It’s a private dining room and not a lot of people know about it; you get there by taking a spiral staircase from the lounge. And there’s an elevator that goes up to one of the banquet rooms in the original mansion. It’s where FDR stayed when he was in a wheelchair, so they installed this elevator—it was the only one in the city at the time. So there’s a lot of cool history to the place.” rosewoodhotels.com/en/mansiononturtlecreek

“There’s not a lot happening on the southeast side of Dallas, in the warehouse district, except for this cool cocktail bar from Michael Martensen. I would go there for their fun cocktails. They have a cool menu, too, with dishes like Texas shrimp and grits and Kobe beef meatballs.” thecedarssocial.com

“Over in Fort Worth, our sister city, there’s this really weird cigar and pipe store-slash-wine bar. You can smoke tobacco pipes and hang out. It’s got this Ernest Hemingway hunting den kind of feel.” popssafari.com

“Lula B’s has cool boots and Pendleton wool jackets and Pyrex bowls. Real Americana. It’s also where I buy some buffet stuff for the restaurants.” lula-bs.com

“Neiman Marcus started in Texas and this is the original one. It’s kind of a fancy place; my mom likes to go there when she visits.” neimanmarcus.com

“At this really cool store in the Fort Worth stockyards, they sell handmade boots, Texas-y stuff. You can have an insanely expensive handmade saddle done there.” leddys.com

“This hardware store has been here for about 60 years. They sell tools, camping equipment and guns. Everyone goes to Ray’s, it’s an institution. I don’t own any guns but I value the feel of Ray’s. It’s an interesting place.” rayssportinggoods.com

“This isn’t for everybody, but there’s a cool salvage yard southwest of Dallas where parts of every old building that has been knocked down in Dallas ends up. You can find wood floors and doors and window frames; sconces, chandeliers and doorknobs. It’s a crazy time vault of an experience, a really interesting place.” orr-reed.com

“This is a really fun old lodge from the 1940s. It’s relatively low-amenity but has a lot of coolness. Our restaurant’s in there and the loud and crazy bar is a lot of fun.” belmontdallas.com

“Hôtel St. Germain is a kind of obscure, older house. It’s located right in the middle of everything that’s cool.” hotelstgermain.com

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Insider Philadelphia Travel Guide: Marc Vetri Waits in Line for Killer Cannoli

It’s impossible to talk about Philadelphia’s restaurant scene without mentioning Best New Chef 1999 Marc Vetri’s mini empire of fantastic Italian restaurants, including his flagship, Vetri, and his newest, Alla Spina. Here, five of his favorite places to go in the city during the holidays. Rittenhouse Square Photo © Rusty Kennedy for GPTMC.

“Starting right after Thanksgiving, there’s usually a big tree right in the middle of the square, and the city hosts a tree-lighting ceremony, but the tree’s not my favorite part. I love these colored globe lights hanging all around. They give the square a magical feeling.” visitphilly.com

This year, one of the country’s most amazing art collections—including works by Cézanne, Picasso and Van Gogh—moved from a suburban mansion to the heart of the city. “Now it’s a a must-see for anyone who comes to Philadelphia. Literally, ever since it opened in spring, we get folks every night who tell us they’ve come from North Carolina, from Florida, from L.A., to see the new Barnes.” barnesfoundation.org

“This place has been on Christian Street since 1904 and they make the best cannoli. Sometimes, right before family meal at Vetri, we’ll run down there and get some for our staff dessert. Staff fills them to order so the shells stay crisp, and the ricotta is just right: not too sweet, not too savory. They also make dozens of pastries and cookies. But around the holidays, be prepared to wait in line!” bestcannoli.com

“Every stand at this outdoor market lights roaring fires right in the middle of the road in these old metal oil barrels. You’d think it would be a big fire hazard, but it’s awesome. One of the shops there, Di Bruno Bros., always has some new cheese they just brought in, or some really nice olive oil, or a new, high-end dried pasta. They have great olives, fresh anchovies, everything that you would want for a nice meal—or stocking stuffers, for that matter.” phillyitalianmarket.com

“The hill has easy parking, a great view and it’s a fun ride down.” fairmountpark.org

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Chicago Insider Guide: Graham Elliot Tolerates Deep-Dish Pizza, Mows Down Steamed Buns

“By the time I was done with culinary school, I knew that the only chef I wanted to work for was Charlie Trotter and decided to make the pilgrimage to Chicago,” says Graham Elliot, chef-owner of three Chicago restaurants: Graham Elliot, Grahamwich and the eclectic bistro G.E.B. “I always thought that this city had a great history to it, and I’ve been here ever since.” Here, Bowles reveals where he eats on his days off and says what he really thinks of the city’s famous deep-dish pizza. Graham Elliot’s Chicago Insider Guide. Photo courtesy of Girl & the Goat.

“The menu is always evolving, so I just go in and try a bunch of different things every time. Chef Stephanie Izard’s cooking style is really fun. For example, she has a head cheese dish that she calls ‘pig face.’ It’s a fun spot, and she’s there all the time cooking.” girlandthegoat.com

Photo © Lisa Predko Photography.

“There are lots of restaurants that are doing small shared plates and house-cured meats; I think that they do it better than anyone right now in the city. Jimmy Bannos has been a chef in the city for years, and now his son Jimmy Bannos, Jr., is helping to run it.” thepurplepigchicago.com

Photo courtesy of Yasmina Cadiz.

“The noodles are really amazing, there are great little dumplings and chef Bill Kim is the nicest, most humble guy that you can find. It’s a great little space.” urbanbellychicago.com

Photo courtesy of GT Fish & Oyster.

“They’ve got these amazing little lobster rolls and oyster po’boy sliders that are incredible. They also serve New England clam chowder in a little mason jar. Chef Giuseppe Tentori and I worked together at Charlie Trotter’s 10 years ago. He does some great stuff, and he’s actually my son’s godfather.” gtoyster.com

“This yakitori-style place with small plates is run by chef Matthias Merges, who was the chef at Charlie Trotter when I worked there with Giuseppe. My son’s middle name is his first name. It’s all quite incestuous. The food is very Asian-inspired, but it’s more about the Asian philosophy and approach to let ingredients taste like themselves.” yusho-chicago.com

“This is my favorite fine dining place. Obviously, chef Grant Achatz’s menu is always evolving, but it’s just the idea that you’re almost paying admission to go in and have this theatrical edible performance.” alinearestaurant.com

“They sell six-packs of little steamed buns that you can grab and go mow down on during your lunch break. The teriyaki, curry chicken and Mongolian BBQ buns are all delicious.” wowbao.com

“Their maple-bacon long John is a traditional long John that’s glazed in maple frosting and topped with a huge, thick piece of applewood-smoked bacon. It’s pretty great. We use their doughnuts at Graham Elliot. Plus, it’s got a great name.” goglazed.com

Photo courtesy of David Burke’s Primehouse.

“Chicago’s always been known as this meat and potatoes place, and a lot of restaurants play that up. They try to outdo each other by adding another 10 ounces, so their 80 ounce steak becomes a 90 ounce steak with 10 pounds of mashed potatoes on the side. I think David Burke is somebody who’s been overlooked for a long time. In the early ’90s, he really pushed the idea of food is art with whimsy and humor. You see that reflected on his menu at Primehouse, and I think it’s fun to have him in the city doing something cool with steak.” davidburkesprimehouse.com

“Even though I live in and love Chicago, I can’t stand deep-dish pizza. I’m a New York–style pizza person. The pizza at Pequod’s is kind of in between Chicago and NY-style. They leave the thick-crusted pizza in a cast iron cooking pan until it gets absolutely charred on the outside and the cheese is kind of burnt. It’s just really good.” pequodspizza.com

“They have classic bistro food like steak tartare, escargot and roasted chicken. Everything’s very affordable and very simple.” maudesliquorbar.com

“I go with the chocolate chip pancakes. You’ve got to smear the right amount of butter and a tiny bit of salt. That little dash of salt balances it all out, and then you’re good to go.” originalpancakehouse.com

“They do amazing stuff, and it’s a father-son project. We use their coffee in all of our establishments. I’m a traditionalist, so for me black coffee is cool.” metropoliscoffee.com

“They’ve been there forever, and lots of chefs go here for their knives and kitchen equipment.” northwesterncutlery.net

“This street has Vietnamese and Thai stores where you can find some really fun ingredients like basil seeds and softshell turtles. It runs the gamut from animal to vegetable.”

“I worked at The Peninsula for years. There are a lot of different dining options in the hotel, from a French café to a Chinese restaurant to an American-style restaurant. Lee Wolen, the number two chef from New York’s Eleven Madison Park, just started at the hotel’s The Lobby restaurant. He’ll do some cool stuff, so I’m excited to see that.” peninsula.com

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New Orleans Insider Guide: Beyond Beignets with a Local Star Chef

Sue Zemanick became a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2008 for her invigorating role at the 30-year-old New Orleans restaurant Gautreau’s, where she imbues the menu with a modern European cooking style. Here, her expert guide underscores NOLA’s diversity and offers alternatives to muffuletta and beignets at Cafe du Monde. F&W Best New Chef Sue Zemanick shares her favorite New Orleans restaurants.

New Orleans has a huge Vietnamese population and this is my first pick. It’s in the Westbank area and has a nice vibe. One of my favorite things to get is actually Korean-style barbecue short ribs with kimchi and sticky rice patties.

A great Argentine steakhouse in the Central Business District (CBD) area, La Boca has a big selection of wines from Mendoza and I love their Provoleta, a grilled Provolone cheese with olive oil and oregano.

Photo courtesy of La Divina Gelateria.

La Divina has the best gelato in town and a really good Abita beer sorbet made with the local brewery’s Turbodog, an English-style brown ale.

This is a mod little Thai restaurant in a strip mall that serves the most delicious spicy clams in a broth with coconut milk and Thai chili paste.

There’s music every night and I love their tapas. They do a really good patatas bravas and mushroom toast with Manchego cheese.

A really cool, old school New Orleans hotel is the Soniat House. They have all antique furniture, a beautiful courtyard and it’s in the heart of the French Quarter.

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Insider Austin Travel Guide: <em>Top Chef</em>’s Paul Qui Loves BBQ, Oysters and Vietnamese Sandwiches

Chef Paul Qui rocketed to food TV fame when he won Top Chef Season 9, garnering even more attention for one of America’s best new food cities, Austin, Texas. Qui is executive chef at the Japanese-accented Uchiko, but like most Austinites, he’s crazy for traditional Texas barbecue. Here, Qui shares more insider’s picks like Austin’s best bánh mì sandwich and where to find great oysters. In this Austin travel guide, Top Chef winner and resident Paul Qui shares his favorite restaurants and bars.

“This is an out-of-the-way oyster bar and seafood joint owned by a Thai family, who harvest their own oysters. It’s so cheap and they have this crazy-good Thai green sauce that’s delicious with the raw oysters.” deckhandoysterbar.com

“Bryce Gilmore won F&W Best New Chef last year and serves really nice, honest food. His specials change all the time, but anything he does with swine is worth getting"—like pork belly, with curried eggplant, couscous and pickled peach. barleyswine.com

“I like eating at this place, which is like a mom and pop operation. They make the best bánh mì in Austin with great bread. It’s simple, hearty and comforting Vietnamese food.” 10901 N. Lamar Blvd.; 512-973-9479

“I love Aaron Franklin’s brisket at Franklin BBQ. Snow’s BBQ, which is an hour outside Austin, is also incredible, but Snow’s is only open on Saturdays at 8 a.m. and they run out of barbecue by noon. Same deal with Franklin’s.” franklinbarbecue.com; snowsbbq.com

“I always reside on the East Side of Austin so I like hanging out at bars like The Liberty, Shangri-La or The Grackle since my food trailers [each called East Side King] are there too. When I go to bars, it’s usually a shot of Jameson followed by a Lone Star Beer.” eskaustin.com

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