Family Restaurants in Fort Lauderdale

Taking kids out for dinner can be challenging enough. It’s easier when they like the food and even better when the parents like the food, too. Here’s a few of my favourite restaurants in Fort Lauderdale where the whole family is happy.

Buca di Beppo: Family Style Portions to Share
This restaurant feels like home. There are two portion sizes here, Buca Small and Buca Large. Although they say that Buca Small feeds two and Buca Large feeds four, ordering a variety of menu items in the Buca Small portion, gives more variety to share. Our favourite meal includes Fried Calamari, Mozzarella Caprese, Margherita Pizza (for the kids) and Chicken Parmigiana.
http://www.bucadibeppo.com/; 5975 North Federal Highway; 954-229-0922


Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.: Stuffed Shrimp and a Kids Menu
Shrimp is the specialty here. One of the best ways it’s served is their “I’m Stuffed Shrimp”. Large shrimp are stuffed with crab, topped with Monterey Jack Cheese and baked in garlic butter. Another great menu item is the beer battered Mahi Mahi. The kids menu includes items such as Hubba Bubba Popcorn Shrimp and Mac n Cheese Pleez.
http://www.bubbagump.com/; 429 South Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd; 954-463-0777

Jaxsons Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant: Handmade Ice Cream
This is an old fashioned ice cream parlor that’s been around for nearly 50 years. It doesn’t sell only ice cream, though. Kids can order off the Jaxson’s for Juniors menu offering pizza, chicken fingers and burgers. Parents can choose from fried shrimp, grilled chicken platter, or a steak platter. But save room for dessert, because ice cream is the main event. They make their ice cream fresh daily and serve all creations with a generous topping of real whipped cream.
http://www.jaxsonicecream.com/; 128 S Federal Hwy; 954-923-4445

Beginners Guide to Touring Wineries

One of the best ways to gain a deeper appreciation for a region’s wine is to visit the wineries that produce it. Whether you’re visiting, Napa Valley, Tuscany, the Okanagan Valley, or Ontario Wine Country, you can follow these guidelines to make the most of your winery tour.

When to Expect Crowds
Weekends are generally the busiest time to visit a winery as opposed to visiting on a weekday. Whereas a weekday tour, morning tour or offseason visit may offer a more intimate tour with an opportunity to ask more questions and sample additional vintages. Also expect the wineries to be busy during wine festivals and the launching of a new release wine.

Cost of Winery Tours
Some wineries have complimentary tastings, other charge a nominal fee ($5 per person) for a tour, while others only charge for tasting the limited vintages. Each winery is different, but most details are usually listed on a winery’s website.

Ask Plenty of Questions
Winemakers are passionate about their product and are keen to talk about the process and taste. This is your opportunity to get some insider information. Find out what separates each winery from their competitors in the area. The vintner can also give tips on food and wine pairing.

Educate Yourself Prior to Visiting a Winery
Before arriving at a winery, visitors should be knowledgeable when it comes to popular wines, rare vintages and price points. Find out which vintages will be featured during the tasting. And when at the tour ask the winery staff which bottles are popular and which ones have a very limited distribution.

Buying Wine at a Winery
Don’t store new purchases in the trunk of a hot car can be a hot place. Instead, bring a cooler. But consider that most wineries will ship practically anywhere.
Do ask the vintner to sign any bottle that is purchased as a souvenir.

More Winery Touring Tips
Don’t make the mistake of wearing strong perfumes, aftershaves, or colognes. These all interfere with the aroma of the wine. Do choose a designated driver or take a tour that leaves the driving to someone else.

Best Canadian Winery of the Year

Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate was named Canadian Producer of the Year by the Brits.

Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate was named the Canadian Producer for 2008 at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London, England. This is hardly news to me, as I’ve known for years that Jackson Triggs is a top VQA Canadian wine. Their winery has also took home the Best Winery award for the past nine years.

Jackson – Triggs will also be the Official Wine Supplier for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, so now is the perfect time to get acquainted with this popular wine.

Visitors to the Niagara winery not only get a behind the scenes tour, but also have the opportunity to taste three of their Proprietors’ Reserve VQA wines. The experience starts with a 35-minute tour that begins in the vineyard exploring their winemaking process. It is followed by the wine tasting of a few limited release wines in either the boutique or the Grand Reserve Tasting Bar.

Cost: $5 per person

Liquid Souvenirs: Italy

Maintaining your liquor collection, as an interactive exhibit of where you’ve been, affords you a certain amount of bragger’s rights when you have dinner guests So why not take advantage of your duty-free exemption on your next trip to Italy?

Limoncello

The Basics: This sweet, iridescent, yellow liqueur is made from extracting the flavor from lemon rinds. It has a citrus bite, but it isn’t sour since it contains no lemon juice.

Tips of Tradition: Traditionally it is served in small chilled classes as a digestivo (after dinner drink). For the best icy cold taste, keep bottle in the freezer prior to drinking.

The Souvenir: This liqueur evokes sunshine and freshness. Limoncello di Capri, is produced by a factory in Anacapri (Capri’s other town). It is made exclusively with “Limoni di Sorrento I.G.P” (lemons of Sorrento), with the designation guaranteeing the use of traditional techniques, including washing the lemons in water rather than solvents.


Mirto

The Basics: Mirto is a potent aromatic digestivo made from the myrtle plant that grows wild in sunny areas of Sardinia. Mirto Rosso originates from its small berries and Mirto Bianco is made from the leaves of the plant. The taste is rooted in the flavor and fragrance of the land, unique and varied.

Tips of Tadition: Traditionally sipped after dinner as a digestivo, this liqueur is best served ice cold.

The Souvenir: Zedda Piras is the biggest producer of Mirto, with their products marketed worldwide. An alternative is a bottle of Bresca Dorada’s mirto with silk-screened images of Sardinian deer printed on the bottle and the cork bag that it comes in.


Grappa

The Basics: Grappa uses the skins and pulp of grapes that have already been pressed to make wine. This grape-based brandy has an alcohol percentage between 40 and 70% and is usually clear. With origins in Italy’s Veneto region, it was first made to prevent waste at the end of wine season.

Tips of Tradition: This spirit is primarily served as a digestivo to aid in the digestion of heavy meals. Young grappas should be served slightly chilled, and in a tall thin glass. Additionally, it may be added to espresso to create a “caffe corretto” (corrected coffee).

The Souvenir: Grappa produced by Alexander Grappa, another grapperia near Venice, packages their product in unusual bottles that in it self is part of the quality. With a long heritage in the Veneto region, Alexander Grappa employs the skills of the famed master glassblowers from nearby Murano.

Chocoholics Guide to Alaska

(Star Princess, Ketchikan)

The best features of Alaska aren’t just the glaciers, but the chocolate. Chocoholics can get their fix at a few different ports on an Alaska cruise.

KetchiCandies, Ketchikan
These handcrafted chocolates are truly addictive. In fact many crew members can’t wait to get back to Ketchikan, in order to pick up a week’s worth of their favourites. One of the most popular items is the hand dipped chocolate covered Oreos ($10.95 per 12 pk). Other favourites are chocolate covered pretzels ($14.95 per lb) and chocolate covered espresso beans ($12.95). All are available in milk, white, and dark chocolate (http://www.ketchicandies.com/, 315 Mission Street, Ketchikan).


Alaskan Fudge Company, Juneau
This family business was started in 1980 and its centrally located on South Franklin Street in the heart of the main shopping area. A large window allows pedestrians to walk by and watch the fudge be made. But most can’t resist to walk in the store – the smell of chocolate is overwhelming! Popular items include Mendenhall Mudd, which is a smooth, creamy chocolate fudge loaded with marshmallows and pecan pieces. Or try the Glacier Chip, which is creamy, vanilla fudge loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Both cost $7.50 for half a pound (http://www.alaskanfudge.com/, 195 S Franklin Street, Juneau).


Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Victoria
Although Victoria is not in Alaska, it is a frequent port of call for Alaskan cruises. Their specialty is handmade fudge, and 40 different flavours are made in the store. But Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory also has ice cream and caramel covered apples sprinkled with all sorts of toppings - like Smarties (http://www.rockychoc.com/, 1225 Government Street, Victoria).

An Italian Valentine's Dinner

One of my favourite Valentine’s dinners was while my husband and I were staying on the island of Ischia (Italy) for a month. Too bad I can’t remember the name of the restaurant – it’s been a while (2001). This was a time before our kids were born, and before I started writing for money, so some details have been forgotten. But then other details of that experience are quite clear.

Best Time To Visit
Although Ischia (Italy) is the largest of the three islands off the coast of Napoli (Naples), it is Capri that seems to get the most tourist attention. The volcanic island of Ischia has a population of less than 15,000, but it swells in the summer with tourists visiting ts popular mineral hot springs and gorgeous beaches. Winter is quiet, but just as charming.

Best Lunch Option
For lunch, pick up rotisserie chicken at locations that only open for the lunch hours. Garage-style doors open up to reveal a giant rotisserie with a cook spritzing the chickens with (oil/water?), while another puts half chickens in Styrofoam containers. In between, one of the cooks collects money into a small metal box from a que of customers. It’s a well-oiled lunch machine that closes its garage door around 2 p.m.

Best Dinner Option
(No name Trattoria) In Forio the trattoria is a casual, inexpensive way to enjoy traditional Italian dishes. At the entrance, the pizza oven is always busy with orders. The pizza maker stokes the fire, throws the dough, and completes order after order. The server brings patrons fresh artisan bread that’s still warm. Don’t expect butter on the table, this is Southern Italy, so waiters will find the request unusual.

Favourite Meal
Tony ordered the catch of the day, and it was served whole, eyeballs and all. My favourite dish was the homemade gnocchi with a simple tomato sauce – ah comfort food.

Where to Have Dessert
Even though it’s February, head to a gelateria (gelato=ice cream).

Delicious Destination - Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan, Alaska is where my husband and I had our first lunch together. With Valentine’s around the corner, I thought I’d share one of my favourite places to eat whenever we’re in port here.

The Heen Kahidi Restaurant

(Tlingit for Creek House)
Chef: Timothy Frank

Location: Located in the Cape Fox Lodge (http://www.capefoxlodge.com/)

Getting there: Either take the funicular tram to the top of the hill, or take the stairs for a bit of a workout. The tram leaves from the bottom of Creek Street and ends inside of the Cape Fox Lodge. The wooden stairs only take about 15 minutes (if you don’t take many rest stops), but can be slick if it has been raining – which Ketchikan is known for. In front of the Lodge there is a totem circle of six totems (Council of the Clans) carved by Tlingit carver, Lee Wallace.

Atmosphere: Casual

The View: The aerial view is spectacular overlooking downtown Ketchikan's Creek Street. (You can see the cruise ships, too). Unfortunately there’s no great spot to take pictures of downtown unless you don’t mind the reflection off the floor to ceiling windows.

What’s for Lunch?
Start with the seafood chowder served in a fresh sourdough bread bowl ($10.99), but leave room for the fish and chips. The halibut is wild caught fish and two humungous pieces barely fit on the plate. The batter is crispy but not dry and the dish is served with thick-cut Yukon gold fries ($14.99).

Room For Dessert?
The server recommended the mud pie, and although I still had a half a piece of fish on my plate, I ordered it anyways. This frozen pie of cookies and almond mocha fudge ice cream laid on an Oreo cookie butter crust is topped with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and sliced almonds.

Cruises VS Land-Based Holidays

It’s the big travel debate. Which is the better experience for the culinary traveler, a cruise or a destination-based holiday without the ship? Here’s some food for thought.

For Convenience Sake
For travelers that only like to unpack once, cruises provide travelers with a room to call home for the length of their vacation. But some land-based culinary vacations offer the same feature, such as a full immersion cooking school, or staying at a winery B&B.

Best Bang for the Buck
The feature that makes cruises popular is the numerous of ports that are offered during one holiday. To get a similar multi-destination land vacation, travelers would need to stay in numerous hotels, and be transported around by bus or train. Sure, waking up in the heart of Florence with a cappuccino and a cornetto cioccolata (croissant filled with chocolate) has its advantages. But so is enjoying lunch in five different countries in one week.

How Fresh is Fresh?
Consider that a ship loads its provisions only once or twice on a seven day cruise, where as a land-based restaurant has the opportunity to buy fresh every day. But onboard restaurants push the boundaries of gourmet cuisine with artfully plated dishes, attentive service, and the same waiter every night if you prefer. On the other hand, moonlight evenings at a beachside restaurant with fresh seafood, and dinners in a wine cellar in Tuscany is also tempting for foodies.

Don’t Drink the Water
It’s a given when on holidays abroad to take extra precautions about the food we eat and the drinks we drink. How clean is the kitchen of the popular local restaurant? And how safe is the food that we eat ashore? Ships need to follow food safe procedures, or risk an outbreak. Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/contentAirTravelCruiseShips.aspx) for latest ship inspections. Passengers can also take galley tours and see for themselves how clean is clean.

Princess Cruises: The Chef's Table Experience

Kudos to the person that came up with the idea of the Chef’s Table. Passengers are always looking for unusual memories to take home with them, and this VIP culinary experience for foodies will be making other cruise lines take notice.

What is the Chef’s Table?
The Chef’s Table experience combines a galley tour with a gastronomic multi-course dining event. But this is no typical galley tour, nor is it just another formal meal. Passengers get to meet the Executive Chef in the galley and have him explain the details of the exclusively created menu over French champagne and appetizers. Next, the guests are seated at a reserved table in the dining room, and the courses come out one after another, each with their own detailed explanation of preparation, ingredients, and special features.

Cost: $75 (includes wine)

What’s on the Menu?
This is an exclusive menu to the Chef’s Table, specially designed for foodies, and not found in any of the other restaurants on Princess’ vessels. It varies with the ship, as much as it varies with the Executive Chef. Wines are chosen by the Maitre d’ to perfectly pair with the meal, and when dessert arrives, so does the Chef.

Other Special Features
During the dessert course, the Chef shares culinary tips such as how a dish is prepared and secret ingredients. Passengers ask questions from where he was trained to how many kids he has?

Some Will Be Disappointed
This is an exclusive experience, and some will be disappointed. With only room for 10 passengers on select nights of the cruise, not everyone will get a chance to take part. Passengers can book through the DINE line, but it is recommended to talk to the Maitre d’ on the day of embarkation, in order to reserve a spot.

Cruise Ships - Alternative Restaurants

With Holland America Line’s Pinnacle Grill being awarded the Best Alternative Restaurant in the Cruise Industry by Porthole Magazine, one must wonder what it takes to win the award.

Cost of Alternative Dining
All the cruise lines offer some sort of specialty or alternative restaurant, in addition to their “complimentary” dining rooms. NCL boasts their eat-whenever-you-want Freestyle Dining approach with up to 13 restaurants per ship (but most have a cover charge). Royal Caribbean’s Chops Grille charges $25 for a four course dinner of steaks or seafood. Carnival Cruise Lines’ reservation-only Supper Club is $30 for a steak dinner, and Princess Cruises has a $20 dinner at their Crown Grill.

Is Change Good?
During a series of recent dry-docks, Princess Cruises recently changed the name of their steakhouses from the Sterling Silver Steakhouse (or was it Tequillas?) to the Crown Grill. They also made some changes to their menu. Physically, the menu is now presented in a classy leather bound folder with copper embellishments, but the selections inside are different, too. The popular Spinach and Artichoke Dip served with fresh tortilla chips is no longer on the menu; neither is the Brie Quesadilla, nor is the Raspberry Crème Brule. Fortunately, they still offer steaks.

Change is Good!
Holland America Line recently expanded their Pinnacle Grill menu last fall. Passengers can choose from a Poached Lobster Tail, Lobster Macaroni and Cheese, a Filet Mignon cut from Sterling Silver beef, or many other innovative selections. The atmosphere is formal and tables are set with Bvlgari china, Frette linens and elegant Riedel stemware. But the cost per person is only $20, which is actually inexpensive for a specialty restaurant in the cruise industry.

Why Pay More?
So what makes passengers want to fork out an additional $20 to $30 per person, unless the food and service is truly exceptional? The rationale is that the setting is more intimate than the main dining rooms, and the service is (supposed to be) more attentive, but is the food really any better? It is the same ship and the same executive chef that puts out the food in the dining rooms and the buffet for that matter. Maybe that’s why HAL was recognized as the best. The combination of food quality, service, and value superseded their competitors.

South America's Best Culinary Activites

Angelmo Fish Market
Puerto Montt, Chile


South America Cruising: Culinary Excursions

Buenos Aires, Argentina
To combine the city of the Tango with local wine and traditional Argentinean dishes, check out a tango show, such as the Piazzolla Tango Show in the Piazzolla Theater located on Florida Street. Choose from a selection of appetizers and a choice of four main entrees. Tip: When in Argentina, order the beef. The Tomato Ravioli is also a good choice, with such a huge Italian influence in Argentina. And don't forget to save room for the Tiramisu as dessert.

Rio, Brazil
Visitors don’t need to wait until February/March for the annual Carnival experience anymore. Cidade do Samba (Samba City)welcomes tourists every evening (except Tuesdays) to participate in dancing and Samba shows. On Thursday nights there is also a buffet dinner show and fireworks.

Montevideo, Uruguay
Many cruise ships offer a culinary excursion called, A Taste of Montevideo and the Wine Trail. Tour the Santa Rosa Winery, located in the city of Montevideo, and enjoy a tasting of both sparkling and still wines. This winery is known for their Fond de Cave, champagne-style wines. Next enjoy lunch in the cellar of the winery and be entertained by tango dancers.

Punta Arenas, Chile
Visit a Patagonia Estancia (Spanish term for ranch) settled over a hundred years ago by sheep ranchers. Watch a sheep shearing and herding demonstration, then enjoy a lunch of BBQ lamb and Chilean wine.

Puerto Montt, Chile
Princess Cruises offers a unique culinary adventure; and a must for cruising foodies. The six-hour Lake District Culinary Adventure is hosted by Puerto Montt’s Chef Richard Knobloch. Browse the Angelmo fish market, stop at an organic farm for produce, and watch the Chef masterfully create a three course meal with matching wines.

Who is a Culinary Traveler

Welcome to my new blog. This is new territory for me, but I’m keen to jump into the world of blogging, so here goes nothing.....!

Who is a Culinary Traveler?
There are many interpretations to what defines a culinary traveler. From gourmets and sommeliers to local comfort food and pub crawls, enjoying food and drink while on vacation helps visitors understand the destination they are visiting.

I guess I fall somewhere in between. I enjoy artistically presented food, yet give me some fajitas and a Margarita in a Mexican village, and I’m pretty happy, too. Not to mention plastic bibs with a one pound lobster in Maine or beer battered halibut and chips served in a plastic basket in Alaska, I still consider myself a culinary traveler.

I just returned from a month long cruise in South America....oh so many foodie stories to share. I’ll stick to basics here, and more detail will be covered in later posts. First, there’s the wine. I can’t decide if I liked the Chilean wine or the Argentinean wine better, either way, both were super inexpensive. I’m talking only $5 to $10 for a bottle of vino tinto (red wine). I’m hardly a sommelier, but I can assure it was tasty, similiar to bottles back home costing between $20 and $30.

Another highlight of South America was a steak dinner in Buenos Aires (Argentina is known for their beef). The Sheraton's El Aljibe was on the expensive side, but worth it. Nothing beats a perfectly cooked steak cut from the freshest quality beef. And the hot white cloth offered at the beginning of my dinner was a nice touch, too. Who knew that Argentina was so hygienic!