Temecula is a Wine Lover's Southern California Getaway
If you live in Southern California and love wine, Temecula is the perfect weekend getaway. The emerging wine destination grows more than 25 grape varieties and is uniquely situated within a two-hour drive of San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County and Palm Springs. Temecula may be much smaller than California wine regions like Napa Valley and Paso Robles, but there's something for everyone here – from traditional champagne method sparkling wines and obscure but delicious white wines to Rhône-style red blends and Super Tuscans. Temecula produces half a million cases of wine a year and 90% of that is sold directly to customers, which explains why you won't see these wines on restaurant wine lists in Chicago and New York, even though many of the wines will pleasantly surprise discerning wine connoisseurs. You really do need to visit to get a full taste of what Temecula has to offer.
Read full storyThe World's Longest Bar in Tennessee Serves Much More Than Whiskey
The twisting 525-foot long bar at Humble Baron has been certified by the Guinness World Records as the world's longest bar, but the $50 million build out at Nearest Green Distillery is more than just a triumph of whiskey – it's a celebration of entertainment, culture and history that has been hidden for far too long.
Read full storyYour Guide To An Artsy Weekend in San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo is more than just a cute college town. The formerly sleepy small town has grown into a sustainably minded city that's the cultural hub of California's Central Coast and a great weekend getaway option from Los Angeles or San Francisco. Halfway between LA and San Francisco on historic Highway 1, SLO enjoys warm sunny days year-round, an up-and-coming wine region, a super walkable downtown with lots of fun public art, and thousands of acres of protected open space. Plus, San Luis Obispo has a Climate Action Plan for communitywide carbon neutrality by 2035 and is one of the best biking cities in the country.
Read full storySalt & Straw Turns Food Waste Into Creative Ice Cream Flavors
Salt & Straw kicks off summer with a new June menu featuring five creative new flavors all made from upcycled foods. Co-founder and head ice cream innovator Tyler Malek is passionate about reducing food waste and with the Upcycled Food Series, Salt & Straw is able to rescue more than 38,000 pounds of food that would otherwise be wasted.
Read full storyThis Hot New Hospitality Group Brings French Riviera Glamour to Miami Beach
Riviera Dining Group just may be the hottest hospitality group in Miami right now. All of Miami has been booming since the pandemic, and the culinary scene has certainly skyrocketed with Michelin releasing their first Florida guide last year.
Read full storyThis Peaceful Plant-Based Retreat in Mendocino Should Be On Your California Bucket List
Sustainable travel is trending now, as travelers have both their own health and the environmental and social impact of their travel on the planet top of mind. Stanford Inn by the Sea on the Mendocino coast is a paradigm for this kind of slow travel, designed to protect and respect the destination's breathtaking natural beauty while nourishing guests with a whole food, plant-based menu, and classes in yoga, meditation, gardening and cooking.
Read full storyThis Regeneratively Farmed Sonoma Estate Makes More Than Wine
Over the last 20 years, Donum Estate has become famous in Sonoma County for its single-vineyard, single-appellation Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, all grown and produced in Carneros across a sprawling 220 acre estate. Recently, the renowned winery achieved Regenerative Organic Certified® status for all of its four estate vineyards after three years of work to refocus on long-term sustainability and soil health.
Read full storyDoes St. Louis Have The Best Stadium Food In The Country?
I'm chowing down on a delightfully spicy vegan kebab wrapped in wood-fired Turkish flatbread while standing in line for Vietnamese vermicelli rice noodles and eyeing the perfect char on the Senegalese jerk chicken the woman next to me is enjoying. You might think I'm at a trendy new food hall, but I'm getting food FOMO at....a soccer stadium? I'm at CITYPARK in St. Louis and this is the best stadium food in the United States.
Read full storyThe Ultimate Minneapolis Girls Getaway
Minneapolis Riverfront SunsetLane Pelovsky courtesy Meet Minneapolis. The Land of 10,000 Lakes may not seem like an obvious girls getaway destination, but Minneapolis has a laid-back approach to luxury that's perfect for a relaxed bachelorette party, mother-daughter vacation or sorority reunion. With a swanky new hotel, great restaurants, spas and shopping, Minneapolis is my under-the-radar pick for an ideal Midwestern girls getaway – and it's just a six hour drive from Chicago.
Read full storyNewly Minted Miami Michelin Star Restaurants To Try Now
Just this month, Florida received a Michelin Guide for the first time ever, and naturally Miami is the most star studded city of all, with 11 different restaurants receiving stars. It's exciting for Miami to be recognized on an international level like this and local chefs now have a new benchmark and accolade to strive for.
Read full storyThis Santa Monica Restaurant Is The Best Place In LA For Sustainable Seafood
Leena Culhane and Brian BornemannAshley Randall Photography. Leena Culhane and Brian Bornemann met during the pandemic. She's an artist and musician, and he's a veteran LA chef. If you've dined at The Tasting Kitchen, Michaels' or Potager over the years, you've had his food. Crudo e Nudo is the duo's lovechild, a pandemic pop-up and ode to sustainable seafood that's found a permanent home on Main Street in Santa Monica. During a devestating couple of years for the restaurant industry, with many heartbreaking closures of neighborhood favorites and new businesses that never had a chance to get off the ground, Crudo e Nudo is a rare bright spot – one of the best new restaurants in Los Angeles.
Read full storyYou Can Win A Year's Worth Of Jeni's Ice Cream
Maple Soaked Pancakes ice cream pintJeni's Splendid Ice Cream. This Saturday, February 5th is Ice Cream For Breakfast Day and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is on a mission to set the world record for the most people eating Ice Cream For Breakfast.
Read full storyStranahan's Colorado Whiskey Just Released Two Snowflakes for the First Time Ever
Beginning at 7 am this morning, nearly 2,000 people from all across the country gathered at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre on an unseasonably balmy December day in Denver. They weren't here for a concert though. These early risers were all eagerly awaiting their first taste of a cult classic whiskey as rare as they come. Stranahan's annual Snowflake release is legendary among whiskey lovers – a super small batch limited release that sells out in a matter of hours.
Read full storySneak Peek: Meow Wolf Convergence Station, Denver's Coolest New Attraction
Denver's hottest new attraction opens next weekend – a collaborative science fiction-inspired multiverse of interactive art that will enrapture guests of all ages for hours on end. Get your tickets for Convergence Station, Meow Wolf's largest and most ambitious permanent installation to date. It's twice as large as House of Eternal Return in Sante Fe and Omega Mart in Las Vegas, featuring multimedia masterpieces from hundreds of artists (including more than 115 Colorado-based artists) spread across four floors.
Read full storyComing Soon: A Japanese Chef's 'Bistronomy' Concept in Tribeca
The New York restaurant opening I'm most excited about in 2022 is a yet-to-be-named French restaurant by a young Japanese chef stepping out on his own for the first time in a city that's always welcomed dreamers.
Read full storyTry This Weird Cheesy Ice Cream For Free At Union Square
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Ice CreamKraft/Van Leeuwen. Ice cream and macaroni & cheese are undoubtedly two of America's favorite comfort foods. But would you combine the two? This summer, Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream is partnering with Kraft Macaroni & Cheese to launch a supremely orange and cheesy Kraft ice cream. It's like nothing you've ever tasted before and you can try it for free tomorrow while supplies last at an ice cream truck stationed in Union Square on July 14 only from 11 am - 6 pm.
Read full storyFive Reasons To Check Into Chicago's Hottest New Hotel
Chicago's hospitality industry is roaring back to life this summer, and the city has its first exciting new hotel opening since the pandemic destroyed the city's tourism industry last year. Pendry Chicago reimagines one of Chicago's most iconic Art Deco landmarks in a glamorous new fashion. The Burnham Brothers-designed Carbide & Carbon Building stands out in the city skyline with its Champagne bottle design, layering black granite, green and gold terracotta and bronze trim, topped off with an ornate cap of gleaming 24-karat gold leaf. Here are five reasons to check in now.
Read full storyYour Guide To A Wellness Weekend in Portland, Oregon
Smith Bowl at Smith TeamakerSmith Bowl at Smith Teamaker. With COVID restrictions lifting this week, it's time for Portlanders to rejoice. Get ready to venture out once more and explore the city's hidden gems. So many great new small businesses have opened during this year of hibernation. Here's your guide to a weekend balancing wellness with a healthy dose of indulgence.
Read full storyWorld-Class Fine Dining In Wisconsin? This Milwaukee Restaurant Measures Up
It's worth a special trip to Milwaukee just to dine at Ardent – I know many foodie friends in Chicago who do just that. Chef Justin Carlisle has received national attention since he opened Milwaukee's first tasting menu-only restaurant in the East Side neighborhood in 2014, and has been a James Beard finalist for Best Chef Midwest four times.
Read full storyYour Guide to a Relaxing Summer Weekend in Madison, Wisconsin
Dane County Farmers Market Around Capitol SquareVisit Madison. Madison is known for being the most progressive city in Wisconsin, a cultural center of craft beer, food, art and music. Dane County is the most vaccinated large county in the country, and with restrictions lifting completely in Madison and Dane County beginning June 2, the Dane County Farmers' Market will be returning to the square surrounding the Capitol on June 19. It's the largest producers-only farmers' market in the country and a great place to stock up on fresh, seasonal produce from regional family farms, along with honey, cheese, bread and pastries. After a hot summer morning browsing the market, cool off with a tour of the majestic State Capitol building and its beaux-arts style architecture.
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