Travelsmartplanet

In Fellsmere FL the annual town fair has the usual hotdogs, fried dough, turkey legs and candy apples  but here the main feature is the frog leg and gator tail dinners.  There’s rides, games, and stage entertainment: rock, country and blues bands. For those that enjoy browsing and shopping they also have about 100 booths of crafts. There is a free shuttle bus that will take you from Mesa Park to the festival.

 
Location: Exit 156, go west about 3 miles until you see the traffic and signage
Hours: Jan 19: 10-11, Jan 20: 11-6
Frog Leg & Gator Tail Dinner Hours: Sat 11-9, Sun 11-6

(click to enlarge)

Tags: apple, band, blues, booth, candy, country, craft, Fellsmere, festival, Florida, fried dough, frog, hotdogs, leg, rock, turkey

P.P. Cobb General Store and Delicatessen was opened in 1860, by the first postmaster, Peter Paul Cobb.  Cattle drives passed by during the day and fisherman on the pier stocked up.

You can still eat here and stock up with their eclectic mix. You can grab a carton and make your own 6-pack of  hard- to-find sodas: Cheer Wine, Rebel Soda, Black Lemonade, Kama Sutra, Boylan‘s or 500 kinds of artisanal beers (San Miguel, Turbo Dog, Avalanche, Stouts).

Kids young and old will have fun at the candy stand: Boston Baked Beans, Zagnuts, Gold Rocks, red waxy lips, candy cigarettes, Double Bubble, waxy bottles of sugary liquid, and newer larvets or crick-ettes, insects in amber candy, and cookie dough nibbles.

The husband and wife team open for breakfast (homemade sausages, omelettes) or lunch. There’s homemade soups: roasted red peppers and sweet potato (can’t take off menu), creamy leek and potato, beef barley, and sandwiches on homemade bread, 10 paninis and 4 wraps.

Finish the meal with coffee, tea (iced green tea, genmai cha), homemade cookies, shakes (ginger custard), smoothies, root beer floats, or green tea ice cream. For a local taste try Florida fruit wines: orange, grapefruit and mango. If you need some there’s also soap made by Cherokees in Arizona.

Hours:  M-Sat 8:30-6, Sun 10-4
Location: 100 Avenue A, Fort Pierce
www.ppcobbgeneralstore.com
Tel:  772-465-7010

Tags: Avalanche, Black Lemonade, Boston Baked Beans, Boylan, candy cigarettes, Double Bubble, Florida fruit wine, genmai cha, Gold Rocks, grapefruit, homemade sausages, iced green tea, insects in amber candy, Kama Sutra, larvets or crick-ettes, mango, omelettes, orange, Rebel Soda, red waxy lips, San Miguel, Stout. Cheer Wine, Turbo Dog, waxy bottles of sugary liquid, Zagnuts

The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens will clear your head from the buzz of I-95.  You have to walk slowly, deliberately, in order to appreciate the sculpture of leaves, bushes, flowers and branches which are painstakingly maintained. In 200 acres, you will walk Roji-en, through the centuries: Shinden Garden (9th-12th), Paradise Garden (13th &14th), Early Rock garden (14th), Lake Rock Garden (15th), Flat Garden (16 th &17th) and the  Modern Romantic Garden (19th-20th) as well as thru towering bamboo, waterfalls and bonsai, of course.

There are exhibition rooms on art, history, and Japanese culture and you might be able to enjoy a tea ceremony if you arrive at the right time.

The gardens were donated by George Sukeji Morikami of the the Yamato colony, an early 20th century Japanese farming settlement in Florida. In the original building, you can learn about the colony and see Japan Through the Eyes of a Child: school supplies, kitchen, bullet train and a bathroom toilet which washes your butt.

The gift shop sells tea sets, origami, abacus, calligraphy brushes, chopstick rests, kimonos and cool Piperoid Robography. You can dine gloriously in the Cornell Cafe and Tea House with its pan-Asian food overlooking gardens.

4000 Morikami Park Rd, Delray Beach
Hours:  T-Sun 10-5
IconT 561-495-0233
www.morikami.org

Tags: abacus, bamboo, bathroom toilet, bonsai, branches, bullet train, bushes, calligraphy brushes, chopstick rests, eaves, flowers, George Sukeji Morikami, kimono, kitchen, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, origami, Piperoid Robography, school supplies, tea ceremony, tea sets, waterfall, Yamato colony

Tea, which is over 5,000 years old, was possibly born in the Yunnan province of China. Legends mention Shen Nung, an early emperor and scientist, who ruled that all drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. One day while traveling, his servants boiled water for him, and just then dried leaves from a nearby bush fell into the boiling water. The emperor drank the brown liquid and enjoyed it.

In 800, Lu Yu wrote “Ch’a Ching”, the first definitive book on tea. He diligently recorded the various methods of tea cultivation and preparation. Zen Buddhist missionaries later introduced his meticulous methods to imperial Japan. One missionary in particular, Yesei, had observed its use in religious ceremonies in China and appreciated its value, and there are records of his findings.

Tea was so highly thought of in Japan that the serving of it was elevated to an art form, resulting in  the Japanese Tea Ceremony. While visiting Japan I was privy thrice to this exacting two hour ceremony while sitting on bended knees – once by a Buddhist Monk in a temple, once by a Canadian Tea Master and once in a private home while dressed in a kimono.

Perhaps one of the first Europeans to encounter tea and write about it was the Portuguese Jesuit Father Jasper de Cruz (in 1560), and around that time a Dutchman named Jan Huygen van Linshoten visited Java. He wrote about his voyage to the East Indies in 1598 and mentioned “cha”, as it was called in Mandarin.

Around 1650 the Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant brought the first tea to America in the settlement of New Amsterdam, later re-named New York by the English

Tags: Ch'a Ching, Father Jasper de Cruz, Jan Huygen van Linshoten, Japanese Tea Ceremony, Lu Yu, Peter Stuyvesant, Shen Nung, Yesei, Zen Buddhist

Who would expect to find a hidden elegant café in the Antwerp train station? Behind the magnificent facade of the old station (built by Leopold II in 1895), facing the tracks go to your extreme left hand corner. Inside the doors of the fancy looking café you will find sandwiches and 5 kinds of croque monsieur (variations on grilled cheese) without fancy prices.

If you just couldn’t decide what to do tonight, should I go out to a restaurant, grab a pizza, go bowling, watch a movie, take the kids to an arcade, catch a sporting event, or enjoy a comedy show, you don’t have to choose – head for Latitude 30.

You can dine deliciously in the restaurant, for food comes first here, or in any of the above while you enjoy your entertainment. Noise level is high so babies can cry and the kids don’t have to be quiet or sit still while you finish eating – this is the future of family dining.

The sports theater sports19 screens, the pizza chef is stretching and tossing dough by the brick oven, the cocktail area is buzzing, the arcade is dinging (prizes right up to an iPad), bowling balls are crashing in the 20 lanes (comfy couches) while their 9 screens are showing sporting events so you don’t miss anything (football AND bowling) or you can escape into one of the two movie theaters.

If that wasn’t enough action, there’s live music Thurs-Sat nights. You can just sit and watch it all while you have a tiramisu martini (or 40 brands of beer) and then chow into: a prime rib kabob with creamy horse radish sauce, quesadilla, lettuce wrapped Asian chicken in peanut ginger sauce, sesame crusted teriyaki calamari with citrus wasabi aioli, steak and blue cheese in flat bread, shrimp po’ boy, chicken salad with cherries and pecans, blackened mahi mahi or build your own burger.

Dinner entree salads can be made with flat iron steak or blackened ahi, there’s a chopped cobb salad, lobster mac n cheese, veal pot roast, Guinness fish and chips, bacon wrapped scallops and we loved the homemade potato chips. Southern red velvet cake and bread pudding can finish it off for you. You will need to take advantage of the free valet parking, the lot is packed.

Location: 10370 Phillips Highway
Tel: 904-365-5555
www.latitude-30.com

Tags: aioli, arcade, Asian, bacon, beer, blackened ahi, blackened mahi mahi, blue cheese, bowling, bowling ball, bread pudding, brick oven, burger, calamari, cherries, chicken, chicken salad, cobb salad, cocktail, comedy show, couch, family dining, fish and chips, flat bread, flat iron steak, football, ginger, Guinness, horse radish sauce, kabob, lane, Latitude 30, lettuce, lobster, mac n cheese, martini, movie, music, noise, peanut, pecan, pecans, pizza, po' boy, pot roast, potato chip, prime rib, quesadilla, red velvet cake, Restaurant, salad, scallop, screen, sesame crusted, shrimp, sporting event, sports theater, steak, teriyaki, tiramisu, veal, wasabi

A lot has changed in Yuma over the last century – but one thing that hasn’t is the reliable sunshine that favors this southwestern town an average of 350 days a year. In fact, back in the day, Yuma hotels boasted that they offered “free board every day the sun doesn’t shine.” Now, in honor of Arizona’s Centennial celebration, the whole community will renew the historic offer for twelve months beginning August 1.

“Since Yuma is America’s sunniest city, we think that this is a perfect way to shine a light on our climate and celebrate a century of hospitality,” said Susan Sternitzke, executive director of the Yuma Visitors Bureau. “It’s a natural – literally.”

True to the original promotion, the new “free board” campaign will provide complimentary meals at participating restaurants for registered guests of participating hotels. An officially sunless day – “Code Gloom” – will be declared by a committee of YVB staff, board members and meteorologists as of 5 p.m. and announced to the public when hotels place a life-sized cutout of an umbrella-toting Yuma Mayor Alan Krieger in their lobbies.

Hotels then will validate and date-stamp “free board” certificates which will be good until 5 p.m. the next day for a complimentary meal (or $10 discount) at variety of restaurants. Other area businesses are coming up with tie-in specials, discounts or giveaways, with free tastings at the local winery and complimentary admission to the historic Yuma Territorial Prison park and museum already among the offerings that’ll brighten sunless days.

Is picking up the tab for what could be a party of thousands a big gamble to take? Sternitzke says no, pointing to the Guinness World Record recognizing Yuma as the sunniest place on earth – with bright skies prevailing a mean of 4,055 hours of a possible 4,456 hours every year, or 91 percent of the time.

Yuma’s also prominent in the “weather extremes” tracked by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Climatic Data Center, earning number one slots not just as “sunniest,” but also driest (3.01 inches per year), least humid (annual average 22.5 percent) and having the fewest days with precipitation (16 per year average).

All that data has given at least one hotel the confidence to take the idea even further, with a special rate that will award a free room “every day the sun doesn’t shine.” The cost is the same as the regular room rate, explains Jeanine Rhea, general manager of the Hampton Inn, but comes with a “sunshine guarantee.” You’ll have to book two weeks in advance. “Sunshine is the default setting here,” Rhea said. “We’re pretty certain that what we’re risking in comp room nights will be outshined by the warm feelings we’ll generate.”

So how many days a year – if any – actually pass in Yuma without at least a glimmer of sun? Despite all the statistics, no one is quite sure. But when it comes to this bright idea for the centennial celebration, gloom just isn’t part of the outlook.

A longtime favorite with sun-seeking snowbirds, Yuma’s population nearly doubles in the winter months, thanks to more than 23,000 spots in RV parks and resorts. The community also offers nearly 4,000 hotel rooms, conference and meeting facilities, and three casinos and of course, its  “cloudy with a chance of tacos” forecast.

www.visityuma.com or call 800-293-0100.

Tags: Arizona, centennial, code gloom, complimentary meal, free meal, free room, Guinness World Record, humid, precipitation, prison, snowbird, sun-seeking, sunniest, sunshine, U.S. Department of Commerce's National Climatic Data Center, winery, Yuma

Who would think you can stop on an exit of I-95 and have bragging rights that you have eaten in a Daniel Boulud restaurant?  At Cafe Boulud at The Brazilian Court in Palm Beach,  you can expect the prices will match the excellence of the presentation, service and the quality of the food. Everythiing is made, cured, cooked or smoked on the premises.

If you want to eat and not drop a bundle, do breakfast. There are typical omelets and porridge and the Boulud Benedict was divine. The restaurant is located in a 1926 hidden gem historical (condo) hotel with 2 courtyards and an iconic fountain in a great location – you can walk to Worth Ave and it’s 1 1/2 blocks to the ocean.

Location: 301 Australian Ave.
Tel: 561-655-7740 or 800-552-0335
www.thebraziliancourt.com

Tags: Cafe Boulud, Daniel Boulud, The Brazilian Court

There must have been great chocolate DNA in their blood because famous Belgian chocolates brands Daskalides and Leonidas were created by family members from Ghent, Belgium.

Leonidas Daskalidès or Leonidas Kestekides (1876 – 1954) was born in Turkey and he was the founder of Leonidas chocolates in Belgium making pralines (chocolate shells with soft fillings) famous.

In 1910, he was a member of the Greek delegation from the US competing at the 1910 World Fair in Brussels. He won a bronze medal for his chocolate confection, and a gold medal for his patisserie. On a return visit in 1913 ( World Fair in Ghent), he met a young woman from Brussels and settled permanently in Belgium. He opened tea-rooms in Brussels, Ghent and Blankenberge, and the business expanded from there.

In 1935, Basile Kestekides, the founder’s nephew succeeded the founder and created a whole range of new chocolates, including the well-known ‘Manon’ of Leonidas. Still to this day the most popular chocolates are the manon, manon café, gianduja, dressé noisette, manon blanc and manon blanc café.

There are 350 Leonidas shops in Belgium and and almost 1500 throughout the world in over 50 countries. Leonidas  is still privately owned by family

In 1931, a Greek couple Daskalidès-Kestikidès opened a confectionary in the centre of Ghent. Home made pralines by Daskalidès become famous and their tearooms and chocolate shops grew.

During the sixties his son Jean advised him to devote himself to the production of luxury pralines for connoisseurs which led them to conquer markets abroad. In 1987, Daskalidès was  awarded in France the prestigious Laurier d’Or de la Qualité from France thanks to the exceptional quality of chocolate, the beautiful shape and the delicious taste

Dr. Jean Daskalides became famous for his chocolates under the names Daskalidès and Leonidas. He was also a gynecologist, film director, jazz musician, hospital director and lecturer at the University of Ghent.

You can buy Daskalides and Leonidas chocolate in Ghent or anywhere in Belgium or nowadays, all over the world.

Tags: Belgium, Brussels, Chocolate, Daskalides, Ghent, Kestikides, Laurier d'Or de la Qualite, Leonidas, praline, tea-room, World Fair

NYC Restaurant Week, the City’s original culinary celebration and world’s first Restaurant Week—will feature more than 320 restaurants for its 20th Year.

The two-week event will take place July 11–24, Mondays through Fridays; Saturdays are excluded and Sundays are optional.  For the 12th consecutive season, prices for the prix-fixe three-course meals will remain at $24.07 for lunch and $35 for dinner (excluding beverages, taxes and gratuities).

The full list of participating restaurants will be available at www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek on Wednesday, June 29, when reservations are open to the general public. Early-access reservations were announced on twitter yesterday. (http://www.nycgo.com/rw-earlyrez/?a=1&b=1&cid=fb_rw).

Tags: New York City, Restaurant