Browsing: FOOD & WINE

International Food & Wine Writing and Photography

California Golden Gate bridge view, Limewood Bar and Restaurant
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Celebrate Holidays in the Hills at Claremont Club & Spa

By Lee Daley Claremont Club & Spa: Create memories to treasure with a celebration of this year’s Holidays in the Hills at the Berkeley-based Limewood Bar and Restaurant’s outdoor dining deck. Here is where you’ll find stunning sunset views of…

Cruise Dinner at Sea with Holland America Line, our cruise ship awaits as we explore Half Moon Cay, Holland America Line, Nieuw Amsterdam,
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Dinner at Sea with Holland America Line

 Story and Photos by Lee Daley, “Where are we eating next?” became the favorite game my husband and I played during our brief four-night cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau aboard Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner…

DESTINATIONS rainbow-ocean-waves-Kauai
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In Kauai, a bumper crop of food trucks

The Hawaiian island of Kauai serves up cuisine that is both hot and cool. Hot as in haute and cool as in food trucks. New to food truck dining on Kauai, the lushest of Hawaii’s islands. I made my visit’s…

Art and Architecture San Miguel de Allende at Hotel Matilda, mural walkway, Our Lady of Guadaloupe, Mexico
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San Miguel de Allende at Hotel Matilda

Story and Photos by Lee Daley For a soul soothing stay in San Miguel de Allende, Hotel Matilda, the “hotel different,” is an eye-opener. When you travel to a Mexican colonial city that has been designated a World Heritage Site,…

Croatia Brac Island. Croatia: Sun, Sea and Stone,, Croatia Dalmation Coast, In Croatia:, Being on Brac, Island of Stone and Sea, Bol Boat Harbor
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Brač Island, Croatia: Sun, Sea and Stone

In Croatia, aboard the Katarina Line Futura:  As we watched deckside, our small cruise ship anchored alongside the Dalmatian Coast shore of Brač Island and its Golden Horn Beach, known as one of Europe’s most beautiful. Holding just 38 passengers,…

CA Chardonnay & croquet, Croquet lawn, Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards, Russian River, Sonoma County, Windsor, CA
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Chardonnay & Croquet at Sonoma Cutrer Winery

Story by Lee Daley.  Photos by John Sundsmo and Lee Daley Sonoma County is known for its excellent Chardonnay wines and those produced at Sonoma Cutrer Winery are no exception. Tucked away on a lush hillside in Windsor, Sonoma Cutrer…

DESTINATIONS Lake County: A Sweet Spot Getaway north of San Francisco, Olive Groves at Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill,Olive Groves at Chacewater Winery and Olive Mill, Kelseyville, CA, Lake County
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Lake County: Northern California’s Sweet Spot

Lake County:  Northern California’s Sweet Spot Story and Photos By Lee Daley Drive a few hours north of downtown San Francisco and a different world awaits. On a recent weekend getaway, my city stress lessened and lessened, almost in layers,…

DESTINATIONS La Cocina Que Canta, young chef
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Rave Reviews for La Cocina Que Canta

Story and Photos by Guest Columnist Stephanie Levin. Snippets of independent, quiet conversations from our little band of hikers erupted as an umbrella of oak trees narrowed to a dirt trail that ascended, descended, twisted and ascended again before leveling…

DESTINATIONS Georgós Nu Wines, Greek red wine, organic, hand harvested, Georgós Nu Wines imports grapes from Greece where they are shipped to the US and blended, then bottled in Sonoma, CA. Some of the grapes are grown here in Santorini on ancient, old-growth vines. vines
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A mythological wine tasting with Georgós Nu Wines

A mythological wine tasting with Georgós Nu Wines “Come.Taste my wines and experience the glory of Greece.” So said Georgós Zanganas, company founder of Georgós Nu Wines. And so our small group of wine lovers gathered in San Francisco to…

DESTINATIONS Palm Springs, Heart sculptures at the Palm Springs Art Museum patio, Palm Springs indulges the Senses.
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Palm Springs Indulges The Senses

Approaching Palm Springs, that desert oasis nestled between two mountains–the Santa Rosa to the south and the San Jacinto to the west—I knew a treat was in store. The scent of sagebrush carried on the wings of clean desert air…

Death Valley National Park Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, nature's pallette
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Death Valley Meditation

It’s early morning and I have spent the last 10 minutes admiring the light and shadows on a small brave bush somewhere alongside the road to Furnace Creek in Death Valley, a place my husband and I have come to…

CA Pacfica,, CA, Rockaway Beach "Watchin' the tide roll in.", Sunset golden reflections on the waves, Taken about 5 p.m. as the sun was descending into the horizon.
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Pacifica: the beaches are only the beginning

I’ve always known the Pacifica coastline boasts just about the best and most diverse five-mile span of beaches in Northern California. I thought I knew it well. Until I extended my usual day-trip to two nights and three days in…

DESTINATIONS Romantic Kaui, Hawaii's Garden Isla, Kauai beach
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Romantic Kauai, Hawaii’s garden isle

Story by Lee Daley. Photos by Lee Daley and John Sundsmo More than five million years ago, Mother Nature swept over the Pacific Ocean and in a burst of hormonal ecstasy. created the first of the Hawaiian Islands, that green…

DESTINATIONS Casa Majani Resort, Sunset
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Casa Majani at Punta de Mita, Mexico

Approaching Punta de Mita on a bright fall day, the flawless sky a cerulean blue, I knew I was in for something special. The warm breeze felt like a caress; its clarity etched the curves of the Sierra Madre Mountains…

DESTINATIONS Oaxaca: A collage of culture and cuisine, Oaxaca Cafe Culture, Flute player and guitarist serenade cafe patrons
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Oaxaca: A collage of culture and cuisine

Oaxaca’s appeal is so fundamental it’s a wonder this southern state of Mexico and its mile-high capital, Oaxaca [pronounced wah-HA-ka]  City, are not more traveled. Blessed with year-round temperate climate, nearby archeological ruins, distinctive cuisine and magnificent artisan handicrafts, the…

CA Limewood Bar & Restaurant, Claremont Club & Spa
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Limewood Bar & Restaurant opens in Berkeley

  By Lee Daley Claremont Club & Spa, an urban resort in the Berkeley Hills, has long been a draw for its spectacular setting and club amenities. Now, a new option offers another reason to visit as the Claremont welcomes…

DESTINATIONS Downtown Napa: Sipping and Savoring., Angele Restaurant, rustic French fare in an old boathouse
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Downtown Napa: Sipping and Savoring

If you haven’t checked into Downtown Napa’s vibe for some time, you’re in for quite a treat.  The city is experiencing a thriving renaissance with an explosion of new restaurants, wine tasting rooms, nightlife and trendy shops. For good measure,…

Boston dining around Boston
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Dining around: Boston

On a recent visit, I explored Boston’s culinary scene and came away impressed with the distinctly diverse dining options available in this seacoast city. Along with a memorable meal, I looked for an ambiance that was quirky, artistic or historic,…

DESTINATIONS Ogunquit, a beautiful place by the sea,Marginal Way, Maine, lobster boats
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Head “Down East” for Maine Lobster

Lee Daley The expletive, “get crackin,” takes on new meaning when faced with a Maine lobster. A culinary challenge worth every crunch, consuming the Homerus americanus known more colloquially as the American lobster, is a rewarding hands-on experience. Considered the…

DESTINATIONS Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon, Burma, Yangon, Myanmar, Rangon Renaissance,
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Rangoon Renaissance: Staying at The Strand

Story and Photos by Lee Daley Burma is now on many world travelers’ “A” list.  With the release of Nobel Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and her subsequent triumphant election campaign, tourism to the country is…

DESTINATIONS Chef Greg Gaspar, Sheraton Maui, fine dining Maui, chef interview, chef recipe.Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa Executive Chef Greg Gaspar
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Chef Greg Gaspar, Sheraton Maui

Update 9/29/20: Hawaiian Airlines has implemented a Keeping You Safe program and is now offering 36 hour and same-day drive-up Covid-19 testing (for a fee) at Worksite Labs locations near LAX and SFO. United Airlines followed suit with onsite testing…