Isla Mujeres - Miles Away from the Masses

Just a short ferry ride from Cancun lies the tiny island of Isla Mujeres. Cancun may be within sight but it feels 1,000 miles away... you see, Isla Mujeres hasn't been overrun by massive resorts, Hooter's and malls. The island still has a small town feel and in the main town, you can walk safely day or night, get to know locals and eat at many beachside establishments. Minino's, for example, offers great seafood served at tables on the sand. You can kick back, enjoy a Sol beer and listen to these two brothers play some marimba music while you thank God you picked Isla over Cancun.

Latest round of restaurants in Buenos Aires

Well, I suppose I'll park this list here and update it as my memory reminds me of where we ate during our most recent trip to Buenos Aires. Sometimes it's hard to remember where you ate if you don't write it down. I'll eventually add a bit of insight on each place. In the meantime, enjoy a nice picture of gnocchi (or noquis):

Noquies at Parrilla La Gauchita

Kentucky

Il Migliore

Strada

Parrilla La Gauchita

Pizza Calda

La Tolva

Marcelita y Garcia

Natural Deli

Vinos y Sabores

La Cabrera

Del Carmen

El Progreso

Pampa Picante

You know you're in Argentina...

Where else but Argentina can you go to the local zoo and find a hot water dispenser specifically made for mate drinkers? Just bring your thermos, yerba and mate and for a few pesos, you can get some hot water. Just pour, sip and enjoy and you look at the llamas and carpinchos!

Of course, if you're little ones aren't drinking mate yet, why not go to a store in Palermo Viejo and pick up their first little mate set? Comes complete with yerba, bombilla and fun pink or blue mate.

New Campo Argentina - Your Taste of Recoleta in Miami Beach

Driving up Collins Avenue from South Beach up towards North Beach and towards the "upper 60s", one can't help but notice a preponderance of South American restaurants right around 69th street. Turns out the area is popular with South Americans (we didn't know this) where many Brazilian, Argentine and the occasional Cuban restaurant can be found.

We were heading to visit my cousin at a rental on South Biscayne Point Road when we decided to make a quick stop at New Campo Argentino on Collins just south of 71st. What we found was a great little Argentine restaurant (our waiter happened to be from Uruguay, thus the Pilsen) with good food at reasonable prices.

Perhaps getting the Provoleta was not the healthiest choice but it was really good. We made an effort to get a lighter lunch but then blew that out of the water by getting panqueques con dulce de leche - sinful crepes that were irresistible.

If the weather is nice enough, sit on the walk under the shade and peoplewatch. It's a great spot to enjoy a Pilsen and some good Argentine food. Walk next door to the little market to get some homemade alfajores to go and you'll be set.

Bright Lights...

It may not get more touristy than Times Square but there's just something about the lights and sounds of that big, bright mess that draws people like moths to a flame. You can't visit New York without taking in the lights of Times Square.

Eden Roc a Worthy Alternative to the Pricey Fountainebleau

The massive Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach is a hot commodity. People line up on Collins and inside the hotel to enter clubs and bars packed wall-to-wall while creditors work on recovering funds after a massive renovation. Rooms typically start at $300 an up... a high price tag to fund a massive renovation.

Yet, next door, the Eden Roc Hotel, also recently renovated (bye bye spite wall) and now a Renaissance Hotel, offers a less pricey but glamorous option to those who want to stay in Miami Beach without the chaos of South Beach.

The hotel has added a new tower, renovated most of the pools, is fixing the hotel spa and has spruced up interiors and rooms. The bar is as glamorous as ever and still shows Morris Lapidus' creative touch.

Here are a few shots from our recent stay at the Eden Roc.

Cantucci worth seeking out... in New York!

So much updating to do and so much good stuff I can add thanks to some recent trips to London, Rome and the Maremma region of Tuscany. So, let's start with a real quick one... something is better than nothing, right?

I went to New York City about two months ago to meet with a few clients. Great trip - very fruitful! One of the non-business highlights was lunch at a midtown Italian restaurant called Cellini. Now Cellini stands on its own with its regular fare. The

gnocchi I had, while not light by any means, were simply delicious. However, what really stood out in my mind were the cantucci that came with your bill. O U T S T A N D I N G!!! They were delicious - had a light hint of anise that made all the difference in the world. Seriously, I wanted to stuff my pockets with them. I asked if they sold them but, unfortunately, they do not. Too bad... I would buy a few pounds.

Visit them on your next trip to New York and enjoy the food and the delicious cantucci.

Sushi in Houston's Chinatown?

I was itching for sushi today but finding sushi near my office is not necessarily an easy task. Of course, Chinatown is nearby... and there actually is some sushi in Chinatown. Hokkaido seems to be one of the few places and it's actually quite good and reasonably priced. In fact, not only do they have good sushi, they also offer up free udon and red bean soup. How about that?

If you want to visit Hokkaido, it is in Diho Square at 9108 Bellaire Blvd. It's tucked in the corner of shopping center so keep your eyes peeled and head in for some of this...

Quick Picks in San Francisco

I just got back from a quick trip to San Francisco. I don't have my camera with me so I'll have to add a new entry later but here are some quick picks from my trip:

Hotel Triton

Yet another reason why I'm starting to find Kimpton to be my favorite small chain. Whimsical, reasonable prices and great little touches for Kimpton InTouch members. You can't beat the location... caddy corner from Chinatown's Gateway Arch.

One Market Restaurant

Two simple dishes was all it took to show me the light as to why this restaurant earned a Michelin star. One of my dishes begged to be licked clean. I went for lunch and ate at the bar but I imagine reservations are strongly recommended at this celebrated eatery.

54 Mint

Located in Mint Plaza, I really loved 54 Mint. It was the Italian feel - every single person I spoke to... from Claudio, one of the partners, to Nicola and everyone inbetween, was Italian. Italian run through and through led to an authentic Italian experience... a leisurely pace and not the most smoothly run operation but, ironically, that's what I liked about it. It was real and the people were fantastic. I had a nice rughetta salad to start and scrumptious octopus carpaccio.

Cafe de la Presse

Was I in Paris? Seriously... this French owned cafe has absolutely nailed it. I had breakfast so I can't speak to the cafe's "real" menu... all I know is that the experience was great. They had the "right" chairs (straight out of a typical Parisian cafe), French staff and just the right feel. If you've been to France before, go here and you'll know exactly what I mean.

Other...

An eminently walkable town, use your feet to get around. So much to see and do. On a related note, to get to and from SFO, be sure to use BART. Roundtrip tickets cost roughly $16.00 and offer a safe, comfortable ride into the center of San Francisco.

Endless Choices in Tuscany

A visit to the Maremma area of Tuscany is in our future. The more I dig and research the area, the more I realize I face an impossible task of determining what hill towns to visit while there. Small, medieval burgs perched on tufa cliffs, seaside ports, island castles or fortified villages? How do you pick? Seriously, it's just about ridiculous. Here are three candidates... l'Isola del Giglio, Capalbio and Pitgliano (in Italian)

Baked capesante for dinner?

Fresh capesante or scallops for sale in Venice, Italy

My Friend's Exotic Travels...

A buddy of mine took a year off from practicing law to travel across the globe... it won't be long before he finds his way back to the states. Until then, he's been documenting his travels on-line. Hundreds of entries and thousands upon thousands of photographs from exotic locales you've probably never heard of. I've just spent the past hour poring through his pictures and I find the journal fascinating. I think you will too... enjoy browsing through Break from the Law

Quality on the Rise at CityCentre and Hotel Sorella

There's been a lot of buzz surrounding the opening of CityCentre in Houston and the accompanying Hotel Sorella. Rightfully so... the mixed use development is beautiful and you can tell everything is being done with quality and design in mind. Restaurants like Eddie V's, Ra Sushi and Straits and stores like Anthropologie and Bailey, Banks and Biddle have already opened. Yard House is set to open this month and soon others like Brio Tuscan Grille and The Wine Loft will open.

We had a chance to stay at Hotel Sorella and absolutely loved the hotel. Sleek, modern design with nice touches everywhere. The lobby has a modern but very inviting look with comfortable seating that also doubles as a continental breakfast area. To the right of the lobby of the Monnalisa bar with a gorgeous interior featuring an elevated firepit and a big outdoor deck with a pool and private cabanas.

The rooms are nice and roomy - over 400 sq ft with views looking towards the west side or the Galleria/donwtown. Everything is just done really well and if you're a fan of interior design, you'll appreciate the little touches they've made - you'll sure notice the repeating pattern found throughout the hotel.

I can't recommend the place enough, particularly since they have some very nice grand opening rates that can have you staying for as little as $99.00.

Facing into the room - plenty of space. The sofa is modular and movable.

Sorella did an nice job selecting comfortable bedding - this is a king size bed.

Looking down into the main plaza on a beautiful night

Live music on a Thursday night in front of the hotel - the Monnalisa set up a bar on the left.

Buenos Aires photography

If you love Buenos Aires like I do, I guarantee you will get buried and lost in this site - Buenos Aires Photographer. So many interesting subjects and shots... from ugly to beautiful, mundane to extraordinary. As for this photo, I took it on a steamy summer Saturday in February 2009. This couple parked themselves in one of the plazas in Palermo Viejo to get some sun. Two things that made it so Argentine for me are the man's slicked back hair and his ever-present bombilla de mate.


Do you get the feeling I want to only post about Buenos Aires? I should go there more often... that's my take.

Bar La Robla and fileatado

Well, I can't speak for the food but I can say that I liked the use of fileatado in their sign...

Bar la Robla

Dirección : Viamonte 1615

Barrio : San Nicolás

(54 11) 4811 4484

Bologna to get an upgrade

Hey... looks like my hometown is getting some good and much-needed press from the Financial Times...

Yet all the developers and planners need to do for inspiration is to look around them. Bologna’s most striking architectural feature is one that many visitors to the city may not even notice: approximately 40km of arcades that line the streets of the medieval heart of the city. One of their delightful benefits is to allow the Bolognese to walk through almost the entire old city without getting wet, snowed on or sunburnt. They make the passeggiata, the evening stroll beloved of Italians, possible in all weathers.

The challenge for today’s planners, developers and architects, Ms Gabellini says, will be to learn from that, “to value the existing architecture by inserting new buildings
into the middle of it. It will be like wearing a beautiful old brooch with a new jacket.”

Killing Time in Cambridge, MA

So I checked into my hotel in Cambridge, MA this afternoon around 4:00... I happen to be in town for a big client presentation tomorrow. The first thing I did when I checked in was to take care of my e-mail... you know how it piles up when you travel (although Delta now has wireless for a fee on some of their planes). E-mail was checked... changed out of my uncomfortable clothes... and then? Harvard was about a 2.5 mile walk and I just didn't have the time to make a 5 mile round trip. So, I decided to head to the MIT campus.

Why MIT? Granted... everyone I passed was smarter than me... book smart, anyway. Yeah... I was a fish out of water. BUT... I wanted to see some great architecture... some iconic architecture. MIT fits the bill with great works by architects like Alvar Aalto, Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei and Frank Gehry. Personally, I wanted to see Saarinen's MIT chapel and Frank Gehry's Stata Center. Simmons Hall was also on my list but I opted against it when I realized it was time to head back.

So, here are three great buildings that I saw while walking on campus... if only I had my real camera with me. Part of me wants to walk back over to the MIT Chapel again and take a deeper look. As simple as it was, the building really impressed me.

Eero Saarinen's Kresge Auditorium (1955)

Eero Saarinen's MIT Chapel (1955)

Frank Gehry's Stata Center (2004)

Tapas at Tinto

There's a new tapas restaurant in town... Tintos Restaurant in the River Oaks Shopping Center at West Gray and Shepherd. We had a chance to check it out last night before heading to a party at the ZaZa Hotel. Very nice! A bit pricey but it had a good dinner menu, very nice atmosphere (we sat outside on the patio) and an excellent wine list. Our selections (not necessarily in this order)...

Manzanas con Queso - $6 (the combination on this dish is really delicious)
Garbanzos y Vegetales - $7 (kind of has an Indian "bent")
Rollita de Berenjena - $7 (like two small stuffed grape leaves - the tomato made the dish)
Croquetas de Jamon - $7 (nothing particularly outstanding but good standard fare)
Pato de Madrid - $10 (excellent combination of flavors but a small portion)

We only had one glass of wine but the wine list with extensive and reasonable - quite a few bottles under $30.00.

I would definitely go back. I really like that that side of the River Oaks Shopping Center "lives". The other side with the new Barnes and Noble looks like crap. Booooo Weingarten.

Lastly, going to ZaZa was an event as usual. The hotel is always the place to see and be seen and there were several events taking place. As usual, the valet line was a bit of a bear but heading down to a private party at the Conspiracy Room made it worth it!

Drawing Inspiration from the Masters

Wander the endless and cavernous halls of the Louvre and you just might run across a similar scene... an artist meticulously replicating a famous master.

Of course, you don't have to visit the Louvre. This lonesome canvas was in a small museum in Chartres...

Back road finds...

You never know what you'll find on a back road. This 1960s Oldsmobile was parked next to a shack of a house at about 11,000 ft. near Breckenridge, Colorado.