Category Archives: Restaurants and Dining

Most Expensive Food around the World

From a guest author : It’s just another Paris Hilton Instagram post showing the room service meal she ordered during her Shanghai sojourn last November. “I love Chinese food,” she commented. But there’s one problem, except for the fried rice, the dishes were hardly Chinese: panini, creamy soup, spaghetti, and some other general meals. I wouldn’t fault her though, and the public seems to understand her little culinary mishap. After all, the Paris Hiltons amidst us are more at home eating fancy meals than being confronted by an unassuming panini. Well then, let’s give Paris Hilton one fancy menu.

I thought to put together a set of meals for one day in this infographic, featuring the most expensive foods in the world. These foods are unabashedly opulent, but before you get upset, many of these items were created for fundraising programs (like an auction). Okay, some are truly lavish beyond reason. To put their prices in perspective, our total bill by dinner’s end easily matches the annual income of an average American household, whose weekly meal budget is estimated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be somewhere from $130 to $250 for a family of four.

There’s another reason why a dish can be very expensive: the chef sprinkled some diamonds, luxury pearls, or gold as a side attraction, such as the spoon, plate, goblet, or a decor. I thought it’s cheating. You can always make anything the most expensive by throwing in some diamonds, the most expensive toilet for instance.

Still, some dishes are easy to imagine why they’re expensive: the ingredients are either rare or take a lot of time and effort to source. What makes Wagyu beef literally a cut above the rest? The cow where the beef comes from is massaged and fed on beer every single day of its short bovine life. Saffron, a most prized spice, requires 75,000 filaments to make a pound!

We have more surprises in this day’s menu, from an ice cream whose price leaves you deathly cold, to a putrid cake slice that the ultra rich had craved to buy.

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Amazing Outdoor Dining Spots Around The World

I love outdoor dining! And when to travel to new places, it’s so exciting to dine on a rooftop or other spectacular setting. It’s Magical!
what about those truly magnificent destination spots that involve eating
on the side of a cliff or dining while suspended 180 ft. in the air? 
Check out 10 spots for spectacular outdoor dining around the world.
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Top 5 Cheap Restaurants in Washington DC

Top 5 Cheap Restaurants
 in Washington DC

There are many luxury hotels in Washington DC where you will certainly find yourself a fine meal; in fact you will undoubtedly dine well in any of the hotels in Washington DC. If however, you are looking to venture from the hotel here are some of the places you can lick your lips to.  

Looking for something ritzy and expensive? 1789, located at 1226 36th Street, is open every day for dinner. It has been around for five decades now, and is known for delicious, modern American cuisine. Dress formally, this place is so classy that they even offer valet service.

Not lucky enough to have $40.00 to spend on an entree for one? That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 places to eat in Washington DC for prices that the average person can afford. You won’t find a valet at these restaurants, but you will find good food for reasonable prices.

Amsterdam Falafelshop: Located in Adams Morgan, the Falafelshop boasts of tasty Middle Eastern fast food. It’s known for late-night dining, and it’s outdoor seating. Every meal is priced under $14.00, offering a nice atmosphere and great food for a decent price. If Amsterdam Falafelshop is your style, you may also enjoy El Khartoum.

Ben’s Chili Bowl: Enjoy a good chili dog and shake? Look no further. It can be found in Shaw neighborhood, next to the Lincoln Theatre. The Bowl is a huge part of Washington DC’s history. It was a main spot for the 1968 riots, and the founders of the restaurant have been inducted into the city’s Hall of Fame. Celebrities such as Bill Cosby, Chris Tucker, and Barack Obama have all eaten here. The American meals sold here are all normally under $10.00 each.

CF Folks: Home of the Well Dressed Burrito, this is a little diner with a little lunch counter, located in Dupont Circle. Outdoor seating is also available for patrons that enjoy CF’s American cuisine. Everything is under $14.00, and everything is delicious. The only downside is that it’s closed on weekends. If you enjoy this type of American food, the Shake Shack may also hit the spot for you.

Etete: Vegetarian? Etete is an Ethiopian food restaurant that will have plenty for you, as well as your meat eating friends. You won’t find much for over $14.00 here. Little Ethiopia Restaurant is another great Ethiopian eatery in Washington DC.

Levi’s Port Cafe: Interested in some southern soul food? This place is perfect to bring a large group, because of their all-you-can-eat buffet. You’ll pay less than $14.00 per person for some down-to-earth barbeque.

There’s something for everyone in Washington DC, no matter how much money you have.
You’ve just got to be willing to look.

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Confused by Foreign Menus? New Food App will Help!



Guay tiaw khua kai. ???

A visit to Thailand has unearthed this dish on a menu. Is it tastebud-tingling spicy? Does it include parts of an animal one has never considered eating before? Is it an appetizer, main course, or dessert, or for that matter, is it animal, vegetable, or mineral?

The new free  MyCityCuisine app now available through iTunes answers these questions and more. This informative, interactive app provides descriptions and photos of traditional local dishes from cities around the globe.
 
After downloading the app on iTunes, users can search for local dishes from over 66 cities, with more cities added weekly. Each dish includes a description that lists the main ingredients and other interesting facts such as its history and distinctive characteristics. Colorful photos also accompany each dish, which will make mouths water in anticipation!
 
Dishes are organized into several easy-to-navigate categories, and users can search either by city or by the name of a dish. The app is a mobile companion of the web-based MyCityCuisine.org, a Wiki project, and content is provided by contributors from all over the world.    
 
In addition to learning all about local cuisine, app users can help add to this already extensive foodie directory by voting for their favorite dish or submitting comments about dishes tried — love ‘em or hate ‘em. The app also makes it easy to upload photos of dishes and post them for all users to see. If a dish isn’t included, users can report it to MyCityCuisine, so the community can contribute information on the dish.
 
Armed with the MyCityCuisine app, on their next visit to a new city, visitors will know exactly what local dishes to try in order to satisfy their culinary curiosity. And as for Guay tiaw khua kai, it’s a delicious stir-fry noodle dish with chicken and egg, seasoned with a light sauce. A must-try taste of Thai cuisine!

HOW COOL IS THAT?!

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White House Celebrates 100 Years at Bruno Serato’s Famous Orange County Restaurant



100  YEARS  AND  COUNTING! 

A landmark jewel that was once nestled quietly among an enormous orange grove in the early 20th century, Anaheim White House is still Anaheim’s most famous hidden treasure.

This beautiful historical landmark was skillfully crafted by a gentleman named Dosithe Gervais in 1909. Jim and Barbara Stovall purchased the home in 1981. They planned to build condominiums in its place, even hiring an architect to help with the design. But on the eve of the scheduled demolition, Barbara told her husband that she couldn’t bear the thought of the home being destroyed. New plans were then drawn up, almost immediately, for the restoration of the home as “Thee White House Restaurant,” which opened on New Year’s Eve of 1981.



In 1987, Italian immigrant Bruno Serato took over the ownership of the restaurant, which now features Northern Italian cuisine. His award-winning excellence and signature entrees befit the establishment, now Anaheim White House Restaurant, and his philosophy is simple: to treat each and every one of his patrons as a distinguished guests in his home. Simple as it may be, Anaheim’s once “hidden treasure” is now recognized worldwide, and is now a “home” to many.

Numerous celebrities such as Danny De Vito, Andrea Bocelli and even former president Jimmy Carter have graced the home’s threshold. Likewise, Anaheim White House has also graced catering events for many, including Madonna, and has even traveled as far as Bora Bora, to delight dinner guests with our magnificent fare.

Not only has it been a home to so many distinguished guests, but it is also a home to several awards of excellence. Anaheim White House garnered the DiRoNA award, a very prestigious award given to only a select few in all of North America; and also the highly coveted Golden Sceptre award, the highest honor award given by the Southern California Restaurant Writers Association. 

Next week, the White House will host their 100th anniversary celebration dinner – and unveil  the new  West Wing!
Friday November 6th.

So whether your are visting DisneyLand for Gay Days or just enjoying the beautiful Orange County and all it has to offer,  a visit would not be complete without lunch or dinner at this historical White House!




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The Wildest Restaurants in the World!

 



TALK ABOUT DINING AL FRESCO!

This is too wild! Dinner in the Skyis a Brussels based restaurant that serves dinner for up to 22 people… 150 feet in the air! 

 This is a unique event meant for anyone who wishes to transform an ordinary meal or meeting into a magical moment that will leave a lasting impression on their guests!


The specially-designed table and chairs are lifted by a crane. Dinner anywhere in Belgium will set you back almost 8 thousand euros; other locations are also available.


Remember, you must wear your seat belt, and don’t drop your fork! And please use the bathroom before leaving the ground.

Check out the Dinner in the Sky website for more photos and video!

“Cabbages and Condoms” is a chain of restaurants in Thailand. There are condoms on the walls and pictures of condoms printed on the carpets. Instead of after-dinner mints, patrons are offered a bowl of condoms at the counter. Condoms and sex toys are a major part of the decor, hanging from ceilings, embedded in tables, affixed to lamps and imitating table flowers.

As one of the most unique restaurants in Metropolitan Bangkok, the Cabbages and Condoms (C&C) Restaurant has attracted international attention.

Conveniently located near one of Bangkok’s main business districts, C&C is very popular among local and foreign clients.


“Our restaurant was conceptualized in part to promote better understanding and acceptance of family planning and to generate income to support various development activities of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA)
 
Profits from the restaurants go to support the Population and Community Development Association (PDA).”



Creator and owner Mechai Viravaidya was recognized by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation  with a $1 million award for confronting “taboo subjects like sex and HIV/AIDS directly in order to save lives.”

The funds were used by Mr. Viravaidya, the chairman of Population and Community Development Association (or simply “condom king,” depending on who you ask), to promote birth control, AIDS prevention and other health issues in more than 50 countries. Almost 3,000 people work for his private group.


Have you ever heard of people eating out of a bathroom toilet and having great fun? A restaurant named Marton Theme Restaurant, in Kaohsiung (Taiwan) has a toilet theme and is a great hit among people.

The restaurant has a bathroom decor, with colorful toilet seat being the standard chairs at the restaurant. It also serves food in plates and bowls shaped like western loo seats and Japanese “squat” toilets. Customers sits by a tables converted from a bathtub with a glass cover while looking at a wall decorated with neon-lit faucets and urinals turned into lamps.



The restaurant is named after the Chinese word “Matong” for toilet and is doing really well.

The owner Eric Wang says “We not only sell food but also laughter. The food is just as good as any restaurant but we offer additional fun. Most customers think the more disgusting and exaggerated (the restaurant is), the funnier the dining experience is.”

The meals are cheaply priced with a meal set including soup and ice cream costs from 150 to 250 Taiwan dollars ($6 – $10).


How about dinner in Prison?

If you think getting into some of Paris’s hottest restaurants seems hard, then you obviously haven’t eaten at Fortezza Medicea in Volterra, Italy.

Diners at the high-security prison restaurant (you read that right) have to submit to a background check and receive a security clearance from Italy’s Department of Justice.

Serenaded by Bruno, a pianist doing life for murder, the clientele eat inside a deconsecrated chapel set behind the 60ft high walls, watch towers, searchlights and security cameras of the daunting 500-year-old Fortezza Medicea,  near Pisa. Guards stand watch as sommelier Santolo, who’s serving 24 years for murder, pours Chianti.

If you can look past the paper plates and the plastic cutlery, the Southern Italian dishes from Puglia, Sicily, and Naples are rather delicious.

Under the watchful eye of armed prison warders, a 20-strong team of chefs, kitchen hands and waiters prepares 120 covers nightly for diners who have all undergone strict security checks.

Tables are booked up weeks in advance. Allow about 2 months to book a table. Dinner runs about $35.

DINE UNDER WATER in Maldives. The first-ever undersea restaurant in the world was been introduced at the Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa in  2007. Ithaa (which is pronounced “eet-ha” and means “pearl” in the language of the Maldives, Dhivehi) sits five meters below the waves of the Indian Ocean, surrounded by a vibrant coral reef and encased in clear acrylic, offering diners 270 degrees of panoramic underwater views.


This innovative restaurant is the first of its kind in the world, and is part of a US $5 million re-build of Rangalifinolhu Island, one of the twin islands that make up Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa. This re-build includes the construction of 79 of the most luxurious beach villas in the country as well as the Spa Village, a self-contained, over-water “resort-within-a-resort” consisting of a spa, restaurant and 21 villas.

If a breathtaking view is not enough…how about NO VIEW. The first dark restaurant, WHALE INSIDE,  in Asia  opened in 2006. This restaurant, located in Beijing, China, has its interior painted completely black. Customers are greeted by a brightly lit entrance hall,  where they choose from several preset menus, which can include chicken soup with shiitake mushrooms, fried shrimp and sautéed noodles. They are  escorted by waiters wearing night vision goggles into the pitch dark dining room to help them find their seats. Flashlights, mobile phones and even luminous watches are prohibited while in this area. 


The meal will be taken in this environment with the complete loss of vision. By starving one’s sense, your other senses are stimulated to full alert “all so the theory goes” and your food will taste like it’s never tasted before. In case you are wondering about the washrooms, they are all brightly lit.

Bon Appetit!

 

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Florent Restaurant New York City to Close This Month





SAD  BUT TRUE! 

The legendary  gay 24/7 Florent Restaurant in New York Citys  meat packing disctrict will close it’s doors  on Gay Pride June 29th!

High-end boutiques, high-end hotels, and the soon-to-be unveiled high-end high-line park have forced Florent’s rent up from $5,000 to $45,000 a month. They are currently holding auctions on EBAY of
Flo-morabilia, with proceeds benefiting the staff.

The bistro’s  goodbye  is in the final weeks;  each week was dedicated to one of the Kubler-Ross stages of grief. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.


Each theme week has special dishes, decor and performances by familiar faces like burlesque star Dirty Martini, all leading up to a big sad send-off on June 29th, Gay Pride Day.

The quirky French bistro – housed in an old diner that was a speakeasy in the ‘20s and a favorite greasy spoon for longshoremen and meatpackers in the ‘50s – has become even more cherished in recent years as a corrective to the fratastic Bridge and Tunnel scene dominating the neighborhood.

Owner Morellet, however, refuses to be maudlin about Florent’s fate. “I used to be the light in the middle of the darkness, and now I suppose I am the dark spot in the middle of the light,” he told me. “Of course I have prayed that maybe I would be saved at the last minute by a collapse of the world economy. And when it became real? Yes, I drove out to my lake house in New Jersey and wept for three days straight. But,” he quickly added, “only three days!”


READ MORE IN NY MAG!


florent restaurant gay new york Turbo Tagger

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TEMPTATION – AT THE WHITE HOUSE



President Jimmy Carter, Governor Gray Davis, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Gwen Stefani, Beau Bridges, Naomi Judd, Danny DeVito, Seigfried & Roy, Janet Leigh, Jimmy Smits, Antonio Sabato, Jr., Linda Gray, Jenny Craig, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Sydney Poitier, renowned chef Wolfgang Puck,  Melissa Manchester, Annette Funicello, President George W Bush, Governor Jeb Bush, Connie Francis, Brigitte Nielsen, Jose Eber, the Crown Prince of Belgium and Lauren Hutton!

This book will make a perfect hostess gift for any lover of food – or men! Finger Lickin Good! – as the Colonel used to say!

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TEMPTATION – AT THE WHITE HOUSE



President Jimmy Carter, Governor Gray Davis, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Gwen Stefani, Beau Bridges, Naomi Judd, Danny DeVito, Seigfried & Roy, Janet Leigh, Jimmy Smits, Antonio Sabato, Jr., Linda Gray, Jenny Craig, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Sydney Poitier, renowned chef Wolfgang Puck,  Melissa Manchester, Annette Funicello, President George W Bush, Governor Jeb Bush, Connie Francis, Brigitte Nielsen, Jose Eber, the Crown Prince of Belgium and Lauren Hutton!

This book will make a perfect hostess gift for any lover of food – or men! Finger Lickin Good! – as the Colonel used to say!

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HEARST CASTLE & THE MADONNA INN

CALIFORNIA is such an amazing state. It’s really my favorite state. It has everything! San Francisco & Napa, Palm Springs, San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara,  Pebble Beach and the amazing 17 mile drive, and we’ll talk about all the areas in coming months.

But in this installment, we’re talking about San Luis Obispo area, home of the HEARST CASTLE / SAN SIMEON HISTORICAL MONUMENT and the MADONNA INN.

Halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles along the central California coastline is a meeting of land and sea that is an integral part of the California State Parks system. Beaches, waterfalls, natural and cultural preserves are all part of the Central Coast State Parks. In this breathtaking region, redwoods march down to the sea, wildlife thrives along the rugged coastline, and sand dunes protect endangered plants and animals as part of this natural treasure. This is where William Randolph Hearst decided to build his magical castle!

  

           

The entire compound is 90,000 square feet, with the main house being 60,000 square feet, 38 bedrooms and 41 bathrooms. 3  guest houses and a spectacular outdoor pool as well as a magical indoor pool. Did I mention 41 fireplaces?! Hearsts’ father bought 40,000 acres initially and over the years, Randolph acquired another 210,000 acres around it!

The estate is a pastiche of historic architectural styles that Hearst admired in his travels around Europe. For example, the main house is modeled after a 16th century Spanish cathedral, while the outdoor pool features an ancient Roman temple front transported wholesale from Europe and reconstructed at the site. Hearst furnished the estate with truckloads of art, antiques, and even whole ceilings that he acquired en masse from Europe and Egypt.

   

Originally known as “Camp Hill,” its wilderness offered a place for family members and friends to “rough it” on camping trips. Despite elaborate arrangements with separate sleeping and dining tents, Hearst envisioned more comfortable accommodations. His simple instructions to famed San Francisco architect Julia Morgan in 1919: “Miss Morgan, we are tired of camping out in the open at the ranch in San Simeon and I would like to build a little something.” 

 

Did he say “little something”?  Hearst and Morgan’s collaboration has become one of the world’s greatest showplaces. The state of Californina owns it now and tours are given daily. It’s truly a MUST SEE. And when you are there, you might as well run over to the MADONNA INN, at least for dinner, if not a sleep over!


A landmark on California’s Central Coast for over forty-five years! The world-renowned Madonna Inn offers 109 rooms, each uniquely decorated with a special theme and color scheme, no two alike! It’s very dated 60’s-70’s, but very cool! Very over the top!

Enjoy a great  meal in the Copper Café & Pastry Shop or Alex Madonna’s Gold Rush Steak House. Dance the night away in the Silver Bar Cocktail Lounge. Shop in one of three specialty stores: Classic Gourmet and Wine Shop, “My Favorite Things” Boutique, and The Brass Tower Men’s Clothing Store. Indulge in a bit of pampering in the Whispering Hills Massage Center.

 

Rooms run about $150-$250. And themes like the Bedrock Room with Waterfall shower are very popular! There is also the Austrian Suite, China Flower, Dot & Daisy, Love Birds, Manhattan Room, and Safari.

The restaurant is eye-popping and jaw-dropping! Treat yourself to unforgettable fine casual dining, indulge in a delicious oak-pit-barbecued steak or seafood dinner in the warm and inviting Gold Rush Steak House. It’s a spot to remember with outstanding service, superb wine list, mouthwatering entrees, and rich desserts. And they have  elaborate fantasy holiday decorations— just spectacular!  And don’t forget to pee before you leave! 

 

A trip to San Luis Obispo wouldn’t be complete without visiting the men’s room at the Madonna Inn. As crazy as it sounds, this room is a popular stop for both men and women. Unfortunately, if you’re a man and need to use this for it’s original purpose, be prepared to be interrupted by giggling women with cameras.  Once you enter the main building, go down the staircase at the right. This will take you to the wine cellar, and pay phone in the Flintstones-like rock cave. The men’s restroom is to the left. Here you’ll find the attraction… a urinal that looks like a waterfall which is activated when you break a beam of light. 

 

This place is another MUST SEE!

 

 

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