Hillary Davis Travels's Blog

How To Choose A Restaurant When You Travel

This looks amazing doesn't it?! As a confirmed Francofile, foodie, food blogger, and world traveler, this photo signals "good food", "cheeses they hand picked", and possibly a really great restaurant experience in the restaurant that harbors this lovely "cheese cellar".

Ok, so here is what I learned. I swooned at seeing this cheese cellar at a restaurant in NYC. I made a point of returning soon thereafter for a meal. And I was really really disappointed. What happened?

I don't honestly know. I really don't want to tell you the name of the restaurant, but those of you who have been there will recognize it. 

It had a menu to die for it you are yearning for a French brasserie menu in NYC. It was so perfect. All the dishes you would find on a brasserie menu in France. 

So I ordered the Fish Soup (Soupe de Poissson). I shared a Cheese Fondue with my darling dining companion. We split other dishes. And with increasing dismay, we slogged our way through stuff that was boring, just not right, and plain not right. 

Lesson to me: when I travel, even to a city I know like the back of my hand, ALWAYS read Yelp, Urbanspoon, and yes, even Zagat. Take the advice and real-time counsel of others into account.

We are now a circle of connectied palates traveling the globe sharing our experiences and our mistakes. No longer do we either read a guru, or follow blindly a guide, or even a celebrity. Why? Because now we can tap into real time minute by minute analysis from day to day and diner to diner and traveler to traveler. We feed each other information that is spot on because we expect the same back. 

So my beloved and yearned for Soupe de Poissson? It was just awful. Red. Shouldn't be red but it was. Tasted like tomato paste. Ugh. And the yearned for Cheese Fondue allegedly made with real Gruyere? Oh, well, it was something like a balance between white processed cheese and maybe one slice of swiss thrown in and melted. Shame. I won't be going back anytime soon. That is, unless a Yelper or fellow blogger signal that it is time to go back.

 

Hotel Review: Wyndham Garden Hotel Chelsea NYC

How lucky did I get?? On a weekend when it was very hard to get a room in NYC, I scored one at a hotel right across the street from EATALY. 

For a foodie traveler this holds great significance. I visit EATALY, an Italian food emporium, every time I visit the city. And now I had a gem of a little boutique hotel to stay in just steps away.

The Wyndham Garden Hotel was small and intimate with a colorful lobby....

and very friendly and helpful staff at the front desk.

My room, on the 17th floor, was small but super super comfortable with a bed I didn't want to get out of once I was in it and a view over the neighboring rooftops and over to the famous Flatiron Building a street away.

It had free Wifi, a large flat screen TV, desk and ergonomically engineered chair that only made my back feel better.

Nice little treats awaited.......

as well as Wolfgang Puck signature coffee and lovely teas......

The "be well" theme of the center bed pillow was echoed throughout, including a new bathroom with "spa" toiletries and good fluffy white towels.

Downstairs in the lobby there is a door connecting to the Italian restaurant San Rocco. I took a look before dinner. It was lit with candles and looked wonderful. I had reservations at a French restaurant nearby, but you know, I should have stayed put!

Any restaurant lit with candles and filled with the music of Frank Sinatra must be taken seriously.

Which was confirmed in the morning when I dined at San Rocco for my  Italian breakfast, which was a beautiful buffet.

To the left, fresh squeezed orange juice. Cereals. Yogurt. Nutella. Two freshly baked breakfast cakes redolent of candied orange and rum soaked raisins. Superb capuccino. Fresh fruit salad. Panini press to make ham and cheese panini.

I was so happy with the quality of the food, the beautiful waitress who told me she came from Rome and the chefs from Milano, with the great conversation with fellow guests....that I decided then and there that I would be coming back to the hotel Wyndham in Chelsea.

I would reserve ahead a table at this restaurant for dinner, and I would again find my seat for the lovely breakfast served here. This was a special experience, and I am grateful to have found such an intimate and ultimately homey place to call home when I visit New York again.

 

 

Hotel Review: Omni Parker House Boston

Do you remember Parker House rolls? Those soft little dinner rolls?

Last weekend I stayed at the Parker House Hotel in Boston and learned that Parker House rolls were invented there! So cool. This was a fun hotel for so many reasons, including this one.

(Oh, and because they served complimentary Boston Cream Ice Cream in the lobby every afternoon! They invented the Boston Cream Pie too. So for an avid culinary traveler, these were fascinating revelations.)

It was also fun because of the sense of history you feel everywhere you walk in the hotel, from the antique phones.........

......to the wonderful displays of historic items related to the hotel.....

....including original china and Parker House Coffee!

The Parker House was built in 1927. Some other fun facts are that Malcolm X worked here in the 1940's, that John F. Kennedy announced his candidacy for senator here, and that Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline in the hotel restaurant.

The decor is opulent with classical touches....

.....and a formal dining room.....

The rooms? Very comfortable. Although mine had a view of a brick wall, it had a phenomenally comfortable bed, flat screen TV, and elegant little bathroom.

And the staff were amazing. The concierge time and again gave perfect counsel as to where to eat and what to do. There was also a very good size gym and valet parking. I can definitely recommend the Parker House, which will place you right in the heart of Boston just steps from the Freedom Trail and the waterfront.

Omni Parker House Hotel, 60 School Street, Boston, MA  617-227-8600