Beyond the Sea and Sand in Curacao - Art + Culinary Adventures

If you find yourself on the Caribbean island of Curacao, try to pull yourself away from the beach and head to the interior where Evelien Sipkes, a well respected ceramicist and jewelry designer, has her atelier, gallery, workshop and home. I spent quite awhile with her, discovering how she crafts necklaces, bracelets, rings and ceramics with inspiration from the surrounding nature. But, it's even more fascinating to discover that her creativity goes beyond these artistic objects. She's also a chef who hosts wine-paired dinners, high tea and lunches where she not only creates the culinary delights but also the table ware.  I recently interviewed Evelien for ForbesLife.

continue reading "Beyond the Sea and Sand in Curacao - Art + Culinary Adventures"

Tips for 24 Hours in Brussels

Sometimes when I'm traveling, I only have one day to spend in a large city. That's what happened recently on my trip to Brussels. And yet, I often have an amazing ability to pack in as much as possible into a single day by having the day's itinerary plotted out precisely the night before, both on a map -- with everything color coded for the time different venues open -- and in my notebook where I note the best way to get everywhere, including metro, bus, walking or taxi. Yes, it's all very organized but that's what happens when you only have a day to see Brussels. Here's what I managed to fit into 10 hours:

1. Place du Petit Sablon -- a petite neo-Renaissance-style park with bronze statuary, wrought iron balustrades and plenty of ivy. It's worth sitting on one of the benches listening to the tinkling water. You'll feel far from the traffic, though it's literally as the park's doorstep.


2. Sculpture Garden of the Fine Arts Museum -- it's curious that only school groups seem to visit this tiny strip of verdancy that's literally adjacent to one of Brussels' most prominent museums. This garden sits on the site of the city's first botanical garden from the 18th century. I walked along the thin path under locust, linden, maple and plane trees, checking out the statuary that all have a female theme. (One of the works is "Bathing Beauty" by A. Maillot.)


3. The Belvue Museum isn't far away, but clearly I didn't have time to visit. What I did check out is the museum's lovely outdoor terrace where you can sit amongst the shrubbery and sip a fruit juice under an umbrella.

4. Across the street is yet another green space -- Brussels is chock a block full of leafy swaths -- called Brussels Park. But instead of joining the school groups along the main paths, I found a series of tiny gates leading to small pockets of forestland. Not a sole could be bound in these shady retreats.

5. The Magritte Museum deserves a full day, or at least the entire morning, to adequately explore the works of one of my favorite surrealists. Everything is arranged chronologically. But during my brief visit, I'd have to say that among my favorite works are the series of paintings titled The Dominion of Light.

6. I also could've spent most of the day in the Musical Instruments Museum but that couldn't happen either. Instead, I checked out a few exhibits but found this place quite addictive. Once you don the infrared headphones, all you have to do is stand in front of a display and you'll automatically hear the sounds of that instrument. The museum's collection is one of the largest in the world and includes both antique and contemporary exhibits. Just think: they've got 58 different types of wind instruments.

7. On the top of this gorgeous Art Nouveau building is Restaurant du MIM. This is a low-key eatery with one of the most expansive views around. The gazpacho soup with salad is an inexpensive, hearty and tasty choice.

8. I'm a very big fan of contemporary art so I didn't want to miss visiting the Xavier Hufkens Gallery
where in the white-on-white interior I explored the fantastical works of David Altmejd, a Canadian artist who puts together disparate objects. In his most recent exhibit, multicolored thread formed a dragon-like creature sitting in a plexiglass cube as well as the heart and liver of a plexiglass human.

9. You can't leave Brussels without visiting the Comic Strip Centre where I found it hard to pull myself away from a special exhibit on Tove Jansson, the creator of The Mommins. These curious little creatures that occupy numerous comic strips and books are plenty eccentric. But even if these odd forest-dwelling characters -- many that resemble white hippos -- don't interest you, the prestigious collection of comic strips will.

10. I had some difficulty getting the taxi to figure out where Parc d'Egmont was located. That's because you can only access this small park via three narrow alleys. But once inside, I found I had the place almost to myself with just a few locals wandering the paths, past a bronze of Peter Pan and the neo-classical orangery where they serve lunch and brunch of the weekends.

11. L'Atelier Yves Mattagne is a perfect place for dinner though not relaxing in the true sense of the word. That's because it's a combination cooking class and dining experience. Everyone is broken up into groups and set to work at one of four stations to dish out the dinner menu for the evening. Because I love being active, this was a perfect way to end a very frenetic day. Using the executive chef's menu -- and it changes from night to night, though we worked with Belgian cuisine -- we sliced potatoes, diced leeks, whipped cream, whisked in truffle oil and topped the chocolate tarts with raspberries.

Things To Do

continue reading "Tips for 24 Hours in Brussels"

Surprising Cultural Finds in Macau

Cool contemporary art, ethereal wines, sublime cuisine or curious museum artifacts is not what I expected to find in Macau. And, yet, once I got beyond the much-touted casino scene and wander the many cobbled lanes, I found plenty to tickle the senses. I recently guest blogged on this very topic that puts Macau in an entirely different light. For me, instead of seeing Macau as a quick one day stop-over -- as so many visitors do -- I see it as a many-day destination to enjoy the galleries, museums, restaurants, cafes and the parks and gardens (which I've mentioned before).

continue reading "Surprising Cultural Finds in Macau"

Lisbon's New Goings-On

On my recent visit to Portugal I found plenty of new goings-on, especially in Lisbon, one of my favorite cities in Europe. What was especially lovely was observing how the Portuguese dive into the ultra-modern design and culinary scene head first, while still maintaining their roots in their centuries-old traditions.

I'll be posting quite a bit on Portugal in the next few weeks. This is the first, representing just one day of discoveries.

I'm very much a fan of creative design concepts and I wasn't disappointed at Lisbon's new Internacional Design Hotel where I stayed. An artistic touch suffuses everything in this hotel that's housed in a building dating from 1899. In fact, the thinly-sliced fruits standing on edge were so captivating that I couldn't help staring at the breakfast buffet. The multi-shaped cereals were even served in shot glasses. You gotta love this. Quotes from Alice in Wonderland rolled past me as I climbed up in the glassed-in elevator. And this is truly a wonderland, with four guest room concepts: tribal (zebra details), Zen (bamboo and quotes from Suzuki), urban (graffiti) and pop (think Warhol). (Since I"m a fan of all things Asian, It was lucky that my room was on the ever tranquil Zen floor.) My favorite color -- purple -- tinted many aspects of this hotel: I found the reception staff wearing purple bow ties, while the banisters were lit up with purple lights. The bathrooms are no exception to the wild and the wacky: toilet paper comes in orange, chartreuse and black hues.

For lunch I chose Sommer -- where coincidentally orange colors perfused the interior -- a restaurant that opened last year. This is a perfect eatery for those who want fast but fab food. In fact, that's their specialty: they can serve a salad in three minutes, a pasta or risotto in five and other hot dishes in 10 minutes. The traditional easily mixes with the more contemporary fare: on the menu you'll find a fine pear soup (hardly traditional) along with a baked chicken served with a traditional farinheira, mashed potatoes and apples. I chose a salad with moist strips of duck breast and drizzled with a marinate of figs and port wine. The most popular dishes are the risottos, such as the one featuring spinach and beans.

For a perfect afternoon refresher, stop in one of three gazebo-like kiosks -- Quiosque de Refresco -- serving traditional food and beverages that were once popular in the 19th century. I hung out at the venue positioned in Camoes Square (great for ultra people watching) and sipped groselha -- a tasty sugary red berry syrup that's mixed with water, and munched pastel de feijao brasao, a moist bean and egg cake. The two other kiosk venues are in Jardim de Principe Real and Praca das Flores.

I certainly have a thing for vibrant colors and they were on full display in the just opened Allarts Gallery where most of the works are produced by naive or unprofessional artists from, aside from Portugal, Brazil, Finland, Turkey, Argentina and Italy. The works will change every couple of months or so. My favorites were the lavender fields of Sema Culam from Turkey as well as the moonscapes by Lena Koski of Finland.











No wonder my taxi circled the Chiado neighborhood for a good 30 minutes before he found the location of Cafe Fabulas. The restaurant sits along a long set of pedestrian-only stairs where clearly no taxi can navigate. It's a good thing I didn't give up looking for this venue because I would've missed being transported to another century once you enter the network of rooms with vaulted ceilings, archways and rough stone walls. It feels like part art gallery, antique shop and comfy/cozy eatery in someone's ancient home. The walls are bedecked with black and white photos of scenes from old movies, candelabras abound as do tables topped with old sewing machines. I settled into a tiny alcove and enjoyed a grilled goat cheese sandwich with tomato and basil. To finish off a day of discoveries, I nibbled on the yummiest dessert: strawberry slices marinated in mint with a mango sauce and topped with a melted white cheese.

These are all experiences that make a trip to Lisbon unforgettable.

continue reading "Lisbon's New Goings-On"

Everything is Buzzing in Baltimore

Tell most people you're spending some leisure time in Baltimore and three things probably come immediately to mind: the tourist-laden Inner Harbor, the crime-infested HBO show "The Wire," and Johns Hopkins -- a supreme medical institution but hardly a highlight of any city vacation. So, you can imagine my surprise when, after spending four days in this city that's the hometown and inspiration for filmmaker John Waters, I found Baltimore to be a vibrant, eco-conscious town with charming neighborhoods, amazing cuisine served in some spacious restaurants that were once old warehouses or machine shops, and green spaces galore.


This is the first of two posts on what I found:

1. Elevation Burger is serving organic, grass-fed beef and, I have to say that, though I'm a conditional vegetarian -- in other words, I'm a vegetarian that eats fish except when I'm not doing restaurant reviews -- this was a supremely yummy burger. And, you can cut your guilt by ordering a double patty with a veggie burger (vegan or with cheese) combined with the beef variety. Plus, Elevation Burger is very eco-conscious: the olive oil is recycled for fuel -- yes, this burger joint uses olive oil even for the french fries; the floor is made of bamboo and the tables of a special wood (made of grass stalks) from China.


2. I really enjoyed browsing the fashion offerings at Sassanova, a new shop where I found a fun collection of headbands, bangles, sandals and necklaces, including the precious and semi-precious stone necklaces by KEP Designs.. They also carry the Karma line of jewelry with their "make a wish" bracelets," which I'm told are very popular with people visiting friends and relatives at Hopkins.


Once I walked into the Fell's Point neighborhood, I found it hard to leave. This quaint, historic neighborhood with some of the original stone streets is perfect for an afternoon or full-day visit.

3. I stopped in at the Robert McClintock Gallery that's hung with the vibrant works of this photo and digital artist. Right now they're featuring an exhibit on man's best friend: "Dogs That I Know." Don't miss the impressive Staffordshire Bull Terrier hanging prominently in the window. (He's named Blue Steel.)


4. It's certainly appropriate that Meli Patisserie & Bistro, named for honey, would stock an amazingly eclectic supply of artisanal honeys from around the world, from Tasmania to Argentina. A honeycomb pattern plays a prominent role in the decor. And, of course, many of the dishes, from entrees to desserts have honey as an ingredient.

5. Teavolve is what's called an urban tea house. This is one of the only shops in downtown Baltimore selling bubble tea, a favorite of mine. But, more interestingly, tea can be found as an ingredient is some unexpected foods and drinks here: sangria is infused with rooibos tea, even cocktails get a spike of tea -- vodka plus Fukuiji green tea and green apple puree. What could be more refreshing on a hot summer night? But all is not about tea here. The fruits and vegetables on the menu are organic and visit in the summer and you'll be treated to Belgian waffles topped with local white peaches. The adult grilled cheese with feta, boat and mozzarella cheeses is another I'd order again. But the zen-like atmosphere transforms to a more active vibe on Friday and Saturday night when you've got DJ's spinning tunes and also occasional live music.

continue reading "Everything is Buzzing in Baltimore"