Vidalia: An Italian pearl in NJ

Vidalia: An Italian pearl in NJ

Salvatore Scarlata’s motto is “cooking with passion.” The native of Sicily, who demonstrated a flair for traditional Italian cooking as a young boy, chopped and diced his way through a lifelong pursuit of creating the “perfect dining experience” for his guests; a cozy environment where they could reliably find perfect atmosphere, food and service. After moving to the U.S. to expand his cooking repertoire, and logging in many hours apprenticing at local five-star restaurants, he realized his dream of restaurant…

Read More Read More

Pamplona bulls run in Lafayette

Pamplona bulls run in Lafayette

In a trendy corner of Cajun country Louisiana exists a gateway to Hemingway’s Spain via a red door in the stucco edifice of Pamplona Tapas Bar and Restaurant. Launched in 2007 by British chef William Annesley, the private chef for Gwen Stefani and Quentin Tarantino, and his wife Karina, the moody little restaurant that exudes all the ambience of the storied bullfighting passion of Spain is a crowning achievement for the couple. Rich in appearance, a room designed “from the…

Read More Read More

Holman Ranch marries old & new

Holman Ranch marries old & new

Nestled amid the rolled-gold hills of Carmel Valley, Calif. sits the stone and terracotta landmark Holman Ranch, a sprawling facility that embraces classic California and Mexican architecture, while offering the most modern conveniences in a broad swath of services at its vineyard: wedding and meeting venues, stables, a new restaurant and a hotel. On the sprawling 400-acre estate, guests step back in time as they drift into rooms accented by oak-beamed ceilings, or out onto grounds replete with vineyards, and…

Read More Read More

Seaside chic on Cape Cod

Seaside chic on Cape Cod

Overlooking the crashing waves of its private beach on Nantucket Sound, The Ocean House Restaurant has weathered the test of time to stand proudly among the Top 10 fine-dining restaurants on Cape Cod. Founded 30 years ago on the spot where restaurateur Janet Barbato’s family cottage once stood, the elegant façade with its large, arched windows overlooking the water sure isn’t her grandmother’s beach house anymore. Rather, it is a sophisticated surprise. Praised in numerous restaurant reviews for its “city…

Read More Read More

Axia Taverna, worthy of the finest

Axia Taverna, worthy of the finest

How a sophisticated and upscale Greek restaurant came to revive a burned-out Colonial in Tenafly, N.J. began when Michael Parlamis asked his wife Marguerite, “What’s for dinner?” The longtime principal with the famous restaurant construction firm Parlamis Group, and his wife were stymied one night, years ago, as they debated going to the same ol’ same ol.’ So they decided they, and the town they lived in, were ready for a change in dining destinations! “We were so discouraged when…

Read More Read More

Reimagining The Saddle River Inn

Reimagining The Saddle River Inn

Glancing around the converted 1790s strawberry barn, chef Jamie Knott turned to his business partner David Madison and exclaimed, “This is it!” As light from sconces danced off the rough-hewn pine walls that have withstood hundreds of years, Knott began to reimagine the iconic Saddle River Inn, owned and operated since 1981 by restaurateurs Imelda and Hans Egg, as the place where his dreams of restaurant ownership could come to fruition. “I still remember the night. We’d been privately looking…

Read More Read More

Pioneering Sushi mid-country

Pioneering Sushi mid-country

Selling sushi in landlocked Omaha, Neb. wasn’t the easiest restaurant business model to follow. But Charlie Yin and his family embraced the challenge of bringing raw fish to diners in the middle of the nation, converting many patrons to the sublime fine-dining experience at Hiro 88. And for those not yet ready to partake, a broad menu offering Korean, Japanese, Chinese and fusion cuisine paired with a sampling from the most extensive and finest sake selection in Omaha. “When my…

Read More Read More

From Sicily with love

From Sicily with love

When Fazio’s Restaurant founder and family patriarch Tino Fazio combined his powerhouse personality with his desire to establish a fine dining experience in a region of Ontario previously known as a “mixed drinks” crowd, people said he was crazy. But the immigrant from Sicily, Italy, who grew up poor and at times didn’t have money for shoes, had yet to meet a challenge he couldn’t overcome. Hard work, a charismatic personality, and Sonny Bono good looks drew customers in from…

Read More Read More

Navigating the seaside restaurant biz

Navigating the seaside restaurant biz

It seems only fitting that Charlestown restaurateur John Moore chose yet another historic seaport to establish his second restaurant and head upwind into the choppy waters of New England’s restaurant scene. For despite the rising tide of his flagship restaurant Navy Yard Bistro in Charlestown, Mass., and the promising start of his newest eatery, Fifty Water in Newburyport Mass.’s historic tannery district, Moore will be the first to tell you it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Beginning with that first…

Read More Read More

Tios is home to Mount Nacheesmo

Tios is home to Mount Nacheesmo

Mount Nacheesmo, a five-pound platter heaped with all the good stuff—beans, beef, chicken, pork, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, green pepper, sour cream, and more— has been the subject of blog posts and of college lore. And in 2012, the creation hit the big time! Man v. Food host Adam Richman traveled to Tios Mexican Café to take the challenge: downing the five-pound delight in 45 minutes in an episode that aired on the popular show. That’s quite an accomplishment…

Read More Read More