Forbes did a story about hotel restaurants and called on me to be a part of the Expert Panel.
They called me an "expert."
On "travel."
Even better, the story is about "foodie" hotels.
That's funny.
Expert! Think me silly, but the story made me smile. And shriek a little. Never in my life have I been labeled an "expert," legitimately or otherwise. Either I'm one hell of a charlatan, or Forbes glossed over the post wherein I revealed how very little, if anything, I know about food, writing, food writing, writing about food, fooding, and spelling. I'm not an expert.
But I play one on my blog!
The real humor, of course, is that this story is about travel. The Delicious Life and travel is a funny thing. It may seem that I dislike travel based on subtle hints I've dropped here and there like, "I FUCKING HATE FLYING!" However, there is a difference between "travel" (moving from one place to another) and "flying" (fucking scary).
Yes, I hate flying. The irrational aviophobia is the product of getting on a plane at least twice a week in a high-speed, caffeine-as-crack-fueled career that felt like 40 years overhead-cabin-ed into five without any membership benefits of the (Million) Mile High Club. In addition to the resultant utter hatred of planes and pretty much anything with wings unless they're deep-fried and tossed with hot sauce, I will now, always and forever, associate "travel" with "not fun." So yes, I don't really love travel either.
I do, however, draw a very clear distinction between travel and vacation. Oh, the dirty flirty V-word. Vacation means being chauffeured (that's Delicious for "road trip, but I'm not driving") to a d-e-luscious destination, checking into a luxury hotel, being obscenely pampered in the spa, shopping like I have a Sugar Daddy, concierging it to dinner, twirling into the night, stumbling through the lobby, ordering late night room service, then waking up and doing it all over again. My idea of escape from reality is to run. I don't "slow down." I don't "relax." I don't unplug.
Unplug? Are you insane?!?! I'm a blogger! I'd slip into a coma if I weren't intravenously connected to the web.
It is not necessary to go into agonizing detail about why my "expert" association with a story that has the word "foodie" in its title is just so comically wrong. However, given my vacationing-style and my slight, you know, fondness for food, I am still tickled to have contributed to Forbes' Top 15 Foodie Hotels. I picked Cortez and Hotel Adagio in San Francisco.
Because, you know, I haven't really traveled anywhere else.
Forbes' Top 15 Foodie Hotels
- L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon at Four Seasons Hotel, New York
- Ame at the St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco - been there!
- Citronelle at The Latham Hotel, Washington, D.C.
- Chez Philippe at The Peabody, Memphis
- Azul at the Mandarin Oriental, Miami
- The Carlyle Restaurant at The Carlyle Hotel, New York
- Studio Restaurant at Montage Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach
- Alex, Daniel Boulud, and 9 other restaurants at Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas
- Bobby Flay Steakhouse and Wolfgang Puck American Grille, and four others at the Borgata, Atlantic City
- Jean Georges at Trump International Hotel and Tower, New York
- Michael Mina at The Westin St. Francis, San Francisco
- Cortez at Hotel Adagio, San Francisco
- Inn at Little Washington, Washington, VA
- Gordon Ramsay at The London, New York
- CUT at The Beverly Wilshire, Los Angeles
** a year ago today, ame's new american is the new fusion **
** two years ago today, a little reminder to "all hail, the queen of cuisine!" **
tags :: food : and drink : travel : hotels : restaurants : reviews : los angeles
Simon says
congratulations sarah!!
They must have been enthralled from reading about your trip to chicago back in '05 to think you deserved a place in the travel section. ;-)
Anonymous says
Nice job! Today, Forbes...tomorrow - Oprah!
sarah says
simon: and to think forbes was talking "foodie" hotels and in chicago i ate...hot dogs!
anonymous: yikes. i don't "do" tv.
yet.
i need to work out first. and get some plastic surgery.
Michael says
Very interesting article.I love traveling, that's why I have been in many hotels.
I have been to Barcelona just one week ago. Finding a nice centrally located accommodation in Barcelona hotels is no easier than any other great city. I fell in love with Barcelona and it's beautiful architecture, there is so much to see and could have stayed for longer, however, you can get to see a lot in a day as it is not that big and is easy to get around.