Food Wine Travel

Six best pousadas in Portugal in the eyes of Mary Lussiana

In The six best pousadas in Portugal (Times Online, UK, September 2005) Mary Lussiana enlightens us on the topic of Pousadas.
The word "means "resting place" and denotes a collection of gourmet historic hotels across the country. Not every hotel can call itself a pousada. Those that qualify were once castles, fortresses, convents, palaces and medieval town houses, and have been picked for their phenomenal settings and architectural significance".

Eyeglass Shop for the Connoisseur...Lunettes du Jura...Tokyo

While scouting for ideas that could fit on Tokyo Thursdays, I found that deep in the heart of Tokyo existed an Eyeglass Shop for the connoisseur with the very French name of Lunettes du Jura.
Sorry the site is mostly in Japanese. They actually count more than one location.

An underground Tokyo Guide describes it as "an amazing wacky glasses store. more kinds of crazy nutty frames. . . somewhere beyond New Wave in terms of candy-like wackiness".   

Related: Camembert and Sushi

Copenhagen, a 'Top 20 Most Liveable Cities' says Monocle

I have written about Copenhagen numerous times on Serge the Concierge and was not surprised that Monocle magazine chose it as one of its Top 20 Most Liveable Cities in the world.

Related piece: Mr Conran goes to Copenhagen

Cyclotherapy...Life of the Cyclist in London and the UK

Cycling is not popular as a way to commute only in Portland (Oregon) and Copenhagen or Holland for that matter.
2 Wheel fans in London express their views and exchange tips on topics such as Do puncture-proof tires really exist ? via Cyclotherapy (The Independent).

Related stories: Cycling in High Heels, Green and Stylish the Copenhagen Way

How to 'Kill a Lobster and Save your Soul'? (via Trevor Corson)

I cannot quite get the connection but looking for details on a book covering 'food and drink' freebies given by political campaigns, The Secret Life of Lobsters came up as a suggested related read (from same publisher, Harper Collins).

In the companion blog, Trevor Corson offers concerned foodies his guide on how to Kill a Lobster and Save Your Soul.

The 'Hidden Tokyo', picture it thanks to Marco Silvestri

I could not find much information on the Tawaramachi neighborhood of Tokyo while writing 'Guerilla Flowerpots', Nature, Real and Fake in Tokyo concrete jungle (Tokyo Thursdays) on Serge the Concierge.

I did find visual cues of what this part of town has to offer thanks to Hidden Tokyo by Marco Silvestri, a book and its companion website.

Enjoy!

What to Eat on a Date? Depends says Helena Echlin

The basic advice is unless you know a little bit about your date's taste, play it safe.
No messy food, don't pick a restaurant whose food you are unfamiliar with. No loud place might be the last recommendation. Get more tips via What to Eat on a Date? (Helena Echlin, Chow).

Wine Myths & Blabber get the Truth Treatment on 'VinoFictions'

I was on a fact finding mission on sommeliers and wine talk and discovered Vinofictions by Thomas Pellechia, a Finger Lakes (New York) wine lover.
I especially liked his take on Dry and Sweet in White Wines (January 7, 2008).
Helps you sort out facts from fiction.

Pedicure with Sharpened Blades, Samuel So in Shanghai

Samuel So's treatment might not be for everyone but Shanghai pedicure, with sharpened blades by Joyce Hor-Chung Lau (Globespotters) makes for an interesting read.

As for his thoughts on British Feet: “Bad feet,” he said. “Really bad feet.” He attributes it to a combination of cold weather, indoor heating and the fact that British bath water was harder than Hong Kong’s.

The 'Fine Wine Blog', more than a Sales Pitch for Berry Bros & Rudd

After stumbling upon The Fine Wine Blog from Berry Bros and Rudd, I was happy to see that it is not designed only to make a sales pitch for their products.
Worth mentioning is Highland Fling on Single Malts giving high marks to the Glengoyne distillery.