Prior to our trip to Spain, I booked a tour through Gourmet Madrid to sample some tapas around the city. I picked the “Madrid Wine and Tapas” tour because it took place in the neighborhood where we were staying, and there was a lower price for the kids who would not be drinking wine. For Adults (age 13+) the price was 80 euros and for 12 and under, the price was 55 euros. I kind of find the price difference…
Vinitus restaurant was our first lunch stop in Madrid on June 12, 2022. After spending the morning walking around the Palacio Real, we walked over to the Gran Via to check out the cool architecture along the busy avenue. Towards the southern end is a restaurant called Vinitus. This is a tapas place on the Gran Via, and I really try to avoid touristy places, but this restaurant was filled with locals as well as tourists, and the tapas were…
Oak Brook is a western suburb about 20 miles from downtown Chicago, and Oak Brook Center is one of my favorite places to go at any time of year. It is an upscale, outdoor mall, offering a ton of great shopping, and also a very cool and luxe atmosphere. I have always loved coming here, even if I wasn’t buying anything, just for the beautiful surroundings. I get it – you don’t typically think of a mall as beautiful or…
Our pandemic trip to St. Lucia in February 2021 landed us at the all-inclusive resort Anse Chastenet, with a fabulous view of the famous St. Lucia Pitons. One of the best things about our stay at Anse Chastenet was that it is a sister hotel to Jade Mountain Resort, consistently rated as one of the best resorts in the Caribbean, so we were able to eat dinner at the Jade Mountain Club for a $40 surcharge per person. Even though…
So this is primarily a post about Eataly, Chicago, but I have to mention from the get-go that I have also been to Eataly, Las Vegas many times, and it is just as amazing, though with a much smaller dry goods grocery section and no produce. The Las Vegas outpost is more of a grab and go food place, or stay and drink a glass of wine under a beautiful glass-ceilinged canopy, than a place you would go and get…
Bavette’s Steakhouse and & Bar is located in the relatively newly renovated Park MGM Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Park MGM used to be the Monte Carlo Hotel and got a much needed, massive facelift between 2016-2018, including adding a bright and airy Eataly out front. I love staying at the Park MGM because it is new, fresh, mid-range price, and the casino is non-smoking. It is also in a very good, pretty central location on the…