Hiltl Restaurant: Zurich, Switzerland
With a name like Ambrosius, it might have been expected that Ambrosius Hiltl would become a restaurateur – but who could have imagined that he would open what has become the oldest vegetarian restaurant in all of Europe. As his grandson, Heinz…
A Brugal Summer
Some years ago, in the middle of what seemed a brutal winter, we booked ourselves a week at a resort in Puerto Plata, where we rented a motor scooter – and promptly crashed along a dirt road, much to the amusement of the locals. Fortunately, there…
Devi: New York’s Michelin Indian Star
Good things come to those who wait. That’s the lesson of Carmenere. By now, nearly every oenophile worth his/her nose knows that Carmenere is the Chilean wine industry’s signature grape. The most indigo of all grapes, Carmenere disappeared from European…
Basel, Switzerland
With suburbs in three countries (and that airport on French soil), Basel represents a kind of postmodern EU, where ideas and cultures are as fluid as Schengen Area border crossings.
Hotel Ramada Plaza Basel: Basel, Switzerland
At 344 feet, the 31-story Basler Messeturm (Trade Fair Tower) is the tallest building in all of Switzerland. Completed in 2003, the glass-sheathed leviathan in shimmering aquamarine appears to rise from the Rhine. And while it might seem incongruous to…
Blissful Culture Overdose in Basel, Switzerland
The airport is in France – but your ticket says Switzerland – and the official language is German. Carmen Sandiego, where are we now? Located on the river Rhine in the northwestern corner of Switzerland, where the borders of Switzerland,…
Daddy Love: Father’s Day Gift Guide
Who doesn’t love a daddy? There are silver daddies and gay daddies and daddies who take you to the ball game. Daddies who taught you right from wrong – and daddies who spanked you when you were bad. (You know you deserved it…) Some dads…
Acqua Osteria: Basel, Switzerland
Perhaps on an afternoon when you’ve found yourself at the Basel Zoo, you might wander past a converted waterworks, only to realize that this former pumping station is now an Italian osteria with garden. Local nighthawks could’ve told you that Acqua…