“Many Americans associate formal tea with Britain and the pomp and circumstance of the monarchy. But a tea party, at its core, transcends the court of the queen. Traditional British tea service takes place midafternoon and involves tea poured from floral china pots, finger sandwiches and scones, but in and around Los Angeles, California variations on the theme and a formal Chinese tea ceremony have also cropped up.”

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“Chalk it up to boredom during the pandemic, the glorious rush of post-lockdown freedom or even the slow crawl of foodie culture into younger and younger generations — whatever the reason, caviar is everywhere. From the recently christened “bump” to a dot on a raw oyster, a martini garnish or served with the traditional buckwheat blinis at Petrossian, the treat is showing up on restaurant menus with a vengeance. However, it’s also experiencing a resurgence as a DTC food item, as social media provides a new vehicle for connoisseurs to showcase how to do caviar right.”

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“Formally known as the Gorgona Agricultural Penal Colony, this northernmost island of the Tuscan archipelago has quite a long history. It was established in 1869 as one of a handful of Italian prison farms, and in recent years, the space has been designated for prisoners on good behavior who were finishing out the final term of their sentence. Frequently billed as the last remaining penal colony in all of Europe, over the past decade the island has received even more attention because of the quality of the wine produced from the vines that grow here, and more importantly, because of who tends the grapes used to make it—the inmates themselves.”

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“Tara Penke and her husband, Jaime Riesco spent more than 20 years living in Barcelona—and still own a restaurant, Picic, there—so it’s no surprise that they’re unassuming new Santa Barbara spot, Gala, is heavily influenced by coastal Spain. Jaime helms the kitchen and Tara handles the front of house at this mom-and-pop restaurant. For Penke, born and raised in Santa Barbara, it’s a return home, whereas Riesco was born in Santiago, Chile, and bears traces of that country’s heritage i his one-man kitchen.”

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“Ask most Americans what they know about Albuquerque, New Mexico, and an early memory of Bugs Bunny on Saturday morning cartoons might hazily emerge. In reality, this high desert city is one of the most overlooked gems in domestic travel, and for Angelenos, it has the added appeal of being only a 90-minute flight away. One final selling point? The food in this city is freaking amazing. If you’re looking for the next great foodie destination in the country, look no further.”

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“Pijja—a tongue-in-cheek approximation of the way some Indian people pronounce “pizza”—was born as much out of founder Avish Naran’s love for sports, particularly Los Angeles sports teams, as his frustration with the strange, isolating stiffness that can pervade fine dining. ”

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“In the past, travelers came to Las Vegas to party and gamble and not much else, refueling at an overpriced steakhouse or with subpar room service. But while those activities might remain the city’s twin raisons d’être, nature abhors a vacuum — and money has poured into Vegas in recent years, bolstering the upper end of what has long been a buzzy, diverse food scene. Now, we’d argue that Vegas ranks as one of the best restaurant cities in the country.”

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“About two hours north of Lisbon, Bairrada is the perfect place for champagne obsessives to visit. It’s the beating heart of the country’s sparkling wine production (along with another region, Tavora-Varosa) and local son Rui Lucas has been doing his part to preserve not only his own family’s vineyards in Souselas, but also the lands of his aging neighbors in the surrounding area. Lucas farms this ancient terroir with the same no-till, low-intervention philosophy that’s been in place for centuries, safeguarding age-old vines that might otherwise be lost. The wines produced from these vines under his Prior Lucas label are, in a word, fantastic.”

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“Abra Berens is a current chef and former farmer, though it’s difficult to swallow the “former” once you’ve seen her in her element at Granor Farm, where she regularly hosts chef-driven, multi-course meals for attentive guests from all over the world. Berens assumes a deep involvement in what’s currently growing on this organic-certified farm in Three Oaks, Michigan, which produces vegetables, flowers, herbs and grains. Based on what’s available seasonally, she and her kitchen crew come up with a monthly Taste of Granor menu, which is tailored to the ingredients, instead of vice versa.”

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