Latest news with #restaurants
New York Times
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
We Just Updated Our New Orleans Dining Guide
Not long after moving to New Orleans to become restaurant critic at The Times-Picayune, a prominent local called me at the office — cellphones were still niche in those days — to inform me that he couldn't take my opinions about local dining seriously until I 'put down roots.' Twenty-five years later — nearly two decades of those spent in the job that brought me here — I feel qualified to make two declarations to anyone who finds themselves in New Orleans this summer: You will be hot, and you will have difficult decisions to make about where to eat. Our list of the 25 best restaurants in New Orleans, updated this week, can help with the second thing. You'll find classics of various generations, from Commander's Palace, Dooky Chase's and Tan Dinh to Compère Lapin, Dakar Nola and Pêche. The Kingsway and Saint Claire, which both opened last month, are too new to appear on the list. But they're worth looking out for, as they are offshoots of two of my favorite local restaurants: Saffron Nola, an Indian-New Orleans bistro, and Mosquito Supper Club, a Cajun seafood restaurant that feels like a dinner party. Here is a quick preview of the two new entries on our list: Coquette opened in the waning days of the second Bush administration. All these years later, I honestly still think about a dish from an early menu: tempura fried Gulf shrimp smeared with sambal, resting against juicy slices of grapefruit. I don't recall if that dish was served beyond 2008, but having eaten at Coquette for going on 17 years, I do know Michael Stoltzfus, the restaurant's chef and owner, hasn't stopped pushing himself to find harmony in uncommon pairings. Inside the 19th century brick-and-wood dining room, his intelligent, creative food still tastes like something new. 2800 Magazine Street, Garden District Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CTV News
6 hours ago
- CTV News
Four Calgary hotel restaurants make list of Canada's best for 2025
Calgary restaurant Fonda Fora is seen in an undated photo. (Facebook/Fonda Fora) Four Calgary restaurants have made a new list of the best hotel restaurants across Canada. The list, from online restaurant reservation site OpenTable and hotel reservation site Kayak, was released on Tuesday. 'For travellers and locals alike, our new Top 50 Hotel Restaurants list offers great inspiration for elevated meals in standout spots across the country,' said Matt Davis, senior country director, OpenTable Canada. The list draws upon data from more than one million reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners across Canada between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025. It features 20 restaurants in Ontario, nine in British Columbia, 11 in Alberta, six in Quebec, two in Nova Scotia, one in Manitoba and one in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Calgary eateries featured on the list include: Another five are from Banff, including: 'Great dining experiences are an essential part of today's travel itineraries and hotels are rising to the occasion,' said Kate Williams, chief communications officer at Kayak. You can view the complete list online at OpenTable's website.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Where to eat: 10 essential restaurants in Sebastian include Capt Hiram's, Earl's Hideaway
When in Sebastian, eat as the locals do. Bucket-list restaurants in Sebastian are legendary and beloved either for their food, nostalgia, waterfront views — or all three. They're located in town or on the water by the Indian River Lagoon. When you think of Sebastian, you think of these essential restaurants. The city has too many must-visit restaurants to include them all, so TCPalm plans to publish more lists in the future. If you have a restaurant that should be included in the next list for Sebastian or any Treasure Coast city, email Here are 10 essential restaurants in Sebastian. Capt Hiram's Thomas Hiram Collins bought a small marina in Sebastian in 1986 on the property that would become Capt Hiram's Resort. He opened Capt Hiram's River Raw Bar in 1987 with just 28 seats. He named it after his uncle Hiram, who died on Omaha Beach during the landings of D-Day. His son, Will Collins, took over as president of the resort about five years before his dad died in 2018 at age 69. Blackfins Riverfront Grill is the main venue, serving island-inspired dishes like conch fritters, crab cakes and fish tacos. The Sandbar provides a casual tiki atmosphere with live music, cold beers and tropical cocktails. Bimini Beach has fire pits and live entertainment. Scoops Bar specializes in top-shelf cocktails. 1580 U.S. 1, Sebastian; 772-388-8588; Country Ham 'n Egg Restaurant Herbert Greenhalgh opened Country Ham 'N Egg Restaurant in 1999 at 709 U.S. 1 before it moved 10 years later down the road to its current spot. It was the second location for Country Ham 'N Egg after the first location opened 20 years earlier in Fort Lauderdale. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, but it offers breakfast all day. It's known for its crispy corned beef hash, gyro sandwich and hamburger club. Check their Facebook page for daily specials. 478 U.S. 1, Sebastian; 772-589-4846; Earl's Hideaway Lounge Earl Roberts opened Earl's Hideaway Lounge near the Indian River Lagoon in the 1950s. He moved to Sebastian in 1942, was elected mayor of Sebastian in 1947 and ran Earl's Hideaway until 1972 when he retired. William Ballough and John Laman co-owned the restaurant together since 1999 until Ballough died at the end of 2022, and his wife, Carole, took over his role as co-owner. The former biker bar evolved into a more family-friendly establishment. The sandy riverfront tiki bar has an Old Florida vibe. It's known for its drinks, pool tables, live music and popular pizza, which is available up until closing time every night. Customers can get the pizza as takeout or eat it at the bar. 1405 Indian River Drive, Sebastian; 772-589-5700; Las Palmas Cuban Restaurant Luis and Edna Gonzalez opened Las Palmas Cuban Restaurant in 2009 on U.S. 1 before it moved west in 2024 to The Shoppes of Sebastian. He's the executive chef, and she's the general manager. He's from Puerto Rico, and she's from Old Havana in Cuba. The restaurant serves authentic Cuban cuisine for lunch and dinner. It also opened a second location in 2016 in Mount Dora. 1451 Sebastian Blvd., Sebastian; 772-388-5188; Mo-Bay Grill Wesley Campbell opened Mo-Bay Grill in 2005 the Riverwalk Shopping Center in Roseland before it moved in 2014 about 2 miles south to its current location facing the Indian River Lagoon. The restaurant serves Jamaican cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Campbell's parents owned a restaurant in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where he was born, and he always helped in their restaurant as he was growing up. His first job was at Jamaica's five-star Half Moon Resort. 1401 Indian River Drive, Sebastian; 772-589-4223; Pelican Diner Chef-owner Greg Helper opened The Pelican Diner in 2009 in Roseland before it moved in 2018 to Sebastian Municipal Golf Course and became The Pelican Diner & 4 Wings Sports Lounge. The new diner has a glitzier presence, but the menu stayed the same. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it offers specials to make the restaurant appeal to families. It also has a full liquor bar, offering Sunday brunch cocktails. 100 Brush Foot Drive, Sebastian; 772-228-9600; Sandy's Grille Snezana Jankovic, better known as Sandy, opened Sandy's Grille in 2003. She previously was a bartender in Fort Lauderdale for 10 years and a waitress before that. Her family originally is from Yugoslavia. She named the popular 'Rudy Burger' after her father, Rudy Jankovic. It's also known for its signature 'Sandy Burger.' It features live music and rotating specials, such as Alaskan pollock fried fish and country fried steak. 171 Sebastian Blvd. (County Road 512), Sebastian; 772-589-3666; Facebook Sebastian's Roadside Restaurant Tom Wright opened Sebastian's Roadside Restaurant in 2013 in an Old Florida house with reclaimed barnboard floors and outdoor picnic tables. It previously was Larry's Roadside Restaurant, which opened in 2005. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a retro dining room filled with charming antiques, knickknacks, vintage photographs and old advertisements. It's known for its home-cooked Southern comfort food, as well as steakhouse and Italian dishes, plus special German and Polish menus. Southern Living magazine named it one of the '15 Best Roadside Restaurants in the South' in 2024. Nettie Magee, who owns Nettie's Roadside Restaurant in Vero Beach, took over ownership in April 2025. 10795 U.S. 1, Sebastian; 772-581-2623; Squid Lips Squid Lips opened in 2004 at the former Fins Grill and Raw Bar on the Indian River Lagoon and grew to open two more locations in Cocoa Beach and Melbourne. It later added River Deck, a second restaurant next door that's a massive, fully covered, open-air pavilion on a marina while Squid Lips is a small open-air, overwater house that sits on stilts down a long wooden dock. It also added Lip Lickers BBQ, a little baby blue barbeque joint hidden at the back end of the parking lot. The whole family of restaurants surrounds Fins Marina. 1660 Indian River Drive, Sebastian; 772-589-3828; Vic's Italian Restaurant & Pizza Owner Tony Oliveri's parents emigrated from Palermo, Sicily, and opened Vic's Italian Restaurant in 1994. It's a bustling pizzeria in a small strip plaza next to Indian River Drive by the Indian River Lagoon. The restaurant's menu features pizza, sandwiches, pasta, seafood and gelato. It serves high-quality dishes with heaping portions. Its pizza dough and sauces are made daily from scratch. Vic's also offers a double-decker pizza, but make sure to allow 30 minutes when ordering. 1140 U.S. 1, Sebastian; 772-589-8989; Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Email her at Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 10 best restaurants in Sebastian include Capt Hiram's, Earl's Hideaway Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Can This Buzzy Bistro Make the Upper East Side Cool?
Anthony Bourdain once called the Upper East Side of Manhattan 'a wasteland for food.' The man who would eat anything, anywhere, drew the line there. (He lived at the time on East 87th Street.) Was that fair? No neighborhood is a monolith. But this one has long been equated with its most privileged residents — not the flaunt-it rich but the even richer, who have no need to. Like many affluent enclaves, it's not particularly hospitable to exciting restaurants. Much of the housing stock is too pricey, the clientele too assured of its own tastes (and perhaps reluctant to invite in the hordes). Yet somehow Chez Fifi, a low-lit hideaway at the bottom of an Italianate rowhouse in the placid 70s, has managed to distract New Yorkers from downtown haunts and become one of the most lusted-after reservations. It's part of a new coterie of intimate, Parisian-styled bistros — like Le Chêne and Zimmi's in the West Village and Le Veau d'Or on the Upper East Side's southern edge — that seem to have bewitched the city. Months after Chez Fifi opened last December, the calendar of availability was still grayed out, save for the stray 10:45 p.m. slot. When I finally secured a table at a less European hour, I was dubious. I do not like being a victim of mimetic desire, wanting what everyone wants. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Gulf Business
17 hours ago
- Business
- Gulf Business
Saudi's new rules: Fine dining to look different now
Image credit: Getty Images Saudi Arabia has introduced a series of new regulations aimed at transforming the fine dining landscape and boosting transparency in food services, in line with its broader goals to attract investment, enhance the hospitality environment, and promote healthier lifestyle choices. Read- The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has issued updated guidelines to organise fine dining operations across Saudi Arabia. Under the new rules, high-end restaurants must now deliver a complete table service experience, including greeting guests at the entrance, escorting them to their tables, and providing valet parking, In a move to elevate the dining atmosphere, the regulations enforce a dress code policy, prohibit visible cashier counters, and strictly ban drive-thru services at fine dining establishments. The ministry emphasised that the overall 'experience' is central to luxury dining and cannot be replicated through fast service or exterior windows. Full table service and exclusivity requirements Restaurants are now required to implement a digital reservation system, offer visible beverage preparation stations, and maintain a channel for customer complaints. Menus must include at least three main categories, appetizers, main courses, and desserts, with a minimum of five items in total. Additional standards mandate the employment of a certified food health and safety specialist, the provision of coat hangers and bag holders, and the allocation of a concealed area for pickup orders from delivery apps to ensure they remain out of sight from guests. The regulations further limit restaurant chains to a single branch per city to preserve exclusivity and brand identity. All fine dining establishments must register their trademarks with the relevant Saudi authorities to protect their visual identity and enhance local and global brand recognition. The ministry stated that these measures aim to uphold the highest levels of hospitality while ensuring a distinct customer journey aligned with the country's efforts to boost tourism and lifestyle offerings. SFDA targets transparency in food information In a related development, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) announced the implementation of new technical regulations to enhance transparency and consumer health in food services. Effective July 1, 2025, food establishments will be required to display detailed nutritional information on all physical and online menus, including on food delivery platforms. Restaurants must now place a 'saltshaker' icon next to meals high in sodium, disclose the caffeine content of beverages, and indicate the estimated time needed to burn off the calories consumed from a meal. The SFDA noted that these initiatives aim to empower consumers to make informed decisions, promote healthier food choices, and support a balanced lifestyle by helping customers monitor their salt and caffeine intake, Supporting healthier choices across Saudi Arabia According to the World Health Organisation, adults are advised to limit sodium intake to no more than 5 grams of salt per day, while caffeine intake should not exceed 400mg daily for adults and 200mg for pregnant women. The SFDA emphasized that these regulations will contribute to raising public health awareness and align with Saudi Arabia's efforts to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors, ensuring that dining experiences across Saudi Arabia meet international health and safety standards while maintaining transparency for consumers.
