Hit the can’t-miss usual suspects, including the don’t-knock-it-till-you-try-it spam musubi at Iyasume; the old-school plate lunch at the Rainbow Drive-In; and anything from cash-only Helena’s Hawaiian Food.
You’ll also want to try James Beard Award–nominated up-and-comers like Vietnamese eatery The Pig & the Lady and Vintage Cave, which offers a pricey prix fixe, but, man, the mouthwatering, belt-readjusting affair is worth it!
Farms such as Kahuku offer tours and tastings, and each month Oahu hosts Eat the Street, a food-truck rally.
Trendy but not too, The Modern Honolulu (pictured) is a hip boutique hotel on Waikiki Beach and home to Morimoto Waikiki, the Iron Chef’s island outpost dedicated to beautiful ingredients artfully plated (from $280/night). Historic, five-star Halekulani has visitors saying ooh-la-la about its proper afternoon tea, swank signature French restaurant, and theatrical Belle Époque cocktail bar (from $520/night).
In late August or early September to catch the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival, cofounded by chefs Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong.
The best wine region you’ve never heard of, Valle de Guadalupe’s cuisine is blessed with fresh produce from its orchards and vineyards. Splurge at Laja, where the tasting menu might include tuna carpaccio, stuffed quail, or pappardelle with heirloom tomatoes. From August through October, outdoor pop-ups called campestres appear at wineries and serve casual meals paired with local wines, all eaten at picnic tables; we love the asador (grill) at Finca Altozano.
Malva Cocina, at Mina Penélope winery, has gotten a warm welcome for its grilled-to-perfection seafood and chicken raised on-site.
There are no “rooms” at the Encuentro Guadalupe, just 20 mod, cabin- like eco-lofts with private decks that were surely built with sunset wine-drinking in mind (from $240/night). Add that to the desert-style infinity pool, wine-tasting bar, and Origen, a restaurant co-helmed by two young chefs, one Mexican and one Russian, and you’ve got the perfect place to stay—and be drunk in love.
Italy’s ancient city is where some of our favorites—Bolognese sauce, tortellini, and tagliatelle—were invented. So where to start? Drop into La Baita Formaggi (3 via Pescherie Vecchia) for cheese, meat, and wine to be taken away or eaten there; Caminetto d’Oro for the tagliatelle al ragu; and Drogheria della Rosa, in an atmospheric old pharmacy, for steak with balsamic sauce.
The Culinary Institute of Bologna hosts market trips and cooking classes, where unlimited vino is perk No. 1. And Italian Days offers a wildly popular full-day “Food Experience” that will whisk you off to tour and taste your way through Parmesan, balsamic vinegar, and prosciutto de Modena factories.
The affordable rooms at I Portici Hotel Bologna are unadorned, but its location is ideal—especially for enjoying sea scallops or piglet in grape must at its eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant (from $180/night).
Late summer to early fall, which sees fair weather and a parade of food festivals fêting everything from sausage to truffles to chestnuts.
For the scoop on the island’s multinational grub, hook up with Joyce Prince, who showed the Food Network’s Alton Brown around when he was in town. Ask her to customize a tour that includes the best baguette; ribs or Creole shrimp from her favorite lolo (food stand) on Grand Case beach; and a trip to the market for herbs and spices that make tasty wish-you-were-here gifts.
Boasting glorious rooms with private terraces, a heaven-sent beach, beach bar, wine cave, and sumptuous French restaurant, Belmond La Samanna (part of newly re-branded Orient-Express) is effortlessly chic, sandy-toed perfection (from $445/night).
Don’t even think about checking out without trying guavaberry coladas made with the island’s own Guavaberry Liqueur.
January through March, when the town of Grand Case hosts Les Mardis, a street party with cakes, coconut sorbet, shellfish, and rum, every Tuesday.
Remember the name Gastón Acurio. When it comes to Peruvian food, he is the man. His restaurants, including Astrid & Gastón, should be at the top of your list, alongside those headed by his disciples, such as Virgilio Martinez, who dabbles deftly in molecular gastronomy at Central. On the more casual side, Sonia is a delightful cevicheria started by a lady chef and her fisherman love, who fell for each other back when they were just two crazy kids.
If you’re the hands-on type, sign up for a SkyKitchen class, which will take you on a whirlwind market tour and then have you whipping up such traditional dishes as lomo saltado, a most flavorful stir-fry of beef, tomatoes, and fried papas.
The 17 rooms in art-focused Hotel B (pictured) in boho Barranco will make you feel more like you’re moving in than playing tourist for a week. Expect art, well, everywhere—the hotel could double as a gallery—and an in-house restaurant that’s cooking with serious chops (from $315/night).
Shoot for September, when you’ll be able to sample food from all over the country, buy artisanal edibles, and drool over gastronomic presentations at Mistura, South America’s largest food festival. September is also a prime month for Machu Picchu excursions.
On September 11, 2012, in McReynolds v. Merrill Lynch & Co., 115 FEP Cases 1668 (7th Cir. 2012), the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s dismissal of a race discrimination action brought by nine African American financial advisors (“FAs”) and trainees against Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith (“Merrill Lynch”) and its parent corporation, Bank of America (“BoA”). The plaintiffs alleged that the retention bonus program, which Merrill Lynch implemented shortly after it was acquired by BoA in 2009, intentionally discriminated against African Americans in violation of Title VII and 42 U.S.C. § 1981 by calculating bonus amounts based on the FAs’ pre-acquisition production. Citing both statistical evidence reflecting lower production and retention and anecdotal evidence of alleged direct discrimination of African American FAs, the plaintiffs contended that pervasive race discrimination within Merrill Lynch had unfairly suppressed the production of African American FAs. Most significantly, the plaintiffs contended that the retention bonus program was designed with the intent to discriminate against African American FAs and to “lock in” the effects of past discrimination.