Summer in the City brings tunes, booze, and a whole lot of fun to Philadelphia.

In this City of Brotherly Love, you will find great parks, relaxing spas, lavish shopping & dining, and Center City Sips (Center City District’s summer in the City program).

Center City Sips is Philly’s famed, highly-anticipated summer happy hour. From 5 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday, from June 1 through August 31, Center City’s best bars and restaurants invite crowds to join them in sips and bites. City Sips offers $4 cocktails, $3 wine, $2 beers and half-price appetizers, with some establishments even offering a 15% dinner discount after 7 p.m.

Sips is the perfect time to catch up with old friends or make a few new ones. With over 80 locations to choose from this year, you’ll have the happiest of hours each Wednesday trying new drinks and munchies. Philadelphia has a reputation for delicious dining establishments and City Sips is the perfect way to experience new tastes without breaking the bank.

Each week you can try a new restaurant with a new authenticity, truly experiencing every piece of what this city has to offer. Along with sipping Wednesday nights, you can catch daytime concerts from 12  to 1:30 p.m. throughout Center City.  The style of music will vary from week to week, so while one week you may hear calypso and steel drums, the next you could be grooving to jazz, classic rock, blues or reggae. After a gorgeous warm day, grab a sip and watch the sunset over Philadelphia.

Top 5 Picks for City Sips, Summer 2011

1. 10 Arts Bistro & Lounge at the Ritz-Carlton kicks off happy hour with live music every Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. With beautiful décor, an awesome atmosphere, delicious drinks, the Ritz-Carlton is a top stop for City Sips this summer.
2. Ladder 15 is a hip and trendy sports bar with a great looking crowd and interior. They also have awesome food and drinks. It’s the perfect place to kick back and watch a game or take a seat and catch up with friends.
3. The Patio Bar at Marathon Grill is home to the ‘Summer Classiq’ event. The patio is a really cool, open space that’s attached to the Marathon Grill location on 19^th and Market. Here you can mingle and chill out as Philadelphia’s DJ Royale drops a variety of beats including reggae, rock, soul, funk and disco grooves from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
4. Vango Lounge & Skybar is one of Philadelphia’s rooftop lounge locations, where you can lounge outdoors on the white beds and white couches while glaring up at the Philadelphia skyline.
   

   Marketing image provided by Vango Lounge & Skybar

   This two-story modern Asian fusion dining establishment provides stylish décor and a welcoming atmosphere where diners can enjoy a lively conversation, a satisfying meal, and delicious cocktails.

5. R2L offers a luxe experience with a fancy view as it is located on the 37^th floor, high atop Center City. Visiting R2L’s Liberty bar and lounge is the perfect place to see the gorgeous Philadelphia skyline, amongst a unique space with creative American fare. The drinks at R2L are delicious and they can literally make you anything you would like. Cheers!

– Luba of The Posh Review

Quail Roulade

You may have enjoyed the warm, earthy flavors of  Moroccan cuisine before, but you’ve never experienced the likes of it at the Michelin-starred Aziza in San Francisco, a short drive from the Laurel Inn San Francisco.

The flavors of saffron, tomatoes, preserved lemons, sumac, and za’atar remain hauntingly familiar here, but have been put to use in daringly creative, boldly contemporary ways.

As chefs around the world have elevated Korean and Spanish cuisines to a whole new level, Executive Chef-Proprietor Mourad Lahlou has done the same with his native cuisine. Indeed, I don’t know if there’s another Moroccan chef out there who’s pushing the envelope quite like this Marrakech-native is. Lahlou immigrated to San Francisco in 1986 and earned a master’s degree in economics from San Francisco State University. He was planning on getting a PhD next, when his brother asked him to lend a hand at his Moroccan restaurant in San Rafael. Luckily for us, Lahlou grew so enamored of cooking that he never looked back.

In 2001, he opened Aziza to great acclaim. Back then, it was a very traditional restaurant, complete with belly dancers and classic, rustic tagines. The distinctive curved archways, and the saffron and cobalt blue hues remain in the warren of dimly-lit dining rooms. But the food has undergone a true metamorphosis. There’s such sophistication and refinement now. The dishes never disappoint; they often dazzle and surprise.

Aziza may be a decade old, but it’s as popular as ever. There were quite a few large tables on a recent Saturday night with folks celebrating graduation. Even when we were about to leave around 9:30 p.m., the restaurant was still packed, with more diners still coming through the door, hoping to snag a coveted seat. Prices have always been reasonable, with most appetizers about $12 and entrees ranging from $16 to $29.

The restaurant sources organic, sustainable, seasonal products, with Lahlou scouting farmers markets regularly to find the best of the best. Half way through our dinner, even my carnivore husband couldn’t help but exclaim how amazed he was by the quality of the vegetables. Some of those fresh ingredients are showcased in Aziza’s signature cocktails. I couldn’t pass up one made with cacacha, kumquats and ginger.

The amuse that evening was a shot glass of bright fuchsia soda made with hibiscus and citron. It was fruity, tart and fizzy — a perfect way to perk up the palate for what was to come.

First, a duo of soups — one, the silkiest carrot soup ever, and the other, probably the most complex lentil soup around, made with celery and dates for added crunch and sweetness to round out the developed, soft earthiness of the legumes.

Next, sweet beets with licorice-flavored yogurt, the brightness of grapefruit and the unexpected crackle of tiny pieces of rice cracker.

Then, luscious King salmon that tasted like Lahlou had just fished it out of the water himself that day, complimented by salty olives, peppery radishes, sweet dates and juicy, soft young almonds that gushed when you bit into them.

Sea bream sashimi arrived curled on the plate like a dragon with its subtle fire coming from a drizzle of burnt citrus oil and aleppo pepper.

Chicken wings are not your ordinary, messy bar food here. Instead, they are made neater by being boned out and cut into bite-size pieces with crispy skin and moist flesh. Stemmed cherries dotted the plate — already pitted for your convenience.

Mixed charmoula shows spectacularly the evolution of the food here. The spice mixture of herbs, olive oil, preserved lemons, garlic, cumin and salt is usually used in lusty stews. Here, it flavored a vegetable stew crowned with white potato foam and a bright orange yolk so that the dish looked as if a perfect sunny-side egg lay atop it. The whole dish — yolk and all — had been steamed, leaving the yolk as thick and creamy as pudding.

Basteeya, the savory phyllo pie dusted with powdered sugar, has always been a favorite here. This one did not disappoint. Crisp, buttery layers encased a filling of rich duck confit that hid green pistachios. Alongside it was wild nettle bread pudding with salsify and a decadent foie gras emulsion.

My husband’s main course was the evening’s special of a quail roulade, boned out, then rolled up tidily with a honey sauce. Stacked on the plate were semolina logs that were crisp on the outside and creamy within, as well as a soft, oozy egg to dip them into.

I still haven’t stopped thinking about my entree. Halibut with a crust of uni. How spectacular is that? Very. Lahlou mixes uni with panko and shavings of halibut to form a paste that he coats the top of the fillet with, then broils until it gets as crackling crisp as perfect chicken skin. The technique leaves the briny, sweet, savory uni tasting remarkably like a Parmigiano crisp crowning the mild, moist fish. It’s quite amazing, and perfect with the squares of acidic green tomatoes and puddles of lusty coconut curry.

Dessert started with a light, refreshing bavarian heady with mint, sitting in a swoosh of hibiscus sauce and topped with lime-buttermilk granita.

That was followed by a slice of passionfruit cake, as airy as a cloud, alongside lemon semifreddo. A swirl of beet sauce was the final touch, its natural sweetness tying everything together. Finally, chocolate ganache layered with chicory cream and prune puree, along with licorice root ice cream. Even if you think you’re not a fan of prunes, you will love how the flavor of dried plums marries so well with chocolate in the same way that aged port would.

So many restaurants offer handmade caramels just before setting down the check. But few are as memorable as the ones by Aziza Pastry Chef Melissa Chou, who was a finalist this year for a James Beard Award. These tiny squares of chocolate caramel are fudgy with little crispy bits, making them a lot more interesting than so many others.

Before you head out, little bags of sesame-almond-raisin granola are brought out for you to enjoy at home. The bags are vacuum-sealed for freshness, too.

In the future, Aziza will be moving to a new location at Jackson and Montgomery streets in the Jackson Square neighborhood. Construction already has begun on that site. Lahlou plans to keep the current site, but is unsure yet what concept it will eventually morph into.

If the past is any indication, it’ll be worth the wait at both locales to see what Lahlou dreams up next.

– Carolyn Jung of FoodGal

[Photo: Carolyn Jung]

Rose Pistola Restaurant, San Francisco

There’s no denying that North Beach has to be one of San Francisco’s most touristy neighborhoods. But it’s also full of enough charm, vivacity and quality Italian food to continue draw locals as well. That’s one reason why after 15 years Rose Pistola, a short hop from the Hilton San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf, is still going strong. The Ligurian-inspired restaurant recently got a face-lift with a new, softer color scheme in grey, burgundy and brown. The tile floors have been restored and the rich mahogany gleams.

Last month, I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant to try the updated menu by new Executive Chef Mark Gordon. All around me, tables were full of locals, as well as out-of-towners carbo-loading for the next day’s spirited Bay to Breakers race through the streets of San Francisco.

We started with stuffed calamari ($13), tender soft tubular bodies stuffed with seafood mousse, then grilled until smoky.

Next, the simple yet sublime bruschette of chunky, mashed favas and tuna conserva ($12). With a nice glass of wine, you could make a light dinner of these alone. The creamy, sweet favas were a wonderful match to the the rich, silky tuna preserved in olive oil. It’d be a great nosh to make at home, too. Spinach papparadelle ($16) brought a heap of wide, toothsome noodles coated with thick, lamb ragu and a scattering of spring English peas that lent a bit of lightness to the dish.

Pizzas here are formed on very thin crusts abundant with air holes to create a snappy bite. Indeed, the crust reminded me more of a cracker than the usual crisp, yet denser base. We chose one with spicy sausage, rosemary and asparagus ($12) that tasted just as good the next day enjoyed as leftovers for lunch.

Ligurian seafood burrida ($32), which is a lot like boullabaise, proved the only misstep. A veritable cauldron arrived at the table, with an abundance of seafood, including calamari and mussels, in a smoky tomato broth with a slight peppery kick. It was easily enough for two. Because various seafood cook at various times, it’s never easy to get a stew like this just right. As it was, the prawns had turned dry and rubbery while the chunks of fish remained nicely moist and plump.

Normally, I’m one for using seasonal ingredients in dishes, but sugar snap peas had been added to the seafood stew for some inexplicable reason. By the time the dish arrived at the table, the pods had turned limp, negating one of the real pleasures of this spring veggie, which is its lively crunch.

The burrida came with crostini topped with Dungeness crab. Tasty, but hard to dip into the broth, which  is really what you wanted to do.

When we finished, hot towels with lemon quarters were brought to the table — a nice touch to tidy up after digging into this dish with your fingers.

For dessert, we enjoyed the sacrapantina ($7), a generous wedge of cake that elicited envious gazes when it was brought to our table. Layers of airy Italian sponge cake are interspersed with creamy zabaglione. Crunchy amaretti crumbs covered the top of the cake and a crisp meringue slab reinforced its side. A tropical coconut panna cotta ($7) was light and refreshing. With a perfectly wiggly texture, it sat in a pool of jade-green mint syrup.

Even after 15 years, Rose Pistola still offers a fun time for soaking up a taste of San Francisco.

– Carolyn Jung of FoodGal

[Photos: Carolyn Jung]

Barbuzzo, Philadelphia

Famed for several fantastic taste-bud twisting restaurants in Philadelphia, chefs Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran have done it again. Best described by The Posh Review as a place for ”savory, urban dining,” Barbuzzo offers creative Mediterranean-inspired dishes based on the flavors of Italy, Portugal, Spain, and France.

The restaurant itself is a welcoming space, not large, but encompasses a bar, wall shelf cubbies with glass jars full of colorful herbs and dried veggies, and outdoor seating in a comfortable 13th street setting. Tables for two are perfect for an intimate conversation — complete with lit candles for a romantic ambiance.

Barbuzzo is a play on a Tuscan word for “full belly”

Barbuzzo’s drink menu is intriguing, offering a variety of delicious and buzz worthy drinks. I opted for the Cucumber Margarita, [cucumber, tequila, and house margarita juice blend]. The juice was tangy, and came equipt with a raw cucumber slice on the glass — a classy-looking drink with big taste. Barbuzzo’s Little Italian Redhead also sounds delicious [vodka, aperol, housemade lemonade].

Choosing an appetizer at Barbuzzo was quite the challenge, as there are many mouth-watering options. Deciding to stay light and fresh, so we tried the Vegetable board, which offered us a selection of veggies straight from the farmer’s market [note: this dish changes each day with different veggie selections].  Our dish was a mixture of delicious fingerling potatoes and garlic, roasted eggplant topped with carmelized onions and parmesan cheese over a spicy tomato paste, garlic-asparagus-parmesan bruschetta, and crispy snap peas served with crushed almonds on top.

For the main course we indulged in the Asparago Pizza, just one of the many delectable pizza options. The Asparago was a made with shaved Asparagus, Barbuzzo Pancetta, secret white sauce, Fior Di Latte, truffle, and a farm egg. It was NOT your ordinary pizza but certainly the flavor of desire if you’re an egg lover (specifically poached eggs). It tasted just as delicious as it looks.

We didn’t dig into dessert, though Barbuzzo’s Salted Caramel Budino comes highly recommended. We’ve heard it’s butterscotch pudding + chocolate crust + salted caramel — what a satisfying dish for your sweet tooth!

The restaurant offers many beer/wine dinner pairing events — another way to get familiar with the food and spirits. It’s a great place to catch up with friends or simply try something new.

After a delicious night at this quaint kitchen and bar, I’d say the abundance of fresh ingredients and tasty cocktails left me with quite a ‘Barbuzzo.’

Oysters Five Ways

In a decade, the always chic Fifth Floor restaurant in the Hotel Palomar in downtown San Francisco has had an impressive roster of top-tier chefs rotate through. George Morrone, Laurent Gras, Laurent Manrique, Melissa Perello, Jennie Lorenzo, and now, David Bazirgan. Each has put their own stamp on this sumptuous dining room with its soft, white leather chairs; floor-to-ceiling, glass-fronted wine cellar; and terrace herb garden that can be viewed from tables by the windows.

Now comes Massachusetts-native, Bazirgan, who took over this year, following his stint as Executive Chef at Chez Papa Resto in San Francisco, and five years as Chef de Cuisine at No. 9 Park in Boston.

The food remains as elegant to look at as always, and perhaps more accessible in some ways and a bit less precious.

Unlike so many other restaurants, if you order the chef’s tasting menu here, the entire table doesn’t have to commit to that option. Instead, I went with the $85 tasting menu with the accompanying $50 wine pairing, while my husband ordered a la carte.

Bazirgan is partial to Island Creek oysters from his home state and they showed up on the half shell, drizzled with sweet, salty, complex 25-year aged soy sauce and little pearls of finger lime. My husband also enjoyed those oysters, showcased five ways ($18) in a dazzling display on a large square white plate. There was an oyster with creamy Bearnaise and caviar, fried with rouille, dolloped with cucumber granite, dressed with a classic mignonettte, and a wonderful little cup of chowder that tasted so silky, creamy and intense with natural oyster liqueur.

Next, roasted baby beets with a creamy, citrus St. Maure cheese, toasted pecans, chicories, and cara cara orange — a lovely blend of sweet, earthy, and bitter. Although smoked lardo was listed as an ingredient, my husband and I found it rather elusive on the plate.

My sauteed Branzini arrived with beautifully crisp skin and moist flesh, with the fish livened up by pureed salty-piquant olives and a saffron-pastis emulsion.

My husband’s local, line-caught swordfish ($28) was quite flaky for this usually dense fish, which arrived with creamy flageolet beans, parsnips and pickled seaweed.

Pastas are fantastic here. My rosemary tagliatelle came tossed with rich confit duck ragu, nettles and Parmigiano-Reggiano for a dish full of meaty flavors, yet lightened with the brightness of herbs.

My husband’s slow-braised oxtail risotto ($12) was kicked up with a touch of fresh horseradish. A small chunk of oxtail crowned the creamy rice, so tender that I was about to fight him for the last bite.

My main on the tasting menu was supposed to be dry-aged New York steak, but Bazirgan sent out a duck dish instead, maybe because he heard me swooning over that last tagliatelle dish. My Liberty Farms duck breast arrived sliced and fanned on the plate, its skin salty, crisp and irresistible. The exquisite duck-port jus was thick, jammy, and almost candied tasting. Kumquats, sunchokes, celery root, rutabaga, and dandelion greens completed the dish.

My husband’s roasted lamb loin and confit belly ($32) arrived with farro, black radish, black garlic and sweet golden raisins. It’s harder to come by, but I predict lamb belly will one day surpass the porky version as the darling ingredient of chefs. It’s extraordinarily tender like short ribs and with the same intense flavor, but with a lot more fatty goodness.

Dessert was a lighter, brighter version of rhum baba, this one highlighted with pineapple, basil seeds, and a kaffir leaf ice cream that nearly stole the whole show. I’m still dreaming about that ice cream — so floral, tropical, and bordering on a little savory.

The evening ended with an assortment of tiny sweets: cassis marshmallow, financier, lemon bar, and chocolate macaroon.

As we took the elevator back down to ground level lobby, we felt like we were still floating floors above.

– Carolyn Jung of FoodGal

California halibut

You know you’re dining at a hot new place in San Francisco when on a chilly Sunday evening, it’s jam-packed with a well-known socialite at one table and a Euro-fashionista in neon pink fur vest and billboard-screaming sequined jeans at another.

Prospect is not just a place to be seen, though. It’s also a place to dine very, very well.

Of course, that’s expected when it’s a spin-off of one of the most popular and well-regarded restaurants in the city, Boulevard. Executive Chef Ravi Kapur, who worked for eight years under Nancy Oakes at Boulevard, oversees this contemporary space with its soaring windows overlooking Spear Street, bold art canvasses on the wall, and large drum lights suspended from the ceiling. Prospect, a short hop from the Hotel Vitale, has a more casual vibe than Boulevard, and a menu that’s a little easier on the pocketbook.

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant.

After we were seated, an special amuse bouche greeted us — a tiny salad of maitake mushrooms, both shaved and fried tempura-style, garnished with pine nuts and shavings of black truffle. What a way to start the night.

My husband couldn’t resist the Green Goddess Salad ($14), which was served nicely chilled. This California dream of a dish was composed of mixed lettuces tossed with creamy avocado, crunchy cucumber, and a lovely assertive caper vinaigrette that made you want to eat every last leaf on the plate.

My starter of black cod ($15.50) was succulent, its silky flesh contrasted with the crunch of a shiso leaf that had been stuffed with chopped shrimp, then deep-fried. Shiitakes and matsutakes rounded out this Asian-inflected dish with a subtle red curry broth.

We also tried a salad of handpicked Dungeness crab ($16), an uptown version of a classic, which dazzled with creamy house-made ranch dressing, fried slivers of torpedo onion, and dollops of Uruguayan caviar.

Kapur’s dishes are so well-balanced, and he’s a master at texture. Every dish had a range of them. If there was something soft and languid on the plate, there was always something crispy, too, to lend character and definition.

My husband was fairly swooning over the Wagyu Zabuton ($33.50), a well-marbled cut from the center of the chuck roll that’s almost rib-eye-like in flavor and texture. The extremely juicy steak got a flourish from toasted nettles, maitake mushrooms, spiced parsnips, and a little mound of farro enriched with tiny pieces of tender, beefy, oxtail.

My California halibut ($28) with celery root mousseline, salsify, and clamshell mushrooms was fabulous and made all the more special by a satsuma hollandaise sauce. Think of the flavor of a creamsicle, only made thicker and creamier with lots of butter, and you get my drift.

Dessert at Prospect is playful and varied. If you just want to nosh on something small, you can. Or you can go to town with something more substantial.

My husband and I shared the ricotta doughnuts ($8), served with huckleberry sauce. The ricotta gives the doughnuts a light, airy texture. For extra whimsy, the doughnuts are  rolled in sugar that’s mixed with crushed lemon drops for a surprise burst of citrus.

The restaurant also serves the cutest little ice cream sandwiches ever ($8). These two-bite wonders are composed of crisp, deep chocolate-y cookies with a filling of cinnamon swirl ice cream.

The house-made caramel popcorn ($5) may just put all others to shame. Prospect’s version is delightfully crunchy, buttery and so fresh tasting. The popped kernels are all separate, too, rather than in big clumps. A touch of salt and cocoa nibs makes this version much more balanced, and not so achingly sweet as so many others. You’re sure to be addicted from the first handful.

At Prospect, you never know just who’ll you see. But you’re sure to leave thoroughly satisfied.

– Carolyn Jung of FoodGal

It’s never easy replacing a chef who has been with a restaurant since inception, especially one as talented as Nick Balla.

Balla opened the Japanese izakaya-style restaurant, Nombe in San Francisco, but departed at the end of last year — but not before creating quite the impression. Balla, who visits Japan regularly, is such an astute study of traditional Japanese cuisine that his techniques even impressed a group of visiting Japanese chefs at a conference in St. Helena last year.

Balla, who also lived in Budapest for three years, is now at Bar Tartine in San Francisco, where he’s putting his own spin on Eastern European food.

Replacing him at Nombe is Vince Scofield, who most recently cooked for Ebb & Flow in San Francisco. He also was the opening executive chef at Kabuki Kitchen in San Francisco. In addition to Nombe, he’s involved with Darwin Cafe and Taco Libre, both in San Francisco.

Whew! Talk about a lot on his plate. But Scofield is giving it a valiant try at Nombe in the Mission District, a short drive from the Holiday Inn Civic Center San Francisco.

San Francisco

Recently I was invited to be a guest at the restaurant to try his new dishes. The menu still has a wide array of small plates. Although you’ll find everything from grilled beef tongue to fried chicken liver to spicy grilled tripe, the menu is a little less progressive than it used to be.

The restaurant, a former taqueria and diner, is divided into two eclectic rooms. The back room is nightclub-dim, so sit in the front  room if you really want to see your food.

Definitely have some sake, too, as the restaurant boasts more than 75 premium varieties to enjoy by the glass, flight, or bottle.

We started with a bowl of crisp taro chips ($4) served with a creamy edamame hummus dip that entirely resembled guacamole, but had a subtle bean-y flavor instead.

The sashimi sampler of five different types of seafood, including uni, butterfish, and halibut, was fresh and wonderful. But at $30 for 10 pieces — and pretty small ones at that — it was pretty pricey.

The skewers of chicken skin ($5) actually squirted juice when you bit into them. They were rich and salty, though not as crackling crisp as I’ve had elsewhere.

Fried chicken wings ($9) arrived in a bowl topped with a salty-sweet soy broth that had nice tang. But you’ll want to eat them fast, as the sauce will turn the coating of the ones at the bottom of the bowl rather soggy.

Hokkaido scallops ($14) were nicely seared and drizzled with uni butter. Tender, meaty butterfish ($13) arrived alongside spinach and melty leeks in miso that I just couldn’t spoon up fast enough.

Juicy slices of Kobe Bavette ($14) were sliced thin and fanned out on a plate with addicting soy-butter glazed baby potatoes.

Yaki Onigiri ($6 for two) is one of the truly great simple pleasures in life — rice balls brushed with soy, grilled until crusty on the outside, then garnished with strips of nori. It’s finger-food that’s pure comfort.

For dessert, we enjoyed a scoop of black sesame ice cream ($7) that was a powerhouse of sweet, savory, and nutty nuances, as well as a green tea panna cotta with a wonderful bitter edge.

Light eaters will be very satisfied at Nombe. For those with heftier appetites, just know that you may end up spending far more than you bargained for once all those little plates start piling up fast.

– Carolyn Jung of FoodGal

LGBT popular shows such as Real World DC (with the overexposed token queer, Mike Manning), Real Housewives of DC (party crashing anyone?) and Top Chef DC (highlighting the city’s growing foodie scene) have helped peak a global GLBT travel interest in our nation’s capital. Much like its new TV persona, DC is a happening place for the latest and greatest hotel, restaurant, nightlife, and overall social trends.

Sou’Wester. The gay-friendly Mandarin Oriental DC recently welcomed acclaimed Chef Eddie Moran to partake in the growing regional trend of mid-Atlantic comfort food with Sou’Wester, a decadent eating extravaganza celebrated by power brokers, policy makers, and DC socialites. This is one restaurant where the gay boys don’t count carbs and fat grams; in fact, they shovel in the cornbread, the oysters, the Grilled North Carolina Shrimp Cheddar Cheese Grits, and the Sautéed Chesapeake Bay Rockfish like a gluttonous Kirstie Allie captured binging on a tabloid cover (pre-Dancing with the Stars, of course).

Hank’s Oyster Bar. Somewhere between white-gloved service and street-side pupusas in Mt. Pleasant, DC’s mid-priced eateries impress with hearty portions, creative cuisine, and great ambiance. Hank’s Oyster Bar, for example, is 110% sensational seafood rapture. “Small plates” like the Griddled Crabcake, the Steamed Blue Bay Mussels, and the BBQ’d oysters broiled in Tabasco, butter, and breadcrumbs are what America’s foodie revolution is all about – amazing, fresh ingredients, fierce ingenuity, and unbelievable taste. The “large plates” impress, too. The Lobster Roll is oh so New England fabulous and the Bouillabaisse is a favorite of DC’s snobbiest French expats.

Duplex Diner. Duplex Diner specializes in fruity, liquid dinners, but also has some grease pit favorites. This is a gay-charged hangout often patronized by straights, climaxing on Thursdays when the who’s-who of LGBT DC pack the house.

Happy Hour just about anywhere. Balancing time between lobbying, networking, and socializing, DC gays are kings and queens of the elongated happy hour – an early evening drunken stupor where professional and personal boundaries blur and powerful relationships are fortified. One of the coolest places for happy hour is the rooftop bar at the W DC, which peers over the White House. A bit later than happier hour, but no less amazing, is the fabulous Tuesday rooftop pool party at the Donovan House.

–Paul Rubio of  AmazingGayTravel.com

1300 on Fillmore will transport you to another time, another place.

The glamorous San Francisco supper club greets you like a contemporary Southern belle with attitude from the moment you step inside its massive, heavy doors.

All warm, chocolate brown leather and polished wood, the lounge features a dramatic wall of back-lit black and white photos of the historic Fillmore Jazz District that surrounds the restaurant, a short drive from the Hotel Kabuki San Francisco.

There’s live jazz in the lounge regularly, and even gospel performances during Sunday brunch.

Recently, I was invited to be a guest of the four-year-old restaurant to try Chef David Lawrence’s singular take on Southern specialties. Lawrence owns the restaurant with his wife, Monetta, who greets guests in the dining room as if welcoming them to her own home. He is English-born, of Jamaican heritage, and French-trained — all of which shows on his plates. The food has the comforting quality you want in Southern cooking, but here it’s done up with far more flair and refinement.

Warm triangles of cornbread, crusty on the outside and tender within, arrived at the table with a pot of sweet-spicy red pepper jam. You will have to summon all the willpower you have not to eat every single one.

An amuse arrived — a large plate with a small crater in the center, cradling thick, rustic grits with tomato marmalade and blue cheese. It had nice balance, because even with the addition of the pungent cheese, you could still taste the lovely corn flavor of the grits.

Little Gem salad ($8) brought crunchy long leaves drizzled with tangy buttermilk dressing, and scattered with spiced molasses glazed pecans and crunchy croutons made from more of that wonderful cornbread.

Barbecue shrimp and grits ($14) carried a lovely hit of spice, as well as irresistible fried garlic chips that made the dish memorable.

Of course, who can resist fried chicken at a Southern restaurant? You need to allow 20 minutes for this one ($24), as it’s cooked to order. This is not your fried chicken with crunchy curlicues of crisp batter enveloping it. This is more your neat, civilized version of fried chicken. First off, it’s boned out. Second, Lawrence uses a marinade-brine to keep it super moist, then dredges it in organic corn flour seasoned with a touch of cumin, before shallow-frying it in cast-iron skillet. Take a bite and it’s more of a chewy crunch rather than a shattering one, with the flesh tender and juicy.

Pan-roasted diver scallops ($26) arrived beautifully seared with sweet potato mash with a hint of cinnamon, and a carrot-cardamom sauce studded with crispy bits of pancetta.

We couldn’t pass up a side of white truffle macaroni and white cheddar cheese ($7). This is not your heart-attack version drowned in paste-thick, cheese sauce. Instead, the macaronis are coated in a thinner, more restrained sauce that’s still dreamy-creamy and satisfying.

For dessert, you can’t go wrong with banana cream pie ($9). It’s not served as a wedge here, but as an individual tart with a filling that’s more pleasingly custard-like than pudding-ish. Swirls of caramel-lime sauce add a little more sweetness to this very fresh tasting dessert.

Like any good supper club, 1300 on Fillmore takes you to another place — one so comfortable that you won’t want to leave anytime soon.

– Carolyn Jung of FoodGal

Visiting South Beach is easier than ever with some new, budget-friendly transportation options that will have you out of the airport and basking in the sun in no time! While images of celebrities and socialites cavorting in the surf give the city a posh reputation, a number of dedicated discount transit services make Miami Beach a truly affordable family destination. Discover the Airport Flyer, the South Beach Local Shuttle Service, Swoop Miami and the new Miami Beach Deco Bike Sharing System.

1. The Miami-Dade Transit Service recently introduced a dedicated Airport Flyer Route connecting the Miami International Airport to South Beach with limited stops and a family-friendly fare of just $2.35. Each brand new VIP coach features luggage racks, comfortable seating and free WiFi making the bus a great alternative to the $32 taxi fare. Guests can board the airport shuttle at the ground level of Concourse E from 6am until 11pm seven days a week. The bus travels to 41 Street and stops southbound along Collins Avenue all the way to 16th Street where it turns around at Lincoln Road Mall at Washington Avenue and returns to the airport. The Airport Flyer is a great option for guests staying at the Four Points by Sheraton, Courtyard by Marriott Oceanfront and the Palms Hotel & Spa.

2. The City of Miami Beach provides a unique South Beach Local Shuttle Service that circles the heart of the tourist district nearly every 15 minutes from 7:40am to 1am seven days a week.  These fully air conditioned busses are bike and wheelchair accessible and cost just 25 cents a ride so everyone can afford a quick do-it-yourself tour of the local scene. Hop on board the SoBe Local to travel to the Miami Beach Convention Center, the Performing Arts District, the Botanical Gardens and the Holocaust Memorial. The circuit includes all of Washington Avenue, South Pointe Park, West Avenue, Lincoln Road Mall and the Collins Park Museum District. The South Beach Local Shuttle is ideal for guests of the Gansevoort Hotel, the W South Beach, the Mondrian and the Standard Hotel and Spa. Just print the route map and you’re ready to roll!

3. Swoop Miami is a dedicated open-air tram service helping South Beach tourists access more of their favorite city sights for FREE! The on-call ride updates the traditional golf cart into a mod, 6-passenger “Go-Pod” that swiftly navigates South Beach traffic from First to Twenty-third Streets and from Ocean Drive to the Bay. Just call or text (305) 409-6636  and prepare to be swooped in under 15 minutes! The service operates from noon until 2am making the eco-friendly tram the ideal designated driver in the event you reallocate your transit budget toward one too many frozen cocktails.

4. Speaking of eco-friendly travel, the City of Miami Beach has just rolled out the Deco Bike sharing service, a unique way to instantly rent a bike at a curbside depot and drop it off at another docking station anywhere in town. A citywide, multi-million dollar GREEN transit enterprise, Deco Bike offers 1,000 custom cruisers at over 100 solar-powered rental kiosks. Simply slide your credit card and ride away! Residents can purchase monthly memberships and tourists can buy 1-day, 3-day or hourly passes that start at just $5. Ride where you like and return the bike at stations from South Pointe Park to 53rd Street Beach – which makes a ride down to South Beach even easier for guests at the Eden Roc Renaissance Resort & Spa, Fontainebleau Resort and the Miami Beach Resort & Spa.

~AdvisorGirl