We’ve been a bit obsessed with the City of Sin as of late (Maybe it’s because we’re dying to go!), but with its inflated room rates and over-the-top glitz, we can’t afford to always go gamble in Vegas. Thankfully, there are some pretty sweet casinos far off the Strip (and we mean far) where you can still win — or lose — some big bucks. Check out our seven favorites and take a chance at one of these spots.
The entrance to the casino of The Trump Taj Mahal; Atlantic City, NJ
WHY GAMBLE HERE: Although gaudy and dated in terms of its decor, the Taj offers up a huge casino over 3500 slot machines and 200 table games. There’s also a Baccarat pit, poker room and a Simulcast facility to place your racing bets. Plus, the hotel has a prime spot on the beach boardwalk and has a wide range of dining options, including the upscale Italian restaurant (and editor favorite) Il Mulino.
Check out more non-Vegas casinos after the jump!
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by Hilary on September 9, 2011
We’re visiting the best, trendiest hotel bars to find you the tastiest summer cocktails in NYC. Not only have we got the photos, we’ve got the recipes — directly from the bartenders — so you can make them at home. Grab your martini glass and hit the deck, you’re having a cocktail party.
This week, we’ve got New York Central at The Grand Hyatt, New York. Previously, we’ve bar hopped at: XVI at Hilton Garden Inn Times Square, The Maritime, The James Hotel, Hilton New York Fashion District, and The Standard Hotel.
Scene at New York Central at The Grand Hyatt, New York
Drink #1: Mr. Big
Mr. Big, at New York Central at The Grand Hyatt, New York
Ingredients:
- 2oz Ceres Guava Juice
- 1/2 Lime Juice
- 1oz Combier Orange
- 2oz Death’s Door Vodka
To make
Build, ice, shake vigorously and strain into Martini Glass
Garnish: Star Fruit
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Mmm, mmm… That *is* a tasty burger!
The ubiquitous hotel hamburger: business traveler stand-by, kid-friendly sure-thing, life-saver of the hungover, and current obsession among New York food fanatics. From the $32 sirloin, short rib, foie gras, and black truffle indulgence at db Bistro Moderne (at the swank City Club Hotel) to the bare-bones, beef-on-bun for $9 (at the budget Wellington Hotel), prices and quality can admittedly vary widely.
But that didn’t stop us from surveying 34 properties to determine the average price of a burger in the neighborhood around Times Square: $16.62. With tax and tip, you’re looking at a shade over 20 bucks. Not cheap for ground beef on bread, but certainly a better buy than a double-decker bus tour.
[Photo via Flickr/SimonDoggett]
Area 31 at the Epic Hotel
As foodies flock to South Beach on February 25 for Food Network’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival, they’ll be excited to find a burgeoning restaurant scene awaiting them. As Frank Bruni recently wrote in the The New York Times, chefs are the new stars in Miami.
So while we’ve already told you where to stay in Miami for the festival, now it’s time to think about dinner reservations. Sure, not every must-try restaurant is in a hotel (our area of expertise), but you may be surprised to find how many of the city’s top eateries are. Two of the five spots Bruni recommended in detail were in popular (and hip!) hotels – Hakkasan in Fontainebleau and Area 31 in the Epic Hotel – and below we’ll expand on his list.
Here are the hotel restaurants that foodies shouldn’t miss while visiting Miami:
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Locanda Verde at The Greenwich Hotel
New York Magazine recently published its Where to Eat in 2010 issue, a guide to the newest, most definitively up-and-coming restaurants around New York City. According to the magazine’s restaurant critic, Adam Platt, the days of noteworthy restaurants in grand hotels are on the rise again. But while the elegant restaurants of yore are making a comeback, we’ve seen an influx of hip, on-the-go restaurants setting up shop in hotels as well. Take, for example, Danny Meyer opening a Shake Shack in the soon-to-open InterContinental New York Times Square, or the sandwich-only outpost of Brooklyn’s inventive No. 7 landing at Ace Hotel. Luckily, in a city as big as New York, there’s plenty of room for both types.
Below we’ll tell you about the hotel restaurants Platt wants you to check out in the new year.
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by admin on November 16, 2009
Mediterranean vegetables layered with buffalo mozzarella at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
It’s Monday. You’re getting hungry for Thanksgiving. Maybe the changing weather and the transition into the hectic holiday season has you hankerin’ for a foodie vacay. Or perhaps you just enjoy looking at pictures of food, regardless of whether or not the feasting season is upon us.
Slideshow
Whatever your excuse, we know you’re going to devour this slideshow of all the tasty treats we stuffed into our faces during our Las Vegas hotel reviewing process. From the simple stuff — like a bacon cheeseburger with onion rings — to this foamy shrimp concoction at Le Cirque, indulging in all this scrumptious goodness via your computer screen is totally calorie-free.
And we’re still marveling at how these little desserts came to be this color. Las Vegas magic, maybe.
by admin on November 12, 2009
Banh Mi at Ma Peche
This afternoon, we followed a trail of drool left by the NYC foodie blogger population all the way into the Chambers Hotel lobby mezzanine, where the very first lunch at Ma Peche was being served. Ma Peche, for those unfamiliar, is the newest restaurant from Momofuku Inc. opening sometime this winter in the Chambers. For now, a select few dishes are being offered on the Mezzanine menu in the Chambers lobby for those too eager to wait to sink their teeth into a fatty banh mi.
For the $10 Momo lunch special going on right now, you get a canned soda and your choice of a three terrine banh mi, a chicken banh mi, rice noodles with pork, or a squid salad. We noshed on the three terrine banh mi with daikon and cilantro, full of flavor, though a bit oily – and we treated ourselves to a giant peanut butter cookie from Momofuku Milk bar.
Pros:
- Excellent location, close to Midtown attractions like MoMA, Fifth Avenue shopping, Central Park, and many other Midtown hotels
- Fantastic food, as expected from foodie idol David Chang
- Virtually glitch-free service, despite the opening day lunch rush
Cons:
- The main dining room is not yet open, and eating on the mezzanine is uncomfortable (and a bit messy); we sat hunched over a coffee table.
- Expensive: $10 for a small sandwich and a canned soda; $16 for a hamburger.
- Packed with bloggers (like us) playing with their smartphones.
by admin on November 11, 2009
We’ve already told you which hotels are best for viewing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC this year — but let us not forget about the very best part of the holiday: stuffing yourself until you’re so bloated that you may be mistaken for one of those parade balloons yourself.
But don’t bother making a massive Thanksgiving Day feast on your own. Any New Yorker knows that NYC kitchens barely have enough counter space to prepare a sandwich, let alone a giant bird and a half-dozen sides. And as for New York visitors, well…unless your hotel room is equipped with a kitchen (hey, some are), you’ve got no choice but to dine out.
Whether you’re looking for a traditional turkey ‘n trimmings meal or more of a non-traditional twist on the holiday goodness, we’ve rounded up the best hotel restaurants for dining out on Thanksgiving in NYC.
Adour Alain Ducasse, The St. Regis New York
Adour Alain Ducasse, St. Regis New York
Michelin-star chef Alain Ducasse’s pricey new signature restaurant at the St. Regis, opened in 2008, is offering a four-course Thanksgiving menu for $95 per person that includes a foie gras ravioli and Golden Heritage roasted turkey. An a la carte menu is also available.
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by admin on October 8, 2009
With the Food Network’s New York City Wine and Food Festival kicking off on Thursday, we were inspired to whip up a little Big Apple “wine and food festival” of our own – without the need for pricey, hard-to-come-by event tickets, crowded venues, swarms of press, and the packs of Food Network star stalkers. Oh, and we thought we’d go ahead and answer that pesky question of where to stay, too.
Here are Oyster’s five ways to make the most out of a New York City vacation by turning your trip into your own personal wine and food fest — all autumn long.
Wine selection at Asiate, Mandarin Oriental NY
The Just-to-Say-You-Ate-There Trip: Deluxe Columbus Circle Feast
The Mandarin Oriental New York in Columbus Circle is within spitting distance of two of NYC’s finest restaurants, Per Se and Masa. If you can shell out the dough for Per Se’s $275-per-person (not including tip or drinks, folks) tasting menu or face the $1000+ bill on the table at Masa without wanting to throw yourself into Manhattan traffic, then you can totally take a matchbook home and brag about the experience to your friends. Hit up The Mandarin’s own MOBar or Asiate for a less formal (and easier on the wallet) experience, too — the views are fab, and it would appear that there are no shortage of choices if you’re interested in adding the “wine” to your “wine and food festival.”
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The tuna sampler at Orchids, The Halukelani
In celebration of Oyster launching our newest collection of Hawaii hotel reviews, we present you with a little island gift from us to you: a beautiful slideshow of all the food we’ve collected (and consumed!) during our Oahu hotel reviewing process. Don’t say we never bring you anything pretty back from our trips.
Slideshow
Now show us your table manners and say mahalo when someone puts food in front of you, whether it’s a plate of crab and macadamia nut wontons or torched hamachi sushi.
Nom nom.
P.S. here is a giant bowl of paella.
