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Gourmet India Tour with James Beard-Award Winning Chef, Prasad Chirnomula

If you ever wanted to visit India, see the major sites, stay at the top hotels, and be guided by one of the finest Indian chefs in America, you now have that opportunity. Geringer Global Travel has just announced a “Gourmet India 2011” jaunt led by James Beard-award winning chef, Prasad Chirnomula. Owner of five Thali restaurants in Connecticut, Chirnomula was the first Indian chef to be rated “Excellent” by The New York Times. From January 30 to February 15, Chirnomula will take you to all his favorite haunts in the old country, including the fishing village and market in Koli, the spice market in Cochin, and the fruit and vegetable markets in Colaba. The trip will feature lectures and cooking demonstrations by internationally renowned chefs, including lunch at Philip Kutty Farm, a family-run restaurant featuring Malabar cuisine on its own self-contained island, and a barbecue on a beach in Goa featuring Master Chef Rego. Lodging includes many of Travel & Leisure’s top hotels in the world, including the Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra, the Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, and the Mumbai Taj Mahal Palace. Price of the 16-day trip is $12,910 per person, including four internal flights, all hotels, meals, and guides.
 

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Drive the Puuc Route

The Mayan day of doom, December 21st, is almost upon us. There’s no better way to commemorate the occasion than to actually visit some of Mexico’s finest Mayan ruins. A mere hour’s drive south of Merida is the Puuc Route. This hillier region of the Yucatan attracts fewer travelers than the better-known sites of Chichen Itza and Tulum since it is farther from the resort towns of Cancun and Rivera Maya. The rounded pyramid at your first stop, Uxmal, stands majestically on high ground. At the Nunnery Quadrangle, four buildings just behind the pyramid, serpents and heads of jaguars can easily be seen on the motifs. Other Mayan sites along the Puuc Route are also worth a quick detour. Kabah is known for its almost maniacal façade of 250 Chaac sculptures that line one wall. Walk past the wild turkeys and brilliant red birds in the forest of Sayil to reach its grand palace.  

 
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Disappointing America’s Cup

For those of you who caught that small short blurb in the middle of the sports section last week, smack dab between Winter Olympics, basketball, and spring training baseball coverage, the America’s Cup is finally returning to American soil for the first time in 15 years. Software billionaire Larry Ellison and his BMW Oracle Racing team easily crushed the Swiss in Valencia, Spain. But did you take a look at his boat, a space-age trimaran that’s all sail, little deck? This is what the greatest sailing race has been reduced to, creating the fastest object on the water? Call me a traditionalist but I yearn for my childhood where we would head to Newport and watch the likes of Ted Turner and Dennis Connor sail large mono-hulled sailboats that at least looked like sleek yachts, not something better suited for Star Wars. One of the greatest thrills I had was racing on the winning 1986 Stars and Stripes boat in St. Martin, now used as a tourist attraction, racing against other boats from that era. It’s a far better way to introduce people to the exhilaration of sailing races, at least compared to Ellison’s high-priced toy.

 

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Maine Windjammer Week, Food, Glorious Food

A day of salty air and pulling on ropes can build up an appetite. Fortunately, the Windjammers are known for their hearty meals. And if you’re expecting Navy grub, you’ll be surprised to know that Windjammer food is so cherished that no less than three of the boats have already published their own cookbooks. The Captains source local harvested ingredients and often provide their own produce from home, like flowers, syrup, honey and eggs. Fresh baked breads are cooked in a cast-iron wood stove, with stews and salads another staple of the seafaring diet. 

 
The highlight of every trip, however, is the all-you-can-eat lobster bake, served with steamers and corn. Captain Barry King of the Mary Day once had one young man eat 13 lobsters in one sitting. Talk about getting your money’s worth! Captains know this is the signature meal on the cruise so they strategize carefully, taking the weather into consideration, finding the best beach to dine, arranging to pick up fresh lobster at the last minute from a local fishermen. The side dishes include corn on the cob, steamed clams, salad, potatoes, and often linguica. Hot dogs and hamburgers are also available for those foolish souls who don’t like lobster. 
 
Dessert is usually served back aboard the schooner. Expect hot pie topped with schooner-cranked ice cream or something more gourmet like butterscotch-topped gingerbread with sautéed apples. Then someone usually pulls out a guitar and banjo and you sing sea shanties under the brilliant night sky. The only way to digest!
 
The Maine Windjammer Association has dozens of their favorite recipes posted online. Have a look. 
 
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Get into the Holiday Spirit at Newport

Just returned from a rejuvenating 24 hours in Newport, one of my favorite stopovers in New England any time of year. Starting today, the historic seaport gets into the Holiday spirit with a month-long citywide celebration simply called Christmas in Newport. The long list of activities includes live music at The Breakers estate and lantern walks over the twisting cobblestone streets. Newport is also home to a slew of intriguing boutique shops, ideal for Holiday shopping. Not far from the mansions on Bellevue Avenue is the Alloy Gallery, owned by a Rhode Island School of Design-trained jewelry artist who displays contemporary wares created by her and her colleagues. Women’s blouses, dresses, and jackets can be found at Tyler Boe, at Bannister’s Wharf. Kids will like the quirky games, clothing, books, and other odd miscellaneous knickknacks found at Pleasant Surprise on Thames Street. Close by is the Newport Historical Society Gift Shop, selling sea soap, shells, gardening and history books on New England. 

 
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Weekapaug Inn Set to Open in October After a $20 Million Transformation

Even with its Relais & Chateaux designation and a ranking as the fourth finest resort in America in the latest Travel & Leisure’s World’s Best Awards, the Ocean House still doesn’t take itself too seriously. After all, how many places have their own Croquet Pro? This is a place to reconnect with the family on the beach of Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Now the Ocean House plans to apply its laid-back charm to the Weekapaug Inn, five miles down the road. Originally built in 1899, the Weekapaug has been reconfigured to 27 guest rooms and four two-bedroom suites. What I love about the location, especially for families, is that you have the choice of swimming, sailing, and sea kayaking in a shallow saltwater pond or simply walking two minutes to a glorious white sand beach on the Atlantic shoreline. Other additions include a lap pool and three dining establishments that will offer a contemporary take on New England cuisine. In the summer, they’ll also be offering boat rides over to Block Island for the day. 

 
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Top 5 Adventures in Florida, Stroll Miami’s Den of Tranquility

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables is a lush mix of ponds, palms, ferns, big birds, and whimsical sculpture. One step inside the serene environs and you’re staring at an anhinga drying its wings in the sun next to Dale Chihuly’s colorful works of glass hidden in the orchids and big-leaf ferns. Serpentine trails lead you into a rainforest shaded by vanilla trees, under the Spanish moss hanging from a southern live oak, and past the massive roots of a 70-year old baobab tree. Add the large collection of herons and warblers that are fortunate to call the Fairchild home and you have the perfect rendezvous away from the crowds at South Beach. 

 

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