PROVINCETOWN: NEW RESTAURANTS

Ptown — that amazing gay resort at the very tip of Cape Cod in Massachusetts — is definitely in season. July 4th through Labor Day is the most fun and most crowded time to visit.

Other times of the year are amazing but if you want the big crowds, this is when to go. Be sure to reserve at some of the new or newly improved restaurants we recently visited.

(Photo: Courtesy of Bistro at Crowne Pointe)

Red Inn

• Amazing views; lovely, romantic ambiance; fantastic menu; Red Inn continues to score the highest marks from the most discriminating diners. It’s not cheap but in Ptown as everywhere, you get what you pay for. This is great for a special night. Pop the question or just pop some champagne.

Victor’s

• Terrific food; great specials (we love the daily raw bar special from 3pm-5pm; and best of all surprisingly moderately priced, Victor’s makes a great choice for lunch, dinner or their fun brunches (on Sunday it’s a drag brunch — not you, the server; well, you can if you want since this is Ptown!)

El Mundo

• Inexpensive new Mexican place smack in the center of town; great maragaritas and really tasty cuisine.

10 Table

• A very nice new place on Bradford. Worth the (short, short) walk. Elegant ambiance inside and out. And very refined cuisine. Also terrific for brunch especially if you can’t get reservations for dinner.

The Bistro Restaurant at Crowne Pointe

• We love this resort with its gorgeous rooms, impeccable spa and high levels of service, but if you are not staying here, check out the bistro. Delicious, inventive and warm are all words that come to mind.

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com.

Ubuntu: World’s Only Michelin-Starred Veggie Restaurant

By John O’Ceallaigh

They’re besotted with food at Ubuntu.

Perhaps that should be expected, given that Ubuntu is the first vegetarian restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star – ever, anywhere – but it’s nice to benefit from their infatuation. As I made my way through their menu, the waitress enthused, extolled and elaborated about the respective merits of my choices.

“How’s the artichoke and lime vichyssoise?” I wondered. “Well, it’s been a particularly good artichoke harvest this year so it’s especially full flavored and refreshing at the moment.” “Can you recommend something non-alcoholic to drink?” I queried. “Try the lemonade. Lemons are right in season so it’d be a shame to pass that up.”

Her recommendations were excellent, of course, but so was pretty much everything else we tried. My companion and I ordered the six-course chef’s menu and were wowed by course after course of beautifully presented, delectable vegetarian dishes. At $65 it was good value too, another benefit to vegetarian dining. Not that we noticed the absence of meat. Ubuntu isn’t one of those militant advocates of vegetarianism force feeding customers plates of tofu. (We were surprised to learn that only two of the servers are vegetarian.) Instead it focuses on creating exceptional dishes that simply focus on the tastes and textures of plants.

There are some nods to alternative practices, though. Food from the Ubuntu gardens is farmed according to biodynamic principles and the restaurant itself also has its own yoga studio. Whether biodynamic practices are superior to organic or regular farming methods it’s hard to say, and it’s unlikely you’ll have time to fit in a spot of Ashtanga before your appetizers, but we left Ubuntu feeling its owners really do care about food, and their contribution to the local community. It’s an impression reinforced by the staff’s attire. The back of their t-shirts reminds diners to ‘practice humanity towards others.’

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com.

Attend the Royal Wedding in New York

Your invitation to the “Royal Wedding” not yet appeared in your mail box? Fret not! Our friends at the Jumeirah Essex House have you covered.

On Friday April 29 starting at 6 am and repeating every 2 hours on the hour, the hotel will be broadcasting the wedding on a 25-foot wall projection in South Gate, their cool restaurant. You can grab some English pub classics or a three-course luncheon at a commoner’s price! ($24.07).

They’ve concocted a few royal libations: Middleton Mimosas and Buckingham Bellinis. For reservations in the restaurant, call 212-484-5120 or visit 154southgate.com.

Download your South Gate royal wedding. (And feel left out no longer!)

Puerto Vallarta Gets Tastier

Story by Ivan Quintanilla; Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

If variety is the spice of life, gay Vallarta is simmering with new flavors.  Casa Cupula, the decidedly upscale, boutique gay hotel in Puerto Vallarta, has opened its new restaurant Taste to the public.   Perched on a secluded hillside, overlooking the Bay of Banderas, Taste is all about options. Choose to dine in the newly redesigned intimate dining room or under the sunshine/moonlight on the adjoining terrace.

London’s Only Men’s Afternoon Tea Packs a Punch

Story by John O’Ceallaigh; Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

It’s a daily tradition – the clock chimes 3pm and in England’s grandest hotels afternoon tea is served. There’s been a change in procedure, however, because central London’s Mandeville Hotel the clamor of clinking china and idle chatter is caused just as much by guys who gossip as ladies who lunch. The hotel hosts the capital’s only afternoon tea designed for men, and while the atmosphere is as genteel as elsewhere the menu has dispensed with the daintiness (somewhat at least).

Presented on a tiered trio of blue Tiffany plates, sandwiches and pastries eschew the expected. Cucumber slivers served on white bread have been axed in favor of grilled Mediterranean vegetables served on black-olive ciabatta – a definite improvement we thought; ham sandwiches have been replaced by potted shrimps with a salty spread of gentlemen’s relish. (The suggestively titled condiment is an anchovy paste worth trying once for novelty’s sake, but that’s probably about it.)

Desserts, like zesty basil-lemon tarts and crumbly blueberry cheesecake, are less experimental but delicious. Except, that is, for the sodden beignets we were served. Their core held a chocolate-covered fig not dissimilar in appearance to that bloodthirsty plant in the Little Shop of Horrors – a bit too macho for us.

It’s easy to end on a sweet note, though. As well as gourmet teas, the menu includes a selection of full-bodied whiskies. A heretical embellishment for afternoon-tea traditionalists, perhaps, but just the tipple to toast the oncoming evening.

Men’s afternoon tea costs from £23.50 and should be booked in advance.

Click here for our London guide.

Spice Up Your Next Visit to London

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

On February 14th, 2011, internationally renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges will premiere Spice Market London in the new W London – Leicester Square hotel.  This South East Asian-inspired restaurant will be the sister restaurant of the super gay-popular and always-hard-to-get-into Spice Market in New York’s Meatpacking District and is set to be the most eagerly anticipated opening of 2011.

Our London travel guide.

West Coast Dining Deals

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

Hope you’re hungry! This month there are two “Dine Abouts” to talk about in two west coast foodie capitals.

In San Francisco, now through January 31, 2011, locals and visitors have the opportunity to experience some of the finest restaurants in town at a fraction of the price. You may select from more than 100 participating restaurants offering a two-course lunch menu for $17.95 and/or a three-course dinner menu for $34.95. For a complete list for Dine About Town San Francisco, click here: DineAboutTown.com.

Further north, Dine Out Vancouver kicks off January 24 and goes through February 6. This celebration of local food and British Columbia wine offers three-course prix fixe menus at $18 $28, and $38 price points (not including taxes, alcohol and tip) at 215 restaurants across Metro Vancouver. More info: Dine Out Vancouver.

Five Bites: San Francisco’s Tasty Treats

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

During a culinary tour of San Francisco, I got to sample savory and sweet sensations at five new or newly improved restaurants. This is a foodie town and my visit was in no way meant to be an exhaustive search. I just found these eminently worthy of mention. Here are my latest five favorite dining spots in Baghdad by the Bay (in order of increasing likelihood of food-related orgasm).

Level III

• The food and service were fantastic in this dining room, located on the third floor of the J.W. Marriott at Post St. and Mason St. in downtown San Francisco. The decor may be a bit too corporate to make it a romantic or “big night” destination dining spot, but it’s a terrific option for dinner after work or for some energy for before or after a shopping binge.

E&O Trading Company

• Also on Sutter St. (near Grant St.) E&O Trading Company, a Southeast Asian Grill, has been around for a while but re-invented itself with the arrival of its latest chef, who introduced the new “lunch break” option, incredibly tasty and inexpensively priced options that have proven to be wildly successful with the business and shopping crowds at lunch.

Marlowe

• This market-driven neighborhood bistro is located at 330 Townsend, deep in the once-scary, now super-cool SoMA (south of Market) district. Characterized by an eclectic offering of snacks, appetizers, sides, and mains and affordable and interesting wines, Marlowe recently featured a divine Jerusalem artichoke soup (with whipped creme fraiche), a garlic-y dish of roasted pistachios, and a warm open-faced deviled egg sandwich.

Starbelly

• Serving brunch, lunch, and dinner just off Market in the still super gay-popular Castro district Starbelly has been wowing fans for over a year with inexpensive, farm-to-table cuisine. Dine in the patio year round. Enjoy snacks (like three Starbelly salumi for $14), small plates (including the mouth-watering pan seared day boat scallops also $14) or if you’re feeling peckish (or want to share) a pizza (the fall squash and sage pie is delish and cheap at only $13).

Baker & Banker

• Save up one evening to enjoy a to-die-for meal at this eponymous restaurant. (The chef is actually Mr. Jeff Banker and his wife, the pasty chef is Lori Baker.) The restaurant serves upscale dishes and a great wine list at affordable prices in a relaxed yet chic setting, with terrific service. It’s one of those places that’s less known than the big name-dining spots but beloved by in-the-know locals.

For lots more great dining, as well as clubs, bars, hotels and much more in San Francisco, download our Out guide.