I almost always find something that amazes or inspires me when I travel ✈️ Special meals, places, people. The further I go, the more varied and unique the experiences seem to be. I’m usually pretty excited to share these things with my friends and family and I thought you may want to see a few as well?
So I am happy to introduce you to…
5 Things that have moved, inspired or amazed me recently. No rhyme or reason – just experiences that I felt to be remarkable and some color on how or why they made me feel that way 🤔 I’ll refresh this from time to time and I hope you check back now and then for some new inspiration. Live out loud!
1) Frantzén – everything about this singular restaurant amazes me. The people, the place, the food. Whenever I am fine dining anyplace in the world, Frantzén is the inevitable comparison, and it has yet to be eclipsed. This is the one place I would recommend to anyone asking me for the best restaurant in the world, and I’d do it with zero hesitation. http://www.restaurantfrantzen.com
2) High in the Italian Dolomites, hard against the Austrian border is the jewel of the Alps. An alpine lake that quite literally will break your eyes if you’re not careful. Lago De Brais, or the “Pragser Wildsee” for my German speaking friends has to be seen to be believed. Water in impossibly clean hues of blue and green, Granite spires towering thousands of feet above you and glacier driven waterfalls at almost every turn. A relatively easy 2mi hike takes you all the way around, affording an ever-changing landscape and nearly endless IG photo ops. Add a bottle of local white wine, a wheel of cheese and some fantastic Italian bread and then call your Boss, because you’re going to be here for a while. https://www.drei-zinnen.info/en/braies/braies/experiencing-braies/lake-lago-di-braies.html
La Parisienne
3) La Parisienne by Édouard Manet. Painted shortly before his death in 1883, this piece features the young Mme. Ellen André in period clothing. She is variously plaintive and confident, a symbol of her times. Striking in both its size (over 6ft tall) and depth, this piece moves me in ways I cannot easily explain. The colors, the brush marks, the richness. She is a wispy dream, a vision of times long ago. Beautiful, gilded, and perfect. I first saw it in Chicago almost 10yrs ago and I’ve been trying to find it again ever since. For those of you who may also wish to see and experience it in person, she’s in the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm along with some fairly important works by Rembrandt, Jordaens and Larsson. But for me? It is really just about La Parisienne. https://www.nationalmuseum.se/en/
4) Liquid Pecorino Romano
Yes, you read that correctly. LIQUID PECORINO. This soup, served at Joia restaurant in Milan is warm, velvety and deliciously sharp. It was an epiphany – a bowl of pure umami that I will NEVER forget. Joia is the only vegetarian Michelin starred restaurant in all of Italy and based upon this dish alone, is well on its way to a 2nd star. Go, go now and when you get there? Order one for me too 🙂 http://www.joia.it
5) Quay restaurant, Sydney… Leave behind any Americanized notion of “Shrimp on the barbie”, meat pies and Vegemite. There is some SERIOUS cooking going on down under. Nowhere more so then at Quay. This restaurant has the highest possible ranking by the Aussie food press – 3 Hats and IMO it deserves 4. It’s a beautiful and architecturally dynamic space filled with dishes that are simply? Art. The flavors, plating and rhythm of this meal was second to none. The views of the Sydney Opera House and Bridge were stunning and the service, warm and personable. This is without any doubt a Top-50 restaurant and I hope the food press wakes up soon to Quay. They’ll be better for it. https://www.quay.com.au
Aspire 
I’ll take all 5 of yours!
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