Most Recent: Drink
Posted on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 7:55 PM
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Tal PinchTagged as: Airlines, Airport, Airport Lounges, Newark, Drink, Dinner, Heineken, Thai Air
Newark Airport Tries to Add A Little Luxury Between Flights
New York-area terminals don't give first-class passengers much in the way of luxury lounges to help make their delays and stopovers seem less painful. Newark in particular has been lacking. Continental Airlines does offer three Presidents Club lounges in two different terminals and the Delta Crown Room isn't a horrible getaway, but recent openings show that Newark Liberty is trying to offer an alternative to the Caliente Cab with mixed results.
It started with the opening of Silverjet's VIP Lounge, a nice compliment to the business-class-only airline that started flying out of Newark in 2007. What started as a makeshift small room that was hard to find in Terminal B was supposed to become a luxury lounge roughly three times bigger. Unfortunately, the airline spent most of the Spring struggling with its finances before eventually ceasing operations. A proposed buyout looked as if there still might be hope for the proposed Newark luxury lounge, but that fell through.
Hopes are that a new recently-opened Heineken Lounge could provide some extra luxury to Terminal C. The new lounge offers a variety of Heineken brews as well as gourmet foods, Wi-Fi, and a few entertainment options. While it's referred to as Heinken's
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Posted on Friday, November 28, 2008 at 4:23 PM
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Tal PinchTagged as: Dinner, Omaha Steaks, Home, Food and Drink, Steaks, Luxury
Omaha Steaks (Yes, Omaha Steaks) Does Luxury
While we never anticipated a company called Omaha Steaks would dive headfirst into the luxury market, it has happened. Considering the last overblown luxury steak venture we saw was Donald Trump trying to peddle meat exclusively through the Sharper Image (the company went belly up roughly a year after the venture), we're plenty skeptical. But a quick look at Omaha Steaks' Private Reserve has us paying attention.
For a $10,000 fee, Omaha Steaks arranges for their executive chef and culinary staff to come to your home and arrange a fine-dining experience revolving around a menu that includes bacon-wrapped scallops with jalapeno jelly, marinated tortellini kebabs, lobster mashed potatoes, and filet mignon topped with stilton cheese souffle and Cabernet white truffle demi-glace. The company even offers wine pairings courtesy of owner Fred Simon?s private wine cellar.
There are blackout dates, primarily December 24, 25, 31, and January 1st, but otherwise it looks like a potentially pleasant experience at home. Considering the exorbitant price, it works best for a large-scale get-together or special occasion. Whatever the occasion, it?s nice to know you have an executive chef on call considering most quality private chefs can be difficult to book, especially on short notice.
From there, the only real question is the meat quality from an over-marketed and absurdly-named company like Omaha Steaks. Most of the reviews we've found are overwhelmingly positive, so we can assume that the food should be quality, although we?re still skeptical about the service from a company not exactly known for the human touch.
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Posted on Friday, November 14, 2008 at 5:28 PM
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Tal PinchTagged as: Michael Jackson, Real Estate, California, Travel, Drink, Neverland, Colony Capital, Atlantic City, Las Vegas
Could Neverland Become the Next Hot Resort?
Having dealt with our mixed emotions upon learning that Michael Jackson has officially signed away his ownership of the fabled Neverland Ranch, speculation has already started on what?s next for the bizarre hideaway. Could there be some intriguing new real-estate opportunities in Southern California?
While most of the carnival rides littering the 2,500-acre property have started falling apart, the majority share of the estate is now owned by Sycamore Valley Ranch Company. Other than Jacko no longer living at Neverland, the transfer of the deed didn?t mean much until it was revealed that Sycamore was actually a joint venture between Jackson and Colony Capital, the investment firm that paid off the roughly $25 million in debt the King of Pop owed on the property.
Colony Capital is also the company behind the Las Vega Hilton, Atlantic City Hilton, Bally?s Tunica, Fairmont Hotels, and Meadowlands Xanadu, the upcoming massive sports and entertainment complex in New Jersey that will feature an indoor ski hill, fine dining, and luxury hotels.
The Southern California estate has been closed since 2006 when Jackson was no longer able to pay his staff or maintain the considerable insurance on a massive property that also has a zoo on the premises. Considering the property lies right in the middle of Santa Barbara wine country, there are a variety of options open to Colony Capital, who could convert the estate into everything from a vineyard to a spa to a luxury resort combining the two. The area is already full of some fine getaways, including the Spanish Colonial-themed Bacara Resort, the picturesque Biltmore Four Seasons, and all kinds of luxury day spas and resorts.
A similar property on the Neverland grounds would dwarf all of its neighbors. Whatever does happen to Neverland, you probably won?t find an amusement park, zoo, or Michael Jackson museum. Either way, there could be a fascinating ground-floor real estate opportunity in there somewhere.
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Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 5:21 PM
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Tal PinchTagged as: Drink, Anniversary, Prohibition, New York, Mark Messier, Life in New York, Crown Royal, The Back Room
An Anniversary Worth Celebrating
In the thick of the holiday season, we have an anniversary worth celebrating. It turns out December 5th marks the 75th anniversary of the passing of the 21st amendment, which repealed the 18th amendment banning the sale of all alcohol. Some people marked the anniversary prematurely on April 7th, the first day allowing the sale of beer that didn't surpass 3.2% alcohol content.
If you're looking for an authentic locale to mark the anniversary, you might want to try some of the old speakeasies still operating today, including the Seelbach in Louisville, John Barleycorn in Chicago, and Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco.
In New York, the preferred location is the Back Room, the prohibition-themed downtown bar formerly known as Lansky Lounge that serves drinks in teacups as a tribute. If you're looking for a smaller party, the bar, which is co-owned by Tim Robbins and Mark Messier, has a secluded back room hidden behind a secret bookcase in the back that clandestinely swings open.
There are also a variety of prohibition-era cocktails that can help make your celebrating more authentic, including the Mary Pickford (white rum, grenadine, and pineapple juice) and a Sidecar (cognac, cointreau, and lemon juice). ProhibitionRepeal.com has the complete list of these cocktails. As far as classic ingredients go, we'd recommend the recently-relaunched Crown Royal Reserve, a new selection from the Canadian distillery that was a fixture among bootleggers during Prohibition. The cornerstone of the Crown Royal brand also works perfectly with classic cocktails, like the Manhattan. Now you're ready to celebrate a perfect holiday book-ended by Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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Posted on Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 4:04 PM
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Tal PinchTagged as: Canadian Club, Whisky, This is THAT, Anniversary, Drink, That
This is *THAT* Whisky
We've always had a soft spot in our liver for Canadian Club's family of whiskies, particularly their Classic and Reserve, two full yet flavorful spirits that have kept us company during those cold cabin nights by the fireplace. The legend surrounding the iconic brand certainly doesn't hurt. Particularly the rumor that Al Capone loved the distillery so much that he was happy to illegally cross the border to get his hands on some of their whisky. That history comes into play this year as CC celebrates its 150th anniversary with a special limited-edition 80-proof collector?s edition bottle.
Originally known for its Club Whiskey, CC first started cutting into American whisky's market share in 1858, hurting the bottom line of popular bourbon whisky distillers like Jim Bean and Woodford Reserve. To commemorate the company's 150th anniversary, Canadian Club has unleashed a 750-ml bottles of their velvety 30-year-old whisky that has long been one of our favorite sips. The smooth, spicy oak taste in a special $200 bottle immediately becomes the oldest Canadian Whisky on the market. The stuff brings a light body to your liquor cabinet providing a soft preliminary drink that sets a nice, mellow tone. Yum.
There are plenty of other limited-edition whiskies out there, most notably from other iconic labels like Jameson and Crown Royal. But none of them appear to have been aged nearly as long as the 150th anniversary CC. Considering it's a limited-edition bottle, we'd like to save it for a special occasion, but ultimately see it becoming the soft opening to a longer and potentially louder evening. Happy anniversary Canadian Club, you stay Canadian.
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