You think you take coffee seriously? Wait until you see how Bedouins brew the good stuff.JORDAN – When you make your coffee, you make it the best. Otherwise you better not make it, says our Bedouin guide Suleiman as we each sip our al keif, the second cup of coffee that his neighbor Abu Mohammed just poured from a long-beaked brass pot into tiny china cups.In a Bedouin home, though guests come first, they are given the second cup of coffee.

World-class wine country can be found two hours north of Madrid. Fathom editor Daniel Schwartz took a spin around Ribera del Duero and Rueda, beloved vineyard regions flying under the international tourist radar — but not for long.SPAIN – Madrileños have it good. Not only do they enjoy a great quality of life in a city that’s climbing its way out of a nationwide recession, they also have a luxury that many epicureans travel the world

Creative cocktails are mixed with Mesoamerican magic at Xaman bar. Indulging in alcohol feels practically healthy when incorporated with roots, spices, and the smell of incense.MEXICO CITY – Down a dark stairwell of a nondescript building just beyond the city’s main drag lies a cocktail bar so cool, earthy, and elemental, it could only be found in Mexico’s capital. This place is called Xaman. And like the name implies (its Spanish for shama

You’ll get Pacific Northwest Patagonia pampering when you stay — and, most importantly, eat — at The Inn at Langley near Seattle. This is one for people who appreciate nice things, but also own a well-worn pair of (premium) hiking boots.LANGLEY, Washington – The village of Langley, on Whidbey Island not far from Seattle, is much like a village in the start of an early Steven Spielberg movie, except that the bad part — the

Before she became one of New York City’s best chefs, The Beatrice Inn’s Angie Mar was on a totally different career path. Inspired by a food-fueled trip around Spain, she returned home with new ambitions. Here are the restaurants that changed her life.SPAIN - Eight years ago, I was in the midst of a huge career change. I had left my job of nine years in commercial real estate, packed up two suitcases, and bought a one-way ticket to Spain wi

Hotel Viu MilanMilan, ItalyModern, $$ (from $213)Show-stopping fashion is what Milan knows best. So it comes as no surprise that the citys hotel newcomer knows how to make an entrance. Hotel Viu Milan, a Design Hotels property in the reenergized Porta Volta neighborhood, is an elegant contemporary tower that cuts quite a figure: On either side of the building, a botanical waterfall of trailing wisteria vines and jasmine spills over th

All eyes are on the food scene in Birmingham, Alabama, as it continues to attract culinary talents from all over the United States, including Food and Wine magazine, which transferred its headquarters from Manhattan last summer. What are the best places to get a taste of whats happening? We turned to our pal Akhtar Nawab to find out. The chef and entrepreneur, who began his career at Gramercy Tavern and Craft, recently expanded his NYC empi

The Standard, High LineManhattan, New YorkModern, $$$ (from $325)The modernist tower that sprung up on Manhattans far west side in 2009 immediately made a name — and a neighborhood — for itself. The Standard High Line, a concrete slab on stilts overlooking the Hudson River and The High Line elevated walkway, has generated more buzz than just about any other hotel in NYCs recent past. The crowds (young, fun, creative, internation

Give the well-traveled gourmand in your life a gift theyll be talking about long after holiday festivities are over. Whether its a fashionable cookbook to flip through, a worldly bottle of booze to converse over, or a treat inspired by a far-away land, theres something on our expertly curated list for every demanding foodie on yours.

If its delicious food, lazy mornings in bed, and a bucolic setting youre after, look no further than The Pig at Combe, a romantic Elizabethan manor house in the English countryside.HONITON, England – In this green and pleasant land called England, it is a universally acknowledged truth that the months of November and February are a bitch. Not quite the festive period and not quite spring, both months have the capacity to really grind you do

If you’d trust an art historian to guide you around the Louvre, who better than the wine director of one of NYC’s best restaurants to show you around the Finger Lakes, the emerging wine region in upstate New York? Sommelier Thomas Pastuszak is so in love with the grapes around here that he launched his own label, Empire Estate.FINGER LAKES, New York – Smack in the middle of New York State is one of the country’s most picturesque vacation de

From family-run, hole-in-the-wall joints to chef-driven, Michelin-starred restaurants, Hong Kong’s thriving food scene is not to be missed. Matt Abergel, the restaurateur and chef behind popular izakaya-style eatery Yardbird, shares his top picks for dining out in Hong Kong. HONG KONG – When I moved to Hong Kong nine years ago, I quickly felt at home. My sense of familiarity with the city comes from many things: the time Ive spent in variou

Veal with spaetzle and cream sauce is well and good, but the vegetarian restaurant Hiltl in Zurich makes virtuous eating sheer pleasure.ZÜRICH ‒ Let’s begin with the truth: I’m an omnivore. But after a few days in Switzerland, as I savored meaty cuisine with plenty of potatoes and creamy mushroom sauce, a good vegetarian meal — even a few lettuce leaves — sounded pretty appealing. At the famous Hiltl, I found a veritable empire

In an elegant setting at the Rosewood London hotel, high tea is taken to new heights by chef Mark Perkins, who creates confections inspired by famous artwork. LONDON – Most of my artful afternoons alternate between Tate Modern (for Rothko and Picasso) and Tate Britain (with my all-time favorite, Paul Klee). But the last time I found myself in London, I went to the hotel Rosewood London to indulge in another form of art, the edible kind. Was

If you dont think of Mexico as a wine country, think again. In Valle de Guadalupe, one of the worlds emerging wine districts, theyre producing delicious and exotic varietals. The new Sonoma? It just might be.VALLE DE GUADALUPE, Mexico – Its never too late to do your study abroad. I finally did mine — in my 40s — when I left my home in New York City for Mexico City two days before the new year to immerse myself in Spanish la

Montreals latest happening place to drink is a cocktail bar hidden on the edge of St. Henri. Fathom editor Daniel Schwartz checks in on a recent weekend in town.MONTREAL — By now, it’s a familiar sight on the corner of Rue Notre-Dame Ouest and Avenue Atwater in Montreal’s up-and-coming St. Henri neighborhood. Couple gets out of their cab, walks up and down the street, wonders if they got dropped off at the right location, ch

MONTREAL – Everybody knows that when you go to a Jewish diner, you order matzo ball soup. Or knishes. Or latkes. Or pickled herring. Or just about anything to do with lox.Not at Arthurs Nosh Bar in Montreal’s trendy St. Henri neighborhood. The thing to get here are pancakes. Or so I’m told by every waiter I talked to on my weekend in town. They’re great!They’ll cure your hangover! They’re the best pancakes you’ll ever have!  

If youre heading to Austin for SXSW this month, you might want to reconsider your regular SoCo routine. Up-and-coming East 11th District is the place to be in Austin — and not just for the authentic Texas BBQ. Though youll get plenty of that, along with cool shops and great cocktails. AUSTIN – In all cities, there are areas where creative businesses and residents cluster, transforming neighborhoods into destinations, like Nolita in Ma

Where does an Austin local go to get away from it all? When restaurateur Jack Gilmore, chef and owner of Jack Allen’s Kitchen and Salt Traders Coastal Cooking, isnt whipping up heady plates of southern Tex-Mex, hes relaxing in his hometown of Brownsville, at the southernmost tip of the U.S.-Mexico border, or nearby on South Padre Island. Equal parts beach scene and melting pot, Brownsville and the greater Rio Grande Valley are not to be mis

In Naples, where pizzerias and pizza-loving tourists abound — this is the birthplace of pizza, after all — it can be easy to overlook everything else that this towns rich, flavorful culinary tradition has to offer. Culinary Backstreets man on the ground Amedeo Colella gives us the lowdown on the citys best local eats, from mouth-watering fried street food to liquor-soaked cakes. Hungry already? Then youll want to book CBs s