At the Top: A New Year, A New Commitment to Travel

In this month’s issue our local writers suss out the Best Trendy Tables in their respective cities, leaving us with the absolute top three. These are destination restaurants that deserve the hype they get, and they’re places in which to see and be seen. From an Italian-island outpost in San Francisco, to a new celeb hangout in Mexico City, to a top New York City chef’s entry onto the Miami scene, these selections are going to make you want to pack your bags just to get to dinner.

This season’s plethora of events includes three carnivals (traditional Carnaval celebrations in Mexico City and Miami, and the United States’ greatest party, Mardi Gras in New Orleans), along with what is arguably the world’s most fascinating awards show, The Academy Awards. There’s also that uniquely American sporting event known as The Super Bowl, which, if nothing else, gives us the chance to perfect our chili recipes.

We’re also releasing our next round of Ins and Outs. New recommendations include a fresh Big Easy spot for classic cocktails, a rum bar in our nation’s capital, and a restaurant that ups the ante for Mexican cooking in Los Angeles.

This month’s Urbie recognizes Toronto restaurant and nightlife impresario Charles Khabouth, whose next move will be to transform the way Canadians live. Read about Khabouth and his new King Street West condo project here.

Finally, in Alan’s View, our publisher and executive editor’s “Last Word,” you’ll get our best list of all: The Top 10 Places to Go. Period.

How’s that for a lineup to kick off 2011?

Book Restaurant Reservations Now!

NightandDayGuides.com has just added its latest exciting feature—restaurant reservations! Now, for each of the restaurants we’ve selected as Best of the Best, you can make reservations instantly through OpenTable® or the restaurant’s web site.

Nobody reviews restaurants like Night+Day. And nobody drills down to the absolute Best of the Best in dozens of categories so that you don’t have to spend hours sifting through hype. Now you have carefully selected restaurant choices, expert reviews, insider tips, and a reservation link.
All in the same place!

And with Night+Day’s unique one-click design, you can get to that reservation in a nano-second (what our Big Apple readers might call a New York minute).

Night+Day: Right Place. Right Time. It Matters.

THE WORLD’S BEST Trendy Tables

Cutting-edge décor, creative food, pedigreed chef, and see-and-be-seen ambience combined with A-list clientele gives these Best Trendy Tables the elusive “it” quality that has the in-crowd fighting for reservations.

CHICAGO • RIA

The Draw: When the Elysian Hotel opened its doors in early 2009, Chicagoans weren’t expecting a hotel restaurant as exquisitely flavored and stunningly decorated as the hotel itself.
The Scene: Stark marble walls and floors, grass wallpaper and bleak color schemes don’t compare to the bursts of flavors in the menu. With six course-dining options, the best in wine selections and service made to impress, patrons can enjoy fresh and innovative plates tucked in the heart of luxury.
Hot Tip: Order the seasonal course meal paired with sommelier-driven wine selections. Diners will taste the best in ingredients and experience the best in new dining.

The Draw: Red-hot restaurant, sultry lounge and a patio that overlooks The Strip, plus tasty Italian eats (try the meatball, or oreo zeppole for dessert!) in one place.
The Scene: A hot, young, pre-club crowd that’s absolutely abuzz seven days a week. Sultry low-lighting makes everyone look their best, including the suspender-clad wait staff.
Hot Tip: In the summer months, request a table on the patio, where you can take in all the action of the Strip while you drink and dine, including the fireworks of “Sirens of T.I.” across the street at Treasure Island.

The Draw: The downtown crowd makes tracks for this cutting edge Japanese resto thanks to the inventive skills of Executive Chef Guy Rubino.
The Scene: From gourmands to the power elite, this establishment is packed from opening to closing. Diners can order traditional sushi or sashimi, or choose Ame-style dishes infused with unique ingredients like waterpear, sesame seaweed, or cherry miso. After 10pm, a DJ transforms the space from dining room to an elite club.
Hot Tip: Make reservations for a seat at the sushi bar to have a front row seat for the ongoing chef creations.

Also discover the Best Trendy Tables in DC   LA   MC   MIA   NO   NY   SF

INS and OUTS (NIGHT+DAY’S Latest Recommendations)

Top 5 New Openings

D.C. • CUBA LIBRE • Cuban Restaurant
cubalibrerestaurant.com
Enter Cuba Libre and zoom from downtown DC into Old Havana—or a movie set version, at least: an expansive indoor courtyard, three-dimensional façades of balconies and arched entryways, lots of weathered ornamental wrought iron and antique stained glass, tropical flowers and potted palm trees, and Latin music energizing the joint. At the bar: 75 varieties of rum.
full review $$ 3801 Ninth St. NW (H St.), 202-408-1600.

LAS VEGAS • THE COSMOPOLITAN • Trendy Hotel
cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
New York has taken the Strip by storm. The latest Vegas addition is a gamechanger, and it goes beyond sleek design—with all-you-can-eat in-suite minibars, top-notch entertainment in the lounge (Books & Stage), and the world’s largest chandelier (three stories tall, with a bar in the middle). full review $$ 3708 Las Vegas Blvd. S. (Harmon Ave.), 702-698-7100 / 877-551-7772.

LOS ANGELES • RED O • Mexican Restaurant
redorestaurant.com
Rick Bayless’ résumé is as impressive as his regional Mexican cuisine, which has never made it outside Chicago until now. Although he’s listed as a creative consultant and rarely appears in the kitchen, diners taste his influence in every bite. The faithful renditions of his signature dishes are divided into bright bites (ceviches, tostaditas), savory snacks (sopes, queso, taquitos, tamales), and tacos. full review 8155 Melrose Ave. (Crescent Heights), 323-655-5009.

NEW ORLEANS • BOULIGNY TAVERN • Wine Bar
boulignytavern.com
Don’t go to Bouligny Tavern expecting to find the beer and shot crowd. This “tavern” specializes in classic cocktails and fine wine, with some bottles costing more than a working man’s daily wage. You can get a meal of meat and potatoes on the menu created by Lilette’s John Harris, but the meat will be chorizo and the potatoes fresh-cut frites paired with aioli. full review 3641 Magazine St. (Antonine St.), 504-891-1810.

NEW YORK • THE JEWEL • Modern Hotel
thejewelny.com
The main draw at this comfortable new hotel is the spot-on view of Rockefeller Center, easily the best in the city. It takes full advantage of its lofty perch, with floor-to-ceiling windows in many of the rooms (ask for one facing the center when you book). The rooms are less about flair than they are about straightforward comfort full review $$ 11 W. 51st St. (Fifth Ave.), 212-863-0550 / 888-553-9356.

Toronto 2011/12

Charles Khabouth (Entrepreneur)

Entrepreneur, restaurateur, and bon vivant, Charles Khabouth chose Toronto to make his home and recipient of his vision: cool clubs with distinct ambience, infused with a je ne sais quois from his upbringing in Beirut.

On the heels of Khabouth’s myriad of entertainment creations that indisputably raised the local bar, Toronto has become a city with an insatiable palate for unique restaurants and nightlife hotspots. As a young man, he put up his car as collateral to open his first nightclub, and he hasn’t looked back since.

As owner of the Guvernment entertainment complex (concert venue and nightclubs), a majority owner in Ultra Supper Club, a partner in Liberty Entertainment Group, and an investor in Ame Restaurant and the Pantages Hotel, this consummate host is used to showing off his city to guests from around the world, whether it’s business investors, Euro DJs, or A-listers from London, New York, and Los Angeles. Residents as well as red-carpet celebs are making tracks to be seen in Khabouth’s world, for martinis at the Pantages or to hear the latest band take the stage at the Guvernment (and be in the presence of Khabouth, who spends time every night at a different venue).

This hard-working entertainment proprietor is proud of his adopted hometown, which has transformed from a conservative metropolis to a city with new neighborhoods, such as Liberty Village and Leslieville, and a cultural explosion of new architecture, including the Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum and the re-imagined Art Gallery of Ontario, courtesy of Frank Gehry.

Khabouth’s next project, Bisha, a hotel and condominium development slated for 2013 in the vibrant King Street West district, will create a new opportunity for urbanites to experience his view of modern living, influenced by his expertise in creating cutting-edge restaurants and nightclubs over the past 20 years.

Khabouth has brought sexy and savoir-faire to the Entertainment District and made Torontonians proud to tweet, Facebook, and send a shout out about the trendy perches that have his unmistakable stamp. And his work solidifies Toronto as one of the world’s coolest cities.

I had two major disappointments this year. First, my brilliant idea to issue travel vouchers (in lieu of tax breaks for the wealthy) did not garner enough support to even get a hearing. But there’s still hope (let your Congressperson know you want a travel voucher!), even if there’s no chance. No doubt Congress will, over the next two years, go through the charade of debating how well the deservedly rich spent their money and thereby stimulated our economy before extending these cuts forever.

My second disappointment was Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” nod to Mark Zuckerberg, one guy who apparently isn’t spending his tax cuts. (He only works, he doesn’t spend.) It’s not that Facebook isn’t monumental, but it overlooks the driving force behind its success, my Person of the Year nominee, THUMBS. Thumbs have always been important, but never in history has a part of the human anatomy dominated as thumbs do today. Not only has “thumbs up” become the predominant way of signaling approval or disapproval, these little digits have become the essential component of the digital age—they control our means of communicating. Sure, you’re at a bar thinking you’re engaging an attractive man or woman in conversation, lips are moving, but when you look down you’ll discover that their thumbs-cum-pda are conversing with, who knows, 10,000 of their closest other friends. Thumbs have been working overtime, pushed to the limits of their capabilities, and I believe they deserve proper recognition.

Night + Day has had a lot to say, using all of our digits, over the last 12 months, including reviews of more than two hundred new hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, spas, and shops; recommendations for more than 250 Best-of-the-Best venues in 15 of the world’s coolest cities; and seven new Urbie Awards to the movers and shakers who help shape the urbanista experience.

I’ve had a few things to say myself. On the Road took you to Santa Fe and Albuquerque, Machu Picchu, The Galapagos, and Venice. In Three Picks I recommended best Halloweens, U.S. Wine Festivals, and, most importantly, this month as you begin to look forward to the rest of your life: 3 Ways to Think About Your Bucket List.

This year I’d like to go beyond just suggesting the framework for putting together a bucket list, but actually give you, based on the travelling I’ve done, my TOP 10 list of places to go.

While wonders of the world get a lot of play on my list, particular interests such as classical art or extreme sports (or for that matter, sports in general) do not. The list is intended to include places that every reader will find to be a memorable lifetime experience. Think of it as a starting place for your own travel plan. Note: I have not included any of the Night+Day cities, each of which is a wonder of the world unto itself (which is why we write whole books about them).

Alan’s Top 10 Places to Go:
(I’ve recommended the number of days to commit to the trip in parenthesis)

10. Southeast Asia, specifically Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Angkor Wat (Siem Reap, Cambodia) (10 days)

9. The Great Barrier Reef (Lizard Island), with stops in Sydney and Melbourne, Bora Bora, or some equivalent island (10 days)

8. Italy, particularly Rome and Sicily, but your itinerary must include Venice, either during the trifecta (when the Biennale, Film Festival and Historico happen on the same weekend) or Carnivale. (20 days)

7. The Galapagos (5 days)

6. Spain, a trip to coincide with and include Las Fallas in Valencia (March) and/or Running of the Bulls in Pamplona (July), with stops in Bilbao, Majorca and Ibiza (summer only), and, since your there, Madrid and Barcelona. (15 days)

5. China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macau (10 days)

4. France – the whole friggin’ country, but it must include at least one day in St. Tropez in summer (20 days)

3. Middle East, including Egypt, Israel and Jordan (truth be told, I’ve only been to Cairo and Israel, but we’ve planned the trip for this fall for the Nile and Jordan, and it clearly belongs) (20 days)

2. African Safari – it’s pretty much a toss up as to which camps to visit (10 days)

1. Machu Picchu and the Andean civilization (primarily Quito, Cusco and Lima) (10 days)

I welcome your comments on this list.

And if it didn’t immediately hit you, here’s the great news. You can do it ALL in 130 days, which is probably less time than the average person spends watching TV in a year, and certainly less time than most people spend on Facebook. So let’s toast to many peak experiences in 2011 and beyond!