Airline Notes: American Airlines Transatlantic – Fly Virgin Instead

We have taken several trips on AA across the Atlantic, both in business and coach classes. Food and service continue to be underwhelming and disapointing. The staff attitude ranges from angry to arrogant. On a recent flight from London to New York, a flight attendant explained why AA charges extra for everything such as the little

Film Review:Valet

A short funny bon-bon of a movie. It is pure, humorous entertainment with predictable story lines and stereotyped characters, but one that will surely please. **

Restaurant Review: Mischi’s – Miami

Mischi’s is our favorite dining establishment in Miami. it is one of a few places we have visited in Miami that has toned down the superficial glitz and insane unsubstantiated pricing that characterizes so many restaurants in South Beach and turned up an outstanding innovative menu and wine list. Recommended ****

Restaurant Review: La Goulue – Bal Harbor, FL

Great place for an outdoor lunch and for people watching. La Goulue has decent food and good selection of wines and champagnes, but it is hardly a gastronomic destination. Yet, as you are washing down your steak tartar or burger with a glass of chablis or champagne and observing the clientele taking a rest from

Restaurant Review: Wolseley, London

Over several recent visits to London, Wolseley (160 Piccadilly) has become our favorite place for breakfast, brunch, lunch, drinks, dinner, and really late dinner. Wolseley transformed an old bank space on a busy Piccadilly corner in Mayfair into a luxurious Viennese-style eatery with excellent food, matching wine list, exquisite desserts and outstanding coffee. It is

Film Review: Blood Diamond

Leonard DiCaprio delivers in this bloody and violent story of illegal diamond smulggling from Africa. The film stays true to its genre, so one should not expect too much depth here. DiCaprio does a great job with a near perfect imitiation South African acccent. The film itself tells a highly disturbing story that over the

Le Meridien – Sunny Isles Beach, Florida

We are very mixed on this property. The location at the beach is great, the rooms are fine and many have great views, although the 1br studios are quite small. The restaurant – Bice, does a great job of feeding and hydrating the well-heeled clientele.  The desk staff and the concierge are very courteous and

Film Review: Borat

One can hardly escape either seeing, talking about or at least hearing others talk about Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Borat – a character creation of British comedian Sascha Baron Cohen. The original Borat first came to life on Cohen’s highly successful cable comedy Da Ali G show. Borat is

Restaurant Review: Odeon, New York

This place rarely dissapoints. Get the frisse salad with lardons and truffled poached egg and wash it down with a glass of grand cru Chablis. Recommended

Restaurant Review: Falai

Great, eccentric menu – a unique East Village Italian. Bread basket to die for. Cabbage roll is our favourite. You can still taste the warmth of the hearth. It is is a very cool, chic, intimate, luxurious white setting. The place is very refined for LES but not uptight. Gnudi – pasta with cheese in a

Restaurant Review: The Pumphouse, Anguilla, BWI

Shotgun Shack road house with great drinks, live Reggae music and decent steak and burger fare.  Great atmosphere. Recommended.

Movie Review: Babel

A complex, tragic and utterly safisfying story told in syncopated timing of three little novellas whose plots lines intersect in a number of visible and invisible ways. The film touches raw nerves on so many levels. Brad Pitt comes into his own here. Great work! Recommended 

Restaurant Review: Dinasour BBQ – NYC

Great location near Fairway at 125 street in Harlem, good vibe, atmosphere and decor. Yet, by comparison to its sister location in upstate New York (Rochester) this one falls short on food and significantly so. If you are looking for a good BBQ in NYC, we would instead recommend Virgil’s BBQ on West 44th Street

Restaurant Review: Poetessa, East Village, NYC

What looked like a promising location, good vibe and nice atmosphere are totally undermined by inadequate menu, poorly executed food, and spotty service. This could have been so much better if the owner just made a modest effort to improve the pasta dishes and main courses, not to mention the less than stellar wine list.

Film Review: Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette dissapoints, – rather significantly. We are generally big fans of Sofia Coppola’s work, but this little flick leaves one wondering – What was she thinking???? Whatever allegorical plot lines were the intent of the film, the plot and the undercurrents do not really hang together at all. The film is a rather loose

Film Review: The Departed

Leonardo Di Caprio wins our respect as a serious actor! His acting carreer evolution is in some ways similar to that of Sean Penn who played lots of leading romantic male roles until he got into serious drama and discovered himself. Di Caprio should just stay away from “lover-boy” romance hearthrob roles which completely cover

Film: The Last King of Scotland

Forest Whitaker delivers an Oscar-worthy portrayal of Idi Amin – the late Ugandan dictator who has been rumoured to be responsible for nearly 300,000 deaths during his rein in Uganda. The film does a fantastic job of conveying the spirit of the time and place in the 1970s Africa. Parts of the film are quite

Film: Little Children

A grown-up tale of failed expectations, lust and adultery in a quiet New England suburb. Kate Winslett finds her bearing in her role in this film. Highly recommended.

Dinasaur BBQ – Rochester, NY

Honky Tonk Delight! Fantastic barberqued ribs, brisket (!!), great selection of beers. An NYC location in Harlem opened recently. We plan to visit there soon.

Dada Exhibit – MOMA, NYC

A great assembly of this early modern art movement that fed ideas into many other, perhaps better recognized modern and contenporary art strains.