Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, Susan Skelly returns to a city that is reinventing itself in many unexpected ways. Tap into the Creole/Cajun cuisine, the new French Quarter and see how Downtown is turning into a vibrant metropolis. Irvin Mayfield has presence, patter and precision. He plays an audience with the same dexterity he brings to…
Curiouser and curiouser … there’s nothing quite as fabulous as unfurling a crisp white napkin and waiting for the Heston Blumenthal magic show to begin. Great moments of fine dining? Mmmm – where to start? Ferran Adrià’s “This Is Not a Dinner” event with Dom Pérignon in Barcelona this year; Thomas Keller’s Per Se in…
How to outwit winter? Susan Skelly seeks a gourmet rescue remedy. Regatta, twice in one week. First for Claudio Morales’ truffled scallops and sweetbread, backing up for a Pizzini wine dinner where Moreton Bay bug tortellini with caviar stole the show. This is the place that used to be Pier (steered for two decades by chef…
One minute longhorns, lassos, lager, the next cocktails, fine food and old masters. As Susan Skelly discovers, Fort Worth is not just next door to Dallas… Mayor Betsy Price is holding court in Fort Worth’s sparling new Sundance Square Plaza. She’s just come from winning the women’s division in a clay-pigeon shoot and has invited…
Premium quality bourbons are giving single malt Scotch a run for its money, reports Alan Deans Entering the non-descript liquor shop on Madison and 40th in Manhattan’s Midtown was an Aladdin’s Cave. Standing in glittering rows behind the counter were many bottles of fine, single malt Scotch whisky. The owner, 80 if he was a day,…
Portofino is as breathtaking as the Krupp diamond: a jewel in the Italian Riviera’s crown, a pocket port of iris blue, a marina crammed with gleaming cruisers, runabouts and schooners, and the shore clustered with narrow buildings painted the rich shades of ancient ochre. What better place to spend a honeymoon? Susan Skelly unpacks the resortwear Portofino,…
Celebrities, sailors and well-heeled shoppers are part and parcel of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week every August, checking out the latest premium motors, pearls and designer threads. Much sought after last year was Lupe Puerta, Net-A-Porter.com’s global head of personal shopping. Susan Skelly quizzed her on how to rock the resort look. 1. How do…
There’s a reason Mark Best likes cooking at home over plating up for diners at his celebrated establishments Marque and Pei Modern. “At home I am the master. In the restaurant I am the slave!” It probably doesn’t hurt that the kitchen of his inner Sydney apartment is now fitted out with chef toys such…
Monaco is a magnet for the rich and famous, a dazzling collage of yachts and cruisers in Port Hercules, fast cars, and hotel porters weighed down by designer shopping bags, reports Susan Skelly Once labelled “less a real country than a glorified safe deposit box”, the tax haven of Monaco stands tall in glitz, glam…