Mobissimo

Flying to a destination and sampling the local cuisine, or just cuisine that is famous and renowned is high on many travelers' lists.  New York for Le Bernardin, Berkeley, CA for Chez Panisse, Chicago for Alinea, Paris for Alain Ducasse, the list is long.  Here is a quick sampling of Saveur Magazine's list of 12 restaurants that actually matter for you and your stomach.

NEW YORK – From Vegas to Brooklyn, Saveur magazine's April issue offers a list of "12 restaurants that matter."

The restaurants are:

-Joel Rubuchon in Las Vegas, lauded as "the acclaimed chef's first haute French restaurant on American soil."

-Sportello in Boston, described as "an Italian lunch counter" with pastas renowned for their "delicacy and subtlety of flavor."

-Commander's Palace in New Orleans, "an exuberant example of the glories of New Orleans dining."

-Topolobampo, Chicago's "high temple of Mexican cuisine" where the Obamas were known to dine.

-Canlis in Seattle, "a citadel of luxury" that satisfies yearnings for classics like New York steaks while offering a trendy tasting menu as well.

Tapas, that famous, tasty Spain treat is probably the finest happy/cocktail hour snack.  They can e intricate or simple, they can be ornate or plain, but usually, they are delicious.  One of our favourite cities, Granada Spain has a list of top tapas bars, since the dollar is stronger now, perhaps you should check them out, prices from $800 here on Mobissimo.

The first thing that every backpacker in Spain knows is that tapas (delectable little portions of Spanish food) comes free when you order a drink in Granada. This, in fact, (along with the host of other great free things to do) is practically the main reason that most go to the city!

Light tapa in GranadaThe city, it’s claimed (largely by proud Granadinos who don’t care that Seville says something very similar) has more tapas bars per capita than anywhere else in Spain. But it goes without saying that there’s tapas, and then there’s tapas

While Budweiser served in a random bar in the United States is one thing, to hoist a pint to your lips in a place where a sense of tradition, history, and decades/centuries of drunkeness have taken place in a cathedral of beer is pretty cool too.  Read more here via the Times.

Beer and architecture experts Geoff Brandwood and Jane Jephcote have identified London's most important historic pub interiors. They are a hugely varied collection ranging from lavishly decorated late Victorian hostelries to simple, street-corner locals.

All the pubs below have interiors that survive from before the great wave of refitting that began in the 1960s and which transformed the character of the vasy majority of pubs in Britain. Their book, London Heritage Pubs: An Inside Story, contains 156 entries out of a possible 5,500 pubs in the capital's 33 boroughs.

Gastronomy can dictate where you want to live, perhaps for the lobster lovers out there, it's time to put you heart where your palate is, Maine lobster is $6 a pound in the heavy season, more here via the NY Post.

 PORTLAND, Maine - It's peak season for lobster in Maine, yet consumption has fallen to the point where it costs no more than sliced turkey in parts of New England.

A solid harvest and diminished demand amid the weak economy have pushed the retail price of lobster in Maine below $6 a pound.

Overlooked much of the time is the cuisine of South Korea.  There really aren't complex sauces, wine pairings, or molecular gastronomy, but rich, bold flavours on simple ingredients.  Read more here via TravelTroll at the first Korean Food Lover's Tour.

Judly International with the co-operation of Korea Tourism Organization have organized the very first Food Lover’s Tour of Korea this October to coincide with the 2008 Gwangju Kimchi Festival.

Today there are many lovers of Korean cuisine in Australia evidenced by the huge growth in Korean restaurants in Australia’s major cities in the past few years. The tour will allow members to enjoy the very best of Korean cuisine every day of the eight day tour in Korea.

The dollar is up strongly as of late, but does this mean you can afford eating at Arzak?  Settle then for a great dining ... experience.  More here via Viator.

Try this with your friends: say the name of a city they’ve been to and most likely they’ll come up with a one-word, sensory delight that sums the place up for them. For example, Lisbon – ‘oh, the fish; Munich – ‘ah, the beer’; Paris – ‘ooh, the croissants’. Well here are a few of my own favourites, in no particular order as television judges say. These are things that make me get dreamy eyed at the mere mention of that place’s name. And yes, they are all food-related, so… what of it?

Flying first class is expensive, no doubt. I've flown Lufthansa and Thai and can attest to their special service. On a connection from Geneva to the states via Frankfurt, a Benz was waiting for me on the tarmac to take me to my LH flight back to the states in Frankfurt. Small touch, but so, as Ron Burgundy would say, 'classy.' Regardless of the service, airline food, at least to me remains horrible. It's not really cooked, it's just reheated, and those cookies you smell are just heated as well. I would rather see Inga back the in the galley making them from scratch, but whatever, I always bring my own food anyway. Food is also getting an upgrade as top flight chefs and sommeliers are making the airlines the new battle ground. More here via CNN.

(AP) -- First-class airline passengers can say goodbye to mystery meat.

Prepared airplane meals are on display at the Delta Air Lines Gate Gourmet facility in Erlanger, Kentucky.

While complimentary meals have all but disappeared for most coach flights, there's a whole new culinary landscape for first class. In the latest effort to lure customers and create buzz, airlines are serving up gourmet menus cooked up by celebrity chefs.

Travelers flying to South America or Japan on United Airlines can feast on award-winning chef Charlie Trotter's appetizer of sauteed prawns and crispy short rib wontons with organic Thai barbecue sauce and chilled sweet-and-sour cucumber relish. Going to Europe on American Airlines? Try the rosemary-scented shrimp drizzled with garlic sauce and served with lemon rice and artichokes.

I've been to San Sebastian probably around 10-12 times now.  A usual stop for me in the summer, San Sebastian is always a welcome respite from the heat of Spain, the crowds of Italy, and the food of the UK.  A convenient stop from Paris to Madrid, San Sebastian is a worthwhile stop, one visit and you'll 1) never leave 2) plan your next trip back 3) find every excuse to visit again.  I'm not the only one who believes such, here's more via New York Magazine.

Unlike other beautiful, dramatic coastal regions in Spain and France, Basque country has always maintained a certain mystery. There’s the incomprehensible language, full of p’s, x’s and k’s, of course, and the four-decade menace of the violent separatist group ETA. But against that there’s a strong, sophisticated culture that’s retained its own identity, even in the face of increased EU-ization. Now ETA has declared a cease-fire, Basque chefs are setting world standards for adventurous food, days are balmy but breezy, and the European hordes haven’t yet overtaken the beaches—so it’s the perfect time to spend four or five days in the region’s cultural epicenter, San Sebastián.

While the current economic woes mean that spending may become less for most individuals, it may also spell chances to actually get into places normally 'closed' to mere mortals.  Wanted to get into Goldbar or sample the tasting menu at Momofuku?  Well, since Bear Stearns high powered/salaried individuals will probably have to be a bit more selective about blowing 2k for bottle service or the tasting menu, this may mean the demand will decrease - in short, you might have a better chance to get in to that place you've always wanted to try, but couldn't because 1) no money 2) no space available 3) no connections.  Here's a little more via The New York Times.

In the wake of the implosion at Bear Stearns, some New Yorkers dare to hope that they can afford top restaurants like Fiamma and more important, that prices will fall in the overheated real estate market.

In New York City, it’s also seen as an opportunity.

For many of the city’s middle class, especially those in the creative class, who have felt sidelined as the city seemed to become a high-priced playground for Wall Street bankers, the implosion of the brokerage house Bear Stearns raises a tantalizing possibility: participation in an economy they have been largely shut out of.

Culinary awards abound around the world, yet nothing quite compares to Anthony Bourdain et al's take on food awards.  Instead of lavish praise - there is that too, Bourdain and crew point out the flops as well, kinda like a Razzie in a way.  Read more about the nominees here via Eater.

Michael Ruhlman and Tony Bourdain have concocted The Golden Clog Awards (Ruhlman has previously announced as much on his blog), a quirky little awards event born out of "too many beers and late night yakitori," as Bourdain explained to Eater yesterday. The awards ceremony, or "awards ceremony," will take place this Friday at 2:00 PM in Miami Beach, as part of the 2008 South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which does lend a certain, frightening air of credibility to the proceedings.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie ...  New York style pizza, super thin, super simple is the favourite of many around the world.  While NYC offers many things like fashion, night light, museums, fine dining, all that pales in comparison to pizza.  Without a doubt, NYC pizza is a trademark of the windy city ... uh, that's Chicago dummy.  Anyway, these guys will deliver a pizza anywhere in the US, here's more.

Airline food is horrible.  Even business and first class food is crap because it's not really made, it's just heated up, and how good can that be?  I like to take nice Korean Dooboo Gighee in a claypot aboard my flights, the stench usually clears a row for me.  Teehee*  Anyway, here's a guide to make a sandwich and eat it - at altitude.

It's a given that most airlines don't serve meals, and airport to-go options are pathetic, so your best bet is to pack your own eats. But if you're bringing a sandwich on board (the best option because it doesn't need a container or utensils), you have to build it to last. After all, you probably won't be eating the darn thing for at least three hours.

Here, Sisha Ortuzar, executive chef of sandwich chain 'Wichcraft chain, offers tips on how to create a sandwich that'll still be appetizing once you're in the air.

Fine dining in the US is more about being casual rather than an event.  Americans kinda strive to make things less formal.  In Paris, and well, most of the other dining cities of the world, the dining experience is exactly that, an experience and not a fuel stop.  So things in Paris are always a little bit different for Americans, even though we saved them from speaking German twice, they seem to enjoy looking at us like cretins.  The 10 commandments via Fodor's.  Read more and try to fit in.

The rituals of dining in Paris are far less complex than, say, in Japan, but observing these few basic principles of dining will increase your chances of obtaining good service.

I think we're moving towards destination type guides here, things that spark your interest, I mean who out there is really interested in Boeing 787 delays? So here you go, food, cheap, great destination. Malaysia, if you haven't been, well, I'm not saying you should go, but definitely worth a visit once in your life.

PENANG, Malaysia — There's fresh crab, live from the tank, and bowls of miniature clams ready for frying in a spicy sauce with garlic and lime.

The air smells of roasted ducks and skewers of charcoal-grilled chicken. One stall sells herbal soup; another grills seafood on a stick.

Fine dining is always a good thing, trying to find places to do so is not so easy. Gridskipper has a pretty cool map or places to dine this fall in New York, easy to use, easy to find, here's a little more about a personal favourite from Gridskipper.

El Quinto Pino

401 W 24th StNew York, NY 10011

I've never been a Tia Pol obsessive, but the diminutive tapas joint boasts scores of rabid and ravenous fans that will no doubt flock to this -- even smaller! -- offshoot in October