Mobissimo

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

The ubiquitous food cart is seen on every corner in NYC. You've seen them, most likely you've smelled them, the long queues of people waiting for a greasy handful of mystery meat. Or a Sabrett's. Or a Poland Spring. Anyway, some of the food is actually pretty good, not just a 'I shouldn't have eaten that' snack before lunch. Here are some of NYC's best competing for the best Vendor Award.

You don't need reservations or deep pockets to chow down on some of the best food in New York City.

Any number of culinary wonders can be found from street-corner vendors, who serve up unexpected ethnic meals from tiny metal trailers on the cheap.

I was in Italy earlier this summer and sampled the fine cuisine that such culinary luminaries like Firenze, Lucca, Modena offered. It was a gastronomic love sonnet in my gullet, one that I will not forget, nor will the writer at the NYTimes.

MY kind of pig heaven looks a lot like Bologna’s fatty heart. In northern Italy, the culinary pleasures of the Piedmont region compete with those of nearby Emilia-Romagna. Above, the Tamburini shop in Bologna. In the shops along and around Via Drapperie, haunches of cured ham dangle far into the distance. Coils of pork sausage spiral high into the sky. Bologna is the capital of Emilia-Romagna, and the region of Emilia-Romagna sees the beauty in swine, as the affiliation of one of its cities with a world-renowned delicacy makes clear. Here lies the plump mother lode of prosciutto di Parma.

Many a stomach has been satisfied in northern Italy, why not yours? Flights to Milan are only $450 from NYC, that's ridiculous, with all the money you're saving, you could pack your bag full of non-gel or liquid food items.

Maine.  Hard to get to but worth the effort.  Check out this article in the NY Times about the author's quest for the perfect lobster roll.  

 “I only come here for lobster rolls,” said Stacy Marotta as she finished lunch 75 miles to the northeast at Red’s Eats in Wiscasset. She and her husband and sons drive 12 hours every summer from their home in Cleveland to this part of Maine, she said, and Red’s “is our first stop when we get into town and our last stop as we head out.”

The lobster roll — “the lazy man’s lobster,” Mrs. Marotta said — traditionally consists of a toasted hot dog bun topped by pieces of fresh lobster meat and a little bit of something else. The something else is a subject of disagreement.

It's lobster, you can't go wrong any way it's prepared.  You can fly to Portland, Maine from the west coast for around $350 and stay in Kennebunkport for less than $100 on Mobissimo.