#London
When friends are visiting London they often ask me where they should stay. London's grand hotels with more than 10 to choose from is an enticing option. The grand hotel is a style the Brits excel at and staying in one of these very posh establishments overnight or longer is part and parcel of enjoying a particular type of London experience.
Read MoreLONDON FAVORITES - Part ll
With the unusually cooperative weather continuing in London we dined @ Scott's in Mayfair, which goes immediately into rotation, along with River Cafe as one of our London favorites. First of all we loved the decor, which has a comfortable clubby feel. There's leather banquette seating throughout the restaurant and as it's quite celebrity driven there are also dining tables in the elegantly appointed champagne and oyster bar for those who want to see and be seen. Talking of celebrities, you may be familiar with Nigella Lawson the Domestic Goddess of British TV, who was dining at Scott's on the outdoor terrace last year when she was seen being choked by her then-husband, Charles Saatchi. Back to the food - the menu specializes in market-fresh fish, seafood, caviar and I had the dover sole, which I also ordered in a couple of other restaurants and Scott's was by far the best!
Read MoreLONDON FAVORITES - Part l
Just back from a short vacation in London, Philippe and I visited our favorite restaurants and also discovered some new ones. A perennial favorite is The River Cafe, in Thames Wharf and we go without fail whenever we're in town. River Cafe was inspired by Chefs Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray who died in 2010. It's justly famous for well executed rustic-style Italian dishes, made from locally sourced in-season ingredients. The main dining room is bright, airy, convivial and during warm summer evenings the wall of glass doors are flung open to the lovely garden with the Thames flowing alongside. Chefs that began their careers at River Cafe and went onto great success elsewhere include Ed Baines of Randall & Aubin (London), April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig (New York) and celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver.
Read MoreChristmas is my favorite time of year to visit London. Central London is particularly festive with beautiful street decorations and truly wondrous window displays. During this trip several friends were also visiting, giving us the perfect opportunity to go store window gazing and hotel bar hopping.
Read MoreI love staying in hotels and in my perfect world could happily live in a hotel. It seems I am not alone in this notion as I read in T Magazine, "A Hotel Room of One's Own" by Andrew O'Hagan. Should that dream ever come true, my hotel of choice would likely be one from the Firmdale Group. Kit & Tim Kemp have over the last 30 years transformed the London boutique hotel scene, placing their very individual stamp on an ever growing group of hotels in London, including The Knightsbridge, Charlotte Street, Number 16, Haymarket and most recently Ham Yard. In 2010 they opened in New York with Crosby Street, Soho and another hotel is currently being built in mid-town.
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