Frank Sinatra and Ava Garnder’s first visit to Villa d’Este was in the 1950’s.  I love the story about a favorite new dish enjoyed during their stay.  “The (artichoke risotto)  is a risotto that for many years could only be made during the artichoke season, which is the month of March. That was true in […]

“The precise location of heaven on earth has never been established but it may very well be right here.” ~Herb Caen If you love to read about romance, intrique, celebrities and palatial gradeur, take a look at the history of Villa d’Este. My favorite drawing is titled, “The Long and the Short of the Tale or the Whole […]

Love tequila? Then you will love David Ravandi’s new 123 Tequila. David  is an expert when it comes to  the best tequila on the market. If you need a custom recipe to suit a particular evening, then chances are, if you ask nicely, David will create something just for you.  That’s what he did for […]

An interview with Wolfgang Puck is always fascinating, simply because Puck is the quintessential chef, entrepreneur and culinary genius. Usually I like to conduct my own interviews, but I thought John Mitsewich captured some interesting facets of Puck’s personality for  American Food Guide. John’s interview is a fun read.   What is a typical workday […]

  Wolfgang Puck served an incredible 1500 guests at this year’s 82nd Annual Academy Awards dinner for the Governor’s Ball. To pull off an event of this caliber is no small fete.  It required 900 staff, 250 chefs in 16 kitchen stations, 10,000 pieces of cutlery, an 18 piece all female orchestra, and 10,000 flowers […]

  Wolfgang Puck always gets raves for his post Oscar dinner at the Governor’s Ball. The legendary Puck once again created  pizzaz for the Hollywood set. Take a look  at this year’s menu and you’ll see why.   Photo showing Wolfgang Puck’s famous edible “oscars”. The official Menu was created by Wolfgang Puck with Chef […]

Four Season’s George V head bartender, Johann Burgos, was kind enough to answer some questions guests might ask directly, if lucky enough to be enjoying a Parisian nightcap at Le Bar with Johann on duty.   Q     Please share with us a memorable story during your tenure as head bartender. A memorable story between […]

The Four Seasons George V in Paris is spectacular. As each day drew to a close, we would end our evenings at either Le Bar or La Galerie. Both were elegant, yet  intimate. Decorated exquisitely,  as we had come to expect of the Four Seasons, Le Bar presented us with the perfect opportunity to recall the […]

When the original Georges Vhotel was built in 1928, builders utilized stone from the old quarry  used to build the Arc de Triomphe.  Located 46′ below the ground of Le Cinq Restaurant, the wine cellar is a sight to be seen! Monsieur Eric Beaumard, restaurant director of the Georges V, oversaw the spectacular creation of the […]

The master of the kitchen at Georges V’s  Le Cinq since June 2008 is Executive Chef Eric Briffard, who oversees the largest kitchen team in Europe: 115cooks, 7 apprentices, 15 sous-chefs and 13 sommeliers. Chef Briffard is the first to arrive and the last to leave the kitchen, where 17 to 18 hour days six days […]