I'm passing through Kilrush on the first bright, blue-skied day after weeks of non-stop rain and it's warm enough to leave the coat in the car and think perhaps there may be a sniff of spring in the air. I hope I'm not being previous. I'm here to check out two places I've been following on Instagram for a while, having never been to this part of west Clare before.
My friend Megumi, a classical musician from Tokyo who really likes to eat, takes trips to Sapporo "just for the food". She is not alone: the route between Tokyo's Haneda and Sapporo's New Chitose airports is one of the busiest domestic flight paths in Japan. Before I visited Sapporo, I called her. "Make sure to bring two stomachs," she advised. The city is the capital of Hokkaido, the most northerly of Japan's main islands, which contains more than 20 per cent of the country's landmass, but only about four per cent of its population. The island's cold waters are home to some of the world's most prized sea urchins and crabs, as well as much of the fish used by top sushi chefs. Fed by mountain springs, its unspoilt valleys are home to remarkably flavourful produce. And with its swathes of grazing land, Hokkaido is also the country's leading producer of beef, lamb and dairy: the last two ingredients are rarely used elsewhere in Japan, something that accounts for the character of eating in Sapporo.
Now 51 years old, the pint-size Beverly Hills Juice still draws generations of fans and offers punchy, sweet and herbal concoctions made from local persimmons, blood oranges, greens and ginger, the custom hydraulic press cranking through the best of the season at nearly the same prices for half a century. It's credited with proliferating pressed juice in L.A., but the shop's founding family says it was built on the shoulders of health-minded giants.
There's something unabashedly romantic about dining somewhere that feels off the grid. Aside from the obvious adventurous aspect, the farther the drive, hike, or ferry ride, the richer the reward. These remote restaurants offer a warm plate of sustenance when nothing else is within arm's reach, but they're not destinations purely out of necessity. Each of these incredible restaurants is special in its own way.
The restaurant splits its physically tiny menu into five sections: cocktails, plates, pizza, more pizza, and desserts. Each pie has a delicious sourdough crust and fresh toppings that are sourced from mostly local farms, which you can find on their website.
Fresh produce cost pennies at farm stands, potlucks were filled with top-tier dishes, and the local farmers' market and restaurants were overflowing with flavorful and fresh foods. My great-grandfather, an Italian immigrant, passed down his passion for food, and I was lucky enough to inherit his love of cooking and eating. As a chef and recipe designer, born and raised in Vermont, there's nothing I love more than trying new restaurants.
Garten highlighted Balsam Farms in a post on Instagram in August 2024, where she shared a picture of a tart she made using tomatoes from the farm. "Balsam Farm in Amagansett has the best tomatoes and I'm obsessed with using them in everything!" she wrote in the caption. But, Garten isn't the only one who loves the stand. Located just outside of Amagansett - a sleepy hamlet known for its rich agricultural community -
Since time immemorial, the Adriatic has provided fresh supplies for Venice restaurants and homes. A visit to the Grand Canal-side fish market, under its splendid neo-Gothic arches, provides a slippery, writhing introduction to moeche (soft-shelled crabs), schie (tiny gray shrimps), capelunghe (razor clams), and other wondrous marine creatures. Seafood is the foundation of the city's cuisine, but it's not the whole story.
Our 2025 campaign is designed to meet consumers where they are - whether online, in-store, or on-screen," said Jamie Clover Adams, Executive Director of MAAB. "Michigan asparagus deserves to be the centerpiece of the plate this season, and our strategy reflects that.
