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June 2018 Restaurant Weeks: Discounted Dining Starts Now

June 1, 2018 by OpenTable Leave a Comment

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June 2018 Restaurant Weeks

Just in time for summer travel season, June 2018 restaurant weeks are here. Find out where to save in a city near you.

* Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week brings $16 lunches and $32 dinners to southwestern Florida through June 14. Make a reservation.

* Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week has arrived with $15, $20 + $25 lunches and $29, $39 + $49 dinners through June 17. Make a reservation.

* Italian Restaurant Week NYC is your chance to enjoy delicious cuisines for less at restaurants like Rossopomodoro (pictured above) with $29.99 two-course lunches, $49.99 three-course dinners, and $79.99 gourmet tasting dinners, June 2-9. Make a reservation.

* Cape May Restaurant Week kicks off this weekend with $39 dinners at top restaurants on the Jersey shore, June 3-10. Make a reservation.

* 7 Mile Restaurant Week is also starting soon on the Jersey shore with specially priced lunch and dinner specials, June 4-10. Make a reservation.

* Coral Gables Restaurant Weeks come to the Miami area with $19-$30 lunches and $27-$40 dinners, June 4-24. Make a reservation.

* Dunwoody Restaurant Week invites you to eat your heart out in the Atlanta area with $10, $15, $20 + $25 lunches and $20, $30, $40 + $45, June 9-16. Make a reservation.Continue Reading

Drinking in the Desert: Top Cocktail Spots in the Coachella Valley

March 1, 2018 by Christina Mueller Leave a Comment

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Top Cocktail Spots in the Coachella Valley

The Coachella Valley, home to Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and Indian Wells, has a long history as an escape from the limelight of LA’s flash-bulb popping, paparazzi scene. A mere 120 miles southeast of the City of Angels, the Valley is at once a refuge and a milieu unto itself. Fans flock here for events such as the Coachella Arts & Music Festival, a hub of inspired design, or to watch fantastic tennis at the renowned tournament at Indian Wells Tennis Garden, which kicks off on Monday. In its role as a getaway locale, the Coachella Valley inspires originality of all stripes, all set in a remarkable landscape. Local restaurants and hotels take a creative eye to design, incorporating cool colors, materials, and details into their interior landscapes. It is best enjoyed with a refreshing cocktail in hand, one that may take its cue from the Colorado Desert the region calls home.

Eight4Nine, Palm Springs
White linen-topped tables are rare enough these days to be remarkable, but what makes the design at Eight4Nine so fun is the Alice in Wonderland experience when moving between the bar and restaurant. Wide and bright white, a leather-clad chaise greets you upon arrival or choose to sit at the bar, framed in white and lined in blue. In one of the dining rooms, a black wall acts as a stark contrast for a tea-pot sculpture the size of a human while in another, pink cushions on white chairs and modern lamps give the feel of the Mad Hatter’s tea party (pictured above). The eclectic look is matched by the menu which features the must-try mesquite-smoked carne asada. Pair it with an Eight4Nine. The house’s signature cocktail is colored pink with fresh strawberry, but it is the combo of prosecco and limoncello that will have you singing a happy tune in no time. Make a reservation at Eight4Nine. 

Top Cocktail Spots in the Coachella Valley

King’s Highway at the Ace Hotel &Swim Club, Palm Springs
Inside what was once a Howard Johnson’s but is now the Ace Hotel & Swim Club sits King’s Highway, a roadside diner cum hangout that was once a former Denny’s. The vibe is retro chic that skillfully blends 1970s touches with modern flair. Grab a seat at one of the warm wood tables to behold a huge stone wall from which hangs the visage of an elephant watching over the room. The farmers market carrot tacos with date mole and lime salad make the perfect mid-afternoon meal. Or take in the poolside views from the patio with a Paloma Fresca from the Amigo Room bar. Made with blanco tequila and Coachella Valley grapefruit squeezed earlier that day, the drink’s bitter citrus bite is like a balm after a baking hot desert day. Make a reservation at King’s Highway.

Top Cocktail Spots in the Coachella Valley

Purple Palm at the Colony Palms Hotel, Palm Springs
Just a block from Palm Spring’s downtown design district, the Colony Palms Hotel is an oasis of Spanish colonial architecture. Into this palm tree-lined setting sits Purple Palm, where the blue and yellow “woven” floor tiles duke it out with saffron-hued frescoes of the room’s wallpaper. Dark furniture is highlighted by the glow from the round chandeliers, adding quieter tones to the room’s energetic flow. Duck dumplings or Osaka-style crab fritters with nori and bonito show off the flavors of the New American menu, but the rim of ghost pepper salt on the blood orange and tequila cocktail known as the Rio Rita adds pop and modern flair to the scene. Make a reservation at Purple Palm.

Top Cocktail Spots in the Coachella Valley

Workshop Kitchen + Bar, Palm Springs
A huge rectangular concrete table lit by dangling Edison bulbs and a visual landscape that pulls the eye ever up to view washed concrete walls are just some of the design features that helped Workshop Kitchen & Bar earn a James Beard Award for Best Restaurant Design in 2015. The menu skews local and seasonal with dishes like house-cured gravlax tartine and Saltspring mussels with housemade Merguez sausage. 3 Dots and a Dash, one of the cocktails from the Workshop team’s adjacent bar, Truss & Twine, plays up the midcentury tiki trend. Originally invented by Ernest Gantt, a.k.a. Don the Beachcomber, a.k.a. the godfather of tiki, after serving in World War II, the cocktail was refreshed by bar manager Dave Castillo with rhum agricole, housemade falernum, and allspice dram. Said Castillo “Ernest was clearly inspired when naming this particular cocktail; 3 dots and a dash is Morse code for “V” and V is for victory!.” The three cherry and pineapple wedge garnish seals the deal. Make a reservation at Workshop Kitchen + Bar.

Top Cocktail Spots in the Coachella Valley

Reservoir at Arrive Hotel, Palm Springs
Dating to California’s Gold Rush days, a martini is just about as classic a cocktail as you can get in any town. Sip one at Reservoir, the poolside restaurant and bar at the Arrive Hotel, where the design is cutting edge fresh. The angular roofline echoes the shape of nearby San Jacinto mountain range. Local artists designed the ping pong tables fashioned from marble with a cut-steel net and lounge chairs built from reclaimed barn wood.  Co-founder Chris Pardo developed the planter wall, sourced from the same Corten steel as the buildings on the property. “Corten provides a natural consistent color without any maintenance. It blends seamlessly into the desert landscape, mimicking the shades of the sun melting over San Jacinto,” he said. Make a reservation at Reservoir.

Top Cocktail Spots in the Coachella ValleyContinue Reading

Drink Clean: 12 Refreshing Mocktails for Dryuary 2018

January 4, 2018 by Susan Johnston Taylor Leave a Comment

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Following a boozy holiday season, some choose to go cold turkey for Dryuary, or Dry January. Others give up alcohol for a pregnancy or other reasons or prefer not to drink during the work week. Whatever your motivations, you’ll find an increasing number of restaurants serving up mocktails for Dryuary 2018 and beyond for diners who want a delicious mixed drink without the buzz.

Invigorate at Tarallucci e Vino NoMad, New York, New York
This January, Tarallucci e Vino’s NoMad location is running “gin or gym” campaign where guests can choose a mocktail or a version with gin. The Invigorate (pictured) includes muddled blackberries, thyme, lemon, simple syrup, iced tea, and egg white, while the Digestive includes lime, grapefruit, fresh ginger juice, and honey. Make a reservation at Tarallucci e Vino Nomad.

Mocktails for Dryuary 2018

Ginger-Mint Green Tea or Garden Crush at DISH Preston Hollow, Dallas, Texas
Diners at DISH Preston Hollow can enjoy mocktails such as the Garden Crush (pictured left; lemon and lime “crushed” with cilantro, cucumber, and soda) or the Ginger-Mint Green Tea (pictured right; iced green tea with fresh mint and housemade ginger syrup). Beverage director Trevor Landry feels non-alcoholic cocktails are an important part of the menu. “For those customers who don’t want to get boozy — whether it’s a New Year’s resolution or not — they’re still able to experience a well-crafted beverage that they may not be able to make at home,” he explains. Make a reservation at DISH Preston Hollow.

Mocktails for Dryuary 2018

The Recovery Ramos at Grant Grill, San Diego, California
Grant Grill recently added a Sans Alcohol section to its menu with non-alcoholic craft beverages and non-alcoholic craft beer, which is dealcoholized and bottled in-house. The Recovery Ramos which features Seedlip “Garden” Hydrosol, Domaine Sante All-Sass Riesling nectar, orange flower water, cream, egg white, lemon, and soda. Make a reservation at Grant Grill.

Mocktails for Dryuary 2018

Hawaiian Punch Mocktail Noreetuh, New York, New York
This modern Hawaiian restaurant puts a more sophisticated twist on a childhood favorite with a mocktail made with P.O.G. (a popular canned drink in Hawaii that’s a combination of Passionfruit, Orange, and Guava), pineapple juice, maraschino cherry juice, lime juice, and simple syrup and is finished with soda water. Make a reservation at Noreetuh.

Mocktails for Dryuary 2018

If the Shoe Fits at Waypoint, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Waypoint bar director Seth Freidus uses housemade, seasonal ingredients to create cocktails and mocktails that complement the restaurant’s Italian seafood-focused menu. For instance, If the Shoe Fits features roasted apple and chili, lemon, and soda. Make a reservation at Waypoint.

Mocktails for Dryuary 2018

Sober Mule at Imperial Lamian, Chicago, Illinois
This sophisticated Chinese restaurant recently introduced a menu of six booze-less beverages handcrafted by beverage director Paul Ballesteros. The Sober Mule combines cucumber, ginger, lime, Szechuan peppercorn, and ginger beer for a twist on the classic Moscow Mule. Make a reservation at Imperial Lamian.

Mocktails for Dryuary 2018

No-Jito at Cuba Libre – DC, Washington, D.C.
Cuba Libre serves classic and contemporary Cuban food and offers a non-alcoholic mojito called the No-Jito, available by the glass or the pitcher. Made with guarapo, fresh lime juice, mint, and a splash of soda, No-Jitos are available in flavors including classic, mango, watermelon, passion fruit, pineapple, pomegranate, or raspberry. Make a reservation at Cuba Libre – DC.

Mocktails for Dryuary 2018Continue Reading

On Our Plate: Dine About Town SF + Palm Springs Restaurant Week; Best Outdoor Dining + More

May 23, 2013 by OpenTable Leave a Comment

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Cafe-Sambal
Cafe Sambal in Miami, Florida, is a top outdoor dining spot.

Happenings on and around OpenTable…

* We’re celebrating the 2013 Diners’ Choice Award winners for Top 100 Best Outdoor Dining Restaurants. Find out if your fave al fresco spot made the list.

* The OpenTable Restaurant Industry Index for Q1 2013 is out. Find out how restaurants performed in major metros around the U.S.

* Palm Springs Desert Resort Restaurant Week reservations are live. Reserve to enjoy special $26 or $38 dinners, May 31-June 16.

* Dine About Town San Francisco is almost here. Book now for $18.95 two-course lunches and $36.95 three-course dinners, June 1-15. Continue Reading

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Caroline PotterCaroline Potter is the Chief Dining Officer for OpenTable, Inc. She’s a dining trend-spotter and an OpenTable VIP, who dines out more than she eats in and has accrued more than 10,000 Dining Rewards points. Caroline started working in restaurants as a teen and she's since tackled every front-of-the-house job, from bartender and hostess to runner and server. She trained as a chef at Manhattan’s prestigious French Culinary Institute, cooking at L’Ecole. In addition to her role at OpenTable, she has written about food from farm to table for New York City’s famed Greenmarket and Edible Brooklyn and Edible East End magazines. Caroline is also a Certified Master Gardener.

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