Starfarm at the Woods As much as I feel like I'm the oldest guy in the place, nothing beats the outdoor bar at the  Grand Woods Loung...

SEXIEST DISPLAY - Dessert buffet at the JW Marriott Indianapolis  These are my favorite food dishes and concepts this past month (and th...

Guys in skirts always get the girls! I have to give it a lot of credit to the St. Mary's Foundation committee members who hosted thi...

The Mandarin Oriental New York just launched a new video to seduce you to their breathtaking setting overlooking one of the most picturesqu...

For me, nothing can be more comforting than a bowl of steaming hot pho inside a hole-in-a-wall restaurant. No one cares what you look like....

Mega 80's at The Intersection The restaurant and entertainment scenes in Grand Rapids have definitely come along way since the arena...

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect setting for Father's Day - a sunny day, a riverfront table, amazing food, refreshing sangr...

The forecast called for cloudy and 60% chance of rain last evening. Jim Tressel, the ousted Ohio State coach must have been the meteorolog...

It was way past our bedtime but a late-night craving for munchies pushed us to prolong the evening. My good friends Chad, Big Daddy and I f...

The highly popular jdek at the JW Marriott opened last night to a very enthusiastic crowd of guests. Much of the excitement revolves aroun...

As the U.S. goes more casual in every lifestyle arena, classic watering holes like the Temple Bar in Manhattan is slowly fading away like ...

The Batali The Batali sandwich at Goose The Market in the historic neighborhood of downtown Indy literally gave me goose bumps. The Bat...

It was around six years ago when I first saw chef Melissa Kelly's garden just outside her Primo restaurant at the JW Marriott Orlando G...

If hosting an event for hotel general managers is scary, try hosting one for JW Marriott, Ritz Carlton, Edition, Renaissance and Marriott ...

JW Marriott General Manager, George Aquino, receives the award for the hotel. The JW Marriott Grand Rapids collected its 2010 Marriott...

A JW Marriott Hong Kong chef cooks fresh noodles in steaming pots of broth I love noodle bars. Usually the dive-types where one has to t...

View from the 35th floor Lobby Lounge of the Mandarin Oriental new York Read my article in the Grand Rapids Press Travel Section today by...

There are several things that make these Pachanga events at the JW so addicting. First, you can guarantee a great turnout with several hund...

I have to admit that W Hotels know how to create a vibe. The W Washington, DC adds an exclamation point to the word "cool."  My...

I was in Washington, DC, with my family and a contingent of about 200 students and supporters of the State of Michigan "We The People...

You just know this city is not the same sleepy town it used to be when a party before Easter attracted the jet-setters to come out to Cygnu...

Philippines - Chicken Adobo with Garlic Rice and Fried Egg We've all been there. The amazing dinner followed by an all-nighter at a...

It was the first season finale West Michigan has been waiting for - The Spring Bling with Ice Brigade at the JW Marriott Grand Rapids . A...

Our one-bedroom discovery in Hell's Kitchen I hate to admit this, but I am hooked! This is coming from a hotelier. Airbnb.com is the ...

Niman Ranch Pork Loin Schnitzel DBGB - Chef Daniel Boulud's hits another home-run with his East Village "lowdown French brasseri...

One of my favorite aspects of traveling is discovering tucked away local hideouts for conversation and a glass of vino to complement the ev...

One of my missions on this trip to New York is to find a good, simple, home-cooked Italian restaurant. A neighborhood restaurant with a loy...

Whisked from the beaches of Playa del Carmen to Nolita in NYC, this "authentic" Mexican taco truck sure is making heads turn in t...

I finally had the opportunity to witness how these amazing noodles are created without having to go to Xian, China. Here's a chef at th...

W Hotel Times Square  This is part two of my photo vignettes of New York City...

2:02 am, Ace Hotel lobby I'm in New York this week to discover some new eateries and back alley destinations. This week is also about...

My friend Don "Big Daddy" MacKenzie presented me with this beautiful bottle of bacon-infused vodka after returning from his weekl...

The JW Marriott's six.one.six restaurant is proud to offer M. Lawrence's GR Demi-Sec Sparkling Wine. This is a fresh tribute to the...

Zazio's inside the Radisson hotel in Kalamazoo deserves a lot of kudos for spearheading the restaurant resurgence in this college town...

The West Michigan Asian community gathered for its second annual Asian Gala in the International Ballroom of the JW Marriott Grand Rapids. ...

Typical Filipino breakfast Read my monthly travel column in the Grand Rapids Press by clicking HERE .  To view all the photos, just cl...

Below is the concert review I wrote for GRNow.com. Click here to view the original article. “ I must have written about 150 songs,” acc...

The JW Marriott Pachanga season officially kicked off last Saturday with Salsa Pachanga inside the International Ballroom. Several hundred...

March 1 will always be remembered as the night Lady Gaga turned this Midwest city upside down. It was an evening where the dark suits in je...

Bulgogi and Kalbi Tacocs $2.50 Chicago Magazine rates Del Seoul as one of the 10 hottest restaurants in the city at the moment. Unlike t...

My friend, Jimmy Le, invited several of the guys for a chill night of steaming hot bowl of his homemade Vietnamese phô that's been coo...

Downtown Grand Rapids was a whole different city in 1992. The restaurant and entertainment scene was non existent outside of the Amway Gran...

I officially became a Grand Rapids Press restaurant reviewer in Thursday's Weekend Section. Thank you so much to everyone who read, s...

Calling the 2nd annual Little Black Dress party at the JW Marriott an epic event is truly an understatement. The party that surprised its ...

My favorite! Steamed Mussels . roasted garlic . onions . citrus . real good beer . chili flakes . toast points The Green Well restaura...

When I get together with my family of foodies and wine enthusiasts, our first priority is to find a villa with an amazing kitchen... read m...

Travel industry experts say that the best time to buy airline tickets is during the mid-week. Airlines usually decide on ticket sales on M...

Superfriendz 2011 ! 1st Row - Jeff Barrett. 2nd Row - Tommy Fitzgerald, Raquel Salas, Kelly Stecco, Jessica Ann Tyson, Julie Regan, Rosa...

If Starbucks defined the "Third Place" about a decade ago, the Ace hotel group has added a fourth category - The Gen Love Place. ...

Once in awhile, I discover something unexpected during the course of my travels.. It could be a small magic of a restaurant that is tucked...

Lobster Bisque served table side ($8.95) Consistency is the one thing you can expect The Chop House in downtown Grand Rapids to delive...