Matt Vawter, chef and owner of and in Breckenridge, Colorado, has been to Chicago twice for the , often called the Oscars of the Food World. In 2018, Vawter was there to cheer on his mentor (and boss at the time) Alex Seidel when the Denver chef was nominated for Best Chef: Mountain. Seidel won that night, but Vawter missed the occasion: he had to fly home in a hurry for the birth of his daughter Sadie.

This past weekend, Vawter again flew in for the awards鈥攖his time as a finalist for the very same award. (The Best Chef: Mountain category is made up of the highest-performing chefs from five states: Colorado, Montana, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming.) On Monday night, Vawter, his wife Christy, and a small team from Rootstalk were in attendance when Vawter was named the winner.

The distinct honor garners Vawter a pedigree that only a handful of Colorado chefs have earned. That glory becomes even more distinguished when you consider that only two mountain chefs, Vawter and George Mahaffey, who won the award in 1997 while executive chef at the Little Nell is Aspen, have been feted with a James Beard medallion. (Of note, in 1998, Keith Luce of Spruce in Aspen won Rising Star Chef of the Year.)

To have a . It鈥檚 no secret that Colorado resort towns are better known for their outdoor offerings than they are for their food scenes. Of course, there are good spots, but the best in the land? Not usually. Breckenridge, in particular, has long been known for its lack of variety and hearty supply of restaurants serving bar-style food. But in the past several years, Vawter and a small contingent of others have categorically been working to change the dining landscape.

With this win, Vawter has proven it can be done. He has shown that you can prioritize quality ingredients, careful sourcing, and exquisite hospitality in a town where folks sometimes show up for dinner in ski boots (not allowed at Rootstalk, of course).

When you drill down, Vawter鈥檚 success is not the case of being in the right place at the right time. He made this happen. Vawter is a hometown kid, who, after entering kitchens at the age of 14, fell in love with the creativity, the pace, and the culture of cooking. He graduated from Summit High School in Breckenridge, attended Colorado Mountain College鈥檚 Culinary Institute in Keystone, and apprenticed and worked under local chefs.

When Vawter was 22, he moved to Denver, looking for bigger and better opportunities. He landed at Fruition Restaurant, where he impressed chef Alex Seidel from the start. The two worked side by side for 12 years, and Vawter steadily made his way up the ladder. When Seidel opened Mercantile Dining & Provision in Denver鈥檚 Union Station in 2014, Vawter was a chef-partner. In 2019, he was named executive chef.

All the while, Vawter felt the pull of the mountains. He wanted to return, and he wanted to open a restaurant that would honor all the skills鈥攃ooking, yes, but also sourcing, plating, and learning the art of hospitality鈥攈e had garnered during his years at Fruition and Mercantile. (At the time, Mercantile was considered one of the very best restaurants in Denver, and it鈥檚 the establishment for which Seidel won his James Beard.)

In 2020鈥攖he pandemic鈥揤awter made the leap. He signed a lease on a historic house-turned-restaurant on Breckenridge鈥檚 Main Street and began building a team. From Mercantile, he brought with him chef Cameron Baker (who also grew up in the Breckenridge area and graduated from the same culinary program), Patrick Murphy, and Teddy Lamontagne. The team remains today and was in attendance at the awards in Chicago鈥攕creaming their heads off鈥攚hen Vawter鈥檚 name was called.

In addition to plying Breckenridge with excellent food (Rootstalk is a high-end seasonal American restaurant with tasting and 脿 la carte menus, while Radicato is more distinctly Italian), Vawter continues to hire locally as much as possible. He looks to the area鈥檚 culinary school and apprenticeship program for talent and believes in offering opportunities to grow.

There鈥檚 a lesson here for all big-dream cooks just getting started: you can do it, and you can do it in places perhaps not considered food meccas. Vawter said it best, just moments after receiving his medal: 鈥淲hen I wanted to go back to my hometown of Breckenridge, it was really about bringing home what I鈥檝e learned, sharing that with my community, and creating a place where, hopefully, cooks don鈥檛 have to make that same decision I had to make 16 years ago.鈥�

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Any number of concerns are on our radar as we plan our next trip, from serious issues like how destinations are working to mitigate tourists鈥� environmental impact to inconveniences like months-long passport wait times. In this column, our travel expert addresses your questions about how to navigate the world.

Tipping has gotten so out of control. I feel like post COVID, I鈥檓 expected to tip 30 percent, an amount I find ridiculous and frustrating. This happens most frequently at caf茅s and restaurants, but it also comes up with outdoor guides.听 What’s going on? Please don’t tell me this is the new norm. 鈥擳ipped Off

It gives me pleasure to reward an exceptional ski guide or attentive bartender with a generous tip. But when tipping is no longer my choice, I start to feel indignant.

These days, restaurants are including service fees with the bill, outdoor outfitters are automatically adding built-in tips, and at checkout kiosks, payment screens suggest we tip 25, or even 30, percent. I recently heard about someone being asked for a tip after helping a customer who was checking in at the airport. This profusion of requests for increased gratuity, particularly at places we鈥檙e not used to seeing it, is called tipflation. And you鈥檙e right, it鈥檚 getting ridiculous.

Why Has Tipping Increased?

Blame it on the rise of point-of-sale technology. You鈥檝e seen the screen prompts asking for a tip at the end of your transaction, in some cases upward of 30 percent. Business owners say the automated cues can significantly boost staff gratuities. But the latest point-of-sale software feels sneaky, showing suggested tips in dollars or percentages, calculating the tip before or after tax, and making the custom tip (or no tip) button hard to find.

More than half of Americans believe tipping screens are coercing them into paying more than they think is always deserved, according to a by Bankrate, a consumer financial services company. A 2017 Cornell University study found that larger suggested tips resulted in increased gratuity but not increased customer satisfaction, spending, or client retention. I often leave annoyed and not wanting to return when I鈥檓 asked for a tip at a place that doesn鈥檛 feel appropriate.

But it鈥檚 hard not to feel self-conscious when your barista (and anyone in line behind you) is watching you navigate the iPad tipping screen. Recently at my local coffee shop, I bypassed the digital gratuity and tossed a dollar in the tip jar instead. While I felt cheap, my $5 drip coffee certainly didn鈥檛 warrant a $5 tip, as the screen suggested.

According to New York etiquette expert Thomas P. Farley, a.k.a. Mister Manners, my dollar was appropriately generous.

鈥淕uilt tipping has reached epidemic levels with the mass adoption of tablets at point-of-purchase,鈥� he told me, noting that people are generally befuddled about modern-day tipping etiquette. Farley, who recently gave a Ted Talk called 鈥淭he Tipping Invasion: How America Became the Country that Tips for Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,鈥� says that tipping for any point-of-purchase transaction, as opposed to sit-down service, should be at your discretion. 鈥淎 general rule is that somebody behind a coffee shop counter or check-out screen is being paid minimum wage, so there should be no obligation to tip,鈥� he says.

When I mentioned that customers can feel responsible for improving wages perceived as low for hourly workers, he replied: 鈥淎 customer is not expected to know鈥攍et alone assess鈥攖he wages or pay structure for employees at the establishments they frequent. For counter employees, the burden is squarely on the place of business to pay a fair and livable wage. Transferring that responsibility to customers is neither supported by tradition nor ethical.鈥�

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn鈥檛 reward good service. In a coffee shop, for example, if your order involves more than scanning a barcode and entails some degree of skill and care (maybe creating latte art with your foam or remembering your go-to order), Farley believes it warrants a tip. How much you tip is up to you, he says, adding that you need not feel bound by amounts suggested on screens.

What鈥檚 the Normal Tipping Rate These Days, and What鈥檚 Included?

Tipflation has left us wondering just who to tip and how much. In our largely cash-free economy, it鈥檚 more important than ever to make sure you have cash鈥攑articularly small bills鈥攈andy for tipping when you travel. We all know a dollar doesn鈥檛 go as far as it once did. According to Farley, leaving a buck for a bellhop, housekeeper, or cocktail mixologist simply doesn鈥檛 cut it in 2023. Fives are more thoughtful, says Farley.

鈥淭ipping one dollar is more suited to an interaction with a high-volume, low-effort service professional, such as a washroom attendant who hands you a paper towel or a bartender who uncaps your beer,鈥� he says. Tens and twenties should be doled out to those delivering a more extensive service, like a tour guide, he says.

The restaurant industry is a sector unto itself. Hard-hit by COVID, many business owners have since tacked on an average of 3 percent in service fees to bills, claiming the extra charge goes toward employee wages and well-being. If you look at your itemized receipt, you鈥檒l see them listed as a kitchen appreciation or staff wellness fee or an inflation surcharge.

鈥淭hese supplemental fees are a way that restaurant owners are attracting and retaining staff without increasing their own bottom lines,鈥� explains Farley. Alimento, a restaurant in Los Angeles, for example, adds 4 percent to bills to cover staff health insurance, plus a $1.50 tap-water donation. Last month its restaurateur defended his actions, telling that his surcharges were 鈥渉ardly unique鈥� in a city where 鈥渄ozens if not hundreds鈥� of establishments were doing the same thing.

Farley recently dined at a restaurant in Denver that levied a 20 percent fee to ensure staff receive a livable wage. 鈥淲hen the time came to pay the bill and the server hovered over me with a handheld point-of-purchase device, I was stunned to see a fresh option to tip on the total,鈥� he says. After inquiring, the server told Farley that the initial 20 percent fee was shared among all staff and the end-service fee was for his service in particular. Farley left the restaurant having paid 40 percent in service fees. 鈥淚 would have preferred higher-priced menu items to these tacked-on charges,鈥� he says.

Even though tipping 40 percent seems outrageous, Farley says you should still leave 15 to 20 percent gratuity at a restaurant鈥攅ven if other fees have been included鈥攖o guarantee your server is properly compensated (if they did indeed go above and beyond). Don鈥檛 hesitate to question where any added charges actually go, and if you don鈥檛 agree with the answer, he says, it鈥檚 not bad manners to speak to a manager and ask if the fee can be waived.

How Much Should You Tip a Tour Guide or an 国产吃瓜黑料 Outfitter?

When it comes to the outdoor industry, tipping etiquette for guides is even more confusing. Many companies, like Mountain Travel Sobek, send out pre-trip emails clearly stating that it鈥檚 customary to tip guides but that the amount is up to you. Others provide a suggested amount to tip per day.

Cycling Country Bike Tours, a small family-run company in Spain, sends clients pre-tour information stating that a 5 percent gratuity of the tour price is appreciated by guides. But, according to its director, Maggi Jones, it tends to go unnoticed.

鈥淲e have great reviews, the guests rave about the guides, but when it comes down to it, people walk away without giving any [monetary] thanks,鈥� she says. What鈥檚 ironic is that people will commonly lay down a $20 restaurant tip for a server they spent three minutes with, and leave the same amount or nothing at all to someone who has guided them hundreds of miles cycling, made their picnics, and fixed their punctured tires. If you can dole out $5,000 for a weeklong cycling trip, and the service is great, you should tip the guide the company鈥檚 recommended gratuity.

Most guides agree that when carrying cash was more common, so were tips. Digital transactions require an internet connection, which isn鈥檛 always available in the wilderness. To make sure guides are compensated for their efforts, and to remove the guesswork that tends to happen at the end of a tour, some outfitters now build tips into the fee during the booking process.

When an 国产吃瓜黑料 editor recently booked a bioluminescent kayaking tour online with Blue Waters Kayaking in Point Reyes Station, California, she noticed a 15 percent gratuity fee included for the guides. 鈥淚 think I should be able to judge for myself what kind of tip I want to offer in the end, depending on how things go, not beforehand,鈥� she rationalized.

John Granatir and Pamalah MacNeily, the owners of Blue Waters Kayaking, note that the bioluminescence tours are their only public-enrollment tours to incorporate automatic gratuity to the total fee. Due to the nature of this popular tour, which happens at night under completely dark skies and is led by guides with wilderness-medicine training, more often than not, guests would express gratitude verbally at the end but then say they didn鈥檛 have cash on hand. Guides weren鈥檛 getting tipped at all.

The outfitter implemented auto-gratuity to the trip in the fall of 2020. The owners say many guests choose to tip additionally after the experience and only a handful have requested tip refunds, often due to weather, not service. They鈥檝e obliged all refund requests.

At the end of the day, says Farley, tipping should be an option, not an obligation. You don鈥檛 have to leave a tip just because you鈥檙e asked to. If you choose to, it should be a reflection of your satisfaction with the service, not what someone else (or a screen) is suggesting.

国产吃瓜黑料 correspondent Jen Murphy is on the road nearly 80 percent of the year. As a teenager, she spent many summers waitressing in her hometown on the Jersey Shore and always tips 20 percent.听听

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It鈥檚 a known fact that ski towns aren鈥檛 always a bounty for fabulous food. Sure, there are a lot of wings and pretzel knots (some very good!), but when you want something more than standard fare, where to go? Breckenridge bustles with restaurant options and for the top spots, we follow the locals鈥� lead.

Dinner

There鈥檚 no better way to rest those ski legs than over a fine dinner. These spots are all on the nicer end, but kids are welcome too鈥攋ust go early.

Fine dining is chef-owner Matt Vawter鈥檚 wheelhouse. Before returning home to the mountains in 2020, Vawter spent nearly two decades cooking at two of Denver鈥檚 best: Fruition Restaurant and Mercantile Dining & Provision. Rootstalk, which sits in a gracious 1889 Victorian, calls on all the touchpoints of white-tablecloth dining without any of the stuffiness. Seasonal dishes like delicate cavatelli with foraged mushrooms and ricotta and roasted duck breast with butternut squash are just a few of the many highlights.

Don鈥檛 miss: Diners craving a chef-counter experience should request one of the coveted seats when making a reservation.

Rootstalk was such a hit that Vawter opened Radicato, a more Italian and casual take on fine dining, this past June. The restaurant sits upstairs (come back in the summer for one of Breck鈥檚 best decks) and has all the energy of a well-loved gathering spot. We love sitting at the nine-seat bar and people-watching over bites of carpaccio, the homemade pasta (order the lobster bucatini with crusty bread crumbs if you see it), and any of the thoughtful veggie sides.

Don鈥檛 miss: Radicato bakes its own focaccia and allows you to choose how you want to top it鈥攚ith pesto and burrata, with chicken liver mousse and stewed fruit, with pine nut tapenade and anchovies, and the list goes on.

It鈥檚 almost inconceivable that a restaurant this size could offer three different dining experiences鈥攁t the bar, in the bar area, and in the dining room. And at Aurum, which means gold in Latin, there鈥檚 no wrong choice. The eclectic menu runs from crowd-pleasing crispy curried cauliflower with hazelnut dukkah and spaghetti squash fritters to braised pork osso buco and housemade pastas. For our money, we like sitting in the bar area and ordering a collection of shared plates, plus the never-fail Aurum Manhattan gussied up with Green Chartreuse.

Don鈥檛 miss: Happy hour means Aurum鈥檚 greatest hits (cue the French onion burger and the Korean fried chicken) are nearly half off and the deals on drinks are just as good.

When the Breck Distillery branched out from hard spirits into food a few years ago, the restaurant (which sits just outside of town on Airport Road) was immediately mobbed. And that hasn鈥檛 changed鈥攏ot when cocktail wiz Billie Keithley’s drinks are perfect every time and the chicken and grits and udon cacio e pepe satisfy in the way only comfort food can.

Don鈥檛 miss: The flame-grilled baguette comes warm and toasty and bathed with horseradish garlic butter. Order two.

Lunch

Whether you鈥檙e strolling through town or taking a break from the slopes, one鈥檚 still gotta eat.

Anyone who speaks Italian will know that the English translation for piante is plant. So goes this very busy, 100% plant-based pizza spot. The blistered-crust pies are excellent (even the carnivores agree!), and the menu reads like most any other pizzerias: margarita, pepperoni, buffalo. In other words, the plant-based cheeses and meat substitutes stand in beautifully.

Don鈥檛 miss: Top your pizza with the cloud-like housemade cashew ricotta.

It鈥檚 a fact: You will never not see a line in front of Cr锚pes a la Cart. No matter the weather or the temperature, the queue for cr锚pes folded around fillings like melty Nutella or savory pesto and chicken stretches down the sidewalk. Psst, if you don鈥檛 want to wait forever for that treat, pop into the alley for the tiny brick-and-mortar, or hit the Silverthorne location (inside Bluebird Market) as you鈥檙e passing through.

Don鈥檛 miss: Why gild the lily? A cr锚pe showered in nothing but butter and sugar is perfection.

French-inspired sandwiches, which are built on lengths of chewy ficelle, mean you always have an excuse to picnic鈥攅ven if it鈥檚 in the snow. The Cheese Shop鈥檚 ham with strawberry jam, butter, and greens is our pick, but the Southside鈥檚 mortadella, salami, aged provolone, and spicy giardiniera combo is a very close second.

Don鈥檛 miss: The jams, crackers, tinned fish, and other foodstuffs on the shelves make terrific last-minute hostess gifts.

Breakfast

Don鈥檛 forget the most important meal of the day.

Located on Breck鈥檚 bustling main drag, Semplice Cafe鈥檚 unassuming spot is easy to walk right past. But take a minute to slow down and you鈥檒l find a selection of breakfast burritos, a.m. paninis, toasts, and smoothies. The menu is predominantly vegan and vegetarian, though a few exceptions are made for bacon and chorizo.

Don鈥檛 miss: Hit the slopes with a J Wook breakfast burrito (scrambled eggs, tomato, quinoa, sweet potato, black bean, spinach, and green chile) in your pocket and you won鈥檛 need to eat again until dinner.

If you want to dish on powder stashes while sipping hot coffee and chowing on an egg sandwich, The Crown is your spot. The locals鈥� hangout serves breakfast until 11:30 a.m. and the menu will fill you up with choices like Texas toast topped with goat cheese, avocado, and tomatoes. The price is right too鈥攖hat toast will cost you a mere $6.50.

Don鈥檛 miss: The boozy beverages: bloody marys, mimosas, spiked hot chocolate, and more.

Rather than immediately rushing off in the direction of the lifts, there are days when you need to slow it down. For those mornings, head to La Fran莽aise French Bakery and ogle the stocked pastry case. Our go-tos are a strong black coffee and a flaky almond croissant or a slice of the decadent, need-to-share-it quiche du jour. Gather your goods and stay a while.

Don鈥檛 miss: Throw in a pinwheeled raisin brioche pastry for good measure.

On Mountain

Where to refuel if you didn鈥檛 pack a pocket PB&J.

With five peaks and nearly 3,000 skiable acres, Breckenridge Ski Resort is big. But no matter where we鈥檙e skiing, we always make our way back to Robbie鈥檚 Tavern for lunch or apr猫s. The restaurant is located at the base of Peak 8, in the middle-ish of the mountain, with easy access to blues and blacks鈥攁nd fare that鈥檚 more nuanced than what the cafeterias serve. The soups鈥攑ork green chile, red chili con carne, and pot roast stew鈥攁re staples, even on sunny days.

Don鈥檛 miss: Robbie鈥檚 slopeside deck offers unobstructed views of the mountain and three fire tables keep you toasty warm.

The post A Skier鈥檚 Guide to the Best Restaurants in Breckenridge appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

As a travel writer who spends several months out of every year reporting on the road, I know all too well that the only thing better than an听epic hike, run, or ride is having a great place to settle in and recap the day over a pint and听a heaping plate of food. These bars, restaurants, and spas around the world offer delicious snacks, refreshing drinks, and plenty of history, making them the most must-see apr猫s听destinations on the planet. Better yet, they鈥檙e all within close proximity to stunning views to keep the magic alive after leaving the trail.

The Cave Bar

Petra, Jordan

Close To: The Jordan Trail

The ancient city of Petra, carved into the sides of canyons and cliffs in Jordan, is one of the most incredible sites you can hike to. Though the intricate Monastery and Treasury are the most iconic trails, the Jordan Trail takes you past countless caves and ruins once used as tombs that are just as awe-inspiring. When you come off the Jordan Trail鈥攚hich traverses the length of the country, over 400 miles鈥攈ead straight to听 at the . The bar is literally a cave, a former tomb used by Nabateans during the heyday of Petra 2,000 years ago. And the Guest House claims it鈥檚 the world鈥檚 oldest bar.

Casato Prime Donne

Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

Close To: The Via Francigena

is a sprawling winery on land that鈥檚 been in winemaker Donatella Cinelli Colombini鈥檚 family since the 16th century. It鈥檚 in the midst of Tuscany鈥檚 Val d鈥橭rcia, a postcard-perfect landscape of rolling green hills and cypress trees that are home to idyllic hiking and biking trails. Eat in the restaurant here for a world-class meal that will make you wish every hiking region听took food and wine so seriously. The top-shelf Brunello will be an especially welcome treat after a few days听of hiking or biking parts of the nearby Via Francigena, an ancient trade route that extends from Canterbury, England, to Rome.

Swizzle Inn

Hamilton, Bermuda

Close To: The Bermuda Trail

Grab a Rum Swizzle at the after hiking or biking the Bermuda Trail, which runs nearly the full length of Bermuda on a former railroad route. The Swizzle Inn听opened in 1932 and is the country鈥檚 oldest pub. According to legend, it invented its namesake cocktail, which is now the national drink of Bermuda.

Taybeh Brewing Company

Taybeh, Palestine

Close To: The Masar Ibrahim

Palestine鈥檚 Masar Ibrahim extends about 200 miles through the length of the country, passing through far more diverse landscape than you might expect for a small nation in the Middle East, including everything from ocean vistas to lush听hillsides. Stop in the small town of Taybeh for a beer at , the Middle East鈥檚 first microbrewery. A short walk away, you鈥檒l find its听sister winery, , where the Khoury family continues Palestine鈥檚 millennia-old winemaking tradition.

Bread Bar

Silver Plume, Colorado

Close To: Gray鈥檚 and Torrey鈥檚 Peaks

Colorado鈥檚 intermountain stretch of Interstate 70 connects the Front Range to some of the state鈥檚 best hiking, mountain biking, and skiing opportunities. (Two听of our favorites? Gray鈥檚 and Torrey鈥檚 Peaks, which can be summited separately or in one eight-mile hike that includes 3,500 feet of elevation gain.) Because of this, it鈥檚 also one the most hated stretches of highway in Colorado鈥攕ometimes traffic makes the trip home longer than the time you spent听on the trail. Wait out rush hour at , a former bakery in an old mining town built into the side of a mountain. This hipster paradise is easily one of the most Instagrammable bars you鈥檒l find in the Rockies, and its top-notch cocktails will quickly make you forget about traffic.

Akan Yuku No Sato

Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan

Close To: Akan-Mashu National Park

After hiking, biking, or snowshoeing around Akan-Mashu National Park on Japan鈥檚 northernmost island, Hokkaido, retreat to the in the indigenous Ainu village to relax and refuel. Here听you can opt for an exceptional buffet dinner or an elaborate听traditional Japanese kaiseki dinner, with more courses of seafood, meat, and veggie dishes than you can count. Afterward, soak your tired muscles in the hotel鈥檚 jaw-dropping onsen hot-spring spas. One on the ground floor features a cave, a hot tub made out of a 600-year-old tree trunk, and outdoor area shrouded in trees. Another, on the roof, offers stunning views of the lake and surrounding mountains.

Ristorante La Terrazza

Courmayeur, Italy

Close To: Tour du Mont Blanc

While hiking the Italian section of the Tour du Mont Blanc, stop for dinner at . The extensive menu鈥攆ull of pizza, fondue, pasta, and traditional local dishes from the Aosta Valley鈥攚ill be a welcome change from trail fare. And of course, La Terrazza offers outdoor seating with clear views of the summit of Mont Blanc.

More than a Drop

Moshi, Tanzania

Close To: Mount Kilimanjaro

Whether you鈥檙e day-hiking part of Mount Kilimanjaro or gunning to the summit, refuel at the in Moshi, the gateway town to the national park. The restaurant specializes in vegetarian meals and to-die-for hummus. Better yet, it鈥檚 run by a nonprofit hospitality school that prepares young women for careers in the tourism industry. The lush outdoor seating area looks right out onto Kilimanjaro.

Cafe Iru帽a

Pamplona, Spain

Close To: Camino de Santiago

Feast on the famous tapas or grab a drink听Ernest Hemingway鈥搒tyle at the 131-year-old , along the popular biking destination Camino de Santiago in Pamplona. Hemingway used to come here to write, and to this day Iru帽a looks stuck in time, brimming with 19th-century charm.

Redcliff Caf茅

Te Anau, Fiordland, New Zealand

Close To: Milford Track and Fiordland National Park

After hiking in New Zealand鈥檚 most famous national park, Fiordland, pop in to the cozy for New Zealand wine and award-winning local dishes. If you have any doubt whether it鈥檚 a good spot to settle in, perhaps the cast and crew of the Lord of the Rings series can persuade you鈥攔estaurant workers say they were regulars over ten years of filming.

Laugarvatn Fontana

Golden Circle, Iceland

Close To: The Gullfoss waterfall and Thingvellir National Park

The only thing better than a snack and a drink after a long day on the trails? Soaking your sore legs in听hot springs. Halfway between Thingvellir National Park and the Gullfoss waterfall鈥攖wo pillars of Iceland鈥檚 iconic Golden Circle鈥攜ou鈥檒l find . This hot-spring spa has steam baths and is on the edge of a frigid lake, so you can treat your muscles to a hot-cold dunking routine to relax. Fontana鈥檚 caf茅 serves alcohol and classic Icelandic fare, including bread baked underground by the earth鈥檚 natural geothermal heat.

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James Sharman, a veteran of some of the world鈥檚 best kitchens, knew the logistics of hosting a dinner party on Everest were going to be difficult, but by the time he arrived at Base Camp, north of 17,500 feet, the plan seemed like it was verging on madness. Sharman, with four chef friends and eight porters, had just hauled up 16 blue plastic chairs (one for each paying customer), three wooden tables (two for dining, one for prep), and enough cooking supplies to feed 25 people. As the culinary team surveyed the craggy outcrops for an ice-free, level-enough patch of rock on which to serve dinner, a small avalanche cascaded down the mountain above them.

Such are the difficulties of hosting a Michelin-quality dinner at the foot of the tallest mountain on earth.

Sharman and company鈥攁ll chefs and hospitality pros, not mountaineers鈥攌new their plan was preposterous from the get-go. The whole enterprise was part of , a roving pop-up restaurant Sharman and a few chefs started last year. Before Everest, the team had hosted high-end, short-lived restaurants in Beijing, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. In each spot, dinners were sold out, partially thanks to the team鈥檚 spotless culinary credentials. (Sharman has cooked at Noma and The Ledbury, two European restaurants that often top the world鈥檚 best list, and his colleagues have similarly impressive CVs.) But nothing, of course, prepared them for Everest. 鈥淵ou build a restaurant at Base Camp to make a bang,鈥� Sharman said afterwards. 鈥淏ut it was quite humbling.鈥�

This isn鈥檛 the first time a famed chef has tried to host a dinner party on Everest. Last year, another British cook, , tried to prepare a fancy meal on the mountain and garnered tons of press in the lead-up. But the chef had to back down after showing signs of on the ascent.

For Sharman鈥檚 group, the logistics of the meal were daunting. Bains鈥� plan to feed climbers involved freeze-drying food in civilization, then rehydrating the meal at Base Camp. But the pop-up crew wanted a fresher approach. On each leg of their tour through Asia, they鈥檇 pulled together menus after eating at local restaurants and haunting the city鈥檚 fresh markets. In Bangkok, they served local beef sundried with homemade fish sauce, cured egg yolk, and charred Thai eggplant. In Vietnam, diners got water buffalo heart and fish brined in coconut water. But in addition to the challenge of high altitude cooking, Sharman and the team also aimed to learn the ins and outs of Nepalese food, a cuisine the chefs said they knew little about before the trip.听

鈥淣epalese food gets lost in Indian food in the Western perspective,鈥� Jack Donahue, a chef with the pop-up said before the ascent. 鈥淭hey have their own distinct style鈥� it鈥檚 a lot milder. There are dal dishes and curry dishes, but the spices are much more subtle and less furious.鈥�

In Kathmandu in late December, ten days before the ascent, the team began research in earnest. 鈥淲e鈥檝e eaten out twice tonight鈥攁nd I鈥檝e tried like eight things I鈥檝e never had before,鈥� Sharman said at the time. 鈥淲e ate goat spinal cord today and honestly it was so delicious鈥攊t was like bone marrow.鈥�

They spent the next week and a half building a menu based on what would keep fresh over the course of the nine-day hike to Base Camp. The key to unlocking the menu, Sharman said, was when 鈥渨e started to look at the nine days we needed to hike with the food as an advantage, not a disadvantage.鈥� They tried traditional yak yogurt鈥斺�渦nbelievable,鈥� Sharman said鈥攁nd decided they could ferment their own during the trek. They discovered Sukuti, a buffalo jerky that鈥檚 air-dried in the cold, a process that has 鈥減rofound effects on the flavor.鈥� As their menu came together, it slowly became more and more 鈥淗imalayan,鈥� the chefs said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 food designed against the odds,鈥� Sharman said.

The 15 diners鈥攁 band of “regulars,”听as Sharman puts it, or听high-flying foodies who have gone out of their way to jet to previous pop-ups in multiple cities鈥攑aid $1,050 for food and lodging over the course of a 14-day journey from Katmandu to Base Camp and back. The hike was uneventful, if slow, Sharman says, but not without logistical difficulties. What really weighed the restaurateurs down were the late additions: local plants foraged on the trek to add freshness took up precious pack space; firewood collected at 13,000 feetwas a drag; and a barbeque that chef Kevin McCrea became enamored of听had to be disassembled and divvied up between the hikers.

The night before the dinner, the whole crew stayed at a guesthouse in Gorak Shep, just over a half-mile from basecamp, where owners agreed to let the party borrow three wooden tables and 16 blue plastic chairs. The next morning at 5 a.m. the chefs and porters were up and beginning the arduous process of hauling a full dining set up the mountain. The chefs assembled the kitchen and began cooking two hours later.

The meal was simpler than any other the One Star House Party had made, with hearty roots and pickled vegetables playing key roles. It was served in simple bowls, accompanied by cans of beer. The highlight, Sharman says, was a riff on Sukuti, the buffalo jerky found throughout Nepal. The chefs made a 鈥渄ry curry鈥� of the jerky by reheating it in ghee with copious spices and onions. 鈥淚t had this amazing depth of flavor,鈥� he says.听

The Menu

Potatoes grown in Dingboche,听steamed and cooked with turmeric, black mustard seeds, cassia leaf
Turnips, long gourds and mustard leaf fermented in Indian black salt and cumin
Carrots & radish fermented in wheat husk and beer
Thinly sliced raw pumpkin, frozen and thawed to change the texture, fermented in mustard leaf dressing
Rice cooked in the style of congee with green onion, turmeric, and cumin
Fermented sauce of hot green chili and听tamarind听
Preserved, grilled and tea smoked aubergine
Pickled long gourds
Sukuti (buffalo jerky) wood fired for 2-3 days, hung to dry with chili seeds then lightly fried with cumin seeds and听onions
听

鈥淟ooking back, I can鈥檛 believe all the things that came together,鈥� Sharman told 国产吃瓜黑料 in January. The crew was already in Mumbai, preparing for their next restaurant.听

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Conversion rates can be hard鈥攅specially when you鈥檙e a few beers in. But if you鈥檝e ever stared at a check and thought, I must be doing the math wrong, you know the ugly truth of drinking on the road: beers have wildly different price tags in different places. 听

Now, we鈥檙e not saying you should choose your next vacation destination by the price of the beer. But we鈥檙e not saying it鈥檚 the worst idea, either. If you do consider the price of suds as part of your travel planning, GoEuro.com, a travel site that helps road warriors book rail, air and bus tickets, has released its . The list sorts out the cheapest and most expensive cities for drinks. 听

Of course, cheap beer doesn鈥檛 always mean good beer. We wanted to know what beer culture was like in the cheapest and most expensive cities, so we asked locals to weigh in. Some of these cities have robust beer cultures, even if prices are low. Others, like Singapore, are expensive even though craft beer options are still limited. Here鈥檚 how the cities stack up.听

The Cheapest:

#3. Cape Town, South Africa

When you go to a bar in Cape Town, you go to your kind of bar. 鈥淏ars are very niche and serve the city's clique culture. The result is the sensation of living in a thousand places at once,鈥� says Benjamin Timm, a longtime local. 鈥淚 would describe Cape Town as vibey, new, adventurous, and a little bit pretentious. The city is all about cashing in on global trends.鈥� Gin is catching up to craft beer in popularity, but locally-produced and international brews remain the city鈥檚 staple. Despite Cape Town鈥檚 super-hip feel, prices are low. Timm says that for about 200 Rand ($15 US), you could expect to have a very fun night on the town. 听

#2. Kiev, Ukraine

Currently, Irish-themed bars are all the rage in Kiev, with warm wood interiors, cozy leather furnishings, and Guinness on tap. But, somewhat ironically, Guinness isn鈥檛 a particularly popular beer in Kiev鈥攎ainly because it鈥檚 much more expensive than local micros. Luckily, the native beers are quite good and very, very affordable. 鈥淵ou pay by the weight. A 1-liter bottle would cost you no more than 25 grivnas [about 99 cents] in Darnitsa's microbreweries,鈥� says Arnaud Fournier, a student living in Kiev. An import costs double, which is still incredibly cheap for a liter of beer.听

Perhaps best of all, local citizens and bartenders love welcoming foreign visitors. Fournier says that (non-Russian) guests almost always get either a steeply discounted or free first drink. Just watch out鈥擣ournier says drinking like a Ukrainian will result in a massive hangover. The good news is that it won鈥檛 dent your wallet. You鈥檇 literally put yourself in a hospital trying to spend more than $50 on a night out. 听

#1. Bratislava, Slovakia 听

Slovakia鈥檚 neighbor, the Czech Republic, gets a lot more attention for its beer (and is quite smug about it鈥攁pparently, a Czech prime minister once boasted that Slovakian beers .) But things are changing. Microbrewers are popping up and experimenting with new flavors鈥攜ou can even find the occasional IPA. Plus, things are cheap. Like, really cheap. A one-third liter bottle of beer (just under 12 ounces) costs 51 cents at the supermarket and $2.80 at a bar. Also, Bratislava is a beautiful, quiet city to stroll through. It has much of the charm of Prague without the Disney World feel of being jammed in a castle with thousands of other gawking humans.

The Most Expensive:

#3. Singapore听

The craft beer scene is still young here, so you鈥檒l have to go looking for it, especially if you want local stuff, not imports. The cocktail culture, however, is robust. Rooftop bars light up the skyline at night with young adults sipping high-end cocktails. In some spots, be ready to pay $15 to $20 for a single mixed drink. A beer, meanwhile, will set you back about $9.22.听

#2. Hong Kong

鈥淭he bar scene in Hong Kong is massive鈥攖he industries here are varied, but finance, banking, and real estate are huge ones, which makes drinking a bit of way of life here,鈥� says Suzannah Van Rooy, an expat living in Hong Kong. Van Rooy says that craft beers are in, but craft cocktails are even bigger. 鈥淚t seems like every bar in all of Hong Kong is selling their own handcrafted cocktail with fresh-squeezed juices and hand-woven cotton candy and miniature dolphins swimming around in them. It's crazy what bars do to outshine one another here.鈥� You鈥檒l pay for those tiny dolphins, though. Van Rooy says you鈥檒l spend between $40 and $65 dollars per person on a night out.听

#1. Lausanne, Switzerland

You practically need to have a Swiss bank account to afford a second drink in Switzerland. In a list of 70 cities worldwide, Lausanne wasn't the only Swiss city, but it was ranked the听most听expensive to drink in.听In fact, it out-priced听Zurich, which came in fourth. This may be a bit surprising, since Zurich has more听bankers, while Lausanne听has more students, says Daniel Gutzwiller, a local. He admits that, yes, Lausanne is extremely pricey, but he says that you can count on obsessively good service and high-quality beer. You get lake and alpine views, too. Just, maybe skip dinner if you are planning a big night out. The average beer is more than $17. If you鈥檙e not watching it, your tab can run well above $100 in no time.听

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Sometimes you want to get out in the woods and be alone with nature. And other times, you want to sit in a crowded theater, eat a plateful of fried chicken, and watch lumberjacks sing, dance, and tumble around a stage. Next time you visit , you can do both.听

鈥溾�� is Dolly Parton鈥檚 latest and greatest offering in the town of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee鈥攖he retina-searing shrine to tacky capitalism that all tourists must pass through before entering America鈥檚 most-visited national park. The show opened this summer after more than a year of development, and it鈥檚 been a hit鈥攖he night I visited, almost all of the 700 seats were filled.听

Knowing only that this Lumberjack 国产吃瓜黑料 involved dinner theater of some kind, I arrived with high hopes of dueling chainsaws and maybe some gore. Instead, it鈥檚 Appalachian Cirque du Soleil.

The show opens with a bearded storyteller telling a tale about the sawmill that once brought prosperity to the area. There are references to moonshining, hootenannies, and a few gunshots in the first five minutes鈥攖rope hard or go home, as they say. From there, the plot follows a predictable path: two feuding families fight over the mill, while forbidden love blossoms, and a pair of feds chase a moonshiner. All of this, rounded out with a few aerialists, a lot of tumbling, and the occasional pyrotechnic.

As you watch, an array of Southern food is plunked in front of you, almost in time to the music: a ladle of pulled pork, a biscuit, a deep fried chicken breast. The arena has stadium-style seating, but there's a bar in front of each row. Servers whiz听by all night, delivering the听meal one item at a time. Pro tip: Be the handsome man sitting at the end of the row. Any听extra servings the server doesn't want to carry back to the kitchen will wind up on your plate, as my soon-overstuffed husband discovered.

The food is surprisingly good for the fact it鈥檚 being prepped and served on a massive scale. The chicken skin was crispy, the pulled pork was smoky, and the coleslaw wouldn't offend your southern granny. Dessert鈥攁 peach turnover鈥攚as probably the most forgettable part, but that could be because they were distributed right as the canine cast members took the stage. (Yes, there are dogs, and yes, they are perhaps the biggest highlight.)听

Most of the cocktails offered up are mixed with moonshine. While white lightning has a reputation for being a bit like paint thinner, these cocktails will strip the varnish off your teeth because of their sugar levels. If you're a “Can I听get听whipped听cream听on听my听watermelon听margarita?” kind of drinker, you'll love them. But my choice, the Timber Tonic, a mix of blackberry moonshine with lemonade, tasted too much like a melted Jolly Rancher to drink more than a few sips.

The food isn鈥檛 the best thing about the show. No, the best thing is the beards. Not in the sense that everyone has a beard, but in the sense that every beard in the show is so luscious and perfectly coiffed. If it were at all socially acceptable to do so, I鈥檇 rush the stage at the end of the show just to run my hands through those perfect crumb catchers.听

Spoiler alert鈥攖he saga ends with the two families bonding over the hatred of the federal government. It鈥檚 an odd peg, considering the National Park Service brings more than $800 million to the Pigeon Forge area. But the plot is hardly the point. Parton has ensured that no minute is wasted on anything less than pure, showy lumberjack spectacle. While there are no chainsaws, there are axes, wielded with skill. Two strapping young men race to cut logs, chop down posts, and otherwise defile timber. There are a few rounds of axe throwing and dogs who leap into water to fetch targets. Parton even sings one number, a surprisingly insightful ballad about the plight of Appalachian women, which she penned. 听听

The choreography isn鈥檛 always in synch and the plot certainly won鈥檛 win any awards, but Lumberjack 国产吃瓜黑料 is delightful in its earnestness. A night of beards, flying axes, fried chicken, and flannel may be reason enough to stop by before taking your tent, heading into the woods, and experiencing Appalachia for yourself.

The post Dolly Parton鈥檚 Lumberjack 国产吃瓜黑料 Is a Flannel-Clad Fever Dream appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Every time you find yourself at a drive-thru window for mid-road-trip sustenance, you鈥檙e likely turning down dozens of amazing restaurants that just happened to be hidden slightly off the highway. Think of all the donuts, cronuts, pies, hoagies, half smokes, hot chicken, and green chili sauce you鈥檝e missed.听

鈥淚n many ways, when you stop in at a local place to eat, you find much more than something delicious on your plate,鈥� says Michael Stern, the James Beard award-winning co-author of the 听and . 鈥淥ften you鈥檙e sitting elbow-to-elbow with people from the town. It鈥檚 a door into the way people live.鈥�

Plus, 鈥渢he Internet has made things much, much easier,鈥� says Stern. In fact, when he and co-author Jane Stern began exploring backroad eats in the seventies, doing recon was almost impossible. The pair would visit the local library and skim out-of-state phone books. If they saw a particularly captivating ad, they鈥檇 put the spot on the list. 鈥淚t didn鈥檛 always pan out,鈥� says Stern.

Once, when the couple was researching food in Idaho, they saw an ad for 鈥淭he Spud Bowl.鈥� It sounded like the perfect spot to get those famous Idaho potatoes. The two packed up the car and headed west from New York. 鈥淚t turned out to be a bowling alley,鈥� says Stern. 鈥淭he only potato they had in the whole place were potato chips.鈥� 听

Today, if you鈥檝e got an Internet connection, you have everything you need to find the best chow around. Here鈥檚 how to make sure you always get your order right.听

Ask the Locals鈥擟arefully

Before you leave, spend some time looking into the regional specialties of wherever you鈥檙e going. Often, those who live somewhere don鈥檛 realize that a specialty is, indeed, special. Stern himself grew up eating Italian beef sandwiches in Chicago. It wasn鈥檛 until he moved to Baltimore that he realized those didn鈥檛 exist everywhere. 鈥淎sk someone who used to live there, What鈥檚 the first thing you鈥檇 eat if you went back? What they suggest usually isn鈥檛 the fanciest or the most expensive,鈥� says Stern. It鈥檒l be soft shell crab sandwiches or huckleberry pie. 鈥淪ome are obvious, but a lot more are less known and are very easy to miss,鈥� he says. A quick Google search for 鈥�(Insert state name here) + regional specialty dishes鈥� will take you a long way, too. 听 听

Be Prepared to Wander

The best spots are rarely right off the exit ramp, so commit to spending a bit more time in the car in exchange for really great grub. Sterns says 20 to 40 extra minutes should be enough to get you to a really good spot. If you鈥檙e not totally sure whether a place is going to be good or not, Sterns says he likely wouldn鈥檛 risk more than a 15-minute detour. Conversely, if you know for a fact that something is really amazing, blast those tunes and go. 鈥淚鈥檇 drive well over an hour for the best frozen custard in Wisconsin,鈥� he says. 听

Know the Signs of Greatness (and Mediocrity)听

Tour buses in a parking lot are a hard pass. Sterns says they鈥檙e a dead giveaway for tourist traps. Instead, he recommends looking for local license plates and emergency responder vehicles. 鈥淭hen you at least know that you鈥檙e going to be able to eat there without getting sick.鈥� Inside, look for patrons who appear happy, and a clean atmosphere that smells good. If something seems off鈥攅ven just a little bit鈥攚alk out, says Sterns. 鈥淚 think a lot of people feel like once they walk in, they鈥檙e committed,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 tell you the number of places we鈥檝e walked into and thought, I don鈥檛 want to waste an appetite on this.鈥�

Order Wisely

鈥淟ook around. If eight out of ten people are eating the peach cobbler, that probably means you should get the peach cobbler,鈥� says Sterns. Again, he stresses that asking locals or the wait staff may not be as fruitful as simply being nosy, since many don鈥檛 consider local specialties to be unique.听

Menus, too, may be misleading. For example, in Iowa you鈥檒l see something simply described as 鈥渢enderloin.鈥� While that doesn鈥檛 sound interesting, Sterns says it is. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like Wienerschnitzle; it鈥檚 pounded into this thin cutlet the size鈥攁ctually sometimes bigger than鈥攁 plate. It鈥檚 delicious, succulent, and crisp,鈥� and anything but what its non-descript name would imply.听

Go Beyond Yelp!

Anyone who鈥檚 ever opened up Yelp in rural America only to find Pizza Hut as the top-rated restaurant knows the limit of this website. Sure, it has its place, but there are better options. Try one of several new sites devoted to helping you plan food-based road trips. , a website that connects travelers with helpful locals, just published two interactive road trip maps built on stuffing your pie hole. The 听features routes that take you to the best eats (as rated by Yelp and TripAdvisor) in America. The 听is all about visiting America鈥檚 most iconic watering holes. Using these two maps, you could easily build a summer road trip where every meal was amazing.听

The Stern鈥檚 website, Roadfood.com, also has tons of reviews and recommendations which you can break down by city or state. It also offers suggested routes if you, say, want to hit all the best eateries on old Route 66, find the best clam chowders in all of the Northeast, or taste all of the Mississippi Delta鈥檚 best tamales.听

If Nothing Else, Eat Here

We asked the Sterns to give us their top three picks in every region. Wherever your road trip takes you, this is your ultimate cheat sheet.

Northeast

:听鈥淭he dining area is a deck with picnic tables overlooking blue waters and five small islands tufted with pine trees. Resilient lobsters burst from their shell when squeezed with a nutcracker, and the juices drip onto corn and potatoes.鈥澨�1447 5 Island Rd., Georgetown, Maine.

Parkway Diner: 鈥淭his gorgeous old diner, built in 1950, serves the best imaginable versions of diner fare, including a听Thanksgivingworthy听hot turkey sandwich and extraordinary听hand-pattied听hamburgers.鈥澨�1696 Williston Rd., South Burlington, Vermont.

:听鈥淢any people (including us) consider Frank听Pepe's听pizza the best on earth. The signature dish is white clam pie, but everything is top-notch thanks to crust that is a magical balance of crunch and chew with just the right amount of char.鈥� 163 Wooster St., New Haven, Connecticut.

South

: 鈥淔or absolutely traditional and utterly delicious South Carolina barbecue,听Hite's听can't be beat. Slow-smoked whole hogs are served as chopped pork, ribs, crunchy skins, and hash on rice.鈥澨�240 Dreher Rd., West Columbia, South Carolina.

: 鈥淟ynn's deep-cupped听Apalachicola听oysters are the cream of the crop. They are perfect when freshly opened and served raw on the half shell, even more sensuous when you get them baked and gilded with a film of melted cheese and copious bits of heat-softened garlic.鈥澨�402 Highway 98, Eastpoint, Florida.

Martin's: 鈥淪outhern-style meat and three dining at its finest, featuring four-star fried chicken and five-star baked chicken, plus some of the best banana pudding anywhere. And the coconut pie, O, the coconut pie鈥攕o delicate that it starts to fall apart as soon as it sees a fork.鈥澨�1796 Carter Hill Rd., Montgomery, Alabama.听

Midwest

Green Gables: 鈥淚n听this polymorphous grocery store/tavern/bait shop/caf茅, the specialty听is a smashed听crispyburger, a central Illinois specialty that features lacy-crisp edges and a juicy center. It may not quite be what the menu promises鈥�'the听best food known to man'鈥攂ut it is one unforgettable hamburger.鈥澨�17485 E. 2500 North Rd., Hudson, Illinois.听

: 鈥淧ie paradise! Local cherries and enough sugar to balance but not overwhelm their tartness are piled into a blue-ribbon lard crust that is melt-in-the-mouth flaky. Each serving is one-quarter of a full-size pie.鈥澨�246 Michigan Ave., Beulah, Michigan.

: 鈥淐incinnati is mad for chili. The best of its 100-plus chili parlors is Camp Washington, serving a magnificent rendition of the city's unique five-way chili: spaghetti noodles topped with spicy sweet ground beef sauce, kidney beans, raw onions, and shredded yellow cheese. It's open round the clock.鈥澨�3005 Coleraine Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio.听

Southwest

: 鈥淭he alpha and omega of Texas barbecue: gorgeous brisket, hand-sliced into fall-apart-tender flaps with a salt-and-pepper halo and a fat-laced interior that quite literally drips flavor.鈥澨�206 W. 2nd St., Taylor, Texas.听

: 鈥淗ail the green chile cheeseburger! There are good ones all over New Mexico, but none can compare to the killer served at Santa Fe Bite: 10 ounces of crusty-edge, juice-oozing chuck and sirloin topped with the amazing harmony of spicy chiles and mellow melted cheese.鈥澨�311 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, New Mexico.听

:听鈥淎n al fresco urban picnic specializing in the most baroque wiener in America, the听Sonoran听hot dog. It's wrapped in bacon and heaped with pinto beans, grilled onions, raw onions, and chopped tomatoes, then hot jalapeno sauce, mayonnaise, and mustard.鈥� 5201 S. 12th Ave., South Tucson, Arizona.听

West Coast

: 鈥淎 seafood market with a walk-up window where you can buy fish tacos, fish and chips, chowder, and seafood salads. Must-eats include听Dungeness听crab in season and wicked-crisp onion rings.鈥澨�2411 76th Ave. SE, Mercer Island, Washington.

: 鈥淏oasting that it serves 鈥榯he best food this side of Jupiter,鈥� Wanda's is a cheerful, comfort-food breakfast-and-lunch cafe where everything is made from scratch and the hazelnut-studded granola is an only-in-Oregon treat.鈥澨�12870 H. St., Nehalem, Oregon.

:听鈥淏ehold the听Squeezeburger: a round of beef topped with a fistful of grated cheese as it cooks. By the time the burger is lifted from the iron, its edges are wide, brittle-crisp orange wings, while the cheese atop the burger remains soft and squishy. It is an edible work of art!鈥� 5301 Power Inn Rd., Sacramento, California.

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Starting Wednesday, scores of trucker hat-loving creatives will fill the streets of Telluride to make merry and see some of the year鈥檚 best films. We鈥檙e excited about the film part, of course, but there鈥檚 a lot more about Telluride Mountainfilm that keeps us coming year after year. Here are our top reasons you should spend the first long weekend of summer getting your mountain-town culture fix.

1. All听Your Favorite Athletes Will Be There

To name a few: climber Conrad Anker, mountaineer , explorer , climber and skier Mike Libecki, skier Sierra Quitiquit, snowboarder , and climber Cedar Wright. Catch them at presentations, and probably on the street (just try and be cool).听

2. You Can Meet 国产吃瓜黑料 Editors

We鈥檒l be out there, somewhere. Just listen for the distant sound of clanking stainless-steel water bottles and the rustle of puffy jackets.

3. It鈥檚 an Endurance Event Unto Itself

Take the advice of deputy editor and Mountainfilm veteran Mary Turner, and strategize the optimal schedule every day:

• Don鈥檛 sleep in. 鈥淵ou won鈥檛 want to get up for the coffee talks, but they鈥檙e all fascinating.鈥�
• Don鈥檛 leave your film-watching to chance. 鈥淕et in line early鈥攅ven 30 minutes to an hour before. The good ones fill up fast.鈥�
• Don鈥檛 forget to explore. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to get sucked into the Mountainfilm vortex, but make time for adventure. There are a lot of really pretty two-hour loops nearby. [Ed. note: See #4.] Wander Main Street day and night. Everyone collects around the and the .鈥�
• Don鈥檛 despair if you missed that film you were dying to see. 鈥淐heck the theaters on Monday morning. They usually play the most popular films again.鈥�
• Don鈥檛 miss the closing picnic on Monday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun local scene. Everyone鈥檚 all together finally, after the whole weekend, for this great barbecue picnic in the park.鈥�

4. Breakfast Is Way More Fun

鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to sweet potato breakfast burritos at , and a Bridal Veil Falls run if the snow isn't too deep.鈥�

鈥�Meaghen Brown, contributing writer

5. The Mountainfilm听Drinking Game

Someone says:听Get outside your comfort zone.听Drink.

Or:听It's the journey, not the destination.听Drink.

Odesza in the soundtrack.听Drink.

Forget your zero waste coffee cup for the third straight year. Keg stand followed by eating a banana split out of your Patagonia trucker hat at the ice cream social.

You realize the documentary you're watching is actually branded content.听Tequila suicides.

鈥�Grayson Schaffer, editor at large

6. You鈥檒l Have the听Best Gondola Ride of Your Life

At least one 国产吃瓜黑料 story has been born out of gondola conversations. At the very least, according to associate editor Greg Thomas, 鈥淵ou get sweeping views of Telluride, and it runs til sundown. Bring your sweetheart.鈥�

7. You鈥檒l Be Inspired to Hyperbole.听

鈥淢ountainfilm is the epicenter of the 国产吃瓜黑料 world鈥攖o be in the thick of it will be incredibly听exciting.鈥�

鈥�Scott Rosenfield, 国产吃瓜黑料 Online editor

8. Somebody Will Probably Jump Out of a Plane

The late, great Dean Potter buzzed the ice cream social two years ago. Rumor has it that something like it could happen again this year.

9. Did We Mention the Food?

鈥淲hat鈥檚 the name of that sushi place? [Ed. note: We suspect he鈥檚 referring to .] That place is good.鈥�

鈥�Bryan Rogala, video editor

10. It鈥檒l Be the Best of Times (and听the Worst of Times)

鈥淭he cool thing about Telluride is that it鈥檚 entirely possible to go there and enjoy the festival without having a pass to see the films. Everyone鈥檚 at the same bars and restaurants, everyone gets coffee at the same place. I鈥檇 been having coffee with someone I鈥檇 just met鈥攚e got to talking about movies and figured out we were heading to the same film. We walked in, and they said, 鈥楾his next film is by .鈥� And she walked up! You don鈥檛 go for the films, you go to meet people.听

The worst thing about Telluride is how terrible you feel about your life. Everyone you meet is doing an amazing thing or has a grant to go to this amazing place. Every time I leave, I feel like I don鈥檛 have my shit together.鈥�

鈥�Jonah Ogles, senior editor

The post 10 Reasons We Can’t Wait for Telluride Mountainfilm (and How We’re Going to Make the Most of It) appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Braving the 12-hour flight from Los Angeles to New Zealand is easy. The hard part? Sorting through the overwhelming number of possibilities crammed into these two islands. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e here with 13 must-do adventures for your Kiwi checklist.

1. Make a Plan

The stars aligned. The grandparents agreed to take care of the kids, and my wife and I were free to fly. Two weeks, the two of us, New Zealand. But where to begin? My buddy Kyle scoffed when I asked him what the trip should include. 鈥淵ou need at least a month,鈥� he said. After I compiled a hit list of ideas, I started to think he was right.

A couple of deep breaths and two fingers of bourbon later, I surfaced with some waypoints. We would focus our efforts on the South Island. We needed to see old friends in Nelson, on the northwest tip, and I had become obsessed with mountain biking around Wanaka and sea kayaking in Doubtful Sound, both in the southwest. Now all we needed to do was connect the dots. So we rented a camper van and plotted a road trip for mid-May鈥攍ate fall in the Southern Hemisphere and New Zealand鈥檚 shoulder season, when there are fewer crowds and everything is a bit cheaper.

Our plan took more finagling than I anticipated, and compromises had to be made. (We missed the east side of the island entirely.) But we were able to linger as we poked our way down the moody and rugged west coast, followed locals鈥� advice on how to find unmarked beaches, spent a leisurely afternoon soaking in the pools on Franz Josef Glacier, and took a side trip to the Lake Hawea sheep station to see where our merino base layers come from.

You may decide that a camper van isn鈥檛 for you, and you might want every afternoon planned. That鈥檚 OK, too. I felt a lot of emotions cruising around the South Island鈥攎ostly bliss and awe, with the occasional surge of terror when I forgot to drive on the left鈥攂ut FOMO wasn鈥檛 one of them. Yes, there鈥檚 a lot to do in New Zealand, but you pretty much can鈥檛 go wrong.

鈥�Sam Moulton

2. Stay in a Lodge for: Unplugging

Retreats at , a two-year-old lodge set on 21 acres of wilderness in the Southern Alps, are less about indulgence and more about rebooting and connecting with nature. A typical day starts with sunrise yoga followed by breakfast, then a three-to-four-hour hike and a well-earned (and healthy) lunch. Free time allows guests to relax in their timber paneled rooms. In the afternoon, you can take a raw-cooking class; pre-dinner cocktails are replaced with more yoga. After dinner, head to the spa for your daily massage and get your muscles ready to take on another day in the wild. From $3,125 for five days.

鈥�Jen Murphy

3. Hire a Chopper

Because that鈥檚 the only way to reach , a 50,000-acre working farm and adventure base in the heart of the Southern Alps. Last year the lodge replaced its original four tents with luxe chalets outfitted with private decks and hot tubs. Once you鈥檝e been whisked the 20 minutes from Queenstown, you鈥檒l heli-ski deep chutes, fly-fish for sea trout where glacier-fed rivers meet the Tasman Sea, or picnic on barbecued crayfish on a beach in otherwise inaccessible Fjordland National Park. From $1,300 per night, all-inclusive; $1,200 for helicopter transfer. 鈥擩.M.

4. Mountain-Bike from Tip to Tail

New Zealand鈥檚 transformation into one of the world鈥檚 great mountain-biking destinations had an unlikely beginning: in 2008, some forward-thinking bureaucrats came up with a plan to build an off-road bike path that would run the length of the country. The New Zealand Cycle Trail, known locally as Nga Haerenga鈥擬aori for 鈥渢he journeys鈥濃�攍aunched in 2015. It鈥檚 not a linear system but a collection of 23 segments that include everything from gravel to rugged single-track. Want to see a lot of it? Sign up for February鈥檚 , a seven-day supported stage race from Christchurch to Queenstown ($3,335 for two). Or take a two-week trip with UK outfitter (from $3,910). Owner Euan Wilson says the network inspired his new Kiwi excursions. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to blow people away,鈥� he says.

鈥�Aaron Gulley

5. Explore the New Christchurch

An earthquake devastated Christchurch five years ago, but it also gave this South Island city of 367,000 good reason to reinvent itself as a gateway to the surrounding wilds. Orient yourself with the two-hour ($50), which showcases Shigeru Ban鈥檚 Cardboard Cathedral (yes, it鈥檚 made out of paper) and Re:Start, an architecturally striking mall made from repurposed shipping containers that features local food and designers. Then settle in for a late lunch at , where southern鈥攁s in North Carolina鈥攆ried chicken is delivered via a pneumatic tube, like in a bank drive-through. Let the food settle on a 35-mile drive south to the town of Little River: you鈥檙e headed to the , a tiny glass-walled cabin, for a night of stargazing ($326).

鈥�Stephanie Pearson

6. Stay in a Lodge for: Food Lovers

Auckland locals take the 35-minute ferry ride to Waiheke just for a meal at the . The restaurant has a buzzy, Montauk-in-the-Southern-Hemisphere feel. Local gardeners grow the restaurant鈥檚 vegetables, fisherman Terry Gallon brings in the day鈥檚 catch, and oysters are grown on the island and shucked to order at the bar. The menu changes daily, providing another reason to stick around and book one of the three minimalist rooms. Oneroa Beach is a short walk away, and a little farther are wineries, olive-oil producers, and spots to launch a sea-kayaking or saltwater-fly- fishing expedition. The food is just as good at breakfast, which is available only to overnight guests. From $195. 鈥擩.M.

7. Consider the Glowworms

But maybe don鈥檛 go see them. The same holds for a lot of classic New Zealand thrill-seeking activities. The country is packed with adrenaline junkies, and it鈥檚 hard to escape places to bungee-jump, jet-boat, skydive, and so on. Now, I鈥檝e got nothing against getting scared silly, but it was easy to pass on most of that stuff鈥攊t all felt a little Las Vegas. Deciding whether or not to see the famed glowworms was a tougher call. These particular mosquito-size bugs, technically maggots of a fungus gnat, grow only in New Zealand. When conditions are right, they gather in caves to produce an eerie blue-green glow, luring tourists across the country. They鈥檙e also Instagram gold. I worried that the experience would be canned and hokey, and the adventure gods must have sensed my ambivalence: when my wife and I arrived, the river was too high to reach the cave. So we went to the Tasman Sea and watched some fur seals鈥�. It was mellow, serene, and just what we were looking for. 鈥擲.M.

8. Stay in a Lodge for: Families

, Queenstown鈥檚 newest eco-retreat, feels like a grown-up summer camp. Send the kids out on one of New Zealand鈥檚 only dual-slalom mountain-bike courses, then take a workshop on fermented foods or biodynamic wine. In the garden, guests can help harvest fare for the restaurant鈥檚 delicious organic dishes, served overlooking Lake Wakatipu. There鈥檚 a shared bunk room in the newly renovated lodge, but if that鈥檚 taking the camp vibe too far, a two-bedroom suite runs less than $200 per night. Bunks from $60, private rooms from $130. 鈥擩.M.

9. Kill Any Rodents You See

Don鈥檛 come to New Zealand if you鈥檙e looking for cute and fluffy. This otherwise peaceful nation is entrenched in a campaign to rid itself of anything with fur. The islands have virtually no native mammals, but when early settlers arrived they introduced possums, weasels, and rats that thrived at the expense of native birds. And recently things have gotten personal: the portly, flightless kiwi that New Zealanders claim as their national icon is losing up to 95 percent of chicks largely to invasive species. Now the nation is clearing the predators from offshore islands to create refuges for native birds, and even nature lovers are getting in on the action. Herb Christophers, a spokesman for the New Zealand Department of Conservation, proudly introduced a device under development that will lure pests with bait and spray them with a toxin. 鈥淒oing nothing is not an option,鈥� he says.

鈥�Cheney Gardner

10. Run the South Island鈥檚 Rivers

Nearly 400 inches of rain per year produces some of the greatest whitewater on the planet. Stop by the in Murchison to rent a boat and get the latest river conditions ($45 per day).

• The Class II鈥揑II Mararoa River, south of Queenstown, winds four lazy miles through an otherworldly beech forest before hitting a narrow gorge with Class III rapids.
• The Buller, which Kiwi paddling expert Graham Charles calls 鈥渟imply the greatest kayaking river in the country,鈥� has long Class III wave trains that are suitable for experienced SUPers.
• Kokatahi鈥檚 eight-mile stretch of Class IV鈥揤 rapids require a helicopter shuttle (and an excess of courage) to run the holes and drops in the turquoise churn of Carnage Gorge. 鈥擲.P.

11. Stay in a Lodge for: Anglers

The north side of the South Island has some of the best sighted river fishing on the planet, and , 90 minutes from Nelson, is in the middle of it all. Owner Felix Borenstein is a fanatical fisherman with discerning tastes, and he chose the location for its diversity of water, from small spring creeks to large freestone streams with monster fish. The lodge can also arrange heli-fishing trips into , where giant browns eagerly attack dry flies. In the evening, swap tall tales during a nightly four-course dinner washed down with plenty of sauvignon blanc from the neighboring town of Marlborough. From $400. 鈥擩.M.

12. Go All In

In college, I was studying to be a vintner and skipped a term to intern at a winery on Waiheke, an island near Auckland. During an eventful first week, I weed-whacked the cork tree saplings in the winery鈥檚 decorative orchard (oops), hooked up with a coworker in the boss鈥檚 bed (ditto), and boxed with a local in a bar (just dumb).

It was clear that I wasn鈥檛 cut out for winemaking. So I made for the North Island and bought a van. Auckland鈥檚 car market is filled with international travelers pawning used camper vans for cheap. I paid $1,500 for a spray-painted Mitsubishi named Humbug and pointed it south. At the adventure hub of Rotorua, I kayaked 12-foot waterfalls on the Class IV Kaituna and rock-climbed above the shores of Tahoe-like Lake Taupo. Then I hopped a ferry and spent three months on the South Island, where I shared Humbug with a Dutch girl and a Swede headed in the same direction. We harvested green mussels from the bleached beaches of and hiked fjords on the 52-mile Dusky Track in the deep south. Thanksgiving was in the beech forests beneath 9,950-foot Mount Aspiring.

After putting a couple thousand miles on the odometer, it was time to go home. So I sold Humbug for exactly what I paid for it.

鈥�Kyle Dickman

13. Stay in Town

Think of Wellington, a city of 204,000 at the bottom of the North Island, as the Southern Hemisphere鈥檚 San Francisco. Like that other bay city, there are world-class museums鈥攍ike the 鈥檚 Maori collection鈥攁nd a waterfront teeming with sailboats, rowing sculls, and SUPs. Wellington also has endless hiking, trail-running, and mountain-biking options. For a taste of its impressively varied terrain, stay at the on the waterfront next to the Te Papa ($159), then hike the seven-mile Southern Walkway, which traverses high points Mount Victoria and Mount Albert. Back in the city, get grilled fish of the day at , an elegant waterfront spot on Clyde Quay Wharf. 鈥擲.P.

The post 13 Ways to Ditch the New Zealand Tourist Experience appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.