20080127

In search of a lost 'Love'

Dear Mr. Dowd:

While on a college trip to Greece in the early '70s, I purchased a liqueur on the island of Rhodes called "Love of Rhodes." It was supposedly made from 50 different flowers and or herbs and was a beautiful shade of violet.

I've done many Google searches and have not been able to locate any info on it. Can you help me? Thanks!

-- Christine VanUllen

Dear Christine:

It sounds as if you came across one commercial example of a Greek treat usually known by a French term -- Parfait Amour. It's a sweet, citrus-based liqueur infused with a variety of spices such as coriander and floral extracts, particularly from the Parma violet.

Most other Greek liqueurs such as ouzo and mistra tend to run to pale yellow, gold or light greenish colors.

While I can't guarantee the Parfait Amour is what you're seeking, it is available at many high-end spirits shops as well as online vendors.

ON THE WEB
• Dodecanese Islands
Historic timeline of Rhodes
Rhodes Travel Guide
Dowd's Guides

20080126

Dunkin' Donuts spreading out in China

If you're bound for Asia but concerned that you simply can't get your day going without your Dunkin' Donuts fix, relax.

The first DD, seen here, opened 12 months ago on Taiwan and 10 more shops were added in the ensuing 12 months. They're doing so well the company has decided to open 10 more on the island nation and 100 on mainland China.

In fact, the gang of 100 will be clustered in the sprawling city of Shanghai, population 20 million, and take 10 years or less to complete.

Franchise partner Mercuries & Associates of Taiwan has been given the franchise rights to Shanghai as well as two the mainland provinces of Jiangsu and Zhijiang, which abut Shanghai.

ON THE WEB
Lonely Planet Taiwan Guide
Shanghai Travel Guide
Dowd's Guides

20080124

Shawangunks: NY's 'unknown' mountains

The Shawangunks don't get the same level of public notice as other New York mountains such as the Adirondacks and the Catskills, but as mountain ranges go they offer a lot.

For some "The Gunks,'' as locals call them, are just a piece of the Catskills. Geologically speaking, however, they are the northernmost part of the Shawangunk Ridge that juts from northernmost New Jersey up through Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties as far as Rosendale, just south of Kingston.

However you like to define them, The Gunks offer the year-round attractions of stunning topography, wineries, hamlets full of antique shops, cross-country skiing or snowshoeing trails, winter hiking in the Mohonk Preserve, historic sites, dining diversity, and other goodies tucked mostly into Ulster County on the west side of the Hudson River about 75 miles southwest of Albany.

Their sheer physical diversity attracts droves of outdoors enthusiasts, and it's a particularly family-friendly place where more than 100 miles of trails and carriage roads link the Mohonk Preserve with the adjacent Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

This time of year, the rock climbers take a hiatus from such attractions as the famous Trapps Cliffs from which those ambitious enough to scale them get a gorgeous view of the Walkill Valley. However, even in winter there are open trails to get you out into nature.

EVENTS, ATTRACTIONS

Huguenot Street Historic District, New Paltz: This National Historic Landmark neighborhood preserves what is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited street in America with its original houses. The principle structures were built by Dutch immigrants in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Each house today is presented in a different time period from the 18th through the mid-20th centuries. The neighborhood is open for public tours that begin at the DuBois Fort Visitor Center on Huguenot Street.

Harness Racing Hall of Fame, 240 Main St., Goshen, (845) 294-6330: Thoroughbred horse racing fans have their hall up in Saratoga Springs. Here, the trotters and pacers and their drivers are the royalty, enshrined along with more than 1,500 works of art, 1,000 pieces of such ephemera as tickets, programs and scrapbooks, 5,000 photographs, 300 jackets, caps and helmets, 50 sulkies and harness and 200 trophies.

Mohonk Preserve: Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are the big attractions this time of year. The preserve has four suggested ski trails covering 1.7 miles (easy) to 7.3 miles (strenuous). It also has three snowshoeing trails, one of them 1.5 miles and the others 6 miles each.

Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site, Liberty and Washington streets, Newburgh, (845) 562-1195: Gen. George Washington used this stone farmhouse as his Continental Army headquarters from April 1782 to August 1783. In 1850 it became the first publicly operated historic site in the U.S.

Shawangunk Wine Trail: 10 wineries sprinkled throughout the area are part of an organized tourist trail. Among them is the Brotherhood Winery, the nation's oldest continuously operating winery.

DINING OUT

The range is from country "home cooking'' to New American cuisine, often with kitchen staff trained at the nearby Culinary Institute of America. A few examples:

In Kingston, the Armadillo Bar & Grill at 97 Abeel St., (845) 339-1550, offers good Southwestern and Mexican food "with a Nuevo Latino twist.'' Examples: grilled pork tenderloin with ancho chile/orange reduction and mango salsa; fragrant ropa vieja chicken stew.

In New Paltz, the Main Course restaurant, 232 Main St., (845) 255-2600, has a nice brunch menu from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday mornings, offering such dishes as two styles of eggs Benedict (one with bacon, one with spinach and smoked salmon) and a breakfast pizza.

In Kerhonkson, Oscar Contemporary Country Cooking, 5945 Route 44/55, (845) 626-9838, is a comfort food haven serving such things as barbecued or braised ribs, a pierogi platter and prix fixe pasta dishes.

LODGING

Mohonk Mountain House, 1000 Mountain Rest Road, New Paltz, (845) 255-1000: This monument to woodcraft is a fascinating 265-room Victorian-style castle sprawling along Lake Mohonk. Built in 1869, it offers old-fashioned luxury, 85 miles of hiking trails, golf, tennis, boating, ice skating, horseback riding, children's programs and dining for both guests and mealtime visitors. It is part of Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Single: $270 to $740. Double: $445 to $840. Rates include meals.

Wine Trail Associates: Connections to 30 B&B's, inns and chain hotels/motels as well as three campgrounds, all affiliated with the Shawangunk Wine Trail.

Really specializing in Asheville

The Thirsty Monk, a pub that will serve only Belgian or Belgian-style beers, has opened in Asheville, NC.

Owner Barry Bialik's pub, located at 50 Commerce Street in what had been Hookah Joe’s, is starting with 13 drafts and 130 or so bottled beers.

Bialik also is offering Belgian cheeses and chocolates and plans to add crepes to the possibilities.

ON THE WEB
Ahseville Events Guide
Recreation facilities and programs
Explore Asheville
Dowd's Guides

New Massachusetts distillery producing

Massachusetts' "other cape" now has its own micro-distillery.

Ryan & Wood Distillers, located in Gloucester on Cape Ann north of Boston, is billing itself as “the North Shore’s first small-batch micro-distillery of premium and handcrafted spirits.”

Gloucester native Bob Ryan, 53, who has worked in the family fish processing business, and his nephew and partner David Wood, 37, a real estate attorney in nearby Manchester-by-the-Sea, have turned out their first batch of vodka and plan to add rum to their line.

The production centerpiece is a 600-liter Arnold Holstein still custom-made in Germany. The company is using three different grains as the basis for its vodka, which will be called Beauport Vodka. Beauport was one of the early names for the Gloucester area.

Beauport is expected to be on local store shelves in the next few weeks. Next up is Folly Cove Rum, targeted for next summer.

In an interview with the Gloucester Daily Times, Ryan said the idea came when he read an article on micro-distilleries.

“I was looking for a business you don’t find on every street corner," Ryan said, and Dave had worked for me before and I knew I could depend on him. Soon my wife, Kathy, was on board and we went online and began looking for equipment and providers.”

ON THE WEB
• History and Art Mingle On Mass.'s 'Other Cape'
Cape Ann Travel Guide
Cape Ann Historical Museum
Dowd's Guides

Start spreadin' the news

In a probably deserved knock at the New York City Tourism Office, the snarky but on-point Gawker.com Web site says:

City Rag has come across this video by the New York City Tourism Office for release outside of the area. New York City: Where The Only Black People We Have Are Old Jazz Musicians Who Play In Adorable Trios and Quartets!


20080102

Vineyard area won't be dry much longer

Aquinnah, MA, more commonly known as the Martha's Vineyard community of Gay Head despite its 1998 name change, has been known for more than a century as a tourist haven that allows no alcoholic beverages to be sold.

That should change now that Gov. Deval Patrick has signed a home rule petition submitted by town selectmen to grant beer and wine licenses to restaurants that seat 15 or more people. Unless a whole lot of people change their minds.

A 132-79 vote at the town meeting held in May supported the plan, and it then was passed by the state legislature. Now a required second vote will be held to put the new law into effect.

Only two establishments, the Outermost Inn and the Aquinnah Restaurant, are large enough to quality for the exemption.


ON THE WEB
• Martha's Vineyard
Aquinnah/Gay Head
Dukes County, MA
Dowd's Guides

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