NYC’s Cote is the only Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse in the world. See what it takes for its team of highly trained chefs to get ready for dinner service as they prepare about 3,000 pounds of beef per week and hundreds of plates of banchan for the restaurant’s Korean barbecue-style service.
Credits: Director/Producer: Daniel Geneen Camera: Connor Reid, Murilo Ferriera Editor: Daniel Geneen
With its stunning view of Lake Geneva, the Beau-Rivage, in Geneva has attracted actors from Roger Moore to Angelina Jolie, and played host to political luminaries like Kofi Annan, Charles de Gaulle and the Dalai Lama. Political history has been made here, too: In 1898, the Empress “Sisi” of Austria was stabbed to death by an anarchist at the Beau-Rivage. Nearly a hundred years later, in 1987, the German politician Uwe Barschel was discovered dead here, in a bathtub. Family-run for generations, the hotel is impressive not just for its size, but also for its discretion. Now, director Jacques Mayer uses interviews, archival film and rarely seen photographs to vividly chronicle some of the most fateful years of the Beau-Rivage.
The coronavirus pandemic has been catastrophic for the hospitality industry and the delay to the June 21 unlocking has led to more uncertainty. The FT’s Daniel Garrahan and food critic Tim Hayward meet Harts Group, the business behind Soho institution Quo Vadis and tapas chain Barrafina, as it opens a new Soho branch of its El Pastor taquerias
A selection to top luxury hotels around the world.
Top 10 – video chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:15 &Beyond Mwemba Island, Zanzibar 2:07 Belmond Hotel Caruso, Italy 4:43 Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman 8:00 Royal Malewane, South Africa 11:01 Aman Sveti Stefan, Montenegro 13:48 Soneva Fushi, Maldives 18:35 Time + Tide Miavana, Madagascar 21:36 Soneva Kiri, Thailand 23:36 North Island, Seychelles 26:14 Soneva Jani, Maldives
Perfectly located between Ajaccio and Bonifacio in the region of Propriano-Sartene-Campomoro, the Miramar Corsica, surrounded by a two-acre garden, is only minutes away from the unspoiled sandy beaches and crystal clear waters of Southern Corsica, its charming villages and fishing harbors.
Corsica, a mountainous Mediterranean island, presents a mix of stylish coastal towns, dense forest and craggy peaks (Monte Cinto is the highest). Nearly half the island falls within a park whose hiking trails include the challenging GR 20. Its beaches range from busy Pietracorbara to remote Saleccia and Rondinara. It’s been part of France since 1768, but retains a distinct Italian culture.
Tipping is a quintessential American custom. In the U.S. consumers tip for services ranging from baggage handlers at the airport to housekeepers at hotels. But according to some analysts, tipping has created an environment where restaurant servers are subjected to sexual harassment and low pay.
About 70% of tipped workers in the restaurant industry are women and about 45% are people of color. In a recent study by One Fair Wage and UC Berkeley’s Food Labor Research Center over 78% of restaurant workers reported witnessing hostile behavior from customers who were asked to follow Covid-19 safety protocols, more than 40% noticed a change in the frequency of unwanted sexual comments from customers and 83% said their tips had declined during the pandemic.
With Covid-19 leaving millions to do essential work for low pay there have been renewed calls for a $15 minimum wage and the elimination of the tipped minimum wage — the base salary for many restaurant workers. Forty three states, including Georgia, North Carolina and Texas, have a tipped minimum wage for workers who in some cases are paid as little as $2.13 an hour by their employer.
But many in the full-service restaurant industry oppose the proposed changes, saying they would lead to higher menu prices and fewer hours for workers. According to the National Restaurant Association, the pandemic has already enacted a devastating toll on the industry, wiping out 2.5 million restaurant jobs and more than 110,000 eating and drinking establishments in 2020 alone. Watch the above video to find out what the $15 minimum wage and the elimination of the tipped minimum wage would mean for restaurants and their employees.
Nestled among white sands and crystal blue waters, this elegant Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi resort is a 40-minute yacht journey from Velana International Airport. Discover indulgent choices from 11 celebrated dining venues, a world-class lifestyle spa sanctuary, and a plethora of activities for all generations. Experience True Waldorf Astoria Service personalized to your every wish.
Set in a tropical paradise, the resort and the beach, reef and overwater villas span across three islands with a wealth of luxuries and experiences:
• 119 beach, reef and overwater villas with private pool, including the Ithaafushi Private Island • 11 dining venues and bars including Terra, an elevated treetop restaurant, and The Ledge by Dave Pynt • World-class lifestyle spa and wellness sanctuary • A myriad of adventure and watersports activities
Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a small archipelagic state in South Asia, situated in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 700 kilometres from the Asian continent’s mainland.
Located in Sweden stands the world’s most luxurious ice hotel, made from two and a half thousand tonne blocks of pure ice. From beds to bars, artists carve the ice to form the interior of the hotel. But the hotel only stays standing for 4 months a year before it begins to melt away to nothing… Experience a spectacular aerial journey across Sweden with Europe From Above; stop by the restoration of Stockholm Palace, a frozen winter wonderland and a record-breaking wooden skyscraper.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious