Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s culinary empire includes this larger than life, yet still transporting South Asian-inspired eatery, located in the trend-centered Meatpacking district. Perfectly fitting for the neighborhood, the spectacular space boasts an exotic interior created by designer Jacques Garcia and features custom-made colonial furnishings, wooden Thai sculptures, and teak floors from a 200 year old Bombay palace. Think that’s over-the-top? The theme is furthered by a wait staff outfitted in orange uniforms with a vaguely Asian design. The menu, served family style, is meant to conjure up street foods from the region—with an upscale twist, of course. Favorite dishes include the cod, onion and chili crusted short ribs, spiced chicken samosas, and the ginger fried rice. Seeing the beautiful people is easy from the lounge, located downstairs, where cocktails like the Saigon cosmo ($11) and the Vongreichten’s signature ginger margarita ($14) are also available.—Alexis Korman

Spice Market  (403 W. 13th Street, New York, NY; (212) 675-2322)

Hungry? A 5 course tasting menu is available for just $48 per person.

Executive Chef: Anthony Ricco

Insider Tip: The upstairs bar is a terrific spot for more casual dining.

Photo by: Culinary Concepts by Jean Georges

When a restaurant’s sign reads “Today’s Specials: Trust Me”, you know you’re in for something special. The New York outpost of this cultish sushi chain is located behind a bakery on an unassuming street in the Upper East Side—where you’ll just have to trust the omakase-style service (the Chef will make all of the selections for your meal based on the freshest fish of the day). The same is true for the Honolulu location—where sitting at the pared-down sushi bar guarantees you’ll have to give up the reins and open your mouth (not to mention your mind) to some of the best sushi on the island. Foregoing the menu in either location is a delight for adventurous palates, as regular customers love the 5-star quality of the ever-changing sushi selection—even if the décor is so minimal, it seems nearly an afterthought. But with bites of baby albacore, Spanish mackerel, live scallops, and yellowtail belly so tasty, you’ll hardly notice the lack of decor. —Alexis Korman

Sushi Sasabune 

401 E 73rd Street New York, NY 10021: (212) 249-8583  

1417 S King St, Honolulu, HI 96814 (808) 947-3800?

Fun Fact: The restaurant is closed on Sunday, as fish markets are also closed on this day.

Insider Tip: Adopting a “know before you go” strategy is key to dining at this secret sushi haven.

Cost: Prices change daily, but expect to spend about $150 per person on sushi alone.

Photo By: Cindy Woo

Celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio’s famous NYC-restaurant Craft emphasizes individual, delicious ingredients above all else—fitting for Manhattan’s current Greenmarket-obsessed culinary scene. This much imitated Flatiron-area eatery—enhanced with soaring ceilings, leather-covered walls, and filament bulb light fixtures—offers diners an opportunity to create their own meals in a luxurious setting, by sampling decadent, pared-down dishes that focus primarily on one standout ingredient, like roasted foie gras, hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, or pan roasted day scallops—these among the eatery’s must-try dishes. This approach to dining will appeal to customers looking to explore the essence of a gourmet meal, selecting a meat, starch, and a vegetable of their choosing, for example—not to those who prefer to have the choosing done for them. And while Craft’s deconstructed approach to building a menu—and to dining— may seem simple, keep in mind Chef Colicchio’s saying, “simple does not mean simplistic”. —-Alexis Korman

In Brief

Craft
43 East 19th St., NYC
(212) 780-0880

Fun Fact: Tom Colicchio is the primary judge of Bravo’s celebrated series, Top Chef

Credentials: Craft won the coveted James Beard Award for “Best New Restaurant 2002”

Must try: Chocolate waffles with roasted banana

Executive Chef: Damon Wise

Chef de Cuisine: James Tracey

Photo By: Bill Bettencourt

Ritz-Carlton Reserve, the hotelier’s new collection of small boutique hotels in secluded and exotic locales around the globe, has opened its first property off the coast of Thailand’s Andaman Sea. The resort, slated to open in late summer, is officially named Phulay Bay, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve. It features 54 one-bedroom villas, each with an unspoiled ocean view, private plunge pool, and sheltered outdoor bath and shower. Rooms decorated in contemporary Thai design feature oversize beds, pillows and chairs, and a plethora of indigenous trees and plants surround guests inside their suites and on private decks. Phulay Bay’s design allows guests to feel completely secluded, with private access to beaches and in-room candlelit dining prepared by the resort’s chef. The ESPA spa and will focus on traditional Thai massage in 11 treatment rooms, each with a private terrace and outdoor bathtub. Rates start at ,500 for two nights, including round-trip transfers from nearby Krabi airport and a yoga retreat for two. (http://reserve.ritzcarlton.com)

—Alexandra Foster

The 13^th-century St. Thomas Monastery is one of seven historical monuments in Prague that comprise the Augustine, a new hotel near the city’s commercial district. Clustered around courtyards and gardens, the seven restored buildings now house 101 luxury hotel rooms, a restaurant, and two bars. The monastery, which retains areas for several still-practicing monks on its grounds, houses the hotel’s 90-seat restaurant within its glassed-in courtyard. Also, every guest room affords views of the picturesque monastery chapel and its gardens. 

The property, which includes two hotel suites, retains several historic features unearthed during construction, including wooden ceilings, wine vaults, and stone arches, while stalactites from the 17^th century are showcased in the grotto bar. The three-floor Tower Suite boasts panoramic views of the surrounding rooftops and spires from its top-floor bedroom. Suites start at about 5 a night. (www.roccofortecollection.com)

—Alexandra Foster

Cooking is a way of life in Bilbao, so much so that the city contains several gastronomical societies (formed mostly of men and numbering anywhere from 20 to 100 members). These societies often take over an empty building, add an industrial kitchen, some tables and chairs, and meet a couple of times a week to cook, socialize, and eat.

While some spas customize treatments based on the guest’s preferences for scents or their skin type, the Eau Spa at the Ritz Carlton, Palm Beach has taken the process a step further. The spa offers a Scrub and Polish Bar, inviting guests to consult with a resident mixologist to create a personalized blend of herbs, oils, and sea salts, which can be administered during one’s treatment or packaged for later use. Spa director Amal Elbahnasawy describes the experience as a “customized body cocktail,” meant to represent the spa’s philosophy of “a completely carefree and open environment, not necessarily a sacred place where you have to whisper.”  

To that end, the 42,000-square-foot spa features 19 spa villas: private casitas surrounded by outdoor gardens meant for quiet reflection. Three couples’ spa villas provide an intimate experience that includes oversize tubs, garden enclaves, and outdoor rainfall showers. Treatments include the Platinum and Diamond Facial, which incorporates a diamond-infused elixir, and the Bamboo Massage, which features warm bamboo shoots soaked in essential oils to work out muscle tension. Treatments start at 0 for a Swedish massage and go up to ,500 for the Diamond package for two, which includes a champagne lunch in a private garden, a body wrap, massage, manicure, and pedicure. (www.eauspa.com)

—Alexandra Foster

For the true racing enthusiast, securing a ticket to the F1 Grand Prix Monaco is an unparalleled experience. Securing accommodations at the popular race, however, can prove a nightmare. For this year’s race, held May 22-24, Echelon and My Yacht Monaco have teamed to offer an exclusive package for 14 guests. The package includes daytime access aboard a private yacht with views of every qualifying race, an invitation to the Ferrari pit lane for a private introduction to the drivers and their respective cars, and suites at the nearby Hotel de Paris, which is sold out to the public every year at race time. Also included in the package is a dinner at the table of celebrated chef Joël Robuchon at his eponymous restaurant, and a personal tasting menu with the compliments of the chef himself. Prices start at ,000 per person for the three-day package. (949.429.8117, contact@echelonexp.com)

—Alexandra Foster

For wine aficionados who desire more than a simple wine tasting, Silversea Cruises has created 11 Wine Voyages for 2009 that take passengers through the Mediterranean, South America, or Northern Europe to experience an area’s wines through tastings and lectures by vineyard owners, winemakers, and other epicurean specialists. On many voyages, guests will also have the chance to explore some of the world’s most celebrated wine regions on guided-shore excursions. One such tour is hosted by Salvatore Ferragamo, grandson of the founder of the eponymous brand, who will serve as host for Mediterranean cruise from Lisbon to Monte Carlo with stops in places such as Cadiz, Malaga, Ibiza, Barcelona, Cannes, and Corsica.  He’s also the managing director of the family’s Tuscan winery, Il Borro estate. Each specially designed excursion features an intimate view of a specific locale with stops along the journey while cruising on a luxury vessel with all its amenities. (www.silversea.com)

—Jill Newman

As most golfers know, getting a tee time at the renowned Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, can be an exercise in patience. Even those who have made the trip to the course and wait in the lottery line to receive a possible playing time are often disappointed to learn that the course is completely booked. In honor of Homecoming Scotland 2009, a series of events and celebrations throughout the year in honor of poet Robert Burns’ 250^th birthday, the Old Course Hotel and golf course are offering exclusive, guaranteed tee-off times to its guests as part of the Come Home to Play package.

The package, starting at ,679 per person, includes a three-night stay at the resort, guaranteed tee-time on the Old Course and either the New or Jubilee course, a spa treatment at the Kohler Waters Spa, and two dinners at the resort’s fine-dining restaurant, the Road Hole Grill. (+44 (0) 1334 474371, or email reservations@oldcoursehotel.co.uk and mention booking reference HOMGLF)

—Alexandra Foster