Fiore Olive Oils

As soon as you walk into Fiore Artisan Olive Oil & Vinegars on Rockland’s Main Street, you get the feeling that this tiny shop has been a fixture in town for quite a while. In fact, Fiore’s is a newbie when compared to other in-town attractions like Windjammer tours, lobster festivals, and the Farnsworth Art Museum. This tiny shop opened here in 2010 occupying its space well by lining several dozen stainless steel Fustis along two walls which dispense a wide variety of unfiltered Extra Virgin olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars.

As you may know, olive oil labeling isn’t exactly the most transparent or truthful method of advertising. Since there are no globally enforceable regulations stipulating what in fact constitutes extra virgin olive oil, it’s safe to assume that there’s a ton of deception out there on the part of importers and distributors. It is for this reason that Fiore owners Pat and Nancy O’Brian personally “chase the crush” across the world for first cold pressed oil and bring it back to their tasting room for you to sample.

Each olive growing season is different due to weather and temperature fluctuations making it important to annually visit key growing regions in person. The IOC (International Olive Council) standards set the baseline criteria for the lab analysis of each selected oil. Once harvested, these oils are ready for customers within weeks.

Inside Fiore's Tasting Room

When it comes to balsamics, Fiore just as carefully sources a full array of “aceto balsamico condiment” hailing from Modena, Italy. They are made using the traditional Solera method, a process of transferring the cooked grape through a series of larger to smaller wooden barrels over 12-18 years. After tasting flavors like blood orange, chocolate, and passion fruit, you definitely start getting ideas of possibly using over ice cream or drizzled over berries and melon rather than restricting them to plain Jane salads.

The last part of your visit is to of course have a few of your favorites individually bottled and capped right in front of you. And if you happen to be lucky enough to be staying at any of the Historic Inns Rockland, sample bottles of both oil and vinegar are given to you as a parting gift.

Photos courtesy of Fiore Olive Oils & Steve Mirsky

Pies on Parade

I blame it on my “sphere of activity”, a convenient phrase I use to describe routine daily movement whether it be back and forth to work, hitting the grocery store, or even taking day trips. We fall into a pattern of convenience and familiarity…which makes perfect sense for doing everyday tasks. But for travel and vacations, this can be very limiting indeed. Living here in New England most of my life, I can count on 3 fingers how many times I’ve visited the strikingly large state of Maine…large for New England that is. But this changed last week when I visited mid-coast Maine’s Rockland.

I’m betting that if you’re not a foodie, travel writer, or local tourism board staffer, you had no idea that Rockland Maine is also known as Pie Town USA. About an hour drive from I-295 winding down mostly rural Route 1, you quite suddenly arrive in an historic village overlooking the rocky shores of Penobscot Bay. My January visit, coinciding with the 8^th Annual Pies on Parade was a much different experience than visiting during summer when Windjammer tours continually set sail just offshore, fresh caught lobster is celebrated with another more widely known Lobster Festival, and the ocean’s beauty attracts droves of sea

Lime Rock Inn for the Holidays

kayakers, fishing enthusiasts, and all-around fun-in-the-sun junkies.

For a town with a main street that can be driven through in 5 minutes, Rockland boasts an impressive array of eclectic restaurants and cultural attractions that put other typical mid-size towns to shame. The secret is historic preservation which enables the Farnsworth Art Museum‘s extensive collections to be showcased alongside local shops like Rock City Coffee Roasters and the Grasshopper

Keylime Tartlets

Shop. These solid multi-story brick blocks are punctuated by side streets leading to residential streets studded with stately Victorian homes, some of which are now magnificent B&Bs. I was lucky to be a guest at the Limerock Inn which was a Pies on Parade participant serving their signature key lime pie tartlets. The other 20 “parade” stops were all within walking distance of each other offering both a sweet and savory pie.

As I made my way from Amalfi on the Water all the way up to the Berry Manor Inn armed with an officially stamped recycled metal fork, I discovered that this was not only a great way to sample a ton of delicious pies ranging from classic Maine blueberry to seafood and German onion pie, but the perfect opportunity to taste a restaurant or inn’s cuisine and meet the owners behind the inspiration. It would be impossible to accomplish this under normal circumstances.

Cafe Miranda's Chef Kerry Sharing Pizza Pie Samples

Sometimes the pie theme was skewed a bit to accommodate eateries who didn’t have anything resembling pie on the menu like the deconstructed chicken tamale with red mole at Park Street Grille and the turkey & sweet potato empanadas at Rheal Day Spa.

My absolute favorite pie was Café Miranda’s Apple and Mascarpone Pizza on Cocoa Dough. This small bistro with a gigantically diverse menu helmed by Chef Kerry has an open kitchen behind the bar and a wood-fired brick oven that really gives life and substance to pizza crust…not to mention the huge chunks of Focaccia bread served in baskets at each table during regular restaurant hours. I highly recommend that you table your usual ski vacation next winter and book a weekend Pies on Parade package with one of the Historic Inns of Rockland.

Photos courtesy of  Steve Mirsky and Lime Rock Inn.  Coverage made possible courtesy of a partially sponsored trip.

On the shores of Lecce Puglia

Located right in the heel of Italy’s boot, Puglia’s 6 provinces showcase more than 500 miles of lapis-lazuli coastline on both the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Puglia is also Italy’s top olive oil producer, celebrated for its red Salice Salentino wine, orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta), and abundantly fresh seafood dishes like pignata di polpo, a delightfully fresh squid stew.

It’s only fitting to explore this off-the-well-trodden tourist track region by forgetting self-made itineraries and going with a small independently run

Inside a Grandmother's Kitchen in Puglia

tour group that’s run by lifetime locals. Since gastronomy is a time-honored tradition here, what better way to experience the food than to join a grandmother in her kitchen and learn how to make tagliatelle.

All guests who sign up with YLTOUR can pick accommodations ranging from hotels, country houses, farms, luxury B&Bs, and inns as their home base with daily excursions to Salento and the Itria Valley. In addition to cooking classes in private kitchens, YLTOUR owner Ylenia Sambati has been promoting

Ylenia Sambati, YLTOUR owner

Puglia’s healthy foods and delicious culinary traditions since 2000 by personally tailoring individual itineraries to include:

• wine tours and tasting

• pastry and pizza making classes with the region’s top chefs

• papier maché and pottery decoration classes

• local food market & cheese farm visits to source fresh scamorza, ricotta, primo sale, & mozzarella

• hands-on participation in olive and grape harvesting

• pizzica dance workshops

Ylenia’s goal is to completely immerse you in the local heritage behind what makes Puglia’s healthy rustic food, family- friendly atmosphere, and natural beauty so intriguing.

Photos courtesy of YLTOUR and viaggioadriatico.it .

Talbot County on the Chesapeake

One striking feature of traveling down Route 301 about an hour after crossing the Delaware border into Maryland is that all vestiges of suburbia like strip development and shopping centers recede into wide open fields and miles of undisturbed forest. Partially due to the fact that I was headed out here in November to experience the Annual Waterfowl Festival, I immediately thought, “Wow, what great farming and hunting grounds.” This coming from somebody who has never shot a rifle or climbed aboard a tractor. Little did I know that Talbot County’s first impressions were already revealing the underlying culinary treasures brimming forth from this peninsula jutting out into the Chesapeake Bay on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Easton: Talbot County’s Premier Downtown

The first town you reach almost immediately upon exiting Route 50 is the historic village of Easton. It’s easy to see how this town earned the distinction of being the “Colonial Capital of the Eastern Shore”. If you take away the cars, it feels like you’re stepping back in time surrounded by turn of the century ornately designed brick buildings flanking many streets while the more residential sections are lined with grand Victorian homes lovingly maintained as they were when they were originally built. Luckily during Waterfowl Festival held each year here in November, you can fully enjoy this pre-car ambiance when all of Harrison Ave. and some side streets are closed off and the sidewalks are filled with

Hot Off The Coals

local food vendors. Smoke wafting from huge slabs of pit beef and whole turkeys cooking on a smoker the size of an SUV grabbed my attention. Hot Off The Coals from the nearby town of Queen Anne MD not only had the most tender wood-fired smoked turkey sandwiches I’ve ever tasted but were peppering their service with periodic duck calls. Next it was on to the tasting pavilion to sample local wines and grab a bread bowl of crab soup chock full of sweet blue crab meat. However, the tons of waterfowl sculptures artfully made from materials ranging from bronze to wood are a major raison d’être of this festival. Collectors from all across the country come to browse and purchase these true-to-life replicas of waterfowl like Blackwater Woodies and Mergansers. These serve as an inspiration for actual duck decoys used here during the popular duck hunting season that abounds in the coastal tidelands. Idlewild Park, on the fringes of downtown hosted a sportsman’s pavilion filled with hunting gear and a wide assortment of rifles. Also going on throughout the day, a Dock Dogs’ Competition put a roster of water dogs, mostly Labrador retrievers to the challenge, seeing how far they could jump into a tank of water to fetch tennis balls. Out in the field, this particular skill is relied upon to carry just-shot succulent duck back to their masters. Be sure not to miss the Historical Society of Talbot County on Washington Street which provides some illustrative exhibits covering area history. I promise that even museum-phobes will find it intriguing.

St. Michaels: Maritime Community Meets Shopping Village

Heading out away from Easton on Route 33 further down the peninsula past more stretches of undisturbed forest and pastureland,

Ava's Wood Fired Artichoke and Basil Pizza

you’ll quite suddenly emerge into downtown St. Michaels. The main route is now a historic thoroughfare flanked on either side by candy shops, funky boutiques, and eclectic eateries. Must visits include the Eastern Shore Brewery, St. Michaels Winery, and Ava’s Pizzeria and Wine Bar, the perfect lunch stop for some wood-fired pizza. St. Michaels Winery is located in an old mill complex and has a Log Canoe-inspired tasting room for sampling vintages like Gollywobbler Pink or their Chocolate Zinfandel.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum lies a few blocks away on brick sidewalks from the center of town on the banks of the Miles River. Be sure to reserve a full day to experience all the exhibits, many of which are hands-on like climbing up into the 1879 Hooper Straight Lighthouse, ringing its bell, and walking through rooms outfitted just as they stood when the last keeper

vacated the premises. You can even peek inside the period oven and poke around in the closets. For the more adventurous, the

Tonging at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

museum hosts a Lighthouse Overnight Program where you can experience a lighthouse keeper’s rustic life firsthand. Other attractions include a working boatyard where you can get up close and watch teams of volunteers restoring the Skipjack Rosie Parks or talk with a shipwright or visiting captain. Step on board an oyster boat, the E.C. Collier, and enter the world of the working watermen on the Chesapeake Bay. Via video and mechanical motions, it feels like you’re on an actual boat at sea eavesdropping on the captain and crew as orders are shouted; the cook talks about lunch; the crew brings in the dredge and sorts the oysters. One of the accompanying exhibits also illustrates that today’s harvests are one hundredth of what they were at their height in the late 19th century. At Waterman’s Wharf, a recreated crabber’s shanty, try your hand at being a Chesapeake Bay waterman. Check an eel or crab pot to see if you’ve caught anything, or tong for oysters.

Just up the road, the opulent manor-style Inn at Perry Cabin boasts the Eastern Shore’s only 4 diamond restaurant. Sherwood’s Landing, overlooking the Chesapeake is helmed by new executive

Goat Cheese Mousse Plate at Sherwood's Landing

chef Aaron Mc Cloud who has worked in an impressive lineup of top restaurants from the Vermont mountains down to Victoria and Albert’s in Florida. At an early age, Albert traded in his violin bow as a professional musician, picked up a chefs knife, and carved out a remarkable performance in the culinary arts. His artistry shows through in his world class preparation and presentation of farm-to-fork dishes that change with the seasons. Standouts that I ordered included roasted wild rockfish with  pumpkin & apple salad, oyster stew, and a goat cheese mousse dessert plate.

Tilghman Island: Watermen and Local Ingredients

The only hint that you are now on an island is that you cross a bridge over Knapp’s Narrows. Really, it’s a continuation of the peninsula and you are getting closer to the tip. You’ll see a small marina below harboring recreational vessels as well as some commercial fishing boats…a clear sign that the ocean’s presence is ever closer. The tiny village of Tilghman Island, unlike Talbot County’s other towns, can really be driven through without noticing if you’re not paying attention. But slow down long enough and you’ll discover a couple gems that authentically showcase Chesapeake heritage. One is the Tilghman Watermen’s Museum. If it weren’t for the independent mom and pop fishermen heading out into waters tonging for oysters and catching crabs, fresh local seafood wouldn’t make it to dinner tables and restaurants. Currently housed in what used to be a barbershop, the small exhibit space is crammed with pictures of watermen in action, old pulleys, engine parts, rigging, and other tools of the trade…many of which are still in use today.

Tilghman Island Inn Bay Views

The other can’t miss attraction here is the Tilghman Island Inn right on the waterfront of Knapp’s Narrows overlooking marsh and the Chesapeake Bay beyond. Wooden docks right out their back door invite you to linger in a chair at sunset or enjoy your morning coffee in tranquility. The Inn’s primary attraction is their restaurant open to the public with a menu incorporating local seafood and game whenever possible. David McCallum, co-owner and Executive Chef is heavily influenced by his southern roots in South Carolina and New Orleans. Since David grew up on a farm, sourcing fresh produce, eggs, and meat is second nature to him. He has formed partnerships with local growers and fisherman to get just picked vegetables as well as fresh caught rockfish, crabmeat,

bluefish, soft shell crabs, oyster and shad roe. He also inventively uses unique regional ingredients like heirloom rice from South Carolina, grains from Minnesota, and grits from Georgia. But don’t come here expecting comfort food in a rustic setting. The dining experience and kitchen prowess is all about white table cloths and international panache influenced by David’s culinary excursions

Brazilian Duck Tart

to Europe, South America and Asia. During my visit, in honor of the weekend’s Waterfowl Festival, David hosted a Wild Game and French Wines dinner. Tasty inventive dishes included chick pea dusted frog legs with lemon caper tartar sauce; spicy Brazilian duck tart encrusted in cornmeal; braised rabbit; and my favorite, wild boar sausage with lobster, mustard, and scallion risotto. For me, the big surprise wine pairing with these dishes was an array of Lanquedocs. The dark chocolate red wine mousse served as a crowning touch to the meal.

Photos & video courtesy of Steve Mirsky.  Coverage made possible by participating in a partially sponsored trip.

Vinny D’Agostino

One has to look no further than Vinny D’Agostino’s homemade limoncello served at the King and Prince Resort‘s tavern to get a sense of how deep the passion runs here for locally sourced ingredients being incorporated into craft-made cuisine and beverages. Vinny, the resort’s new Food and Beverage Director, is just getting started here having been on staff less than year. But his previous 23 years in the restaurant business reads like a top who’s who industry profile. Crisscrossing the country with stints at The Breakers in Palm Beach, the Ritz-Carlton in Boston, and opening the highly acclaimed Bradstreet Craftshouse in Minneapolis, Vinny is now

Homemade Limoncello at King & Prince Resort

orchestrating a culinary renaissance at the King and Prince.

You simply can’t miss southeastern coastal Georgia’s most obvious example of natural bounty when driving onto St. Simons Island. Passing over the ultramodern silver ribbed F.J. Torras Causeway, you get a bird’s eye view of vast golden hued Spartina grass marshes. Here lies a tremendous spawning ground for Georgia White shrimp, a local delicacy that Vinny has been working hard to source for the King and Prince’s signature shrimp and grits covered in Tasso sauce. What makes these shrimp so flavorful is that the Spartina grass infuses the water giving them a distinct sweetness as they mature. Although a handful of shrimping boats such as the Lady Jane take tourists out for 2 hour trawling expeditions, the local commercial shrimping fleet has been reduced from 300 down to 100 over the last 20 years. It may seem like a no-brainer for establishments like the King

Shrimp & Grits Covered in a Tasso Sauce

and Prince to buy these local shrimp instead of frozen farm-raised imports, but it all comes down to cost. Countries like Thailand have glutted the market with inferior quality shrimp bringing the price way down making it nearly impossible for the local shrimpers to break even. The only way to reverse this trend is for more people to buy local. Vinny is the self appointed brand ambassador at the King and Prince informing guests on the taste and health differences while promoting the concept of paying a few extra dollars for local ingredients. Getting over this initial hurdle of cost ultimately yields authentic regional dishes and supports local business.  Luckily for Vinny, once guests have a few bites, his case is made.

Shrimp is just the beginning here in Georgia! Here’s how other locally harvested and produced foods are being incorporated into the King & Prince’s menu:

Peach Cobbler

What visit to Georgia would be complete without having some homemade peach cobbler? Here at the King and Prince, peaches from

Peach Cobbler Served at King & Prince's Breakfast Buffet

Lane Orchards located just outside of Fort Valley, in the heart of Middle Georgia are layered with a Melba crust and cream cheese. Lane has 100 years experience raising peaches but even after all this time, production is still very much hands-on. Peaches are culled, picked, and packed into crates by hand before being shipped to local stores. Georgia’s cool nights and warm days produce sweeter peaches than higher yielding competitors in South Carolina and California.

Artisanal Cheese Plates

Even at many top resorts, a cheese plate on the menu with some fruits and bread/crackers appear to be an afterthought…a mere distraction until the

Flat Creek Lodge Cheese Plate with Oyster Mushrooms

main course is served. But at the King and Prince, seasonally produced cheeses like Aztec Cheddar, a Canadian style cheddar layered with chili & chocolate or Paris Medley, Colby cheese laced with Vidalia onions, chives, and red pepper from Flat Creek Lodge, a Swainsboro Georgia creamery, are served on a platter with farm-raised oyster mushrooms and naturally ripened berries. 95% of Flat Creek’s cheeses are made from raw milk and aged at least 3-5 months. All cheese is handmade from on site Jersey cows.

Prohibition Cocktails and Local Brews

In addition to Vinny’s house made limoncello available sporadically in small batches at the on site King’s Tavern, you will find libations that go far beyond the staid martini or Bud and Heineken on tap. Simple yet flavorful cocktails made from Southern Corn Whiskey, Plantation Vodka, or Southern Gin by 13^th Colony Distilleries in Americus Georgia may be mixed with artisan orange or rhubarb bitters and fresh squeezed fruit juices.

13th Colony Distilleries Lineup

When hitting the taps, try some of Sweetwater Brewing Company‘s IPA or Terrapin Beer Company‘s lively Rye Pale Ale. Each respectively hails from Atlanta and Athens Georgia.

Photos courtesy of Steve Mirsky.  Coverage made possible by participating in a sponsored trip.

Spicy Brazilian Duck Tart in a Sweet Cornmeal Crust Served at Tilghman Island Inn

And so I was on the road again down to Maryland’s Eastern shore to check out Talbot County, a peninsula jutting out into the Chesapeake only 2 hours from both D.C. and Baltimore but a world apart.  It just so happened that the Waterfowl Festival was going on in historic Easton during the weekend I was there.  To whet your appetite, here is one course from my French Wine & Wild Game dinner at the Tilghman Island Inn…a perfect pairing for the day’s activities.  Stay tuned!

Cortina Marshes Surrounding St. Simons Island

One important lesson I learned during my visit to St. Simons Island was how difficult it is to promote the use of locally sourced ingredients even in a region awash in native seafood, fruits, and vegetables. The more people seek out and demand better quality food, the easier and more cost-effective it will be for local purveyors to compete with mass produced mediocrity. The King and Prince, an historic resort on Georgia’s coast is pulling out all the stops reaching out to local growers and cultivating an appreciation of fresh and tasty ingredients among guests. I had the pleasure of meeting some of these companies and sampling their goods:

Georgia Olive Farms

Georgia isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking of olive growing. But this State in fact has a long heritage of growing olives beginning with the first Spanish settlers. For a time, cottonseed oil supplanted olives but

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

starting in the 1870s, trees were gradually replanted and cultivated. Arbequina is the most popular strain grown throughout southeastern Georgia due to its frost hardiness and ability to grow in many different soil types. I did a comparison tasting of a Georgia extra virgin oil with a similar top brand from California and definitely noticed the difference. It was deep green and extremely buttery on the tongue.

Vidalia Onions

Did you know that Vidalia onions are named after their hometown of Vidalia Georgia? Nature blesses just 20 counties in southeastern Georgia with the warm climate and unusually low-sulfur soil these

Crab Cake Topped With Lane Peach Preserves

incredibly versatile, mild onions need to thrive. Discovered by accident in the 1930s when they started appearing in local farmers markets, nearly 100 local farmers now grow Vidalias. Growers still plant and pick their crops by hand.

Lane Southern Orchards

Even though Lane Orchards located just outside of Fort Valley, in the heart of Middle Georgia, raises a wide variety of fruits and pecans, they are best known for their signature peaches. Over 100 years experience raising peaches has helped them perfect the short growing season…16 weeks from bloom to harvest. But even after all this time, production is still very much a hands-on labor intensive process. Peaches are culled, picked, and packed into crates by hand before being shipped to local stores. Georgia’s cool nights and warm days yield better tasting and sweeter peaches than higher yielding competitors in South Carolina and California.

Wild Georgia Shrimp

Whether you’re a foodie, health nut, or simply concerned about what you ingest and how it affects your health, you are probably already

White Shrimp Freshly Netted in the Estuaries of St. Simon's Island

aware of the important distinctions between farm raised and wild caught seafood. In the case of shrimp, it’s critical to understand that Georgia’s shrimping fleet is down to 100 from a count of 300 just a couple decades ago. Imported farm raised shrimp has overtaken the market, lowered prices, and driven many independents out of business. This is too bad because not only is farm-raised shrimp filled with antibiotics, it tastes bland since they are only fed one type of soy-based food. The natural food source for Wild Georgia Shrimp comes from the nutrients supplied by clean, coastal Spartina marshes and estuaries flanking the southern Atlantic coast. The area’s strong tides combined with natural filtration through Georgia’s expansive marshland give shrimp a sweet succulent taste and a good firm texture that can only be produced in the wild.

Photos courtesy of Steve Mirsky.  Coverage made possible by participating in a sponsored visit.

Photo and video courtesy of Steve Mirsky. Coverage made possible by participating in a sponsored trip.

Omni's Duck Breast

Now through the end of the year, Omni Hotels and Resorts is celebrating “Simmer Sauté Santé – The Flavors of France” evoking the genuine essence of French cuisine accompanied by top vintage wines, Champagne and signature cocktails. Dishes mirroring what you would typically discover in French countryside cafes or in the newest Parisian brasserie include Sautéed Sea Scallops prepared Provencal Style; Duck Breast with Roasted Vegetables in a Raspberry Balsamic Reduction; and Steak Pommes-Frites with a Black Pepper and Cognac Sauce. Three custom crafted cocktails incorporating Chambord in the mix are also featured.

In preparation of Simmer Saute Sante, 45 Omni staff including executive chefs and top culinary staff visited renowned vineyards, food purveyors, and landmark restaurants in France. Beginning in Paris, the full immersion grand tour included Palais des Thés tea training; visiting caves at famed Champagne maker Nicolas Feuillatte and winemaker Maison Champy in Burgundy; tours of vineyards and participation in Loire Valley and Bordeaux harvests; mustard preparation lessons with Moutarde Fallot; and a grand dinner along the Seine River overlooking the Eiffel Tower.  What an

Omni's Sauteed Sea Scallops Provencal Style

enviable training gambit!

Omni’s “Simmer Sauté Santé” package promises to offer an exclusive culinary immersion weekend to guests at select hotels and resorts including deluxe accommodations, a wine and cheese welcome, authentic cooking and wine pairing demonstrations with an Omni chef, an all-inclusive French dinner, and a thank you gift which includes aprons, French wine, recipes and a micro-planner.  How’s that for capping off your vacation?

I recommend booking sooner than later to ensure your desired dates.

photos courtesy of Omni Hotels and Resorts

Grand Solmar Lobster Salad

Sometimes when traveling on vacation, the ultimate indulgence is to simply kick back in your slippers and order room service…on your private balcony overlooking the Pacific. When airports, jet lag, and restaurant reservation ennui take their toll, picture yourself at Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa nestled within natural rock grottos and white sand beaches. Newly built this year, Land’s End at the southernmost tip of the Baja Peninsula where the Sea of Cortes meets the Pacific Ocean is steps away from downtown Cabo San Lucas.  It’s also one of the world’s few resorts offering meals prepared to your specifications by an in-room chef.

Guests who reserve a three or four bedroom penthouse can now avail themselves of this amenity at $100 per chef and $50 per server. Among other menu offerings, several unique pizzas can be made in-room including Cochinita Pibil: Slow Oven Roasted Pork with Mexican Spices and Xnipec Sauce; Grand Sol Mar: Spanish Sausage, pepperoni, beans, corn, mushrooms, and Epazote; Seafood: Shrimp, Octopus, Bay Scallops, and Rajas Poblanas. For guests seeking a more interactive and family friendly cooking experience, on-site restaurant, La Roca, offers cooking classes for the whole family with rates beginning at $50 per

Grand Solmar Lands End

person per class.

Most dishes served at Grand Solmar’s Land’s End use only the finest and freshest organic ingredients adhering to the property’s overall “green” standards. Most recently, the bars at Grand Solmar began featuring an exclusive cocktail, The Vida Verde (Green Life) Margarita, made from cilantro, mint, Serrano peppers, pineapple juice, Tequila Don Julio Resposado, Cointreau & lime juice.

photos courtesy of Grand Solmar Land’s End