Tabla de contenidos para May - June 2020 en AFAR

THOMPSON WASHINGTON, D.C. Rooms offer views of the Anacostia River, plus minibars stocked with local snacks. At the restaurant Maialino Mare, Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group serves Roman food, including salt-baked sea bass and roasted suckling pig. From $180. thompson hotels.com EATON D.C. This 209-room hotel combines superior hospitality with a mission for progressive social change. American Son restaurant serves vegetarian Asian cuisine, and the Eaton House offers film screenings, yoga and meditation classes, and sound baths. From $129. eatonworkshop.com RIGGS WASHINGTON, D.C. Corinthian columns and barrel-vaulted ceilings reveal this building’s origins as the historic Riggs National Bank. In the old vault, guests will find Silver Lyan, the first U.S. venture from mixologist Ryan Chetiyawardana, of London’s Lyaness bar. From $340. riggsdc.com…

Eden Rock St. Bart’s Aman Kyoto Rosewood Hong Kong Casa Maria Luigia Mt. Mulligan Lodge Labotessa Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia The Chedi Al Bait Equinox Hotel Raffles Singapore Captain Whidbey Inn Lodge at Blue Sky Rio Palena Lodge Kachi Lodge Maison de la Luz J.K. Place Paris West Hollywood Edition Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski Dominica The Newt in Somerset Conrad Washington, D.C. Wilderness Safaris Magashi Camp Palazzo Daniele Hoshinoya Guguan Adler Lodge Ritten Nayara Tented Camp Belmond Cadogan Hotel Posada by the Joshua Tree House EDEN ROCK ST. BART’S On the island of St. Bart’s—the epitome of barefoot luxury in the Caribbean—Eden Rock has reopened its doors following an extensive two-year renovation in the wake of Hurricane Irma in 2017. The 1953 grande dame is set on a hill…

Wagashi are still enjoyed at tea ceremonies, but travelers can also find them at local supermarkets, at chain stores such as Toraya, or even in department store basements. (Warning: The quality varies.) But one of the best ways to experience wagashi in Tokyo is to seek out small family-run shops. Like all traditional Japanese businesses, wagashi stores are not always identifiable from the outside. Look for a hanging linen curtain called a noren, which marks the entrance. Here are four of the best (and yes, one is in a department store). Ikkoan Hidden behind a noren and a wood-paneled sliding door is Ikkoan, a small shop specializing in wagashi for the tea ceremony. Here, Mizukami crafts fresh, seasonal wagashi year-round. (Go at the start of the year for hanabira mochi…

THESE DAYS I SPEND about a third of the year in hotels, traveling extensively for business and pleasure. Aside from my preference for two firm pillows, a real human being at check-in, and a classic negroni on the house cocktail list, I have some thoughts about what it means to be a truly great hotel in 2020. They’ve helped guide our picks for this year’s Stay List, AFAR’s annual celebration of the best new hotels around the world. In the last decade, I’ve watched as hotels in major cities have focused on taking down the barriers between the community and the traveler. While the modus operandi at a resort was once to keep guests within the confines of its walls, today, hotels encourage guests to explore the local area and…

ENRIQUE LIMARDO The Caracas native celebrates Latin cuisine at Seven Reasons, with Amazonian ingredients such as katara (a spice made from fermented ants and roots) and plenty of veggies. His fusion bowls are the star at Immigrant Food, which also provides meeting space for immigration NGOs. sevenreasonsdc.com, immigrantfood.com MARCELLE AFRAM Afram helms Maydan’s central hearth and has mastered grilled dishes from the Caucasus, the Middle East, and North Africa. Her lamb shoulder with Syrian seven spice seasoning and wood-fired carrots with lemon and harissa pair well with wines from Lebanon, Israel, the West Bank, and other unexpected regions. maydandc.com KWAME ONWUACHI The winner of the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef in 2019 spent his formative years in Nigeria, New Orleans, and New York. Kith/Kin is his ode to…

I WAS BORN in Houston to a Lebanese father and an American mother from Texas, but we moved to Lebanon when I was a baby. I spent all of my formative years here. To escape the turmoil of the civil war (1975 to 1990), my family and I sought refuge in Baskinta, a village northeast of Beirut, at the foot of Mount Sannine, for about five years. To this day, I think people are still healing from wartime. At 22, I dropped out of the American University of Beirut to figure out what I wanted to do. I moved to Miami and worked in real estate but only found happiness when I started cooking the Middle Eastern food I was so badly missing. I’d invite friends over and experiment with recipes,…

ON A WARM SUMMER MORNING in Speyside, Scotland, I walked along a gravel path at the base of the Conval Hills, listening for the sound of the Robbie Dhu spring. I stopped to ask for directions from a local passing by, who pointed up the nearest hill: “Go that way,” he said. “Keep climbing, the spring will be on your left.” As I walked, first I heard a trickle, then a gentle rush of water. I marched off the path and found a splintered wood staircase that led down to the banks of the spring. It looked overgrown and treacherous. Peering through wildflowers I finally caught a glimpse of water flowing over stones—the water that, downstream, becomes a key ingredient of Glenfiddich, the world’s best-selling single-malt Scotch whisky. Glenfiddich is…

BOJAN BOČVAROV had a secret. It was almost too much for the dimpled 39-year-old to bear as he motored up a narrow road on a leafy residential hillside in central Belgrade. He could have taken my wife, Rikki, and me anywhere. Having just landed, we were jet-lagged and famished, easy to please. But Bojan had something special in mind. “This is a very low-known restaurant,” he confided with a devilish smile. We had good reason to trust him. As the executive chef of a prosperous international restaurant group, Bojan knew the food scene in his home city well. But it wasn’t always that way. He, like many his age, had fled the country in the late 1990s to escape nationalism, war, and the hard times that would follow. He found work…

At times like this, it’s more important than ever to remember all that’s good and inspiring in our world. AS THIS ISSUE WENT TO PRESS, the world was struggling to contain the COVID-19 virus: Air travel between the United States and most of Europe was severely restricted, major events had been canceled, and health officials were asking us to keep our distance from one another. At the time, it was hard to see to the other side of this crisis: when we would return to “normal.” As you read this, that still might be true. At AFAR, we take seriously our commitment to help serve you, the world’s best travelers, with information and stories that inspire, guide, and enable you to live your lives to the fullest. Right now, that…

BLOOMINGDALE The streets in this corner of northern D.C. are lined with trees and vintage row homes. Crispus Attucks Park, one of several pocket parks in the area, used to be an abandoned lot until the community transformed it into a green oasis. Locals gather at the Boundary Stone Public House for craft beer, trivia nights, and live music; at the dive-ier Showtime bar, the jukebox is stocked with funk and soul. The rigatoni with fennel-sausage ragu at the Red Hen trattoria draws a crowd, so book in advance or settle in at the bar to wait for a table. IVY CITY Not long ago, travelers hardly gave this industrial zone north of Union Market a second glance. Today it’s full of chic spots to eat, drink, and socialize. Ivy…

CHIKARA MIZUKAMI WORKS with an easy concentration as he rolls a piece of what looks like white Play-Doh in his palm, gently flattening it into a thick disk. He places a mound of anko—red adzuki-bean paste—in the center of the disk and smooths the dough around it to form an orb the size of a golf ball. Without breaking his rhythm, he picks up a light wooden tool and scores the soft sphere. Seconds later, he holds in his hand a tiny white peach, complete with the signature dimple. It’s marvelous. From two seemingly simple elements, he’s created a miniature work of art. Mizukami is making wagashi, Japanese sweets composed of some combination of red bean paste and rice flour and traditionally served with green tea. The word wagashi describes a…

EAT STARI MLIN Hidden away in a residential neighborhood, Stari Mlin isn’t easy to find. But a meal here is worth the effort. This is where Belgradians come to linger over authentic Serbian dishes—such as ćevapi, a spicy Balkan sausage, and đuveć, a vegetable stew—made with local ingredients. There’s no menu, just whatever the chef is inspired to cook from the day’s market haul. A large patio where musicians often play traditional Serbian folk music adds to Stari Mlin’s homey appeal. 10 Plzenjska St. AMBAR RESTAURANT For a more modern take on Serbian food, head to Ambar, situated near the floating restaurants and splavs (nightclubs) on the banks of the Sava River. Travelers can try grilled sausage with house-made mustard or a selection of kaymak, a beloved Serbian cheese spread.…

RIDING THE OCEAN The Via Rail Ocean train from Montreal to Halifax (or vice versa) is a 22-hour journey called “The Maritime Way,” though travelers can break up the trip by hopping off midroute. The Ocean departs three times a week (Sunday, Wednesday, Friday), and tickets for the summer season often sell out, so book early. Ticket prices vary greatly depending on whether you want to bed down in a sleeper car (which includes three dining-car meals per day) or choose to ride in economy. From US$132, viarail.ca MONTREAL, QUÉBEC CAFE AUNJA An Iranian café and teahouse, this is an idyllic lunch spot for any travelers looking to rest their feet. Perk up with a Persian Fog (a concoction of black tea, saffron syrup, and steamed milk sprinkled with crushed…