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Volume 5, Issue 48, November 27, 2007 |
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When Michelin announced that it was going to make a guide to Tokyo its first venture into Asia, restaurateurs there were worried that those French critics would never “get” Japanese food. Their worries were for nothing. Michelin’s first guide to Tokyo was released last week, and Tokyo now has more “Michelin stars” than any other city in the world — 191 stars in all. In fact, there were so many restaurants awarded stars, 150, that every dining venue listed in the Tokyo guide has at least one; there was no need to include any others to fill pages.
Paris, with 10, still leads the globe in the number of 3-star restaurants, but Tokyo, with eight, isn’t far behind. True, three of those are French restaurants, one even housed in a faux French chateau: Restaurant de Joel Robuchon in Roppongi Hills, Quintessence (Kantesansu) in Shiroganedai, and Restaurant L’Osier, Ginza. Still, 60 percent of all the starred Tokyo restaurants, and five of the eight 3-stars, feature native Japanese chefs and fare. Those 3-stars are Hamadaya, a 93-year-old, geisha-served midtown restaurant specializing in seasonal fare; Hiroyuki Kanda’s sushi restaurant in Roppongi; Koju, serving modern Japanese fare; and two top sushi venues, Sukiyabashi Jiro in Roppongi Hills, and Sushi Mizutani, Ginza. Two stars went to another 25 restaurants (six French, one each Italian, Chinese and Spanish, and 16 Japanese including three sushi restaurants and two specializing in fugu).
In comparison, Paris (98 stars), London (50) and New York (49) combined have just 16 more stars than Tokyo. Michelin reviewers, both French and Japanese, spent more than a year “undercover” visiting 1,500 Tokyo restaurants. It should be noted that the quality of food they found was so high that many of the restaurants earned their stars despite the lowest comfort rating possible, particularly the bare-bones sushi bars. 
Dubai is known for its super-high-end hotels, and now there’s another one: the 6-star Monarch has opened. All those stars come not only from the luxury décor of the 236 rooms, suites and serviced flats, but also from a 3.5-to-1 staff-to-guest ratio, limo transfers to and from Dubai airport (DXB), as well as free breakfast and WiFi, eight restaurants and lounges, and a health club with personal trainers. Room rates start at about $1,000; suites can top $10,000 a night.
It’s official: United Airlines is now flying lie-flat seats across the Atlantic in business class. The first of the airline’s new business cabins, with 180-degree recline, took off last week from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Frankfurt (FRA). The first reconfigured Boeing 767-300 will service United's Flight 952.
There’s a perfect holiday gift that’s easily portable and readily found in most souvenir shops. Unfortunately, you can’t pack it in your hand luggage. Did you guess it? It’s a snow globe. That’s a liquid or gel sloshing around inside there, and yes, snow globes are actually on the TSA’s list of no-nos. So if you’re shopping abroad with a snowglobe collector in mind, you’d better bring some bubble wrap, shop airside, and stick it in your checked baggage.
Most airline loyalty programs let you donate miles to charity. But right now, the National Foundation for Cancer Research is awarding AAdvantage miles to first-time donors, at a rate of 10 miles per dollar donated ($25 minimum), to a maximum of 10,000 miles for $1,000 donated. Although NFCR is not one of the best known or most highly rated cancer-related charities, it is legitimate, established in 1973 and donating an average of $7 million a year to cancer research. All donations are tax-deductible.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that the Morgan Group opened the trendy Royalton on West 44th St. in New York City, but they felt it was time for a revamp, and the newly refurbished hotel is now reopened. The trendy lobby has received some African-art touches; the Round Bar has been reincarnated as Bar 44; there’s a new Brasserie 44 featuring seasonal fresh foods in a modern American menu; the guestrooms now have slate bathrooms; and the three penthouse suites have been redesigned.
Joy Grill & Beer Restaurant
24 Emek Refaim St.
Jerusalem, Israel
tel 02 563 0033
Every city has its trendy neighborhood, and with 42 restaurants lined up in the space of just a few short blocks, Emek Refaim Street in the modern southern part of Jerusalem certainly qualifies. On a warm night, the streets are so packed it's hard to move, let alone get a seat at a table.
That’s why, for a recent visit to the Joy Grill and Beer Restaurant, we opted for the business lunch. This winning establishment is memorable before the food even arrives. Set in a historic Templar building with lots of Jerusalem stone and beautiful arches, Joy is comfortable even when crowded.
But we came for the food, which did not disappoint. The business lunch, as is now the norm in Israel, consists of an appetizer, a main course, bread and coffee or tea for the regular price of an entrée. The bread was a surprisingly satisfying start to our meal — a large loaf of piping-hot sourdough, baked fresh on the premises. Served with excellent antipasti, it made us look forward to what was coming next.
For my appetizer, I ordered the "rustic" chicken liver pate, served on toast with jam and a side of caramelized carrots. I don't know what was rustic about it, but the pate was creamy and delicious — not as distinctive as goose liver pate but nevertheless quite enticing. My companion had a cold gazpacho that was a bit bland for my taste.
For the main course, I ordered a dish with chicken, noodles, carrots, onions and cabbage in an Asian sauce. It was filling and fun, but again, not quite spicy enough for my palate. My companion's "Joy Salad," however, was exquisite — grilled chicken breast and chicken livers on a bed of lettuce and sweet onions, liberally doused with crisp sweet potato fries (a house specialty). Portions were huge.
For dessert we shared a chocolate Mars cake, which we thought at first was a storebought Mars ice cream bar served on a nice plate with raspberry jelly, but our waitress assured us it was all homemade. It was very good in either case. We didn’t come for the beer, but as the name suggests, many do; Joy has about 20 beers, many on tap.
Our bill for two, with a couple of soft drinks, was $33, not bad for a satisfying meal in a historic building in the trendiest part of a historic city.
Score: ••••• Brian Blum
Save an extra $500 on Silverjet by booking its Linger Longer in London deal by Nov. 30, for travel through Jan. 31. The promotion gives $500 off the return fare from London Luton (LTN) to Newark EWR) if you book the daily 4:45 p.m. flight 105 out of London. The offer is good only for travel originating in the U.S. and must be booked by phone (not online) by calling 877 FLY SILVERJ and citing promotion code LONDONLONGER. The discount is good from any available fare.
Conrad Connections is a new, “limited edition” promotion that provides special holiday benefits for travelers staying at any of 14 Conrad hotels in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States between Dec. 21 and Jan.4. Guests who stay for at least two consecutive nights and mention Connections at check-in get a five-minute phone call to anywhere in the world for free, plus additional goodies that vary from hotel to hotel — for example, Egyptian pastries at the Conrad Sharm el Sheikh or a chocolate fondue at the Conrad Miami. The program also includes free alcoholic beverages and gift wrapping for up to five gifts at most participating properties.
Philips Norelco has teamed up with National Geographic Expeditions for the Conquer the World sweepstakes. The grand prize winner gets to choose one of three trip options: an eight-day exploration of Belize, a 10-day trip to the Galapagos, or an eight-day expedition cruise of southeastern Alaska. Eighty-five “secondary prizes” worth $50 or less will also be awarded. One entry per household per day is allowed, through Dec. 31.
The Accor hotels group is repositioning its Sofitel properties in the luxury category, and its seasonal Razzle Dazzle packages are a chance to check them out for less. Six Sofitels — in Miami, New York, San Francisco, Paris, Hanoi and Shanghai — are participating. The deal includes breakfast, three-course dinner, gifts, and late check-out, from Dec. 15 to Jan. 8. Prices vary by property, from $198 a night at the Sofitel Hyland Shanghai to $759 at Sofitel Le Faubourg.
Book by Dec. 3 to take advantage of Virgin Atlantic’s winter economy sale between 10 U.S. gateways and London (LGW/LHR). The fares, good for travel between Jan. 7 and March 16, range from $332 round trip (JFK or EWR) to $528 round-trip from LAX. A slightly higher tier of sale fares is available for travel March 29-April 20. Fares include some surcharges but unfortunately do not include taxes and duties, which can add about $250.
