Since I was asking everyone on IG yesterday who was dreaming of Wandering again…

I thought I would do a Love, Tuesday post about some of our favorite places to wander AND eat.

I don’t know about you, but since we’ve been home and making Every. Single. Meal… we have been daydreaming about some of our favorite restaurants around the world!

So here’s some you might like to try if you decide to GO & wander, once this pandemic is over!

Here’s my families “Top 10” list of suggestions for you:

#10: The River Cafe in Brooklyn, NY

This was such a memorable meal, even though it’s been years since we’ve been here! It’s so beautiful to look out across the Brooklyn bridge and see that stunning location.

#9: Ralph Lauren in Paris, France (or Chicago)

This is just somewhere you have to treat yourself to if you’re in Paris! It’s beautiful and yes, very “chi-chi”, but you must go and experience it! This is their perfect courtyard patio, but the inside is even grander.

#8: Bottega in Yountville, California

My husband and I love Napa Valley. We have family up there, it has beautiful rolling hills with vineyards dotting the valley floor and the restaurants are amazing! I was hard to pick a favorite from all that we have been to there, but this one by chef Michael Chiarello really does top the list for us! It’s in gorgeous Yountville (a dream location for our retirement some day…) and this restaurant is so unique with it’s flavor combinations, but still in the Italian world we love. Don’t miss it if you find yourself in Napa Valley!

#7: Tommy Bahamas, Maui, Newport Beach or Palm Dessert

This one is on the list because of my husband. Now I do love it and it’s such a relaxing place to enjoy a lunch while in a tropical state of mind! But the hubby LOVES this place more than anything just about, so I have to include it here. I mean… it’s not to hard to envision yourself enjoying a nice “Coconut Cloud” martini, some tropical appetizers and a “Chicken Bahama Mamma” sandwich, right?

#6: Goat & Vine in Temecula, California

This is such a great restaurant! When we lived in California, this was our go to restaurant for the best food! We miss it terribly and any time we make a trip out, we wouldn’t dream of missing this place. It has recently changed locations in the Old Town part of Temecula, and it is even more beautiful! Here’s a photo I took when I was out there to take care of Rebecca when we was really sick. (Yes, I still went here… even though she was sick! Take out is just as good! lol)

#5: Treize au Jardin in Paris, France

This place is like sipping on sweet tea in the middle of a Parisian summer garden! Literally… This is another one of those “can’t miss” places in Paris that once you go to, you will ALWAYS make a point of coming back! Laurel is a beautiful soul from the South (U.S. South) and she brings a fresh perspective on dining in Paris, France that is so heartwarming, you just want to hug her! I love her to death, she remembers me every time I come in and her new place is just as beautiful as the last “secret gardenish” location, but now she is across from the gorgeous Jardin du Luxembourg. It’s just not to be missed friends!

#4: Salice Blu in Bellagio, Italy

Now if you’ve been on one of our retreats, then you know this place and you already LOVE Luigi. You remember him because he was the one that picked us up, told us about the food, took our order, cooked the food, kept us entertained and drove us home at the end (and didn’t really bother to stop at the stop signs… they are just “suggestions” anyways. Oh… and he’s also the owner. And a world renowned chef, Top Chef of Italy actually. And he got his restaurant as a gift for his 18th Birthday from his parents. Luigi is one of a kind and you can’t go to Bellagio without experiencing a night at Salice Blu. He also does cooking classes and we were just talking last week and he told me that he wants to start doing ONLINE cooking classes since we are all stuck at home! I think this is a great idea and if you’d be interested in setting up one of these classes let me know. I can definitely put you in contact with him for a really fun Italian cooking class you will not forget! By the way, that’s Luigi at the top of the blog post.

#3: Agave in Prague, Czech Republic

Ok this one was such a surprise for us! We were not expecting to find one of our favorite Mexican restaurants while on vacation in Prague! But this place was excellent. So great the of the 4 nights we were in Prague, we went twice… and thought about going again! Such great flavor, the menu was full of surprises and coming from California we were so shocked. But when we found out the owner was FROM California, it all made sense. What a great find while traveling for so long and really wanting a taste of home. We later asked some friends who live there and they definitely knew of this place and loved it too.

#2: La Tirlindana on Lake Como, Italy

I’m giving away all my secrets with this one… But I can’t imagine coming all the way to Lake Como, Italy and not eating here. It’s been a place we have enjoyed for over 10 years now and even though it’s hard to find and hard to get to, I ALWAYS take the ladies on our retreat here. And if you’ve been here with us, you know why. It is the most peaceful restaurant in a tiny little cove overlooking the only island on the lake and it has food you will dream about forever. I could go on and on, but you’ll have to take my word for it… unless you join us one day.

#1: Al Veluu, in Tremezzo, Italy

Well, I saved the best for last friends. I’m giving away the FARM on this one! Yes, it’s also on Lake Como and truth be told, I’m tearing up just looking at photos of this place! Ugh… why can’t we go to Italy this summer?! My heart is breaking that we can’t be back on the lake soon. Not only to go to these AMAZING places, but more importantly to see all the people we love that own these restaurants. Al Veluu is family run, just like most restaurants on the Lake. But these people have become like actual family. In fact so much so, that when we come to eat, their children come over and eat with us and we all play and enjoy spending time together until late at night. All that aside, the food is just the BEST. Lucca only uses the best ingredients and most of the fresh ingredients are grown right in his garden that you can see from their terrace. It’s the most memorable nights of our retreats and truly a special time that we treasure with each group. I can't say enough about this place and the people… you just have to come try it with us some day. (or if you go, tell them Laura sent you…)

I don't know if this post helped me or made me more sad. But I do know that these places are part of why we go where we go. It helps us to feel HOME when we wander and it has blessed us with friendships all over the world. We’ve visited these places and shared meals together at many of these Top 10 picks with the women who have joined our retreats over the years, and we feel so blessed to have those memories. Some say you could also call our retreats “foodie” retreats, because the meals our pretty spectacular, and we LOVE that they enjoy these places too!

There are so many more places I could share with you, but these came to mind today.

Go check out each one, I’ve linked them all so you can find out where exactly they are AND make a reservation for the next time you happen to wander right to their doorstep.

Have a great day everyone! I’d love to hear if you have a favorite restaurant you dream about too. Leave a comment below so we can all hear about it!

Hugs,

Laura McCollough