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Disney Tourist Blog

Three Disney World Restaurants Receive 2026 Michelin Guide Awards

Walt Disney World's three Disney-owned Michelin-recognized restaurants (Victoria & Albert's, Cítricos and Toledo) have received their 2026 plaques. V&A kept its single Star for a third year, with its $295 prix fixe unchanged after an $80 hike briefly appeared online, while Capa at the Four Seasons dropped from a Star to "recommended." The writer argues the inspectors chose the right restaurants, praises Toledo as an underrated value, and says California Grill, Jiko, Narcoossee's and Flying Fish would need more ambition to earn a place, adding that in-park Signature restaurants are probably ineligible because of the ticket paywall.

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The MoCo Show

Three Maryland Delis Named Among the Best in America - The MoCo Show

Cheapism's customer-based ranking of the "27 Best Delis Across America" includes three Maryland spots: Attman's Delicatessen (Baltimore and Park Potomac), Chick & Ruth's Delly in Annapolis, and Parkway Deli in Silver Spring. Attman's, founded in 1915 and still family-run, was praised for its sprawling menu and combo sandwiches. Chick & Ruth's is known for house-baked bread, sandwiches named after local politicians, and a "Colossal" Reuben-and-milkshake eating challenge. Parkway, open since 1963 and run by the founder's grandsons, was noted for oversized sandwiches and its Food Network exposure, and it still keeps its original menu, when corned beef cost $1.15.

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Eater

The ‘Tavern-Style’ Pizza Takeover | Eater

This Eater piece traces the spread of Midwestern tavern-style pizza, the thin, cracker-crisp, party-cut pie from Chicago, St. Louis, and Milwaukee, as it moves into restaurants across the country. It argues that the style's appeal lies less in the pizza itself than in the convivial, lived-in tavern atmosphere it evokes, using examples like Proof in Portland, Ops in New York, and Bar Next Door in Los Angeles to show how operators are reinterpreting a regional nostalgia for a wider audience.

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www.texasmonthly.com

The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2025 Edition

Texas barbecue has improved so dramatically since Franklin Barbecue's 2009 opening that Texas Monthly's barbecue editor faced an unprecedented challenge: 120 contenders worthy of the magazine's top-50 list, compared to only slightly more than 50 in previous years. The transformation reflects the democratization of excellence—first-rate brisket and house-made sausage are now commonplace rather than rare—while pitmasters increasingly experiment with global influences, from smoked koobideh sausage to Korean beef ribs to jerk chicken. The resulting rankings showcase a Texas barbecue landscape that honors both traditional smokehouse mastery and bold culinary innovation, with only 7 joints from the 2013 list making this year's rankings.

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www.theguardian.com

20 of the best food tours around the world

This article is a guide to food tours across multiple cities worldwide, each led by knowledgeable local guides who emphasize cultural storytelling and authentic culinary experiences over tourist traps. Rather than merely sampling dishes, these tours prioritize connections with the people behind the food—producers, chefs, and vendors—revealing how history, immigration, and local commerce have shaped each city's gastronomic identity. From Porto's convivial neighborhood drop-ins to Naples' artisan bakeries, Bangkok's side-street markets to Lima's port seafood, the tours range from budget-friendly street food walks to immersive cooking classes in historic palaces.

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www.cntraveller.com

How to spend three days in Porto

This travel guide presents a meticulously curated three-day itinerary for Porto, balancing the city's historic landmarks—from the blue-tiled Capela das Almas to baroque churches and the iconic Dom Luis bridge—with its contemporary renaissance of Michelin-starred restaurants, literary festivals, and newly opened boutique hotels. Beyond the standard tourist sites like Lello bookshop and the Ribeira district, it highlights lesser-known gems including the Serralves Museum designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Siza Vieira, contemporary Portuguese dining at restaurants like Pedro Lemos and Cozinha das Flores, and vibrant neighborhoods where locals actually eat and drink. The piece conveys Porto as a city that successfully marries centuries of cultural heritage with modern creativity, offering everything from artisanal markets and vintage-style shops to cutting-edge cocktail bars and art galleries.

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www.jongsbarbecue.com

Jon G's Barbecue

Jon G's brings Texas-style barbecue traditions to Peachland, North Carolina, operating from a brick-and-mortar location after starting as a food truck, and has built a reputation for smoked meats and sides that draw enough customers to regularly sell out. The piece emphasizes that quality barbecue depends equally on careful preparation and the community of people who gather to eat it, with the restaurant also offering catering services for events.

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Eater Nola

Where to Get a Great Muffuletta in and Around New Orleans

The muffuletta, a plate-sized Italian American sandwich layered with cured meats, cheese, and olive salad on a seeded loaf, originated in 1906 when Salvatore Lupo at Central Grocery created it as a convenient lunch for Sicilian workers in New Orleans's heavily Italian immigrant neighborhood. The piece traces the sandwich's history and cultural significance while providing a curated guide to where to find the best versions throughout the New Orleans area, from the original Central Grocery to modern variations at spots like Porgy's and Napoleon House.

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Boston Magazine

Inside Demetri Tsolakis's Legal Battle With His Former Boss

Demetri Tsolakis rose from a young promoter to become George Aboujaoude's trusted general manager at the Seaport restaurant Committee, helping build it into a success before launching his own acclaimed Greek restaurant empire starting in 2017. In March 2024, Aboujaoude's company sued Tsolakis for allegedly misappropriating over $1 million in Committee funds to finance his personal restaurants, presenting checks and invoices suggesting Committee paid for items destined for Krasi and other Xenia establishments, though Tsolakis argues these expenses either benefited Committee directly or occurred with Aboujaoude's knowledge and approval. The lawsuit comes after years of tension following Tsolakis's departure from Committee in 2023 and coincides with Aboujaoude's personal and professional struggles, including the loss of his nightclub Bijou and his ongoing divorce.

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Linktree

The Takeout

11 Best Family-Owned Pizza Joints Across The US

This article profiles ten exceptional family-owned pizzerias across the United States, highlighting establishments where recipes and techniques have been passed down through generations or represent the personal vision of dedicated pizza craftspeople. Each pizzeria is featured with details about its history, signature style, and what makes it distinctive—from Frank Pepe's legendary white clam pizza in Connecticut to King Dough's naturally fermented Neapolitan pies in Indiana to Papa's Tomato Pies, the oldest continuously family-run pizzeria in America. The selections were determined through national award rankings, expert food critic reviews, and social media recognition from loyal local customers.

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WIRED

This Man Has a Cult Internet Following Over His Olive Garden Lifetime Pasta Pass | WIRED

Braden Sinclair is one of only 50 people ever to win an Olive Garden Lifetime Pasta Pass, a no-expiration card earned in 2019 that grants him unlimited pasta, breadsticks, and soup or salad—a distinction he's documented obsessively on his website Lifetimepastapass.com, which tracks his 112 visits, 152 bowls eaten, and nearly $1,900 in meal value since winning, while letting internet strangers vote on what he orders next. Though he's been a devoted Olive Garden fan since childhood (he even has a tattoo of the chain's cheese grater), the pass has proven somewhat isolating, as the pandemic prevented Olive Garden from connecting the 50 winners and few of his friends share his enthusiasm for repeat visits to the restaurant.

Permalink foodrestaurantsentertainmentlifestyle

CultureMap Dallas

12 scenic Texas campsites declared best places to pitch a tent in U.S.

Bon Appétit's 2026 best new restaurants list includes two Texas establishments: Agnes and Sherman in Houston, which fuses Asian flavors with classic American diner fare and has earned accolades including a James Beard nomination, and Le Calamar in Austin, a French-Texas bistro featuring refined dishes like stuffed chicken wings and updated takes on French classics. Both restaurants opened between March 2025 and March 2026 and exemplify the magazine's celebration of establishments that challenge culinary conventions through community and creativity despite industry headwinds.

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ynetglobal

Travel for the food: 8 European cities every food lover should visit

Travel + Leisure rounded up chefs from Istanbul, Berlin, Stockholm and Athens to name eight European cities—Florence, Copenhagen, Paris, Barcelona, Istanbul, Athens, Berlin and Stockholm—worth traveling to purely for their food, framed not as a ranked competition but as a curated set of culinary identities. Each city gets a distinct angle from a local chef: Florence's market-to-street-food soul, Copenhagen's New Nordic/smørrebrød scene, Paris's layered gastronomic history, Barcelona's ingredient-provenance obsession, Istanbul's cultural crossroads cuisine, Athens's underrated modern Greek cooking, Berlin's immigrant-driven creative freedom, and Stockholm's nature-close, forager's palate. It's essentially a practical shortlist with specific restaurant and market recommendations for each stop, useful as a trip-planning reference rather than a ranked "best of" piece.

Permalink foodrestaurantstraveleurope

www.foodandwine.com

The Top 10 US Restaurants, According to the Experts

[[Food & Wine]]’s 2026 [[Global Tastemakers Awards]] list spotlights ten destination dining rooms that marry personal storytelling and regional cuisines, recommending trips for exceptional meals. The list, compiled by industry experts and adjudicated by a Global Advisory Board, highlights spots like [[Kabawa]], a Caribbean-forward counter in New York, and Afro‑Caribbean [[Dogon]] in Washington, D.C., as well as intimate omakase at [[Hayato]] and Tamil Nadu–rooted fare at [[Semma]]. It also celebrates neighborhood powerhouses — from Denver’s Alma Fonda Fina and Austin’s [[Canje]] to Philadelphia’s [[Kalaya]], Portland’s [[Kann]], and San Francisco’s [[Mister Jiu's]] — that translate heritage into contemporary tasting menus. Across coasts and cuisines, the winners emphasize provenance, technique, and vibrant flavors worth planning travel around. Many have earned Michelin stars or James Beard recognition, underscoring both creativity and continued influence on American dining culture.

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www.foodandwine.com

Why Pasta Tastes Better at Restaurants, According to Chefs

Food & Wine explores why restaurant pasta often tastes superior, tracing the difference to small, intentional steps chefs make: using high-quality ingredients like [[00 flour]] and [[Parmigiano-Reggiano]], fresh eggs and generous finishing fats such as [[butter]] or [[olive oil]]; cooking in lots of well-salted water; pulling noodles slightly underdone so they finish in the sauce; and rescuing starchy [[pasta water]] to bind and silkily thicken sauces. Chefs also transfer pasta directly from pot to pan, toss it with sauce to let flavors marry, and plate by twirling for a composed presentation. The article gathers practical tips from cooks and cookbook authors — including advice in [[The Pasta Book]] and observations from restaurants like [[Heirloom Fine Foods]] — so home cooks can replicate restaurant-quality results.

Permalink foodrecipescookingrestaurants

www.islands.com

Asheville's 5 Best Rooftop Bars With Blue Ridge Mountain Views And Immaculate Drinks

This guide recommends five rooftop bars in Asheville, North Carolina for sunset viewing, selected by a local resident based on personal experience and online reviews. Each bar offers distinct advantages: Wildwood Still provides unobstructed western-facing mountain views and premium whiskey selections; The Observatory combines botanical aesthetics with spritz cocktails; Hemingway's Cuba features a massive terrace and Cuban cuisine; Capella on 9 showcases both mountain vistas and distinctive city architecture; and Flat Iron Rooftop offers panoramic views paired with upscale Italian food and wine. The recommendations prioritize combinations of scenic views, quality cocktails, and atmospheric qualities suited to sunset experiences.

Permalink cocktailsnorth carolinarestaurantstravel

www.islands.com

Between Asheville And Greensboro Is North Carolina's Charming City With A Lovely Downtown And Tasty Eats

Newton, North Carolina, is a small historic town of 13,500 people located midway between Asheville and Greensboro that offers carefully preserved downtown architecture, community-driven events, and local dining and shopping concentrated along its Main Avenue and surrounding streets. The downtown's National Register–listed buildings from the 1920s–1930s house businesses alongside cultural institutions like the Catawba County Museum of History, while the community maintains an active social calendar featuring theater productions, festivals, and concerts at the Frank and Sue Jones Amphitheatre. Its location makes it accessible as either an overnight destination with charming bed-and-breakfast inns or a day trip from larger nearby cities.

Permalink historynorth carolinarestaurantstravel

www.themanual.com

A Michelin-recommended culinary tour of North Carolina

The Michelin Guide's 2025 expansion into the American South includes North Carolina, which earned significant recognition with one Michelin star, seven Bib Gourmand awards, and 39 recommended restaurants. The author toured four major North Carolina cities—Asheville, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Durham—to sample standout restaurants ranging from casual seafood counters and wine bars to fine-dining establishments, highlighting how the state offers diverse cuisines from Southern comfort food and Italian to Indian, Croatian, and Louisiana cooking. The restaurants showcase local Appalachian and Carolina ingredients while blending regional traditions with innovative techniques and international influences.

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