Last August, when Michael and I were in Berlin visiting our dear friends Yori and Norbert, these six restaurants were much better deals than they are now. However, they're still fantastic insider spots that you should check out if you happen to be headed to the German capital. Also, don't miss the gourmet food emporium on the 6th floor of KaDeWe (pronounced Kah-Day-Vay), which makes New York City’s Dean & DeLuca look like a corner grocery. Pick up a baguette from Lenôtre (an outpost of Paris’ legendary boulangerie), some paté or prociutto (imported from Milan’s Peck) from the meat counter, and a few hunks of cheese (they offer 1300 different varieties). I also loved the grilled artichoke hearts at the antipasti bar.
Tauentzienstrase 21-24; www.kadewe-berlin.de
And what, you might be asking, does Berlin have to do with herbal travel remedies? Well, aside from the fact that Germany has a long tradition of incorporating medicinal herbs and homeopathy into standard Western medical treatment, not much. But in the same issue of Endless Vacation in which my Berlin story appears, I rate the the best of a few popular complementary treatments for common travel-related conditions such as jet lag and sinusitis.
If, like me, you've taken Michael Pollan's latest two books to heart and are a CSA-loving locavore, then you've probably been to Portland, Oregon, where even the local burger chain has a seasonally driven menu. (See my item on