Here’s a peek at some of the newest culinary experiences across hotels and destinations worth knowing about.
Culinary Creativity Around the World
USTOA has rolled out a fresh season of Global Kitchen, its ongoing series pairing food and travel, this time spotlighting three new destinations. The 2026 lineup follows chefs, food writers, content creators and local experts through markets and street stalls in Quebec City, Canada; Chongqing, China; and Cali, Colombia. Each episode digs past standard sightseeing to show how food shapes daily life.
In Quebec City, viewers watch maple taffy set on fresh snow, a classic Quebecois technique. In Chongqing, the focus turns to mahua, a twisted fried dough snack sometimes called the “Chinese French fry,” prepared and sold on the street. In Cali, a stop at the Alameda Market showcases South American fruit varieties alongside a demonstration of Colombian tamales wrapped and cooked in plantain leaves. Beyond the video series,
USTOA has released a companion digital cookbook drawing on a wider set of destinations, including Quebec City, Canada; Chongqing, China; Cali, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Germany; Malta; Finland; Calgary; Yucatan; Turkiye; Madrid; and Hong Kong, China.
“Some of the most memorable travel moments happen around the table,” said USTOA President and CEO Terry Dale in a press statement. He pointed to markets, cooking classes and food tours as entry points into a destination’s traditions, adding that culinary tourism “helps preserve food traditions while supporting local communities.”
For more information, visit ustoa.com/globalkitchen.
Tea Time
Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas is reviving its Mad Hatter Tea at Peacock Alley for a 5-day run this summer, giving guests a themed afternoon tea with Strip views from the 23rd floor.
Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas’s tea lounge will host the event from Wednesday, August 26, through Sunday, August 30. The menu draws on classic afternoon tea format but leans into a storybook theme, mixing familiar courses with unexpected flavor combinations. Menu highlights include:
- Pastry Confections: Cheshire Cassis Dome with raspberry chamord and pop rocks; Blueberry and Peach Alice Dress with brown butter pastry cream and blueberry cremeux; Red Queen’s Black Forest Cake with Matisse cherries and chocolate mousse; White Rabbit’s Coconut with coconut ganache and tropical fruit compote; and Strawberry and Chocolate Mushroom Cake with chocolate financier and white chocolate.
- Savory Sandwiches: Waldorf Chicken Red Gougere with walnut, grape and celery; Ham and Swiss with Dijonnaise on soft white bread; and a Blue Egg Nest with egg salad and crispy potato.
- Curiosities in a Cup: Cocktails include the Drink Me, made with Grey Goose vodka, simple syrup, curacao and lemon juice; the Mad-Hattan, with Angel’s Envy rye, Antica sweet vermouth and pecan bitters; and the Queen of Hearts, mixed with vodka, strawberry puree, grenadine, lemon juice, simple syrup and Luxardo maraschino liqueur. The tea program also features The Showgirl and The Meadows blends by Tealeaves.
The cost covers food and tea service; cocktails are priced separately. Seatings run at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and window seating can be requested for an upgrade fee. For more information, visit sevenrooms.com or hilton.com.
Walk on Water
Sun Siyam Pasikudah, a boutique property on Sri Lanka’s east coast, has put its dining room on the water. The resort’s new Aqua Lounge is a solar-powered floating platform in Pasikudah Bay, reached by catamaran from the shore, and the operator calls it the only such open-ocean dining setup on this stretch of coastline.
The structure measures 400 sq. ft., is built from sustainable timber and recycled barrels, and runs entirely on solar power. The materials tie into Sun Siyam Cares, the group’s sustainability program covering renewable energy, ocean conservation, waste management and community work across its properties. Guests board for a seven-course menu centered on local seafood and produce, starting with sunset cocktails and continuing into the evening. A private champagne breakfast on the platform is available on request for guests who prefer a quieter start to the day. The resort also runs school groups from nearby villages out to the platform as part of its community outreach, framing the visits as lessons on the bay and the coral reef beneath it rather than sightseeing trips.
“Pasikudah Bay is extraordinary, the curve of it, the shallow water, the way the evening light falls across it,” said Arshed Refai, general manager of Sun Siyam Pasikudah, in a press statement. “We wanted to put guests right at the center of that, not looking at the ocean from the shore but sitting on it.” Sun Siyam Pasikudah has 34 pavilions and sits within the Prive Collection of Sun Siyam Resorts. The property is currently offering the Summer Offer, good for stays through October 31, 2027, with savings on guestroom upgrades, dining and spa treatments plus a complimentary spa visit, kayaking session and daily bicycle use.
For more information, visit sunsiyam.com.
Seaside Delights
Mar del Cabo by Velas Resorts has added a 7-course blind tasting menu at its signature restaurant, Encanto, giving guests a course-by-course tour of Baja California Sur’s food regions.
Encanto de la Baja: The Chef’s Blind Menu is built by Chef Oscar Morales around whatever is freshest that day, drawing on the same sourcing philosophy behind the property’s Encanto Farm & Sea restaurant, where more than 90 percent of ingredients come from nearby orchards, ranches and coastal producers.
There’s no set menu to browse. Guests fill out a short questionnaire on dietary restrictions and ingredients to avoid, and Morales builds the sequence from there. Pairings shift with the season and the catch, ranging from Valle de Guadalupe wines to signature cocktails.
The seven courses follow the peninsula from north to south, opening with ranch traditions from Miraflores and moving through the Sea of Cortez, the Pacific coast’s Puerto Nuevo tradition, the waters around Cabo San Lucas and the Nebbiolo-paired Northern Valleys, before a palate-cleansing interlude and a finale nodding to the desert oases of Todos Santos and San Ignacio.
A seafood-forward sequence might include charred clams with beef tallow, truffled ponzu and apple foam; a Puerto Nuevo-style lobster sope with harissa butter; and cabrilla, the local sea bass, with butternut squash curry, cilantro pearls and parsley oil. A land-focused version could bring a wild honey cookie with fresh Miraflores cheese and herb mousse; wood-fired Angus rib eye with eggplant puree and Nebbiolo beef jus; and a coconut roll with dates and wild honey, paired with thyme-and-berry ranch cream ice cream. Encanto de la Baja: The Chef’s Blind Menu starts at $140 per person, with beverages priced separately.
Reservations require 48 hours’ notice and the dietary questionnaire.
For more information, visit mardelcabo.com.
Mediterranean Musings
Explora Journeys is rolling out a new lineup of food, wellness and enrichment programming for its Winter 2026-2027 season, dubbed A Serene Mediterranean, aboard EXPLORA II. The itinerary is timed to the region’s off-peak months.
Food is the centerpiece. A series of Shore-to-Table outings pairs a market tour led by an onboard chef with a follow-up cooking class in the ship’s Chef’s Kitchen. The format repeats across several ports, each with its own menu:
- Palermo: after browsing Mercato del Capo, guests cook Sicilian seafood and produce into coastal dishes.
- Marseille: a private boat ride to the Vieux-Port fish market is followed by a bouillabaisse lesson paired with local wine.
- Barcelona: tapas and cava or beer at La Boqueria market lead into a paella Valenciana cooking session on board.
- Bari and Brindisi in Puglia: guests tour vineyards and olive groves, then sit down to a countryside meal of regional dishes.
A separate set of Meet the Winemaker stops takes guests to family-run estates around the Mediterranean, among them Il Palagio in Livorno, owned by Sting and Trudie Styler, where the day includes a cellar tour, tastings and lunch.
Truffle season gets its own spotlight, too. From October through November, The Truffle Season runs fleet-wide at no extra cost, with each restaurant serving a different truffle dish daily, shaved at the table and matched with Piedmont wines.
On the wellness front, the line is introducing A Path to Inner Discovery, a free 12-day program sailing from Barcelona to Lisbon from Feb. 11 to 23, 2027. Days are built around yoga, journaling, mantra work and pranayama scheduled to sunrise, sunset and moonlight, plus gong baths and workshops on neuroscience, nutrition, astrology and movement, taught by specialists including Dr. Helena Boschi and Shane Benzie.
For more information, visit explorajourneys.com.
Bermuda Bites
Rosewood Bermuda has opened Mirador, a waterfront bar built with Patron Tequila above Castle Harbour. The name comes from the Spanish word for lookout point, and the setting backs that up: guests can post up from midday to sunset over turquoise water, working through a menu built around Mexican-inspired plates and cocktails. Access is limited to resort guests and members.
The drink program centers on an exclusive selection of Patron Añejo barrels, chosen through Patron’s private barrel program specifically for the property. Bar Supervisor Israel “Izzy” Bennett, who trained in London and has competed in Bacardi cocktail competitions, built the current lineup and will soon add a Head Mixologist to the team. Wine, beer and seasonal cocktails round out the list.
Signature drinks worth knowing for guests who ask:
- Rosewood Tequila Old Fashioned, made with the property’s exclusive Patron Añejo barrel
- Peppery Pomelo, with Patron Silver, pink grapefruit, fresh jalapeño and lime
- Patron Margarita Tree Flight, an interactive tasting of four margaritas
Executive Chef Danny Khajekian runs the food side, pulling from Mexican cooking traditions while keeping the harbor view part of the pitch. Shareable plates and seafood lead the menu, including:
- Mixed Seafood Coctel with wild Mexican shrimp, octopus and bay scallops
- Tuna Tostada with avocado and salsa macha
- Barbacoa Torta, layered with Oaxacan cheese and refried beans on a traditional Mexican bolillo roll
Mirador is open daily from noon to 8 p.m. Reservations are not required.
For more information, visit rosewoodhotels.com.
