Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope

London chic arrives in the Big Apple with the London Hotel NYC. Perfectly situated in Midtown Manhattan within easy reach of many of New York’s famous attractions — Central Park, Carnegie Hall, Broadway — the hotel’s restaurants and bars offer a place where you can kick off your New York night-on-the-town or be comfortably pampered for hours. I’m referring to the hotel’s two eateries: the two-Michelin-star Gordon Ramsay where you can enjoy a leisurely European dining experience or MAZE by Gordon Ramsay which delivers gourmet food to those who are used to living life in a New York minute. Yet, although the MAZE’s menu is all small, medium and large bites, the food at doesn’t give away anything as far as quality is concerned. It’s less formal and livelier than its stellar partner, but MAZE still presents intelligent cuisine prepared and served by a knowledgeable culinary group of men and women, including hotel chef Markus Glocker — who I met in the kitchen to do my latest pod cast. MAZE is open for lunch, dinner or week-end brunch and specializes in a multi-cultural seasonal menu. In order to take advantage of their close proximity to the Great White Way (that’s Broadway to you non-theatre folks), they have developed a Pre-Theater, three-course, Prix-Fixe dinner at $42 per person. When Julie and I were there it included three choices from five small bites, four medium fare plates and six desserts. This NYC culinary deal is available from 5:00pm – 6:30pm daily, leaving you plenty of time to catch the latest staging of MAMMA MIA! For reservations for MAZE by Gordon Ramsay at The London call 212-468-8889. The London NYC is located at 151 West 54th Street. For information call (866) 690-2029 or go to

Austria offers the visitor great natural beauty, an exciting history, cultural treasures and an array of activities to satisfy every interest. It’s the land of Mozart, Schubert, Freud and the Habsburgs. Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is Austria’s World Stage. During her visit to United States I met up with Gunda Bleckmann from the Salzburg Tourist Office. Our conversation covering Salzburg history, attractions, festival and events is the topic of my latest podcast. For more information on Salzburg go to Salzburg.info. For more on Austria visit Austria.info. Joseph Rosendo’s Travelscope’s adventure in Austria’s Burgenland Wine Country is airing now on PBS. Click here for more information on the episode.

Austria offers the visitor great natural beauty, an exciting history, cultural treasures and an array of activities to satisfy every interest. It’s the land of Mozart, Schubert, Freud and the Habsburgs. Graz, the second largest city in Austria, is a medieval jewel and the country’s culinary capital. During her visit to United States I met up with Susanne Höller, Head of Marketing and Sales for the Graz Tourist Office. Our exploration of the special attractions of Graz is the topic of my latest pod cast. For more information on Graz go to VisitGraz.com. For more on Austria visit Austria.info. Joseph Rosendo’s Travelscope’s adventure in Austria’s Burgenland Wine Country is airing now on PBS. Visit the episode page for more information.

Join Joseph as he speaks with chef Hugo Molina of Seta Restaurant and Whitter, California about his ongoing participationg in AltaMed Health Services’ yearly fundrasier “East L.A. Meets Napa and Beyond.” Joseph and chef Molina talk about the exclusive food and wine event that celebrates the richness of Hispanic culture and the success of Latino-owned restaurants and vineyards in California and beyond. Featuring 30 Los Angeles area restaurants and 30 wine stations serving vintages from California, Mexico and other countries, the annual Southern California event will be held in downtown Los Angeles in the historic Union Station at 800 North Alameda on Friday July 19th from 6 - 9pm. The event benefits AltaMed Health Services, which provides healthcare for persons thoughout Southern California’s Latino and multi-ethnic communities. For information and tickets go to www.EastLAmeetsNapa.com and for information on chef Molina’s Seta Restaurant go to www.DineSeta.com.

Fredericksburg may be in Texas — but if you squint and sniff just a bit you’ll get a real taste of Germany. Just a 90-minute drive from San Antonio, Fredericksburg keeps its visitors busy with a German heritage, historic museums, varied accommodations, gourmet restaurants, wineries and festivals. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a Disneyland presentation of Germany – with lederhosen and Bavarian chalets — Fredericksburg’s soul may be German, but its history is firmly planted in Texas’ pioneer past. 

Located inside New York’s Hotel Giraffe, Bread and Tulips emphasizes our needs when dining out - good food and excellent hospitality. Both of these ingredients are considered by owner chef Riccardo Dardha as essential to a meaningful and memorable meal. The neighborhood restaurant’s location on the subterranean level of the Giraffe is half the fun. It’s fun, young, hip ambience will make you want to come back for more. The menu is inspired by Italy and offers an array of reasonably priced appetizers and dinners, as well as a large selection of wines by the glass or the quartino that will keep you happily socializing for hours. You’ll find the Hotel Giraffe at the corner of Park and East 26th and Bread and Tulips is one level down. In this pod cast Riccardo and I sample some of the establisment’s specialties. For more information on Bread and Tulips go to http://www.BreadandTulipsNYC.com or call 212-532-9100.

London chic meets Hollywood hip at the London West Hollywood hotel. Located a stone’s throw away from the Sunset Strip the hotel is in the heart of the action, yet far enough away to offer its guests a peaceful West Hollywood retreat. Their rooftop pool and entertainment space is a cool place to enjoy an al fresco evening meal while you look down on a sparkling Los Angeles nightscape. The London’s signature Breakfast Table, which is complimentary for all guests, makes this luxury accommodation a good value as well. In his latest pod cast Joseph speaks with sales and marketing vice president Jennifer Rutkowski about the hotel’s amenities including their Gordon Ramsey at the London West Hollywood restaurant which is currently featuring a “small plates” menu. Joseph and Jennifer also discuss some of the hotel’s special events including their rooftop promotion Wednesdays at Sunset. For more information on the London Hotels in New York and West Hollywood go to http://www.TheLondon.com.

Among other things Lidia Bastianich is the host of Lidia’s Italy on PBS and public television stations around the country.  She’s also the purveyor of fine Italian restaurants—five in New York, one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and she’s one of the founding partners of Eataly, a 50,000 square foot space at 200 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan that offers a wealth of Italian food experiences.  Opened in 1981, Felidia was her first eatery and her heartstrings keep her closely attached to the restaurant.  Julie and I dined at Felidia when I was in New York in January for the New York Times Travel Show and I speak with Lidia about all things Italian in my latest pod cast.  For more on Lidia’s restaurants, books and recipes go to http://www.lidiasitaly.com/.

Ed’s Chowder House which is a privately-owned restaurant attached to New York’s Empire Hotel, a member of the WorldHotels Group. In a refined, yet unpretentious setting, chef Ed Brown provides a feast of regional seafood specialties. I feature the restaurant over dinner and drinks with chef Ed in my latest pod cast. For a look at Ed’s Chowder House go to ChinaGrillMgt.com. For information on New York’s Empire Hotel and the WorldHotels Group, a collection of more than 500 hotels in 250 destinations, go to WorldHotels.com.

Located between two New York icons, Central Park and Lincoln Center, the Empire Hotel,  a member of the World Hotel group (www.WorldHotels.com) is the definition of “great location.”  Beside the surrounding attractions it is the hub for Fashion Week and other citywide events.  Joseph features the hotel and speaks with general manager, David McManus, in this latest Travelscope pod cast.  For more information on The Empire go to EmpireHotelNYC.com.

Austria offers the traveler great natural beauty, an exciting history, cultural treasures and an array of activities to satisfy every interest. It’s the land of Mozart, Straus and Schubert. And nowhere does the sound of music ring out more clearly than in the mountains that surround Innsbruck. On my latest pod cast I speak with Innsbruck Tourism about Austria’s Alpen Capital. For more information on Innsbruck and the rest of Austria go to www.Austria.info. Watch Travelscope’s Austrian adventure in Vienna and the Burgenland Wine Country airing now on PBS nationwide. For information on the show go to www.Travelscope.net/austria. Read Julie’s blog on the Burgenland at www.Travelscope.net/blog.

San Antonio is a multi-cultural festival town -  Fiesta, Beer Fest, Cinco de Mayo, Texas Folklife Festival, Oktoberfest, El Dia de los Muertos, Wurstfest, Diwali, Christmas -  the list goes on and on and on. Party central for many of the festivities is San Antonio’s world famous Riverwalk. In addition, the city is home to Texas’ number one attraction and one of the nation’s most legendary icons -  the Alamo. Both are steps away from the newly renovated Emily Morgan, a Doubletree by Hilton hotel. During my recent visit to San Antonio where we shot a Christmas episode for Joseph Rosendo’s Travelscope which will air on PBS in 2013, I did a pod cast interview with general manager Chris Johnson about the historic hotel’s recent transformation. For information on all of San Antonio festivals go to www.VisitSanAntonio.com. Check out the latest values at The Emily Morgan Hotel at www.EmilyMorganHotel.com.

The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok continues the 136-year-old tradition of service from its location on the Chao Phraya River in the Thailand’s capital. Besides offering an excellent location, it also specializes in luxury accommodations and spa pampering. We find Joseph speaking with general manager Amanda Hyndman on the hotel’s outside riverside terrace on this latest Travelscope pod cast. For more on the hotel visit the hotel’s website. Happy Traveling!

It may seem hard to say, but this little known region of British Columbia, Canada offers travelers a world of adventures. From the ocean to the mountains, Joseph crosses the region having experiences that range from smoking salmon with the First Nations Nuxalk people, fishing for prawns with local fisherman, hiking through the wilderness to Canada’s third highest waterfall and stepping back in time at the roaring gold rush town of Barkerville. Throughout the journey Joseph comes face to face with the region’s expansive, remote beauty and wildlife that includes hundreds of species of birds, Grisly and Black Bears, as well as a mother moose and her calf. It’s an adventure without limits that is close to home. For a look at the Cariboo-Chilcotin-Coast Region of British Columbia, Canada go to Travelscope.net/BC.

Newfoundland and Labrador is noted for its colorful history, stunning scenery and diverse wildlife. It’s the land of the moose and the bald eagle where you can also find 22 species of whales swimming its waters, more than 350 kinds of birds soaring in its skies and bits of ice the size of buildings floating down Iceberg Alley. Not to mention, “The friendliest people in North America” inhabiting its villages, towns and cities. In this pod cast I travel to Newfoundland’s western region in winter. In interviews with locals and personal experiences in the area I’ll introduce you to Western Newfoundland’s attractions and the many winter activities that Newfoundlanders take part in to ward off the cold. Along the way, you’ll be warmed by the typical Newfoundlander welcome. Stay tuned for my Newfoundland Summer pod cast coming soon!