Picks of The Year, From Destination to Fave Meal

Welcome to a new century.... 

It’s that time of year when people start checking out, clients start signing off and not many people are paying attention to their emails. And yet, here I am writing my 100th issue of Jilux wondering just how many eyeballs will see it before they are engulfed in the Christmas craze. 

That’s right, 100 issues! I truly cannot believe it and want to sincerely thank all of my readers for their continued support, as well as each and every one of you who I’ve interviewed or who have contributed to my content in some way, whether that was lending your expertise, sitting down for a Q+A or helping plan a trip. I had hoped to announce something major in this milestone newsletter, but due to our current climate of everything being delayed, this will have to wait until the New Year… which isn’t so bad either! So consider this my teaser. 

In the meantime, I wanted to do something a little different to cap off the year. Though I often include highlights from my travels throughout the year. I’ve never done an annual roundup of my favorite things — and thus, I’m starting a new tradition. It surely wasn’t easy to narrow down my favorite eats, sips, stays and travels of the year, but I wanted to challenge myself to really give you a short list that could inspire your 2023 travels. So, without further ado… 

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Destination of the year: Aspen

This Colorado mountain town welcomed me with open arms. It was my first time to the Centennial State and every moment felt like a movie from the storybook downtown to the sweeping views of the Rockies and all-encompassing nature. There was a definitive sense of community, spirit and pride, neverending culinary options and impeccable hospitality (I stayed at The Little Nell). Even though I was indulging daily, the trip felt well-rounded with morning hikes and afternoon visits to cultural centers. And that’s how I ultimately chose this as my destination of the year for all it had to offer... and I only scratched the surface.

Runner up: Tuscany: I spent two weeks in Tuscany this year and re-learned how sprawling the region is, from farmlands to rolling hills, wooded mountains and coastal vineyards. Though it is classified as one area and thus could have topped my destination list, personally, there were too many destinations within Tuscany that I wanted to spotlight and. Therefore, I couldn't consciously label it as a single destination. With that said, it checks off everything I look for in my travels and then some: culture, art, history, character, nature, cuisine and do I have to say it? Vino! 

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Hotel of the year: The Retreat at Blue Lagoon, Iceland 

Iceland is otherworldly but stepping foot into The Retreat at Blue Lagoon is an outer body experience, where the milky blue silica envelops you through floor-to-ceiling glass windows from the moment you check-in and surrounds you during the entirety of your stay. The retreat does an unparalleled job at reminding you of the greater force and power of nature in Iceland, which in turn reminds you to slow down and succumb to the lifestyle of wellness (it isn’t a trend here). The attention to detail is brilliant with cool lava interiors balanced by the reinvigorating waters bubbling up at you from your balcony; speciality silica products await you in the shower; a cozy setting on the light dimmer assures you’re never far from relaxation. 

Contenders: Borgo San Felice, Chianti & Twin Farms, Vermont

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Experience of the year: Truffle hunting in Tuscany

This topic was probably the most challenging to narrow down because I try to enter every experience with eyes and heart wide open. I decided to go with truffle hunting because my guide let us into not just a career but his livelihood, family tradition and explained the real dangers of the truffle wars I’d only read about and watched on TV. It was a continuous learning experience as truffles are so often misconceived as seasonal, however, there are three main truffles they hunt in Tuscany, black summer, black winter and the elusive white truffle. I learned about how the dogs are trained from birth as their mother’s teats are covered in fresh truffle so that the craving becomes something inherent. Plus, the freshly shaved truffles atop poached eggs as a reward for running through the brush didn’t hurt!

Contenders:

In-water, floating massage at the Blue Lagoon, Iceland 

The Little Nell Culinary Fest, Aspen

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Meal of the year: Cuvee at Chatham Inn

I started the year off with a bang at Cuvee, the Relais & Chateaux restaurant at Cape Cod’s boutique Chatham Inn, and it certainly set the bar high. Needless to say, in the months that passed after a meal of oysters with Champagne espuma, beef carpaccio with quail egg, scallops with celery root and grapefruit, Spanish octopus with piquillo pepper, wagyu and lobster with puff pastry, nothing surpassed it. Aside from the integration of flavor and texture, the timing of service was immaculate, and the wine pairings weren’t your typical varieties, like pairing Shiraz with the octopus, instead of a mineral-forward white wine and the buttery Chardonnay that complemented the buttery lobster. My mouth is still watering.

Contenders: Safta, Denver & Osteria del Borro, Il Borro, Tuscany 

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Cocktail of the year: Dirty Martini at The Wig Shop, Boston

This discovery came at the tail end of the year after Boston’s newest speakeasy opened and I went to check it out for myself. Listed under “Martini Service,” there are two options, which immediately stood out to me as “wow, they know what they’re doing.” I opted for my go-to, a dirty martini, which they jazz up with olive oil washed Ketel One vodka and whipped blue cheese olives. It’s served frosty cold and purely balances the savory, refreshing sip I crave upon ordering this dirty drink.

Runner ups: 

Chandelier Martini at The Chandelier Bar, Four Seasons New Orleans

Coquette (mezcal, cardamaro, amber vermouth, amaro), Forget Me Not, Denver

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Noteworthy Discoveries

Through all the outstanding and memorable experiences, here are eight random things, from wine to lessons learned, that I uncovered on my travels that needed their own space:

Pair vintage port paired steak (inspired by a dinner in Porto with Taylor’s Port). Port and tonic was another tasty discovery on this trip.

Sip Vice Versa Wine Cabernet (St. Helena, CA) and Hudson Valley Ranch White Study (Carneros, CA)

Buy Okaicos (Turks and Caicos)

Experience Mardi Gras in the weeks before the crowds swoop in to NoLa (in fact, I recommend it)

Book Flytographer and let someone else capture your most prized travel moments

Look into Krug’s single ingredient initiative for new ways to pair champagne with one unexpected ingredient 

Eat lobster rolls with butter and mayonnaise, it’s The Clam Shack way

Use EGF products like BioEffect to stimulate collagen, even tone, and decrease roughness if retinol is too irritating 

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Favorite articles that I wrote: 

The Internet Is Killing My Favorite Drinks

The Wines and Wonder of Sicily’s West Coast

The Future of Napa Valley Wine

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support and I hope you'll continue this journey with me... my new century and for all of us, the New Year.

XOXO,

J

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