Recapping 2025
Bookmark these favorite eats, sips, and stays of the year.
It truly seems like just yesterday that I wrote my 2024 recap— to the point that I did, indeed, triple check my calendar to ensure I hadn’t somehow dreamt up the 2026 ball falling at midnight a mere week ago.
Though I hate to be partial, this is one of my favorite issues to write. In the ever-changing, increasingly noisy landscape of freelance journalism, it’s not always easy to share exactly what I want to share, when I want to share it.
This isn’t a bad thing (it’s par for the course) but it can be limiting when I have such extraordinary experiences to share—and that’s why I began this newsletter six (!!!) years ago. So, thank you for sticking with me; I’m forever grateful to share my unedited (albeit lengthy) thoughts here.
2025 already seems like it is worlds away but there’s so much about the year that I’m still processing, like exploring the Arctic Circle to overcoming my fear of sleeping in a tent in the desert to cruising up the Garonne River past a sunken U-boat.
As I’ve mentioned in years past: It’s not always easy to narrow this list down, but I appreciate the challenge as there’s no question I receive more than “what’s your favorite…?”
Without further ado, here are some of my favorite eats, sips, and stays of the year. I hope it inspires your 2026 travels and beyond ♡
Destination of the year: Montana
A wise man in my travels once taught me how it’s easy to forget oneself while living in a city because you’re constantly looking up to skyscrapers—but in the vast, sprawling, unobstructed nature, you feel free because you can actually see the sky—something that isn’t manmade, which allows you to expand your consciousness. And of all the places I’ve been, Montana lives up to its moniker as the Big Sky state. I loved exploring this new-to-me state and experiencing the wild west activities of cattle drives, rock climbing and all the nuanced sounds of nature, from the babbling creeks to birdsong to the silence of night, which you can’t really explain to someone unless they’ve heard this contradictory, soft sound of silence for themselves.
Runner up: Greenland (but more on that below).
Hotel of the year: Green O at Paws Up
Not only did Montana snag my top spot of the year, but the treehouse abode where I stayed during my time in Greenough, Montana stole my heart to make it my favorite hotel of the year. The adults-only (21+) Green O is a combination of “hauses”, all in a comforting, hygge-like format that mimic either a treehouse or Nordic cabin in the woods—but don’t let their unassuming camouflage fool you, they’re all tricked out with five-star comforts including gas fire places, stocked snack bars, morning delivery of fresh pastries and freshly-brewed coffee, outdoor hot tubs and plenty of nature-centric nooks from swinging chairs to deck loungers to enjoy the peaceful surrounds. Not to mention: the Green O features its own restaurant and bar that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner (I wrote more about that here as, yes, I did try every meal there including a high-low moment of a morning crunch wrap supreme and seven course tasting menu come the evening). For any guest who wants to emerge from their Green O cocoon, you also have access to all the restaurants throughout the greater Paws Up Montana property, as well as all of their activities, from ATVing to clay shooting to horseback riding to fly fishing to rappelling… and that’s just in the warm months.
Contenders: Wymara Resort and Villas in Turks & Caicos and Rosewood London
Experience of the year: Cruising the Northwest Passage
Greenland would have been a seemingly obvious answer for destination of the year; but truthfully, it wasn’t only Greenland, but the entire cruise experience—which originated in the country’s capital, Nuuk and sailed up to Arctic Canada—that was extraordinary. It was cruising with my dad on the ever-indulgent Viking Cruises. It was my first step onto the frozen tundra of the northernmost islands. It was my first polar bear sighting. It was kayaking through glacial ice fractured from one of the world’s fastest flowing glaciers. It was interacting with a culture that is often overlooked and misunderstood. It was the wild, raw beauty. It was all-encompassing.
Contenders:
A helicopter ride over Horseshoe Bend only to land atop Tower Butte for breakfast.
ATVing through Utah’s Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.
Rappelling down a 150-foot cliff in Montana.
Meal of the year: Kase x Noko
Although I’ve yet to enjoy omakase in Japan, I feel like many of the western concepts have maligned the experience with a degree of obscure snobbery, which I don’t feel is the original intention of omakase (literal translation: “I’ll leave it up to you” which often simplifies to: chef’s choice). In Nashville, Kase x Noko seems to strip the concept back to its roots, presenting a 14-course omakase set at a soulful, yet casual, 14-person counter for $75 per person prepared by tattoo-ed chefs sporting baseball caps. Of course, this price tag increases as you add extra a la carte items (it’d be a crime not to order the tuna bonita from Spain or the A5 Wagyu foie gras) or double down on your favorite course from the menu which on any given night can include delicate scallop, seared salmon topped with caviar and a toro hand roll. I also highly suggest splurging for the sake pairing for exposure to rare and special labels like IWA 5, created by the former cellar master of Dom Pérignon, Richard Geoffroy.
Contenders:
The bar for my favorite meal was set high early in the year thanks to Celele in Cartagena. A splendid use of color, texture and shareable plates, this is a meal I would travel back to Colombia for. Standout items include: the famed flower salad (using 12 different varieties of edible flower doused in a passionfruit vinaigrette) and Caribbean Crab with mashed sweet pepper.
Locale Firenze blew me away with its simple flavors presented in creative ways, from the egg trilogy (a presentation of eggs three ways: caviar, egg yolk and bottarga) to the display of fusilloni pasta in saffron and cuttlefish ink swirled around so it resembled art. Not to mention, the setting in a medieval palazzo with preserved frescoes and original sculptures reflects a deep sense of place in the heart of Italy’s “capital of the arts”.
Cock-a-leekie pie and bone marrow at Spitalfields in Dublin was just the hearty meal I anticipated for my first dreary, chilly evening in Ireland. I love that the pub was refurbished to a now Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant without sacrificing nods to its original space (they preserved the bar which locals still frequent) and opened up the kitchen for a “welcome to granny’s house” atmosphere.
Tuscan vineyard views, Chianina carpaccio, gnocchi, a set wine pairing and my family, what more could I ask for? Well, apparently a dessert and Vin Santo pairing, as Avignonesi Winery topped off an already delicious lunch with a showcase of the sweet wine’s versatility with everything from bleu cheese to apple tempura to olive oil ice cream.
Standalone dishes:
The BLT at Green O’s Pomp, served on a sourdough rye with fermented vegetables that gave it a memorable tang to cut through the smoky bacon.
A beach lounger order of Wymara Resort’s lobster tacos with toes-in-the-sand and turquoise water views.
Deconstructed coq au vin with Hudson Valley chicken from Claudine in Providence.
Cocktail of the year: Jet Set Negroni
The Jet Set negroni at Hotel de la Ville, a Rocco Forte hotel’s Cielo Bar in Rome made me a believer of a tomato’s place in cocktails. The smooth olive oil and basil-infused gin with a blend of two sweet vermouths plus a duo of bitters, including one infused with yellow cherry tomato, elevated one of my all-time favorite cocktails to a new level just enough to be entirely unique, while ensuring it wasn’t disguised as another drink altogether.
Contenders:
The Malatang at Blossom Bar in Brookline, made with a gin base, Sichuan oil for a tongue-numbing sensation that’s lightened by mastiha, cucumber and a passion fruit espuma.
Split Personality at Kase x Noko’s four-seat Japanese cocktail bar, a zingy yet smoldering combination of mezcal, shochu, shishito and yuzu.
Botellon at Experimental Cocktail Club in Venice, an intriguing build of Blanco tequila, Fino sherry, red wine, apple and guava.
Noteworthy discoveries:
Through all the outstanding and memorable experiences, here are a few odds and ends that I uncovered on, and in between, my travels:
I really really love Portuguese wine — not just port, but varieties like Godello and Encruzado.
This may sound dramatic, but an Ember Mug is life changing for my daily routine; the heated mug ensures I don’t have to chug my coffee but rather leisurely enjoy it at the same hot temperature all morning (or afternoon).
Hosting is a thrill, not a chore, and you can bet if you’re coming over that there will be an overflowing charcuterie board and frosty beverage waiting for you, garnished with an ornate ice cube or stuffed olive.
The Arctic communities have their own type of sports competitions that include moves many of the world have probably never heard of. Like: the two-foot high-kick which requires serious athleticism (look it up!)
When flying private, it’s discouraged to share an image that includes the tail number of your aircraft as many internet sleuths track certain jets. (See: Taylor Swift).
Glaciers make sounds that resemble a slow rumble or persistent hiss as the ice shifts and air trapped within them releases.
Seal skin is illegal to bring into the U.S. As subsistence hunting of seals is normalized in Greenland there are a plethora of souvenir shops selling seal-coated trinkets; I thought it would be a unique keepsake but prior to my departure from the island, luckily (though to my dismay) I learned of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and left my souvenirs behind.
A master gardener in France swears by drinking a quarter cup of olive oil two hours before drinking to coat the stomach and avoid a hangover. (I have yet to try this, but I find it particularly interesting as a wine/spirits writer).
Stressing less isn’t a conscious decision, in fact, it can be quite the opposite to say “I want to stress less” as you end up stressing more about how you’re not stressing less… re-enter: meditation.
Favorite articles:
Travel:
From Whisky Lounges to Designer Suites: The Rise of Curated Hotel Experiences
Your Wellness Weekend Can Now Include Sports Clinics With Pro Athletes
Food & Beverage:
The Centuries-Old Practice That’s Turning Scotland into a Foodie Paradise
Experimentation In ‘The Wild West of American Wine’
XO,