JSS IS AHEAD OF THE GAME!

Jet Set Smart (a.k.a. JSS) is ahead of the game! Recently, while I was flipping through the April issue of Food & Wine Magazine, I noticed there are two travel articles (one related to Philly and the other related to Iceland) that suggest different restaurants and places for jet setters to visit. Well, some of their recommendations are the same ones that I gave to you guys back in November of last year and January of this year!!!One article is called "Should You Eat Like an Icelander?" and it talks about how Icelanders are some of the healthiest and happiest people on this planet because of their diet. They talk about their food including their fresh grazing lamb, their puffin, their ammonia-reeking fermented shark and their skyr. If you remember, Jet Set Smart was in Iceland in November and tried all of these foods! Click here to read more about it. The other article from Food & Wine is called "Art in Philly," and talks about what to see, where to eat, and where to stay in Philadelphia. What does Food & Wine recommend? Well, that you see the Philadelphia Museum of Art, that you eat at the Village Whiskey, and that you stay at the new Kimpton Palomar Hotel...all of the things I said you should do too! Click here to read more about what Jet Set Smart says. It's nice when JSS is ahead of the gang, and it feels good to know that I keep my jet setters well informed. Stick with Jet Set Smart so you too can be ahead of the gang when it comes to travel and food!

OUR SIDEWAYS TOUR

There is so much to see in Santa Ynez, California, and on a short trip there, it's hard to do everything. Something we did that helped us see a lot was to follow the Sideways map. The Sideways map is a map you can download here and use to taste your way through the Santa Barbara Wine Country the same way Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) did on their bachelor party road trip in the movie. Again, I say watch Sideways first, and then when you go you will recognize the same places...plus it's fun to snap a few pictures from the same route! :) There are 18 stops on the Miles and Jack map...we didn't even check out half of them (guess we'll have to go back)!(1) Foxen Vineyard: 7200 Foxen Canyon Road, Santa Maria, CaliforniaThe Foxen Boys have been making wine together for 20 years. They have a very rustic tasting room that's really cool to see. They are open daily from 11am to 4pm.

Sideways: During the split screen portion of the film, Miles and Jack help themselves to full glasses when the pourer turns her back. I have to say this was one of my favorite wineries...I pretty much liked everything we tasted...could see why Miles and Jack helped themselves to full glasses! All of their Pinot Noirs are excellent, as is their Syrah from the Tinaquaic Vineyard.(2) Kalyra Winery: 343 N. Refugio Road, Santa Ynez, CaliforniaSideways: While tasting wine, Miles and Jack meet Stephanie, a flirtatious wine pourer who becomes the object of Jack's affection. We didn't have time to do a full wine tasting here, but grabbed a bottle of their Shiraz and a bottle of their Merlot to go...both were fantastic!

(3) Hitching Post II: 406 E. Highway 246, Buellton, CaliforniaSideways: Miles and Jack share a bottle of Highliner at the bar. While having dinner, they talk to Maya who waits tables there. Later, Miles returns on his own. We just had to do the same thing when we were there...so we went ahead and ordered a bottle of the Pinot Noir Highliner...we loved it so much and were excited to find out that they sell it at a wine store near our house...so we know we'll be buying more in the future!(4) Los Olivos Cafe and Wine Merchant: 2879 Grand Avenue, Los Olivos, California

Sideways: Miles, Jack, Maya and Stephanie enjoy dinner and several exquisite bottles of wine. Unfortunately, we didn't get to have dinner here on this trip...but, we know we'll go the next time we are there for sure. Since the restaurant was located right in the center of the same town where we stayed, we decided to snap a picture of it anyway.

(5) Bucolic Santa Rosa Road- Jack and Miles drive through vineyards. Just look at the scenery in this incredible part of the country...sometimes it was hard to believe this is the U.S. Gorgeous!

Stay tuned for more on the other vineyards (not from the Sideways tour) that we visited, as well as other great restaurants and of course, shopping!

CANADA AND WINE- A PERFECT WINTER COMBO!

The Niagara Wine Country in upstate New York and Canada has a lot of great wineries. In the town of Niagara-On-The-Lake, Canada alone- there are over 20 wineries. One of the best wines they produce in that region is Ice Wine- a sweet, syrupy delicious wine that's best alone, with cheese or dessert. While most people think of checking out wineries when it's sunny and warm outside, this is the time of year when Ice wine grapes are at their finest.

Winter can feel like forever, so a short weekend getaway is a great way to break up my least favorite season. I was just in Niagara and Toronto, Canada this past September for my big 3-0 and I have to say it was awesome! If you haven't been, definitely look into it and see if you can check it out.

Your perfect excuse for planning a weekend to go there...The Niagara Wine Festival 2010! The festival runs this month from January 15th-31st. There are a lot of great events planned for the festival from wine tastings, to food tastings and celebrations of all kinds. Yes, it's certainly cold up there this time of year, probably not the place to go to with kids, but it's a good excuse to jet set on the cheap with friends or your honey. The price for flights and hotel rooms this time of year is low. It's also a great way to be introduced to some new wines you may have never tried before...California isn't the only place that makes wines my jet setters!

BEST AIRPORT DINING SPOTS

I don't know about you, but when I jet set somewhere I always get hungry. Whether it's before I get on the plane, or during a layover, I want something to eat at the airport, but sometimes the fast food joints don't cut it for me. I want a hearty meal that's halfway decent. So where should I go? Thanks to Food and Wine magazine (so glad I have a subscription- best investment ever!) I now know and wanted to share with all my jet setters. So if you are ever in any of these U.S. airports, just log onto Jet Set Smart and you'll find your suggestion for where you should eat in no time.

1- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: One Flew South This sushi restaurant is Atlanta's first upscale airport restaurant, complete with a menu created by chefs Todd Richards and Duane Nutter of The Oakroom at the Seelbach Hilton in Kentucky (Terminal E, near Gate G6).
2- Los Angeles International Airport: Encounter Restaurant At the center of LAX is the 1961 Theme Building, a freestanding structure designed to look like a flying saucer. It's home to this space-age restaurant, known for 360-degree views, stylings stolen from The Jetsons and California-style dishes like organic salads and mushroom ravioli with grilled asparagus (Theme Building).
3- Newark Liberty International Airport: Vino Volo This growing chain of cushy airport wine bars serves small plates of cheese, cured meats, olives, and dishes like chilled paella and duck-confit-and-lentil salad. The food is available to go, and you can also order wines you've tasted for home delivery (Terminal C, Gate 73).
4- Philadelphia International Airport: Chickie's & Pete's The Philadelphia airport recently overhauled its main food court, adding an outlet of this lively South Philly crab house known for its chowder, steak sandwiches and "crab fries," or French fries seasoned with crab-boil seasoning and served with a creamy cheese dipping sauce (Terminal A-West).
5- John F. Kennedy International Airport: AeroNuova JetBlue's Terminal 5 has nine full-service restaurants; the best is Aeronuova, an Italian restaurant created by New York City star chef Mark Ladner, with dishes like grilled Berkshire pork chops and warm radicchio bruschetta (Terminal 5, post-security).
6- George Bush Intercontinental Airport: Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen Like Louisiana, its neighbor to the east, Houston has its share of Cajun and Creole food. This regional chain serves gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp Creole and dirty rice (Terminal E, Gate 3).7- San Francisco International Airport: Anchor Brewing Company The famed San Francisco brewery's airport outpost serves the full range of its craft beers, including its Anchor Steam Beer, made using a unique brewing process that gives it the fruitiness of an ale and the rounded maltiness of a lager (Terminal 3, Gate 70). 8- LaGuardia Airport: Figs Post-security, LaGuardia's terminals offer very few food options. The most diverse selection can be found pre-security in the food court at the Central Terminal Building, where pizzas with toppings like fig and prosciutto (Central Terminal Building). 9- Miami International Airport: La Carreta The airport outpost of Miami's well-known Cuban chain is open 24 hours, serving favorites like pressed, portable French-bread sandwiches including the Cubano, made with roast pork, Swiss cheese and pickles, and the smaller medianoches ("midnight") made with ham, cheese and pickles (Terminal D, post-security). 10- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: El Bravo Mother and daughter Carmen and Lorraine Othon's green-chile tamales have been drawing crowds to their El Bravo restaurant in Phoenix's Sunnyslope neighborhood for nearly 30 years. Now, Lorraine's daughter, Monique, serves those same tamales–prepared earlier that morning in the original location–at El Bravo's airport outpost (Terminal 4, near Gate D).
11- Logan International Airport:Bonfire This steakhouse in Boston's Terminal B and New York's JFK airport with dishes like fish tacos (Terminal B, American Airlines side, post-security).
12- Portland International Airport: Rogue Ales Public House The funky Newport, Oregon, brewery Rogue produces some of the best craft beers in the country; it also has five Rogue Ale Public Houses–the one in the airport has eight Rogue ales on tap and gastropub dishes like Kobe beef burgers topped with local Rogue Creamery cheddar (Concourse D, post-security). 13- Charlotte-Douglas International Airport: Yadkin Valley Wine Bar This forward-thinking wine bar offers flights, glasses and bottles from North Carolina's growing Yadkin Valley wine region, including producers like Shelton and RagApple Lassie vineyards–and they'll ship, too (in the connector hallway between Terminals D and E).
14- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport: Salt Lick The 40-year-old Driftwood, Texas, institution has brought its barbecue–most notably its supertender brisket–to Austin's airport (West Terminal across from Gate 12). 15- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: Anthony's This regional restaurant chain in the Pacific Northwest is known for fresh local seafood and stunning views. The Sea-Tac location is no exception, with dishes like Puget Sound oysters and the Olympic mountain range as a backdrop (Central Terminal).

16- Washington Dulles International Airport: Five Guy's Both Terminals A and B have branches of this Washington, DC-based chain, which makes skinny, flavorful burgers and hand-cut fries to order and offers free peanuts (Terminal A, Gate 3; Terminal B, Gate 71).

17- Chicago O'Hare International Airport: Berghoff Café O'Hare's coolest quick dining option: This outpost of the restaurant was opened by German brewer Herman Joseph Berghoff in the 1880s. Beyond Berghoff's beer on tap and root beer, there are hand-carved roast beef, turkey and corned beef sandwiches and the house specialty: The Reuben (Terminal 1, Gate C26).

18- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport: French Meadow Bakery & Café The Minneapolis original bills itself as the longest continuously running certified organic bakery in the country; the airport outpost serves baked goods like warm apple crisp as well as savory dishes such as pan-seared walleye with Minnesota wild rice (The Mall across from Checkpoint 1).

19- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: Cousin's Barbecue As with the Charlotte, North Carolina, airport, your best bets at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport are barbecue and local wines. Cousin's offers Texas standards like smoked brisket, ribs, sausage and pinto beans (Terminal D, near Gate 28; Terminal B, Gate 27).

20- Denver International Airport: New Belgium Hub The Denver airport has half a dozen taverns featuring the state's microbrewed beers. This artsy bar and grill serves whole-wheat pancakes for breakfast, but also chicken sandwiches and oversize salads to pair with Fat Tire Amber Ale and other award-winning beers from New Belgium, a Fort Collins, Colorado brewery (Concourse B, Gate 80).