How often do you find yourself at a bar, pondering a worn-out little menu of cocktails and concoctions offered by the house while your mind is hopelessly stuck on “ . . . vodka-soda, please”?  It can be pretty overwhelming, especially if you’re a man and don’t want to appear emasculated in front of a lady, or your friends. But it’s not rocket science. Here are some classic ideas from L’Esthète that might help you save face and, overall, give you an arsenal to fire from

Sitting in an immaculate rock garden overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, I leisurely enjoy the final phase of a remarkable gastronomic experience: whimsically presented petit fours (inside a model train) with fragrant tea. Despite 13 inspired courses – each more inventive than the last – I will remember this moment as a unique and masterful celebration of inventive culinary innovation; quality local ingredients in

It was a bone-achingly cold New Year’s Eve night in Chicago, but inside Topolobampo, the staff whisked away our heavy coats and considerable winter accoutrements, guided us to a tucked-away corner table, and invited us to slip on celebratory cardboard top hats. Over the hours ahead we would enjoy the restaurant’s best dishes from the previous year, a curated sampling of richness and spice, freshness and warmth, gathered together for one night only.