A Trip To The Biltmore Estate

What does Last of the Mohicans and The Odd Life of Timothy Green have in common? Scenes from both of these movies were shot at George Vanderbilt’s grandiose home; Biltmore Estate, in Asheville, North Carolina. If you’re unfamiliar with this location, you will certainly have your eyes opened to one of the most luxurious destination spots in the United States, that many celebrities have stayed at, including, President Obama.

Biltmore “Inn” was our next stop, and where we’d be hanging our hats for the next two days. We would be living like the Vanderbilt’s, or close enough with the 5-star hospitality, incredible award-winning cuisine, and jaw-dropping scenery at the Castle and the various other gems that make up Biltmore Estate.

No,  this is NOT  the Castle but the back of their hotel on the grounds if you can believe  it.  Just in case you might be confused.

The backyard of Biltmore Inn. All photos by: Melissa Arditti

Some interesting facts about the Estate as a whole:

• It is on 8000 acres of land (The House  is 175,000 square ft).
• Biltmore employs over 2000 workers/ 60 are just for landscaping.
• It is the 2nd largest employer in all of Asheville.
• They raise angus cattle, sheep, free-range chickens, etc.
• Biltmore has over 10,000 visitors per day at Christmas time, and generates over 1.2 million visitors per year.
• Daily operations feature several sustainable and clean energy practices, such as using solar power, planting a 60-acre canola field whose seeds will be harvested and pressed into a food-grade cooking oil and using vegetable oil as a bio diesel fuel for powering equipment used on the estate — now that is innovative thinking.

As my dad went to check in, I went around to take some photos of the stunning lobby. From the photo you can see the detailed oriental rugs, over-sized iron wrought chandelier, and vibrant flowers/plants that really welcome you into the Inn. There are also doors that lead out to a beautiful veranda that faces the Blue Ridge Mountains and the French Broad River.

This view was heavenly.

Before heading up to our room, I spotted an abundance of fresh apples by the front desk and so as the saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away! It was a nice healthy and refreshing snack. The little things that I notice. ;)

The Inn has 213 rooms and 9 suites to choose from. Here is a photo of our room, including a luxurious bathroom.

Speaking of concierge service, a quick story. After double checking that I had everything in my luggage for the trip, I soon realized that I didn’t pack my razor! I wanted to wear a dress that day and so I called the front desk in a bit of a panic. This was the conversation:

Front Desk: “Good morning Ms. Arditti, how may I assist you today?”
Me: “Do you have any razors that I could have, I forgot mine.”
Front Desk: “Of course. Is there a specific kind and how many would you like?”
Me: “Anything you have is great. 2 would be fine, if that’s not a problem.”
Front Desk: “No problem at all. I’ll send someone right up. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Me: “No that would be all, thank you very much.”
Front Desk: “Have a great day.”
Me: You too.

I literally put down the phone and walked toward my luggage to get my hairbrush when I heard a gentle knock at the door. I was pretty shocked at how quickly my request was granted. I have never experienced service like that before, so it certainly started the day off on the right foot. It may seem trivial, but to me, it is the little things that truly make a good hotel stay.

Another first for me was the complimentary nightly turn-down service with chocolates that the Inn offers each of their guests. After a long day walking around in the sunshine, it was nice to walk into our room and know that it was freshly cleaned and I didn’t have to fight with the covers (every hotel seems to tuck them in so tightly) I just slid right in and was ready for a restful sleep.

Plan your next stay here

Windsor Ontario Food Review: Must Visit Mazaar

Reputation is important especially when it comes to restaurants. Although everyone has their personal tastes, there does seem to be a consensus in the food realm when an establishment is absolutely fabulous or demonstrably awful.

As a belated Valentine’s Day celebration, a new dining experience took place at Mazaar Lebanese Cuisine, in the heart of downtown Windsor, on 372 Ouellette Avenue.

When you enter the restaurant, there is a sense of awe that comes over you because of its grand décor and elegance. The blend of traditional and modern style really complemented the whole atmosphere.

Dining room of Mazaar

Now it may seem bizarre what happened next, but let me tell you, I was over the moon. Once seated, the waitress brought out a complimentary basket of freshly made buns, straight out of the oven. It was the perfect temperature, just waiting for my knife to cut open. It’s a good way to butter up a customer! Pun intended.

Freshly baked rolls

The menu was filled with a variety of choices, everything from hummus, shawarma, Fattoush, tabbouli, to large platters filled with shish kabobs, shish kafta (ground lean beef), shish tawook (marinated chicken) and more. Meat lovers and vegetarians can unite because no one is left out.

Fattoush and hummus

The best deal that seemed to have a little bit of everything turned out to be the “Chef’s Platter,” which serves 4 people. It included Fattoush, large hummus, tenderloin shish kabob, shish tawook, shish kafta, and chicken breast shawarma served with biryani rice and seasonal vegetables.

The delicious "Chef's Platter"

After a short wait for all the food to arrive, one by one the waitress placed a dish onto the table. She was pleasant and accommodating, knew the proper protocol of when to ask “how is your meal/do you need anything?” and took cues of when she should refill glasses, etc… The only thing I could suggest with the customer service aspect is to be mindful, even when there are only a few people in the restaurant. Having an early dinner reservation (it got significantly busier as the evening went on) the volume of ‘personal’ conversations felt a bit too much like a bar opening up for the evening time. Once more people started to show up, there was a switch in professionalism, and it felt more like the upscale restaurant that it was meant to be.

The presentation of each one was plated beautifully as you can see from the photos. It almost felt wrong to mess up the designs, but alas, it had to be done.

Overall, I was very impressed with the taste and high quality of the food. If I had to choose my favourites in the platter, it would be the Fattoush salad and hummus for incredible flavours that I hadn’t experienced in these dishes before, the tenderness of the tenderloin kabobs, the biryani rice and crisp veggies.

For dessert, (yes there is always room for dessert!) the selection was small, but there were a few choices that looked appealing. Raspberry Shortcake seemed like the best option, and WOW.. not an ounce of disappointment. The cake itself was so moist, the raspberry filling had just the right amount of sweetness and the drizzling of chocolate sauce was the perfect touch.

Raspberry Shortcake 

Not realizing the size of this dessert, the signature Chocolate Mazaar was ordered too. Unfortunately, I thought it was overly-sweet and could only have one small piece. The presentation was great, but the decadence of the chocolate flavour was overwhelming to my palette. Perhaps for an intense chocolate lover, this would be ideal.
     

Chocolate Mazaar 

                         
Mazaar prides itself in authentic Lebanese cuisine and I cannot wait to go back. As their name translates ‘a place you must visit’ I will say that never a truer word has been said.

💜Next time you’re looking to add some ethnic flare to your dining experience, check out Mazaar’s Lebanese Cuisine. 

Movie Review: Comme Un Chef

Have you ever been fired from 4 jobs in 4 weeks? Well, in the movie Le Chef, directed by Daniel Cohen, you’ll meet Jacky Bonnot (Michaël Youn) who cannot seem to hold down a job if his life was dependent on it.

He’s not incompetent or lazy, but his passion burns for being in the kitchen, creating masterful dishes that tantalize every taste bud, not doing menial tasks to just pay the bills. None of his employers can appreciate his enthusiasm for food. They don’t want to be dazzled with paprika, and I think it’s safe to say that nobody wants to be hit for putting mustard on sole.

Even his girlfriend, who is eating for two, is getting sick and tired of Jacky’s inability to keep employment. In order to prove to Rachel that he has changed, and to give her a well-deserved break from work, Jacky goes out and as luck would have it, gets hired as a handyman in a senior’s home.

Nothing can stop Jacky’s curiosity though when he sees people cooking. So peering into the window of where the other cooks are, Jacky is mortified that they are doing everything wrong. He could do better and transform these dishes. So taking matters into his own hands, he takes over in the kitchen and, not heeding anyone’s warning about how angry Chef Alexandre Lagarde (Jean Reno) will be, begins to work his magic one spice at a time, knowing that his changes will be a hit.

Sadly, chef Alexandre has problems of his own that he is trying to deal with regarding the slimy Stanislas Matter, who is the new CEO of the group that owns his restaurant, Cargo Lagarde. He is plotting to have Lagarde lose one star in the next edition of The Guide, and replace him with a young chef who advocates a modern style called molecular gastronomy cuisine, which is more profitable for the food industry.

As Lagarde’s team players are suddenly leaving, Lagarde is faced with yet another issue; his genius culinary ideas have come to a halt and he cannot think of future creations for his new menu, which The Guide’s critics will soon be coming to taste and judge.

Fuming at the fact that someone has entered his kitchen and changed his recipes, Lagarde samples one of the dishes secretly prepared by Jacky and is blown away. He finds out that Jacky is the culinary messiah that he has been looking for, and offers him an unpaid internship position as the second-in-command.

Hoping to impress the judges and keep his stars, it seems like a win-win situation for everyone. However, the angel and devil both appear figuratively on Jacky’s shoulders because he knows that this unpaid position will infuriate Rachel and cause even more stress, but how could he turn down a life-long dream to work with his idol Alexandre Lagarde?

Jacky cannot envision anything better and is optimistic that something wonderful will come out of this. He accepts while trying to cover his tracks to save his relationship, but fails, and Rachel finally decides that she has had enough of his immaturity and leaves. Distraught and ready to throw away his apron, Jacky cannot bare to lose Rachel, even though it is clear that his talents are far superior than even Lagarde could imagine. As personalities start clashing, the impeding doom of losing everything starts becoming a reality for both Jacky and Lagarde in every aspect of their lives.

Michaël Youn is a quirky actor and when you combine him with Jean Reno, they are both delightful to watch on-screen together. I liked the bantering, back-and-forth dialogue and the scenes when Jacky just gets into his element, acting like Gordon Ramsey, albeit a tamer version. His character really evolves in the movie, in a subtle way that audiences can appreciate.

Oh and those cheeky French film directors threw me for a bit of a loop with some laughs when they had a scene where Michaël was in full drag, playing a very convincing Asian geisha, complete in appearance and mannerisms.

Overall, the story was simple and predictable, but the passion revolving around food and how it greatly impacted both Jacky and Alexandre’s relationships was quite meaningful. In the end, we all have tough choices to make, whether they are right or wrong, usually we don’t know until we see the outcome. Our ability to withstand criticism and flourish in difficult circumstances is never an easy task, and our priorities when we’re younger may change as we gracefully age into what I like to call the ‘wisdom-stages’ of adulthood and beyond.

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen, but if you intend to risk it all for whatever your passion is in life, then at some point, you want to prepare yourself to get a little burned.