15 minute read
Las Vegas Food P
LAS VEGAS – food lovers will be able to eat and explore their way through Downtown Las Vegas like never before with a private, self-guided, e-assisted culinary tour created by Finger Licking Foodie Tours. The brand-new company represents a follow-up, companion business to the successful Lip Smacking Foodie Tours created by Las Vegas entrepreneur and hospitality-industry veteran, Donald Contursi.
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The new self-guided Finger Licking Foodie Tour offers guests a fun and innovative way to support three top restaurants in the Las Vegas community, while enjoying an array of Instagrammable dishes in one outing. Each tour requires a minimum of just two patrons, so guests can safely dine with their closest family and loved ones.
With restaurant capacities limited due to public health restrictions and reservations at the hottest restaurants challenging, Finger Licking Foodie Tours provide immediate VIP seating with signature dishes served fresh, shortly after arrival. Tours are “led” by a virtual tour guide who provides a map of the route, interesting tidbits along the way and a guided walk through Downtown Container Park to support local small businesses.
“This tour provides an intimate and personalized foodie experience,” explains Contursi. “Guests receive an online map, as well as a link to an innovative virtual tour guide who provides commentary for each fascinating stop along the way including a walk through Downtown Container Park to support small businesses. On this 2.5-hour experience in the city’s exciting, revitalized downtown, guests will visit three acclaimed restaurants, enjoying superb service and three unforgettable dishes at each venue.”
Contursi founded Lip Smacking Foodie Tours five years ago to offer gourmet walking tours featuring prime-time dining and VIP service at the most exclusive restaurants. After quickly
accumulating numerous accolades and repeat customers, he expanded on the concept with Finger Licking Foodie Tours, which was established in 2019 to provide a casual romp at affordable prices.
In addition to the self-guided tour, Finger Licking Foodie Tours offers two guided group tours: The Las Vegas Strip Foodie Tour provides a 2.5-hour afternoon experience leaving plenty of time for a night out on the town afterward. Guests visit four exciting stops on each
Go On a Safe Finger Licking Foodie Tour
tour, which combines sensational sight-seeing with craveable dishes. Each tour’s itinerary remains under wraps for maximum anticipation and surprise. Knowledgeable and charismatic local guides keep the atmosphere lively by spotlighting some of the most distinctive sights and fascinating facts along the way. Guests who opt for the Downtown Las Vegas Foodie Tour enjoy the same benefits while visiting four neighborhood restaurants run by local chefs who have made a name for themselves in the dynamic, art-filled, revitalized downtown.
Finger Licking Foodie Tours start at the accessible price point of just $79 per person and includes three restaurants and three dishes at every stop. Gratuity is included for each restaurant. Additionally, a 15 percent discount is offered to guests on beverages and additional menu items. Each tour is designed for singles, couples and groups of friends or families.
Guests may book the tour any time between 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. Tours are ideal for date night, birthday and anniversary celebrations. Gift certificates may be purchased for friends, loved ones and guests visiting from out of town and are available here.
Finger Licking Foodie Tours offers lighthearted, casual culinary walking tours on the Strip and in vibrantly revitalized Downtown Las Vegas, each led by a professional guide. It also offers a trendsetting, private, self-guided culinary tour through downtown. Each tour introduces guests to the city’s distinctive and irresistible eateries. The Finger Licking Foodie group tour covers four stops during a leisurely 2.5-hour tour led by a friendly guide who points out the coolest sights and most fun facts along the way. Group tours are designed for singles, couples and groups of friends or families. The private self-guided downtown tour is available for a minimum of two attendees and features an audio e-guide, as well as stops at three renowned restaurants to enjoy an array of dishes. For more information, visit FingerLickingFoodieTours.com.
Recent honors include: “Best Tour”, “Best Food Tour”, and “Best Date Night Spot” by Las Vegas Review-Journal in 2019 and 2018.
Visit LipSmackingFoodieTours.com.
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By Mindy Bianca
MBPR
If you’re looking for nostalgia and Americana, look no further than Cooperstown, New York!
Yes, THAT Cooperstown ... the place that’s home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. But there’s so-so-so much more here that’s often overlooked in all those sports stories. We want to share some of the wonder and beauty of those other places, to, including the delightful Farmers’ Museum and Fenimore Art Museum, and the historic Otesaga Resort Hotel. We’ll provide some virtual experiences from each ... so stick with us and read on, because we get to baseball part of the story around the seventh inning of this note.
They call Cooperstown “America’s Most Perfect Village” and the team at MBPR is inclined to agree. (By the way, we don’t know who “they” are, and it’s making us bonkers. We’ve done plenty of research and can’t come to any solid conclusions about who officially came up with this nickname and when, but people – both locals and visitors – have been using it for years. We think it’s an apt description.)
Let’s start with some quirky background that allows for a nice mash-up of American history and American literature. Cooperstown is named for William Cooper, a rich guy who was a politician and judge in the second half of the 18th century. But really, isn’t that the story of so many old American towns?
However, this particular rich guy was the father of novelist James Fenimore Cooper, who wrote The Last of the Mohicans. Maybe you read that in high school, maybe you watched the 1992 film starring Daniel Day Lewis, maybe you’re a fan of the sit
Cooperstown: America’s Most Perfect Village
com “M*A*S*H” and just realized that Alan Alda’s “Hawkeye” got his nickname from the protagonist in this book. Regardless, many critics consider it the first-ever “Great American Novel” and it’s THAT Cooper that people now associate with the town.
This is James Fenimore Cooper, in case you need a refresher from your high school English class.
If you’re interested in his life and accomplishments, you can check out “The Coopers of Cooperstown,” a permanent exhibit at Fenimore Art Museum. The museum also houses impressive collections of American folk art and American fine art, photography, and The Thaw Collection of American Indian Art. It seems fitting that more than 850 objects that celebrate American Indian culture would find a home on the former property of a novelist who honored that culture in some of his most famous writings.
Due to COVID-19, the museum is currently closed but is offering a series of virtual programs that oscillate among story times, activities, crafts, and virtual performances and exhibits.
Speaking of performances, if you’re wishing you had scored tickets to “Hamilton” before Broadway went dark for a little while, you may want to check out the museum’s online shop, where you can order a book called “Your Obedient Servant.” The book focuses on a collection of 35 letters exchanged between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr leading up to their famous duel. Those letters were the basis of the song “Your Obedient Servant” from the hit show and have become the subject of much interest
in recent years. Want to guess who has the letters? This museum! Yes ... That’s the sort of treasure you never realized was here.
Just across the street from the Fenimore is The Farmers’ Museum, which pays tribute to what built this town long before the Baseball Hall of Fame stepped up to bat. Cooperstown was farm country back in the day ... and the folks here very specifically grew hops. (Perhaps those early farmers knew that America’s pastime was going to need an unofficial beverage – you know, something to wash down the hot dogs – and they made sure beer had the home-field advantage?) Sadly, a blight destroyed the hop crop and farming took a downturn.
In “normal” times you can visit the museum to study up on hop history; check out farm implements; meet friendly barnyard animals; and explore a 19th-century Historic Village complete with a working blacksmith shop, printer, apothecary and general store. For now, since this attraction is also closed until later this summer, the museum is offering virtual programming that lets you learn everything from how to play the fiddle to how to make cheese (sign me up!) or how to create your own board games.
And though there haven’t been many people on site, those friendly barnyard animals have been busy doing what friendly barnyard animals do and we have some babies to show off. About 15 days ago the farm welcomed its first spring babies, a pair of lambs. Here’s a video of Mama showing off the twins ... and hogging a bit of the spotlight herself. I’m also including photographic evidence of the cuteness.
I love hanging out in the barnyard with the animals when I visit the museum, but I also love riding
Cooperstown / Continued...
animals ... on the most fun and fabulous carousel I know. The Empire State Carousel pays homage to animals that are indigenous to New York state. Where else will you get the opportunity to ride a beaver, raccoon, frog, Erie Canal mule, skunk, pig or even a scallop? The carousel is actually a little lesson in “I Love New York,” covering important moments in the state’s history, highlighting famous New Yorkers (yep ... there’s Alexander Hamilton again), celebrating its state symbols, and paying tribute to the work of James Fenimore Cooper. The carousel won’t likely open this year, but I want you to put it on your “to-do” list for a future visit! ½ ounce Chambord Dash of fresh lime juice Fresh lime for garnish
Riding a beaver or a frog can take a lot out of you, so let’s talk about a great place in town to get a drink. It’s been a few weeks since we’ve shared a beverage recipe, so we’re probably overdue. This one comes from the majestic Otesaga Resort Hotel, which sits on the banks of Otsego Lake. In the summertime, the lake simply sparkles in the sun. When Cooper wrote about the lake he called “Glimmerglass” in his book The Deerslayer, he was inspired by this body of water from his hometown.
Mix up a glass of this spiked lemonade and I’ll tell you about The Otesaga.
Glimmerglass Lemonade
1 ½ ounces Stoli blueberry vodka 3 ounces lemonade
The Otesaga is one of the most historic and celebrated hotels in the state. If we were in Cooperstown right now, sipping our Glimmerglass Lemonades, we’d most definitely be sitting on the veranda of The Otesaga in their very cozy rocking chairs, a serene setting for whiling away some time admiring the lake.
We’d probably be talking about the stunning views from our rooms. Or perhaps we’d be recounting the excellent round of golf we had played on the resort’s Leatherstocking Golf Course (one of
the best courses in the state ... and named for – you guessed it – something James Fenimore Cooper wrote). Or maybe our conversation would turn to the delicious dinner we had last night at Hawkeye Grill (yes, named for the character in The Last of the Mohicans ... are you detecting a trend?).
Since the hotel first opened its doors in 1909, it’s been making history. The Otesaga was built by
members of the Clark family, who made their fortunes thanks to Singer sewing machines, and at the The Hall of Fame has tried to help fill the void by time it opened, it was an engineering and guest-serproviding a series of free virtual programs. Many of vice marvel. It featured 400 windows, a refrigerator these programs feature one or more Hall of Famers that was cooled with 30 tons of ice, phones in every talking about their careers and memories. The muguest room, and central heating that each guest seum also provides a full array of online offerings could individually adjust in his or her own room. through “Safe at Home,” educational and cultural And – bonus – those new-fangled cars could easily resources that include these things and more: pass each other on the wide entry drive! • The Museum’s Digital Collection at collec
Today those are but a few of the many amenition.baseballhall.org, which features historic photies you’ll get during a stay. The Otesaga also has a tographs, scouting reports, audio oral histories and sister property, The Cooper Inn, a B&B that like its artifact images from the Museum’s vast collection. much bigger sibling is a member of Historic Hotels • Online exhibits that provide a virtual tour of of America. The Otesaga expects to reopen in just the Museum, as well as through Google Arts & Cula few weeks. Both ture. the properties are a • Historic and very easy walk to the thing that draws the “To me, baseball has always been a current videos at the Hall of Fame’s YouTube most visitors to the village. You equate reflection of life. Like life, it adjusts. It Channel, featuring Hall of Famer biographies, the name “Cooperssurvives everything.” in-depth interviews and town” with baseball highlights of past Hall of and you want to talk Willie Stargell - Pittsburgh Pirate 1988 inductee. Fame Weekends. about that, right? Let’s do it! We know none of that
As Major League Baseball debates about when is the same as going to a game or watching one in and how to bring the sport back to us this summer, your living room or at a sports bar. But it’s what we we’re also awaiting word about when the National have right now, and for that we’re thankful. We like Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will reopen. This to leave you with words of wisdom each week, and year’s Hall of Fame induction has been postponed we thought for this week’s message we’d look to a until next year, which means that both the 2020 and Hall of Famer. The MBPR team settled on a quote 2021 classes will be inducted on July 25, 2021, crefrom Willie Stargell, a Pittsburgh Pirate who was a ating what we know will be a truly history-making 1988 inductee. He said, event.
No matter what team you root for, you’re going to “To me, baseball has always been a reflection of find something here that you absolutely love. Right life. Like life, it adjusts. It survives everything.” as COVID-19 became the ultimate disrupter, the Hall of Fame was debuting “The Starting Nine,” a unique It’s our belief that people and baseball are going way for visitors to explore the museum by searching to survive everything that’s pitched at us ... even a for nine quintessential artifacts from each of the 30 pandemic. We urge you to continue to take good Major League teams. care of yourself and others. Keep wearing your (catcher’s) mask and practice your social distancing.
There’s so much I love about the Hall of Fame and have a whole list of artifacts I like to see each time I And for the record, six feet is the length of about visit. Baseball is something that brings people to12 hot dogs. gether – parents and kids, couples, groups of friends, business associates – and helps them create spectacular memories together. That’s why not hearing the crack of the bat these past few months has been so For more on New York hard for people. >CLICK HERE!
Things to Do: Enjoy the Outside
LOUDONVILLE – As the Mohican-Loudonville area businesses, shopping, restau- rants, wineries, breweries, recreation, campgrounds and lodging owners are preparing and opening their facilities, they are doing so, following all guidelines to keep visitors and staff safe. So when you are ready to practice your social distanc- ing in the great outdoors, Mohican-Loudonville is ready to welcome you back! So what is there to do in the Camp & Canoe Capital of Ohio? Take a canoe or kayak down the Mohican State Scenic River, try the zip line or aerial adventure park. Go karts, mini-golf and more. Summertime is perfect for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and festivals.
And what would a vaca- tion be without shopping? The Mohican-Loudonville area has a quaint downtown with independent shop owners that will introduce the visitor to an array of art, clothing, jewelry, electron- ics, antiques, crafts, gadgets that solve all sorts of issues, and more. Creative Outlet Indian Store has the largest selection of Authentic Native American jewelry and art- work in northern Ohio. Four Seasons has two full floors of gifts, boutique, collectibles and flowers to explore. Mohican is also the gate- way to Amish Country, just a short drive to Millersburg or Berlin with shopping galore! DiscoverMohican.com has plenty of options to keep the traveler(s) on budget without compromising any wants on the trip. From campgrounds to cabins, castle to a state park lodge, inns to bed & breakfast there is some- thing for everyone. Some places have savings all year long. For example, if looking for a cabin along the Mohican State Scenic River, check out Blackfork Cabins. The longer the stay, the more there is to save. Put your child’s report card to work! Mohican State Park Lodge offers a “Stays for A’s” pro- gram that awards $10.00 off for every A on your child’s report card, up to a $50.00 savings. They also offer a special rate for the “Sav- vy Seniors”. Guests over the age of 65 can enjoy the lodge’s special discounted rates.
So much to do, so little time. Whether here for a week or the weekend, there is something for everyone. Isn’t it time to Discover Mohican?
