Hillary Eaton


Originally appeared on Eater

One Day in June

On June 2, 2020, as Parisians sat down at cafes for the first time in months, people in Moscow still couldn’t leave their homes between curfews. Here, the divergent views of 17 cities around the world on the same day.

IfIf there’s one thing that the coronavirus pandemic has made crystal clear these last few months, it’s how thoroughly interconnected life on Earth has become.

We are now, without a doubt, a global civilization, and as many brands have so graciously reminded us lately, “We’re all in this together.” But the spread of COVID-19 has also had a profound way of spotlighting the differences: the ways in which each of our societies responds to crisis, the things we value, and how our governments support our vulnerable communities — or don’t.

The first days of June were an anxious time for much of the world. Just as protesters took to the streets across the U.S. to condemn racial violence and the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, cities across the globe were grasping for the first signs of life after months of COVID-19-related lockdown and quarantine, thanks to the easing of restrictions on bars and restaurants.

Virtually every major metropolis on earth spent the bulk of spring in some state of shutdown; our responses since have been less synchronous. On June 1 and 2, Paris and Melbourne began to allow dine-in seating, and Berlin reopened bars — prost! Elsewhere, life remained at a near standstill. Bogotá only began allowing carryout from restaurants on June 1, and taking so much as a walk in Moscow — let alone a bite — continues to require scheduling. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo welcomed this June like every other before it, with little fanfare beyond the usual blooms and ripening market fruit; for them, the spread of COVID-19 is all but a terrifying memory.

The point is, despite the near-universal tragedy caused by the novel coronavirus, the look and feel of our experiences today is anything but uniform, and depends greatly on the place we call home. Last week, Eater asked an international team of photographers and writers to document daily life where it intersects with food and drink in 17 cities around the world on the very same day. What follows is something like a diary of eating on planet Earth on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. The resulting snapshots show our disparate realities as we edge ever closer to once again sharing a great meal, a stiff drink, and everyday life, together

Originally appeared on EATER

The 38 Essential Restaurants in Santiago

Santiago is experiencing a culinary renaissance like it’s never seen before, says food and travel writer Hillary Eaton. Chile’s capital city, famous for its stunning setting amid the Andes as well as its mix of modern and Spanish colonial architecture, has long been on tourists’ radars.

“In the past decade, Santiago’s dining scene has undergone a massive transformation,” says Eaton. “Thanks to a mixture of seasoned Chilean chefs returning to their culinary roots, young chefs returning home with flavors and ideas inspired from overseas, and better access to fresh and native ingredients, Chile’s culinary epicenter is more diverse, self-reflective and internationally noteworthy than it’s ever been.”

Some of Chile’s best up-and-coming chefs are behind a vibrant middle class of restaurants, and are tackling the whole idea of what it means to cook Chilean cuisine. From a carefully curated tasting experience of native Chilean flavors at Boragó to traditional plates reinvented at La Salvación to cocktails that have left their mark on the world’s bar scene at Seite Negronis, there’s no better time to experience the old alongside the new in Santiago.

Originally appeared on TimeOut

The 20 Best Things to do in Maui

If you think a trip to Maui is all mornings at the beach and afternoons by the hotel pool (which, don’t get us wrong, is definitely some of it) think again. The second most visited of Hawaii’s islands is ripe with distinctive culture, top-notch restaurants, and some seriously otherworldly nature to make for a vacation you’ll never forget. From exploring the delicious local grindz (Hawiian slang for food) like a loco moco or shave ice to getting behind the wheel and making the epically gorgeous journey along the road to Hana or harvesting your own pristine pearl directly from the oyster, Maui’s unique offerings will seriously surprise and entice you at every turn. Pineapple wine, anyone?

Originally appeared on Eater

The 38 Essential Santiago Restaurants

Santiago is experiencing a culinary renaissance like it’s never seen before, says food and travel writer Hillary Eaton. Chile’s capital city, famous for its stunning setting amid the Andes as well as its mix of modern and Spanish colonial architecture, has long been on tourists’ radars.

“For decades, the Santiago dining scene has been divided into two categories: casual Chilean comfort food and European fine dining,” Eaton says. “But thanks to a new generation of chefs, Chilean cuisine doesn’t just mean pisco sours, fuente de soda diner food, empanadas from stands de comidas (street carts), or the loaded completo (hot dog)anymore.” Chefs are focusing on high-quality Chilean ingredients, experimenting with market-driven tasting menus, and integrating flavors and techniques from around the world. The city’s most vital dining experiences reflect a mix of the historic restaurants that have long been a part of Santiago’s cultural fabric and this new guard.

Without further ado, and in geographic order, the 38 essential dishes and restaurants of Santiago, Chile.

Originally appeared on Food & Wine

Five-Story Rubik’s Cube Will House the World’s Most Immersive Wine-Tasting Experience

Driving through the rolling hills of South Australia’s McLaren Vale wine region, surrounded by vines planted by 19th-century European settlers and cellar doors of Australia’s oldest wineries, the last thing you’d expect to find is a multi-dimensional, five-story-tall Rubik’s cube. But at d’Arenberg winery, that’s exactly what you’ll find. The architectural marvel of bold shards of mirror and glass and metal is home to one of the world’s most immersive, anticipated wine-tasting experiences, and it is set to finally open this November.

Dubbed the d’Arenberg cube, this $14 million AUD project dreamed up by d’Arenberg’s lovably eccentric, fourth-generation winemaker, Chester Osborn, will be equal parts cellar door, art gallery, immersive tasting room and fine-dining destination. Each of the elements have the explicit intent of shattering your senses and heightening them to the optimal sensory place for wine tasting.

Originally appeared on VICE (MUNCHIES)

Why Dominique Crenn Wants to Plant a Million Trees in Haiti

Dominique Crenn—she of the poetic tasting menu at Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn— has long been known as a chef that’s as talented as she is tireless. But the chef’s latest endeavor just might be the most impressive project she’s worked on thus far.

It’s Root Project, an aid project put together by Crenn and Zesa Raw co-founder Michelle Jean with the goal of helping farmers in Haiti replant coffee and cocoa plants after the complete devastation of local crops following Hurricane Matthew. The project’s goal is to plant 1 million trees alongside Haitian farmers and chefs. We caught up with Crenn to see what this project could mean for the farmers of Haiti and to discuss chefs’ social and environmental responsibilities.

Originally appeared on VICE (MUNCHIES)

Why Vegas Is Embracing a New Wave of Restaurants

For years, the food scene on the Las Vegas strip could be largely divided into two categories: fine dining or chain-casual. Screaming Eagle in Zalto stemware or a liter of boozy neon slushy through a sippy straw. Celebrity chefs or mega chains. Joël Robuchon or Hooters. 

But as more and more people begin to plan trips around memorable food experiences, Las Vegas’ strip has begun to shape-shift around the fact that a huge number of their potential visitors are of a new breed. They can’t (or don’t want) to drop $445 per person on a tasting menu but they also appreciate good food and want more than just cheese-covered drunk food—except when that’s exactly what they want, of course.

They’re the type of people who watch Chef’s Table and Instagram their food. They’re Millennials who are happy to wait in wind, rain, or snow for the cruffins, Nashville-style hot chickens, and top-rated xiao long baos of the world. They’re the kind conscientious eaters who think about the politics of the James Beard Awards, the dilemmas of included gratuity, and the demise of Lucky Peach.

For better or worse, if you’re reading this, they’re you and me.

Originally appeared on Food & Wine

A Guide to Melbourne’s Booming Craft Beer Scene

Over the last few years, the craft beer movement has completely taken over Melbourne thanks to a handful of young beer makers across the city. With an over 1,000 percent increase in the number of local breweries (reaching at least 60), the craft beer scene in Melbourne and surrounding areas have made the city one of Australia’s greatest destinations for beer. What’s more, one in three craft beers in Australia now comes from Melbourne.

 From beers brewed with hybridized wild yeasts and infused with native herbs and bugs to the cross-influence of British and West Coast American-style beers, breweries are putting Melbourne on the map as a brew city to rival the likes of Portland.So where does a beer lover get into it and taste the best of the best that Melbourne’s beer makers have to offer? We’ve got you covered: from the brewery bars to craft beer watering holes, here’s how to do it right, down under.

Originally appeared on Food & Wine

A Peek Inside the Massive San Pedro Market in Peru

A good market is a magical thing. The colors, sounds and smells can make you fall in love with a place faster than the sappiest Meg Ryan rom-com makes you fall in love with Tom Hanks. And Mercado Central de San Pedro in Peru’s ancient Incan capital, Cusco, is the Sleepless in Seattle of markets.

Mercado Central is the beating heart of the city, packed with food stalls and vendors selling everything from fresh sugar cane to hand-made sausage, as the sounds of pan flute punctuate the murmur of busy streets. While you’re getting swept up in the marvels of Cusco’s market culture, at some point you may find yourself wondering something like: is that a bag of bile? And the answer is usually: yes. So, to help you break down San Pedro market’s overwhelming array of vendors, we’ve put together this handy visual guide to everything from salted and dried alpaca to herbs used in ancient shaman rituals. Don’t worry, we got you.