Recently in Savor Category

Cupcakes are even more coveted than frozen yogurt in Southern California right now, and there are gourmet bakeries vying for supremacy all over the region. In Pasadena, the battle comes down to two, both of which are in easy reach of the Westin Pasadena. In one corner, you've got Violet's Cakes. The shop is a favorite of Martha Stewart, who loves their "cherry pie" cupcake — filled with cherry pie filling, topped with vanilla buttercream and a chocolate-covered cherry. Other highlights include "french toast," "PB&J" and luscious red velvet. In the other corner is Dot's Cupcakes. The cupcakes at this sleek storefront are a bit more fancily decorated than Violet's, in flavors ranging from lemon drop and Boston cream pie to carrot cake and Kona coffee. Who's better? Hard to say, but Chowhounders sure love Violet's — and it's hard to ignore that Martha endorsement. I say you do a taste test of your own!

Knoxville knows how to take care of you. Not only does it boast the number one rated Four Points by Sheraton Cumberland House Hotel, but its dining scene is surprisingly rich for a city its size. And Southern hospitality is the order of the day now matter where you end up. And I recommend you manage to "end up" at Litton's Market & Bakery at least once while you're in town. Litton's stakes its reputation on excellent hamburgers, made in-house and grilled to order and served on a house-made bun. I recommend the Thunder Road, loaded with Pimento cheese, sauteed onions and a jalepeño. Make sure to save a little room for a slice of red velvet or caramel cake.

For something a little lighter, head to Market Square and snag a table at Oodles Uncorked, a swanky wine bar from the folks behind the popular Preservation Pub. The menu is Italian-influenced and vegetarian friendly, and goes well with the good-sized wine list. You might also try The Tomato Head, an unexpectedly gourmet pizza joint nearby. Just be ready to rock — the restaurant hosts live bands on Friday and Saturday nights.

St. Louis was settled by the French, so it seems natural that there be plenty of French influences over the dining scene. Particularly strong are restaurants which combine French with contemporary American, such as Sidney Street Cafe, where the filet bearnaise is stuffed with lobster and langostino and the braised short ribs melt in your mouth. Start with the savory blue cheese tartlets.

Chez Léon takes a more traditional bistro route, with classics like steak frites and bouillebaise sharing the menu with dishes built around seasonal ingredients. The $38 three-course prix-fixe option offers the best bang for your buck.

Franco, a short cab ride from the Sheraton St. Louis City Center, caused a stir when it opened last year with its contemporary take on French bistro fare. My friend Brad recommends asking bartender Troy for a Nico Sidecar or his off-menu Straight Up Goodness.

Beijing isn't just a place to try bizarre street food — it's also the perfect city to sample all the regional cuisines of China in one place. The capital is home to all 55 official Chinese ethnic groups, as well as several unofficial ones, and there are restaurants to satisfy each groups' craving for a taste of home. You can find Tibetan, Guizhouan, Sichuan, Manchurian, even Uzbek, which isn't actually part of China but shares a border and sends plenty of migrant workers Beijing's way.

If there's a specific regional cuisine you'd like to sample, the concierge at the St. Regis Beijing should be able to point you to a good place to find it. Or you could seek out the restaurants run by the governments of the various provinces. The Sichuan Governmental Canteen is known for its fine representation of the region's fiery cuisine.

Summer in Stockholm is beautiful, and one of the best ways to enjoy it is with a picnic in Humlegåden, one of the city's nicest parks, located about 2 km north of the Sheraton Stockholm.

Start by heading to Östermalm Saluhall, an immense indoor food market where you'll find all nature of meat, fish, cheeses, veggies and pastries. (There are also 20 restaurants and cafes within its walls, should you need a snack before your picnic.) Then head to the park and find a seat near the statue of Carl von Linné, aka Carolus Linnaeus, who invented the Latin-based "binomial nomenclature" used in science. Raise a glass of fermented Vitis vinifera (in other words, wine) in toast and enjoy the day.

Should the weather not suit a picnic, how about a barbecue? At Grill most of the menu is cooked over an open flame, possibly on the big rotisserie in the middle of the space, which is broken up into several areas designed to look like living rooms, patios and other fun spots.

You'd expect the seafood to be fresh in a place like the island of Mykonos in Greece — and you'd be correct. Fantastically fresh fish, urchins and shellfish are abundant on this gem in the Mediterranean; it's no wonder there's an outpost of the world famous Nobu here.

The Santa Marina Resort & Villas' Marine Club Restaurant makes the most of the bounty of the sea, but there's plenty to savor elsewhere on the island. Seek out Edem, one of the island's oldest and most reputable restaurants. Its menu is all over the map, but the seafood and lamb dishes are consistently good. For a romantic setting, it's hard to beat Alefkandra in the "Little Venice" neighborhood of Mykonos town. The restaurant delivers a view of the beautiful Venetian-style homes whose balconies open over the sea instead of a canal.

Looking for just a quick bite? Alexis is one of many snack bars scattered around the island, but it's praised for its souvlaki and tasty burgers. For more specific restaurant advice and beyond, the Mykonos forum on Greeka.com is an excellent place to start.

Geneva, Switzerland can be pricey, but there are reasonable meals to be had without resorting to chains and fast food. And you don't have to scrimp on views, either, if you head to Au Pied-de-Cochon. There you'll be in the picturesque Université de Genève Uni Bastions neighborhood, replete with terrace seating for excellent people-watching. The menu is traditional Swiss bistro fare served by tuxedoed waiters.

Vesuvio is a local favorite for its freshly made pastas, wood-fired pizza and rustic Italian dishes. A little closer to the Hotel President Wilson is La Favola, another Italian fave. Its decor is antique-y and cute, and its beef carpaccio is paper thin.

For a historical treat, seek out the Taverne de la Madeleine, one of the oldest restaurants in the city. The very affordable cafe offers everything from fruit tarts to osso bucco, but a word of warning: no alcohol allowed.

The birthplace of our nation happens to be a great town for wine. And you don't have to go far to find it: the Westin Philadelphia happens to be around the corner from one of the best wine bars in town, Tria. The wine menu is organized by simple categories that help guide you to a "zippy" white or a "sociable" or "funky" red. Note, there's also a great beer selection. So pair your glass with an assortment of cheeses from the ever-changing list or sample their selection of snacks.

In Old City, near the Delaware River, there's Fork, whose reputation for great wine is only surpassed by its actual food, which is Asian-influenced and highly seasonal. Nearby, Swanky Bubbles specializes in the combination of champagne and sushi.

For a more frugal evening, try for a reservation at FridaySaturdaySunday, where the well-tended wine list is marked up just $10 a bottle over cost.

Russian food has a bit of a reputation for austerity thanks to Communism — all borscht and potatoes — but historically Russia's cuisine was as rich and sophisticated as the French it often emulated. In Moscow, Le Royal Méridien National's location directly across from the Kremlin places you in proximity to a wealth of excellent food — often in very theatrical settings.

Start with a trip to Cafe Pushkin. Considered the one of the best restaurants in the city, the quality (and price) of the food increases as you rise through its floors, from the 24-hour cafe at street level to the more formal "Library Room" on the second to the balcony and summer terrace on the third.

If you like the Library at Cafe Pushkin, you'll love Khlestakov Traktir. Its owners chanced upon the preserved set and props from a film based on Nikolai Gogol's play The Inspector General, and used it to replicate an old Russian tavern. Even the menu items are inspired by the book, served by staff in actual costumes from the film. The height of kitsch, but the food still stands out.

For even more history, 1 Red Square in the State Historical Museum, is a must-see. The restaurant features a menu of dishes from throughout Russia's history, and periodic historical dinners recreate a full meal based on documents from the museum's archives.

At most restaurants, the sommelier chooses the wine to match the meal you ordered, but at Il Vino d'Enrico Bernardo, just across the Seine from the Westin Paris, you choose the wine — and the kitchen prepares a meal to match it. Its eponymous owner/master sommelier took the unusual step of listing only wines on the menu so as to put what's in the glass at the forefront while also hopefully making wine less intimidating — you don't have to worry about what wine would go best with which dish, so you can swirl your glass and enjoy the evening. There are several tasting menus available, the most popular of which is a "double blind" tasting: both the wines and the food are chosen for you. The menu changes every two weeks, so you never know what you might get.

If you'd like to put together a pairing of your own, head to the huge wine store Lavinia, two blocks from the hotel, where a lunch-only restaurant on the second floor will happily serve a bottle you bought downstairs without a corkage fee.