Kristine Hansen is a freelance writer based in Milwaukee where she reports on food, wine, and travel

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Tampa has a new culinary hotspot where foodies can eat, stay, and play. Part of the Autograph Collection by Marriott, the 137-room Epicurean Hotel in Tampa s hip SoHo neighborhood opened in late December. The property takes its culinary focus seriously with a collection of impressive noshing and imbibing options within the hotel, including culinary classes, a wine shop, and dining and drinking options. The shining star is levage restaurant where executive chef Chad Johnson big bear lake vacation rentals a 2012 James Beard Award semi-finalist for Best Chef South puts a new spin on classic Southern foods.
Elsewhere on the property, wine lovers can buy bottles for deckside sipping at Bern s Fine Wines Spirits, or take culinary classes big bear lake vacation rentals topics ranging from tea blending to sustainable seafood at the Epicurean Theatre. Craft cocktails big bear lake vacation rentals are served at Edge Social Drinkery, a rooftop bar, with small plates and cheese boards. Decadent indulgences like chocolates, macarons and pastries are available at the patisserie Chocolate Pi.
Each room features free WiFi, a 42-inch big bear lake vacation rentals television (so you don t miss an episode of Top Chef ) and rainshower heads in the bathroom. There are five room categories, including one with a private outdoor terrace (a plum spot for picnicking) and another with a wet bar and a seating area. The food-and-wine theme extends to the hotel s design with wine crates crafted into a desk in the lobby and butcher-block cabinetry in guest rooms.
Spa Evangeline expects to open in February. Food-focused produect like Cauldalie s wine-themed line from Bordeaux, France, or FarmHouse Fresh s Texas-made moisturizers and scrubs culled from fruits and vegetables big bear lake vacation rentals are folded into treatments.
Kristine Hansen is a freelance writer based in Milwaukee where she reports on food, wine, and travel topics around the globe for Fodors.com, along with new-hotel openings. She also writes for Wine Enthusiast, TIME, Whole Living and American Way. In 2006 she co-authored The Complete Idiot s Guide to Coffee and Tea (Alpha Books/Penguin). You can follow her on Twitter @kristineahansen or through her web site.
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