Greener Pastures: Salads

Sometimes a top flight meal at a Michelin rated restaurant isn't worth the hassle. Instead, a quick lunchtime on the go salad is what is needed. In search of greener pastures, we contacted our roving band of epicureans who were deep into some vintage decanted wine at the most out of the way place in the back streets of Puglia to find out where the top salads lie. Of course, their tastebuds couldn't resist tempting their wallets into some higher price brackets so here is blended mix of where to get your greens.

US
+Europa, make your own salad, 599 Lexington Avenue, +1 212 755 6622.
+Chop't, make your own salad, Downtown: 24 E 17th St, Midtown: 60 E 56th St, New York.
+BLT Prime, spinach salad with maytag blue cheese and bacon, 111 E. 22nd St, New York.
+Garden of Eden, Garden of Eden, 7 E 14th St.
+Ivy, 113 N Robertson Blvd, Los Angeles.
+RL, 115 East Chicago Ave, Chicago.
+Tilli's, 1932 North Halsted, Chicago.
+DiBruno Brothers, italian market with"take away" meals upstairs, Rittenhouse Square, 1730 Chestnut, Philadelphia.

Europe
+Pizza Express, Polo Chicken Salad, Canary Wharf and various locations, London and UK.
+Zizzi, Insalata di Pollo, Fuhlam Road and various locations, London and UK.
+Claridge's Hotel Room Service, Ceasar Salad, 51 Brook St, London.
+Neal's Yard Salad Bar, 2 Neal's Yard, London.
+Club 55, Pampelone Salad, St. Tropez.

Additional suggestions can be emailed to us at W4unlisted@gmail.com. Specifically we are searching for the top Frisee salad around.

Departures.com Takes Flight: AMEX

Fans of American Express' Departures magazine for Platinum and Centurion card holders take note - the monthly tome of high flying has gone online at Departures.com.
To access the site your card number is required but once inside the site features all of the familiar sections - Travel, The Epicurean, Black Book, Moneyed Interests and Worldly Goods. The smart folks at AMEX have also started a monthly email list called World Wise. While the site is a good first step, we can only hope they take it one step further in the future as most of their clientele hops time zones too fast to track down the paperback copy of the magazine.
+American Express: Departures.com, taking off now.

Suncrawler Reports: Rays from LA

Suncrawler shoots us some rays from LA:
Joan's on Third remains the best place to stop by for a quick lunch complete with magnolia bakery level cupcakes, a top of the line chicken with chipotle mayonnaise sandwich and always more than a few lanky model/actress/industry types.

Down the street, the French run Little Door is worth all of the ink it receives for its understated garden oasis. Fun for a date or with a group, the restaurant also has an extensive selection of wines by the glass. The international crowd is also a plus.

If you are hustled into stopping by the Brent Bolthouse Wednesday night party at LAX definitely don't go for the in flight music. The club's layout and design itself isn't bad. Modern, much bigger than you would hope with some decent tables inside (ask for the black ones towards the center of the room or better yet a hidden outside cabana where you can draw the curtains and really misbehave). The much hyped DJ AM needs to learn to start DJ-ing in the PM as he hasn't learned to play much more than top 40 hip hop and crap remixes of top 40 hip hop. PM to AM: Don't be afraid to throw in some 80's rock or Eurotrash, Ashley Olsen who was dancing there on a recent evening doesn't seem to care.

The burlesque dancers at Forty Deuce (the LA branch more than the Vegas outpost) continue to amaze. Great spot to stop off for a few or more drinks on your way out. And plus people there actually drink, dance and have fun - a rarity for schmooze-no-booze city. Note: last show in LA seems to be at 12:45a whereas in Vegas its 2:45a.

Avoid a place called The Cabanas at all cost. This place is nothing more than an outdoor parking lot they have turned into a crap bar with South Central Latino gangsters or the Hollywood wanna be gangster types who secretly have agents and a pedicurist. Although it should be noted that they have some decent staff who politely inform New Yorkers that the club closes at 2am - so are you sure you want another drink? Yes, naturally we replied. Unfortunately no matter how strong the drink the club was still a disaster.

For lodging, Chateau Marmont remains the gold standard. They will basically let you do just about anything you want and will even fold up your bathing suit the next morning when you have inadvertently left it by the pool the night before. Of course, they will also be quite gruff to you when asking for any type of service but we all like a little attitude here and there.

Idle Time: Drive up the PCH to Malibu. Stop off for a sandwich at the Malibu Kitchen & Gourmet Country Market on Cross Creek Road. Then head up off the PCH and into the hills. The Mulholland Highway is a great spot to take a drive. It takes you through the backside of Malibu hills and the down through the hippie commune of Topanga. On weekends the road is littered with of Easy Rider flashbacks.

Time can also be passed by renting a bike on the beach in Santa Monica and riding south down through Venice Beach. If that requires too much physical excursion stop by Shutters On The Beach for an Arnold Palmer.
+Joan's on Third, 8350 W 3rd St, Los Angeles +1 323 655 2285.
+Little Door, 8164 W 3rd St, Los Angeles +1 323 951 1210.
+LAX, 1714 N Las Palmas Ave, Los Angeles, +1 323 464-0171.
+Cabana Club, 1439 Ivar Ave, Hollywood, +1 323 463 0005.
+Forty Deuce, 5574 Melrose Ave, +1 323 465 4242.
+Chateau Marmont, 8221 West Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, +1 800 CHATEAU.
+Malibu Kitchen & Gourmet Country Market, 3900 Crossing Creek Road, +1 310 456 7845.
+Shutters On The Beach, One Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, +1 800 745 8883.
+Arnold Palmer [recipe].
+W4: Suncrawler Reports: Pace in LA.
+W4: Rok on RokBar LA?
+W4: Grazing With The Industry Cattle: LA: Buffalo Club.

Rich Hippies Make Better Sandwiches

Suncrawler dispatches from the Rockies:
Sometimes when you find yourself up at 8,750 feet above sea level deep in heart of the Rockies and two mind bending Cadillac margaritas into it you crave a bit of grub. Thankfully the rich hippies of Telluride can provide you with some of the best sandwiches you're gonna find in this former mining town turned G-V digging winter ski resort. Located down a side alley off of main street the so stoned they don't even have the music on trustafarians of the Brown Bag make up custom gourmet sandwiches and salads with a goofy smile. Charcoal grilled chicken, some smoke-dried tomatoes, a bit of avocado and some finely cooked bacon and your ready to go. Or you can enjoy the any of the custom salads and sushi they have on offer. Needless to say whatever you cravings they Brown Bag holds a good stash.
+Brown Bag Telluride, 126 W Colorado Ave, Telluride +1 970 728 5556.
+Rich Hippies Also Kick Bread At: Johnny McGuire's Deli, 730 East Cooper Ave, Aspen, CO +1 970 920 9255.
+Fun Airport Landing: Telluride Airport.

Birds Fly South: Highball Heads to Palm Beach

Highball heads south:

"October is the month of dropping temperatures and the annual Palm Beach migration. As our cashmere sweaters and sheared furs come out of storage for us east coast residents, its time to pack our forward calendars full of warm weather escapes and our obligatory Palm Beach retreats to see friends and family. Whether you winter or weekend in Palm Beach, here are a couple choice spots this season to grab a cocktail after a laborious day on your yacht:

Cucina Dell’Arte, trendy italian spot to late night people watch.
+257 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach +1561 655 0770.


Leopard Lounge, located in the Chesterfield Hotel, good spot for dancing if you don’t mind mingling the occasional jetset of yester year under a disco ball
+363 Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach +1 561 659 5800.

E.R. Bradley's Saloon, laid back waterfront watering hole perfect for happy hour and getting the booze flowing for your evening out.
+104 Clematis St. West Palm Beach +1 561 833 3520.

+Highball enjoys staying at: The Breakers, 1 S. County Rd., Palm Beach +1 561 655 6611.
+Cheap and Easy: Hotel Biba, 320 Belvedere Rd, West Palm Beach, +1 561 832 0094.

Speed Demon: Money Ain't A Thang: Ferrari

Speed: a term that conjures up various thoughts in our minds. Forgoing Kate Moss and a kilo of cocaine in a supersonic jet with some farm animals, let's turn our focus to cars: specifically Ferraris. Crockett and Tubbs had the black Daytona and then the Testosteroni, then 50 Cent had the Ferrari of all Ferraris in his "Candy Shop" video: the Enzo. We here at W4 are not usually big on super-sizing things and certainly not cars, but the Enzo is a different story. We're obviously not going to write about the Enzo--that's sooo three years ago, but rather we'd like to introduce you to the FXX: the Super Enzo. The FXX is a 250mph 800hp Enzo-based monster like none other. The company is only planning to produce 20 of these puppies for next year. Lucky buyers will have to pony up $1.8 Million and will be required to attend the Ferrari driving school in Fiorano to prove their motoring stamina. So listen, kick Ms. Moss off the plane, get rid of the nose candy and learn how to drive your goddamn car!
+Ferrari

Return of the Jet Set: Concorde Rebirth

We can all agree that commercial air travel is completely unacceptable. For private planes, the G-IV and then the G-V became the benchmarks, and for the big dogs the BBJ2 is considered the transport of choice. But now, the Aerion Corporation is developing the ultimate in private air travel: the Aerion Supersonic Business Jet. That's right, for an estimated $80,000,000 you will be able to fly around in your own personal Concorde. Cruising at Mach 1.6, up to 10 travelers can be transported from New York to Paris in roughly 4 hours. The only thing to remember when you buy your private rocket ship is to make sure and have the mini Sevruga and creme fraiche to complete the Concorde experience.
+Aerion.
+Jet Set: Speed: Cocaine: Kate Moss Video [watch].

Diamonds In Da Shower Yo: Ondine

You've got your Phantom on dubs, the full Versace collection (including the footwear), the all-diamond Jacob watch, a McMansion in Short Hills, and the stripper wife. So what's missing ye vulgar ones might ask: a blinged-out showerhead of course. That's right, for $15,000 Ondine will make you your very own polished gold showerhead covered in Swarovski crystals. You like this idea don't you Jersey boys and girls? Well, in addition to the bling, the showerhead contains adjustable colored lights so you can get the full Flashdance meets Cash Money Millionaires experience. Hopefully this makes someone's ostentatious existence just a little bit brighter.

Stay Clean.
+Ondine
+Happy Song of the Week: Love Generation, Bob Sinclair. [listen].
+Jacob & Co.
+DVD: Flashdance [amazon].
+Flashdance of a different sort: NYC.

Suncrawler Reports: Burbank Blue with Flames

Suncrawler reports from LA:
If you are going to be flying cattle class from LA to JFK the best flights are the Jet Blue flights out of Burbank. Due to the airports small runway, the planes are required to fly less than full giving you more than ample room to stretch out.

Of course, all of this is great just beware the possibility of watching your plane live on your seatback TV as it attempts a flame shooting of the tires emergency landing.
+Jet Blue
+CNN: Jet Makes Emergency Landing 21 September 2005.
+Suncrawler Drink At: Wednesday: Brent Bolthouse: LAX.