Fall Food Trips

Most people think the autumn is the perfect time for traveling. It is - for both leaf peeping and food tasting. If you want to take a culinary vacation, now is the perfect  time to do it.It could be for a week or a weekend.

The idea was inspired by Tejal Rao's visit and review in yesterday's New York Times Food section She traveled from her Los Angeles home up to the  Napa Valley's three most famous restaurants, The French Laundry, the Restaurant at Meadowood and Single Thread. Anyone can recreate her trip, stopping to enjoy the traditional and lush meals at French Laundry, the clubby atmosphere of The Restaurant at Meadowood and the Japanese sparseness of Single Thread.  The Restaurant At Meadowood is part of the luxury hotel/spa so it's easy to stay and enjoy a short walk to the eatery.This is true for the Single Thread too, offering amenities you might find in a posh country German hotel in Kyoto. Keep in mind that whether you stay at this resort or a smaller place, the prices will be steep, especially at at popular destination like Napa. Check the internet for affordable inns . Also set a food budget for yourself. French Laundry's tasting menu is a whopping $310 a person for a tasting menu that includes a truffle dusted baked mac served in a golden egg.  Ms. Rao had the budget to try all three restaurant's expensive tasting menus, enjoying such dishes as corn custard with caviar and pecan oil at the Restaurant at Meadowood and fancy seasonal dishes as starters at Single Thread.

If this is too expensive for you, then think of cheaper destinations. US foodie towns are Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia. There are some great fancy restaurants in these cities however Boston and Philly have food markets catering to all sorts of tastes. Boston's Haymarket, a favorite with the famous Brass Sisters of PBS"s Food Flirts, has an amazing array of locally sourced products and produce as well as Fair Trade ones. You can buy honey from the Boston Honey Company to fresh caught seafood at Red's Best. The city also boasts a host of good Italian restaurants in the city's North End. Visit Philly's Reading Terminal Market. This is one of the country's oldest , starting in 1893 and still thriving today.Foodies and gourmands can buy the best homemade sausages  from Martin's Specialty Sausage  and Pennsylvania brewed beers and even vodkas from Eight Oaks Craft Distillers. Europe beckons food lovers in the fall as well. It's truffle time in Piedmonte with restaurants in Torino and the countryside offering all sorts of dishes. Oktoberfest starts soon in Germany and fall is the perfect time to enjoy its' cities, especially Munich, the heart of the festival.. There are not only all sorts of craft and traditional beers to  sample but also a wide array of wursts, sauerkraut and pretzels. Go also for the amazing pastries like Black Forest Cake and hazelnut tortes.

Fall is travel time. It's perfect for taking a culinary based trip to experience new tastes and restaurants. Go for a vacation ans savor  it.