How to dine Basque style means understanding what kind of food is prepared and served, it's understanding the traditions of how it emerged here in America. Basque is a region in Europe, but before I enjoy my first meal, I wanted to understand the full experience of how to dine Basque style. What is a Basque meal and what do I need to know? I'm dining at the JT Basque Bar and Restaurant in Carson Valley, Nevada for my first Basque meal, but I shared my first meal with Marie-Louise Lekumberry, to learn how to dine Basque Style at the restaurant she owns and runs with her brother, which has been passed down through the family and has it's own unique history and energy.

New Orleans is more than what to see and do. It's more than beads hanging off of street signs. New Orleans is tasting powdered sugar on the fingers, cobblestones that rise and fall with every step; big porches with small details. It's big music, marching through the streets and gentle hospitality.

Space Needle in Seattle just opened the weekend before I was there! For the...