Restaurants

Restaurant Review: Fonda Lo Que Hay, Panama City, Panama

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On my week vacation to Panama earlier this year, my first dinner was at the well-reputed Fonda Lo Que Hay restaurant. Fonda Lo Que Hay is listed on the 50 Best “Discovery” list for Latin America, and it generally gets very good reviews. It was also Number 57 on the 50 Best Latin America restaurants in 2022. That was enough for me to make a Saturday evening reservation, as I had had success with other 50 Best restaurants (like El Chato in Bogota and Borago in Santiago).

Dinner set up at Fonda Loa Que Hay. The plates were giving an Italian vibe. I really loved that.

Fonda Lo Que Hay, or “LQH” as it sometimes refers to itself, is located in Casco Viejo, or “old Panama City.” The area immediately surrounding the restaurant is walkable and safe, as well as quite well lit at night due to numerous tourist trinket shops in the immediate area. We found the restaurant pretty easily and were instantly impressed by its cute decor, which was giving trendy, Panamanian, tropical, cocktail bar, LOL.

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Tide & Vine Oyster Company – An Actually Delicious Restaurant in Niagara Falls, Canada!

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This post is all about the best meal that I ate in Niagara Falls, Canada in May 2025 at Tide & Vine Oyster Company. Now, I must preface this post with explaining just how terrible the food scene is in Niagara Falls, Canada. It’s bad. Comprised largely of American chain restaurants with a smattering of non-chain establishments that cater solely to tourists (meaning no repeat business), you will have a tough time finding good food in Niagara Falls, Canada. This was such a disappointment, as one of our favorite things about Montreal (the Canadian city that we usually visit in May) is the food.

Burger King, Applebee’s, & Ripley’s Believe It or Not. This is peak Niagara Falls.

I searched and searched online trying to find a somewhat decent restaurant and came across Tide & Vine Oyster Company a couple times. I decided to try it, despite loathing oysters, and made a reservation for Saturday evening. Tide & Vine Oyster Company is located about a 15 minute drive from the tourist heart of Niagara Falls, Canada. It’s definitely not close enough to walk, but there is ample parking as its located in a strip mall. We Ubered to and from the restaurant. On arrival, despite being surprised about the strip mall situation, I was excited to see a cute outdoor seating area and that the interior was decorated nicely. The restaurant was also devoid of tourists. A good sign.

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Niagara Falls: A Long Weekend from NYC!

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I drive to Montreal almost every Memorial Day to start the summer in one of Dan and my favorite cities (Montreal!). This year, however, we switched it up and drove to Niagara Falls, mainly due to the fact that we had two Hilton resort credits to use through our Hilton Aspire cards. While we still love, love, love Montreal, we were surprised by Niagara Falls and had a really fun time. We will absolutely return! This post details what we did over our long weekend driving from the New York City area.

Niagara Falls!

DAY ONE: A COUNTRY DRIVE, CROSSING THE BORDER, AND A TERRIBLE DINNER AT THE SKYLON TOWER

Our Niagara Falls long weekend began on a Friday morning, leaving the New York City area around 9:30 AM. Our drive took us through Western New York and while it originally consisted of normal highway, the road changed to more country roads for the second half of the drive (and my internet to work no longer worked). We crossed the border via The Peace Bridge in Buffalo, which crossing took no time at all and was quicker than what we are used to at Montreal. You can check times for the border crossing here.  We arrived in the late afternoon to very, very cold weather. Not exactly what we were hoping for for Memorial Day weekend (although the weather was the same in Montreal).

A chilly view of the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.

As you probably guessed, we stayed on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, our first two nights at the DoubleTree Fallsview Resort & Spa. The hotel looked like a mountain resort and offered, albeit a bit far, views of the Falls. We enjoyed staying here, but recommend staying closer for better views if you can.

View from our room at the DoubleTree. This was our second morning when we had great weather.

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Montreal: A Long Weekend Itinerary for Foodies!

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Dan and I spent a long weekend in Montreal, as we do almost every year, last May, but this May, our friends joined us from Virginia for a memorable birthday weekend! We had a wonderful time and great weather, enjoying fantastic meals, tasty drinks, and a bit of relaxation. This post details our 4-day itinerary for those looking for a Montreal itinerary focused on great food and drinks.

Montreal!

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JFK Capital One Lounge – The [current] BEST Lounge in Terminal 4

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Dan and I flew from New York’s JFK airport to Athens, Greece last month for a 10-day summer getaway (which I will be writing about soon). We arrived at the airport early in the hopes of visiting a lounge and we were super lucky – the JFK Capital One Lounge had just opened with in the week! Of course, we had to visit this brand new lounge. In sum, the JFK Capital One Lounge is a fantastic lounge, currently the best of the credit card lounges at JFK. The staff was attentive and nice, the food was plentiful and tasty, and the drinks were flowing and well-prepared. The lounge also screamed New York City and was just really fun to visit. Don’t miss it on your next visit to JFK Terminal 4!

The lovely bar in the JKF Capital One Lounge.

WHERE IS THE CAPITAL ONE LOUNGE AT JFK

The JFK Capital One Lounge is located inside JFK Terminal 4, past security.  Once you clear security, go downstairs and take a right (with your back toward security). The Capital One Lounge is located in the midst of numerous shopping outlets toward the B Gates, generally across from Le Grand Comptoir (a decent outlet if you lack lounge access). The lounge is very easy to find, although its not near most of the other JFK Terminal 4 credit card lounges (which are on the first floor to the left of security).

The brand new JFK Capital One Lounge entrance!

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