Karan Smith
Writer. Traveller. Sweeper of Cheerios.
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A central station for arts and food in Amsterdam

1/23/2015

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The food stalls house talents ranging from Michelin-starred chefs to startups. Photo by Zing-Kyn Cheung
You know when you're wandering a new city and find yourself hungry and tired and somehow eating at a tourist joint? That won't happen at Amsterdam's De Hallen. 

The 19th century tram repair station has been converted into a hub for fashion, crafts and food. It's one of those renovations that gives hope to old buildings. And its Foodhallen brings together the best of the city under one roof offering everything from Dutch bitterballen to Thai fish soup. This is my story in The Globe and Mail on Amsterdam's first indoor food market.
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De Hallen is an easy 15 minutes' streetcar ride from Museum Square. Photo by Karan Smith
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Mmm: charcuterie cones. Dominique Spijker of Jabugo Bar Iberico. Photo by Karan Smith
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A full-style escape to Ontario countryside

8/29/2014

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PictureThe Drake Devonshire inside and out. Photography by Kayla Rocca.
Southern Ontario’s Prince Edward County is populated with grape growers, cheese makers and soon one more outpost for stressed-out condo dwellers: the Drake Devonshire Inn. Connected with Toronto's Drake Hotel, an artsy urban mainstay, the inn will trade big city hustle for big lake vistas, while keeping cottage goers in style (as you can see from these sneak peek photos and more). (The Wellington property opens Sept. 15)

Chris Loane, the new innkeeper for the Drake Devonshire and an urban escapee himself, shares five ways to experience this popular county in my new Insider for The Globe and Mail.

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Where to drink in Montreal 

8/22/2014

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PictureBar Furco has since opened Café Parvis next door. One must eat to drink!
Happy hour sounds so cruise-ship, but, in Montreal, it’s just part of the bon vivant lifestyle. The city’s “5 à 7” is less about cheap drinks and more about starting the night out right. 

In this story for up! magazine, and armed with a shortlist of 17 recommendations (a shortlist!), I tackled the tough assignment of finding five local favourites where the party starts early -- and sometimes just carries on. Santé!

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Peace, quiet and grand pianos at world's biggest cabin

7/25/2014

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PictureCulinary and outdoorsy deals can be found in the Montebello Passport.
The Fairmont's Le Château Montebello is not your average Canadian cottage. In fact, it’s said to be the biggest log cabin in the world. And as such the expansive river-front property situated between Ottawa and Montreal offers biking, horse-back riding and drinking of cocktails at the piano bar. (Well, does your cottage have a grand piano?) 

But there's also much to discover in the surrounding town of Montebello. This is my story in Vacay.ca about exploring this unique Quebec getaway. 




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Montebello's lobby with its six-sided stone fireplace.
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There are 19 Quebec brews at Les brasseurs de Montebello.
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Fromagerie Montebello combines history and culinary temptations.
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A sommelier's guide to Barcelona

7/23/2014

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PictureOnce you've toured Sagrada Família, it's time for wine and new wave Catalan food.
Spanish sommelier Ferran Centelles can still recall the first aroma he recognized in a glass of wine – rose petals in a bottle of Muscat from Penedes. Since then, he’s gone on to identify and recommend many more, as a sommelier at the famed elBulli, and now as a teacher and Spanish wine specialist.

In my new Insider in The Globe and Mail, Centelles shares his favourite wine-and-food stops in Barcelona.


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Eat like a local in Rome

7/19/2014

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PictureWhen in Rome… Photo by Roger Hallett
What makes Rome such a great culinary destination is that it is a working, living and eating city, says Elizabeth Minchilli, a food writer whose latest book, Eating Rome is making its way to presses.
Which means that despite its huge popularity among travellers, you can still stumble upon places favourited by locals. 
In my new Globe Insider, Minchilli recommends a Roman neighbourhood packed with culinary flavour. 



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Hang out like a local in Honolulu

11/26/2013

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PicturePortlock Point. Photo by David Chatsuthiphan, UnrealHawaii.com
The photo there looks so... (gorgeous, tempting, beautiful) Hawaii. But what about a slice of 800-degree-cooked pizza or a neighbourhood of murals or a late-night noodle bar? 

Honolulu mixologist Dave Newman from gastropub Pint + Jigger reveals those local stops in my new Insider in The Globe and Mail. And he also mounts a strong defence for the classic mai tai. Cheers!

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The Hunger Games loved Atlanta, and so will you

11/19/2013

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PictureAtlanta's atmosphere-rich JCT Bar. Photo by Andrew Thomas Lee
Zombies. Vampires. Bow-wielding heroines. There are a few reasons Atlanta has become known as Hollywood South. More than 300 productions were shot in the state last year, including The Walking Dead, The Vampire Diaries and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,out this week. (If you're counting sleeps.)

That big- and small-screen imagination extends to the city’s bars, kitchens and theatre troops, says Chad Eikhoff, the founder of TRICK 3D, a local animation studio. In my Insider feature for The Globe and Mail, Eikhoff shares his five picks on where to find Atlanta's creative talent from JCT Kitchen's angry mussels to a Hunger Games hub. Enjoy. Just watch your back.

Blog bonus: Atlanta Movie Tours offers zombie and location tours in the capital. Or as they put it, Braaainss!

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Cardamom Hill's Pork Vindaloo. Photo by Raftermen Photography
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JCT's devilled eggs. Photo by Andrew Thomas Lee
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"The Devil Tree" at The Goat Farm. Photo by Justin Hadley.
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The Insider: A walking tour with a Victoria gin maker

11/12/2013

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PictureSmell the heritage grains baking at Fol Epi. Photo by Peter Bagi.
With a wood fire, a handful of botanicals and a German copper pot, Peter Hunt transforms plain grain spirit into the award-winning Victoria Gin. And he isn’t the only Victoria resident in the business of consumable alchemy.

From butchers to bakers, there are a lot of people “trying to really do something unique and creative,” says Hunt, a molecular biologist turned master distiller behind Victoria Spirits. 

So where to tap into this current of creativity? Here, in my Globe and Mail Insider, Hunt shares five downtown stops in the B.C. capital that will keep you fuelled all day long.  


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The Insider: 5 Cool Things to See in Berlin

10/22/2013

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PictureBerlin's La Soupe Populaire. Photo by Bötzow Berlin
“We are not sauerkraut.” So says Henrik Tidefjard of his company, Berlinagenten, which sends travellers and trendsetters beyond the museums and monuments.
 
In my new Insider in The Globe and Mail, read about Tidefjard's picks of cool places to explore in Berlin. There may be no sauerkraut, but you can expect Brandenburg tapas, cocktails created on the spot and an underground amusement park.



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    It started with a 1979 GM van. Throw in miles (and miles) of Canadian scenery, sisters, dogs and my Dad's Crystal Gayle tape and what do you get? A love of travel. And yes, this travel blog.  

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