Standard issue: haute hostesses at QT Bar
Posted by Toni on February 8th, 2010
It’s time to re-assess the wardrobe when the waitresses at the bar I’m in are wearing better outfits than me. OK, these weren’t just any old waitresses. In fact, I don’t think we’re even allowed to call them waitresses, they’re way too cool for that. These were glowing, silk-sheathed ‘hostesses’ serving Manhattan’s best martinis from the QT bar at the very hip Standard NY hotel.
18 floors below on the streets of the Meatpacking district, it was a toe-numbing minus seven (hence me eschewing the peep-toes and cocktail dress for boots and knits), but you wouldn’t have guessed that from the delicate drop-waisted gowns and honeyed skin on display. The dresses were designed in-house (as they do with all of their uniforms for the club), the intention being that they look classic, like a Rockette, but modern and slightly space age.
No one does high-maintenance glamour as well as the New Yorkers, even in Baltic conditions. And no one would expect anything less than a league of supermodel staff setting off the city’s hottest bar from super hotelier Andre Balazs.
The QT bar is currently the hottest ticket in NY, so I can console myself that I can’t have looked too shabby to pass the doorman’s once-over and make it in to the bar without any Benjamins changing hands. And the hot hostesses gave me the perfect excuse to blow next month’s rent at Barneys. Happy new year to my wardrobe.
First up are two 
Continuing the ravishing-rainforest theme is 
Our favourite bits:
Hotel Savoy
Masseria Torre Coccaro
Atzaró
La Fuente de la Higuera
Our favourite bits The stunning coastal location has inspired every corner of the hotel – from the mosaic-tiled swimming pool which appears to flow into the Mediterranean to the starfish motifs adorning the lampshades. If you can tear your eyes away from the dazzling sea views, you’ll even find vibrant hand-painted murals of fish and crustaceans adorning the walls of every room. The marine theme continues at the hotel’s Les Pecheurs restaurant, where the fish is as fresh as a blustery January morning. Dishes range from catch of the day baked in local herbs to more inventive fare such as blue lobster salad with avocado, tomato jelly and a dash of sour mango.
There are so many things I could tell you about our trip to 
as much cream and eggs as they can cram in. They’re on sale in every pasteleria, but the best place to buy them is the famous 
If you’re here at Christmas, try bolo rei, or ‘king cake’, baked to celebrate the coming of the three kings to visit the baby Jesus. It’s a ring of sweet dough with a hole in the middle, studded with brightly coloured crystallised fruits. Traditionally you’d have found a fava bean or metal charm inside the cake, and whoever got it was the ‘king of the day’ – that was until the spoilsport bureaucrats of the EU banned it citing ‘safety reasons’. We bought one as a gift for some friends in Lisbon without realising the history behind it. I was attracted by the brightly coloured fruits on top that reminded me of the foil sweet wrappers that our kids used to decorate their crowns for the school nativity.
e a typical Portuguese dish, especially for those who stick to the Catholic tradition of fish on Fridays. Our experience of salt cod was as a mixed blessing, mostly firm, meaty and flavoursome chunks of fish, but on a bad day it can have overtones of tasteless old leather. At Casa do Alentejo, in the backstreet just round the corner from our Hotel Heritage Av Liberdade, we had the best of it. Large chunks of firm, salty fish were served with red and yellow peppers and onions, cooked to melty perfection in fruity olive oil to make a delicious salt and sweet combination. Another way to try it is in the little morsels of pastéis do bacalhau – small fried croquettes containing a mixture of potato and fish, served as a starter.
window. We couldn’t leave Lisbon without a plateful, and managed to squeeze it in at Cervejaria Trinidade in the Chiado neighbourhood. This cheerful, bustling place was once a monastery, then a brewery, and now serves fresh seafood and a wide range of beers in the traditionally tiled former refectory, overlooked by a mural of jolly monks. We enjoyed a simple meal of giant prawns, bread and salad, washed down with beer, proving that fast food needn’t be a disappointment.
hill up to Castelo de Sao Jorge. We were seduced by the old-fashioned shop with shelf upon shelf of sardine tins. Half the appeal was the colourful kitsch paper that the lady of the back of the shop was wrapping around each tin. They stocked every variation on tinned sardine, tuna, anchovies and other tinned fish; we were so charmed we had to buy a few for presents, hoping that the recipients would share our new-found sardine addiction.
If you want an alcoholic taste to remember, try the cherry liqueur sold from tiny booth-like shops in the squares of central Lisbon, such as A Ginginha, opposite the burnt-out church of San Domingos. On a warm evening you can stand outside, milling with the locals taking a nightcap. Sometimes they’re even served in chocolate cups for added sweetness. We decided to stick to the port that was served at Hotel Heritage Av Liberdade – after a long day sightseeing it was a perfect way to unwind relaxing on the comfy sofas by the bar. If you’re a port aficionado and want to try one of the many different varieties, then I’ve heard that the Solar do Vinho do Porto (the Port Wine Institute), in the Bairro Alto is the place to go.
