• Home
  • Services
  • Featured Destinations
  • Reviews
  • Photo Gallery
  • Our Resort Picks
  • Places Plates Cocktails
  • Deals and Offers
  • Gifts and Registries
  • Quote Request
  • COVID -19 UPDATES
  • FAQ
  • Press and Awards
  • Useful Links
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Sightseeing Draft Page
  • More
    • Home
    • Services
    • Featured Destinations
    • Reviews
    • Photo Gallery
    • Our Resort Picks
    • Places Plates Cocktails
    • Deals and Offers
    • Gifts and Registries
    • Quote Request
    • COVID -19 UPDATES
    • FAQ
    • Press and Awards
    • Useful Links
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Sightseeing Draft Page
  • Sign In
  • Create Account

  • Bookings
  • My Account
  • Signed in as:

  • filler@godaddy.com


  • Bookings
  • My Account
  • Sign out

Signed in as:

filler@godaddy.com

  • Home
  • Services
  • Featured Destinations
  • Reviews
  • Photo Gallery
  • Our Resort Picks
  • Places Plates Cocktails
  • Deals and Offers
  • Gifts and Registries
  • Quote Request
  • COVID -19 UPDATES
  • FAQ
  • Press and Awards
  • Useful Links
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Sightseeing Draft Page

Account


  • Bookings
  • My Account
  • Sign out


  • Sign In
  • Bookings
  • My Account
Bentley Travel Services

We do the planning for you.

We do the planning for you.We do the planning for you.We do the planning for you.

Culinary Travel Experiences

One of the great joys of travel is discovering the cuisine of the destinations you visit. You can learn a lot about the history and culture of a place through its food and drink.  

Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya Restaurants and Bars

Dine at nine of the best restaurants in the Riviera Maya, without even having to leave the resort.

Soft Shell Crab Salad

                                          BUON APPETITO!  Cooking class in Rome.  

    Steps to make fresh pasta

    When you think of Italian cuisine, you think of pasta.  


    A recent trip to Rome was enhanced by participating in a cooking class.  We learned how to make pasta (fettuccine and ravioli), tiramisu, paired with wine and limoncello. 


    Making pasta requires few tools and ingredients, but requires patience and is worth the wait.

     

    Tools:

    • Rolling pin
    • Fork
    • Wooden board (or a marble work surface)
    • Pasta wheel cutter or knife

    Ingredients:

    • Flour
    • Water
    • Salt
    • Eggs
    • Cheese or meat for ravioli stuffing

    Steps:

    • Making the dough
    • Rolling the dough
    • Kneading the dough
    • Rolling the pasta
    • Cutting the pasta into shapes or adding filling (ravioli)
    • Cooking the pasta
    • Choosing a sauce


    Our pasta was served with a choice of sauces: amatriciana (tomato and pork), cacio e pepe (parmesan, pecorino, and pepper), or tomato & basil, and red or white wine. Our dessert was  tarimisu that we made at the beginning of the class served with coffee and limoncello.

     

    There are around 300 different shapes of pasta in Italy, ranging from penne and spaghetti to farfalle to racchette (tennis rackets)! Whatever your style, you know you’re getting something special when you indulge in a delicious bowl of pasta in Italy. 

    Photos: BTS, friends & family cooking in Rome (May 2023) 

     

    Bentley Travel Services Client's Culinary Adventures

    NAPLES, ITLAY THE BIRTHPLACE OF PIZZA!


     

    What do you do when your child research Italy’s culinary history before a trip to Rome and wants to experience pizza in Naples the birthplace of pizza? Bentley Travel makes that desire a reality by planning a day trip to Naples by train to enjoy pizza and other delicacies on a food walking tour.  

    Photos by MF‐Wisconsin  August 2023

    Wine Tasting in Nice!

    WINE TASTING IN NICE


    “Tonight was a great night. Spent the night learning about and drinking French wine. Thanks Beverly for putting together an amazing experience.” EJF‐CT

    Photos by ZP‐CT   August 2023

    Tom Bullock The Ideal Bartender

    Tom Bullock’s (1872-1964) influence in the history of cocktails in the US is undeniable, yet little is known about the author of the first cocktail manual written by a Black bartender.
     

    Bullock was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of a former slave who fought for the Union Army in the American Civil War. Bullock began his bartending career at the Pendennis Club, an elite private club in Louisville where Bullock started work as a bellboy. Bullock also enjoyed a brief stint at the Kenton Club, a short-lived rival started in 1885 by businessmen who were denied membership to the Pendennis. Bullock eventually landed a bartending position at the St. Louis Country Club, whose clients included banker George Herbert Walker and brewing magnate August Bush Sr.


    In 1917, Bullock became the first known Black author to publish a cocktail manual, The Ideal Bartender. Bullock’s is one of the last cocktail manuals published before Prohibition and provides rare insight into pre-Prohibition cocktails and drinking culture.


    Step back in time with the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience during a visit to Louisville, KY.

     

    8 French Pastries You Have to Try While in France (That Aren't Croissants)

    Beginner's Guide to the Spanish Aperitivo

    The social foodie moment that should be a part of your daily ritual

    Original article from CNTraveler


    Nestled between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean sea lies Spain, a country whose culinary scene has been making international waves for decades. Part of what makes Spain’s gastronomy so outstanding is the physical makeup of the country—a range of autonomous communities with varied traditions and regional delicacies— but it is also the longstanding tradition of food as a vehicle for socialization and celebration. Of all of the beloved foodie customs in Spain, aperitivos might just be the simplest, most treasured of all.


    Aperitivos, or small bites of food intended to whet the palate before larger mealtimes, have long been a cultural fixture of many European dining scenes. Spain, however, does things a bit differently than its neighbors. Traditionally served before lunchtime, Spain’s longest meal of the day, aperitivos are a festive way to turn an average meal into a prolonged social event.


    Whether you want to incorporate this beloved tradition into your mealtime rituals or simply seek culinary inspiration from the masters, consider this your official guide to the Spanish aperitivo.


    Spain’s most beloved aperitivos

    Traditionally enjoyed in an informal setting, like at tall tables or on bar stools, aperitivos run the gambit in terms of what can be served. The main requisites are that each bite is small and flavorful so as to not fill one up, but to prepare the appetite for the meal to come. Typical Spanish foods like marinated olives, pickles, or patatas bravas drizzled in a slightly spicy red sauce and aioli are some of the more popular aperitivos.

     

    A small dish of high-quality, hand-carved Jamón Ibérico, slices of chorizo sausage, and a few triangles of Manchego—Spain’s celebrated sheep milk cheese that comes in several flavorful varieties—are also standard aperitivo choices. For those who appreciate seafood, shellfish like cockles and mussels are other possibilities, as well as the highly celebrated Spanish conservas, or briny tinned seafood for which Spain is famous.


    It would be remiss not to mention the holy grail region of Spanish aperitivos, Basque Country. Here, pinchos—small, aperitivo-like snacks—are often served atop bread at bars and restaurants, held together with a toothpick. Gildas, a pincho of pepper, olive, and anchovy marinated in olive oil, is a bright and flavorful pincho.

      

    What to sip with aperitivos

      

    It isn’t an aperitivo if it isn’t served with a drink, whether it be a glass of cava, a Fino sherry, or a young red wine. Spanish drinking culture is as refined and exciting as its culinary scene, so you have several options when it comes to finding a great companion for your aperitivo.


    Whether you favor white, rosé, or red, Spanish wines are always a winning choice when looking for just the right match for your aperitivo. Wines in Spain are made with dozens of different grape varietals, so there is a flavor profile to match every taste and occasion. A fresh Albariño from Galicia, a seductive aged Tempranillo from La Rioja, or a provocative Garnacha rosé from Aragón will perfectly accompany any Spanish dish. Then there’s the typical sangria, wine mixed with soda and fresh fruit, which is a perfectly refreshing choice in the warmer summer months.


     








    The History of Chocolate

    The history of chocolate can be traced to the ancient Mayans, and even earlier to the ancient Olmecs of southern Mexico.  

     

    By the late 19th century and early 20th century, chocolate companies  were mass-producing a variety of chocolate confections to meet the growing demands.

    Viking River Cruise Chocolate Lover's Cookbook

    Download PDF

    The Best of Italy, Spain, & Portugal Cookbook

    Download PDF

    Connect With Places, Plates, & Cocktails



    Copyright © 2025 Bentley Travel Services - All Rights Reserved.

    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us

    Powered by