With the New Year upon us, now is the time to plan those 2024 vacations. Here’s a destination to consider, especially for epicureans, those who are passionate about food and drink and unique culinary experiences.

Where beach meets city, and Bayshore Boulevard hugs Tampa Bay, the neighborhoods of Hyde Park Village and Soho (South of Howard Avenue) in Florida rise high like glittering sapphires. Two sparkling gems, shimmering with fantastic facets of art, culture, Southern hospitality and of course, culinary delights. It is here that comfortable walking shoes could be considered your greatest, easiest and most desirous method of transportation.

From the jaw-dropping Bayshore Estates to beautifully appointed and architecturally crafted bungalows, being on foot between the sleek Epicurean Hotel and Hyde Park Village is essential, if one cares to bathe in the magical coziness of both the inviting exteriors of the private homes and sublime commercial hub that punctuate the streets with sizzle and style.

It takes less than two minutes of moving about Soho and Hyde Park Village to know something special is in the air. Somehow, in an instant, life feels easier and friendlier here. A calming happiness seems to spill into its atmosphere.

The Epicurean Hotel at 1207 S. Howard Ave., https://bit.ly/4aCUJqA, was developed in collaboration with the legendary Bern’s Steak House across the street. The hotel’s food theme prevails throughout the property. Wooden sides of wine crates adorn the walls and ceiling at the wine-themed check-in desk. Of course, I was mesmerized by the sitting areas with bookshelves filled with vintage cookbooks available for sale, with proceeds going to a culinary scholarship fund.

Hundreds of handwritten recipe cards have been turned into a work of art in one of the dining rooms. The artwork throughout the property conveys one of four food themes: grow, create, imbibe and indulge. Even the light fixtures aside the room numbers are etched with food- and wine-related items.

When people think of resorts, they think of golf, spa and theme park resorts. Think of the Epicurean as a culinary resort, with the “theme park” being the world-famous Bern’s Steak House, right across the street.

Cooking and wine classes as well as meetings take place in the state-of-the-art tiered Epicurean Theatre. The late Bern Laxer strongly believed that in the business of food and wine, one must be a student for life.

Edge, the hotel’s rooftop bar, is the place to be to enjoy craft cocktails, wine, beer and small plates. It’s the perfect location for sunset views and taking in eclectic works of art.

The stunning Lobby Bar features chef inspired plates plus a cocktail program that showcases well-made classics, while highlighting creative signature offerings. The Elevage Burger is a fresh take on the classic with cheddar, bread and butter pickles topped with comeback sauce.

We are told the menus change seasonally; however one foodie-favorite dish remains on the Lobby Bar menu; the Homage to Bern’s (shaved ribeye, caramelized onion, Alpine cheese on focaccia), a nod to the Epicurean’s legendary neighbor, Bern’s Steak House.

Bern’s Fine Wines & Spirits is right off the lobby. How convenient! Bern’s Steak House has accumulated one of the largest, private collections of wines assembled in the world. Sommeliers will help you find the most interesting wines, many not available in most wine shops.

Across from the hotel’s entrance is Chill Bros. Scoop Shop.

“At Epicurean, we’re all about food and fun, so we’re thrilled to partner with Chill Bros., whose dedication to quality mixes so sweetly with ours,” said the Epicurean’s general manager, Shawn Routen.

Throughout my stay I was eyeing the featured flavors, Malty Millionaire (velvety vanilla malt ice cream filled with bite size millionaire’s shortbread squares and thick swirls of salted caramel), and Apple Pie (cinnamon vanilla ice cream, homemade apple butter, Granny Smith apples cooked to perfection with brown sugar, flakey homemade pie crust sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.) Which would be your choice? Perhaps both . . . need sampling!

Evangeline, the on-site full-service spa, offers a recipe for relaxation with a delectable variety of treatments. The epicurean theme extends here with treatments such as “Champagne Tub & Table for Two,” “Crushed Cabernet Body Treatment,” “Hot Whiskey Scour Massage,” “Bern’s Bourbon on the Rocks Foot Treatment” and what I indulged in, the ”Dulce Delight Body Wrap,” which began with a coffee salt exfoliant of Arabica bean extract that energizes, exfoliates and soothes dry skin.

Then, a full- body, dark-chocolate mask was applied before I was wrapped in a cocoon enhancing absorption and detoxification. After showering off, a sweet cream milk body massage completed the “feast” for the body.

Dinner at Elevage SOHO Kitchen & Bar, the hotel’s restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch, is headed up by Executive Chef Jonathan Atanacio.

As the restaurant website states, “Whether you want to call them epicureans, foodies or gourmands, we’re crafting dining experiences that speak to lovers of life’s great flavors.”

We can attest to those flavors with the dinner savored. The pumpkin soup poured tableside incorporated apple, quince, and sage. The pickled beets, served with arugula, feta cheese and cucumber is drizzled with a delicate, red wine vinaigrette. The creative preparation of the roasted Chilean seabass (figs, sunchoke, turnip, pearl onion, apple brown butter) lives up to the quote above with flavors so well-orchestrated.

The Mediterranean Caesar Salad bursts with flavor and color. The Diver Sea Scallops are accompanied with chestnut risotto, kalettes, leeks and just enough tasso butter to tantalize the palate. To top off this epicurean experience, was the Fall Harvest Cobbler (apple, fig, pear, dates, topped with peanut brittle ice cream) and the Flourless Chocolate Brownie adorned with peanut butter swirl ice cream and peanut brittle chocolate sauce. Wine connoisseurs will appreciate the all-encompassing wine list. It is “approachable to the wallet” Atanacio said. Scotch and whiskies number well over 100.

Eating dinner at Bern’s Steak House is a dining experience like no other. This is a place where the book does not look like the cover . . .  Upon entering, you are taken back in time. A previous guest described the lobby as “Harry Potter meets luxury brothel.”

Caviar lovers will be impressed with the 16 choices. If you can’t find a cut of beef to your liking, you won’t find it anywhere. If beef isn’t your thing, there is poultry and seafood. Steak entrees include French onion soup au gratin, steak house salad, baked potato, onion rings and vegetable tasting of the evening, quite often from Bern’s farm.

I upgraded to the Soup Tasting: a trio of French onion, vichyssoise and lobster bisque. The petit filet mignon, the “turf” of the Surf & Turf was cooked to perfection, a treat for me since I rarely eat beef. I thought, if I was going to enjoy a steak, it had to be here. The “surf” was blackened Day Boat scallops.

My dining partner savored the lump crab cake, chock full of tender crab surrounded by a splash of Green Goddess. An entrée of roasted snapper was accompanied by potato puree, Hen-of-the-Woods (mushrooms), and arugula, topped with white truffle beurre blanc.

Oenophiles will be in paradise with an almost 200-page wine list. Bern’s has 500,000-plus bottles and 6,500 unique labels. Guests can also choose from 150 wines by the glass starting at $10 to a $30,000 bottle. The cellar is one of the most respected and largest collections in the world. After dinner, guests are offered a tour of the massive kitchen and wine cellars. We were given a tour of the meat aging room as well.

And then it was off to the Harry Waugh Dessert Room, one of the most famous and popular aspects of Bern’s. I was in heaven, with more than 50 house-made desserts to choose from with more than 1,000 dessert wines and spirits plus creative, specialty coffee drinks. The dessert room was built as a tribute to Harry Waugh, an internationally known and respected wine connoisseur, director of Chateau Latour and good friend to Laxer. California redwood wine holding tanks were used to create private booths. You have to see it to believe it.

I indulged with the banana cheese pie, a banana cream cheese mousse in an almond praline crust with fresh bananas and whipped cream. The recipe, which has not changed, dates to 1956, and was one of Laxer’s favorites. The server didn’t have to talk me into trying the Macadamia Nut Ice Cream. This secret recipe was developed by Laxer. He tested and retested the formula hundreds of times before he was satisfied with the results — a sweet, creamy ice cream with buttered, roasted macadamia nuts.

Our other dessert, peanut butter and chocolate, a match made in heaven, shone in the Peanut Butter Truffle (Oreo brownie, crunchy peanut butter, peanut butter mousse, caramel milk chocolate mousse, with a generous scoop of peanut butter fudge swirl ice cream). This dessert extravaganza was the crème de la crème!

Everything about Forbici Modern Italian says welcome, and exudes a European charm, from the casual yet modern space to the fresh approach to the most beloved, Italian classics — think scrumptious, house-made pastas, pizzas, sandwiches and salads. This place has character.

And it has super-approachable twists on each of these classics thanks to the vision and understanding of fundamental recipes that Executive Chef Raymond Ortiz applies to the creation of each new dish. In his desire to keep things fresh, Ortiz features six new recipes (a pizza, pasta, protein, salad, sandwich and dessert) monthly both to excite his team and to delight his family of customers.

From expertly prepared and served fried calamari to the Cup and Char pizza (dough takes three days to be ready and is cut using special scissors, forbici in Italian), we reveled in one taste sensation after another. Beautifully sauced, steamed mussels — so great we wanted to slurp it. Luscious meatballs that were tender, yet flavor packed. The FGT salad (fried green tomato) left us craving for more, that good, and a creative approach for a salad.

The most moist and soft textured Lemon Olive Oil Cake ever swept our taste buds far away to Italy, where dining alfresco is one of life’s richest pleasures. And on that sweet note, we bid Chef Raymond, “ciao” as we made our way onto a day made better from the joy and passion we experienced for food and hospitality at Forbici Modern Italian.

From The Salty (a must!) for an exquisitely tantalizing donut (think decadence) to Oddfellows Ice Cream (Yes, the flavor combinations are that unusual, but amazing) to Buddy Brew (the coffee roaster has a social mission called “Brew Good, Do Good”).

Hyde Park feels like it has an eternal spring of culinary spots popping up for bites, beverages and specialty treats any time of day. While busily walking both to and from our main meals, we couldn’t help ourselves from stopping by to give at least one thing from each place a try.

The Hyppo, creates an array of super-fresh ice pops using every fruit and flavor imaginable. Not only are they visually bursting with vibrant colors, but your taste buds will thank you for the delectable treat. A culinary-merchandise market stop-by at Fig & Julep (one of the best we’ve ever shopped) proved to be a delight. So worth a visit. They have a remarkable, curated collection of local, regional, and national food products from honey to tea, maple syrup to phenomenal soup blends. Truly something special for any foodie.

Finding ourselves needing something to nosh on between meals, we opted to try a freshly made Caprese Panini at Sweet Sorrento. And while it was exactly what we wanted — tasty and like we’ve had in Italy, it took willpower to forgo the menagerie of homemade Italian desserts that was staring out at us.

Mid-afternoon heat drove us into CineBistro for a showing of the 1980s classic film “Planes, Trains & Automobiles.” The elegant theater, complete with a huge, quintessential lobby bar, and eight cinemas, offers in-seat delivery of everything from their full libations and extensive food menus. This place is classy. A fun, tasty and unique experience.

Needing a break from eating, we found ourselves quickly swept up in all the hubbub going on over at The CandlePour. It’s truly exciting and engaging to experience candle making from the focal point of creating “ones unique essential oil blend” then using it to infuse the scent and final aroma the candle will emit. We cannot express how much fun this was. A do not miss stop.

Interestingly, we found ourselves at Goody Goody (a classic diner and part of Tampa’s culinary history), not once, but three times. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert are all delicious, fresh and plentiful. The flashback theme and servers both give the place a charm and warmth that’s also reminiscent of simpler, happier times, when local, community life meant everything to its people, and gathering at the table fostered good relationships.

With a seemingly endless number of interesting food establishments and diverse restaurants, here are a few that “got away this time” but are high on the list for our next visit.

We skipped Bar Taco despite being fans, simply because we’ve enjoyed it before, and in other cities. The Italian Steakhouse, Timpano, was always bustling and had quite the elegant appeal. Since we were already going to Bern’s Steakhouse, it simply was a no-go this time. We were unable to fit in a visit to Haven, the newest member of the Bern’s family, specializing in the concept of crafted, cultured and cellared.

From what was mentioned, the menu features fresh, approachable cuisine and a diverse beverage program. The “newish” Meat Market Steakhouse Tampa looks to be very hip and happening with a great crowd, and menu, but we needed one more day in the neighborhood to make it there. The popular On Swann piqued our interest from our first stroll by, with its inviting, minimalist-bistro space. Both the thoughtful lunch and dinner menus would be incredible to eat-our-way-through each subsequent visit.

The sophisticated and delectable looking Ro, with an exquisite, Japanese/Asian menu  featuring sushi, sashimi and Korean BBQ, appears to be where we need to eat on our very next night in the neighborhood.

Stephen Fries, is professor emeritus and former coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College in New Haven, Conn. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 15 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Email him at Stephen@stephenfries.com For more information, go to stephenfries.com.

Although U.S. airlines this year hadn’t experienced the kinds of mass cancellations and operational breakdowns that plagued the industry in 2022, carriers continued to struggle. Part of that is due to a record number of people flying. According to data from the Transportation Security Administration, 2023 has seen some of the highest-ever single-day numbers of people passing through airport security checkpoints.

NerdWallet reviewed data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics about on-time percentages, cancellation rates, flight diversions, mishandled baggage, tarmac delays and involuntary denied boardings to determine the most reliable — and least reliable — domestic airlines in the U.S. in 2023.

Here’s a look at performance in each category of the data.

On-time percentage

On-time percentage is the headline statistic for airline performance, since whether a flight is late, and by how much, affects every passenger on the flight. The BTS defines a flight as “on time” if it arrives at the destination gate no later than 15 minutes after the scheduled arrival time.

Based on BTS data from January to August 2023, only one airline topped an 80% on-time percentage — and just barely. Delta Air Lines had an 80.8% on-time percentage. Alaska slipped in at 79.9% for second place.

The worst performers were Frontier Airlines, with just 62.1% of flights arriving within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time, and JetBlue Airlines, with a 65.4% on-time percentage. That means more than 1 of every 3 JetBlue flights and nearly 2 in 5 Frontier flights was delayed by more than 15 minutes during the period reviewed.

Flight cancellations

Delayed flights are bad enough. Canceled flights are a nightmare.

BTS data from January to August 2023 reveals an unexpected winner: Allegiant Airlines canceled 0.84% of its flights during the period. Alaska Airlines was a close second with a 0.86% cancellation rate.

Frontier and JetBlue were again at the bottom of the rankings. Frontier had a 2.87% cancellation rate, with JetBlue at 2.59%. That means Frontier canceled around 1 in 35 scheduled flights, while JetBlue canceled 1 in 39.

BTS cancellation data includes only flights that are canceled within seven days of departure, when they’re most likely to throw travelers’ plans into turmoil. Airlines aren’t penalized in this metric for canceling or rescheduling flights more than a week out — which seems to have become increasingly common.

Mishandled luggage

The more connecting flights an airline has, the more opportunities there are for luggage to get lost as bags move from plane to plane. It may not be surprising, then, that airlines with route systems that don’t rely on funneling everyone through hub airports seem to perform better at luggage handling.

Allegiant takes top marks with 0.16% of checked bags mishandled from January to August 2023, according to BTS data. Put another way, only 1 of every 610 bags checked on Allegiant Airlines was lost, delayed or mishandled. Southwest Airlines placed second (0.48%), while most other airlines came in at between 0.5% and 0.6%.

Two big legacy carriers, American Airlines (0.85%) and United Airlines (0.84%), were nearly tied as the worst-performing airlines for mishandled luggage. From a raw numbers stance, American mishandled the most number of checked bags: 591,365 — an average of more than 2,433 mishandled bags per day.

Flight diversions

Having your flight diverted to an airport other than your intended destination can be as confounding as a cancellation. Across U.S. airlines that report to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 9,722 flights were diverted from January through August 2023 — around 1 in every 359 scheduled flights.

During the period examined in 2023, the airline least likely to divert a flight — both in raw numbers and percentage of flights — was Hawaiian Airlines with 53 diversions and a diversion rate of 0.09%. Frontier was a distant second with a 0.19% diversion rate.

Percentage-wise, JetBlue was the worst performer with a diversion rate of 0.45% — or 1 of every 218 scheduled flights. Meanwhile, Southwest had the most diversions in total, with a whopping 2,293 diverted flights during the period.

Other performance metrics

The last two metrics we looked at were tarmac delays and involuntary denied boardings.

A “tarmac delay” is recorded when a plane has pushed back from the gate but doesn’t take off, or has landed but doesn’t allow passengers to get off the aircraft, for more than three hours for a domestic flight and four hours for an international flight. From January to August 2023, Hawaiian was the only major U.S. airline without a single tarmac delay. United had the most tarmac delays, 73, including one of nearly six hours.

An “involuntary denied boarding” occurs when an airline sells more tickets for a flight than it has seats available, then doesn’t get enough volunteers to take a later flight. When that happens, someone gets bumped from the flight. Allegiant and Hawaiian both didn’t have any involuntary denied boardings from January to June 2023 — the most recently reported data.

At the other end of the scale, Frontier denied boarding to 5,782 passengers, and American did it to 5,033. To put those numbers in context, all other airlines combined denied boarding to a total of 2,929 passengers.

The most reliable airline of 2023

Two airlines were nearly neck-and-neck in this year’s analysis, but Alaska Airlines barely edged out Delta Air Lines as the most reliable.

Alaska was buoyed by a second-place finish in on-time percentage (79.9%) and second-lowest cancellation rate (0.86%). A modest denied boarding rate and a dozen tarmac delays were enough to offset a middling mishandled baggage rate (0.59%) for first place overall.

Delta took top marks in on-time percentage (80.8%) and essentially zero denied boardings. However, its cancellation rate (1.6%) was almost double Alaska’s while its baggage mishandled rate (0.53%) was only modestly better than Alaska’s.

Frontier was the clear worst performer among U.S. airlines, with the worst on-time percentage (62.1%), highest cancellation rate (2.87%) and exceptionally high denied boarding rate, almost eight times that of its nearest competitor.

Meanwhile, JetBlue finished in second-to-last place with a poor showing in virtually all metrics, including the second-worst on-time percentage (65.4%) and second-highest cancellation rate (2.59%). Rounding out the bottom three was Spirit Airlines with the third-worst on-time percentage (65.94%), fourth-worst cancellation rate (2.08%) and fourth-worst mishandled bag rate (0.57%).

The article Which Airline Has Been the Most Reliable in 2023? originally appeared on NerdWallet.

The honey mustard glaze, made with only two ingredients, works well atop salmon as well as on chicken wings or roast chicken. One tip: Pick salmon fillets that are equal in thickness so that they cook evenly.

Honey-Mustard Salmon

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup honey

Four 4-ounce salmon fillets, pin bones removed

Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard and honey.

Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel. Place the fish on the prepared pan, skin-side down, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Bake until almost cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the salmon from the oven and brush generously with the honey-mustard glaze. Return to the oven and roast until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Serve hot.

 — Courtesy Amanda Haas, “Homemade Simple: Effortless Dishes for a Busy Life” (Cameron + Company, $29)

This chimichurri recipe, a favorite in her family, calls for parsley, cilantro, garlic, mustard, lime, capers, pepper and sweetener. It’s healthy and pairs well with grilled skirt steak or cauliflower, and it can be used to add flavor to everyday meals like sandwiches or breakfast scrambles too.

“I was thrilled that my kids would literally drink this sauce out of a pitcher, if I let them,” Haas writes. “I’ve now been making so much of it for so long, everyone started calling it ‘Haas Sauce.’”

Chimichurri

Makes 1¼ cups

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 cloves garlic

2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed

2 cups fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a food processor or blender, combine the lime juice, mustard and garlic. Pulse a few times to break up the garlic. Add the parsley and cilantro and pulse until evenly chopped. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the olive oil and pulse until a thick sauce forms. For a thinner sauce, stir in 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. Fold in the capers.

Taste, adding salt, a few grindings of pepper, and the honey, if desired.

To store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

 — Courtesy Amanda Haas, “Homemade Simple: Effortless Dishes for a Busy Life” (Cameron + Company, $29)

Haas, an Orinda-based cookbook author whose new title “Homemade Simple” highlights easy, healthy recipes to cook from home, explains that the chimichurri’s fresh herbs, garlic and citrus flavors cut through the steak’s richness.

A key step: Let the steak come to room temperature before you cook it, which will help it cook evenly.

Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri

Serves 4 or more

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds skirt steak, trimmed and cut into 6- to 8-inch steaks (If you can’t find skirt steak, flap steak or hanger steak are great alternatives)

Olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chimichurri

DIRECTIONS

One hour before serving, remove the steaks from the refrigerator to let them come to room temperature.

Prepare a grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat (about 400 degrees). Brush the grill grate clean and lightly oil the grate.

Rub each steak with oil, then season generously all over with salt and pepper. Grill the steaks over direct heat, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare, or until the internal temperature of the steak reaches 130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice the steaks against the grain, then arrange on a platter. Pour the chimichurri over the steaks and serve additional sauce on the side.

 — Courtesy Amanda Haas, “Homemade Simple: Effortless Dishes for a Busy Life” (Cameron + Company, $29)

Roasted Cauliflower with Chimichurri

Serves 2 to 4

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 head cauliflower (1 to 1½ pounds), cut into 2-inch florets

1/4 cup chimichurri, plus more for serving

3 tablespoons chopped salted, roasted almonds

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grindings of pepper. Whisk to combine, then add the cauliflower. Using your hands, toss together until the cauliflower is evenly coated with the spice mixture. Spread the cauliflower into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Roast, stirring once, until golden brown, slightly charred and tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Transfer to a serving platter, top with the chimichurri and sprinkle with the almonds. Serve with additional chimichurri on the side.

To store: Let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Serve leftovers at room temperature (do not reheat).

 — Courtesy Amanda Haas, “Homemade Simple: Effortless Dishes for a Busy Life” (Cameron + Company, $29)

Sports movies can serve as a backdrop for all kinds of storytelling about what it means to navigate through life. But mid-budget movies have all but disappeared from theaters, taking sports movies with them. When was the last time you saw a great sports comedy or drama that was new? Once a hardy genre, sports movies are something of an endangered species at the moment.

With that in mind, Tribune film critic Nina Metz and sports writer Shakeia Taylor look back at four titles from decades past: “Slap Shot,” “A League of Their Own,” “White Men Can’t Jump” and “Bend it Like Beckham.” All are rentable or available on a streaming platform.

Note: Next month Taylor will take part in the panel discussion “Leveling the Playing Field: Women in Baseball,” hosted by the Jackie Robinson Museum in New York, to talk about how women of color are stepping up to the plate across baseball.

‘Slap Shot’ (1977)

Paul Newman plays an aging player-coach of a struggling minor league hockey team.

Nina Metz: Set in a small Pennsylvania steel town, the movie is as grimy as they come, both in look (perpetually overcast skies) and sensibility (plenty of the dialogue will make you wince). Things are not going well for Newman’s disillusioned, over-the-hill Reggie Dunlop, which is evident when he takes the ice and a heckler shouts: “Dunlop, you stink!” The mill is closing and 10,000 people will be out of work, which means the team is on its last legs, too. Might as well go out with a bang — and a brawl. The three bespectacled Hanson brothers, wrapping their knuckles in tin foil underneath their gloves, are ready to rumble.

This was Newman’s third time working with director George Roy Hill (after “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting”) and it’s such a distillation of 70s-era cynicism. This isn’t a rousing story of beating the odds, but one with a jaundiced outlook on life. True, they win the championship in the end, but it’s the way they win that’s so absurd. Screenwriter Nancy Dowd based the script on her brother’s minor league hockey experiences and the cast is populated with real players, which gives the movie a shambling, insider quality.

It’s too long by 30 minutes, but the soundtrack is tops and Newman is somehow both clown and ringmaster — and watchable as ever. A snapshot in time, it’s surreal to watch players take the ice sans helmets. That used to be standard, but I clutched my metaphorical pearls for those guys and their noggins.

Shakeia, you hadn’t seen the movie before now. Did you have any preconceptions or did you go in cold?

Shakeia Taylor: I went into the movie cold. I’d only ever seen hockey friends talking about it as I scrolled social media. Conversations about it never piqued my interest so I never sought the movie out until we decided to do this. I knew nothing of Paul Newman except that his face is on a salad dressing bottle. When the movie started, I did a quick Google search and saw it described as “grimy,” and having now seen it, I’d have to disagree. I didn’t think it was grimy at all and I didn’t really think the violence was anything to write home about. It’s entirely possible that is just the result of me being born in a different time and having seen so many movies that were far worse in that regard. It felt satirical, though I couldn’t tell if that was intentional or not, and based off things I read after watching the movie there seems to be some disagreement about whether that was the point. It’s listed as a “sports comedy” which might be a stretch as I found it more sad than humorous.

Metz: Newman was 52 when he made the movie, which seems … old for a hockey player? But maybe not? As someone who covers sports, what was your feeling in terms of how the movie captured the vibe of a minor league team grinding it out?

Taylor: While it seems like it captures semipro hockey of its era, I don’t think it is the same today. The tattered bus and less-than-ideal travel accommodations are very much something one hears about as it pertains to minor league travel. Teams still experience economic uncertainty and players aren’t compensated enough. Playing in the minor leagues of any sport is challenging even today. While the socio-economic impact is the obvious thing in “Slap Shot” and still lingers today, I think as sports have become more formal and a lot of the grittier action has gone away.

And there have been “old” hockey players! Gordie Howe played for the Hartford Whalers at the age of 52. If I’m not mistaken he remains the oldest player of all-time in the sport. One of the funniest things about sports to me is how someone can be 35 and commentators will speak about them as if they’ve got one foot in the grave. There’s a popular Twitter meme that says, “Here comes the oldest player in the league. He’s 32. A miracle.” That’s exactly how it seems. With the advances we’ve made in science and medicine, athletes take much better care of their bodies but they don’t play as long as Newman’s character and Howe.

Geena Davis and Lori Petty star as sisters and baseball players in the early 1940s who join the Rockford Peaches, a team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Metz: Shakeia, I know you have some thoughts about this one …

Taylor: I am not a fan. I generally don’t say much about it because a lot of people absolutely love “A League of Their Own” and I would prefer not to argue about it. Watching it for this conversation wasn’t my first viewing, but it wasn’t fun. I will say, though, this movie is how I first learned of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson. Johnson was the first woman to pitch in the Negro leagues and she was denied a tryout for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League because she was Black. In the film, there is a scene where Dottie (Davis’ character) waits for a young Black woman to throw the ball back to her — that was a nod to Mamie. That one scene made me look up who she was supposed to be. I’ve always felt as if the movie romanticized a league that was, at its core, racist, but it also impacted the trajectory of my career. It led to me doing a lot of studying of the Negro leagues once I got older.

I understand why so many people love it. It’s nice to see women in sports films and it’s nice to see women depicted as strong, vulnerable and a host of other human qualities. But that one thing made me dislike the movie forever. It’s not director Penny Marshall’s fault that history is what it is, but that doesn’t make it less bothersome for me personally.

Metz: The recent Amazon TV adaptation attempted to right some of the film’s omissions you talk about, by creating a parallel storyline for a character played by Chanté Adams — and no surprise, her portions of the show are the most interesting!

Tonally and visually, the movie version of “A League of Our Own” is on another planet from something like “Slap Shot.” It’s probably the corniest of the four titles we’re looking at. Before I sat down for a re-watch, not much had stayed in my memory beyond the broad strokes: The sisterly rivalry, the tryout scene shot at Wrigley Field, Tom Hanks as the cynical boozer of a manager who yells “There’s no crying in baseball!”

The movie’s depiction of World War II-era America always felt set off by air-quotes, which isn’t a bad thing so much as par for the course for a big studio project. It’s earnest but light. The jokes are broad, but by the end, the film is aggressively pulling at your heartstrings with Madonna (who also stars) singing “This Used to Be My Playground” over the closing credits. And it memorializes what was, up until its release in theaters, a largely forgotten part of (white) sports history.

‘White Men Can’t Jump’ (1992)

Two street basketball hustlers in Los Angeles, played by Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes, team up to score some cash.

Metz: When it comes to shaggy dog sports movies of the late 20th century, few did it better than Ron Shelton. As a writer and director, he understood the appeal of semi-ridiculous, semi-charming men past their prime looking for one last shot at greatness — or at least a half-baked redemption. Sandwiched between the soulful minor league romance of “Bull Durham” and dusty pro golfing dreams of “Tin Cup,” Shelton turned to the antic pickup games of Los Angeles for this odd-couple buddy film starring Harrelson and Snipes as a pair who team up to hustle any takers. Add in the effervescent presence of Rosie Perez and her “Jeopardy!” ambitions. It’s sexy!

Harrelson plays a decent guy who is his own worst enemy. Snipes plays a fast-talking, street savvy type who isn’t above conning his own partner. I like that the movie doesn’t have a classically happy ending.

A remake starring Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls came out earlier this year and, frankly, the less said about that, the better.

Taylor: First I have to say, “White Men Can’t Jump” is one of the greatest sneaker movies of all-time. As someone who spends a lot of her time in sneakers — err, gym shoes, this is Chicago — I couldn’t help but take in the many pairs of now-classic kicks in the basketball scenes. Snipes’ character’s style of dress was perfect for the era and some of it would work today.

OK, now I can get to the movie itself.

I enjoyed this movie. It had been a very long time since I’d seen it and it was a fun watch. It doesn’t take itself seriously but watching with adult eyes and experiences, I couldn’t help but think about Harrelson’s character’s obvious gambling addiction. That’s what that was, right? His inability to get and keep money because the allure of possibly doubling or tripling it was too much for him to ignore. Perez threatening to leave him over it didn’t really seem to affect his decision-making until she left. I’d imagine something like that would be relevant today with the way sports gambling has made its way into mainstream sports in a major way. It’s in everything now.

Metz: You’d think! And yet nothing about the remake feels relevant or worth your time. Have I mentioned how pointless that movie is?

Taylor: An underrated aspect of the original film, to me, were the women. They are secondary characters to the men, yet when they appear they command your attention.

‘Bend it Like Beckham’ (2002)

The daughter of Indian immigrants in London, a teenager played by Parminder Nagra goes against her family’s wishes and joins an amateur football (soccer) team. The film was also Keira Knightley’s breakout role.

Metz: Wait, I did not remember that Archie Panjabi (the Emmy winner from “The Good Wife”) played the wedding-obsessed older sister! I always liked the way the movie portrays the first generation experience. Nagra’s teenager loves her family and (mostly) respects the traditions they’re trying to maintain, but damn it, she wants to play football and she’s good. But it’s also a story of mothers as antagonists in their daughters’ lives, while their fathers are the more understanding parents. Men are never an impediment in the story, which feels less like a choice for specific characters than part of the movie’s overall theme and I’m not sure what to make of it. The flirtation with her coach? Yikes.

Directed by Gurinder Chadha (who is also co-writer), the British film almost saw its title changed to “Move it Like Mia” for its U.S. release — the theory being that Mia Hamm was a more recognizable name to American audiences than David Beckham.

Taylor: Zzzzzz… I had to fight the urge to turn it off, to sleep, to do literally anything else. I pressed on because I was looking forward to talking to you. But! I love football. I think it’s one of the most fascinating sports on the planet. Red card! Yellow card! You get a card! There was a lot of flopping on the pitch in this.

I’d never seen “Bend it Like Beckham” before and I cringed a lot. The wedding obsession, the “things girls should and should not do”, the moms! I thought the dads being the more sympathetic parent was kind of boring. I feel like a lot of young women’s dads are the ones to give in and the movie didn’t stray from that. A high school senior falling in love with her coach was truly something. Did you notice the club scene where there were no cellphones? That would not happen today!

David Beckham is absolutely, for better or worse, depending on your perspective, a more recognizable name. Women in sports don’t always carry the same name recognition as men, something I think is slowly changing thankfully. I’d never known that fact about the considered name change, but Hamm retired a year or so after this premiered.

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic. nmetz@chicagotribune.com

Shakeia Taylor is a Tribune sports writer and deputy senior content editor. staylor@chicagotribune.com

The Orinda-based cookbook author and former Williams Sonoma culinary director recently released her fourth cookbook, “Homemade Simple: Effortless Dishes for a Busy Life” (Cameron + Company, $29), which builds on an idea she first explored in her debut cookbook, “One Family, One Meal“: that dinnertime should not involve being a short-order cook for each family member. In her latest cookbook, she returns to that concept of family-friendly meal simplicity, but with an added emphasis on health and nutrition.

Q. What inspired this cookbook?

A. This is my fourth cookbook. When I had young kids, I believed that I would figure out how to cook things that we would all enjoy eating. I started messing around with simple recipes of the foods I loved, and found that it worked really well on my kids and their friends. Over the years, it became my philosophy that it doesn’t have to be hard to cook, that it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time.

With that, there are a couple of ancillary benefits. One is that you’re just eating better and taking better care of yourself. It’s not that it has to be perfect or free of anything that we consider bad for you — it’s just a better way to live. Over time, I’ve had health issues and started to explore anti-inflammatory cooking and make the connection that food can be medicine, or it can make you feel terrible.

During the pandemic, my kids were home from school, and I started cooking everything that they love — with the philosophy that that is probably taking better care of yourself than if you get takeout every night. I took all the tools I’ve learned over the years, like how to meal plan, shop and budget, and I wrapped that up with over 100 recipes that are easy to make, delicious and maybe a little bit better for you, than if you went out to eat.

That’s the new wellness story to live by: Let’s just try to do a little bit better. If you want to learn how to cook something that you’re used to getting (at restaurants) all the time, it’s probably going to have less sodium and less refined ingredients. I don’t want to beat myself up, and I don’t try to change everything at all at once. Let’s just pick one thing, and let me make it easy for you and give you the recipes and the tools you need, so that it doesn’t feel like a challenge or hard to pull off. During the pandemic, I launched cooking classes online. This book came out of that class.

Q. The book talks about how to meal plan. What pointers can you share?

A. I love to cook, but I don’t love it when recipes call for something obscure. That’s one of the most important things for me — I don’t call for ingredients that you’re not going to use again. I want to teach people how to meal plan. You have to start understanding a couple of things: What are the main things you want to cook that week and then carry into other recipes? If you’re going to roast a whole chicken, can you use part of that to make something else during the week? I start by giving them the ideas and sample calendars of things that they can cook during the week.

Q. What are some of your favorite recipes in this book?

A. Skirt steak with chimichurri. The chimichurri (is made with) fresh herbs, garlic, olive oil, capers, and it is so dang good on everything — a roasted sweet potato, a piece of fish, a steak — so I love that. I had someone stop me last night and tell me that the honey mustard salmon is her family’s favorite. I had to laugh, because it is three ingredients and salt, and I’ve had publishers tell me I couldn’t put it in a cookbook because it was too simple. It’s so simple, but it is so good. Simple food can be really delicious.

Q. What are some tips for incorporating more home cooking into our regular routines?

A. The first thing is: Don’t feel like you have to do it all. Even if you pick a couple recipes that you want to learn how to make and master, it gives you confidence. When you learn to do those in your sleep, it makes everything easier.

I like to go to the grocery (store) and meal plan all at once. You can come home and just spend 30 minutes unloading your groceries and then making a vinaigrette or a chimichurri — something you know you can use during the week. I also teach people how to master one thing that you slow cook or that you can make a really big batch of, because it’s so nice to have something to be able to rely on throughout the week that’s delicious and homemade.

Many of my friends learning how to cook think that they’ve got to learn how to do really fancy recipes. I always joke that’s why I go out to eat. I love going to restaurants where people make complicated food because, most nights of the week, I don’t want to spend two hours making dinner. So start small and build up.

Q. What are some cooking tools people should keep in their kitchens?

A. If you want to cook well, you don’t need that much. But there are some things that are going to make your life a lot easier, like a good knife and a good pan, a good cutting board, things like that. I try to teach people that if you’re going to get new tools for the kitchen, make them count. They don’t have to be expensive; they just have to work well. I’m obsessed with owning a fish spatula, because a spatula like that can flip a pancake and flip burgers. It’s so helpful.

Q. Anything else to add?

A. Even though this is my fourth cookbook, I feel like it’s the book I was always meant to write. I think I hit the jackpot on this one — to get the feedback that people are actually already cooking from it and returning to it makes me feel like I’m doing my job well.

If we thought 2023 would be a year of normal travel after a prolonged period of disruption and uncertainty, boy, were we wrong. Still, amid all of this year’s natural disasters, social unrest and geopolitical conflicts, hotels reclaimed their ability to serve as beacons of pure comfort: They largely overcame the labor and supply chain crises and returned to full-service operations.

They again became capable of making us feel pampered and truly cared for during challenging times. And in fact, with 2023 also seeing the first-ever editions of the World’s 50 Best hotels list and a similar ranking by La Liste — each recognizing the industry’s global hospitality standard bearers — discussions about hotels this year were often celebratory.

We certainly paid a pretty penny for that service, as nightly rates continued to soar to previously unthinkable heights.

As for my own travels, this year threw plenty of wrenches my way. I learned to travel with two kids after having a second baby. It wasn’t easy and certainly wasn’t restful, but it was doable—and in many cases, quite fun. I also learned to leave them both at home for my work—not easy, either, but it was somewhat more restful and highly productive.

I packed my bags for Marrakesh the night before a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco. (It was only one of the trips that I had to completely replan at the 11th hour this year, though I mostly felt thankful for my safety at a time when so many others were less fortunate.) And notably, I carried the enormous emotional weight of traveling internationally amid a terrifying global spike in antisemitism. Even for someone privileged enough to jet around professionally, it was a lot to handle. Checking into some of the world’s best hotels brought enormous comfort.

Here are the top five places I stayed this year—and the details that made them worth the (sometimes eye-popping) price tags. I think it’s no surprise that my top two were the ones I got to share with both of my kids: Family always makes a place that much sweeter.

5. Ashford Castle, Country Mayo, Ireland

Great hotels must transmit a clear sense of place. This 350-acre, 13th century Irish castle, owned for generations by the Guinness family, has not only a sense of place but a sense of time. Arriving at its front entrance means passing an ancient-looking stone gate with the castle’s crest on it, being greeted by kind doormen who could double as royal guards and passing through a grand mudroom of sorts where Barbour boots and jackets can be hung up after horseback riding, falconry, fishing or shooting excursions. The food is refined and modern and it beautifully celebrates the local bounty—I was there in the spring, so that meant lots of smoked salmon and mushrooms, my favorites. A small provisions store in a quaint cottage on the grounds stocks homemade jams and chutneys that make excellent souvenirs. Never mind the pure fantasy of my room: a duplex suite seemingly wrapped in green velvet, with views over the gardens and sparkling Lough Corrib. Rooms from €740 ($805)

4. Le Bristol, Paris

Especially in Paris, it’s common for five-star hotels to smack you in the face with luxury, often with grand entrances and lavish common rooms that lead to quieter (and much smaller) private spaces. Le Bristol certainly makes a very fine first impression, but it’s the rare place where points of distinction reveal themselves slowly. Its enormous garden courtyard, three-Michelin-starred restaurant and yacht-like pool all need to be discovered; they’re tucked off corridors that aren’t visible from reception or from the stately, wrought iron elevator. You have to be invited to see its basement “atelier,” though many guests are asked if they’d like to see the pristine and expansive workshops where staff members produce single-grain breads and pasta and all manner of chocolate treats. And you have to stick around in the evening to see a small, library-like room transform into the super-cool Le Bristol After Dark bar, a bustling party spot where people watching is dizzying in the best way possible. All this results in a hotel that wows from the first impression and then one-ups itself at every turn. As for those private spaces? The rooms here are practically apartments, a far cry from the tight quarters at many competing properties. Rooms from €1,881

3. Claridge’s, London

I wrote extensively about how this classic (but completely renovated) spot in London blew me away. The more it recedes in my memory, the more I pine to bring elements of my stay back into my life. There were the just-feminine-enough furnishings in my suite, designed by Bryan O’Sullivan Studio: a cream-colored, curved couch, pink wingback chairs and the stunningly detailed oak paneling in my closet that made it feel like a treat to get dressed each morning. (Maybe I’ll settle for one of O’Sullivan’s pint-sized, flower-shaped drink tables.) Then there was the grab-and-go bakery, which served croissants that the best spots in Paris would proudly feature; too few five-star hotels will give up expensive table service for that kind of satisfying convenience. (Any chance you can open an outpost near my office?) And then there was technology that actually worked—namely, a towel-warming rack that really did warm my towels and a thermostat that responded right away. (Someone please tell every other luxury hotel where to obtain those, too.) Honestly, it was hard to find anything to nitpick about, and I’m opinionated by trade. Rooms from £930 ($1,174)

2. Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World

Visiting Disney is either your dream trip or your nightmare; there’s very little gray area in between. But no matter where you sit on that axis, the Four Seasons Resort Orlando takes a chaotic vacation and makes it properly pampering. Its location within Walt Disney World means that you can catch the fireworks shows from both Epcot and the Magic Kingdom while lounging on your terrace (ideally, with a glass of wine from the in-room Vinebox dispensers)—that’s a huge boon for parents of little kids who melt by 8 p.m. Its sprawling pool complex offers a reason to come home early each day from the parks—namely, to recover from all those lines and rides by taking a dip in the lazy river, where servers will even deliver frozen chocolate or fruit paletas riverside. And the onsite ice cream shop is a godsend, stocked with all the squeeze pouches and kid snacks a young family could desire. Truly, the hotel has thought through everything—making a very complicated adventure into a very rewarding joy. Rooms from $1,299.

1. Montage Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina

When most people think about visiting South Carolina, their minds go to Charleston or Hilton Head Island. That overlooks the moss-swaddled, 20,000-acre community of Bluffton that sits along the May River, smack between Hilton Head and Savannah. This is where Montage Palmetto Bluff has a cluster of homes, cottages and suites with white clapboard walls, towering fireplaces and screened patios. To navigate Bluffton, guests are given bikes (outfitted, as needed, with kid trailers or baby seats). My family of four used ours to pick up lattes sweetened with “bourbon milk candy” and take them to piers where we could watch dolphins pop in and out of the waterways. We pedaled to triplex treehouse playgrounds tucked among live oak trees and to refined dinners at River House, where servers dazzled my kids with table-side spectacles. After dessert, we’d crowd around a fire pit for communal s’mores, a nightly tradition that’s been upscaled and perfected, or catch the breeze in massive tree swings. Nowhere else have my kids’ interests aligned so much with my own. We all felt free, as children should—and as adults rarely do. Rooms from $340.

©2023 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A civil rights leader was escorted by police out of a North Carolina movie theater after he insisted on using his own chair for medical reasons, prompting an apology from the nation’s largest movie theater chain.

The incident occurred Tuesday in Greenville during a showing of “The Color Purple.” The Rev. William Barber II said he needs the chair because he suffers from ankylosing spondylitis, a disabling bone disease.

Barber, 60, leads a nonprofit called Repairers of the Breach, which focuses on issues including voter suppression and poverty. He also co-chairs the national Poor People’s Campaign, which is modeled after an initiative launched in 1968 by the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

During an hourlong news conference on Friday, Barber spoke in support of people with disabilities and the need for businesses to provide the accommodations required under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“I know that if I cannot sit in my chair in a theater in Greenville, North Carolina …. that there are thousands of other people who will be excluded from public spaces in this nation,” Barber said.

Barber said managers at the AMC theater asked an armed security guard and local police officers to remove him after he stood firm on using the chair. Barber said he agreed to be escorted out after officers said they’d have to close down the theater and arrest him.

Barber said he left his 90-year-old mother behind with an assistant to watch the film. Video of the incident shows Barber talking to an officer before walking out of the theater.

“This is not about me personally,” he said. “Though it happened to me personally, this is about what systemic changes, policy changes (and) training needs to be done to ensure this happens to no one.”

Greenville police said in a statement that a caller from the theater said a customer was arguing with employees and the theater wanted him removed. After a brief conversation with a responding police officer, “Barber agreed to leave the theater voluntarily,” police said. No charges were filed.

AMC apologized in a written statement, saying it welcomes and works hard to accommodate guests with disabilities, WRAL reported.

“We are also reviewing our policies with our theater teams to help ensure situations like this do not occur again,” the statement said.

Barber said he’ll meet next week with the chairman of AMC Entertainment Holdings, Adam Aron, after Aron reached out to him. Barber said he is “hopeful it will lead to just and good things for those with disabilities.”

Barber previously served as president of the North Carolina NAACP, leading protests over voter access at the Statehouse that got him and more than 1,000 people arrested for civil disobedience. He stepped down from that role in 2017.

Barber is now a professor at Yale Divinity School. He said Friday that he tells his students they must care about people.

“There’s no way to follow Jesus without learning to pay attention to whoever is broken and vulnerable in society,” Barber said. “Because that’s where God shows up.”