This designer dessert was styled by the fasion world's Thierry Mugler.
DESIGNER DESSERT There is a profusion of hotel restaurants bearing the imprimaturs of star chefs, from Jean-Georges Vongerichten to Susur Lee. But the Café de la Paix at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel has found a new way to brand its food: It offers a dessert with a look created by fashion designer Thierry Mugler. The Pop Fizz cake (with white chocolate and bright tints of green tea mousse and yuzu fruit cream) is available this summer for $20, which is probably more affordable than any other Mugler work. intercontinental.com
CHICAGO, THAT WONDERFUL TOWN Even though the U.S. real estate boom is long over, top cities such as Chicago continue to see a wave of new hotels. This week that includes Palomar Chicago, the latest from the boutique brand of the Kimpton Hotels chain. In a new building in the increasingly hip River North area (above) - just off the Magnificent Mile - it offers large rooms (with design by Orlando Diaz-Azcuy) and plenty of big-hotel hospitality, including a nightly wine reception. www.hotelpalomar-chicago.com
STAY IN THE HOUSE When the Soho House opened 15 years ago, it set a new template for exclusive hospitality: It was a private club and the brand soon expanded into hotels that welcomed the public while retaining an exclusive air and high prices. But it's gone a bit downscale, now, at London's Shoreditch House. As of this week this private club - which has helped gentrify its corner of East London with chic interiors by the designer Tom Dixon - has 26 rooms open to the public, and at rates from just $131 ($92 for members). www.shoreditchhouse.com/bedrooms/rooms/
ART IN THE GROUND It's been 40 years since artists such as Robert Smithson first created "Land Art," massive works that straddle the line between landscape and sculpture. Many of the most famous examples are in remote locations, and so don't lend themselves to visits. However, the Storm King Art Center, in New York State, is an exception. Along with its primary mission of collecting great sculpture, it has commissioned land works by famous artists including Maya Lin. It opens its 2010 season this week, and in June will present a show of new sculptures by artists such as Mark di Suvero, above. www.stormking.org