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There's more to Birmingham's restaurant scene than barbecue — but the barbecue is so good, you may not even notice. Here's a few places to try while you're staying at the Sheraton Birmingham:

• Dreamland BBQ, a 50-year-old spot known best for its ribs. It's now a chain, but this is the original.

• Bob Sykes BarB-Q hickory smokes pork picnic roasts because the bone adds flavor to the meat.

• Full Moon Bar-B-Que makes up for on flavor what it lacks in ambiance.

• Big Daddy's Bar-B-Q is worth the drive to suburban Warrior, according to the Birmingham News' Best Ribs contest.

If you need a little help waking up from a 'cue-induced food coma, Urban Standard is the place to go for some well-brewed coffee — and a little lunch, if you've got room. Report back and let us know what you think about Birmingham's best 'cue.

[photo credit: Matt Gross for The New York Times]

The Belgravia neighborhood of London is posh. The Sheraton Belgravia counters the neighborhood vibe with informal luxury and an air of relaxed refinement. It's only fitting, then, to recommend nearby restaurants that match its attitude. The obvious answer is Motcombs, a modern English restaurant and bar (pictured) in the heart of the neighborhood. It's quite popular with locals and London celebrities, but you'll never feel like an outsider. (You might also visit its sister restaurant, Bow Wine Vaults, near St. Paul's Cathedral.)

For a treat, see if you can find your way to The Grenadier, a classic English pub with a history: it was once the officers' mess for the Duke of Wellington. The pub is hidden on a side street (called a "mews") and even boasts its own ghost story. Order beef Wellington (of course) and, if you're in the mood, one of their legendary Bloody Marys.

Michael Symon, one of the stars of the Food Network's "Iron Chef America" and now "Dinner Impossible", is taking on another big task: consulting chef of ROAST, the new signature restaurant in The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, which is currently undergoing a $180 million renovation and is scheduled to open to the public on October 1. ROAST plans to open October 17.

The restaurant will be "an American brasserie themed around heritage meats," Symon says. The menu will include spit-roasted suckling pig and spring lamb, dry-aged beef, pork, wild boar short ribs, house-made sausage and more, with family-style sides.

The Westin Book Cadillac will celebrate its reopening with a street fair on Oct. 24 and a "Next Chapter Gala" on the 25th, featuring food from ROAST, cocktails in the Brown Bomber Tavern and Motor Bar, and a musical performance from Grammy award-winner Michael McDonald. Reserve your place at the party here.

It's nearly convention time, and as conventioneers prepare to descend upon Denver and Minneapolis, local breweries are readying special beers honoring the candidates.

In Denver, Wynkoop Brewing Company has created Obamanator, a dark, German-style Maibock lager sure to pair well with Wynkoop's buffalo meatloaf or hearty stout-braised pot roast. Denver's oldest brewpub is just a couple blocks from the Westin Tabor Center and the convention center.

In Minneapolis, Great Water Brewing is serving a Golden Oat Pale (G.O.P., get it?) at its brewpub, which is within easy reach of the Four Points by Sheraton Minneapolis. Flat Earth Brewing Company is producing Convention Ale, a Belgian-style red ale which features both an elephant and a donkey on the label; look for it at bars and restaurants near the convention center. Be a good citizen reporter and let us know, what conventional beer do you prefer?

Portland prides itself on its quirky, iconoclastic style, and that often extends to its restaurants. Exploring the unusual tastes on offer is one of the highlights of a trip there for me. And the perfect introduction to what I'm talking about is Voodoo Doughnut, a Portland institution just a few blocks from The Nines Hotel downtown. Known for its wild varieties — everything from a bacon-maple long john to chocolate-butterfinger to Arnold Palmer (iced tea and lemonade) — and kooky characters, it's at its busiest at night to satisfy patrons of the bars surrounding it. Mornings are a bit quieter.

Likewise, earlier is better for a pilgrimage to Apizza Scholls. This legendary pizzeria opens at 5pm and stays open only until 9:30pm or they run out of pizza dough — and they frequently do, since it's made by hand and never frozen. Their pies are fantastic. Stanich's isn't artisanal, but its burgers are tasty and its fries plentiful, making it a local favorite. Going a bit more upscale, check out Navarre, a mostly-Italian small-plate place where the menu is a sushi-style checklist and more than 50 wines are offered by the glass, with an emphasis on local bottles.

The perception of the Bahamas, like much of the Caribbean, is that everything is casual. Everything runs on "island time," and shorts and sandals are de rigeur. You can certainly go that route during your stay at the Westin Grand Bahama Our Lucaya Resort. But should you also want to go all out with an upscale dinner, the island is ready for you.

One of the island's top restaurants (pictured) is right in the resort: China Beach. The restaurant produces pan-Asian cuisine in a "smart casual" atmosphere, so ditch the swimwear. You'll find everything from sushi rolls to contemporary Chinese on the menu, and a couple of great views — one of the resort's beautiful beaches, the other of the activity in the central show kitchen.

Off resort, a couple places stand out for fine dining. The old school choice is Luciano's, an institution in business for more than 20 years. You'll half expect the Brat Pack to wander in for oysters Rockefeller and steak Diane as you eat. The new school option is Ferry House, with its daily changing menu features such inventive dishes as octopus salad with kimchi vinaigrette, foie gras terrine with blueberry-balsamic reduction and coconut toast, or lemongrass-chablis poached black cod. The restaurant's location in the Port Lucaya Marina (so close to the water, the bar floats on pontoons) lends itself to picturesque views, and means you can arrive for your reservation by boat if you wish.

In Tokyo, they are very serious about their cocktails. There are few places in the world where you'll find bartenders who obsess over the perfection of their ice cubes, or devote decades of practice and research to something referred to as the "Hard Shake." If you're interested in sampling the results of this singular obsession, the best place to go is the Ginza district, not far from the Sheraton Miyako Hotel.

First, pay respects to the master, Kazuo Ueda, inventor of the Hard Shake, at his Tender Bar hidden on the fifth floor of an office building. Or go underground at Little Smith, whose beautiful curving wood bar resides two stories below street level; here a Bloody Mary might mean chili pepper vodka muddled with whole roasted tomatoes. Before you lose your taste buds, though, make your way to Star Bar Ginza, considered one of the top 20 bars in the world by Bartending Magazine. Head bartender Hidetsugo Ueno insists on perfection from all his ingredients, going so far as to cure his own jamon because the Spanish delicacy's saltiness overpowers the rare single malt scotches he serves. Watch for cocktails infused with unusual fruits during the peaks of their brief seasons — and at each of these places, tell the bartender omakase ("I trust you") and put yourself in the hands of its talented artisans.

After the tango, Argentina is best known for its excellent beef. Buenos Aires faces the Atlantic Ocean, at the eastern edge of grassy plains known as pampas that stretch hundreds of miles inland. The pampas are ideal for raising cattle, and their abundance means that almost all cattle in Argentina are free-range and, therefore, delicious.

We had dinner at La Cabaña, a restaurant whose fine steaks are unfortunately offset by its extremely high, tourist-oriented prices. But the exchange rate crashed from one peso per dollar to three pesos per dollar during the currency crisis, so you hardly ever need to pay more than $5 to $10 US dollars for a good steak dinner. Without a doubt, Buenos Aires is definitely a great choice for travelers who want to live and eat well on a budget.

Another option is Desnivel, a typical Buenos Aires parrilla (grill) in the charming San Telmo neighborhood. We feasted here the next day on flavorful chorizo sausage, an unusually good tortilla espanola (Spanish omelette), tender porterhouse steak, and ribs, plus salad, beer and soda, for well less than $10 per person.

Peter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at the Sheraton Haikou Resort in China and thelobby.com's expert on the region.

About a year ago, I was on vacation in Beijing at The Westin Beijing, Financial Street with two dear friends. In between climbing The Great Wall and exploring the Forbidden City, we discovered DinTaiFung. Since that day, I have been hooked on these simple, yet delicious steamed dumplings which are served in a steaming bamboo basket. From the original, Steamed Pork Dumpling to the Steamed Crab Meat & Pork, Steamed Mushroom Vegetarian to Steamed Shrimp & Pork Dumplings, you can't go wrong with your choice and certainly won't go hungry. You can watch a small army of chefs prepare these little gems - which are a dough skin, filled with the listed ingredients and steamed - at the entrance of most of their restaurants.

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I attended the grand opening of the new aloft Chicago O'Hare recently and got to sample firsthand some of the signature cocktails being served in w xyz, the boutique bar in the lobby of each aloft hotel. The bar features three house-infused liquors: blueberry vodka, bartlett pear rum and pineapple-chipotle tequila. The tequila wasn't ready on opening day, but I tried the other two; the vodka had a sweet-tart blueberry flavor that almost tasted like a well-made Cosmo just on its own. I preferred the rum, though — its crisp pear flavor was light and refreshing. Of the signature cocktails, the Watermelon Martini was dangerously smooth, while the Brown-Eyed Girl was just on the right side of super-sugary — though the rock-sugar swizzle stick might put some over the edge.

The bar is set at one end of the bright, multi-level lobby space, with comfortable seating, a pool table, free wifi and plenty of outlets to plug in your laptop while you unwind with a drink. And with an upscale Muvico movie theater right next door, w xyz bar is the perfect place for a cocktail and a snack before catching the latest blockbuster.