Print Crush: Vogue Entertaining + Travel

My latest print crush comes from Australia. Vogue Entertaining + Travel is big and bold, an oversize glossy that fuses the pleasures of high-end grub and travel. The default attention to trends and events in Australia makes it feel very fresh. The Australian restaurant scene is very exciting, and the magazine hits this point home again and again. If the cuisine scene in Australia doesn't excite you then you probably don't really like eating in the first place.

The Aug/Sept issue, which I picked up yesterday, is full of interesting features and enthralling nuggets. Most exciting are the bulletins relating to Aussie food and drink, like the news that Sydney's Toby's Estate has opened up a Melbourne outpost, or the tidbit that the fabulously named Elvis Abrahanowicz has opened a casual Argentinian diner-bar next to his extremely popular Bodega (in Sydney.)

There's also a splashy feature on Las Vegas by Michael Walters, with pretty pictures by Julien Capmeil. It reimagines Vegas as a home of old-fashioned kitsch, and points to the town's eco-friendly park and arts district. It's made me actually want to visit Las Vegas, something that the past decade and a half of hype and bluster has failed to do. Also of note: a food tour of Hyderabad by Matt Preston and a whirl through Melbourne's retail and restaurants, also by Matt Preston.

I shelled out $13.95 for a copy of the August/September issue, and I don't regret dropping the cash. In Australia, the magazine retails for AUD8.95 (about $6).