Spanakopita, tomato and feta salad, grape leaves. The Greek tradition has given the world a plethora of beautifully simple eats. But no amount of feta could compete with the ultimate gift from the Greek gods: Olive oil. The sun soaked Mediterranean hills mean that Greece has a natural talent for producing some of the world’s finest olive oils.

And thanks to Olive Branch — a new boutique olive oil brand — even if you’re under the gray clouds of England, you can bring the warm sun of Crete into your kitchen. Founded by a Cretan native, this budding company is turning out a gorgeous, nutty olive oil with low acidity and rich flavor. All of Olive Branch’s olives are naturally grown and hand-picked by local cooperatives in Crete before making their way to England. Between the packaging and taste, in no time you’ll be dousing it on everything from pastas to soups to, yes, feta.

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Some people like their bacon black and crispy. Others like it a gently seared pinkish brown. Well, we’re here to tell you that there’s a brand new way to enjoy your favorite piggy treat: In red and white stripes. And you don’t chew it, you lick it. That’s right, folks. We’re talking about bacon-flavored candy canes, and given that this year’s bacon craze doesn’t seem anywhere close to dying down, we’re betting that these babies are going to be selling hot and fast this holiday season. Move over mint, pork is so 2011.

Or maybe you’re in the mood for something chocolatey as the holidays roll around but can’t handle another dull chocolate-dipped cherry? Then check out these chocolate-dipped jalapeno peppers, which’ll have you working up a sweat no matter how cold it might get outside. Choose from dark, milk, or white chocolate to complement the peppers’ bright colors and spicy heat. They promise to warm up even the coolest winter night.

Forget the chateaux. Forget the birds. Forget whatever nonsensical French-countryside illustrations you’ve seen on wine labels. And enter Mash. Always creative, never predictable, Mash is one of our favorite creative agencies. Hailing from Australia, their portfolio is an excess of clever, unexpected, and quirky takes on otherwise predictable products – like wine.

Case and point: Return of the Living Red. From the collaborative folks at Redheads Studio out of Australia’s infamous wine region, McLaren Vale, comes this intriguing, complex, and mysterious wine. It is only fitting then that Mash created packaging equally compelling yet ominous. A small folder-like pack of old photos and disturbing illustrations printed on old-school uncoated paper work together to imply to the otherwise unassuming drinker, that the living dead roam the ins and outs of vineyards. The menacing package hangs from the bottle’s neck with twine, sealed under a daunting drip of oozing, blood red wax.

But don’t let the packaging fool you – the goods inside are said to be well worth every last plumy drop. And if you don’t think so, you may well want to keep a light on at night. You never know who is lurking behind the vines.

Want to light up a smoke in first class without getting turfed out of the plane like Alec Baldwin? We’ve got your ticket: just head on over to Runway 34, an airplane-turned restaurant just outside the Zurich airport. Housed inside a converted old Russian plane that actually sits inside a hangar, the restaurant comes complete with a first class smokers’ lounge and a full-service restaurant. The waiters even serve you from those classic boxy trolleys that you’ll recognize from every flight you’ve ever taken. But the coolest thing about Runway 34? Zero turbulence – and a hell of a lot more legroom.

Any tried and true foodie in Buenos Aires is an assiduous follower of Chef Diego Felix’s’ closed door restaurant, Casa Felix. Typically, however, his inspired pescatarian eats are only available a few months out of the year in Buenos Aires while the rest of the time, the Felix clan travels through Argentina, San Francisco, New York, Puerto Rico, and Latin America, generally, hosting closed door diners around the world. Luckily for all of us here in Buenos Aires, his contemporary yet distinctively regional fare can now be found in private events around the city as well thanks to the super exclusive Oasis Clubhouse.

Every other Wednesday in Oasis’ Palermo Soho location, Chef Felix is in-house serving-up a tapas menu perfect for accompanying cocktails. Rather than a sit down meal, these smaller events allow his strong Latin American influences to transform into an inspired selection of seafood tapas and finger foods, giving his loyal followers a new and exciting sampling of his culinary skills.

As with any Felix menu, ceviche is a must. His Peruvian causas with white fish ceviche and fresh apricots, in particular, does not disappoint. Succulent corn and grouper fish cakes awaken your appetite and the anticipation of more treats to come. On a recent visit, the surprise of the night was Colombian inspired steamed areppas with fresh fish, Portobello mushrooms, and cilantro. The savory selection finished with a white bean spread on homemade toasted bread with curated sardines, diced beetroot, and dill. For a touch of sweetness, the evening drew to a close with fragrant shortbread cookies and lavender ice cream. Throughout the evening Chef Felix helped serve his guests and make the rounds giving details of his food and inspiration, making it a one of a kind event in Buenos Aires and the perfect opening to an exciting summer season of eating.

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China is a place where tradition meets modernity and Tang Palace in Hangzhou is no exception. Sweeping, woven nets of bamboo are fashioned into a curved, wave-like ceiling, while backlit bamboo screens, bamboo sheets, and bamboo boards create a dramatic interior that is utterly unique and visually striking. Suspended rooms are connected by hanging bridges and sideway aisles to form an interactive, spatial dining experience unlike any other. And the food? Well, we know nothing of the food. But we’re guessing tableside flambé is not on the menu.

Traverse the winding roads of Rome with your penne. Jump across the East River with your pie. Take a tour of Tokyo with your rice. No we’re not delusional, we’re just totally hooked on City Plates, which bring urban dining to a whole new level.

From New York to Rome, Shanghai to London, New Orleans, and more, these porcelain plates have each city’s downtown core stylishly splashed across its surface in homage to whatever urban jungle you roam. In case you’re keen to learn a thing or two, City Plates can be quite useful too with rivers and public spaces marked in blue and green and key buildings colored in bright red. After all, nothing says I love my city quite like dotting its iconic buildings with gravy.

For many of you readers out there, it’s almost time to mosey up to the dining room table and give thanks over an exceedingly large meal. Well while you’re at it, we hope you’ll pour yourself a glass of wine and help a needy kid on the other side of the world. Intrigued? Just check out No House, a new wine label out of South Africa.

Proceeds from the sale of No House’s reds, whites, pinks, and fizzies go straight toward building homes for children who have lost their parents to AIDS. Plus, No House’s antique-chic blue and white bottles – created by the Dutch design firm Studio Boot – will be sure to add a classy touch to your table. So raise a glass, and raise a roof.

Tobacco and beer: now there’s a classic combination. If you want to have a cigar with your favorite brew but you’re not so keen on the hazards of smoking, we’ve got just the thing for you. Straight out of the US cigar capital, Florida, comes the Humidor series of craft beers from Cigar City Brewing Company. Aged in Spanish cedar — the same wood that’s used to make cigar boxes — each of these funky beers is laced with the flavors of your favorite stogie like sandalwood and spices. Pop one open, toss it back, and relish the creative mingling flavors of two of the world’s cherished vices.

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Take a mobile shipping container and add to it nine cities and ten chefs. What do you get? Singapore Takeout: a revolutionary mash-up between hawker-style street food, a pop-up kitchen, and a food truck. Trendsetting foodies, consider this your warning: this post may just set your heart aflutter.

Singapore Takeout clearly isn’t your typical meals on wheels. For one, the 20-foot by eight-foot custom-made shipping container unfolds both into a 30-seat restaurant and a working kitchen – with such must-have professional amenities like induction cookers and a salamander. Here, ten up-and-coming Singaporean chefs cook up inspired Singapore cuisine that runs the gamete from traditional to contemporary. We’re talking lemongrass infused laksa dumplings, chocolate, foie gras and pork xiao long bao, and a modern reinterpretation of ice kachang. The roster of chefs includes some of Singapore’s leading talents such as Ignatius Chan of Iggy’s, one of San Pellegrino’s top 50 restaurants in the world, and Willin Low from the cutting-edge, Wild Rocket.

Together, the chefs and container are on a global tour to import the flavors of Singapore to a city near you. For 3-days at a time, Singapore Takeout will touch down in everywhere from Moscow to Delhi, Paris to Dubai, New York to Hong Kong. In each stop, local chefs will unite with the Singapore team to introduce the world to the city’s vibrant dining scene, from hawker eats to fine-dining delights.

Get your fork on the ready and check out when they’ll touch down near you. A shipping container surely has never looked or tasted so good.

A true foodie sees a wonderful meal in unexpected places be it a street cart or a cityscape made of jello. Now, you can add ears to that list (and we’re not talking corn). From online Japanese trend shop, SolidAlliance, comes these creative culinary earbuds inspired by all that’s good to eat. Care for a banana with your Beach Boys or Ikura Fish Egg with your Frank Sinatra? Though these bites are made of plastic, you can bet that they sound as tasty as they look. For the ultimate digital food lover, pair your banana buds with a rice-encrusted iphone case. Now that’s food 2.0.

There is a beauty in baking from the touch of flour to the sound of an egg cracking open. In this sweet piece, Tiger in a Jar captures that sensory experience and portrays the artistry of baking.

Like Red Vines at the movies? Then you’ll love Red Vine portraits of the movies. Enter Licorice Flix. From artist Jason Mecier comes this tasty collection of edible movie mosaics composed entirely of — that’s right — Red Vines. In Mercier’s celebration of all things Hollywood, popcorn stars like Harry Potter, E.T., and Willy Wonka, to name a few, are paid homage in a series of cinema-inspired licorice portraits. Who needs a star on the Walk of Fame when you’re immortalized in Red Vines?

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More than a year ago, we asked all of you readers out there to muster your courage and take a step outside your chocolate comfort zone. Remember how much fun that was? Well, now we’re here to suggest you do it again. That’s because the imaginative folks over at Komforte Chokolate in Southern California have dreamed up two new types of delicious, boundary-pushing flavors of chocolate – and both varieties knocked our socks off.

First up, there’s the new apple pie and graham flavor, a sweet and smooth rendition of that classic, all-American dessert. Just imagine your grandmother’s version of apple pie, all dressed up in a charming milk chocolate disguise. Feeling even more adventurous? Go for the savory ramen flavor. This dark chocolate bar comes studded with chunks of ramen noodles and tinged with the unmistakable flavors of soy sauce, onion, and garlic. It’s an adventurous combination and, believe it or not, it works beautifully.

It’s getting cooler over here in the Northwestern hemisphere and so it seems our bellies are turning faithfully to those luxuriant hot cuppas to take off the chill: be it hot cocoa, café mocha, apple cider or best of all, mulled wine. And what could be more comforting than your favourite morning brew combined with the sweet spices of mulled wine?

Not much, or so we at The Urban Grocer think, which is why we will happily divulge that the latest limited edition bottle of mulled wine from Swedish-based company Blossa has dropped. And this year it’s boasting even greater appeal with the addition of Arabica bean infusions.

If the image of deeply aromatic coffee swirling into cloves, cinnamon, and orange and steaming forth from your warmed cup of glögg hasn’t won you over already, then the bottle will. The stout bottle with its bold type and seductive burgundy hue permeating through frosted glass will surely enhance your dining table, and enrich your guests. Skål to that.

The Toronto Underground Market (TUM) exploded onto the scene late this summer to enormous fanfare. If “pop ups” have become the way to test the viability of a new restaurant or shop, then TUM is the newest way to experiment with a food business without emptying your savings account right away.

It’s not a food festival. It’s not a farmer’s market. It’s a “food community market” held at night four times this year – and we’re predicting more often next year – where for $10 admission you can sample treats from roughly 40 home cooks and emerging chefs. Happily, local beer and wine is also for sale to help wash down all that sampling.

Could this be an incubator for Toronto’s next hot restaurant? We think so! Toronto is recognized as one of the most ethnically diverse cities so, at the very least, we think this is an incredible place to eat yourself silly. About 1000 people attended the last TUM and though the November 19 event at Evergreen Brickworks is already sold out, tickets will be released at the door. So get there early and don’t forget to tell us about it!

Nobody likes mushy mushrooms, and everybody likes helping the planet (right?). Well, Bruno Super Deluxe, an up-and-coming design company based in Boston, lets you save the world and keep your veggies fresh at the same time.

Just check out Bruno’s hip canvas bags, which are meant to keep your mushrooms and garlic cloves nice and crispy in the fridge. Adorned with a funky Wonderland-inspired mushroom design that’s screen-printed on the side, the bags are sure to appeal to all of you design fiends out there. Plus, Bruno donates five percent of its profits to environmental causes, so you can definitely feel good about your purchase. Sounds like a good deal to us – being green never tasted so fresh.

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You can help fight breast cancer by wearing one of those pink ribbons or you can make like a rock star and pick up one of these — ahem, two of these — rye bread buns. From one of Denmark’s largest bread manufacturers, Kohberg, come these beautiful buns wrapped in pink and all spruced up to be a real knockout on the shelf. Better yet, with every purchase money is donated to the Danish Cancer Society to help fight breast cancer. Sure beats throwing money in a jug. Pun intended.

Say you’re wandering the streets of Berlin and you happen upon a vintage milk and cheese truck that has a long line of people queued up outside it. What would you expect them to be waiting to buy: Frankfurters? Sauerkraut? A flotilla’s worth of German beer?

Could be, but not if you’ve been lucky enough to stumble upon the Vatos Tacos truck. In that case, jump in the line yourself and start licking your chops for the best Mexican fare this side of the Eiffel Tower.

The sights and sounds of Mexico may be thousands of miles away, but the country’s bold, spicy flavors can be found right here at Vatos Tacos. Just try the Macho Taco: two beef tacos topped with sautéed onions and habanero peppers, and you’ll see what we mean.

Looking for someone to hug in gratitude? That would be Billy Davis, a Texas native who had the brilliant idea of opening a taco truck in his newfound German home. All we can say is Dankeschön, amigo. Dankeschön.

It’s really about time someone reinvented the chip bowl. Chips aren’t going out of style but dumping a mound of them into a steel bowl in the centre of the table seems a little too retro and not in a cool way. That’s why we at The Urban Grocer are thrilled to see this refreshing new product from Japanese designer Kazuhito Ishida that redefines the chip bowl.

It’s called Poteki, or the Potato Chip Tree, and it allows you to artfully present your chip selection, with the added bonus of curbing any overindulgence. And it’s not limited to just potato chips either; lotus root crisps, crackers, and even sweet wafers can all find a place on the chip tree. So goodbye chip bowl, hello Poteki!