Best thing I ever ate

I love this show too. They get to choose the best thing from a specific category so it’s almost impossible to think of one overall dish. Since I grew up in Kansas City, the first thing that comes to mind is Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque. KC has some amazing BBQ but this might be the best. It’s not fancy, not at all and maybe thats why I like it the best. Ribs, brisket, fries and a coke. Yes please.
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I am a trained chef and have worked in the culinary upper-crust for several years before I got into design. I still do some events and supper clubs.
So needless to say, I am very passionate about food and it influences my design work constantly. Cooking is just design with a different medium.

It is difficult to pin point the “best” thing as everything is so context driven and based on emotions surrounding the meal. A hamburger can be mind blowing at some place and just be another lunch at another place.

What stuck with me though is the story telling ability of the Swedish chef Mathias Dalgren. He does some beautiful food and I would probably mention his tasting menu and a simple dish of bread, home churned butter from raw milk and foie gras as one of the best dishes I have had. Through it he told the story of him as a kid observing his Grandmother baking and making butter, then serving it to him still warm.
To me, the story is essential to a great meal. A personal connection. Otherwise it is often just nutrition.

If I had to choose, seafood/fish. Having a shore lunch with fish caught 5 minutes previously is outstanding. I also have an excellent lobster bisque recipe. Breafeast out is also a favorite.

But all food is great, from a hole-in-the-wall falafel place to a 3-star Michelin restaurant. When I eat abroad, I rarely remember the the name of the place. Best sushi I had was in Encino. The best salmon was in Seattle (yes, a cliche). The best pizza was surprizingly in Munich.

For local Chicagoland places, I like:

Topolobambo/Frontera Grill/XoCo
Don Juans
Zias
Armands
Trotters (yes, I ate there once, the client paid)
Nookies
Johns
Janes
Sunda
The Weiner Circle
Taquera las Cumbres
Kikis
Twin Anchors

I forgot, a cheeseburger on the grill rocks.

This is great!! Just what I was looking for when I put this post. I didn’t know if anyone would reply, but hey we all love food. Some of mine are a bit cliche as well, but a region does not become know for a food for no reason.

  1. The best breakfast I ever had was in San Francisco at fisherman’s wharf. I cannot remember the name of the restaurant, bit it was to die for. Two nice size fresh crab cakes, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce…hmmm I am getting hungry just thinking about it. And given that we were right there on the water just made it even better.

  2. Still seafood. When I was in college down in Savannah there was this dive called the Crab shack right outside of town headed towards the beach. There was no real advertisements or billboards for it, only a few plywood sings point you to this dive on the marsh. When you arrive you see a big parking lots, few decent sized decks over the marsh with plastic tables (with whole in the middle for you trash) and a decent size bar. We always got the same thing, the low country bowl. It would come out on these stainless steel large platers much like a garbage pail lid on top of newspaper piled high with crab, crawfish, sausage, clams, shrimp, corn, and probably other goodness I am leaving out. This would be enough for the table and never disappointed.

  3. The best Italian I have ever had always been a small Italian place around the corner from my house. The make everything fresh and from scratch including the pasta. As you walk in you can see into the kitchen where you see a father and son cooking in a very small kitchen. This is a place that you go to relax and make a night out of dinner. It takes a bit of time but everything there is worth it. I don’t know if I can pick out one dish.

  4. As I grew up down south I couldn’t write this list out with out some pulled pork, or barbecue, as we call it. My all time favorite barbecue joint has to be J&G’s Barbecue in Burlington NC. I grew up with this place and it has been passed down from generation to generation. They full pigs and use a very traditional eastern NC vinegar based sauce. Every time I go down to visit family I always bring at least a pint home.

Those are just a few of my favorites. Lets keep them coming.

iab, I didnt know you were in Chicago? I have never made it to any of the places you mentioned, but i will have to try when Im there next.

The best ‘restaraunt’ food I have had was a small vietnamese place in Chicago called simply it. The Pho and Simply its beef is amazing! It is a traditionally marinated slab of filet mignon that is sliced onto a bed of veggies, and it just melts away when you eat it. Then when you are done you can get the deep fried bananas…Im getting hungry just thinking about it! Every time I go back to visit we have to make it point to have dinner there.

The best food I have had was also when I lived in Chicago. My friend was renting a room out to the sous chef at Alinea. He was working there for a few months to learn/work directly with the head chef. He made us something that I cannot even begin to describe one day we were hanging out. I seriously have no clue what went into it, but it was amazing! I always wondered how it was $200/seat at Alinea, but after that meal I know why. Its too bad Juan went back to Cali to open his own place, I was enjoying his expertise.

Having access to Grant Achatz’s sous chef must have been awesome. I’d love to eat there too but like Trotters, I can’t justify that amount of money for 1 meal. Unless of course its the client’s idea and they pay.

You really should try Rick Bayliss’ food (Topolobambo/Frontera Grill/XoCo). He is as good as Trotter or Achatz but a torta from XoCo is only $10. The real gem though is Patrick (I forget his last name) at Don Juans. An out of the way place with a horrible decor but just as good as anything Bayliss can do. Occassionaly he has a deep-fried oyster on a bed of spinach with what I would call a Mexican/French fusion bearnaise sauce (cilantro instead of tarragon?). $3 each but so worth the money.

Loving this topic…

The first time I ever had hours fresh seared Ahi tuna was at Roy’s Waikoloa on the Big Island of Hawaii. I’ve had it many times since, but Roy’s was still the best.

“Las Framboise” @ L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas. It was a citrus dessert that topped off a meal that changed the way I look at and appreciate food.

The presentation was fantastic.

Sound fantastic!! Tell us more.

I don’t think I could pick just one meal, there’s too many amazing foods out there… here are some interesting ones off the top of my head:

A new one to me moving here to the UK is a good Sunday Roast - Especially at a pub that takes real care in the meal… it’s usually a big slab of roast pork, Beef, or lamb surrounded by Yorkshire pudding, potatoes, parsnips, gravy, and assorted veg. A good one is amazing!

some others would be a good steak (bife de chorizo) in Buenos Aires with peri-peri and caprese salad on the side, maybe a good Mendoza wine along with it. Why else go to Argentina?

Another amazing steak experience out of N Spain is a Chuletón, best found at Siderias. It’s a thick flavorful steak dinner at a hard cider house where you can help yourself to the drinks from giant 12ft diameter barrels. It’s a great meal, and it’s interactive!

Justin - I’m out of NC too, and the BBQ pork down there is pretty special… especially the vinegar style (not the tomato sauce type out of some confused counties). I keep planning to have a proper pig pickin out here one of these days :wink: Maybe my parents can send me some of that sauce…

tons of others, but I could go on and on…

I heading to Cali win country next week. I hope to have a lot to put into this thread.

Spick yak pizza in Lhasa, Tibet. Yak - it’s the other red meat.

Bone marrow from Longman & Eagle in Chicago! I never thought eating out of a femur could be so delicious. Wash that down with an Old Fashioned and you are set. (I lifted these beautiful pics from the internets)


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Took a trip out to San Fran and wine country last month. Here are a couple of the fantastic meals that I had. First is a Crab Cake Benedict from the Eagle Cafe on the wharf and the second is a fantastic Burger from a small cafe in Glenn Ellen called the Fig Cafe. This was the first restaurant started by the chef that now owns the famous Girl and the Fig.
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I completely forgot about this post… I apologize for the crappy Blackberry photo


Well, it was yuzu sorbet encased in a white chocolate sphere. When the warm cranberry sauce was poured over the sphere in an “X” shape it blossomed like a flower… Stunning.


Breakfast:

Bouchon - Las Vegas

OEUF AU GRATIN

egg, hanger steak, and baby shitake mushrooms with caramelized onions and potatoes

The perfect combination of crispy cheese and runny egg

Another one from San Fran. Cafe Des Amis. I had the Mussels with fries, but the best thing we ate was this platter to Pate. Freak’n Fantastic!!

Thanks for the suggestion Yo!!
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Looks yummy… . my triglyceride count went up another 25 points just looking at this stuff. :wink:

I was staying with some Beduins in Israel / West bank area and we had fantastic meals, chicken, lamb, lots of veggies, but it was amazing.

I want to try Alinea in Chicago I hear it’s alright… :wink:

Foie gras is always good, Dry Aged stakes, Qual and Dove are tasty too… I’ll think of a few places I like to hit.

When I was young in Sweden we would get Whale (blue maybe), if you like stakes it will knock your socks off.



Hope PETA doesn’t read this post… :unamused: