67 replies to this topic

[Baitac]

MercenaryChef, on 20 July 2012 - 08:36 PM, said:

Snip

Wow. That is a great story. I would love to taste your food one day.

[Sound_of_winter]

My favorite food is Le Entrcote in Paris , I went when I was 15, I remember waiting in a long in the rain for an hour or so. All they serve you is a cut of steak with green butter sauce and all you can eat frites, the steak is so tender you can cut it with a butter knife. DAMNIT this thread is making me drool. Time for in n out

[Baitac]

Ravenhair, on 20 July 2012 - 06:40 PM, said:

To stay on topic (he just commented on my name; what a lovely man), some of the best food expeences you can have occur in my hometown of New Orleans.  I would recommend Commander's Palace for any first time visitor; make sure to order the bread pudding souffle for dessert.  From there, you can branch out to Galatoire's  (order the souffle potatoes with bernaise and the crawfish, oyster, and crab tasting plate); Delmonico's; Emeril's, where you should order the barbecued shrimp with rosemary biscuits.

Hi Raven! In 1996, we went to New Orleans for the College Football National Championship. We spent New Year's Eve there by going to Nola's for the absolute best prix fixe menu that we have ever had. The place was full. Only one serving by reservation. Only prix fixe. I wanted to die it was so perfect. When the University of Florida won the Championship on January 2nd, that made the experience even sweeter than beignets and cafe au lait at the Cafe Du Monde. You are sooo lucky to live there!!!

[Sci-2]

Sound_of_winter, on 20 July 2012 - 08:46 PM, said:

My favorite food is Le Entrcote in Paris , I went when I was 15, I remember waiting in a long in the rain for an hour or so. All they serve you is a cut of steak with green butter sauce and all you can eat frites, the steak is so tender you can cut it with a butter knife. DAMNIT this thread is making me drool. Time for in n out

Heh, my favorite food in Paris, truth be told, were the street vendors serving gyros and fries. Nothing like a roasted drum stick in a gyro and fries.

Also, anyone been to the grease trucks near Rutgers U? Get your meat with fries, lettuce and tomatoes, and fried mozzie sticks! After eating it I had trouble walking, was like I chowed down on a stick of butter or something.

[A Song of Hound and Wolves]

As far as unique or great restaurant experiences, I admit to not having one in a long time.  I have had great or should I say fantastic experiences at Merlino's Belvedere (steak and Italian in a very tacky setting) in Canon City, CO.  The Fort outside Denver.  Jimmy Schmidt's Rattlesnake Club.  Cafe Annie in Houston.

When I was a kid, we went to Poland.  This was during the Solidarity crisis and things were getting very tough there.  However, it was still possible to eat well if you had hard currency.  While in Krakow, we ate at what was essentially a 4 star-equivalent restaurant.  Each of us had our own waiter in a white jacket who stood behind us.  If we sipped our Coca-cola, our waiter refilled it.  (everywhere we went, we were served Coca-cola.  There was some sort of cultural myth that all Americans drank Coke all the time.  And it was always served warm.  No ice. No refrigeration, because they didn't have more than iceboxes.)  We knew it was a very nice restaurant because our Cokes had ice in them.

My sister ordered trout and it was served in what I realized later was a very beautiful, very haute cuisine fashion.  It had it's head on it.  She didn't eat it.

We fed seven people a 5 course meal, two bottles of wine, Coca-cola (with ice!) and the total bill in American dollars was under $65.  My mom tipped in Polish zlotys, and additionally gave the head waiter a $20 bill, and each individual waiter a $10.  These men followed us out of the restaurant, kissing my mom's hand, which sorta tells you how bad things had gotten before the Iron Curtain fell.

I'll never forget that.

MercenaryChef, on 20 July 2012 - 08:36 PM, said:

i would like to take this thread in a slightly different direction.

for me one of the greatest food experiences i have ever had was cooking at the james beard house. it is a honor to be invited as a chef to cook there. james beard was kind of a pimp and his name is still attributed to fine cooking, great food, incredible hospitality and the like.

*snipped for space*

wow, now that is a great experience.

Edited by A Song of Hound and Wolves, 20 July 2012 - 09:04 PM.

[Ravenhair]

Baitac, on 20 July 2012 - 08:50 PM, said:

Hi Raven! In 1996, we went to New Orleans for the College Football National Championship. We spent New Year's Eve there by going to Nola's for the absolute best prix fixe menu that we have ever had. The place was full. Only one serving by reservation. Only prix fixe. I wanted to die it was so perfect. When the University of Florida won the Championship on January 2nd, that made the experience even sweeter than beignets and cafe au lait at the Cafe Du Monde. You are sooo lucky to live there!!!

Hey, Baitac!!!  Wish you were in NYC with me right now!!!  Nola's is another fabulous Emeril's restaurant; I've never had a bad meal there.   And there is no better breakfast than Cafe du Monde, IMO.  Sending dreams of beignets your way.....

[Baitac]

Ravenhair, on 20 July 2012 - 09:03 PM, said:

Hey, Baitac!!!  Wish you were in NYC with me right now!!!  Nola's is another fabulous Emeril's restaurant; I've never had a bad meal there.   And there is no better breakfast than Cafe du Monde, IMO.  Sending dreams of beignets your way.....

Cooolllll!!

[Sound_of_winter]

Sciborg2 I'll be sure to try those street gyros next time, also check this out http://www.fatsalsdeli.com/Menu.aspx it tasted amazing, but I hated myself the next day lol.

[wolverine]

Remembered another one.  Shrimp/fish tacos in a street stand in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  They were the best tacos I have ever had.  You could see the little lady cutting up the big fresh fish fillets right behing the counter, pressing and frying the tortilla right next to it.  Had to make a few trips there to grab more awesome tacos for like a buck each.

[Howdyphillip]

I had just graduated boot camp in Great Lakes Il. , so for the previous eight weeks, I had been eating some of the most vile gruel that I had ever tasted in my young nineteen years. A friend and I decided to take the train 45 minutes south to Chicago to revel in a day of freedom.

The problem with this is that it was cold. Unbearably so, the way Chicago tends to be in the deepest of winter, and neither of us knew the city. We found ourselves wandering around downtown almost as miserable as we had been back in boot. To get out of the freezing weather, we decided to stop and eat at the first restaurant that we came across.

It was a nondescript Chinese place, the kind you find in every city in America, and it included a rather bleak looking buffet that didn't really look very appetizing. I decided to look at the menu and see if I could order something that looked more promising.

On the name alone, I ordered a plate called the Phoenix and the Dragon, and closed the menu without even looking at what it was exactly that I was ordering. What came to my table was an absolute masterpiece of a plate. The Phoenix was a roasted duck in spices that were so hot to be on the verge of numbing without ever fully crossing the line, and the Dragon turned out to be the largest lobster I have ever seen in a cream dill sauce. It was a perfect combination as when the spices from the duck were set to overwhelm me, a taste of the lobster with the cream would cool the tongue and those delicious flavors would take over.

I have spent four years of my life in Chicago, and despite countless hours walking around downtown, I never found that restaurant again. I have seen that name on plates in other places, but I have never seen the combination of duck and lobster represented again.

Edited by Howdyphillip, 21 July 2012 - 05:05 AM.

[Gillio]

I love to dine out, but the best meal ever would be fresh-caught fish and Crayfish, cooked on the boat whilst moored at Rottnest

http://en.wikipedia....t_Island_WA.jpg

http://www.mingor.ne...es/rottnest.htm

[Sci-2]

Got some kickass kebobs, the ones that are "flavored" by sitting on the rack next to the cashier.

Should be nasty, but I love 'em.

[wolverine]

Sound_of_winter, on 20 July 2012 - 10:48 PM, said:

Sciborg2 I'll be sure to try those street gyros next time, also check this out http://www.fatsalsdeli.com/Menu.aspx it tasted amazing, but I hated myself the next day lol.

Holy shit.  Not hungry at all right now and my mouth is watering.  That looks like it might be the greatest thing ever.

Reminds me of the Chivito challenge I had at a local bar and grill.  4 pound sandwich and 1 pound of homemade tots.  Won a sweet t-shirt letting everyone know I am a hog who can wolf down more than should be possible.

[Bronn Stone]

Considering my current degree of culinary interest, it might surprise some to learn that cuisine was not a consideration in my family when I was growing up (nor is it really much of one today).

As a ten year-old, I joined a schoolmate on a trip to a small tourist town north of Ensenada.  My host's mother was US born and not of Mexican heritage, but her husband was a Mexican national.  He went down to Ensenada for a shopping trip and brought back fresh fish.  Really fresh fish.  This was the 70's and Ensenada was still a major fishing port.  Those fish had been swimming in the sea 12 hours before they would be consumed.  My friend's parents cooperated on what they called bouillabaisse but was in retrospect just a very fresh fish soup, made with local ingredients and garnished with something I would not learn about for another decade or so - cilantro.  It still lingers in my mind and I would LOVE to try the exact same sort of thing again.

[BLU-RAY]

Actually, one that sticks out for me a bit is a meal I had with Bronn (well, he was at least there for part of it), Kat, and TerraPrime in SF- primarily because I rarely eat fish outside of sushi.  TP was visiting and was completely fucking adamant that we go somewhere he could get fresh fish, so we ended up at MarketBar (I think), and I ended up ordering the cioppino, and it was fucking ridiculous.  Perfect weight and tomato/garlic balance to the broth, and really fresh fish that set it off nicely.  I still rarely order fish, but I do keep my eye out for similar dishes now.

[Bronn Stone]

Cioppino is a classic San Francisco dish.  Done right, it is quite a treat.  Alas, the lack of a significant local fishery has made a really good one a rarity these days.  Glad to learn MarketBar did it right.

[Fragile Bird]

I wish I knew the definition of "done right".  I had never had cioppino until I ordered it in one of the restaurants aboard a cruise ship, and was absolutely delighted with my choice.  I've seen it on the menu of several Italian restaurants here in town, and what arrived wasn't even remotely close to the dish I had on the ship.  I don't know if this is an example of a "first time" memory that isn't accepting the subsequent dishes - no, strike that, the first experience was definitely superior.  But I would be curious to have the the dish in a good San Francisco restaurant.

[Bronn Stone]

Fragile Bird, on 22 July 2012 - 11:15 PM, said:

I wish I knew the definition of "done right".  I had never had cioppino until I ordered it in one of the restaurants aboard a cruise ship, and was absolutely delighted with my choice.  I've seen it on the menu of several Italian restaurants here in town, and what arrived wasn't even remotely close to the dish I had on the ship.  I don't know if this is an example of a "first time" memory that isn't accepting the subsequent dishes - no, strike that, the first experience was definitely superior.  But I would be curious to have the the dish in a good San Francisco restaurant.

I would suggest Tadich Grill for an SF cioppino experience.  It isn't an Italian joint - it is a dinosaur of a seafood place where little has changed since the dawn of California (claims to be oldest restaurant in town - a continuation of an 1850's place).  But they get very fresh fish and have been doing the dish a long time.  To me, it is mostly a 'leftovers' soup, with a spicy tomato-based fish broth.  The only essential ingredient is Dungeness crab.  But local salmon used to be abundant and various local rockfish should be a part as well.  Though if DVDRots recommends WaterBar, that means enough to me that I will order the dish next time I am there.

[MercenaryChef]

i wish to add another amazing food experience....

i must have been seven or eight and camping with my family. my father had told me secretly the night before that he and i would go fishing in the morning. i ever so silently escaped the tent i was sharing with my sisters and met him outside. he handed me a fishing pole and we quietly and wordlessly walked into the predawn light.

after much walking we were upon a serene, deep yet narrow stream. my father showed me how to cast into this small target avoiding low branches, exposed rocks and one another. by the time the sun truly poked above the mountains we were walking back to the campsite with five beautiful trout. still, very few words had been said.

before we could see the camp, we could smell it. the smell was bacon. sitting on the ground in front of a camp stove with a cast iron skillet (that i now have in my own kitchen) was my now departed mum frying up strips of bacon.

my mother was a phenomenal cook. so many people believe their mother's can cook, but mine truly could she was a incredible influence upon my career. she took the gutted trout, tossed them in seasoned corn meal and dropped them into the bacon fat.

but breakfast was not quite done yet. in the same skillet she then cracked eggs from a neighbor. the yolks orange rather than yellow. she cooked them just until the edges browned.

on my plate a pair of those eggs, a entire trout and a couple slices of bacon.


the skin was crisp and appetizing. the meat flaked from the bone and was so moist. the salty and smoky bacon is something i can still taste. the yolk so rich, the perfect sauce for the fish. i will remember that meal, that day, that experience for the rest of my life.

one day perhaps i will do homage to my mother and serve such a dish.

Edited by MercenaryChef, 23 July 2012 - 09:16 AM.

[Apoapsis]

sciborg2, on 21 July 2012 - 08:04 PM, said:

Got some kickass kebobs, the ones that are "flavored" by sitting on the rack next to the cashier.

Should be nasty, but I love 'em.

One of my friends in high school worked at a kebab shop. They had one of those huge spinning meat cylinders in a grill behind the counter, but he was to lazy to shave meat off it every time someone ordered kebab. So instead he did it maybe once every two hours, put a huge pile of meat on a plate on the desk in room temperature, and just grabbed some from the plate whenever anyone ordered.

When he decided that it had been standing there for too long he threw it away, ate it or gave it to his buddies if they were around. It tasted OK.

Edited by Apoapsis, 23 July 2012 - 09:15 AM.