It’s the time of the year when many people are planning their vacation. If you’re a food enthusiast like me, you know that great food really makes a vacation worthwhile.
Therefore, I’d like to get your opinion…
What city has the best cuisine you’ve ever tasted?
What dish did you enjoy the most?
Please share your experience and any recipes you may have.
Feel free to also talk about your favorite restaurant and your favorite food from that restaurant. 8) :idea:
I figured I’d go first being that I asked the question.
I’ve traveled many places but ironically my favorite city to eat is my hometown of NY City.
If you’re in NY, you have to try Nobu - a Japenese restaurant in Downtown Manhattan. It was an awesome dining experience and I can’t wait to go back.
I recommend you go “omakase” and let the chef choose your meal. They’ll bring out like 7 or 8 different dishes for your to enjoy one after the next. You can even request cooked food only if you’re not into the raw stuff.
Do make a reservation at least two weeks in advance because celebrities often dine there and there is usually a waiting list.
In my opinion Chicago has the best restaurants/food. The ethnic varieties are endless and the best steak houses around. There is a fabulous Italian Beef chain there—Portillo’s. I just crave their sandwiches. Anybody who goes to the Windy City should try this place. You’ll be hooked.
We were in Boston the week before Labor Day two years ago. We ate at The Naked Fish four times. Oh my gosh, they had the best seafood. Their grilled lobster was fantastic, but what we really enjoyed was their basalmic glazed scallops. They were fabulous! So, a couple of months after we had been there, I e-mailed the resturaunt and asked for the recipe and, bless their kind souls, they sent it to me. Here it is:
BALSAMIC GLAZED SEA SCALLOPS
ITEM
SEA SCALLOPS 4 1/2 OZ
BLEND OIL 1 OZ
SALT 1 PINCH
BALSAMIC GLAZE 1 1/2 OZ
WHOLE BUTTER 1/2 OZ
SPINACH 1 OZ CLEANED
HAM COTTO, JULIENNE1 OZ RENDERED IN OIL
PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS
BROWN SCALLOPS IN OIL. SEASON WITH SALT. DEGLAZE WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE, REDUCE SAUCE AND FINISH WITH BUTTER, WITH THE FLAME OFF. IN A SEPARATE PAN WILT THE SPINACH IN OIL SEASON WITH SALT, SPINACH SHOULD STAY FIRM
SERVING INSTRUCTIONS
PLACE THE SPINACH IN THE CENTER OF THE PLATE
PLACE THE SCALLOPS AROUND AND DRIZZLE THE SAUCE OVER THE SCALLOPS AND SOME ON THE SPINACH
PLACE THE HAM ON THE SPINACH
BALSAMIC GLAZE
ITEM
BALSAMIC VINEGAR 1 CUP
RED WINE VINEGAR 1 CUP
BROWN SUGAR 1/2 CUP
SALT 1 TBSP
I hope you try this and enjoy it as much as we did!
I haven’t really travelled a lot, but my favorite, of all the places I have been is an upstate NY town called Oswego. There’s a little family restaurant there called Canale’s and they have the BEST Italian that this sheltered body has EVER eaten!!!
I come from an Italian background and don’t care much for eating Italian food at restaurants but in Tacoma Washington there is this great place called Pomodora’s which has the best restaurant italian food I’ve ever tasted. It reminds me of the food I ate at my grandmas house.
Tacoma is a great city for restaurants of all kinds.
Of course you can’t go wrong in Seattle either. If your into Dim Sum the King Cafe near the Mariners stadium wonderful.
I have never really travelled anywhere far away, so I am going to use what I know: I used to live in Michigan U.P. and I enjoyed pasties very much, so that’s the recipe I’ll share with you. It is a nice comfort food and versatile, too, since it’s portable. There are a few different recipes for it, so it all depends on which one you prefer. This is the one that I make often:
CORNISH FINNISH MICHIGAN PASTIES
4 ½ c. flour
1 c. shortening
1 1/4 c. ice water
1 t. salt
5 ½ c. diced potatoes
2 carrots, shredded
1 onion, chopped finely
½ c. diced rutabagas
1 ½ lb. ground beef
½ lb. ground pork
1 T. salt
1 t. pepper
1 ½ t. Accent® seasoning (MSG)
1 t. beef bouillon
½ c. hot water
Preheat oven to 425. Whisk together flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; cut in shortening. Make a well in the center of the mixture and quickly stir in ice cold water. Form dough into a ball; set aside. Dissolve the bouillon in the hot water; set aside. In a large bowl, combine vegetables, uncooked meats, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, Accent® and dissolved bouillon. Divide dough into 6 balls; roll out each ball to an 8" circle. Place about 1½ cups of filling in the center of each circle; fold dough over the filling and seal the edges. Cut a slit in the top of each pastry. Place on dull, not black, baking sheets. Bake for 45 minutes. Makes 6 large pasties.
Our favorite place in the whole world is Jamaica. Specifically Port Antonio. It’s the place they filmed Cocktail & The Mighty Quinn. We love the spicy foods. Our special meal is the incredible Jerk pork & chicken served at Boston Beach. 8)
I live close to San Francisco. My daughter lives in Berkeley. I would have to say the best food ever was in these two cities. There are just too many recipes to choose from but, I really like clam sauce fettucini with mushrooms. Did I mention my daughter is a chef?? San Francisco does have the best food. So many cultures to choose from and all of them fantastic.
Debb
For me the best restaurant I had eaten at was in Quebec City. I had French Cuisine for the first time. The name of the restaurant is Parallel 47. I had a five service meal and each one was unique in presentation and taste. Just the presentation with the flowers, herbs was something to talk about at the table. I hope to go back soon. It is a four fork restaurant (out of 5).
My husband and I went to Kenya Africa in 2002 and ate at a resturant called the “Carnivor” they prepared every type of meat that you could possibly think of on a hugh open fire pit in the center of the Resturant. Then once it was prepared the waiter would approach each tabel with the meat on a spit and you could try what ever they had prepared that night, we had ostrich, zebra, wild boar, of course lamb, roast beef and several other dishes that was all excellent.
Well My now husband and I traveled the east coast and I think one of my favorite ones there was the No Name Restaurant, it was in Boston, Mass.
It was a very simple restaurant. We enjoyed the fresh “whole” lobsters. That was quite an experience for us all!!! None of us knew how to eat one, nor did we know what to expect! Well the directions were on the place mat. Anyways it was very good!!!
Seafood Dip
1 can shrimp
1 can crab meat
1 can clams
Drain all of these
1 cream cheese (softened)
sour cream, about 1 c.
1 t. lemon juice
1 t. garlic
1 t. worstachire
Mix these together until well blended and then add the seafood, fold in.
Rfrigate for 2 hrs. before serving
can crab meat
San Francisco by far has the BEST food in the world. So many different types of cultural food to choose from and all different types of atmospheres. AWESOME…
For me It’s Montreal, Quebec Canada. The place is “Gibbys”. No matter what is ordered, it’s great.
About the only place we go for vacation is Panama City or Destin in Florida. My favorite food was a dish that I had at the Back Porch in Destin that was a Seafood Nachos. I have tried to get a recipe even close to it, but nothing so far. Lots of seafood on nachos, and a great sauce!!
Oh, my! This is a hard one because I have several favorites.
Number one on my short list has to be New Orleans. Acme Oyster & Seafood House is the primo place for raw oysters, and there’s one in the Quarter as well as one out by the lake on Lakeshore Drive. Their fried oyster po’boys aren’t bad either. Ask for the roumalade. Deanie’s is good if you want good southern fried seafood and catfish; again two locations, one in the Quarter and another out by the lake, and they have a retail store attached to the restaurant out by the lake. And you can’t talk about New Orleans food without mentioning Cafe du Monde. It’s crowded, the menu is short, but heck, it’s an institution, and the entertainment is right across the table…trying to keep the powdered sugar from decorating face and shirt.
Boston is next. Legal Seafood will satisfy your seafood cravings, but lobster and oysters are plentiful, too. Faneuil Hall has an eclectic mix of cuisines. Somebody else mentioned Naked Fish, which is there, and I heartily concur. Just follow your nose. And for food and history, detour over to Union Oyster House, purportedly the oldest oyster house in Boston. For steak, you just can’t beat Morton’s, but that goes for any Morton’s anywhere. They also have a chocolate cake with a gooey center that really is foreplay with all of your clothes on. I highly recommend it. Newberry Street in the Back Bay area is the place to shop and eat…and shop and eat…and shop and eat. Visit during the temperate season and you can dine outside and watch the parade of humanity.
Those are my short list favorites. Thanks for the forum. This is a great idea.
Shoes
In September we were in Vancouver staying at a bed & breakfast. We asked where was a good place to eat, and Tomatoes was suggested. It is a little bistro in the neighborhood. We walked there and ate. It was wonderful! We tried several other places during our visit, but always went back. Everything we had was delicious. I even ate the baby carrots that came with my chicken dish, and sopped up the juice with bread.
My all time favorite place to eat is a little town in Texas called Nachitoces (pronounced Nack-i=dish) I ate blackened Alligator there and it was to die for.
liz cloward
I am from Chicago, and while we have some great food…no place beats New Orleans. You can get the best breakfast, lunch and/or dinner there. I can’t even name a favorite place. We’ve eaten at all the best places and they really were the best. I can’t wait to go back!
My favourite place is in Hong Kong cos’ there are many choices. However, my favourite food is Traditional Cheese Pizza in New York. I miss it very much. I ate at least one slice of it each day when I was in NY.