My Top 5 Food Memories from Around the World
Eating Pasta in Rome with Dad
Tuna ribbons from Jean George
Vancouver Island meal with Gabs at Saveur
San Sebastian Pinxtos with Mom and Mags
Korean BBQ with Gabs
When I start to think about all of the wonderful food memories stored in my favorite brain catalogue- IE Food; it becomes nearly impossible to narrow down the most influential moments. As I began to write this post my mind went crazy with options, “how on earth do I narrow down to 5 when I feel I have 5 great food memories every week!?”. While I got overwhelmed by this question, I almost seamlessly started answering the question without even knowing it. I have eaten at so many prestigious restaurants, and local hot spots, but the memories that matter the most truly are the ones with my closest loved ones. The ones I think about regularly without even realizing they are really a food memory.
#1
When I think back about my time in Rome, (which is often), I reminisce on what it was like to be a 21 year old with the world at my fingertips, and of course those endless belly fulls of handmade pasta. Though I have many great memories from this trip, I always come back to my dad and I ordering Bucatini with meat sauce. No not spaghetti, and no not Bolognese (you will make the Romans cringe if you say you love Bolognese). In reality, it was very similar to a Bolognese, BUT this perfect combination of thicker chewy Bucatini noodles with a meat sauce from the gods, I can’t help but to fall back into that moment. When dad and I just so happened to order the same thing, and when we just so happened to look up after our first bite with smiles from ear to ear, this is when I knew we had stumbled upon something special. I remember thinking, this is it, this is the pasta that everyone says will change your life. Seem dramatic? Well maybe, but until you have taken that bite of pasta, in Italy, there is just no way you could know this feeling. Not to be pretentious, but instead think of me as your personal travel cheerleader encouraging you to run after lifes greatest pleasures! So, if you have not had that ‘Ah Hah’ moment, do yourself the biggest favor and book that flight to Rome as soon as COVID allows, and eat THAT pasta!
One of the funniest parts of this food memory is that I do not have the exact name of the restaurant. I have hunted around on google maps for hours and have it narrowed down to one of two places, but there are not many good pictures of the menu or the restaurant. We were in a somewhat touristy (not my normal pick for authentic food) area by Villa Borghese, we had just watched a guy impersonating Michael Jackson (not bad I should say), our stomachs were rumbling, it was almost Siesta, and we just happened to stumble down some stairs into a dark dungeon like, brick walled little cave. A wonderfully intimate feeling with very few people around. I do not think I actually want to know the name or the exact dish, I think this is one of those memories better left untouched, untarnished by the potential realities that could taint it. For me, best pasta of my life, with my dad, in a dimly lit room, in Roma - It was magic. One of the best memories I could ask for 😊
#2
If you have not spent much time in Canada, I would highly recommend. 10 out of 10 😉
Gabi and I spent 6 days in the Vancouver area last year (2019) and had an extremely memorable trip. The most exciting part of this journey was taking a 2 hour ferry ride out to Vancouver Island, and staying a couple nights in Victoria, one of the cutest little cities you will ever come across. Leading into this trip I had done my research on a restaurant called, Saveur. Great chef, highly rated, I thought this would be a perfect spot to have one of our nicer meals of the trip. Little did I know that we would be blown away by the continuous quality, dish after dish.
The most fun part of this food memory is that my expectations were not that high, and by the end of the meal I was thinking this may be one of the best all around meals I have ever had in my life. I do NOT say this lightly. Every single dish was spectacular. We ordered 5 things, all were wonderful, but there were 3 dishes in particular that are forever burned into my memory.
- The Pork Belly with pickled mustard seed, maple jus, and a cumin crème freche. Pork belly is always going to be a way to my heart, but the unique combination of flavors, the precise cooking and the local product from Berryman farm make this dish extraordinary. A depth of flavor and textures that only great chefs can achieve.
- Next, The Chilled Soba Noodles with miso, grilled shitake and sesame. This may not sound all that life changing, but the simplicity and the quality are second to none. Best Soba dish I have ever eaten.
- Lastly, was their Ling Cod dish with Risotto, goat butter, orange Gastrique, kale and mushrooms. This was all about using subtle flavors to enhance this gorgeous piece of fish. Melt in your mouth delicious with fattiness from the butter and bitterness of the gastrique and kale, finished by the richness of the mushrooms. One of the best fish dishes I have tasted to date. Luscious perfection.
Though the journey out to Vancouver island takes some planning, this meal alone is worth the journey; we will be back.
#3
Sometimes there are food memories that are short, sweet and massively influential. Eating at a legendary restaurant like Jean Georges on Central Park in Columbus square are the things foodies like me dream of. The service was wonderful, the setting pristine with white gloves and white tablecloths; and the Tuna Ribbons, those perfect tuna ribbons. What. A. Dish.
If you love raw fish- sushi, carpaccio, ceviche etc.. this is the dish for you. The fish, like most Michelin restaurants is second to none, but really it is all about the sauce or broth accompanying these perfect ribbons of tuna. The complex, herbaceous, light and aromatic but deep and rich sauce. I am convinced you could pour this over a dirty shoe and it would taste like heaven. I will never forget the moment I took my first bite, my mouth exploded with every flavor note and my eyes opened wide with amazement. I have eaten a million tuna dishes of a million varieties, but to this day I still dream of this bite. If you get the chance, do not pass it up!
#4
Whether you follow the global food scene or not, San Sebastian, must be a stop on your travel and food bucket list. This is a one of a kind city and culture that is impossible to explain without diving into its intimate relationship with food. This is often times considered the Food mecca of the world, and for good reason as there are over 18 Michelin stars and a big reputation in this small northern Spain seaside town. If you have never looked at pictures of San Sebastian, go ahead and start now but beware your wanderlust is going to overtake you.
The likes of Arzak and Mugaritz make up some of the most sought after Michelin reservations in the world, but for me, the more special part of San Sebastian dining are the $2-$4 Pintxo (tapas) you find dotted throughout the old town. If you learn nothing from this blog, please learn this, partaking in the tradition of bar hopping, sipping wine smashing a few handheld tapas and moving onto the next spot, is one of the best experiences in the world for food. I cannot stress this enough, it is absolutely magical, and I was so blessed to spend this experience with my mother and best friend Maggie.
Though the idea of Tapas has taken the world over, San Sebastian is the godfather, the place where it all started and the place where it is done the best. There are dozens upon dozens of Pintxos bars throughout the pedestrian only, cobbled 7 by 7 square blocks of old town. One of the most special places I have been in the world, you feel so purely European, it does not get any better than this! Until, you walk into Astelena, order a glass of wine and a bite size filet (maybe 2 or 3) and sit out on the piazza in the Plaza De La Constitucion people watching and humming to the live music, you do not know happiness. These little “steak bites” are something that my mom and I still reminisce about, we ordered one and then we ordered 5 more. The flavor was perfection, but also the feeling. The bar was busy and bustling, but the owner pinpointed Mom and gave her all the special attention. (I am convinced that if he had not wanted to flirt with her, we may have never gotten to try these delicious little tapas that changed my life). We had no idea what to order, everyone was shouting in Spanish, we didn’t know if there was a line (we were a mess), but this gentleman talked to us over the crowd and suggested we try these. The meat was such high quality, perfectly cooked with a drizzle of a house made Jus. Simply put, the best bite of red meat I have had in my life, something we will never forget.
The next few days we ate, we drank, we strolled and ate and drank some more. If you are so lucky to visit make sure to try Bar Txepetxa, La Vina, Borda Berri or La Cuchara De San Telmo, bur really anywhere is going to be incredible. The love and attention, the reverence and care that everyone in San Sebastian has for food is a unique experience you will think about for decades.
#5
My never ending food memory with my girlfriend is Korean BBQ from Road to Seoul in koreatown LA. There are so many well known Kbbq spots in this city but this is our home. The service is wonderful and the value for money is untouched. Depending when you go it can be $17 up to $25 per person, all you can eat. Those words “all you can eat” typically make the hair on my neck stand up, but this is different. Korean BBQ is different. This is the only environment where those words are like gold; endless quantity of high quality marinated meat and the delicious little side dishes, Banchan. Gabi and I have to limit ourselves to about once a month, but if we could, we would eat this every day. Make sure you get the Bulgogi (duh) and the Road to Seoul marinated pork belly. We have ordered everything, but these are the 2 meats that will change the way you think about Korean bbq. Order a scallion pancake or 2, make sure you get extra bean sprouts, seaweed salad, daikon radish, salad (best dressing ever), and a yummy bottle of Soju. Pour each other a glass (tradition to pour for those you are dining with), man the grill and smile your way through one of the most desirable and fun food experiences in modern dining!
As I sit and reflect back on these memories, what I do know about all of them is that the food and the environment/culture are equal parts important. The service matters just as much as the food for me; you combine that with special bites and the people you love, and these memories get branded into our minds like tattoos on our skin.