My Top 10 Most Memorable Restaurant Meals
I have eaten out frequently my whole life and some meals are better than others. Every now and then, I have a spectacular meal either by attending a super nice restaurant or, just by accident, everything collides and a meal unexpectedly astounds me. I thought it would be interesting to try to make a list of my top 10 most memorable restaurant meals. I have placed them in chronological order. Some of these meals we have talked about for years or I have enjoyed the sweet aftertaste of the memory of them over time. For each, I can still remember how the flavors hit my tongue. The impermanence of art as food intrigues me. Sometimes everything just comes together as food and theater – something special happens with raw ingredients being transformed into a completely unique and dramatic experience. These are my top 10 most memorable restaurant meals.
1. The Tower Restaurant, London circa 1984. They served me the best scallops I have ever had–still, to this day. I was 16 years old and with my parents, and this was one of my first experiences with fine dining in a top-notch restaurant. I just couldn’t believe how good the food was. We had grilled scallops and I have been searching ever since for a scallop that comes close to how good they were.
2. Sadie’s Restaurant, Albuquerque, NM, circa 1987 when the restaurant was still in the bowling alley. The margaritas were psychedelic and the food was sublime. After 2.5 hours waiting for a table, I still remember how spectacular the flavors of the food were with the deep dark red chile and the papas (fried cubed potatoes). Sadie’s still has good food but the bowling alley days offered an unparalleled experience.
3. Sushi with Rich, 1992, Evergreen, Colorado. I had never really figured out how to “do sushi.” I was from New Mexico and although I had eaten Japanese food, sushi seemed too foreign and I didn’t really know how to order and enjoy it. My friend Rich decided we should go out and he would mentor me in the art of sushi. He was from New York and was a cook in a restaurant we were both working in. Clearly, he was more worldly than me. He taught me patiently and kindly and opened up the whole world of sushi in an evening. All of a sudden, I was sushi literate and could hold an appreciation for this “new to me” cuisine. I still remember him describing pickled ginger as a palate cleanser and saying, “I never drink alcohol with sushi, I like to drink water so I can really taste the sushi.” I often choose water when I eat sushi and this evening lingers in my memory.
4. The Denver Chop House, Denver, CO, 1998, and what I fondly refer to as the “blank check dinners.” I worked in sales for a Fortune 500 company. Ours was the top producing office in the country and each month we would “win” the title of highest monthly revenue. Our bosses would come into town and take the entire office out for a celebration dinner. Mostly we went to the Denver Chop House and the food was always delicious. There was no thrift in these meals and they consisted of too much wine, too much food, and we occasionally ended up with everyone going to a strip club. Nothing like buying your boss a lap dance to make the evening memorable! These meals make my top 10 list because it was the first time in my life I had regular meals of this quality and the sheer largesse of these events puts them in my top 10. They mark a particular time in life and my food journey.
5. Two meals at Vineland Estates Winery, Vineland, Ontario, when Marc Picone was the chef there, 2003-04:
Meal 1–October 2003. I never knew how good a bowl of pasta could be. We had guests staying at our B & B and I told them I would be their driver if they would buy me lunch. I had one of the best meals of my life and discovered Mark Picone.
Meal 2–Spring of 2004 when we went back to Vineland Estates and learned how much my mother loves ice wine. My parents took us to dinner here and it was amazing from start to finish. Mel had a savory dessert he still talks about with olive oil ice cream and figs. My mother had a little too much ice wine, and we all had so much fun. The food and wine were the background for a very special family dinner.
6. Stratford Chefs School, 2012, when we took Sela to her admissions interview at the school. It was a magical day. Sela worked in the kitchen all morning and then we met her and the school representative for lunch at the school restaurant. After lunch, Sela had her admissions interview and we stuck around for dinner. It was a day of excitement and promise and the dinner showed us why this school was a great place to learn. Each course was spectacular and we chuckled about the student servers who were clearly learning. I wish I could have a little more beet ravioli as I remember the food that night.
7. La Tour Restaurant in Sancerre, France summer of 2013. This food was interesting and it was a highlight because it was the first time Mel and I took our boys to a fine dining restaurant. Watching them enjoy the beautiful food and try things like pigeon and cuttlefish and stinky French cheese was a highlight. They were able to order in French, too, which made it even more fun for us. Here’s a previous post about our meal with the boys at La Tour.
8. Oviinbyrd Restaurant in Muskoka ON, Summer 2013. All the food was good but the salumi plate blew me away. This is a private golf course and I was able to eat here a couple of times with Sela when she did her apprenticeship at Oviinbyrd. They make the salumi themselves and the variety and flavors are just so interesting. I had the boys with me and even 8-year-old boys loved the Oviinbyrd salumi.
9. Stratford Chefs School, Fall 2013, Sela’s lunch lab. Never have I worried so much about a meal in a restaurant. This was Sela’s opportunity to show what she could do in terms of menu and execution as part of her 2nd year chef school program. My parents flew in from New Mexico and our friends Janice and David came. The boys came and had near impeccable manners all the way through. Sela and I talked about it for months and I helped her out with Excel as she put together the budget. I was nervous for her. It was a delicious lunch and it was interesting to see her learning. It was imperfect, but it was all about her growth and learning as a chef and I felt like I was a part of it.
10. Stratford Chefs School with visiting Michelin Star chef Alexandre Gauthier from France, January 2014. Sela was lucky enough to be the student chef during the dinner we attended that night. There was a tasting menu that knocked our socks off. Read my review here. I loved this meal!
Reflections about my list:
As I consider this list, a few thoughts come to me. The first is how rare it is to have a truly exceptional life changing meal. It is a bit like searching for the holy grail. We have eaten many very good meals searching for greatness and the journey itself is fun. I am renewed in my resolve to eat less average meals out on a weekly basis and to eat more spectacular meals out on occasion. If we eat at home most of the time, we can budget for exceptional culinary experiences every now and then.
Secondly, I notice how my connection to people makes food taste better. I love sharing good times with a bottle of wine and a great meal. I can’t wait to keep sharing great food with the boys as their tastes expand and as they love food more and more. It is fun to see their love of food happening.
Finally, I am excited to see how many top 10 meals I have had this year. I know my connection to Sela and her journey through chef school and into the food world as a career has had an impact. It is fun to look for amazing food opportunities and I hope we will have a chance to follow her around the globe, eating amazing dishes as her career develops. I hope the boys will enjoy this with us.
