My dining experience in 2011 was immensely dense this year. My hunger took me to the far reaches of this country (Hawaii, Maine, the Florida Keys, and southern California) yet to many places well within it (such as Kansas City, Memphis, Carolina, and central Texas for barbecue). I've been to two restaurants, each one arguably the best in their respective city: Le Bernardin (New York) and Bacchanalia (Atlanta). Based on food alone, Le Bernardin and Bacchanalia would be No. 1 and 2. But food is only part of the experience. For me, these are the 10 most memorable meals in 2011.
11. New Orleans Jazzfest (New Orleans, LA)
I remember the mad rush to the food
stations in the first hour of the first day of the first weekend of
Jazzfest. I ate the fabled Cochon de Lait Po' Boy, available only at
Jazzfest on a yearly basis. Delicious. I shared a table with a couple
who had been attending Jazzfest regularly for years. "Who are you here
to see?" I mistakenly asked. They proceed to tell me their Jazzfest
2011 list: it contained foods, no artists or musicians. The food is as
phenomenal as the music. Complete sensory overload.
10. DiFara's (Brooklyn, NY)
Of any meal I've eaten in my life, this is the one that I replay in my head in slow motion.
Then I realize I'm actually remembering it at full speed. You can
argue that pizza is fast food. My brother Joel and I watched Mr. DeMarco
craft each and every pizza with such care and perfection, from the
preparation of the dough and the fresh grating of cheese to its final
removal from the oven and the scissoring of fresh basil to finish it
off. Yes, it's a wait. But a glorious one at that. Best slice of pizza you can have.
09. Pierre's (Islamorada, FL)
Touted as one of the Florida Keys' best
restaurants. Yes, the scallops and lamb ravioli were fantastic.
But I remember being given my own quiet table so I could read my book (Desert Solitaire, as I had just hiked in Utah with my brother Jay). The
staff let me breathe. The first and only interruption was to be alerted that sunset
was approaching. I grabbed a drink and was escorted to a cushioned seat on
the porch. In the background was a man with an acoustic guitar
playing. The porch faced the Florida sunset. I couldn't be happier.
08. Le Bernardin (New York, NY)
The best meal I've eaten in my life.
Dressed in suits, we entered Le Bernardin. To this day, I'm still
trying to figure out how my brother got reservations on short notice.
Each dish was so remarkable, that I had the giggles by the third dish.
Over the top, fantastic. An all star line-up: Caviar-Wagyu, Tuna,
Lobster, Turbot, Hiramasa, Black Bass, Pineapple, and Chocolate-Olive
Oil. Picking a favorite is a challenge, but the Turbot and
Chocolate-Olive Oil (dessert) stood out to me. My brother had
frantically tried to memorize all the items before our menus were taken
away. No worries; we were given copies of the tasting menu and a
complimentary special edition Zagat Guide. I remember leaving the
restaurant and hearing the sirens and car horns on the city streets.
Back to reality.
07. Lucha Libre Taco Shop (San Diego, CA)
The pastels completely contradict
the black and white lucha libre matches being broadcast on the TV
screens inside. At a complicated intersection, parking is difficult
here so that when you see all these visual stimuli, you are jarred and
clueless. The Surfin' California Burrito is the best burrito I've eaten
in my life. It's literally bursting with steak, shrimp, fries,
avocado, cheese, pico de gallo and whatever else they threw in there. A
few bites and all of a sudden the bright pink colors and masked wrestlers
make you feel at home.
06. Street & Co. (Portland, ME)
When we paid the bill, we were no longer
sitting in our original seats. Fresh, fresh seafood, this place is an
argument why coastal seafood is always superior. Just when you
thought one dish was perfection, the next one one-upped it. Mussels,
scallops, oysters, you name it. The final thing I ate was the lobster.
So juicy and tender, I ripped it apart with my own bare hands.
Nutcracker? No, thank you. Why did we switch seats? The final dishes
were served on steaming hot frying pans. How awesome is that.
05. Paseo (Seattle, WA)
Who knew that the best Cuban sandwich in
America was in Seattle? I ate my first sandwich on the premises, which
blew me away about what a Cuban sandwich could be. The meat was
fresher, more tender. The bun was different. There was a bigger kick.
Not like what I've had in Florida. Perhaps it wasn't a Cuban sandwich? Whatever it was, it was so good I
ordered a second one to go. Three hours later I was at my final
destination. The second sandwich was a few hours older and heated by a
car's interior. The white paper wrapping was keeping it in one piece.
With my feet up and a view of Mount Rainier out the window of my room at the National Park Inn, this sandwich tasted even
better than the first.
04. Red's Eats (Wiscasset, ME)
I heard that parking and traffic can be a
problem so I arrived one hour early. I was not the first person on
line. Thirty minutes before opening, trucks with fresh lobster stop and
unload in front of Red's Eats. These are the best lobster rolls.
Period. Thomas Keller & Mario Batali's favorite lobster
rolls are at Pearl's in Manhattan. I don't think they've been to Red's
Eats. (I have eaten at Pearl's.) Each roll is beyond overflowing with the freshest lobster, served
with warm, melted butter. I was lucky enough to snag a table where I could
enjoy my meal and soak in the summer sun. As I left, I stopped back in
front of Red's Eats. When you travel Route 1 west towards Red's Eats,
you cross over water via a bridge. I saw that bridge had bumper to bumper
traffic, backed up for a maybe a mile if I had to guess. Each car was
trying to stop and sneak into Red's Eats. People were spilling out of
cars to try to get on line. I've never seen anything like it.
03. Grady's Barbecue (Dudley, NC)
I had happily finished lunch at Wilbur's
Barbecue in Goldsboro, NC. A delicious and filling meal, with pulled
pork, cole slaw, hush puppies, and potato salad. I was staying over an
hour away back in Raleigh. There was this other place called Grady's in
Dudley, NC only 10 miles from Wilbur's, also known for their pulled
pork. Do I go back to Raleigh, then drive all the way back for dinner? Or do I pass on Grady's? But
I heard such good things. I decided to go to Grady's to grab dinner to go. This was a confusing ten miles. I got lost. GPS didn't
work. I kept on this long-winding road, fingers crossed. I eventually
found it. Only one other car in front. Empty inside (the owner's car?). With the order to go, I hopped back into my car and started
driving. I should taste it while it's warm, right? I was too
stubborn to pull over. I ate the meal in my car. While driving. On
top of a full lunch. This was the best pulled pork I've ever eaten in
my life. Perfectly moist, tender, spiced, smoky, with pieces of skin
for more flavor and crispiness. This was truly divine. It made me
forgot about my previous meal. Which was literally no more than thirty
minutes earlier.
02. Edith's Restaurant (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico)
Leah and I had met some people at an
outdoor jacuzzi in our hotel. They talked about this amazing place
called Edith's Restaurant. "Make reservations now." We did. A festive
restaurant with pastel colors inside. Service was impeccable. In
fact, before I ever set foot into Bacchanalia or Le Bernardin, this
place set the standard for service. With a smile. An army of
servants. It started with the most perfect Caesar salad (and a history lesson on Caesar salad, born in western Mexico). Shrimp.
Lobster. Steak. Simple in preparation. Fresh, fresh ingredients. In fact, they bring out the ingredients so you can see how fresh they are prior to cooking.
When has advice given in a jacuzzi ever steered anyone wrong? The meal was unbelievable. Bring on the mariachi band! (And there was music!) Bring on the tequila! (And there was drinking!) Still remains the
most festive fine-dining experience. We never wanted to leave. But
when we did? That stroll along the beach back to the hotel will do just fine.
01. Dasheene (Soufriere, Saint Lucia)
To others, it would just be a seafood buffet. My day started out in Soufriere. My taxi driver during my time in Saint Lucia and I agreed we would hike up Petit Piton. Hike is too weak a word. Petit Piton is about 2500 feet in altitude. Gros Piton, the smaller twin peak, had a paved trail to the top. Petit Piton doesn't. It's about 45 degrees straight up. We started out. Kester, my cab driver, led the way (your taxi driver is your tour guide in Saint Lucia). No trail. He led the way and I followed. "It's as much pull with your arms as push with your legs," he said. After close to two hours of hiking (with multiple breaks on my part), we were 3/4s towards the top. "What are those I asked?" "Ropes," Kester replied. "You just pull, like this," he said. Yes, we rope climbed the majority of the final fourth. The views at the top were breathtaking. And not due to shortness of breath. The route down was even more painful. A complete reversal of muscle groups. I was cramping by the time I got back down. Knees were achy. We headed to a nearby natural springs. Perfect temperature, heated by the volcano under Soufriere, I rinsed myself of all the sweat. I let my muscles shut off for a little bit. It was bliss. It was lunchtime, so I went back to Dasheene, the restaurant at the resort Ladera, perched at altitude between the Pitons. I had already witnessed amazing sunsets there on previous nights. I was seated outside at a table staring down the very mountain that I had just hiked. There was a seafood buffet and it featured the catch of the day, red snapper. My meal was very simple: red snapper and local vegetables. I had two plates. I had lots of water. I sat back in disbelief that I was at the top of that peak. But it is still a high I haven't come down from nearly one year later.
Honorable mention:
Bacchanalia (Atlanta, GA)
I went with three co-workers; the reason we went was because we, individually, had been wanting to go here for years. It certainly did not disappoint. It briefly held the title of best meal of my life (until that was surpassed by Le Bernardin). The freshest ingredients available. Simple preparations. Each dish was artfully prepared and presented. A waltz for the taste buds. They take care of you here. You feel spoiled and leave, not disgustingly full, but ready to go to bed, because, what can top that? It did not take long for us to go back. I ordered different items: tuna (instead of Kumamoto oysters), Nantucket scallops (instead of of the snapper), quail (instead of the steak). And I may have even had a better time the second time around. It really is Atlanta's best fine dining.
Duane's Ono-Char Burger (Anahola, Kauai, HI)
My friend
Sarah and I had just landed in Kauai and our spin around the island got
us lost and subsequently we were very, very hungry. A stop at the "next
place we see" turned out to be an unexpected and delicious find: a
red-painted burger shack. Though the burger quickly fixed my appetite,
it didn't take long to take note of the hordes of wild chickens roaming
the premises. Chickens everywhere. Perhaps they were taking revenge
for all those Chick-Fil-A commercials on TV.
