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I stopped eating meat two years ago, but I will never forget a favorite lunch from L'express in NYC: A lamb burger with Moroccan spices. So good. So good. Poor lamb, but so good. I worked in the neighborhood and got it every time we went there.
Homemade aioli (garlic mayonnaise with lemon juice and virgin olive oil).
Pizza (in Italy) with capers and anchovies. (I know - anchovies are major tun off for some). First tasted this when I was 9 and the anchovies may have been fresher/different from the canned kind we get here in the U.S. I still ove the though!
Mussels in creme fraiche (similar to sour cream but a little sweeter) /thyme/wine sauce.
Recipes on request, except for the pizza which I kind of have to improvise with American ingredients.
Baked salmon at Dakota's in NY. Side dishes mashed potatoes (OMG) and broccoli (with something tangy added...lime? OMG). A meal to die for. And I'm not easily impressed (I'm usually fine with a meal as long as it's not raw or burned..otherwise, it's fine).
1. Fried Onion Loaf (from a now defunk restaurant in Atlanta): Paper thin sliced onions that were lightly dusted with a floured seasoning. I miss it so much
2. The first time I had uni (sea urchin - life changing for me. It is so ugly looking and slimy but the flavor to me was sublime)
3. The Grand Marnier Chocolate Souffle at the Red Fish Restaurant in New Orleans. I still dream about that fluffy souffle with the crunchy sugary caramelized crust.
4. Honey Dipped Chicken (also from a defunk restaurant in Atlanta) This was a traditional "meat and three" country restaurant. They would fry their chicken in a pressurized fryer and then drizzle a light (thinned) honey sauce atop. It was the precursor of the non-spicy version of Memphis fried chicken of my childhood.
5. Porchetta - crispy pork skin? - Nuf said
6. Roasted goose: I experienced it the first time I was in China at my parents' province. Smoky, crispy and unctuous goodness!
1. Fried Onion Loaf (from a now defunk restaurant in Atlanta): Paper thin sliced onions that were lightly dusted with a floured seasoning. I miss it so much
2. The first time I had uni (sea urchin - life changing for me. It is so ugly looking and slimy but the flavor to me was sublime)
3. The Grand Marnier Chocolate Souffle at the Red Fish Restaurant in New Orleans. I still dream about that fluffy souffle with the crunchy sugary caramelized crust.
4. Honey Dipped Chicken (also from a defunk restaurant in Atlanta) This was a traditional "meat and three" country restaurant. They would fry their chicken in a pressurized fryer and then drizzle a light (thinned) honey sauce atop. It was the precursor of the non-spicy version of Memphis fried chicken of my childhood.
5. Porchetta - crispy pork skin? - Nuf said
6. Roasted goose: I experienced it the first time I was in China at my parents' province. Smoky, crispy and unctuous goodness!
Now everyone knows the list of my last supper
Of course you can go over three! When I originally posted it was to focus on unforgettable 3 foods/meals folks had eaten. I really don't care if it's 3 or 30. I have been so inspired by the memories everyone has. It's been an education and a joy to hear all the lovely memories.
And I am so hungry to taste the meals/foods you have all shared. I'm going to go smear some homemade aioli on a baguette, top it with (ugh, winter tomatoes) and basil and call it dinner.
I'm longing for many of the foods posted and I swear I will go buy some Dungeness crab (thank goodness I live in Oregon) tomorrow!
1. The first time I ever had a Philly cheese steak on garlic bread. WHAT???? OMG. (I'm from Philly)
2. Laurie Colwin's Friday Night Supper chuck roast braised with vegetables run through the food mill for "gravy" not using stock or flour. Life changing. From Home Cooking 1988.
3. The first time my no-knead bread turned out, dipped in Greek Olive Oil, feta, tomatoes, vinegar.
On the other end of the spectrum was when my mother in law had a welcoming party for me and served baby lamb's head with eyes - sliced in half length-wise on a plate - looking up at me next to french fries.
1. I can't remember the name of this dish, but it was at a Thai restaurant some 25 years ago. It was nothing like I'd ever had at any other Thai place where they drown everything in peanut sauce. All I remember is that it was some kind of spicy beef stir fry with mushrooms, brown sauce, baby corn, etc. in a rich brown sauce. This knocked my socks off.
2. French onion soup, with melted cheese on top. Oh, man...that made me a fan for life.
1. The first time I ever had a Philly cheese steak on garlic bread. WHAT???? OMG. (I'm from Philly)
2. Laurie Colwin's Friday Night Supper chuck roast braised with vegetables run through the food mill for "gravy" not using stock or flour. Life changing. From Home Cooking 1988.
3. The first time my no-knead bread turned out, dipped in Greek Olive Oil, feta, tomatoes, vinegar.
On the other end of the spectrum was when my mother in law had a welcoming party for me and served baby lamb's head with eyes - sliced in half length-wise on a plate - looking up at me next to french fries.
Love Laurie Colwin! Googling recipe right now.
Sorry about the lamb's head. Sounds nasty!
Just remembered another revelation - Julia Child's Salade Nicoise recipe - makes any other similar recipe turn red in shame.
A Chinese hot/sweet/spicy noodle dish...name unknown, but a friend became good friends with the Chinese family that owned a restaurant in my town. Since he was from NYC and KNEW good Chinese food, they were really taken by him and invited him and a guest (me) for a special meal in the family home adjacent to the restaurant. They made EVERYTHING. From Peking Duck and on and on. Dishes I had certainly never known. One was this noodle dish. Wow! ( I had become a Vegetarian by then, so this impressed me much more than Peking Duck ever could.)
A few years later since that restaurant had closed, I tried to find the dish at another very good Chinese restaurant with no luck, but the owner / chef came to our table and asked me to describe it. He came back with an amazing version, I asked him what it was called so that I could order it the next time and he said, “Noodles just for me.”
I will never forget that dish, nor will I ever forget him. Sadly I never was able to order that dish or any other from his restaurant because he died shortly thereafter. The tale of his death is just too horrible to share on this otherwise happy thread, but I decided all those years ago that I would always tell of how special he was and how special he made me feel. Context.
OP, thank you for this thread!:
As I look at my posts on this thread I see a pattern emerging...the hospitality and graciousness of my Chinese friends, colleagues and acquaintances and simple, good food as well.
Also real italian food when in Italy is extremely hard to compete with.
Oh, you're 100% right! I went to Italy years ago, and basically just spent the whole time eating.
Best meal was at a restaurant high up in the hills, overlooking the ENTIRE city of Rome. I ordered the gnocchi "appetizer," and it was so huge, I ended up canceling my entree... soooo delicious, too.
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