OT: Best Restaurant Meal/Experience You’ve Ever Had
As a follow up to the steak thread I’m very curious to see people’s best restaurant experience.
Mine is hands down Eleven Madison Park in NYC. The food was unbelievable. I love great food, but the dining experience was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I’ve been to alinea, Grace, L2O in Chicago, as well as per se, 4 Charles prime rib in NYC.
here’s to getting back out into restaurants soon!!!!
For sure -- Definitely some great experiences in the big world cities, but, if i were to narrow it down locally, I still think SheWolf in Detroit is pretty badass.
I love in the metro Detroit area and have heard people have amazing experiences and not so good ones at shewolf. I haven’t been able to get there but it is on my short list for Detroit.
thomas lentz’s chefs table in the apparatus room is a killer spot to try out. He had 2 Michelin stars at 16 in Chicago at trump tower and left once trump started his presidential campaign and he didn’t want any part of him.
If you live in Detroit area, very much enjoyed Mabel Gray in Hazel Park. Amazing food and cocktails. They occasionally get a guest chef in and completely change the menu to that style of food.
Mabel Gray is my favorite as well. Next level compared to just about everyone else in the area IMO. Maybe Marrow and Selden Standard are close-ish.
The breakfast buffet at Bally's in Las Vegas about 20 years ago. That was in all honesty what I hope to see in the after life.
It was BBQ ribs but not in KC, close to where I live. It was the Cats, northwest of San Jose, CA about 15 years ago. I don't know if they're still open or as good as they were but by far it was the best BBQ I've ever had and I've been sampling BBQ for nearly 40 years.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Was there with my squadron buddies while I was in the Air Force and we went to an Asian Fusion place. Japanese, Thai, Malay/Indonesian, Chinese, and Vietnamese.
There were 11 of us and we were having trouble ordering, so we eventually just told the waiter to bring out whatever he thought we would like that was a good variety of everything. Plates upon plates of food were brought out and it was all delicious. At the end we played credit card roulette to pay the bill, I lost and, honestly, didn't even mind the $500 bill as it was an absolutely incredible experience that would have cost MUCH more in the states.
The best meal/experience I've ever had was a french restaurant called Lutece in New York in the 90's. Maybe I remember it well because I proposed to my wife after dinner.
Momofuku hands down. Those pork buns might be the most delicious thing I've ever eaten.
The patisserie in traverse city had eggs Benedict with a fried soft shell crab. A close second is the tasting at Providence in LA
Ristorante Douce Atmosphere right on Mount Vesuvius
Was Amazing - Homemade wine, pasta, sauce
amazing view looking down from very high up on Mount Vesuvius
That sounds absolutely incredible. I haven’t been to Italy as an adult and have a few places on my checklist there.
Crushing 5 McChickens after running a 10k was downright erotic.
Holy gut bomb. The farthest I have ever raced is a half marathon, with bourbon tasting to follow. Can't imagine five sandwiches after though.... damn.
I agree with OP, Eleven Madison Park is the best meal I have ever had. Food and service is about as close to perfect as you can get. Just dont forget to bring a high limit credit card lol
I've had some great meals, but more than entire meals, certain dishes will stay with me forever. My husband and I were in Venice 22 years ago and found an out-of-the-way restaurant owned by a husband and wife. We were the only Americans there. We sat out in the middle of a large, empty square, no tourists to be seen. The whole meal was fantastic, but the most memorable course was pasta with the freshest clams I've ever had. When the raw elements of a dish are the freshest they can be, the cook doesn't need to do a lot to them. I had a similar experience at Chez Panissse in Berkeley 30 years ago with a peach dessert. It was a tiny sponge cake with freshly whipped cream and cut up peaches. Very simple, but the peach had layers of flavor, sweet and slightly spicy. I haven't had a peach that good since. Another memorable dish: ricotta gnocchi at Mario Batali's restaurant, Lupa. The portion was small, and served with a sausage ragu. I could've eaten bowls and bowls of it.
I've had similar experiences. My wife and I were fortunate to travel fairly frequently and have gone to some of the world's best restaurants, in the US and overseas, One of our favorites in the US has been the Inn at Little Washington,a three star Michelin restaurant which is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, an hour out of DC. The restaurant is stunningly beautiful and the food is always interesting. https://theinnatlittlewashington.com/ To me, a world class restaurant has to give you at least one dish per mail that makes you say "wow."
Looks amazing, but that's the place that decided to use mannequins in their dining room to keep social distancing and that would creep me out a little too much to eat there.
A stout drink before dinner and those mannequins won’t be noticed.
Amsterdam. My wife and I were jet-lagged. It was early for dinner, maybe 5 pm local time, but we were tired and hungry. There might have been on or two other patrons seated, but the restaurant was quiet before the later dinner rush.
After perusing the menu, the proprietor/chef kindly asked what we wanted. I asked for his recommendation. He asked if I liked fish. I responded affirmatively. He smiled, grabbed the menu from my hand, and said (I'm paraphrasing) that he would make me something special not on the menu. I innately trusted him, because why not?
What followed was the best dining experience I ever had. Multiple courses, including possibly the best soup I've ever tasted. Many glasses of wine. And one of the best fish dinners I've ever eaten. All while seated in a window booth watching Amsterdam life effortlessly pass by. After two hours, we left satiated and so happy. My meal was about 30 Euros, including drinks. The restaurant was almost completely full when we left. It was an amazing experience.
Any time I have eaten at a Waffle House the morning after a night of heavy drinking...
I spent my twenties doing this, but it is pretty common here to just hit the WaHo after drinking heavily to down a triple order of hashbrowns scattered-covered-smothered-chunked-diced and topped.
Definitely helps with hangovers. Definitely doesn't help with the d.a.d.s.
I relocate around the country a lot for work (my favorite part of my job) and you can bet I am setting my routes so that I maximize the amount of Waffle Houses along the way. It’s just about the only time I get to see one, and I make sure to abuse my opportunities.
Moving from Philly to Austin/San Antonio, I took i95 to i10, and had to have eaten at 5-6 along the way over 3 days.
Moving from TX to Philly, took Route 66 all the way to Chicago, and ate at every damn one I saw.
I am moving from Philly to California this winter, and I have a feeling I may have to stop at a few more.
French Laundry is probably my first love that way because I am a Thomas Keller stan, but el bulli was possibly one of the strangest earthly experiences I've ever had
I had a fantastic meal at French Laundry, too. Aside from outstanding food, the service stood out as well. It was very unpretentious. I hate going to restaurants with attitudes, even if the food is on another level.
the whole atmosphere of french laundry was incredible
I considered going to French Laundry once, as a friend told me I would hard-pressed to find a better meal. But then another friend told me the food takes forever, like if I ordered on a Monday it wouldn't be ready until Thursday after 3 PM. He also said the food was really starchy, so I skipped it!
The best restaurant experience I've ever had involved a big juicy steak that wasn't even ordered.
In October 1984, my very pregnant and almost 2 weeks overdue wife, our in-laws, and I had literally sat down at the old Mountain Jack's on Stadium when she suddenly went into labor. We immediately dashed out of the place and drove to the hospital to prep for what we thought was going to be a quick delivery.
We were wrong on that—It took over 24 hours of hard labor, but eventually our daughter made her appearance. We always talked about going back to Mountain Jack's to finish what we'd started, but it closed before we got around to it.
Not sure what meal is the best meal but my two favorite restaurants are the Little Owl in NYC and Longman and Eagle in Chicago. Apparently I have a thing for birds in the title.
I once ate sushi off of a hookers ass in Vietnam
That wasn’t sushi.
It was nigiri
Dorsia ... great sea urchin ceviche
Chops lobster bar in Atlanta. A5 wagyu Tomahawk ribeye. Honest to God ruined me when it comes to eating steak since then because I'm always comparing them to that.
Best overall restaurant experience was at Bacchanalia. The food was great but the pacing of the courses and attention of the wait-staff was perfect.
The rooftop deck at Dornan's in Moose, WY.
It’s a tie between a Fogo De Chao near Dallas and a restaurant in Grenoble, France called Jardin des Dauphins. The French place was amazing. First of all, we took a gondola up to the top of a mountain. The view was incredible. It was a business trip, so our French hosts knew what to order. The food and wine were incredible.
Fogo De Chao was just an unending smorgasbord of meat. Every meat under the sun.
No shortage of great options in Houston. Nancy's Hustle and Nobie's are two of our favorites. Both have great bar programs and interesting, creative menus, though Nancy's typically has better service.
Etoile blends fantastic service and excellent French cooking, but a higher bill. Cafe Robelais in Rice Village is overlooked, but they do delicious French countryside food with a massive wine selection ranging from $20 - $1,500, so that's usually our go-to French spot unless its a special occasion.
I frequent Nancy's Hustle almost every time i'm in Houston. The nancy cakes are insanely good
Truluck's Steak and Crab in Houston, TX
also Nobu at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. It was a work thing so they had a special 8-or-9 course menu that I would never have been able to do on my own. Transcendent.
Mama's Fish House in Paia, Hawaii. Everything from the food to the service was unlike anything I've had. You check in where you park or valet your car, then when you get to hostess, they already know your name. Seafood is caught daily and the menus list who caught the fish and where. Looking forward to getting back there at some point.
I had a great meal there, too. Great fish, and ended with banana macadamia nut crisp.
I was looking for Mama’s before posting it as I knew someone else would have it.
I'm right there with you. I even double checked haha.
Mama's is hands down the best two meals I've had anywhere in the world. Sitting there on the shore of Maui with the Pacific breeze blowing in, eating fish caught off Molokai that morning is amazing. I've had great meals all over the US and Europe but Mama's would be my last supper should I have to choose one.
OK, I have 3 answers to this.
Best ever is Minibar in DC. Inventive and fun, but most important the food was actually ridiculously good. The chefs prepare the meal right in front of you and just push it forward 3 inches to where you are sitting, sushi-bar style.
Best BBQ is Franklin BBQ in Austin. It was so good I felt like I was getting away with something.
Lastly, I just want to call out Bunk sandwich in Portland for having a pork belly cuban that was so good I judge all other sandwiches by it.
2 of my favorites from when i lived in socal.
first one was gladstones in malibu, right on the water. huge portions, great stuff, and fun atmosphere. link: http://gladstones.com/
second one was down in SD, loews coronado bay resort had a great restaurant and it was only a short boat ride from the house, pull up, moor, walk in and have a really nice meal on the ocean. get back in the boat and have a leisurely cruise home.
Gladstone's is really good. I've been to the one at Universal City Walk, but I hear that became a Bubba Gump's. Further north in Malibu there is a place called Paradise Cove, where they filmed scenes from the Rockford Files. The food there was OK, but the atmosphere was incredible. Secluded little place where you can eat 10 feat from the ocean. Picnic tables in the sand. That's where I first learned about Arnold Palmer's. Up near Point Dume, there was this little Chinese restaurant in a strip mall that had the best Kung Pao chicken I've ever had.
Oh man. I've had way too many good ones to remember, but I'd say the most recent one was Rose's Luxury in DC. We know the owner (who also owns one of DC's two-star restaurants, Pineapple and Pearls), and he hooked us up with a ton of extra off-menu small bites and champagne. It felt so cozy, and the food was incredible across the board.
food is food, eating isn't a hobby.
Late night pizza from the college dive bar after 20+ drinks.
Consistently the best meal/dining experience one can have.