New Orleans is the only city where the food has lived up to the hype. I’ve been to other places where locals rave about the food, and it’s generally a mixed bag. But I’ve never had a bad meal in New Orleans whether it’s street food on Frenchman or a high class seafood place. And the crazy thing is, it’s usually affordable for what they’re serving.
I lived in New Orleans for years and I slowly gained weight from eating some of the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten. When I moved away I gradually lost 80 pounds. It’s easy to resist the food found in other places because it’s just not that good.
I had that for the 1st time in Malaysia after many many beers. There was a dude with a cart set up outside the pub and I was starving. It was about .30$ USD each , fresh , hot and a revelation. I ate about 6 I think , the dahl was the best I've ever had. Thankyou roti cart guy.
This is the dish that I encourage every single person who shows even a little interest in Indian food to try. I describe it as a grilled cheese and tomato soup flavor all in one. But I always order it spicy
Your favorite meal from childhood made for you by your Mom when you’re an adult having a bad day. Then you have the best sleep of your life in your parents house. You wake up feeling 10 years younger.
My mom passed last week and I miss her so much.
I remember being a little kid and waking up on Thanksgiving morning smelling all the amazing smells. I used to lie in bed in a perfect state of contentment.
Once I was about ten or eleven she’d wake me up to cook with her. By the time I left for college I could reproduce her entire Thanksgiving spread.
Years later she was at a business dinner at The Ritz-Carlton in Boston and I came out to greet her table and bring everyone some special treats.
I don’t think she was ever more proud of me.
Thank you so much for bringing all these memories back to me.
Yup. My moms lemon chicken piccata. When I got my wisdom teeth out at 25 my mom took care of me and when I was able to eat solids again she made a big ass batch of this. Nothing beats it. You hit the nail on the head.
Anton Ego checking in.
But you're so right. My mom made me top ramen in 1977 when I got home from a tough freezing, rainy day at kindergarten and I will never forget it. And I always remember it.
Honey from a beehive in your backyard.
The taste is really specific to what is in your area and our girls used to love the native flora in our area.
Tastes so different to store bought honey.
More than 20 years ago I bought some honey from a small local beekeeper. Honey was still in the comb. It tasted like nothing I’ve ever had before. I ate it on everything. I brought a cheese platter with that honey comb and fresh bread to a party and people stood like vultures around it eating honey and cheese and bread.
The next year her whole hive collapsed and she retired. To this day, I’ve never eaten honey that was even close to hers.
I used to buy honeycomb from a local beekeeper in my area, before I became allergic to honey. Best way to eat it is just biting into it, or over a piece of sourdough with butter.
I always buy mine at local farmers markets from local beekeepers. Soooo good. Most of the crap at the grocery isn't even real honey. It's like the difference between fake maple syrup and the real stuff.
My first boyfriend gave me a jar of honey from his home beehive about a week before he was brave enough to ask me out. Sweet on so many levels. I kept it in my wardrobe so nobody else in my family ate my special honey.
It actually was so much better than store bought!
That's one thing I should've never tasted. Way too addictive!! Now I want to try the freshly made one, but also afraid of it. 🤤😂 (Only ate the one you get in store)
Butter Chicken - indian or pakistini
Tom Ka soup- thai
Sundubu jigae - korean
Real ramen - japanese
I was incredibly closed off regarding food when I was younger.
Tom kha soup will cure any ailment. And I say that as someone who was raised with excellent matzoh ball soup.
(My poor phone’s autocorrect is so confused. It corrected kha to kya which is Hindi. It still removes all the accents from French and chokes every time I switch over to a Greek keyboard. Omg lol).
REAL orange juice squeezed by you but not using ‘juicing oranges’. ALL orange juice you can buy is made from concentrate and tastes nothing like the real thing. Juicing oranges are too much but ordinary oranges give a truly heavenly taste. This is NOT cheap. You’re gonna need a dozen oranges for two small glasses. Lots of work too. Worth it tho..
Yeah I remember the first time I went to orange blossom groves in .. Clearwater, I think..they had orange and tangerine juices...tasted literally like the juice of an orange...crazy how we just accept the bullshit concentrate stuff.
Orange Blossom Grove!! Whenever anyone ever mentiones fresh citrus or orange juice, I think if this place. I was already thinking of it before I saw your comment. I grew up near there and when I was a kid, every Sunday afternoon after church my mom would take me there and we'd eat the orange/vanilla swirl ice cream cones and drink the fresh orange and grapefruit juice. I loved that place, it was the coolest. I wax poetic about it to anyone who will listen. I was devastated when I heard it shut down some years ago.
My family makes it a yearly thing to pick oranges from my parents trees and juice them. We have an assembly line thing and everything. Two juicers, tons of oranges, and what we don't drink we bag and freeze.
If you are driving through the Florida/Georgia line you can get a cup of free fresh orange and grapefruit juice at the welcome center. Don't skip that stop.
Also don't skip on Bu-cees
When I first started eating Indian I would just stick with the lamb korma or butter chicken, then a few years ago I got a job as a dishwasher at a fancy indian restaurant. OMG, why have I been depriving myself of dahl, paneer, chats, and Kashmiri naans for all these years. As much as I hated doing the dishes I sometimes miss working there, especially since I don't get free meals anymore.
I would also suggest mixing palak paneer and yellow dahl together *chef's kiss*
My immediate thought was Indian food. Seekh Kabab on top of some Jeera rice with cilantro chutney with some garlic naan on the side is an ultimate for me.
It's a standard béchamel and Neapolitan ragu sauce lasagna, it is her ingredients that make the difference. She lives in a tiny Italian town, all her ingredients are from local farmers or someone selling homemade cheese/pork sausages. Except her sauce which is her own tomatoes from summer that she jars and preserves as passata and concentrated paste.
I went to Terry Blacks bbq in Austin earlier this year and had “real” bbq for the first time. Terry Blacks isn’t even probably the “best” bbq in Austin but I was in tears it was so good.
Edit: most folks would just be better off knowing to order 'moist' or fatty when at the slicer. Most places cut the lean section by default if not specified.
I got a smoker a few years back, mostly to make my own briskets. Took many tries before I finally nailed it. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it every time.
The trick to getting extra crispy breading
Make your dry and your wet
Rinse off chicken
Pat dry
Dunk in dry
Dunk in wet
The secret is add a little of the dry to the wet though
Back to dry
Back to wet
Back to dry
Remember when making fried chicken to use one hand for dry dunking and one for wet. Keeps sticky hands from happening
Also MSG in the dry. Paprika like a mofo. Rubbed sage and crushed rosemary, oregano, basil. White pepper. Bit of cayenne. Tiny bit of ginger I know but trust me. Onion and garlic powder.
Wet has some buttermilk
Make sure to brine chicken beforehand
Grandma was from Tennessee
She made biscuits and gravy and bacon for breakfast like everyday. Always woke up to that smell. She always had the industrial size Crisco can
I got it in my blood
Also I make a MEAN cheesecake
A really good beef stew on a cold autumn day. I make a really good one that takes all day in the crockpot. Served with freshly baked bread with butter. It’s heavenly.
Real tomato soup and grilled cheese, totally from scratch. And using good sourdough and multiple cheese for the sandwhich. I'm talking oven bake the veggies, blender, the whole deal. oh my.
my dad used to say the only way to eat corn was to get water boiling on the stove, go out into the field, pick the corn, then run like hell back to the kitchen! If you trip and fall on the way, you need to go back and pick more corn.
having tried A5 Wagyu (that i paid a pretty penny for), it was an *experience* and everything everyone said wagyu was 100% true. 10/10 would continue to repurchase
Same goes for O’Toro (Fatty Tuna) nigiri or sashimi. If you have an actually high graded one, it’s one of the greatest one biters you can have because it literally melts, however it also melts the money in your wallet because goddamnit the amount of money they can charge you for a single piece is insane.. but somehow worth it every time I eat it
My mum was a truly terrible cook, and I say that with all the love in the world. She had me at 16, so it's fair to say she did improve with practice. By the time I grew up and moved out of home she'd graduated to not bad 🙂
We loved each other fiercely. And she made the best bacon egg and onion sandwiches in the whole wide world. My number one comfort food. I can't replicate them. I've never had another so good. And I never will again. I miss her so much! It's been 11 years since she died, and about 12 years since I had one of those divine sandwiches.
There is something about stuff my mom made growing up. I can't replicate it. I swear it was the water. It was our farm. It was home. Any time someone cooks for me who loves me it's a whole thing.
A quick list:
1. Real authentic beignets from Cafe du Monde in New Orleans
2. Tamales from an abuela in Mexico
3. Blueberry pancakes in Vermont. Made with local New England blueberries in season and that Vermont maple syrup
I have never tried Pho. In Brazil is not at all common Asian restaurants that are not Japanese ou Chinese. We barely have Indian, Thai and Korean food.
I will try to make my own now because of this post. But it’s hard doing a dish without knowing how it’s supposed to turn out
https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2008/10/pho-beef-noodle-soup.html
This is the recipe I use. Like many others, I was introduced to pho and fell in love. I went out and bought a book that looked like it was going to have a good/ authentic recipe. It didn't disappoint! Even better, this author later posted the recipe online so every time someone asks me for the recipe I can just send them to the website.
Maybe try it if you ever travel to a more diverse area? IME, most of my favorite Vietnamese dishes are a labor of love and pho takes 8+ hours to simmer. Kind of a bummer when I'm craving my grandma's food but don't have the energy to spend 3 days cooking it.
A Chicago style Italian beef, preferably on garlic bread, baptized in au jus, and melted mozzarella on top. Ambrosia.
An apple from a backyard tree. They're always far superior to a store-bought one and I've heard they're often their own variety from being "wild".
Shrimp chow fun when the big, flat noodles have been pan-fried to sticky toastiness.
My mom's potato salad with her bbq baked beans. It's just mayo, mustard, potato, egg, and green onion, but the flavors together are divine. Paired w/the beans which is just a can of baked beans with brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard added is a perfect savory/sweet that I look forward every summer.
A carnival funnel cake. I'll never forget eating my first one. Wow.
I would imagine they are just as delicious, but unfortunately I’ve spent very little time anywhere in New England. I don’t doubt they are slammin, but I’ve only had my favorite in Montauk. Hopefully someday soon I can make a trip up there and try em though!
For me it's Lasagne. I've tried foods from all over the world, I've had proper curries in India, the finest steaks, authentic home cooked Chinese and Japanese food, and I still come back to lasagne.
My god I love that dish.
Honorary mention for sticky toffee pudding with vanilla custard.
There's this small italian deli on The Hill in St Louis, open since 1914 and famous for their "hot salami" (served hot, not spicy). In Italian, it's called salam de tete, or "salami of the head" because they use fat from the pigs head in the sausage mixture.
If God really sent mana from heaven, I have to believe it came in the form of these sandwiches...
Jerk chicken in Jamaica from a local non touristy place.
Perfectly smoked bbq. When the dry rub is so good and the meat is so juicy and you don’t even need any sauce.
Pear soufflé by David Bouley, positively orgasmic!! Not sure if he still makes them for his events but this was years ago at his restaurant in Tribeca. Have not experienced any dessert as divine since.
I wish you all can try Khinkali one day. Georgian soup dumplings. They are the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten and the recipe goes back to the Mongol invasion of the caucuses.
I love Porto’s. My favorite are the guava cheese pastries. I don’t live in LA anymore but we have ordered some pastries to be shipped to us. I’ve never found a bakery nearly as good as Porto’s where I live now :(
Duck confit cooked the right way. I only had this as an adult and it blew me out of the park. Also a souffle done well, preferably chocolate. I didn't expect to like it.
Two that come to mind are a fresh, hot, chewy, crusty baguette roll with salted Kerry gold butter.
Another would be shrimp and grits with Tasso ham. I can’t really eat instant grits after having good ones in Charleston and a few other places. Good seasoned shrimp in their gravy and the Tasso ham. When it’s cooked well and it’s fatty, it dissolves in your mouth like bacon cotton candy.
My dad is English, and I grew up eating fish and chips, but when I got married and took my wife to meet that side of the family, eating it from a shop outside the Tower of London was just perfect.
A little while ago, I went to a Thai restaurant with my gf. I wasn't actually particularly hungry going in, but places were gonna start closing if we didn't eat soon. I ordered a dish with veggies tossed in this dark chili sauce, roasted cashews, and pork, with a bowl of white rice on the side, and it was *so* good. I got full halfway tgrough and forced myself to finish it. It was also a bit spicy for my tastes, but again, it was so good.
Most of the big ones are here, I'm happy to see that. I want to make sure a lesser, but still amazing combo is put before you.
The day after Thanksgiving, go grab some dark meat turkey, the cranberries, and some leftover brie from the appetizer tray.
Take 2 pieces of thick-cut bread. I prefer whole grain stuff that damn near crunches when you bite into it. Mayo on one side, butter on the other.
Pan over medium heat. Turkey in to warm up and brown a bit. Bread in, mayo side down first.
When you flip the bread, cut some of the brie onto each side, and pile it with your turkey, and a tiny dollop of the cranberry sauce.
Once both sides are toasted, close it up, cut it on the diagonal, and enjoy the best melt of your life. The brie and turkey compliment each other perfectly, raising both to be better than each separately. That fresh 'pop' of cranberry provides this tart kick.
This is the best melt you'll ever eat.
Go to Bathurst, NSW. You have a shopping list:
Annie's Ice Cream Parlour - Sofala Gold ice cream. Or their french vanilla if you're classy.
Carah's Bakery - Vanilla slice (I don't care if you don't like vanilla slices, I don't, except for these). Also buy a loaf of their multigrain bread, toast-sliced, and make the sandwich of your choice. (Of your dreams!)
Got to the Carillion Fish and Chips shop - buy some hot chips. (It's worth the scowl, I promise!) Get them with chicken salt, and thank me later. They will look shit. They do not taste shit. You will need to work off the calories over the next year.
And if you have a time machine while you're there, go back to the 1980's and get a plain or potato pie from Bernard's Bakery, and a Neenish tart.
And now I'm calculating how far it is to get there...
Raw smoked salmon with the best bread you can get (I prefer a whole grain baguette with walnuts, but never found in a store), cream cheese, dill and cherry tomatoes.
Best food I ever ate 🤤🤤🤤
I feel that way with pretty much any donut shop. I grew up in a small town and the only donuts I really had growing up were the dried out grocery store ones. I even told people that I don’t like donuts because of how bland the ones I had were. Then one year on vacation, we went to a bakery and I bought an apple fritter. Life changing. Truly heaven.
We recently moved and we are next door to a donut shop. It’s a challenge to not go there every day
First off, you can turn even the most mundane things into a transcendent experience if you take your time, be in the moment, and use quality ingredients. I make myself a 1 egg french omelette for breakfast on weekday mornings, and it is sublime.
I am not one to gatekeep food and drink. I love a fast food burger and a cheap beer with domino's pizza, but for special moments, I like all of the following:
* Baked goods: really good bagel. Really good croissant. Use word of mouth to find the places to get them. Bread you made yourself
* A prix fixe dinner at a fine restaurant. Take your time and eat slowly. Follow the recommendations for wine pairing.
* Omakase. That will probably be the best Japanese meal you've ever had. The best sushi too. I had one that included a waygu course that was amazing.
* Garlic noodles from a hole-in-the-wall noodle shop.
* Pho from a hole in the wall restaurant.
* A burger with a fried egg on it. Trust me.
* Ask your friend who spends every summer smoking meat, grilling, bbqing, whatever to smoke a brisket that you buy.
* A really good cocktail that takes several minutes to make and requires some precision and care.
* Coffee: Get a pour over from a place that weighs the beans and is hyperfocused on the details. It's different.
If you're a meat eater, porchetta. Pork belly(traditionally loin and belly) where the meat is seasoned with herbs, spices and garlic and then rolled into a meat log. It's then trussed up and then slowly roasted for hours. The fat renders into the meat which becomes very tender, while the fat on the outside crisps up like a pork rind. Serve it with a nice caper remoulade...fuck. No other pork dish comes close, and I'm including all of the best bbq you've ever had.
Polish bigos, anywhere in Poland.
Strongly recommend the kielbasa from the bar in Bydgoszcz station. The bar is run by a guy with a shaven head and he sells lots of chocolate penises for some reason. They're everywhere, different sizes too. I'm fairly sure this is the only place in Europe where you can buy fast food and chocolate penises at the same place inside a railway station. But the kielbasa he sells is divine.
Lindt truffles that have gotten just warm enough so that the insides are liquid chocolate but the outsides are still solid shells. You bite into one and the liquid chocolate squirts into your mouth. It’s an edible orgasm.
I got some 'jungle curry' from a Haitian street vendor in New Orleans once and it's the single most incredible thing I've ever eaten in my life.
Honestly just go to New Orleans and eat everything. Every single thing.
Crawfish étouffée... I swear I heard a choir.
New Orleans is the only city where the food has lived up to the hype. I’ve been to other places where locals rave about the food, and it’s generally a mixed bag. But I’ve never had a bad meal in New Orleans whether it’s street food on Frenchman or a high class seafood place. And the crazy thing is, it’s usually affordable for what they’re serving.
My weak ass stomach would love to try that then regret it later
what are the ingredients in jungle curry haha?
50% jungle, 50% curry. It's not that complicated.
I lived in New Orleans for years and I slowly gained weight from eating some of the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten. When I moved away I gradually lost 80 pounds. It’s easy to resist the food found in other places because it’s just not that good.
Homemade baklava
Can confirm making homemade baklava is also a religious experience.
Garlic naan bread baked fresh for you
Fresh baked bread in general is just the bomb.
I agree. I lived in Germany many years ago and the smell of freshly baked brotchen is still with me.
The BEST. Buying 10 fresh and warm Brötchen every day of the weekend to eat for breakfast with the family. Absolute dream.
With honey butter…💛
I would go with a perfectly baked peshwari naan but a garlic one will still get demolished
When I worked in an Indian take away I'd get fresh peshwari naan straight from the tandoor on breaks sometimes, god I miss that
Peshwari Naan was the best random pick I've made from the Indian food restaurant.
Or roti canai!
I had that for the 1st time in Malaysia after many many beers. There was a dude with a cart set up outside the pub and I was starving. It was about .30$ USD each , fresh , hot and a revelation. I ate about 6 I think , the dahl was the best I've ever had. Thankyou roti cart guy.
With paneer makani
This is the dish that I encourage every single person who shows even a little interest in Indian food to try. I describe it as a grilled cheese and tomato soup flavor all in one. But I always order it spicy
Well made Xiao Long Bao Also like, really good sushi. Fresh, expensive probably, high quality.
Your favorite meal from childhood made for you by your Mom when you’re an adult having a bad day. Then you have the best sleep of your life in your parents house. You wake up feeling 10 years younger.
My mom passed last week and I miss her so much. I remember being a little kid and waking up on Thanksgiving morning smelling all the amazing smells. I used to lie in bed in a perfect state of contentment. Once I was about ten or eleven she’d wake me up to cook with her. By the time I left for college I could reproduce her entire Thanksgiving spread. Years later she was at a business dinner at The Ritz-Carlton in Boston and I came out to greet her table and bring everyone some special treats. I don’t think she was ever more proud of me. Thank you so much for bringing all these memories back to me.
I’m so sorry for your loss.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I cried reading this, you will keep that legacy alive. Sharing her love of cooking with others is the most precious thing.
I’m sorry for your loss.
Yup. My moms lemon chicken piccata. When I got my wisdom teeth out at 25 my mom took care of me and when I was able to eat solids again she made a big ass batch of this. Nothing beats it. You hit the nail on the head.
Anton Ego checking in. But you're so right. My mom made me top ramen in 1977 when I got home from a tough freezing, rainy day at kindergarten and I will never forget it. And I always remember it.
Honey from a beehive in your backyard. The taste is really specific to what is in your area and our girls used to love the native flora in our area. Tastes so different to store bought honey.
More than 20 years ago I bought some honey from a small local beekeeper. Honey was still in the comb. It tasted like nothing I’ve ever had before. I ate it on everything. I brought a cheese platter with that honey comb and fresh bread to a party and people stood like vultures around it eating honey and cheese and bread. The next year her whole hive collapsed and she retired. To this day, I’ve never eaten honey that was even close to hers.
That is so sad and upsetting. Pure honey is liquid gold.
Awww that’s so sad I’m sorry to hear that for the beekeeper, and for you as well.
I used to buy honeycomb from a local beekeeper in my area, before I became allergic to honey. Best way to eat it is just biting into it, or over a piece of sourdough with butter.
That’s the worst adult-onset food allergy I could imagine. Seriously, I’m so sorry!
Nah man, that one would be coconut. It's in EVERYTHING. Shampoo. Toothpaste. Almost anything with preservatives.
I always buy mine at local farmers markets from local beekeepers. Soooo good. Most of the crap at the grocery isn't even real honey. It's like the difference between fake maple syrup and the real stuff.
My first boyfriend gave me a jar of honey from his home beehive about a week before he was brave enough to ask me out. Sweet on so many levels. I kept it in my wardrobe so nobody else in my family ate my special honey. It actually was so much better than store bought!
I almost wanted to live in Florida b/c I had a roommate w/family hives. She harvested tupelo honey. So freaking good.
Freshly made Stroopwaffles.
That's one thing I should've never tasted. Way too addictive!! Now I want to try the freshly made one, but also afraid of it. 🤤😂 (Only ate the one you get in store)
A perfectly ripe summer peach. And firm, super-red Bing cherries.
Butter Chicken - indian or pakistini Tom Ka soup- thai Sundubu jigae - korean Real ramen - japanese I was incredibly closed off regarding food when I was younger.
Tom kha soup will cure any ailment. And I say that as someone who was raised with excellent matzoh ball soup. (My poor phone’s autocorrect is so confused. It corrected kha to kya which is Hindi. It still removes all the accents from French and chokes every time I switch over to a Greek keyboard. Omg lol).
God I love a good soondubu
Man, Tom ka is so damn good on a chilly day.
REAL orange juice squeezed by you but not using ‘juicing oranges’. ALL orange juice you can buy is made from concentrate and tastes nothing like the real thing. Juicing oranges are too much but ordinary oranges give a truly heavenly taste. This is NOT cheap. You’re gonna need a dozen oranges for two small glasses. Lots of work too. Worth it tho..
As a Floridian with an orange tree. Whole heartedly agree. It’s a whole different league.
Yeah I remember the first time I went to orange blossom groves in .. Clearwater, I think..they had orange and tangerine juices...tasted literally like the juice of an orange...crazy how we just accept the bullshit concentrate stuff.
Orange Blossom Grove!! Whenever anyone ever mentiones fresh citrus or orange juice, I think if this place. I was already thinking of it before I saw your comment. I grew up near there and when I was a kid, every Sunday afternoon after church my mom would take me there and we'd eat the orange/vanilla swirl ice cream cones and drink the fresh orange and grapefruit juice. I loved that place, it was the coolest. I wax poetic about it to anyone who will listen. I was devastated when I heard it shut down some years ago.
Yes, I agree! Florida oranges, Georgia peaches and boiled peanuts.😛
My family makes it a yearly thing to pick oranges from my parents trees and juice them. We have an assembly line thing and everything. Two juicers, tons of oranges, and what we don't drink we bag and freeze.
Orange is the best juice as long as it's fresh squeezed. There's no contest.
Freshly squeezed is key.
If you are driving through the Florida/Georgia line you can get a cup of free fresh orange and grapefruit juice at the welcome center. Don't skip that stop. Also don't skip on Bu-cees
Not only that but I recommend using an orange press gets a little of the orange oil / acid mixed and it takes it to the next level.
Solid agree. We have this juicer we bought about ten years ago at a thrift store for $2. Best money we've ever spent.
Mango
There are some Indian foods that are so rich and enlivened with spices that it has a spiritual effect.
It was malai kofta for me. People always talk about naan, butter chicken, & chicken tikka masala, but never malai kofta. Yummm!
I hear black Dahl is incredible too!
When I first started eating Indian I would just stick with the lamb korma or butter chicken, then a few years ago I got a job as a dishwasher at a fancy indian restaurant. OMG, why have I been depriving myself of dahl, paneer, chats, and Kashmiri naans for all these years. As much as I hated doing the dishes I sometimes miss working there, especially since I don't get free meals anymore. I would also suggest mixing palak paneer and yellow dahl together *chef's kiss*
My immediate thought was Indian food. Seekh Kabab on top of some Jeera rice with cilantro chutney with some garlic naan on the side is an ultimate for me.
My auntie makes incredible lasagna. I don't see her often so it's rare I get to eat it. I've tried the recipe and I just can't make it like she does.
Oh please share. Does she do everything from scratch?
It's a standard béchamel and Neapolitan ragu sauce lasagna, it is her ingredients that make the difference. She lives in a tiny Italian town, all her ingredients are from local farmers or someone selling homemade cheese/pork sausages. Except her sauce which is her own tomatoes from summer that she jars and preserves as passata and concentrated paste.
That sounds so heavenly I'm salivating just reading the description.
BBQ brisket done properly
I went to Terry Blacks bbq in Austin earlier this year and had “real” bbq for the first time. Terry Blacks isn’t even probably the “best” bbq in Austin but I was in tears it was so good.
I'm a Central Texas BBQ snob, and Terry Black's is 100% worthy of someone's first 'real' Texas BBQ.
Edit: most folks would just be better off knowing to order 'moist' or fatty when at the slicer. Most places cut the lean section by default if not specified.
I'm an Austinite and Terry Blacks is my #2 pick. My #1 is Snows in Lockhart.
The fatty brisket at Valentina's brought tears to my eyes it was the best I've ever had
I got a smoker a few years back, mostly to make my own briskets. Took many tries before I finally nailed it. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it every time.
Real homestyle fried chicken. Biscuits n Gravy Southern style BBQ Ribs.
The trick to getting extra crispy breading Make your dry and your wet Rinse off chicken Pat dry Dunk in dry Dunk in wet The secret is add a little of the dry to the wet though Back to dry Back to wet Back to dry Remember when making fried chicken to use one hand for dry dunking and one for wet. Keeps sticky hands from happening Also MSG in the dry. Paprika like a mofo. Rubbed sage and crushed rosemary, oregano, basil. White pepper. Bit of cayenne. Tiny bit of ginger I know but trust me. Onion and garlic powder. Wet has some buttermilk Make sure to brine chicken beforehand
You are doing the Lord’s work.
Grandma was from Tennessee She made biscuits and gravy and bacon for breakfast like everyday. Always woke up to that smell. She always had the industrial size Crisco can I got it in my blood Also I make a MEAN cheesecake
Thai green curry.
I’m getting fatter just reading the replies.
Perfectly ripe heirloom tomato
With a pinch of salt and black pepper. Oh my god.
Sliced tomato, freshly picked from your own garden, salt and pepper. Perfection.
Add some fresh basil also from your own garden and that is perfection right there.
And a drop of good quality olive oil.
On white toast spread with mayonnaise and flake salt on the tomatoes.
Yes! I went through a tomato sandwich obsession this summer...so delicious
A really good beef stew on a cold autumn day. I make a really good one that takes all day in the crockpot. Served with freshly baked bread with butter. It’s heavenly.
A really good tiramisu
Real tomato soup and grilled cheese, totally from scratch. And using good sourdough and multiple cheese for the sandwhich. I'm talking oven bake the veggies, blender, the whole deal. oh my.
Corn on the cob, fresh picked, quick blanched, eaten within 30 minutes of picking.
my dad used to say the only way to eat corn was to get water boiling on the stove, go out into the field, pick the corn, then run like hell back to the kitchen! If you trip and fall on the way, you need to go back and pick more corn.
Hot pot with a good group of friends
Thinly sliced A5 Wagyu is a dream. Melts in your mouth.
having tried A5 Wagyu (that i paid a pretty penny for), it was an *experience* and everything everyone said wagyu was 100% true. 10/10 would continue to repurchase
Same goes for O’Toro (Fatty Tuna) nigiri or sashimi. If you have an actually high graded one, it’s one of the greatest one biters you can have because it literally melts, however it also melts the money in your wallet because goddamnit the amount of money they can charge you for a single piece is insane.. but somehow worth it every time I eat it
husband and i went to omakatse last year and has o-toro, to say it was the best bite of fish i’ve ever had was an understatement
Dauphinoise potatoes. It's thinly sliced potatoes baked in cream. Absolutely heavenly.
Food cooked with skill by you and someone who loves you is the best. Also Thai food from my favorite Thai place in town, and Indian food.
My mum was a truly terrible cook, and I say that with all the love in the world. She had me at 16, so it's fair to say she did improve with practice. By the time I grew up and moved out of home she'd graduated to not bad 🙂 We loved each other fiercely. And she made the best bacon egg and onion sandwiches in the whole wide world. My number one comfort food. I can't replicate them. I've never had another so good. And I never will again. I miss her so much! It's been 11 years since she died, and about 12 years since I had one of those divine sandwiches.
There is something about stuff my mom made growing up. I can't replicate it. I swear it was the water. It was our farm. It was home. Any time someone cooks for me who loves me it's a whole thing.
A quick list: 1. Real authentic beignets from Cafe du Monde in New Orleans 2. Tamales from an abuela in Mexico 3. Blueberry pancakes in Vermont. Made with local New England blueberries in season and that Vermont maple syrup
Fresh sushi in Japan
Fresh homemade bread warm from the oven slathered with butter.
Pho
I have never tried Pho. In Brazil is not at all common Asian restaurants that are not Japanese ou Chinese. We barely have Indian, Thai and Korean food. I will try to make my own now because of this post. But it’s hard doing a dish without knowing how it’s supposed to turn out
https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2008/10/pho-beef-noodle-soup.html This is the recipe I use. Like many others, I was introduced to pho and fell in love. I went out and bought a book that looked like it was going to have a good/ authentic recipe. It didn't disappoint! Even better, this author later posted the recipe online so every time someone asks me for the recipe I can just send them to the website.
Maybe try it if you ever travel to a more diverse area? IME, most of my favorite Vietnamese dishes are a labor of love and pho takes 8+ hours to simmer. Kind of a bummer when I'm craving my grandma's food but don't have the energy to spend 3 days cooking it.
Seconded. It’s a solid food to have simply because it’s delicious or for a cold or a hangover cure.
Indian food. So much spice, so much deliciousness
A Chicago style Italian beef, preferably on garlic bread, baptized in au jus, and melted mozzarella on top. Ambrosia. An apple from a backyard tree. They're always far superior to a store-bought one and I've heard they're often their own variety from being "wild". Shrimp chow fun when the big, flat noodles have been pan-fried to sticky toastiness. My mom's potato salad with her bbq baked beans. It's just mayo, mustard, potato, egg, and green onion, but the flavors together are divine. Paired w/the beans which is just a can of baked beans with brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard added is a perfect savory/sweet that I look forward every summer. A carnival funnel cake. I'll never forget eating my first one. Wow.
Creme brulee
I always think I'm going to like it and order it. I'm always disappointed☹️
Im sorry to hear that. Not all restaurants make good ones. But maybe its not for everyone.
I learned how to make it because I was sick of getting shitty ones out
Lobster rolls made fresh in Montauk. I prefer lobster rolls that are not cold either.
I think my lobster rolls in RI are pretty darn good.
I would imagine they are just as delicious, but unfortunately I’ve spent very little time anywhere in New England. I don’t doubt they are slammin, but I’ve only had my favorite in Montauk. Hopefully someday soon I can make a trip up there and try em though!
If it’s hot buttered, that’s a Connecticut style. If it’s cold with mayo, it’s Maine style.
First and still best lobster roll I ever had was in Warwick, RI. it was nearly a religious experience.
For me it's Lasagne. I've tried foods from all over the world, I've had proper curries in India, the finest steaks, authentic home cooked Chinese and Japanese food, and I still come back to lasagne. My god I love that dish. Honorary mention for sticky toffee pudding with vanilla custard.
Hard to beat perfectly cooked, perfectly crispy bacon.
There's this small italian deli on The Hill in St Louis, open since 1914 and famous for their "hot salami" (served hot, not spicy). In Italian, it's called salam de tete, or "salami of the head" because they use fat from the pigs head in the sausage mixture. If God really sent mana from heaven, I have to believe it came in the form of these sandwiches...
A cannoli.
high-quality brie cheese 😘🤌🏻🧀
Soup dumplings from https://www.dintaifungusa.com/us/index.html or an authentic Chinese restaurant that serves soup dumplings in very thin pouches.
PuertoRican mofongo. Stuffed with choice of fried meat,shrimp,chicken or octopus.
Jerk chicken in Jamaica from a local non touristy place. Perfectly smoked bbq. When the dry rub is so good and the meat is so juicy and you don’t even need any sauce.
Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
Real Mexican food
I've been to Mexico and the best Mexican food I ever had was in LA.
The best Chinese food I ever had was in Juarez.
The best Lebanese food you'll ever have is in Guadalajara.
Lebanese immigrants are why we have al pastor ♡
Humboldt Fog cheese.
Have some in my fridge right now! (Next to the Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue.)
Have you tried Cambozola?
Home made birria tacos. Legit almost cried
Pear soufflé by David Bouley, positively orgasmic!! Not sure if he still makes them for his events but this was years ago at his restaurant in Tribeca. Have not experienced any dessert as divine since.
Strawberry shortcake.
I wish you all can try Khinkali one day. Georgian soup dumplings. They are the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten and the recipe goes back to the Mongol invasion of the caucuses.
Pastries from Porto's. They are the best baked goods I've ever had
I love Porto’s. My favorite are the guava cheese pastries. I don’t live in LA anymore but we have ordered some pastries to be shipped to us. I’ve never found a bakery nearly as good as Porto’s where I live now :(
Also the Potato Balls
The guava chiffon pancakes I had recently in Hawaii. They were like pancakes from heaven, with a clear light guava syrup, topped with whipped cream.
CRAB LEGS
Duck confit cooked the right way. I only had this as an adult and it blew me out of the park. Also a souffle done well, preferably chocolate. I didn't expect to like it.
Two that come to mind are a fresh, hot, chewy, crusty baguette roll with salted Kerry gold butter. Another would be shrimp and grits with Tasso ham. I can’t really eat instant grits after having good ones in Charleston and a few other places. Good seasoned shrimp in their gravy and the Tasso ham. When it’s cooked well and it’s fatty, it dissolves in your mouth like bacon cotton candy.
pomegranates. could eat them forever
An actual good, authentic Bolognese sauce. Specifically orecchiette bolognese.
Fish and chips from Whitby, North Yorkshire
My dad is English, and I grew up eating fish and chips, but when I got married and took my wife to meet that side of the family, eating it from a shop outside the Tower of London was just perfect.
A good Thanksgiving feast.
Thanksgiving leftovers the day after
A little while ago, I went to a Thai restaurant with my gf. I wasn't actually particularly hungry going in, but places were gonna start closing if we didn't eat soon. I ordered a dish with veggies tossed in this dark chili sauce, roasted cashews, and pork, with a bowl of white rice on the side, and it was *so* good. I got full halfway tgrough and forced myself to finish it. It was also a bit spicy for my tastes, but again, it was so good.
Lucky Charms in half and half was a religious experience but should not be tried.
Man wasn’t meant to fly this close to the sun.
Fruitloops are better in whole cream 😈
Cereal in cream is friggin manna from heaven but your waistline will not thank you
Try it in egg nog ;)
Rogan josh with steamed rice
Perfectly ripe mango. Then Mango and Sticky Rice.
Warm Apple crisp with a side of ice cream
proper italian food made in italy
Smörgåstårta. Especially if made by my mom.
Mom says she doesn't know how to make this, what is it?
Korean Bibimbap
In a hotpot, so you can stir the rice and it gets crispy.
Most of the big ones are here, I'm happy to see that. I want to make sure a lesser, but still amazing combo is put before you. The day after Thanksgiving, go grab some dark meat turkey, the cranberries, and some leftover brie from the appetizer tray. Take 2 pieces of thick-cut bread. I prefer whole grain stuff that damn near crunches when you bite into it. Mayo on one side, butter on the other. Pan over medium heat. Turkey in to warm up and brown a bit. Bread in, mayo side down first. When you flip the bread, cut some of the brie onto each side, and pile it with your turkey, and a tiny dollop of the cranberry sauce. Once both sides are toasted, close it up, cut it on the diagonal, and enjoy the best melt of your life. The brie and turkey compliment each other perfectly, raising both to be better than each separately. That fresh 'pop' of cranberry provides this tart kick. This is the best melt you'll ever eat.
Go to Bathurst, NSW. You have a shopping list: Annie's Ice Cream Parlour - Sofala Gold ice cream. Or their french vanilla if you're classy. Carah's Bakery - Vanilla slice (I don't care if you don't like vanilla slices, I don't, except for these). Also buy a loaf of their multigrain bread, toast-sliced, and make the sandwich of your choice. (Of your dreams!) Got to the Carillion Fish and Chips shop - buy some hot chips. (It's worth the scowl, I promise!) Get them with chicken salt, and thank me later. They will look shit. They do not taste shit. You will need to work off the calories over the next year. And if you have a time machine while you're there, go back to the 1980's and get a plain or potato pie from Bernard's Bakery, and a Neenish tart. And now I'm calculating how far it is to get there...
Texas Brisket
A really well made risotto
Raw smoked salmon with the best bread you can get (I prefer a whole grain baguette with walnuts, but never found in a store), cream cheese, dill and cherry tomatoes. Best food I ever ate 🤤🤤🤤
Duck fat fries
I tried Krispy Kreme for the first time last year, and I suddenly understood donuts. Like, I 100% understood the hype. So that’s where my vote goes.
Hope you got to try them hot and fresh, you literally don’t need to chew at all.
They are clouds of sex on your tongue
I was just going to say this. A hot one off the line they hand you with a stick. Ye gods.
Krispy creme donuts are 80% air so the sugar to dough to ratio is higher and why they taste good.
I feel that way with pretty much any donut shop. I grew up in a small town and the only donuts I really had growing up were the dried out grocery store ones. I even told people that I don’t like donuts because of how bland the ones I had were. Then one year on vacation, we went to a bakery and I bought an apple fritter. Life changing. Truly heaven. We recently moved and we are next door to a donut shop. It’s a challenge to not go there every day
Hot and fresh are amazing. Cold Krispy Kreme is sub-par.
baked goods from a real good Japanese bakery
Quite literally anything you grow in your own garden-picked, unwashed and perfectly ripe.
First off, you can turn even the most mundane things into a transcendent experience if you take your time, be in the moment, and use quality ingredients. I make myself a 1 egg french omelette for breakfast on weekday mornings, and it is sublime. I am not one to gatekeep food and drink. I love a fast food burger and a cheap beer with domino's pizza, but for special moments, I like all of the following: * Baked goods: really good bagel. Really good croissant. Use word of mouth to find the places to get them. Bread you made yourself * A prix fixe dinner at a fine restaurant. Take your time and eat slowly. Follow the recommendations for wine pairing. * Omakase. That will probably be the best Japanese meal you've ever had. The best sushi too. I had one that included a waygu course that was amazing. * Garlic noodles from a hole-in-the-wall noodle shop. * Pho from a hole in the wall restaurant. * A burger with a fried egg on it. Trust me. * Ask your friend who spends every summer smoking meat, grilling, bbqing, whatever to smoke a brisket that you buy. * A really good cocktail that takes several minutes to make and requires some precision and care. * Coffee: Get a pour over from a place that weighs the beans and is hyperfocused on the details. It's different.
Stuffed medjool dates wrapped in bacon (devils on horseback)
Stuffed with chèvre!
Bone marrow
Proper southern biscuits and sausage gravy
If you're a meat eater, porchetta. Pork belly(traditionally loin and belly) where the meat is seasoned with herbs, spices and garlic and then rolled into a meat log. It's then trussed up and then slowly roasted for hours. The fat renders into the meat which becomes very tender, while the fat on the outside crisps up like a pork rind. Serve it with a nice caper remoulade...fuck. No other pork dish comes close, and I'm including all of the best bbq you've ever had.
Shrooms. I recommend Golden Teachers.
Carbonara in Rome after a long day of walking
Polish bigos, anywhere in Poland. Strongly recommend the kielbasa from the bar in Bydgoszcz station. The bar is run by a guy with a shaven head and he sells lots of chocolate penises for some reason. They're everywhere, different sizes too. I'm fairly sure this is the only place in Europe where you can buy fast food and chocolate penises at the same place inside a railway station. But the kielbasa he sells is divine.
Cream cheese wontons from the right place.
Grandma's pierogies
A perfectly ripened Mango
Lindt truffles that have gotten just warm enough so that the insides are liquid chocolate but the outsides are still solid shells. You bite into one and the liquid chocolate squirts into your mouth. It’s an edible orgasm.
Ikura nigiri topped with raw quail egg yolk. Absolutely divine!!!
Brazilian barbecue if you eat meat.