The Best Thing you ever ate.........

[DD]

It's a new show on the Food Network. The chefs on the shows tell their favorite things/places to eat.

What's the best thing YOU ever ate? Where?

[Beach Runner]

Oh, gosh! I'll have to give this some thought.

[lerxst]

hard to choose only 1,

White Tuna sashimi at Sushi Rocks
Kobe beef burger at Gravel Road
and yes, the pesto chicken salad on croissant and Amavida.

[Here4Good]

Crawfish bisque, with crawfish heads stuffed with seafood stuffing.

In my mother-in-law's kitchen.

(This was hard - it could have also been seafood gumbo, roast with gravy, spaghetti and meatballs....all from the same source.

There was a really good story in one of Julia Reed's books about this question - she said that in New York, her friends always responded with a fantastic dish made in a great restaurant, and her Southern friends always responded with something their MeeMaw, or great-aunt, or Grandaddy made.

[Lynnie]

hard to choose only 1,

White Tuna sashimi at Sushi Rocks
Kobe beef burger at Gravel Road
and yes, the pesto chicken salad on croissant and Amavida.

White tuna is a delicacy and it just melts in your mouth. I might have to go have some this evening!

Gosh, DD - I love to eat. And, I love to cook. I think the item that first reached out of my mind was a hard day playing in Mexico and stopping at a corner saloon for a cerveza and these out of this world tacos with salsa verde (yummy authentic food). I've never had anything quite like it since and keep putting the energy into the Universe so it will come upon me again!

Good news is that I might have this opportunity in Aug when I go on a dive trip in groovy areas of MX.

[DD]

Crawfish bisque, with crawfish heads stuffed with seafood stuffing.

In my mother-in-law's kitchen.

(This was hard - it could have also been seafood gumbo, roast with gravy, spaghetti and meatballs....all from the same source.

There was a really good story in one of Julia Reed's books about this question - she said that in New York, her friends always responded with a fantastic dish made in a great restaurant, and her Southern friends always responded with something their MeeMaw, or great-aunt, or Grandaddy made.

Yeah, I believe it. Us Southerners love our MeeMaw's cooking...even though we haven't tasted it in years!

White tuna is a delicacy and it just melts in your mouth. I might have to go have some this evening!

Gosh, DD - I love to eat. And, I love to cook. I think the item that first reached out of my mind was a hard day playing in Mexico and stopping at a corner saloon for a cerveza and these out of this world tacos with salsa verde (yummy authentic food). I've never had anything quite like it since and keep putting the energy into the Universe so it will come upon me again!

Good news is that I might have this opportunity in Aug when I go on a dive trip in groovy areas of MX.

Lynnie, this makes me want a Corona and a taco. Hope your dream comes true in August.

[BeachbumAggie]

My Deda's fried chicken-hands down the best fried chicken in the entire world! I agree that us Southerners love our grandmother's cooking the most. Deda (my mom's mom) has my top 10 favorites easily! I can make chicken a lot like hers but her crust is the most perfect blend of tender flaky crispy goodness and I can't seem to get that down!!

[Jdarg]

Garlic shrimp, Longhi's, Lahaina Maui. I dream about it.

The lamb dish at August Moon (Chinese), Louisville KY

[Lynnie]

My Deda's fried chicken-hands down the best fried chicken in the entire world! I agree that us Southerners love our grandmother's cooking the most. Deda (my mom's mom) has my top 10 favorites easily! I can make chicken a lot like hers but her crust is the most perfect blend of tender flaky crispy goodness and I can't seem to get that down!!

Granny used buttermilk and only fried in an iron skillet that was neva washed.........yours?

[BeachbumAggie]

Granny used buttermilk and only fried in an iron skillet that was neva washed.........yours?

no buttermilk but yes on the iron skillet, she just wipes it down!!

[ShallowsNole]

I can't pick just one. But my favorite food in all the world is fried shrimp. And tho' I like the plethora of restaurants we have available here today, it seems that I can't find anyone that replicates the shrimp from my formative years, from Bay Grove Restaurant or Chapman's (way back when the Chapman family from Black Creek still had it)...

Except Nick's. Thank God for Nick's. I'll stick up for Bayou Bill's, et al, because they have "good" shrimp and my son the busser now has a car to finish paying for plus insurance, but Nick's is Da Bomb.

There is also O'Steens in St Augustine Beach, and I'll visit them in about three weeks - but it's a tad far to strike out for them on a whim.

[phillycheese]

My namesake! At my father's old restaurant in Philly.

[SneakyPete]

Wow! I thought this would be easy...but it's not! I think overall the quality of our food has been elevated to the point where just about every meal I eat could qualify as "the best."

I grew up here before we had a lot of the ingredients we have now -- the ethnic markets and even the supermarkets that offered more than what was grown on our family farm. Our vegetables were slimed with bacon grease, and our meats were cooked until they were DONE DONE DONE! Although like any southern family, our family cooks had their specialities (salmon patties, macaroni and cheese, twelve layer chocolate cake, buttermilk pie, biscuits and buttery greens) I much prefer the current trend toward fresh flavors and recipes that allow quality ingredents to shine. Pizza bar pizza. Sushi at Harbor Docks. Fried shrimp and fish at Dewey Destin (and other places along the harbor). Jambone's eggs benedict with shrimp and the chipotle hollandaise. I tend to value those restaurant experiences that provide food I can't make (or that are too labor intensive for me to make regularly).

I have to say, though, the best thing I ever "ate" was a Diet Coke that I drank the morning after I spent the night in the ER with food poisoning. That lucious, sparkly, syrupy liquid hitting my parched throat. I still get chills. I wish I could recapture that rapturous feeling without the food poisoning!

My husband will tell you his was the day after he woke up in the hospital from surgery for bacterial pneumonia. I brought him some soup made with ham, cabbage and white beans, and homemade bisuits. The look on his face as he ate -- I wish I had taken pictures. Sometimes the situation and the memory IS the food!

[DD]

Wow! I thought this would be easy...but it's not! I think overall the quality of our food has been elevated to the point where just about every meal I eat could qualify as "the best."

I grew up here before we had a lot of the ingredients we have now -- the ethnic markets and even the supermarkets that offered more than what was grown on our family farm. Our vegetables were slimed with bacon grease, and our meats were cooked until they were DONE DONE DONE! Although like any southern family, our family cooks had their specialities (salmon patties, macaroni and cheese, twelve layer chocolate cake, buttermilk pie, biscuits and buttery greens) I much prefer the current trend toward fresh flavors and recipes that allow quality ingredents to shine. Pizza bar pizza. Sushi at Harbor Docks. Fried shrimp and fish at Dewey Destin (and other places along the harbor). Jambone's eggs benedict with shrimp and the chipotle hollandaise. I tend to value those restaurant experiences that provide food I can't make (or that are too labor intensive for me to make regularly).

I have to say, though, the best thing I ever "ate" was a Diet Coke that I drank the morning after I spent the night in the ER with food poisoning. That lucious, sparkly, syrupy liquid hitting my parched throat. I still get chills. I wish I could recapture that rapturous feeling without the food poisoning!

My husband will tell you his was the day after he woke up in the hospital from surgery for bacterial pneumonia. I brought him some soup made with ham, cabbage and white beans, and homemade bisuits. The look on his face as he ate -- I wish I had taken pictures. Sometimes the situation and the memory IS the food!

I can relate to that Diet Coke. There's nothing better when you wake up hung over IMHO. It's something about the bubbles I think.
Again, your soup sounds yummy.
And, I love me some Dewey's Destin.

[scooterbug44]

I don't know that I can say just one thing - top honors definitely go to:
-a fabulous panna cotta w/ tiny fresh wild strawberries I had at a Roman restaurant
-Ensalada Rica's pear, cured beef, walnut, and cheese salad w/ honey dressing
-Red Bar crab cakes
-Mama Scooterbug's spinach artichoke casserole, white chocolate cheesecake and twice baked potatoes
-Papa Scooterbug's roast beast, elk t-bones, wild rice and mushroom casserole, and venison w/ boursin cheese sauce
-the Vintij salmon w/ cous-cous and mango glaze ties w/ the Prospector's salmon w/ wasabi
-fried walleye w/ cheesy onion hashbrowns and fried eggs
-raspberries right off the vine

[SHELLY]

I tend to think it's not so much of "what" the item was (considering it was good in the first place), but it's where it was consumed.

Best hotdog: At old Yankee Stadium
Best sandwich: Under a tree in a park in France
Best beer: Oktoberfest
Best seafood: Plate of mussels at Pike's Place Market, Seattle
Best ice cream: Chocolate Gelato at Piazza Navona, Rome

The list goes on and on.

[inside635]

The chicken fajita quesadillas at MiCocina (the Dallas restaurant) or MiCo as the regulars call it. They are always FULL of grilled chicken. And of course a frozen margarita, no salt to wash them down with. We have been going to the Preston Forest location for years.

[kathydwells]

My Den Den's (paternal grandmother) pot of Butter beans (White Lima's) with ham hocks, her fried okra, and fried corn, her collard greens, fried pork chops, a big ole piece of her cornbread, her homemade German Chocolate Cake, and Buttermilk Pie, with huge slices of her fresh out of the garden tomatoes, and big a ole slice of Sweet Vidalia Onion, and her sweet tea. It doesn't get any better than that. I sure do miss those meals.....and her.

My Mama Nelson's (maternal grandmother's) homemade buttermilk biscuits that would melt in your mouth, and her fresh peach fried pies....oh man, I hope they let them cook in heaven.

[Here4Good]

If they don't let them cook in Heaven, then why would they call it Heaven?

[aggieb]

love your post kdw.

my mama's day after thanksgiving turkey sandwiches and her tomato sandwiches.

a beef tenderloin meal that an exboyfriend cooked for us one night. that was the only good thing about him, he knew how and loved to cook. mr. aggb doesn't know how to boil h2o.

[inside635]

I'm in double digits.....come on July 12 !!!!!!!!!!!

Kathy, since you are a SoWal Legend, and I am a mere Beach Comber, it's a good bet everyone knows the answer to this, but I still have to ask about your signature. Hmmm... double digits...
a) you are 9 years old and will be 10 on July 12?? Probably not!
b) your tenth speeding ticket??
c) your tenth child??
Curious minds want to know!

[kathydwells]

I'm in double digits.....come on July 12 !!!!!!!!!!!

Kathy, since you are a SoWal Legend, and I am a mere Beach Comber, it's a good bet everyone knows the answer to this, but I still have to ask about your signature. Hmmm... double digits...
a) you are 9 years old and will be 10 on July 12?? Probably not!
b) your tenth speeding ticket??
c) your tenth child??
Curious minds want to know!

It is the date that I arrive in paradise.

[inside635]

Now I can rest easy!! we'll be in paradise on the 7th. Can't wait walk in the surf.

[kathydwells]

Now I can rest easy!! we'll be in paradise on the 7th. Can't wait walk in the surf.

Have a wonderful, safe trip!!!!!

[GoodWitch58]

My favorite, too, has to do with the circumstances more than just the food itself.

The one I remember the most is a pizza I ate in 1972 in Honolulu--I had lived for a year on the Pacific island of Guam, and back in those days (before many of you were even born!), the world was much different, not every place had a Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried chicken as they do today...I had been eating some wonderful local food, and some okay military food, and my own food, but Guam (which is located relatively close to the island of Palau, btw) was a pretty isolated place, and there were no pizza joints.

My husband and I took a weekend trip to Honolulu, and the minute I got out of the airport, I headed for the closest pizza place--I don't remember the name--after I ordered the largest pizza on the menu, with everything on top, I looked at my husband and said, "and what are you going to have?" In astonishment, he said, "are you going to eat the whole pizza?" I said "yes" and I did.

It was the best pizza I ever had!

Our next two years on Guam were filled with lots of adventures and I loved living there and traveling from there, but about every three months, I would get the urge to fly to Honolulu for pizza; and almost every time I have pizza, all these years later, I can still recall how wonderful that pizza tasted...

[DD]

Great story, gw. Reminds me of Mr. DD's middle daughter who's living with us until the end of the month when she goes to Kuwait. She spent 18 mos. in Tonga and when she got here, all she wanted was Sonic, Pizza, and lots of vegetables. Evidently, the only veggies they got were a little "ripe" and not even many of those. Now, she's off to a new adventure with the USO. Who knows what she'll get to eat there.

[GoodWitch58]

Great story, gw. Reminds me of Mr. DD's middle daughter who's living with us until the end of the month when she goes to Kuwait. She spent 18 mos. in Tonga and when she got here, all she wanted was Sonic, Pizza, and lots of vegetables. Evidently, the only veggies they got were a little "ripe" and not even many of those. Now, she's off to a new adventure with the USO. Who knows what she'll get to eat there.

She'll probably be okay there, as long as she stays on the main bases. Most of them have BK, KFC, and Pizza Hut, these days...

Looking back, though, I have to say that I miss the days when the whole world didn't look the same. A few years ago I was in Poland,
and one night a group of us wanted to go out to have some local food, without our guide. We were looking for some authentic adventure--we asked a street cop where could we have dinner, hoping he would steer us to a good local spot...imagine our dismay when he led us to the local KFC!

[DD]

She'll probably be okay there, as long as she stays on the main bases. Most of them have BK, KFC, and Pizza Hut, these days...

Looking back, though, I have to say that I miss the days when the whole world didn't look the same. A few years ago I was in Poland,
and one night a group of us wanted to go out to have some local food, without our guide. We were looking for some authentic adventure--we asked a street cop where could we have dinner, hoping he would steer us to a good local spot...imagine our dismay when he led us to the local KFC!

LOL!! KFC!!
She'll be in heaven if they have Pizza Hut.

[Beach Runner]

Tokyo: Inakaya -- robatayaki
Barcelona: Gorria -- Valle del Roncal lamb
Osaka: Kobe Steak House -- steak with carmelized garlic
Barcelona: Bottafumeiro -- Orio evergreen oak charcoal barbecued grouper
Rome: Trattoria del Pantheon da Fortunata -- fried zucchini flowers
Paris: Le Pré Catalan -- L'Os a Moelle (beef marrow)
New Orleans: K-Paul's -- blackend beef tenders debris, chicken and sausage gumbo, chicken and seafood jambalaya, mirliton pirogue stuffed with shrimp and andouille
New Orleans: Commander's Palace -- turtle soup, fish in pecan butter
Hanover, Germany: Train station -- bratwurst
My house: barbequed shrimp, red beans and rice, cherry pound cake, beef tenderloin infused with garlic and basil, daughter's bruschetta, daughter's chicken tacos, daughter's fish tacos and jalapeno cole slaw

[cp]

I can't pick just one. But my favorite food in all the world is fried shrimp. And tho' I like the plethora of restaurants we have available here today, it seems that I can't find anyone that replicates the shrimp from my formative years, from Bay Grove Restaurant or Chapman's (way back when the Chapman family from Black Creek still had it)...

Except Nick's. Thank God for Nick's. I'll stick up for Bayou Bill's, et al, because they have "good" shrimp and my son the busser now has a car to finish paying for plus insurance, but Nick's is Da Bomb.

There is also O'Steens in St Augustine Beach, and I'll visit them in about three weeks - but it's a tad far to strike out for them on a whim.

this is the best shrimp I've ever had (fried). Can't wait to go back there! I know its fresh,I had to go through the kitchen to roll my cousin (who was in a wheel chair) in. They also had bushels of snap beans they were snapping. So thats what I got also.

[audie]

deep fried lobster tail at marlin grill is yummalicious.

my husband's grilled filet cooked on the big green egg

[mhennessy]

I tend to think it's not so much of "what" the item was (considering it was good in the first place), but it's where it was consumed.

Best hotdog: At old Yankee Stadium
Best sandwich: Under a tree in a park in France
Best beer: Oktoberfest
Best seafood: Plate of mussels at Pike's Place Market, Seattle
Best ice cream: Chocolate Gelato at Piazza Navona, Rome

The list goes on and on.

Now... I am biased (I work for San Gelato Cafe Corporate... where we actually make authentic gelato and sorbet daily here in florida). The owners came over from Italy 12 years ago, and were the first in United States history to have the true authentic Italian equipment to make this product approved. MEANING that there are many gelato products out there in the states, that may or may not actually hold true to the centuries old tradition of what IS gelato and sorbetto.

I urge you to try San Gelato's chocolate gelato. I urge you to try the pistachio. They are VERY VERY good. I promise. I try them all day long (one of the perks of this job) and they are STILL amazing.

If you dont like them- let me know- if you do like them, let me know! either way ... just try it out! :)

San Gelato Café - An Italian Moment.
888.435.2767

[Gidget]

Tokyo: Inakaya -- robatayaki
Barcelona: Gorria -- Valle del Roncal lamb
Osaka: Kobe Steak House -- steak with carmelized garlic
Barcelona: Bottafumeiro -- Orio evergreen oak charcoal barbecued grouper
Rome: Trattoria del Pantheon da Fortunata -- fried zucchini flowers
Paris: Le Pré Catalan -- L'Os a Moelle (beef marrow)
New Orleans: K-Paul's -- blackend beef tenders debris, chicken and sausage gumbo, chicken and seafood jambalaya, mirliton pirogue stuffed with shrimp and andouille
New Orleans: Commander's Palace -- turtle soup, fish in pecan butter
Hanover, Germany: Train station -- bratwurst
My house: barbequed shrimp, red beans and rice, cherry pound cake, beef tenderloin infused with garlic and basil, daughter's bruschetta, daughter's chicken tacos, daughter's fish tacos and jalapeno cole slaw

WOW - what a traveler you are! FANTASTIC!! Lucky you!!

G