A meal can mean more than sustenance on a plate. It can be reminiscent of a time and place, either representative of a moment in your life or a location you can picture the minute you close your eyes. It can bring you together with people you love or when you’re traveling, be the one highlight of the day. The food itself can be so memorable that just a taste of a familiar bite can send your mind’s eye flying back to that one meal, or perhaps it’s a unique flavor you’ve been chasing ever since it touched your lips.
After soaking in the sights of a new city, finding a suitable restaurant is one part challenge, one part fun. While I tend to research fairly extensively and “prepare for landing,” most of the time I’m just hoping a place will pop out at me once I’m walking around a new city. The advent of Urbanspoon and Yelp have made these decisions easier, but it’s still a matter of finding the right vibe, a reasonably priced menu, and hopefully delicious food the old-fashioned way: luck.
When you walk into a restaurant anywhere, but particularly in a foreign city, you’re taking a risk. A risk with your money, your time, your happiness—not to mention your level of hunger. A good meal can make or break a trip. It can even define a trip; I’ll always equate San Francisco with chowder in a sourdough bowl at Boudin Bakery, Munich with schnitzel at Café am Beethovenplatz, Istanbul with doner kebab at…well, everywhere.
It’s hard to recall any negative experiences or bad meals, so I won’t rifle through the archives to find one. Instead, I’m going to rehash the top ten best meals of my life and I suggest you do the same for prosperity’s sake. It’s a tough list because there are so many memorable moments in my travel history that involve food (mussels in Brussels, pot pies in Lincoln, moussaka in Naxos, pizza in New York City). But what makes a meal isn’t just the meat and veg and carbs. It’s the conversation, the people, the atmosphere, the service. In fact, the best meal of my life? I can’t even remember what I ate.
10. Denver, 2011: Le Central with Jo, Rachel, and Anna | A lot of meals were gunning for this spot in the top ten (Millos in Victoria came really close to snagging the position), but the honor goes to Le Central last September. Jo was in town visiting me in Denver for the first time and we met up with high school friends Anna and Rachel. All of our affinity toward France originated together in French classes at Las Cruces High School (we all studied in France in one capacity or another over the years), so it was only fitting we held our rendezvous at the best French restaurant in Denver. Seated in the atmospheric enclosed patio, we enjoyed catching up and reminiscing over flowing wine, doughy baguettes, and a unique menu crafted by the brilliant chefs.
9. San Francisco, 2012: Boudin Bakery with Whitney and Alex | You go to San Francisco, you get chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Cast aside the fact it’s touristy, it’s a must. Boudin has been busting out these bread bowls for more than a century, and their storied prowess in this arena shows. Not only is there a mechanical contraption that delivers the bread into appropriate buckets, the chowder they ladle into those suckers is so piping hot and delicious I still dream about it (this coming from the gal who detests seafood, but even I can’t deny that this was on point). It’s a tourist trap worth getting stuck in. Sitting with my friends Whitney and Alex, looking out into the popular pier, and being part of the hustle and bustle of this institution was an absolute treat.
7. Paris, 2003: Baguette outside Centre Pompidou with Jo | Who said a meal had to be on a plate? This one was wrapped in a piece of paper and consisted of a fresh, crisp baguette encasing tomatoes, cheese, and meat—a combination so simple yet so delicious, I’ve been searching for a suitable equivalent ever since. Sitting in the sun outside the bizarre Centre Pompidou in Paris that summer, Jo and I surveyed the scene in front of us: jugglers, artists, school groups, tourists, locals…the mix of characters outside this modern art museum was an amalgamation of all France had to offer. Jo and I were enjoying our first solo trip outside the US and not only was the sandwich tasty, but the view was a delight as well.
No photo of our lunch at Centre Pompidou exists, but this is Jo and I pretty excited to be on top of the Eiffel Tower.
6. Orleans, 2000: Je n'ais sais quois with my parents | It was my first trip to France and as a family, we had descended upon Orleans—just south of Paris—to visit friends and sample the Loire Valley. I can’t for the life of me remember the name of the elegant restaurant near the cathedral and the entire night fades into a youthful memory, but it has always stuck out in my mind as an enchanted night. We ate at a round table in the middle of a quaint room and it felt like we were the only ones there, yet the traditional restaurant was filled with laughter and conversation. The servers were incredibly attentive—both water and wine couldn’t make it below the half-way mark without each glass getting refilled immediately. The menu was pre-fixe and was a totally foreign experience for me, then 14 and enjoying a truly French experience.
5. Istanbul, 2011: Kebapci Iskender with Sarah | Sizzling sheep’s butter. Need I say more? Probably not, but I will. This culinary experience occurred on the Asian side of Istanbul and is a prime example of stumbling upon a restaurant that will eventually contain your favorite meal. The sign touted an established date of 1826 and for some reason that acted as the only endorsement necessary to enter the wooden restaurant. A kind English-speaking waiter assisted us throughout the process and delivered a meal unlike anything I had sampled before: sliced pita bread, gyro meat, and tomato sauce…all covered with a splash of melted sheep’s butter. The décor was basic and the menu limited, but the wonderful taste and service made it the most delectable meal I’d had in years.
4. San Diego, 2007: Kaiserhof Restaurant and Biergarten with my family | Schnitzel was a staple in our house growing up, so it’s challenging to find a decent German restaurant that can do it better. Challenging…but not impossible. The Kaiserhof went way beyond sausage and sauerkraut; it delivered a vast array of German treats and cooked each offering to perfection. We were originally on the hunt for a curry, but when the Indian restaurant we were tracking down turned out to be a defunct Mexican joint, we took a chance with our GPS and landed at Kaiserhof. What luck! We were all pleasantly surprised by the outcome: delicious food and cozy atmosphere. I’m not sure what we talked about that night, but I look back on that meal with such fondness. We were just together eating a marvelous meal that harkened to our family history and that’s exactly what we needed at the time.
3. Munich, 2008: Café am Beethovenplatz with Mark | En route to our hostel our very first day in Munich, my brother and I took note of a charming restaurant that looked leaps and bounds out of our price range. But once we caught a glimpse of our low rent hostel, we decided to splurge on a nice dinner as a way to reward ourselves for slumming it on the lodging front. A garden café on the outside, a swinging piano bar on the inside, Café am Beethovenplatz had a 1920s atmosphere and was full of local patrons. After three days of blah food in Budapest, this feast was such a joy. Free Jagermeister was delivered by our sweet waitress, piano music was floating in the air, and the food was spectacular. Our introduction to Germany was better than I could have imagined and that meal will forever be a reminder of the simple pleasure of just being there.
2. Edinburgh, 2006: Suruchi Indian with Alicia and Sarah | “Is it tasty?” the waiter asked with anticipation in his voice. The answer was a resounding “yes” when Alicia, Sarah, and I dined at Suruchi. The atmosphere was buzzing and a roaring fire and live sitar music set the scene for this special find. An attentive staff, authentic food, and a conversation between three friends that filled the room with laughter made it an absolute delight. Butter chicken, papadums, naan, and rice…these are the things that dreams are made of.
No photo exists of our Suruchi experience, but this is a shot from Edinburgh Castle.
1. Tucson, 2007: Old Pueblo Grille with my family | Graduation weekend was hands down the best weekend of my life. After three years of studying at the University of Arizona, I was graduating magna cum laude and celebrating with friends and family in Tucson. Lunch before the ceremony at our family favorite The Frog and Firkin, bar-hopping that night on Fourth Avenue, and spending time with my favorite people was an experience I’ll never forget. However the really wonderful meal happened the night before graduation at the Old Pueblo Grille. My mom and I had been there before for a girl’s weekend, when we indulged in mango margaritas and enjoyed some chile rellenos. So when it came to the big celebratory dinner for my graduation, we decided that would be a reliable option. The setting is ideal: fountains, foliage, and a flair of Southwest all in the middle of the city. While it gets voted the best patio dining in Tucson, we sat indoors at a round table. Coming from Las Cruces, I know good Mexican food and while this restaurant serves decent fare, that’s not why it ranks #1 on my list. It scores this spot because of the feeling I get when I think back on this meal: happiness. I was surrounded by everyone I loved, celebrating an accomplishment, and in a beautiful setting. It was a great send off to Tucson, a place I had grown to hold dear. I knew this meal was special at the time, but looking back on it makes me appreciate it because it’s a snapshot of a moment in time. And like I said, I don’t even remember what I ate.
