1. Well this is a three-way tie because I love all things Paris:
- Les Fetes Galantes - because it is the little hole-in-the-wall Parisian restaurant that you don't expect much out of, but gives you things like to-die-for escargot ragout and chocolate bombe cakes.
- Casa Olympe - because it was our honeymoon.
- Le Souffle - because I first had escargots here when I visited with my dad when I was 14 year old and then I first had a Cuban cigar on the tail end of my honeymoon. Both were life-changing.
3. The Gun Barrell in Jackson Hole, WY. Velvet elk and buffalo ribs. OMG.
4. Eating fresh-caught bbq'd fish at the island's only "restaurant" with my toes in the sand on the Perhentians in Malaysia after a long day of scuba diving.
5. Ruth's Chris Steak House - yes it's a chain, but definitely the best steak I've ever had and mashed potatoes that melted in your mouth. Soooo happy one is coming to Asheville in the Fall. Just in time for a certain couple's 5-year-anniversary.
6. Saint Pierre in Singapore - when I was working as a Tour Guide in Southeast Asia, one of my passengers was this little Frenchman (Loic) who was a chef. He wanted to try the best French restaurant in Singapore at the end of our trip and kindly invited me to dinner. Now, this was (I think) the first time I'd had a multi-course dinner with inter-course palate cleansers and everything, so it was unreal. And I had been eating $1 street food for months, so it was nice to, you know, go gourmet.
7. In 'n Out Burger - any time, any place (in CA, AZ, NV, TX, or UT that is). Best burger, fries, and shakes ever and they have a pretty awesome story.
8. This little hole-in-the-wall place in Ravenna, Italy that had the best risotto I've ever had. Wish I remembered the name...
9. The little hole-in-the-wall place in Sorrento, Italy that had the best gnocchi I've ever had. I ate it overlooking the Amalfi coast, which was also pretty awesome.
10. Wagamama's in London - when I studied abroad in 1997 this place was pretty new, but the concept was awesome. Benches and long tables for community dining and an open kitchen. The menu (noodle or rice dishes) was amazing and fresh (we found that the Raw Juice was Mason's favorite during our trip last year). Now that they've gone global, I think they are a little lacking in the ingenuity department, but still good food. This dining experience also represented a lot of what London was for me.
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