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How do!

Felt it was time for another thread about food. And this time I want to hear about the meals, homemade or restaurant or whatever, that you’ll never, ever forget. And it includes places you might visit regularly because it’s just that good, so long as nowhere else really offers the same experience.

Me? Spit Roast Beef, cooked over an open fire, Gun & Spitroast in Horsmonden, a village pub in Kent.

Sweet Googly Moogly, that was an experience. Spit roast meat is completely different in taste to oven roasted (and oven roasted is pretty spectacular), and at the G&S? The spit was in the main dining room. Cooking over an open wood flame.

The only difference between their fare and time travelling to the Middle Ages was the use of an electric, automated spit to turn the meat. And let me tell you, that device, when loaded and in use was an Automated Dog Taunting Torture Device. Does Doggo relax and enjoy the fire on its tum? Does Doggo instead sit up and enjoy the amazing sniffs? Will Doggo keep pacing trying to find a way to the Tasty Meats?

Not only was the meat truly singular? But the trimmings were pretty much heaven. Roasties done in fat, not veggie oil. Near perfect Yorkies. And amazing gravy.

Whilst to the best of my knowledge the pub still exists, sadly they don’t offer the Spit Roast meat anymore. It was genuinely mind blowingly magical. And, importantly, not exactly an experience I can easily replicate at home!

Two come to mind:

1. Cafe Colucci in Oakland. It’s an Ethiopian restaurant on Telegraph, within walking distance of our apartment back then. The food was amazing. It was impossible to stop eating until we became painfully full. Their injera teff had the perfect taste and texture to go with every dish.

We’ve been to a few Ethiopian restaurants in Southern California but none of them are on the same level. We make sure to eat there every time we are in the Bay Area, and Gen. if we have to go quite a bit out of our way.

2. Date shakes and chocolate licorice at Hadley’s. Hadley’s was a fruit store out in the middle of the desert near Palm Springs, and we would stop there every time we drove out east. We would anticipate the cool, delicious shake and the sweet, chewy licorice for hours as we drove through the desert. And we were disappointed every time. Memories lie, kids.
We haven’t been back since they were bought out by the casino and relocated, but date shakes are still a running joke whenever we drive through the middle of nowhere.

Graeter's Ice Cream, made locally in Cincinnati using the French Pot process



Of their flavors, the Mint Chocolate Chip is probably the most popular, but I prefer either the Madagascar Vanilla Bean or the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

 Ghaz wrote:
Graeter's Ice Cream, made locally in Cincinnati using the French Pot process



Of their flavors, the Mint Chocolate Chip is probably the most popular, but I prefer either the Madagascar Vanilla Bean or the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

They also have stores down in Louisville. Will confirm; good ice cream.

If you're ever in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, I would highly recommend going to Ted Drewes Frozen Custard and getting yourself a nice cold treat. It's pretty amazing.

This one might sound a bit sappy, but one of my favorite foods I've had has been my mother's dinner rolls, and she only makes them around the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and sometimes Easter). They might sound pretty mundane to most, and maybe they are, but to me they are little bites of heaven on earth, and easily my favorite thing my mom ever cooks (and she's a good cook; younger me was truly blessed!). They don't even need jelly or honey or even butter on them, they are just perfect as they are, especially fresh from the oven (only let them cool enough to not burn you). One of the highlights of the holidays for me, at least on the occasions when I spend them with my folks.

Yep. Another St. Louis native here, and you simply cannot go wrong with Ted Drews.

Imo's Pizza is also pretty darn good, but it does take a lot of flack for being VERY thin crust.

Two restaurants in the area come to mind for 'singular foodie experience'.

First, El Indo. It's a little Mexican restaurant at Manchester and Berry, in Rock Hill. By FAR and away the best Mexican food I've ever had. And I spent ten years in New Mexico! There's nothing bad on the menu, and much of it is genuinely great.

Second, Bill Gianino's at Telegraph and Yaegar in South County. Among the best Italian I've ever had. If your benchmark for 'good Italian' is Olive Garden, Gianino's will teach you how much better it can get.

Although to be fair, there's a LOT of Italian restaurants in St. Louis with stellar reputations I've not had the chance to sample yet.

 Nevelon wrote:

 Ghaz wrote:
Graeter's Ice Cream, made locally in Cincinnati using the French Pot process



Of their flavors, the Mint Chocolate Chip is probably the most popular, but I prefer either the Madagascar Vanilla Bean or the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

They also have stores down in Louisville. Will confirm; good ice cream.

Yes, they have locations as far as Chicago. Pittsburgh and Cleveland but all of the ice cream is made in Cincinnati.

I was visiting Florence on my honeymoon and asked some of the locals for something special for the occasion. Someone told us about a restaurant, I couldn't tell you what it was called, but it had apparently been a hideaway during WWII. We got a time and a street name and made sure we got there early but honestly couldn't find it. Pretty much on time it appeared in the alleyway we'd passed by several times and we managed to get a table.

It was an absolutely lovely dinner. There was effectively only a few tables that we shared with whoever else had come that night. Steaks were lovely, butchered to order from a loin in the back. Fantastic wine and a dessert that was fresh strawberries of the actual berry variety rather than the huge tastelist things.

They sat us with some people that spoke english and had a wonderful conversation about the city and country until closing. We left as they were locking up and honestly I couldn't ever tell the place was there after they'd closed. Easily one of the greatest dinning experiences I've ever had.

Small Batch Ice Cream is definitely something everyone should try. I guess it’s just one of those things we’re so used to being mass market, a staple junk food/treat which has to go really hard to disappoint.

Really not that far from my Grotto lies Massimos Italian Ice Cream, on Cheriton Place. A few doors up from my local pub, and my FLGS. All ice-cream made on the premises - and daily. For my sins I’m yet to try it, but I’ve only heard exceptional reviews.

Talking about ice cream, I should mention that if you ever visit the Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson, Missouri, you simply have to get some ice cream at Hannah's Ice Cream Parlor. They make most of it right there at the shop, and it is heavenly.

Slightly more abstract?

Supermarket (probably Safeway or Marks & Spencer) Black Forest Gateau, circa 1984-1989.

A staple of family Christmas at Granny and Grandad’s. Nowt fancy about it, but the overall experience, and getting something that sweet? That will stay with me forever.

A similar one was my visit to Crab House in Manhattan. Lots of long dreamt of firsts there, in an all you can eat format. Snow crab Legs, Crawfish Boil, Old Bay Shrimp. It’s like the spirit of Anthony Bourdain entered me to seek out a snack. I’ll be going back on my next visit!

Edamame.

It is a little Japanese restaurant in Oxford on a quiet residential street near the centre (not far from the Bodleian library). It has somewhat odd opening times due to licensing restrictions in a residential area. It is very small so you share tables with other guests. People queue out of the door at lunchtime.

First place I had proper Japanese food, and I've been sold on ramen ever since. I've since been to Japan and Edamame holds up as comparable, it really is some of the best and most authentic Japanese food you can get in the UK.

Highly recommend checking it out if you visit Oxford.

Side note: it isn't a sushi restaurant, it is much more based on Japanese home cooking. They did used to have a sushi night when I last checked, but I don't like sushi so cared much more about the other fare.

My wife was a professional baker/cake decorator and we owned a bakery that was always rated #1 in our region, and was in the running for top in the nation in industry magazines.

Needless to say, if she bakes something from her "perfected" recipes..... it is amazing. Sadly, since a career-ending car accident and injury, she does not bake much anymore.

The Feedbag Shovel at KC's Rib Shack. 6 lbs of the best BBQ in New England (ribs, brisket, sausage, chicken, pulled pork) served on a shovel with 2 large sides and some corn bread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbQjfSvvxFk&t=105s

While some of these "influencers" try to eat it all themselves, in practice one of these amounts to 4 big meals worth of food with some leftovers. Not what you might call fine dining but absolutely delicious.

Oh sod fine dining! That’s for snobs and Hipsters.

Gimme simple food done really, really well any day of the week.

After all, things like Barbecue, Cajun and Creole came from necessity, doing the most you could with very little, those cuts of meat and types of veg you need to cook right to get right.

Pretty much anyone can learn to cook a steak to a reasonable standard. But barbecue and other foods with poverty origins? That takes skill.

Spit roast only counts if you caressed the animal beforehand.

Does it have to be a positive experience?

On vacation in Malaga, Spain, I noticed there was an ice cream place right under our AirB&B that had overwhelmingly positive reviews in Maps and a waiting line down the whole street. Since it was so close, I noted their hours and popped in just as they opened. Ordered two scoops, and the lady gave me an odd look, which I know now was judging me to be a glutton. The price was outrageous, I think 4€ a scoop, I paid, and then... the scoops were the size of a grapefruit. So there I was, walking down the street with about a pound of ice cream on an 8" cone, people giving me odd looks, and crying while I ate because I knew I'd have to dump half of it. It was good ice cream, full of morsels like raisins, waffles, chocolate chips... so anyway I had to dump half of it.

A pub nearby had a life size carving of Peter Dinklage dressed in an oktoberfest/yodeling outfit, that was pretty unforgettable too.

Okay, so "singular" will have to be a misnomer here...



+1 for Graeter's, but I go more for the Butter Pecan myself. We take trips to Cincinatti Childrens Hospital on the regular, so we hit it up every chance we get.

The name escapes me, but there's a pizza place in Florida, possibly Clearwater as it was up the coast from Indian Head Rock Beach where we were staying. It was top tier Greek pizza. Bonus points for it being atop a ziggurat.


We plan vacation trips around going to Carlos O'Kelly's, and have greatly lamented their closure in ours and the neighboring states. Last trip was to Dubuque. JUST to eat there.



Finally, and I know I'm going to catch grief for this, but there's a place in the town I work in/used to live in called O'Bryan's Nine Irish Brothers that I'm flat out addicted to. The only ding they have is that they us American bacon. IF they ever upgrade to rashers? PERFECTION.

A place seeped in a little personal nostalgia is Polly’s Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill NH. The place was started basically as a front for a maple sugar farm, to showcase their goods.it’s locate on the northern side of the White Mountains and the franconian notch, an absolutely stunning part of the state. When growing up we would frequently stop there before hiking/adventures in the mountains. i’ve been there a number of times since, and have brought my son to carry on the tradition. Well worth the trip if you are ever in that neck of the woods.

 Just Tony wrote:




Finally, and I know I'm going to catch grief for this, but there's a place in the town I work in/used to live in called O'Bryan's Nine Irish Brothers that I'm flat out addicted to. The only ding they have is that they us American bacon. IF they ever upgrade to rashers? PERFECTION.

Why would you catch flak for it? Do they have a reputation?

And you'll need to visit a store that carries those rare ingredients if you want to try and make that singular experience at home (or you just want a bottle of Bacon soda...).

Haighus wrote:

 Just Tony wrote:




Finally, and I know I'm going to catch grief for this, but there's a place in the town I work in/used to live in called O'Bryan's Nine Irish Brothers that I'm flat out addicted to. The only ding they have is that they us American bacon. IF they ever upgrade to rashers? PERFECTION.

Why would you catch flak for it? Do they have a reputation?

It's more about people judging me for liking an American Irish place.

Ghaz wrote:And you'll need to visit a store that carries those rare ingredients if you want to try and make that singular experience at home (or you just want a bottle of Bacon soda...).

Spoiler:

We hit Jungle Jim's on the regular when in the state

For me, it would be my first visit to a Brazilian steakhouse. Fogo de Chao, to be specific. Growing up, I liked my steaks well done or at least as little pink as possible. Yes, I was that dumbass kid that didn't want to eat "raw" meat or see any "blood" on my plate. And then in my late teens/early twenties I went to FdC, where you don't get a choice. It's all rare or medium rare. I figured I'd at least try it, as it had to be good, right? Oh yes, it was.

And medium rare is how I've had my steaks ever since.

Skyline Spice ice cream? Chili parlor teams up with Graeter's for limited new flavor - WKRC

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - In a collaboration that embodies the spirit of Cincinnati, Skyline Chili and Graeter's Ice Cream have teamed up to create a unique new flavor.

The creation, named "Skyline Spice," combines the iconic tastes of both beloved local brands.

This time it's for real!

A friend of mine got married in France about 15 years ago, and the following day had a huge get together for all the guests at his mum's place a few miles away from the venue. It had a double spit, roasting a pig on one side, and a lamb on the other. Barn table full of side dishes. Food was amazing, played boules beneath the trees with some old frenchmen, and drank the night away. Perfect day, up until the end when it was a night in a warm tent...

My friend Martha's family cookout mexican skirt steak... I don't think I've ever tasted cow that good (though some mid 2000s brisket came close but not quite!). The seasoning was spot on and the meat was the perfect mix of chewy and tender. I would have put myself into kidney failure gorging myself if given the chance that day!

Crab House, New York City.

An all you can eat place, where your food is cooked to order. Boy, I was a fat little piggy there. If I ever get back to NYC? I’ll be paying a second visit. Maybe a third.

Ok, me and my friends are while not blue coller quite, are not very wealthy, we are all ow-end proffessionals
we are at Vegas for LVO, our friend, a higher up at a gaming company, recommneds this restaurant. NoBus
So, we get there and wait 45 minutes.
We then get seated, and told its family style. Then we order.
All the food is small singular bites
This was one of those like, you take a woman here as a date to impress her with a fancy Metal Black Credit Card.
we are all awkwardly there, eating our one bite of tuna. our friend, after 30minutes says "Ok, this sucks" we where all relieved. someone said it
The Waiter said "Ok, now that you know how much it cost and the portions, lets order more"
We said "Nahh we full" and he gave us a dumbfounded look.
we paid, left and got white castle.
and that was our 800$ white castle trip

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
Ok, me and my friends are while not blue coller quite, are not very wealthy, we are all ow-end proffessionals
we are at Vegas for LVO, our friend, a higher up at a gaming company, recommneds this restaurant. NoBus
So, we get there and wait 45 minutes.
We then get seated, and told its family style. Then we order.
All the food is small singular bites
This was one of those like, you take a woman here as a date to impress her with a fancy Metal Black Credit Card.
we are all awkwardly there, eating our one bite of tuna. our friend, after 30minutes says "Ok, this sucks" we where all relieved. someone said it
The Waiter said "Ok, now that you know how much it cost and the portions, lets order more"
We said "Nahh we full" and he gave us a dumbfounded look.
we paid, left and got white castle.
and that was our 800$ white castle trip

Thus demonstrating that having lots of money does not equate to possessing a significant amount of intelligence.

When talking to my parents recently, an old memory came up that I had all but forgotten about. A small, independent seafood restaurant on Chesapeake Bay, with it's own dock and fishing boat, back in the 1970s. I've always been picky about my seafood, but had long forgotten that this little place was WHY I was so picky.

Long and short, unless the seafood restaurant has it's own boat and dock, you're just not getting the best. Freshness matters. It matters a LOT. Even flash-frozen loses quite a bit. So if you're ever on the coast and see a little seafood restaurant with it's own dock, it might be worth stopping in to check out.

I’ve never understood those tasting menus.

Fine Dining has its place, but it’s not something I’m terribly fussed for. It’s true a good quality steak, for instance, is notably tastier than an average one. But it doesn’t always justify the price difference.

Probably the fanciest I’ve done would be Rick Stein’s Restaurant in Padstow. The sort of place with a long waiting list. The Tuna Steak I had was amazingly good. But man, it was not worth the high price.

Down here in Oklahoma (we have SCP here, keep that in mind) there's nothing I can remember better in food than the time I made some deer jerky, and let me tell you that gak was gas as feth! I cant tell y'all all the seasonings and how I got the not to stuff not soft not to juicy texture of it or most of the seasonings but let just say, steak seasonings work great with deer seasonings, and you gotta let them soak for at least 2 days (set a timer for exactly 48 hours), but I am some Italian from my ma, and my pops is just full blow red neck, so I just eat seasoning as it is ngl. Imma need to open a shop and sell that stuff so y'all can try it.