618468 Fri May 08 21:27:54 -0700 2009 282 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4667914 For me it would be Cuban toast at some little shop off Alligator Alley in South Florida... long Cuban bread, halved, doused in butter and put through the sandwich-shop moving broiler till toasty, but the owner said somehow mojo criollo was involved (!), and then topped with huge portions of guava jelly and with the halves smushed face-to-face inside a little baker's-paper wrapper. Fri May 08 21:27:54 -0700 2009 40486 Cinnamon 1 4668089 A white chocolate mousse drizzled with raspberry puree. I had it at a street festival in San Francisco. My friends and I bought one to share, and it was so exquisite we went back and bought one more for each of us. It has to be twenty years and I can still almost taste it... Sat May 09 01:30:19 -0700 2009 4667914 27327 MsMaryMc 2 4703576 The moment I saw this topic I thought of this white chocolate cake, almost cheescake, in a raspberry puree that I got every time I went to a restaurant called Ichabod's on the Upper East Side of Manahattan. It was in the eighties and I was very young, but I still remember it. I thought it was so sophisticated and innnovative! Ha! Such a similar memory to yours. Thu May 21 09:23:35 -0700 2009 4668089 210452 dcdavis 1 4668182 A absoutley INCREDILBLE white pizza I had once while catching a quick lunch on a school trip in colledge while we waited for the ferry to take us to our next stop. Don't remember exactly where but we we going to Long Island. A great Cane vinegar from the Marquesas That I found in a now defunct gourmet store. Looked like a wine bottle and had a graphic of a bunch of sugarcane on the label. I use Steen's now but this one was better. Sat May 09 05:24:16 -0700 2009 4668091 24492 jumpingmonk 1 4668453 When I was a kid, there was an ice-cream shop in Gulfport, MS name Stone's Ice Cream. Now this has been way-many years ago, but my taste bud memories will always remember their hot-fudge as being the most luxurious, rich, creamy, milk chocolate colored sauce that actually "draped" the ice-cream rather than running off into a puddle, leaving little veins of nasty dark syrup behind. Like MsMaryMc, I can still almost taste it (and it's been more years than 20) and would pay large $$$ to know how it was made. Knowing now that coffee can be added to choco to deepen the flavor - well, I wonder if Mr and Mrs Stone figured this out way back when. But I'm still not sure how they managed to have the sauce seemingly "stick" to the ice-cream. Sat May 09 08:14:07 -0700 2009 4667914 216999 CocoaNut 2 4670189 Back in the mists of yesteryear, there was a place in Palo Alto - Edy's I think it was - that served a sundae which had a cold fudge-like sauce. This sauce was semi-solid and was scooped over the ice cream rather than poured. It was memorable. Sun May 10 00:42:10 -0700 2009 4668453 13619 Sharuf 2 4703412 Sorry to interrupt. Recipes are off-topic for the General Topics board, so we've split off a gfr1111's reply to this message to our Home Cooking board. You'll find gfr1111's recipe here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/621584 . Thu May 21 08:39:26 -0700 2009 4668453 2 The Chowhound Team 1 4668522 I was eleven, visiting my mothers home country (USA) for the first time - I was taken by an uncle to an ice-cream place and I ate a bowl of vanilla ice cream with blueberries and custard. It sounds so simple but I've never managed to reproduce the texture and taste of that perfect sundae. Sat May 09 08:46:57 -0700 2009 4667914 40746 Peg 1 4668534 There was a place in Hollywood Florida called Gustos and they served the best honey cilantro chicken wings, I have tried many time to get it just right, but never as good as Gustos ( which is no longer open) Sat May 09 08:53:25 -0700 2009 4667914 237148 bermudagourmetgoddess 1 4668550 Silly -- but I've yet to find a tomato that equals the almost melon-sized one I had bought at the market in Dubrovnik over 20 yrs. ago & devoured on the boat for lunch, didn't even need salt. Ekmek kadaifi as eaten on Mykonos almost 20 years ago. Haven't had that particular version ever again. It was to die for. Sat May 09 09:00:58 -0700 2009 4667914 116513 linguafood 2 4705794 Not silly at all! My friend, prior to going back to work full-time, grew her own tomatoes. I was never a tomato lover until I had her home-growns. And let's just say she frequented our nearby animal farms for fertilizer and swore by that! Her cherry tomatoes were a burst of sunshine and sweetness on my tongue. No veggie stand tomato has come close and I beg her every year to plant again. I can dream... Fri May 22 03:32:57 -0700 2009 4668550 191500 samsaulavi 3 5004093 Tomatoes are another food that haunt me. You can not grow delicious tomatoes in Alaska like the amazing ones that I grew up eating in Wisconsin. Amazing! We would usually get about 30-60 new ones a day and we made the most delicious homemade marinara, and also ate them fresh. I have met alot of people here in AK that claim they hate tomatoes, and I am convinced that if they tried the tomatoes we grew in WI they would change their mind. Thu Sep 03 22:48:02 -0700 2009 4705794 1081227 DishDelish 1 4668567 On the only trip I've ever made out of the country, in highschool, a group of students went on a tour of Europe. In Holland, we stayed at a little bed and breakfast, and one night I wasn't feeling terribly hungry, so I just had the tomato soup. Oh, the angels were dancing on my tongue! I had three bowls that night, knowing that I would probably never get to re-create this intense, fleeting love affair with tomato and cream, who did such naughty things to my taste buds that I shall never forget them. Sat May 09 09:09:00 -0700 2009 4667914 285186 Popkin 1 4668850 Oh, "The Meatloaf!" After my oldest was born, I was hungry enough to eat an econo-sized box of Pampers. The hospital tray offered...meatloaf. <sigh> Well, it was food. But what meatloaf! Superior crust, but unbelievably juicy. The texture was spot on and the flavor was unlike any meatloaf I'd had before or have since. It also seemed to have an elusive "hamminess" to it. I have tried to recreate the flavor for 21 years, but never seem to come close. It was just so very delicious, and it wasn't just the hunger as seasoning. I think I've got to take another stab at it now! Cay Sat May 09 11:13:54 -0700 2009 4667914 49525 cayjohan 2 4668913 :) I had a similar hospital food experience once. After being unable to eat or drink for over 24 hours and feeling as though I were at the brink of utter starvation, the nurses brought me a bowl of ........ split pea soup. Now at that time, I was beyond finniky about food, but that soup was so wonderfully tasty, I ravished it with gusto - I had-to-have seconds! But I'll let that remain my only memory of split-pea soup. Sat May 09 11:44:08 -0700 2009 4668850 216999 CocoaNut 3 5000384 Same experience, except that the nurse brought me clear broth. It was amazing ! Wed Sep 02 16:51:39 -0700 2009 4668913 13143 souschef 2 4675113 After knowing the experience of having babies, that sounds great! Mon May 11 18:33:26 -0700 2009 4668850 135679 suites 2 5171384 I can relate. When I was 13 I got thrown off a horse and broke my hip. By the time they'd done all the diagnostic stuff and got me admitted it was after nine at night, and I hadn't eaten since lunch. My Mom was a regular volunteer in the hospital cafe and she got the security folks to open it up and brought me a tuna salad sandwich on toast and a three musketeers bar. Still the best meal I've ever had. <g> Tue Nov 10 17:32:07 -0800 2009 4668850 14254 pasuga 1 4668960 I have a couple. One which has perplexed me to no end, because I feel like I should be able to find it on the internet, have been looking for years and have been unsuccessful. It was an aged white cheddar cheese that Gelson's Market in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles used to carry around the holidays when it was Mayfair, up to around 2003 or 2004. It was on the pricey side -- around $8 for 8 or so oz, and came encased in wax, shaped like fruit -- apples, pears. It was complex, nutty and rich (not some processed food product) -- probably the best cheddar I've ever tasted. I believe it was Canadian or from Vermont, although there's the possibility it was English. When the store switched over to Gelson's, they stopped carrying it. I tried asking the manager but they didn't know what I was talking about. The others are foods eaten while travelling in Europe and elsewhere -- a gyro on the streets of Mykonos, after the clubs let out in the middle of the night, perfectly charred meat with tangy tzatziki on hot, puffy, pita heated up on the grill; a late-night chicken sandwhich in Paris -- which to this day was probably the best sandwhich I've ever had, anywhere -- with freshly roasted chicken shredded onto a crusty baguette with mayo, dijon and capers; roasted piquillo peppers in Ibiza at a seaside tapas place, with a glass of wine watching the sunset; a perfect lobster roll at a foodshack in Maine. I know some of these I could probably find the equivalent of again, if I ever get back to the places mentioned, but try as I might, I have been unable to recreate them at home, or find them where I'm currently living. The closest I ever found to the chicken sandwhich was at a place called Pamela's in NYC, where I was living in the early 1990s. It was a french sandwich shop on the south side of West 4th St just west of Broadway, and it's since long gone . . . I make the sandwhich myself at home sometimes, but it's only a shadow of the original, as I don't think I'll ever be able to replicate a french grown chicken, rotisserie roasted in that little shop which only featured chicken, or the bread. Ah, the memories! Sat May 09 12:11:30 -0700 2009 4667914 11028 DanaB 2 4676725 The fresh mint ice cream offered as an amuse bouche at the dearly departed 721 Pine restaurant here in Seattle. Haven't had as good since. Mee pok. So far as I know, it's not available in this country. I barely remember what it is but used to love it for breakfast in Singapore. Peter Cipra's roast duck with dumpling and sauerkraut. Best duck in the world. So crispy on the outside, so moist on the inside. Dumpling as light as air. Never knew sauerkraut could be sooooo good. Cambodian noodle soup at a small Vietnamese restaurant. The lady who originally owned it remarried and moved to California. Have never had another Cambodian noodle soup like it. Really good Hainanese chicken rice in the US. Have had great chicken rice in Singapore and Malaysia, but in this country, it never measures up. Ditto for SE Asian oyster omelets. The badaam kheer I had once in Penang. The rice pudding Vij once served when he was still a hole-in-the wall restaurant in Vancouver. Recipe NOT in his cookbook, darn! Tue May 12 09:39:36 -0700 2009 4668960 19003 PAO 3 4702766 Pao, Ditto on the Hainanese chicken rice, which was wonderful, and available all over Singapore. I found one place in the United States while on vacation that matched it: I think it was called "Singapore Cafe" (or something similar) on Geary Street in San Francisco. Alas, it went out of business a few years back, although I have since learned that there are (or were) a few other locations in San Jose (and maybe Market Street in S.F?) and elsewhere. Unfortunately, that won't do me any good here on the west coast of Florida. I must say, I don't understand why it is so good. The recipe seems simple enough, but I can't duplicate it here in the United States. Thu May 21 03:21:41 -0700 2009 4676725 22427 gfr1111 2 4708045 DanaB, I believe I've seen the cheese you're describing at a specialty cheese store in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) called Paddy's. Ph: 780-413-0367. Might be worth a call to see if it is a cheddar, and if they'll ship to you! Fri May 22 18:26:12 -0700 2009 4668960 287356 lainekerr 3 4708188 I was really hoping somebody would reply to this thread with a tip on what maker they thought the cheese might be from, or where I might actually be able to find it! Thanks, I will definitely look into it! :-) Fri May 22 20:12:06 -0700 2009 4708045 11028 DanaB 1 4668976 Cajun Upside Down Pickles. - The labels were upside down, so the jar was put on the shelf upside down. They were from NOLA area, but all the googling in the world does not find them in business anymore. I at least found a few recipes for them. I will have to play around. Sat May 09 12:23:48 -0700 2009 4667914 178033 JanPrimus 2 4695195 This was what I was after....I think its a good start but I am gonna play around with it. http://sassysdewdropinn.yuku.com/topic/2211/t/Upside-Down-Pickles.html 1 jar (46 ounces) dill pickles, drained 2 1/2 cups sugar 6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon celery seeds 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish 1 small onion, chopped Directions Slice pickles. Put them back in jar and set aside. Combine sugar, vinegar, celery seeds, horseradish, and onion. Pour mixture over pickles. Turn jar upside down and refrigerate 24 hours. Serve chilled. Mon May 18 15:02:02 -0700 2009 4668976 178033 JanPrimus 1 4669014 Either the naan fresh out of the tandoor in a real poor-folks' hole in the wall in Cuttack, India (have had lots of naan since, but never quite as good) or the brown trout my cousins caught and cooked on green sticks over a tiny fire way up in the Sierras when we were still in high school. Sat May 09 12:42:58 -0700 2009 4667914 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 4693124 Good one, with the trout! My son was about fourteen and he and I went to my GF's cabin in Cuesta, NM and caught cutthroats at will from a creek thirty feet from the rustic, no-frills shack. We ate the trout like corn on the cob, with eggs, for breakfast! Mon May 18 02:46:35 -0700 2009 4669014 137946 Scargod 3 4693133 Yup good un. Cut throat w/ scrambled eggs for breakfast back packing in the Rockies in the 70's ! Will never ever be the same! Mon May 18 03:17:09 -0700 2009 4693124 93538 Passadumkeg 1 4669068 Live dungeness crab in Tofino, a crabbing town on Vancouver Island. It was a cozy little restaurant, I sat in the loft watching them prepare the crabs by bashing them in half--still alive, I think--on the center divider of the sink, then cleaning and cooking the halves. I've had a lot of crab, but nothing has ever come close to this. The crab shack was no longer there the next time I visited Tofino. Sat May 09 13:06:41 -0700 2009 4667914 269254 happycat 1 4669099 this must've been the late 60's. i was eating falafels in brooklyn, and there was some red pickled item on the side. i do not know to this day if it was pickled watermelon, or pickled cactus fruit - but i've never found it again, and it has haunted me for 40 years Sat May 09 13:23:23 -0700 2009 4667914 135229 thew 2 4669238 The red pickled items were probably picked turnips. If you google pickled turnips, you will find recipes and pictures, so you can see if that it what you remember. Sat May 09 14:33:38 -0700 2009 4669099 11028 DanaB 3 4669524 no, it wasn't a turnip or a radish. i've had both those many times since. Sat May 09 16:39:50 -0700 2009 4669238 135229 thew 2 4671719 It wasn't beets, was it? Sun May 10 17:46:36 -0700 2009 4669099 113376 Olallieberry 2 4671915 I would guess pickled baby eggplants? I've had them at a lot of falafel places. Sun May 10 19:13:50 -0700 2009 4669099 149250 DeppityDawg 3 4738349 as i said - i believe it was either watermelon or sabra (cactus fruit) but i was very young and i wouldn't swear to anything. beets seem too firm and not juicy enough, eggplants seem too soft. Wed Jun 03 06:40:09 -0700 2009 4671915 135229 thew 1 4669549 I once had an Apple Cinnamon filled doughnut from Tim Horton's at Eaton Centre and thought it was delicious (for Timmy's). I went back the next day and the next and the day after that and never saw it again. To this day I make a point to stop at Tim Horton's that I never been to before hoping they have it... they never do :( WON http://whatsonmyplate.wordpress.com Sat May 09 16:53:39 -0700 2009 4667914 92591 wontonfm 1 4669570 In 1957, I was flying from Manchester, England, to Istanbul, Turkey, with a stop in Amsterdam, on KLM. At Schiphol Airport, it was determined an engine had to be changed out on the aircraft and KLM issued everyone on board vouchers for the main dining room; anything we wanted! I wasn't that hungry, but decided to try some Dutch hot chocolate. Oh my god.... First off, it was served in a lovely white porcelain chocolate pot with matching cup and saucer, accompanied by a side of sweetened double cream. The "hot chocolate" was basically cream with chocolate melted into it and sweetened. It remains the most wonderful, incredibly delicious chocolate drink I have ever had in my life! And I have never missed an opportunity to tell people about it! Which brings me to an amusing follow up. Many years later, my second husband and I found ourselves on a one night layover in Zurich, Switzerland. When we got to our hotel, the choices in the main dining room were for liver brochets or liver dumplings. I wasn't in the mood. To make things worse, Swiss Air had sent our luggage on to New York (we were heading for Boston), so we only had our travel clothes, not exactly appropriate for the white linen table cloth dining experience we had in mind. So we found ourselves in a Movenpik restaurant (think "Denny's" of Europe). When the waitress came to take our orders, my husband asked, "Do you have really good hot chocolate?" The waitress smiled and proudly announced, "We have the very best hot chocolate in all of Switzerland." I don't remember what he ordered for dinner, but as the waitress walked away, he gloated, "Well, Miss Smarty Pants. I guess this will put an end to all of your bragging about your Dutch hot chocolate. Swiss chocolate has a reputation to match Holland any day of the week." I had ordered some sort of liqueured cappuccino. When the waitress brought our drinks, my coffee was gorgeous! Tall footed mug, whipped cream on top. And then she set a steaming mug of hot water and an envelope of Swiss Miss Instant Hot Chocolate in front of my husband. '-) Dutch hot chocolate rules! Sat May 09 17:07:27 -0700 2009 4667914 112096 Caroline1 2 4669672 I like this! (and am drooling about this hot chocolate!) Sat May 09 17:57:51 -0700 2009 4669570 194657 alixium 2 4678560 In general, KLM has shockingly good food. Tue May 12 19:32:35 -0700 2009 4669570 64215 cimui 3 4681866 Growing up, summer vacations were trips home to the Midwest to visit Grandma and Grandpa on both sides of the family, and so I had never been on a plane in between my infancy (when I flew for free on my mom's lap) and my first trip to Europe when I was 18. So the first time I flew and was able to remember it, it was a transatlantic flight on KLM. I had always heard these horror stories and standup routines about "airplane food," but just didn't see what was so horrifying about it. I chalked it up to, "I'm 18 - what the hell do I know?" My grandmother commented that the food was really good on our flights, but I never thought her cooking was much to write home about, so that didn't impress me one way or the other either. Now, with a bit more experience, and having done more snack-hoarding than I would like to admit on JetBlue and Porter, I know better - my first flight spoiled me for airline food. Wed May 13 18:40:32 -0700 2009 4678560 139230 Wahooty 4 4681903 Except for military flights, KLM was my first flight as well, in the late 60's. Then I transferred to Aeroflot in Schipol. The lunch on board was cold cuts, cheese and black bread. What I'll never forget though was the full water glass was pure vodka! Na zdrovya! Wed May 13 18:51:29 -0700 2009 4681866 93538 Passadumkeg 5 4705811 I wish we had had vodka on our Aeroflot flight! Maybe it would have taken our minds off the fact that the seat belts weren't working and the sounds from the cockpit were not those one would normally expect! We could see the stewardess's legs, and then we could not. I was on Aeroflot in Russia in the 70's. We didn't get vodka, or anything else. We were lucky we made it through the flight. I was a high school student on a class trip and kissed the ground when I returned to the good ole U.S of A!!! With all that goes on in this country today, I continue to appreciate it more due to spending just ten days in Russia when I was in high school! Food-wise, I must admit, even though I was expecting breakfast, and got a bit faint when a hot, steaming bowl of meat borscht was put in front of me as my first meal in Russia, it remains to this day, the best borscht I have ever had. Fri May 22 03:58:30 -0700 2009 4681903 191500 samsaulavi 6 4707636 On domestic flights it was ladies w/ caged chickens standing in the aisle and bring your own vodka. Fri May 22 15:43:17 -0700 2009 4705811 93538 Passadumkeg 7 4707691 Now that's panache. Fri May 22 16:02:41 -0700 2009 4707636 57170 Veggo 7 4707846 Now yer urban mything it, keg. Fri May 22 17:02:42 -0700 2009 4707636 36661 Sam Fujisaka 8 4708449 Nup, I seen it. Turbo prop, so loud you couldn't talk w/out shouting. Big bag of produce too. Plane didn't depart until fully loaded. Waited 6 hrs; everybody drunk. Aaahhhh, back in the USSR. Sam, ever fly the Bolivian military transports as a passsanger? Santa Cruz to Riberalta in a DC-3 older than I for $17. Few instruments, flying through mountain valleys; now thems wuz pilots. All the burned out 50's era American passanger liners lying burned out at the end of runways? No food though, only prayers. Did I really take my little boys on these planes? Happy Memorial Day; kiss a vet. Sat May 23 03:00:12 -0700 2009 4707846 93538 Passadumkeg 9 4708693 Have flown in the various countries' Transportes Aereo Militar all over the Amazon in a wide variety of planes. Pre-GPS navigation using VORs and all instrument flying. There are no visual cues over the Amazon. The Illushyns and Tupolovs for Hang Kong Vietnam always had cabin crew women wearing the ugliest ao dai - turquoise light blue and white polyester - bad "food" and no vodka. Sat May 23 07:10:15 -0700 2009 4708449 36661 Sam Fujisaka 10 4708958 I'd take the gooney bird. *With* the Vodka. Sat May 23 09:48:36 -0700 2009 4708693 10312 applehome 10 4727039 Sam, it's obvious that you are flying the wrong airlines. Maybe you need to transfer your miles to Aero-Grey Goose. Hunt PS, I've never flown with good vodka either and good wine is almost as rare, even in FC. Fri May 29 21:08:13 -0700 2009 4708693 11329 Bill Hunt 11 4727069 I once took a Wine Appreciation class when I was in grad school - we had a one-man Enology department, and he was also the wine consultant for American Airlines. The airline donated all of the bottles for our tastings, and we got some seriously good stuff on occasion - he was a man of good taste. I always wondered if that translated at all to what was actually offered on the planes. Fri May 29 21:24:50 -0700 2009 4727039 139230 Wahooty 12 4727090 I've flown several airlines, and the wine offerings were on the low side. Not that many years ago, UAL made a big step up. They hired a master sommelier (name escapes me right now) and the offerings took a major jump up. This was so for several years. Great offerings (for an airline) and good diversity. Some lesser-known varietals, and small producers with very good wines. Unfortunately, first the airlines, in general, took a tumble, and then the general economy. Those days are gone - for a while. I've never lived in an area, where AA was a big player. While I am one of their frequent fliers, I have to admit to little contact, or knowlege of their wine programs. Based solely on what that one consultant did for UAL, I am certain that your professor also did wonders for AA - I just did not discover it personally. It only takes a knowledge, a commitment and a bit of a budget. Then, it's up to the fliers to explore and enjoy. I do a survey after each flight. The wine selections are always a part of my responses, plus those of my wife. If the airlines do not know, they cannot possibly justify any expense. Now, I have to say that UAL has paired with Chef Charlie Trotter as a consultant, and the food has taken a nose dive in my opinion. Still, I have no idea of what budget Chef Trotter may have been working with. Thanks for sharing. Wish I had flown AA, when that professor was the consultant. Sounds like they knew and loved what they taught. Hunt Fri May 29 21:38:54 -0700 2009 4727069 11329 Bill Hunt 4 4686882 The first time I went to Europe I flew alone on Alitalia and had a delicious airplane meal. Some kind of veggies and pasta with sauce and a half bottle of very decent red wine. Wait, no, I think I tried to order vegetarian, out of suspiciousness of airline food, but they'd run out and gave me a chicken dish instead. I couldn't believe how good it was, and looking back, I wonder if it was that good, or if it was just so much better than I expected, or what? Fri May 15 10:28:32 -0700 2009 4681866 42513 Mawrter 4 4687214 ah, such fond memories.... I love how KLM is really quite happy to knock you out on a succession of wines and cocktails and hearty meals for the duration of the flight. i also flew it for the first time as a teenager. they won a loyal customer in me, early! i always make it a point to fly them to india, if i have time for a layover in schiphol. Fri May 15 12:03:13 -0700 2009 4681866 64215 cimui 1 4669730 Mashed avocados mixed with condensed milk and frozen in ice cube trays - I used to have it all the time, growing up in the Philippines. Hot pan de sal with condensed milk. Also, hot pan de sal with spicy sardines - all foods I used to eat when I was growing up. I haven't found a place in the SF Bay area that sells good hot pan de sal. Sat May 09 18:27:02 -0700 2009 4667914 233226 batchoy 2 4671874 Oh my! I will have to try that avocado and condensed milk concoction once I pick up some ripe avocadoes! Sun May 10 18:54:18 -0700 2009 4669730 166743 pinkprimp 3 4673403 This was on my mind too... Mon May 11 10:00:02 -0700 2009 4671874 178033 JanPrimus 4 4695201 Well I went in a slightly different direction. 3 Avacado's Juice of 1 Lemon 1 Stick of Cream Cheese The can of Condensed Milk I know have a cheese cake filling. May add a egg yolk or two next time. Mon May 18 15:04:20 -0700 2009 4673403 178033 JanPrimus 2 4711999 Oh, yes! I also remember siopao (for the non-Pinoys, a Filipino dim sum), filled with some kind of meat and a VERY tasty sauce, and the Filipino chorizo, more sweet-sour/barbecue/garlic than the Mexican or Spanish versions. Luckily, the avocado-condensed milk can be easily concocted. Will contact the relatives in SF to see if they can recommend any sources for pan de sal. Sun May 24 21:04:58 -0700 2009 4669730 322300 Michelly 3 4712557 Kahit pagkain inchik ang siapao (although siopao is Filipino Chinese). Mon May 25 07:29:15 -0700 2009 4711999 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 4738848 Hey, still masmassarap! Wed Jun 03 09:14:31 -0700 2009 4712557 322300 Michelly 1 4669751 Splendido, Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, '80's: Entree of chicken on a round noodle cake plus other layers of goodies. Absolutely delicious. Asked for recipe and got a 4-page read-out in the mail. So labor intensive, never tried...alas.... still think of it every now and then. Weird, huh? Sat May 09 18:35:44 -0700 2009 4667914 10877 Sarah 1 4670221 In the Northwest, there is a chain of admirable drive-ins called "Burgerville". Back in 1966 I would sometimes hop in the car and go there on my lunch break just to get their marvelous shrimp burger. The patty had coarsely-chopped shrimp meat with some kind of binder (shrimp paste?) and must have been deep fried as it had a crunchy crustiness. Boy was that good! Worth the driving and parking hassle. I moved to San Francisco, and in my absence Burgerville stopped making the shrimp burger. I have never seen anything comparable. Not in the frozen food seafood section. Not in any restaurant. Not even in any cookbook. http://burgerville.com/our-food/menu-nutrition/ Sun May 10 02:41:33 -0700 2009 4667914 13619 Sharuf 2 5008179 If you ever make it to Mott, ND....you can still get the shrimp burger at the local drive-in restaurant! I grew up there, and go home to see my family every year...and the shrimp burger is a must-have. Sat Sep 05 18:30:02 -0700 2009 4670221 156502 jessleigh 1 4670683 OK, I'll add one more experience... I don't know how this happened, but one evening at the Hard Rock Cafe near the marina in San Francisco, in the mid-1980s, I ordered shark fin soup and guacamole. The best shark fin soup and guacamole I have ever had. Perfect avocados, perfectly chunked, perfect lime/salt, just the right amount of tomato pieces added (regardless of your view on what belongs in guacamole, this was fantastic). I don't make a habit of frequenting Hard Rock Cafes, but there was something magic going on in the kitchen at that one, at that time. Sun May 10 09:04:02 -0700 2009 4667914 40486 Cinnamon 1 4670937 For me it was vanilla gelato in Tuscany. It was the perfect balance of creamy vanilla flavour and wasn't too sweet. I've tried every type of vanilla gelato I've seen since and the closest I found was in Spain last year. I'm going to attempt to make it this summer but it's probably going to take some experimenting to get it right! Sun May 10 11:10:03 -0700 2009 4667914 101907 ms. clicquot 2 4670970 Ginger Altoids. I really like them and have never found them anywhere but the once. Sun May 10 11:29:37 -0700 2009 4670937 10947 middydd 3 4671006 They sell Ginger Altoids at Trader Joe's. Or, you can buy them online: http://www.altoids.com/shop.do Sun May 10 11:49:56 -0700 2009 4670970 11028 DanaB 2 4671267 My sister and I are still haunted by the melon gelato we had in Rome about 20 years ago...so good we went about 2 blocks and turned around and went back for a second serving. She was recently in Rome but unable to duplicate the experience. In Lima (Peru) I luckily tried the tamarindo gelato at cafe 4D at the airport... A new twist on an old flavor memory .."tamarind balls" we ate when children. Sun May 10 14:03:14 -0700 2009 4670937 71215 mlgb 3 4671502 major league girIs' baseball, I almost never drink soft drinks. An exception is when I go to get a haircut after a session at the gym. One time Rueben gave me a tamarindo soda (made by Postobon). Maybe the best soda I've ever had and not found or had since. Sun May 10 16:21:31 -0700 2009 4671267 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 4673618 That reminds me, there is a Peruvian restaurant in NY called Limas and they served the best sangria, ceviche and cows heart! That was a great afternoon! Last time we were in NY we couldn't find it again. Mon May 11 10:57:17 -0700 2009 4671502 237148 bermudagourmetgoddess 4 4673986 How different was the tamarindo soda compared to Jarritos? Mon May 11 12:44:11 -0700 2009 4671502 152043 TampaAurora 5 4674375 Haven't had Jarritos. What is it? Mon May 11 14:29:17 -0700 2009 4673986 36661 Sam Fujisaka 6 4679753 will answer for TampaA. Jarritos is a brand of Mexican soda. I think it is good, but not dream about it good. Can't compare to Postobon since haven't had the latter.. Wed May 13 08:54:14 -0700 2009 4674375 10158 susancinsf 7 4692823 Sorry for the delay. Jarritos is the only brand of Mexican soda that I can find readily in Tampa Bay. I'm slightly addicted to their tamarindo. If its in the house, it doesn't stay for very long. I'm really just addicted to tamarind anything but don't have enough recipes built up to find it worthwhile to source out some tamarind paste to make myself a tamarindo agua fresca. Sun May 17 20:20:24 -0700 2009 4679753 152043 TampaAurora 2 4997901 I found ginger altoids in trader Joes Tue Sep 01 21:11:44 -0700 2009 4670937 1105726 chris jo 1 4671536 a hot dog. from nash's roadside stand in oakland, new jersey. it was deep fried, topped with chili and onions. i ate more than one, more than once. good stuff. Sun May 10 16:36:15 -0700 2009 4667914 10627 steve h. 1 4671740 The first thing that popped to mind, oddly enough, was a sandwich I had at a food court in a Fairfax County, Virginia mall about fifteen years ago. It was right around the time that pita bread was just becoming widespread, and this one place (don't remember if it was Middle Eastern or just 'healthy eating' themed or what), had pita sandwiches with very lightly cooked vegetables and some kind of creamy sauce that bound it all together. Try as I might to combine lightly cooked vegetables, creamy sauce and pitas in myriad combinations since, I just have not been able to. Sun May 10 17:54:16 -0700 2009 4667914 113376 Olallieberry 1 4671855 The home-churned vanilla icecream we had at a family reunion when I was about 12. It was the best icecream I have ever had. Sun May 10 18:44:59 -0700 2009 4667914 290845 KristieB 1 4672221 OH BOY, does this topic strike home for me!!! I have exactly two. Both of mine are from when I used to live on the east side of Michigan (grew up over there, been on the west coast 15 yrs.). When I was about 18 and worked a stint with my Dad at his workplace in Auburn Hills, not far from the Silverdome, we got lunch frequently at a little deli/convienience store just down the street. They had a hot ham and cheese sandwich that was for me roll-your-eyes-back-in-your-head delicious! It was shaved ham with (I think) American cheese on an onion Kaiser roll. I ordered it with extra raw onions, mustard and mayo. I'm pretty sure they nuked it. Seems like the most basic of ingredients but I have never come close with homemade to how delicious that sandwich was. Of course, I didn't fully appreciate it when it was available to me, but I still drool at the thought! Give me a bit of slack, I was a baby Hound back then! My second was when I lived in Plymouth and worked at "The Crier" newspaper from mid-93 to mid-94. We were on Penniman St. and the "Penniman Deli" was directly across the (one-way, therefore not very wide) street. Every morning I would walk over there and buy one of their "cheese" bagels with lite cream cheese. These bagels were not what I see in a grocery or at Panera, with shredded pieces of cheese baked on-top. They were just shy of bright orange, with the cheese throughout every morsel, chewy, and dense, even when toasted. Scrumptious sharp cheddar (my guess). I didn't know how good I had it, I mourn that I will never have that great of a bagel regularly again. It was what I envision when I read others writing about New York bagels. Sadly, I have tried all the groceries in our area, Panera and the sole "Brooklyn Bagels", and there's not even a "good" bagel among them :( At least I can still rely on Lender's for a freezer bagel. Oh wait, I can't, they don't make my beloved "garlic" any longer....WHY???!!!!!! I grew up with them and I can't fathom why, when garlic has been all the rage for a good decade+, they decided to disconntinue that flavor. I wrote them a couple of years ago and they had no answer beyond "Sorry, we don't make 'em anymore". Sun May 10 22:31:12 -0700 2009 4667914 282257 Alicat24 2 4673410 I used to be a kitchen manager at the Box Bar (long ago) and never got to try the Penniman bagels! I don't live that far....maybe tomorrow I can slide out to see the state of the place. Mon May 11 10:04:07 -0700 2009 4672221 178033 JanPrimus 3 4673896 Well, it's been 15 yrs. since I lived in Plymouth, I don't even know if Penniman Deli still exists! They always did brisk business so I'd be surprised if they aren't still there. Do report back if you get to try them! The deli is (was) not all that big, I never asked but suspected that the bagels may have been delivered to them before opening from some other business. Maybe from somewhere like Northville or Livonia, I can't recall any really good bakeries back then in the Ply/Canton area. Mon May 11 12:17:53 -0700 2009 4673410 282257 Alicat24 1 4672227 Like many of these responses, my haunts tend to deal with travel experiences. Being a 15 year old kid, my dad brought me to a place in Miami for conch chowder. Each table had a bottle of sherry as a condiment. Don't know if I was more in love with the chowder or the sherry... Shrimp lightly steamed with Old Bay on the boardwalk in Daytona Beach Fl. Again, as a kid, I've been back to this area as an adult time and again, searching for it, but always coming up short. Stopped in an asian fast food joint in Sydney at about 10:00am. They were barely opened but begrudgingly cooked me a whole fish. Kinda like a sole, wok sauteed with chile, it remains a benchmark. Deep fried pork belly in the market of Merida, Mexico. Mayans call it Kastacan, and it is.... what can I say? Delicious? Succulent? Words fail to describe... Sun May 10 22:34:11 -0700 2009 4667914 176627 porker 1 4672423 A bit left field, I got into very strong left politics at university and went vegetarian for three weeks. One night at dinner with my mother and her friend I finally cracked and ate a pork wonton, more accurately I cracked and ate a whole plate of wontons and about another half a pig and two ducks. Nothing particularly amazing about it, but I can still taste that wonton. My god but it was good! Nothing against vegetarianism, I actually quite admire it, but it is not for this Queensland butcher's grandson. Mon May 11 04:04:13 -0700 2009 4667914 250628 Samuelinthekitchen 2 4684381 Reply to Samuelinthekitchen May 11 I LOVE your style...half a pig and two ducks. My two favorite foods but have to add fish. This is similar to how I feel after visiting my vegetarian daughter's home. And I'm not even a butcher's daughter. We live and learn. Thu May 14 14:09:15 -0700 2009 4672423 23178 P Macias 1 4672449 My first and 1 of only two tastings of chilled targole...fruit of palm trees. Its not quite a coconut, but has a thick pulpy flesh that encases about a teaspoon of the sweetest coconut water ever. To eat it you peel back a 2mm thick opaque skin to get to the flesh inside. Texture and taste combined, plus the cooling relief after a day of walking the streets of Mumbai, made this an unforgettable experience. and to date I have never eaten Targole with quite the same taste and flavour Mon May 11 04:27:46 -0700 2009 4667914 283388 waytob 2 4673505 The Caldo Tlalpeño at Hotel El Mesón del Marqués in Valladolid, Mexico. Complex rice-based (not garbanzo bean) chicken soup with whole pieces of chicken, avocado, and a whole chipotle that bursts into the broth. I've had many other versions and have tried to re-create it from numerous recipes, but nothing has come close. Mon May 11 10:30:51 -0700 2009 4672449 12327 PegS 3 4706349 I still think about the Sopa de Lima I had there......so simple, but so delicious. Fri May 22 08:18:56 -0700 2009 4673505 19455 AimeeD 1 4673564 Fresh squeezed blood orange juice in Athens. I was 14 and had never heard of blood oranges. It was perfect: tangy without being over the top sour. I still have weaknesses for blood oranges, but they never measure up in taste. I wonder if I'm buying them too far away from where they grew. Mon May 11 10:44:08 -0700 2009 4667914 59951 thinks too much 1 4673705 Hungarian blintzes, at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Dizengoff in Tel-Aviv. Run, as I recall, by a Thai couple. I've eaten in the Jewish restaurant sections of New York and Toronto and neverfound anything like them. Mon May 11 11:19:50 -0700 2009 4667914 54222 ekammin 2 4674026 E, as the descendent of professional Hungarian cooks, I would be glad to share our recipe for blintzes (palaczinkas) with either cheese or fruit. What was it that made your blintzes so special? My great-aunt used to live just off the Dizengoff, near Rehov Sirkin. Wouldn't it be funny if she was the cook? Mon May 11 12:54:05 -0700 2009 4673705 15139 Diane in Bexley 3 4712576 I'd actually love to know your recipe for cheese blintzes. My mom and grandmother make them (we're Polish). I don't have the recipe, but recall that it uses dry curd cottage cheese, which I CANNOT find outside of the Midwest. Sigh. Mon May 25 07:37:08 -0700 2009 4674026 97325 MDoodle 1 4673853 When I was a kid, I went to boarding school in Bryn Mawr, PA. On the weekends, some of us used to walk across the train tracks to visit the shops on The Pike and stop for an afternoon snack. I can't, for the life of me, remember the name of the luncheonette we frequented near the train station, but will never forget the taste of the sticky buns. They were about 5 inches in diameter, with no pecans. They'd split the buns crosswise, butter the cut sides and put them down on the griddle for a minute or two. 50 years later, my mouth waters, just thinking about them - so sweet and salty (from the butter - sometimes I'd get extra, on the side), with the soft, melted cinnamon/brown sugar sticking to my braces. Mon May 11 12:00:25 -0700 2009 4667914 10787 Deenso 2 4704077 I was born in Bryn Mawr, small world! When I was six we moved from PA and my mom has never been able to find sticky buns since! She has tried to make them herself and been to bakeries in all the other states we lived with no luck! Thu May 21 11:48:06 -0700 2009 4673853 293877 nomnomTX85 3 4704138 my boyfriend is about to move to Bryn Mawr - do you know if they are still available? Thu May 21 12:06:38 -0700 2009 4704077 220674 Cebca 1 4673922 When I was living in Mason City, IA during the late 1970s early 1980s there was a Mexican place. It was owned by a Mexican family (and no, it's not Pastime Garden) and the food was wonderful. I can't remember what the place was called any more, and a google search didn't turn it up. I've had the food more than once, but never since leaving Mason City for good in 1987. On their enchiladas they used a brown sauce that was beefy/gravy-like rather than red sauce/chile-like. I've never, ever been able to find a recipe for this sauce (despite trying all sorts of recommended recipes , and even calling them years ago, they refused to give the recipe), I've never found any other Mexican restaurants that use this sort of sauce on the enchiladas, and my mouth still waters to think of its rich, beefy flavour complimenting the wonderful beef or cheese enchiladas they served. *wistful sigh* Mon May 11 12:28:06 -0700 2009 4667914 119275 Morganna 2 4673956 Hot and Sour Beef Salad at the Thai Hut in Wheaton Md from the early 80's, it gone of course but I have my memories. Or about the Hot Steamed spicy blue crabs from Popes Creek Md....You know the way they used to taste! Mon May 11 12:36:24 -0700 2009 4673922 290306 express 2 4675897 Might this be it? It is credited to Emeril Lagasse. It appeared on chowhound but I don't have the CH source for it. Enchilada Sauce 3 Tablespoons olive oil 1 Tablespoon flour 1/4 cup New Mexico chili powder 16 ounces chicken stock (you can use a good quality canned broth if necessary) 10 ounces tomato puree 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon ground cumin In a saucepan, heat the oil. Add flour and cook, whisking for 1 minute. Add the chili powder and cook 30 seconds. Stir in stock, tomato puree, oregano and cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, lid partially off, until flavors are well-blended, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt. Tue May 12 05:05:00 -0700 2009 4673922 13619 Sharuf 3 4675959 Tex-Mex Mexican gravy was discussed here http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/536947 Tue May 12 05:43:11 -0700 2009 4675897 13619 Sharuf 4 4676686 Thing is, I am not convinced it was Tex-Mex. It's been a long time, but I'm starting to think that this was strictly something that this family developed themselves, maybe it would appear in the "only in your family" thread if they were on CH. ;D I've eaten in so many places, and tried so many recipes, both "authentic" Mexican and Tex-Mex and nothing has come very close to what I used to get there, that I even wonder if I was simply insane and imagined it all. :) Tue May 12 09:30:20 -0700 2009 4675959 119275 Morganna 3 4676678 Nope. :) It was definitely beef, not chicken, for one thing. The other thing is, over the years I've tried dozens of variations on the theme above, and none of them tastes quite right. :) Thanks though. :D Tue May 12 09:28:34 -0700 2009 4675897 119275 Morganna 4 4693135 Morganna, sorry I missed this earlier. It sounds to me, based on the color of the sauce, that it was mole that you enjoyed so much. There are probably as many recipes for salsa mole as there are cooks, but for starters may I recommend Dona Maria mole sauce?. I've never seen a Mexican market that doesn't sell it, and many non-specialized supermarkets carry it too. It runs around four or five bucks a small jar, then you dilute it with two or three parts broth (or water). Who knows? It could be Dona Maria the restaurant used. But if it's not exactly what you remember, but close, then you'll know you're on the right track. There are dozens of mole recipes on the web, and not to mention every Mexican cookbook seems to have at least three mole recipes. I have only made mole from scratch once in my life. It was one of the more "challenging" mole recipes. A week and a half to gather all of the ingredients and tons of work and time to make it. it was absolutely fantastic!!! Have I made it again? No, but I do offer the recipe to all the best cooks I know with the condition that they invite me to dinner when they make it. But there are easier recipes I could try. I'm just afraid they wouldn't taste that good, so I'm content with Dona Maria. . Mon May 18 03:19:40 -0700 2009 4676678 112096 Caroline1 5 4693212 It wasn't mole. It was most assuredly a beef-based gravy. I've had moles in a variety of forms, that was totally not it. :) But thanks for the thought. :) Mon May 18 05:09:41 -0700 2009 4693135 119275 Morganna 6 4695019 Is there anyone you still know who lives there now that you used to eat with at the restaurant? Maybe they remember the name so you could just call them up and ask. Mon May 18 14:10:25 -0700 2009 4693212 112096 Caroline1 7 4699653 *grin* Everyone's trying to hard to be helpful. I have called them and asked, three times, over the last 20 years. Lately my memory isn't what it used to be, so I can't remember what they're called now, but ... LA HACIENDA!! That was it. :) Anyway, I have tried and they refuse to part with the recipe. :D Wed May 20 04:40:41 -0700 2009 4695019 119275 Morganna 2 4695613 The use of a colorado gravy on enchiladas is quite common with Tex-Mex cuisine. It is usually beef-based, and has ground chilis. This would akin to some moles, but no chocolate (that I ever found), no peanutbutter (that I ever found) and then a heavy base of rich beef gravy. Some do have tomatoes, but their contribution is basically some acid and maybe a tiny hint of red in the otherwise brown sauce. I've encountered this (and love it) in Texas, parts of Louisiana and even New Mexico. The closest that we have been able to come in our kitchen is to take a more traditional tomato-based enchilada sauce and blending in a good rich beef gravy. OK, but we're not there yet. Since living in Colorado (the state, not the dark brown, brick color) and Arizona, I have not seen this used. However, the Mexican-influenced cuisine is more Sonornan and Bajan, with elements of Sinoloa thrown in. I would *guess* that the chef in IA was possibly from Chiuahua, Coathuila, Nuevo León, or Tamaulipas. I've also encountered this through Zacatecas, down to Jalisco. Still, it's more common along the Texas/Mexico border. Good luck in your search - though I did not encounter this sauce in IA, I do seek it out, as well. Hunt Mon May 18 17:45:37 -0700 2009 4673922 11329 Bill Hunt 3 4699661 I'll check into Colorado gravy and see if that's closer for recipes :) Thanks! Wed May 20 04:46:50 -0700 2009 4695613 119275 Morganna 4 4705173 Good luck. If you can find a chef, who did some time near the US-Mexico border to the East, you should get similar to what you describe. Yes, I miss that too! Out this way, everything is very light with larger chunks for tomatoes, etc. It's probably better for me, health-wise, but that rich dark brown (with a reddish tint) gravy is fabulous. Heck, we even have Mexican-inspired health food - no lard, no meat, no taste. Tofu burro anyone? Hunt Hunt Thu May 21 18:35:31 -0700 2009 4699661 11329 Bill Hunt 4 4736527 Is the restaurant still there? I live in the Twin Cities but I'm thinking of making a road trip on your behalf. (maybe I can taste it and taste some vital ingredient). Tue Jun 02 13:20:20 -0700 2009 4699661 51691 jeanmt 5 4741489 I believe it still is. I would LOVE it if someone would go and check it out! I posted on the Midwest board asking for help, but it would appear no one from Mason City posts there. :) Thu Jun 04 06:09:59 -0700 2009 4736527 119275 Morganna 2 5141072 Try Navarrete's restaurant in Sioux City, Iowa. They do that "gravy thang" there. Maybe they'll give you a recipe. Thu Oct 29 13:48:30 -0700 2009 4673922 70211 Beckyleach 1 4674040 We were driving back from Wisconsin up near the top of the state along I-94. We stopped in this home-cooking diner hole in the wall and had the most incredible breakfast I have ever had. The absolute highlight was these coffee/Kahula muffins that tasted of chocolate, coffee and cream cheese. I would KILL for the recipe. Can't remember the name of the town or the cafe. This was in 1999. Mon May 11 12:56:28 -0700 2009 4667914 15139 Diane in Bexley 1 4674089 Many, many years ago, when I was a little girl in Vietnam, I had banh mi with these lovely, pale, somewhat crumbly but rich meatballs at a sidewalk stand. I don't remember what was so good about them, but the taste remains in my memory. I even have the recipe from that stand (owned by a family friend) and my mother has made a million variations thereof for me when I was younger, but I cannot find the taste from my memory. A few years after that, in a very upscale Mongolian BBQ type place in one of the suburbs of DC or WV (I don't remember), I encountered the bread basket of my dreams. I remember nothing about the food (it was good enough to remember that much but not memorable) but the bread ... oh that bread. It was flat and warm and delicious, with just enough spicing to make it exciting but not enough to obscure the fact that the bread itself was the glory of flatbreads everywhere. I've heard [sad] tales that said restaurant is now closed, but really, no one remembers the name anyways, so I hope this restaurant is still operating somewhere ... 15+ years later ... As an adult, I haven't found any foods that really haunt me - okay, I really, really love David Change's pork buns but it's not like I can't find them again or haven't already had more than once. I'm still searching for the perfect [Vietnamese influenced] steamed bun, but that's just because I have the terrible taste to live some place without a very large Vietnamese population. Mon May 11 13:09:32 -0700 2009 4667914 17410 Ali 1 4674107 Thank you for this great post! My memory of the zuppa di clams with spaghetti from the little Italian restaurant on 15th St in Coney Island...and the baked clams, too. The rumor was that he bought his wife in Italy and brought her over to cook . Everything was delicious. He cooked in the oven and made the baked clams, she made everything else. I remember you could hear them fighting in the kitchen, but you didn't care 'cause the food was so good. A few years ago my partner was in CI hospital, and one of the ladies there lived on that block all her life, and we reminisced about that place...I think maybe it was called Stella's...and the bread from the Italian bakery down the block. I have had good Italian since, but not as good. ...the camembert baguette sandwich from the bakery next to our hotel in Paris. My partner got one bite. ...also my aunt's blintzes..hungarian style, and watching her make them...flipping the crepes by hand. I have loved watching people cook ever since. Mon May 11 13:15:11 -0700 2009 4667914 247728 cheeseisheaven 1 4674344 I have 2. One is from when I was a little girl living in Indiana. I think it was in Huntingburg. My parent ran a bowling alley that had a diner attached. Some of the people had gone mushroom hunting and brought back the mushrooms and our cook fried them up. They were so good, and I don't like mushrooms! I didn't even know what kind they were until I asked on here and someone told me they were Morels! I can still taste them. The other is a potato salad that my cajun neighbor made for me more than once when we moved to Texas in 1970. I have posted about it before. I have tried to duplicate it many time and never succeeded. It was served warm, consistency of sort of chunky mashed potatoes, a yellow tinge, but not mustard and lots of black pepper. The best stuff ever! Think I gained 10 pounds eating that stuff, and she just kept feeding it to me! Loved that woman! Mon May 11 14:16:45 -0700 2009 4667914 80937 danhole 2 4674417 the bagel refereces reminded me of another one. During my time at Cornell (about ten years ago now), I (like a lot of the other students) made regular visits to Collegtown Bagels whenever I needed to be out for breakfast and couln't make it to any of the dining halls. Standard breakfast for me was a lage Iced Chai and one or two pastries. Beyond the bagel most of of the pastries consisted of sweet scones (whic were not attractive to me, since I unlike the majority of people do not generally like a sweet breakfast (don't comment on the Chai, please) however there was a savory scone (though for some odd reason the savory ones were referred to as buscuits) a cheddar chive, which was all right and which may explain why in future years I have tried and been disspointed by so many cheddar chive scones (usally becuse someone put the cheddar and chives into to the stadard (i.e. sugared) batter). However the very first year I was there, there was another savory flavor, an Herb Buiscuit which was absoultey trancendent. I took a year off after that first one, and when I came back the herb had been removed from the menu. Still they were incredible and probably rank among my top five college food discoveries (the other four being Wegmans, My first salt baked squid (Captial Corners), the Oasis Natural food store (where I found out just how many flavors of soda Journey's actually made, since they had ALL of them), and the Green Star co-op (where I first bumped into Sidehill Acres Folie Folieberge (One of the best hard sheep cheeses I have ever tasted) and Lively Run Cayuga Blue (THE best raw goat milk blue cheese, in my opinion) Mon May 11 14:44:17 -0700 2009 4674344 24492 jumpingmonk 1 4674539 Wheat flavoured ice cream (also malt flavoured) at the Coppelia ice cream place in Havana. Mon May 11 15:22:47 -0700 2009 4667914 54222 ekammin 1 4674620 1. Small coconut filled pastries in a small bakery in Havana, Cuba. Puffy, crispy pastry, rich coconut filling, not too sweet, just pure coconut goodness. And I don't even like coconut that much! These were heaven. I may never get them again. 2. Perfectly ripe Chinese gooseberry, picked that morning from a mountainside in Korea, sold in front of one of the temples by some street hawkers. Sweet and tart at the same time, incredibly refreshing, so much better than the half-ripe kiwis we get in North America. A revelation. 3. Tiramisu gelato in Palo Alto. I have no idea where this place is, I was taken there by locals. Creamy, rich, with chunks of ladyfingers plump with espresso, it was the perfect gelato. Every tiramisu gelato I've had since falls oh so short. Mon May 11 15:46:29 -0700 2009 4667914 89969 moh 2 4674775 OK, apart from the rather pedestrian tomato and the ekmek -- I once had the most unctuous broth on Ko Phi Phi in 98 (gua tiew sp.?), with wonderful noodles, fish balls, and fresh herbs. I have yet to experience that flavor again. Mon May 11 16:32:34 -0700 2009 4674620 116513 linguafood 1 4675511 About 10:00 PM on a weeknight in May, 2005. I was on vacation in Manhattan with a friend, we'd been walking around all day and were stopping for dinner on our way back to the apartment we were renting in the Lower East Side when we stopped for a quick bite. There was this Italian restaurant at about Seventh and Avenue B (8th & C?) with huge open windows; creamy, slightly golden colored linens that gave the whole place a warm glow; and no line. We figured we'd stop in for a quick bite. The spaghetti carbonara was on special. I'd never had it before, so I asked what it was. The waiter, whose family owned the restaurant, explained in an oddly sexy, very heavily accented voice that it was "spaghetti, tossed with pancetta and eggs and tons of parmesan cheese. It is so creamy and with so much fresh black pepper you want to die." I ordered it. He came by a few minutes later, "Is that the best pasta you've ever eaten?" I said that it was, and he said, "Yes. It is." I have never had such good pasta. Ever. Mon May 11 20:55:18 -0700 2009 4667914 220968 mattwarner 1 4675610 Oh, oh, this is an easy one! Back when I was young, before most of your parents were even born, in the tiny town of Biloxi, MS, there was a fried chicken restaurant. It only had a half-dozen tables, and I can barely recall anyone ever sitting at those. It was the "take-out," that drew us from up the Coast. The chicken was unbelievably great. They probably had sides, like cole slaw and maybe French fried potatoes, but I do not remember any of those. Could have been others, that I cannot imagine now - hushpuppies? This was the ultimate fried chicken. On the CH Homecooking board, some suggest that it might have been broasted, and not really fried. Cannot comment on that. The name was Alamo FRIED Chicken, but who knows? I've been working with my wife (who never tasted this chicken) for almost 40 years, trying to reconstruct it. The original owners sold it, but did not sell the recipe. In short order, it closed, never to be seen again. It was totally to die for. Then, there was Magnusen's House of Seafood. This was truly a tiny shack, in every sense. However, the fried shrimp were the best ever. Regardless of the venue, it was expensive by the standards of the day. A "shrimp plate," with just fries, cole slaw and some toast points to absorb the oils, was about $8.00. This was at a time that one could have ordered a "shrimp plate," with more, at a white-tablecloth spot on the ocean, for $6.00 and gotten more shrimp. Yeah, more of their shrimp - not Magnusen's shrimp. Each of those was such a wonderful experience, that I'd save up my allowance and buy two plates (two full weeks of my allowance) and then bring them home to savor. OK, enough going down memory lane. What's YOUR food haunt? Hunt Mon May 11 21:53:33 -0700 2009 4667914 11329 Bill Hunt 2 4675740 This makes me think of the opposite of this thread - what am I haunted with for NOT eating when I had the chance - if I had only known. Thinking about being stationed at Keesler for about 8 months (in 1972-3) for training, and getting off base to eat what? Burger King, Waffle House (at 2 am) - yes I did eat some great catfish in Ocean Springs. But now you're telling me that I missed out on the world's best fried chicken... now I'm seriously haunted. The things I didn't miss (but have since): Ekmet - Turkish sourdough bread in Diyarbakir, straight out of the brick oven - for 1 TL (in 1973). Although I had it more than once during the year I was stationed there - never since. Schmalzbrot and Goulaschsuppe at Dszo's Kukushuhr at Obereichenbach - also had a few more times than once - why I didn't get the recipes from him I'll never know. Smoked cold fiorellen (trout) on a brochen - Weinachtsmarkt in Koln. An incredible Muller-Thurgau grape TBA (TrockenBerenAuslese) from the Badener region, I bought a split case of and drank up while living there. I think it was a 1970 (year of the century). I've never seen anything close to this combination (region, varietal, TBA, great year) in the US. Tue May 12 01:01:58 -0700 2009 4675610 10312 applehome 3 4678378 Maybe this will help you sleep better. I think that they were gone by about 1963. However, these might cause sleep deprivation - they do for me, and I had 'em. The fried shrimp, by which I will always judge that dish were available only at Magnusen's House of Seafood on the Pass Rd. in Gulfport. Curt Magnusen's uncle was open from about 1962 through about 1967. One had to know about it, as they'd likely never stop, even if you drove from central Gulfport to Biloxi, via the Pass Rd. every workday. Glad that you had memorable catfish in Ocean Springs. At one time, there was a great seafood restaurant, just over the US 90 bridge, called Allman's. In my youth, this was nearly as big a treat, as going to Antoine's, or Galatorie's in New Orleans. Because I am evil, I;ll throw out one more, and I think that if you'd had it, you would have mentioned it. Again, on the Pass Rd., in what was then named Handsboro (long since incorporated into Gulfport) was a little family-owned seafood restaurant, Benny's. His fried flounder was the thing that dreams are made of. I've had many, all over the Deep South, but his was the lasting paradigm. At least you had four good ones for the thread, including the M-T TBA (most often associated with the Riesling grape, but M-T is more heavily planted in GR, than even the lovely Riesling). Were you at Ramstein, by any chance. I'll trade you half of my Magnusen's fried shrimp, for a taste of the Schmalzbrot! Hunt PS glad that someone else appreciates a really good TBA. Tue May 12 18:20:42 -0700 2009 4675740 11329 Bill Hunt 2 4676016 Re: "...when I was young, before most of your parents were even born ..." makes you about 110 years old. I guess you missed the thread on chowhounds' ages. Tue May 12 06:10:31 -0700 2009 4675610 36661 Sam Fujisaka 3 4678255 it's not the age, it's the mileage. hunt has some seriously good miles under his keel. Tue May 12 17:29:17 -0700 2009 4676016 10627 steve h. 4 4678386 Unfortunately, I think that there might have been more seriously BAD miles. Still, at 115 (see Sam's reply above), I still have some of my memory, and threads like this do allow me to reach back a bit. Hunt Tue May 12 18:22:41 -0700 2009 4678255 11329 Bill Hunt 5 4678429 hunt, sam and i are buds. we appreciate an unrepentant rake. Tue May 12 18:38:00 -0700 2009 4678386 10627 steve h. 6 4678460 Oh, so I was "tag-teamed" then? Yes, just a "rake n' ramblin' boy... " Hunt Tue May 12 18:47:47 -0700 2009 4678429 11329 Bill Hunt 7 4679039 Yes, indeed, but at 118, we can do whatever. Wed May 13 04:45:19 -0700 2009 4678460 36661 Sam Fujisaka 8 4680949 heh, heh. Wed May 13 13:51:53 -0700 2009 4679039 10627 steve h. 5 4693142 Bill, I don't recall any chicken restaurants when I lived in Biloxi (late '56 to early '57), but at the west end of town there was an "Italian" restaurant-- red checkered tablecloths with chianti fiasco bottles buried under layers of colored candle drippings as a centerpiece -- that also offered soft shelled crab plates of little Italian influence. Fantastic! And even poor Air Force students could afford them. I don't recall ever seeing anyone eating their Italian dishes, the crab was that good. But that was probably before you could say "Biloxi!" Good memories. Mon May 18 03:35:51 -0700 2009 4678386 112096 Caroline1 6 4695633 The description sounds a lot like Hugo's (apparently the home of French salad dressing on pizza - though I seem to have missed that). It was at the corner of Howard & Division St (IIRC), on the SE corner. I do not recall ever having soft-shelled crab, and that was favorite of my mother's. Still, maybe we dined there, when "soft-shells" were not in season. Alamo Fried Chicken was about a block to the East, and on the same side of the street. Your time-frame would have been about right. I'd say that I first encountered it about '53, and probably ate their chicken until the very early '60s. Somewhere about that time, the place and name were sold. As the story went, the recipe was not part of that deal - unfortunately. Heck, when you were there, I could even SPELL Biloxi ! [Grin] Thanks for the comment - sadly, I, and my family, must have missed Hugo's crabs. Hunt Mon May 18 17:53:13 -0700 2009 4693142 11329 Bill Hunt 1 4675933 In LA in l969 a friend took me to lunch. It was at a place called "Adriatic" near LaBrea. I ordered something consisting of small pieces of lamb meat in spinach which had been cooked so long it had turned into a sort of thick green gravy. It was wonderful accompanied by a crusty bread for slurping. I do not remember the name, and have not seen anything like it since. Tue May 12 05:28:35 -0700 2009 4667914 13619 Sharuf 1 4677016 Shrimp Puffs, at the Chinese restuarant (Fung Lee??) at the International Food Court in the San Francisco Airport. When I passed thru the AP on the way home, I breached airport security by going back to the food court I bought 2 dozen and carried them home on the plane. I had to be issued a new boarding pass, Geez, the TSA has no sense of humor sometime! But the Shrimp Puffs were wonderful! I have never found anything like them since, Alas, I guess I have to go back to SF Airport! Tue May 12 11:04:07 -0700 2009 4667914 135170 kpaumer 1 4677067 Leur's hot dogs! Thin, natural casing Kosher hot dogs that were like no other hot dog I've had. We used to buy them all the time growing up in Los Angeles, but even at the time I believe that they were a bit difficult to find. Now fast-forward a few decades later to the Internet age and I cannot even come up with a search result on Leur's hot dogs - as if it never even existed! *sniff! sob! sniff!* (I even tried variations of spelling...) So CH'ers, especially those who grew up in the L.A. area in the 70's, any good intel on these amazing dogs? Tue May 12 11:20:17 -0700 2009 4667914 20300 cgfan 1 4677643 A chicken club sandwich brought to me by room service at Stocks Hotel in Hertfordshire, England, at the end of a long day of meetings several years ago. Everything about it was perfection - the lightly toasted house-baked bread, the fresh-roasted, moist and tender chicken, the thick slices of pungently-flavored back bacon, even the perfectly crisp lettuce that probably came from a local garden. We're talking about the Platonic ideal of club sandwiches. I've never been able to forget it - or to replicate it. Tue May 12 14:03:40 -0700 2009 4667914 14386 BobB 1 4678314 I was in Portugal back in September and had a creamy sheep's milk cheese known as Serra de Estrela. It is shaped like brie, round w/ a rind, and they traditionally cut a hole in the top and then you scoop the cheese out and spread it on crusty bread. It's sooooo delicious. I have yet to find it in the U.S. yet, but I've only looked around my hometown. Dean & DeLuca used to carry it and said they could order it but they've yet to return my calls. Tue May 12 17:51:56 -0700 2009 4667914 71241 lynnlato 2 4678652 I've not had the pleasure of having the Serra de Estrela, but I shall definitely look for it! We have a lot of Portuguese cheeses in Montreal, so i might have a chance to find it. But this reminds me of another great experience in Portugal. We have a very good friend whose parents moved back to Portugal and live on a small hobby farm. We were fortunate enough to stay with them in the fall. Her mother would milk the goats and make fresh goat's cheese every morning. She'd let them sit for a day, then serve them for breakfast with some crusty bread. You would spread it on the bread, then drizzle it with honey. It was absolutely divine. A few times, I would also top the whole thing with a fresh fig from their tree. I have never had anything quite like this since. They have since sold the goats, as they are a lot of work. But this cheese! I can still taste the slightly salty, creamy cheese and the contrast with the warm sweet honey. Truly haunting. Tue May 12 20:28:39 -0700 2009 4678314 89969 moh 3 4679761 Yes, look for this cheese and buy it if you find it - it's heavenly. Speaking of, fresh goat cheese on bread w/ honey - I am doing this this weekend! Yum. We have a woman here who raisese goats and makes fresh goat cheese and then sells it at the farmers market. It's wonderful stuff and I swear I could eat 5 oz of it w/ a spoon and nothing else. She also makes the most divine goat cheese chocolate truffles topped w/ fleur de sel and crushed hazelnuts. Wowza! Wed May 13 08:55:16 -0700 2009 4678652 71241 lynnlato 4 4679796 Those truffles sound amazing! Fresh goat's cheese is such a luxury... Wed May 13 09:04:30 -0700 2009 4679761 89969 moh 5 4681272 Amen! It's like ice cream - only better. :) Interestingly, I had another fresh local goat cheese recently. This one was flavored with fresh lavender and, oddly enough, bee pollen. I bought it to stuff peppadew peppers. The lavender was a bit much, but the bee pollen was intereresting. I think I'm a purist when it comes to fresh goat cheese - I prefer it straight up. Wed May 13 15:23:45 -0700 2009 4679796 71241 lynnlato 2 4679436 Yes! I've had that several times in Portugal and have not been able to find it in the US. Wonderful stuff. Wed May 13 07:24:27 -0700 2009 4678314 14386 BobB 1 4678331 Oh, just thought of another one. This was an “intermezzo” at an event at a Hyatt in Seattle. The rest of the meal was really good, especially for one of these events. After the fish course was cleared, a martini glass in a truncated globe appeared. You’ve seen these, right? It’s a little “fish bowl,” that is usually filled with crushed ice, and the “glass” is a clear cone, that fits into the opening. Inside the glass was the most wonderful spruce sorbet, that I have ever tasted. Nestled in the globe was a tiny spruce branch with a few minuscule cones. The sorbet would have been great, had it been served in a Dixie-cup, but with this presentation, it was spectacular. I’ve been to heavily starred restaurants, that did not take a presentation to this height. Just spectacular, in all respects. Hunt Tue May 12 17:58:14 -0700 2009 4667914 11329 Bill Hunt 2 4693145 Sounds delicious. I've had caviar served in what sounds like an identical two piece ice filled container, but never sorbet. Hey, on a retirement income I can still afford sorbet, but no chance of beluga! Wait. There's always the lottery. '-) Mon May 18 03:45:46 -0700 2009 4678331 112096 Caroline1 3 4695650 Yes, you got the idea completely. In most of the caviar servers of this style, that I have seen, the only difference has been the size of the set. Ah yes, the lottery. Not THAT long ago, we did several caviar dishes to do a Champagne tasting. Unfortunately, too many did not like caviar, and even some did not like Champage. Why did the come? I think I'm still paying notes on that grocery bill, but hope to have it paid off by '10, if not sooner. Let's just say that wife and I brought all of the leftovers home from that party, and did use the remainders for other dishes - egg omeletes with caviar... tuna-salad sandwiches with caviar... you get the idea. Hunt Mon May 18 17:58:20 -0700 2009 4693145 11329 Bill Hunt 1 4678408 New Year's Eve some time in the 90s at Blue Angel in Philly. I friend who worked in their kitchen made a truffle sauce made from whole white truffles and truffle juice for our table. I poured it on everything that night it was so good (steak frites, scallops, steak tartare . . .) One of the most incredible things that I've ever eaten. I've had many entrees that included truffles, but I've never had anything so ridiculously pungent of them since. A dream. Tue May 12 18:29:54 -0700 2009 4667914 26180 Chinon00 1 4678467 Steak soup. Seriously. On my first trip to San Francisco in 1977, I had lunch at a place (the name of which I cannot of course recall) that served some sort of a cream soup with steak in it. Never had it before then, nor since. Every once in a while I remember it...well enough to be haunted by it...but just not well enough to ever recreate it. Second item: Garlic Shrimp Pizza from Sammy's Woodfired Pizza in San Diego, 1999. Sauteéd mushrooms, bell peppers, red onion and roast garlic sauce, Shrimp of course; OMG a garlic-lover's delight! That one I remember distinctly and have (sort of) recreated here in NJ. Tue May 12 18:50:23 -0700 2009 4667914 95137 mcsheridan 2 4691871 Steak soup in SF in 1977....my.guess would be the long-gone PamPam's on Geary at Mason (just west of Union Square). I _think_ they were still there in '77. A favorite locals place, being open 24 hrs -- rare in those days. The food was in general unexceptional, but that steak soup was pretty good. Sun May 17 13:55:34 -0700 2009 4678467 15807 Steve Green 3 4698957 That's GOT to be the place! When I made my trip in '77, I stayed at the Bellevue Hotel (probably also gone, renamed or gone corporate) not far from Union Square. I knew I hadn't dreamed it; I don't suppose you recall what was in it? PS: Absolutely it was PamPam's http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/10/BAMQUVNQB.DTL How many soups (or any foods) get mentioned in an obit? PPS: May have found a recipe; perhaps not "The" recipe, but it's a start. http://homepage.mac.com/awilltx/MyRecipes/Pam_Pam_Steak_Soup-235.html You Are The Best! I love this place! Tue May 19 18:44:03 -0700 2009 4691871 95137 mcsheridan 4 4699358 That recipe looks pretty close, except I don't remember any tomato in it. I started to read the recipe to my wife; I didn't get past the half-pound of butter before she said I could stop right there. :o) Glad to be of help. Tue May 19 21:39:14 -0700 2009 4698957 15807 Steve Green 5 4700081 Jump to the end and tell her it makes a Gallon of Soup. 8 oz of butter isn't much spread over a gallon. :) The good news for me is you can freeze it before you add the dairy. No way can can I deal with a gallon of soup alone without freezing a great deal of it. Wed May 20 07:37:49 -0700 2009 4699358 95137 mcsheridan 1 4678521 Fava bean puree. Santorini, Greece. My honeymoon, August 2002. It was served as an appetizer in so many restaurants...the one that stands out in my mind is the Oia Cafe. I swear I have searched high and low in so many Greek places since then and I have never found it again. I'm sure I could make it, and I have searched for the right recipe, but the problem is that I don't know what made it so good. The scenery was pretty good too... Tue May 12 19:14:00 -0700 2009 4667914 10205 valerie 2 4678888 I forgot about the fava bean puree when I was in Greece (I was in Santorini, too)! I think I might have a remedy for you. When I was there in 1998, I fell in love with the "fava" and bought a cookbook in Athens on my way home, which turned out to be a very good cookbook. The book is Rosemary Barron's Flavors of Greece, and she has recipes for "fava bean salata" made with both fresh and dried beans. I've posted it on this site before. Here's one of the recipes, adapted for canned beans, but you can make it with fresh or dried as well: Fava Bean Salata: 2 Cans Butter Beans (14 oz cans) (reserve juice from can) [Note, you can do this with dried butter/fava beans, or, even better, fresh fava beans, as well, but it is excellent with the canned beans]. 3 oz. extra virgin olive oil 1 med. onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 med. carrot, finely diced 1/2 celery stalk, finely diced 1 bay leaf, crumbled 2-1/2 T. finely chopped parsely Salt and freshly fround black pepper to taste 1 thick slice coarse-grain white bread, crust removed, soaked for 5 mins in 1-3 T. extra virgin olive oil (to taste) Juice of 1 small lemon Paprika for serving Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan. Saute the onions, carrot, garlic, celery and bay leaf over med.-low heat for 15-20 mins, or until dark golden brown, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Stir in 2 T. of the parsley, the salt, pepper, beans (and their liquid) and about 2-3 T water. Cook for a few minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a food processor and add soaked bread. Puree, and with the machine running, add most of the remaining olive oil and about 2/3rds of the lemon juice and process until thick and smooth. Add a few T of water if the puree is too thick, and add salt, pepper, and additional olive oil or lemon juice to taste. Serve sprinkled with remaining parsley and olive oil and the paprika. Great with toasted pita or french bread. Tue May 12 23:36:44 -0700 2009 4678521 11028 DanaB 3 4679042 Thanks...I will try it! Wed May 13 04:45:49 -0700 2009 4678888 10205 valerie 1 4678736 Grady and Meryl Nash's Hickory Pit bbq sauce. Gone but not forgotten. Bob Tue May 12 21:18:23 -0700 2009 4667914 107452 SonyBob 1 4679528 Time I weighed in. Gone (either the establish or my physical presence): My grandmother's kolbassi & pork ribs baked in kapusta, blini, and vereschaka before lent. Hazelton, Pa, Pitz, a special of bread-like pizza eaten cold Spezzi's Pizza, Sayreville, NJ, just can't find as good. Yacco's Hot Dogs, Allentown, Pa., helped me last through end of semester exams. Jaramillo's Mexicatessen, Grants, New Mexico, the red chile enchiladas w/ a fried egg. Fried cod tongues and cheeks, whale steaks,so many types of herring, and hot dogs (polser) w/ shrimp salad on them in Stavanger, Norway. Muisstaleipa (black bread), Rappu fest (cray fish), reindeer chops, Helsinki, Finland. A good charassco w/ roasted udder, BBQ's chicken hearts, roasted iguana, and majadito in Santa Cruiz, Bolivia. And the "coop dee grass" , hot pho at a surprised and rapidly evacuated VC camp in Nam. Got busted in rank for disobeying an order not to eat it, but after days, weeks, months of c-rats., it was worth it. Carpe Chow Comrades in Food! Dumkeg Wed May 13 07:49:00 -0700 2009 4667914 93538 Passadumkeg 2 4693153 "Got busted in rank for disobeying an order not to eat it, but after days, weeks, months of c-rats., it was worth it." Passadumkeg THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is a Chow Hound! Give up a pay grade for a bowl of pho and not regret it. Incredible. '-) Mon May 18 04:07:00 -0700 2009 4679528 112096 Caroline1 1 4679694 Gone (for me) but not forgotten - not just once and then haunted Aunty Kiyo's ume boshi Tarijeno saltenas Mochi sata shoyu Karki's momos Pucallpa mahas at the "Inter" First great Cajamarca cuy Bierocks in elementary school First wife's enchiladas First bulalo Batangas Wed May 13 08:34:58 -0700 2009 4667914 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 4679722 Sam, how the Hell did for get saltenas, the real Bolivian drug, from El Horno in Santa Cruz! Wed May 13 08:42:37 -0700 2009 4679694 93538 Passadumkeg 3 4679797 Keg, it was you and your post that made me think of saltenas. Wed May 13 09:04:35 -0700 2009 4679722 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 4679892 Canupes, sweet cheese tamale, too Wed May 13 09:30:42 -0700 2009 4679797 93538 Passadumkeg 1 4679769 A specific type of pomelo in Israel, pink and giant with huge cells that peeled off instead of eating it in sections . . .. Chocho y tostado in Ecuador - DELICIOUS, not to mention the fact that a bag from a street stall or market cost 5 cents . . .. Wed May 13 08:57:00 -0700 2009 4667914 220674 Cebca 2 4692830 Oh, those pomelos! And the onion rolls on El Al. And the falafel near the Cardo in Jerusalem. And the best damn produce I've ever had. No wonder everyone eats salad for breakfast! I eat salad for breakfast too when I can get produce that tastes that good. Sun May 17 20:25:02 -0700 2009 4679769 152043 TampaAurora 3 4705848 Pomegranates from the trees, avocados like cream. Don't forget the shawarma on Ben Yehuda Street (unless you're a vegetarian). The place on the left that has no seats, though you can sit under the umbrellas in the middle if you can find a spot. My son will only eat vegetables in Israel! Can't get him to eat more than broccoli at home. Produce is incredible there. There is a hotel in Eilat called Agamim. Never mind that the sliding glass door opens into a delicious pool. Not a lot of Americans there. The salads are the joy of the day. The hot food is good, but those salads are a memory! I can't wait for August to visit again! Fri May 22 04:37:02 -0700 2009 4692830 191500 samsaulavi 4 4711854 Ok, now you are just bragging. Sun May 24 19:32:44 -0700 2009 4705848 152043 TampaAurora 1 4679931 I grew up in Salem, NH where there was this little hole in the wall store called Gourmet Take-Away. It was owned by a Lebonese family and they made the best food. The ultimate was the hummus with homemade Syrian bread. You would get a big tub of hummus with oil and paprika on top, a bag of freshly made Syrian bread, and a red onion. I have made dozens of hummus recipes, but none compare. Wed May 13 09:40:49 -0700 2009 4667914 220914 krisrishere 1 4681239 Well, I had it more than once...but it still haunts me. When I was a teenager living in Mexico City, we joined a "Deportivo" (sports club...). We would often go there after school to swim or work out...and of course a snack was usually in order. The restaurant was fairly typical of such places...except for the molletes. I'm not sure if it was just that they had the perfect bolillo, or the perfect beans, or salsa, or what...(A mollete is a fresh-sliced bolillo - roll - topped with refried beans and queso and run under the broiler and served with fresh salsa cruda...). I just know that I still dream of those molletes (some people spell it mojetes)..... Wed May 13 15:10:42 -0700 2009 4667914 10290 janetofreno 2 4684031 umm....they were good, but not as good as the squash blossom quesadillas from La Senora de las quesadillas (who set up a tiny griddle on the street corner near our house on weekend nights...) Thu May 14 12:34:38 -0700 2009 4681239 10158 susancinsf 3 4695594 True...but for some reason the molletes haunt me more....maybe because I feel there is no chance of matching the quesadillas...but the molletes seem like they should be attainable! Does that make any sense?? Mon May 18 17:39:47 -0700 2009 4684031 10290 janetofreno 1 4681308 Broadalbin, NY, 1950's. Homemade ice cream shop. Scoop of lemon and scoop of chocolate. I dream about it sometimes. Haven't had lemon ice cream since. Also, the ham salad sandwich at the lunch counter at G.FOX Co. in Hartford, Ct. in the 60's. Wed May 13 15:36:12 -0700 2009 4667914 219682 Babyducks 1 4681490 Moundsville, West Virginia ~~ in the 1960's at a family reunion. "Cherries in the Snow" someone made for the pot luck. No cake cubes, graham crackers IIRC (I was a little kid). I asked what it was, it was so good, and that is why I remember the name. San Luis Obispo, CA ~~ early 70's. Benjamin Franklin Electric Company. Yogurt Shakes so good, worth driving from Los Angeles. In another lifetime in the 80's went with another DH and while BFEC was still there, the yogurt shakes were a thing of the past. (((sob))) Los Angeles, CA ~~ Canape Robaire at now defunct Robaire's Restaurant on La Brea. Wed May 13 16:44:01 -0700 2009 4667914 109905 laliz 1 4681617 OMG! How could I forget - Uglesich's soft-shell crab po-boy - I weep thinking about it. SO perfect. So well-fried, so delicious. I've never had crab that fresh-tasting. Uglesich's is closed now. I will never have that fabulous sandwich again... Wed May 13 17:28:26 -0700 2009 4667914 89969 moh 2 4681638 A soft shell crab sandwich at Jensen's Market on corn rye. The seoul ( a honest error) food of my youth. Wed May 13 17:33:46 -0700 2009 4681617 93538 Passadumkeg 1 4681716 mmm. i just remembered an oregon blackberry ice cream they used to sell at stewarts, in woodstock, when i was a kid. never had a fruit ice cream as good..... Wed May 13 17:56:48 -0700 2009 4667914 135229 thew 2 4705868 Oh, man! Stewart's coffee got me through grad school at SUNYA. Even better, I grew up in Schenectady on Stewart's Make Your Own Sundaes. That was when they had REAL hot fudge in the urn that you could pump yourself. It was the best hot fudge! The icecream was great, but it was a vehicle for the fudge. The condiments were all out for us to take as much as we wanted, and going back for seconds was soooo allowed. Wow! Thanks so much for an incredible memory! My mom still takes my kids to Stewart's. The "hot fudge" is behind the counter (as are the other condiments) and is more like chocolate sauce, though the ice cream is still good. The kids love going there with Grandma and Grandpa, and that's all that matters! (I had relatives in Kingston and Newburgh - I had a favorite pair of pants that I bought when my grandmother took me to Woodstock for a day!) It's so much fun replying to an "up-stater"! Fri May 22 04:50:40 -0700 2009 4681716 191500 samsaulavi 1 4683866 *drool* Yum* I remember two foods in particular, one was the most incredible 'French-Dip beef sandwich, it was on a 1 1/2 inch wide crispy-chewy baton like roll, with shaved beef and a cole slaw that was shaved, not sliced from cabbage, carrot, onion, with a mayonaise that Johnny's used to make on-site. When you dunked the end of that sanwich into the Au Jus gravy and bit into that sandwich, the crusty bread just broke and the hot beefy juices and cole slaw just simply had a "Mardi Gras" parade all the way down the Red Lane!!! That was the most fabulous sandwich I have ever had! I must have eaten 100's of them while in college! Alas, Johnny's is gone now, along with the French Dip Sandwich that was sold for a buck fifty! Second most memorable....... My Aunt Margie's Huckleberry pie! She had a dark brown crust, made with brown sugar, that just flaked and flaked and flaked! The huckleberries were sweetened with honey. The combination of her flaky brown crust and the honeyed huckleberries were richer than Baklava! Oh yeah! those two items still stand out even after 40 years! Thu May 14 11:56:19 -0700 2009 4667914 292517 TransplantedCajun 2 4684046 That roll sounds like a french ficelle. Our local European-style bakery sells them but I've never thought of using them for sandwiches, I usually cut them into thin rounds for canapes. I'll have to try that. Thu May 14 12:37:26 -0700 2009 4683866 14386 BobB 1 4684307 #1 When I was in elementary school in a town in Iowa, all the butchers and bakers were Czechs. Whenever we got a nickle, which was very seldom in those days, others would buy candy or ice cream. I always got a thick slab of sausage and nibbled it all the way home. Been looking for this bologna ever since..not to be found. #2 My parents lived on the coast in Mexico for years after I was grown. My children and I would visit often. I'd always take my dad a box of cigars and in return he always had ready for me a 5lb bag of sea bass that he had caught, meticulously boned and smoked. Sea Bass is gone, so is Dad. #3 Mulberries from the tree in my front yard in Los Angeles. Kids weren't allowed to eat them without taking off their shirts. I have difficulty finding fresh mulberries these days. Thu May 14 13:51:54 -0700 2009 4667914 23178 P Macias 1 4687032 not a food, but a chef. there used to be a japanese place on the UES of manhattan called sesumi. the owner/sushi chef was a master - he used to serve a lobster tail sashimi that had the front half of the lobster still alive while you ate it. mmmmmmmmmm if ANYONE knows what happened to him - i NEED to know Fri May 15 11:14:23 -0700 2009 4667914 135229 thew 1 4687288 Acorn jelly in a tiny restaurant (run out of someone's house) in a remote mountainous part of Korea - somewhere south of Seoul is all I remember. We were on a family trip and I must have been 7 or 8. It had amazingly deep acorn flavor and the sauce was incredible. It was the middle of summer and it was so refreshing and delicious. I think of that experience every time I have acorn jelly but none have been even close to being that good. Here's a pic of what I'm talking about. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Korean_acorn_jelly-Dotorimuk-02.jpg Fri May 15 12:22:12 -0700 2009 4667914 10401 soniabegonia 1 4687430 Way back when, I guess it must have been the late 70's and my first trip to France. We had dinner on the first night of our vacation in a teeny little restaurant in Autun. I ordered the mussels with Aioli. I had never tasted either. It was Love at first taste for both items and I have never been able to reconstruct that meal, try as I might. Having mussels this evening,in a saffron cream, which is why I think the original dish came to mind. Fri May 15 13:13:09 -0700 2009 4667914 241988 lovetocookPEI 1 4687551 In 2003 I was working in the cafeteria at John Abbott College during the summer, they rented out the dining hall and catered. One time there was this big gathering with people from all over the world, and they had brought in food from 2 different restaurants here in Montreal to cater to them. One was Dad's Bagels with indian food, and another one was an African place, don't remember the name, although I suspect it might be the place near Dad's Bagels on Sherbrooke. But WOW did they ever have the most amaaaazing grilled Tilapia!! We weren't allowed to have any of the food until after everything was done, and sadly (but unsurprisingly) there was no tilapia left except for half a portion I found leftover on a plate I cleared later in the evening, which, I'll admit, I ate lol. But it was soooo worth it, it was amazing! I really have to go to that African place on Sherbrooke West to find out if they have it... Loll me and the 2 other guys in the dish room were having a ball draining all the half-full wine glasses that were coming through after they cleared the dining hall, good times! Lolll, if my boss noticed (which I can't imagine he couldn't have lol) he didn't say anything, he even gave us the leftover couple of bottles in the case at the end of the evening :D Fri May 15 13:53:48 -0700 2009 4667914 283302 Chocolatesa 1 4690583 The three-euro Moscato d'Asti that all the Di per Di's in my Torinese neighbourhood carried. No fifty-euro Moscato compares. I used to drink a bottle almost every evening. Also, Tim Horton's "Beverly Hills" doughnuts. Sat May 16 20:39:47 -0700 2009 4667914 131149 Jetgirly 1 4690848 World street food. A riisi piraka w/ 2 nakki (a meat pastry w/ 2 hot dogs stuffed in.) in Helsinki, a polser (hot dog) w/ shrimp salad topping in Norway, grilled chicken hearts, pork sandwiches, or spicy panchito hot dogs in Santa Cruz Bolivia, roasted grubs in the market in Seoul. Sun May 17 03:38:07 -0700 2009 4667914 93538 Passadumkeg 2 4691085 "roasted grubs in the market in Seoul." Oh Passa! Please don't tell me you aren't talking about bundaegi, the silk worm larvae dish... I can eat almost anything, but I will never eat one of these things again! Crunchy and gritty, with an odd odour and a soft yet gritty interior, a smoky metallic taste, a bitter afteredge. Texture, taste, odor, all terrible. I will agree the food is haunting, but in a Poltergeist way. If I never find them again, I will be just fine thank you.... Sun May 17 07:12:10 -0700 2009 4690848 89969 moh 3 4693114 Gee, have you been talking to my wife? One month from today we're in Seoul and I get to hold my beautiful brillant looking grandson, Taebaek. Pork back bone soup, had it once as a hangover soup and love it> Bulgogi too, just ain't the same in the states. Thank god for So Ju, cause I just can't get used to the very weak and watery Korean beers. Love the live octopus too. Mon May 18 02:35:31 -0700 2009 4691085 93538 Passadumkeg 4 4693399 I'm sure you'll have a great trip! Such a great reason to visit too. You can never start too soon in the indoctrination of Chowhound pup... Slurp back a bowl of the pork neck bone soup for me, I lived on that stuff when we were in Seoul. And enjoy the kimchi! Mon May 18 07:06:45 -0700 2009 4693114 89969 moh 1 4692053 Betty Crocker Noodles Romanoff. Sun May 17 15:15:31 -0700 2009 4667914 293571 Antochius 2 4705873 Eaten during the huge blackout of the Northeast way back. It was one of my favorite childhood dishes! I can still taste those creamy noodles wrapping around my tongue. How could something so good have come from a box? Fri May 22 04:55:53 -0700 2009 4692053 191500 samsaulavi 1 4693128 As a child of about eight, my mom would pack up the five children and go to the farm, east of Austin. On the way (from Dallas), we invariably stopped in Waco, near what was one of Texas' few roundabouts, or "circles", as we called them, or stopped in Temple, and bought tamales from the street vendors. We'd find a park or some place nearby to eat them. Wonder why I like Mexican food so much? Really hard to find those fresh "fingerling" tamales anymore. Mon May 18 03:10:43 -0700 2009 4667914 137946 Scargod 1 4693149 Cheddar cheese vegetable soup from an italian restaurant in Richmond, VA. Whenever I see something similiar on the menu, I have to order it, but it's just not the same. Cheese toast from an office park deli (flat pita, brushed with flavored oil, topped with sharp cheddar and hot banana peppers) - I've tried to recreate it at home, but whatever was in that oil made it special. Scarp's chicken wings in South Buffalo. These weren't the regular Buffalo chicken wings. They were lightly breaded and slightly sweet. I haven't had one in 22 years, but I can still taste them. Mon May 18 03:58:41 -0700 2009 4667914 124908 jeanmarieok 1 4693200 The old original Capital Grill on 6th St. in Austin, long gone, actually grilled over real mesquite wood. I had a baby coho salmon cooked over mesquite 23 years ago, that was the best fish I have ever eaten. Mon May 18 04:59:10 -0700 2009 4667914 57170 Veggo 1 4693637 Burbot caviar on buckwheat blini w/ sour cream and diced onion. Hard to believe I used to split a 5 gal. bucket of burbot caviar w/ a Finnish buddy. A Rapu fest. Easting crayfish in Finland outside by the midnight sun w/ chasers of iced Finlandia vodka. Mon May 18 08:18:44 -0700 2009 4667914 93538 Passadumkeg 2 4703306 Nothing, nothing, nothing in the world like dill-y crayfish and rye bread after sauna at Midsummer, eikö niin? That's livin". Cay Thu May 21 08:10:32 -0700 2009 4693637 49525 cayjohan 3 4703323 Hyvaa, hyvaa! Grilli makara and beer after a wicked hot sauna ain't too shabby either. Don'ytforget the viita! Thu May 21 08:15:22 -0700 2009 4703306 93538 Passadumkeg 4 4704606 Heh! Whoever said the Finns were *reserved* has never experienced these sauna/feast evenings! :-) Another perfect dish for it: the mäti roe. <rrrr> Cay Thu May 21 14:23:22 -0700 2009 4703323 49525 cayjohan 2 4708035 Your post reminded me of a decadence the likes of which I know I will never experience again in my lifetime. In March of 1992, when I was 24, my grandmother, who was a regular cruiser, took me on a four week cruise through the Panama Canal on the Royal Viking Line. My mother had passed away earlier in the year, shortly after I had quit my job in NYC to move home to be with her, and the trip was sort of a healing period for both of us before I went away to law school that fall. The Royal Viking Line in the 1980s and early 90s was Scandanavian-run, and was the best cruise ship fleet out there. The trip we were on was the maiden voyage of the Royal Viking Queen, a smaller ship which only had suites for staterooms and accomodated around 200 passengers. I was the youngest passenger on the ship by far (the next youngest was the second wife of a retired gentleman, and she was 45, we soon became fast friends :-), and at dinner, there was the option to order caviar as an appetizer. It was beluga, and while it was not on the menu, it was available every night, and NOT at an extra charge. I ordered it every night, along with one of my grandmother's friends who was seated at our table. In private, my grandmother would chide me for being extravagant and gluttonous, and with the reasoning of an immature 20-something, I was like, "we aren't paying extra for it, and your friend does it, so why shouldn't I?" And so I ordered it, every night we were not in port for dinner, which was most of the trip. It was the most delicious thing, salty, tangy, complex, nutty, and perfectly served, chilled in a silver serving vessal with a horn cavair spoon, buckwheat blinis, and chopped egg and onion on the side. At the time, I had NO IDEA how lucky I was, and in the years since, have never eaten caviar of that quality and in general, have eaten very little decent caviar at all, due to both the exhorbitant prices and the precipitous decline of the Caspian sturgeons since that time. Fri May 22 18:19:05 -0700 2009 4693637 11028 DanaB 3 4708202 Beautiful! Fri May 22 20:26:36 -0700 2009 4708035 36661 Sam Fujisaka 3 4708451 Thanks, Dana. My beluga days were in commie Russia in '69-'70; so young and naive (and drunk). Haven't had it since. Sat May 23 03:03:15 -0700 2009 4708035 93538 Passadumkeg 1 4693700 Amaretto ice cream / gelato. I've actually been able to find it again, but not in a very convenient place. The first time was in 2000 at Tepoznieves, an ice cream store from Tepoztlán, Mexico, near Cuernavaca. This place had some funky flavors, including lettuce or carrot. In 2006, during my honeymoon, I found some amaretto gelato in Paris -- not made simply with amaretti cookies, but real amaretto flavor. To this day, I think of amaretto as such as underappreciated flavor. So memorable that I just eyeballed it on a map: http://www.amorino.fr/ near Jardin du Luxembourg. Mon May 18 08:36:16 -0700 2009 4667914 223804 Reignking 1 4695561 I grew up in San Jose, CA..there was a shopping center at the corner of Williams and Winchester blvd. I think there was a Mayfair Market and El Torrito in the center. There was also this very small ice cream by the dry cleaner and dounut shop. They made the VERY BEST toasted almond ice cream. That darn ice cream started me on a Toasted Almond Ice Cream search...hard to find..now evern harder since Dryer's discontinued their flavor. I'm bummed....who make Toasted Almond Ice Cream now???????? Mon May 18 17:28:29 -0700 2009 4667914 113445 energy 1 4695655 The bread at Bella Donna in NYC...tiny BYO pasta place on the UES. Best bread EVER! Anyone else rememeber it? Mon May 18 18:01:06 -0700 2009 4667914 195118 mom22tots 2 4697518 For me it was something called Hot Patty in the Bahamas. We had it years ago while waiting for a connecting flight in the Nassau airport. It’s just some sort of soupy ground meat, possibly with a little melted cheese, encased in a non-flaky pastry disk, but it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had (and no I wasn’t ravenously hungry or deranged with jetlag). I spent the whole vacation talking about getting another Hot Patty on the way home. My husband, who was not under the same spell, was patient. At the end of the week I pretty much burst out of the plane in Nassau, only to see the Hot Patty stand on the wrong side of a glass security divider. Tue May 19 10:51:57 -0700 2009 4695655 279215 extrasalty 3 4697537 A crispy beef empanada at a little cafe at El Mitad del Mundo outside of Quito, Ecuador. Tue May 19 10:56:32 -0700 2009 4697518 47777 janeh 1 4699145 I spent the first part of my childhood in Hong Kong (this was during the early 80s). There used to be a couple of street vendors in these little wheeled carts that made these crepe-like snacks. They were fresh crepes with a little bit of shaved coconut and some kind of sugar inside. I can still remember my relatives taking me out at night, where I'd see the little lit cart by the roadside, the smell of the hot pan and coconut in the air, the wrinkly old man handing me a fresh one with his grubby hands. Heaven. Years later, they city banned street food and moved all food vendors indoors, mostly inside public markets. But I never found those crepes again, after many visits back. I also never found out the proper name for those crepes. Every now and then, when I pass by a Filipino bakery in the city, I catch a whiff of something in the air that reminds me of those crepes and it always makes me stop and do a double-take. Tue May 19 19:52:38 -0700 2009 4667914 131072 kidpresentable 2 4699167 Filipino bakery in Vancouver or in Hong Kong? Tue May 19 19:59:55 -0700 2009 4699145 36661 Sam Fujisaka 1 4699225 I have two food experiences that i still think about: the first comes form my mother who is a fantastic cook. i was at sleep away camp and when my parents came to visit she brought me a slice of a white chocolate cheesecake she had made the night before. it was topped with an incredibly raspberry sauce. maybe it was the prolonged exposure to camp food, but it was divine. something about the subtle white chocolate with the vibrant raspberry...just wonderful! my second "haunting" food experience came when we traveled to southern Germany. in a tiny little converted house we stopped for dinner and along with my main course came a heaping helping of buttery, warm spaetzle with little flecks of parsley. they were the epitome of comfort food. Tue May 19 20:23:06 -0700 2009 4667914 270454 contessa15 1 4702789 My family and I drove around Mexico in our car in 1967. I ordered chicken chalupas with a green sauce at Sanborn's "House of Tile" in Mexico City. I have had chalupas since, trying to duplicate the experience, but they were nothing like what I had there: shredded moist chicken on a corn tortilla with the edges rather cripsy, due to being run under a broiler, a garlicky and spicy green sauce underneath, some sort of white Mexican cheese on top (goat cheese?) covering cilantro and maybe chopped onion, with a large puddle of liquid Mexican cream (?) on top, which melded with the cheese. Maybe they are still serving it at Sanborn's to this day, but I have found nothing like it in the United States and I haven't been back to Mexico since 1972. Thu May 21 03:48:55 -0700 2009 4667914 22427 gfr1111 2 4703083 You are better than I. We drove down the west coast of Mexico and back up the east. I remember a lot of delicious shrimp dishes and moles, bur maybe too much mezcal and pulque and fogged (a euphanism for dead brain cells) my memory. The trip did, however, change for ever my attitude about and desire for Mexican food forever. Mole, mole, I want mole! Thu May 21 07:03:24 -0700 2009 4702789 93538 Passadumkeg 2 4703277 gfr1111, Sanborn's is my only vote on the "What foreign chains would you like to see in the US".They are still just as good, and their bakery and desserts are even better now! They are clustered around Mexico City and are the place of choice for "power breakfasts". But they would be an instant hit in any American city. Thu May 21 08:03:02 -0700 2009 4702789 57170 Veggo 2 4703519 the enchiladas suizas at Sanborn's were also justifiably famous, back in the late sixties, early seventies...haven't eaten there in about 15 or 20 years myself, so can't vouch for them currently, but I'd definitely go back to try them. Thu May 21 09:09:39 -0700 2009 4702789 10158 susancinsf 1 4703818 About 15 years ago I stumbled upon an incredible vegetarian wrap simply called "cheddar curry" sold at a music festival by a local purveyor in Guelph, Ontario. It was (to my fading recollection) a chickpea based filling with a mildly spicy, creamy cheddary-curry sauce unlike anything I've ever tasted . I typically abhor wraps, yet this was divine (if such a word can even be used to describe something otherwise so pedestrian). Googling has yielded no leads on this mysterious food. Alas, I have come to accept that it was a once in a lifetime experience. Thu May 21 10:33:31 -0700 2009 4667914 292967 topbanana 1 4704426 In the 70's, for my last 2 years at UConn I lived in a small dorm where the chef thought our eating should be as much as part of our education as our classes. We had wonderful meals and got introduced to many different types of food. He was also very frugal and turned leftovers into delicious soups for lunch the next day. To this day I miss his Chicken a la Reina, sort of a creamy chicken soup with rice. Thu May 21 13:31:25 -0700 2009 4667914 133606 annl 1 4705241 Nothing fancy for me. Just a couple of experiences that have never been reproduced in Toronto. Toby's Good Eats burgers (any of them, but the Courage was my fave) with cheesy, chunky fries and thick Hagen Daaz milkshakes. The potato-flour-crust pizzas made at a little hole in the wall at the corner of Midland and Eglinton called Cavoto's back in the 70's. Never had a pizza that good before or since in my city. Thu May 21 18:57:16 -0700 2009 4667914 12072 Googs 2 4708500 I loved Toby's fries with that cheese sauce!!!! Sat May 23 04:12:08 -0700 2009 4705241 124908 jeanmarieok 3 5171148 That cheese sauce was laced with crack. I'm sure of it. ;-) I didn't even like the wedge fries that much, but I'd have dipped wood chips in that sauce. The fries were just the vehicle for the sauce. Tue Nov 10 15:36:57 -0800 2009 4708500 239809 1sweetpea 1 4706508 Just remembered another one: grapefruit & apples. This was a dish available off of the massively-loaded breakfast 'cart' at the very posh Newton Hotel in Nairn, Scotland. My dad, my sister and I spent two weeks there in the early 80s, arriving hopelessly underdressed (the cost of the vacation should've been a dead give-away to my dad, but...) Every morning, there were several breakfast carts with all kinds of nice stuff to choose from, a 3-5 course lunch, tea time, a 5-course dinner, and after-dinner coffee service with petit-fours, etc. Unfortunately, at that point my chow-nicity hadn't quite developed yet, so I was overwhelmed by most of it. Sigh. But the grapefruit & apples dish, similar to a compote, was so fab I had it every morning... is it a British / Scottish thing? Fri May 22 09:05:58 -0700 2009 4667914 116513 linguafood 1 4706812 What a great thread! About 25 years ago, at the Flamingo in Vegas, in the main restaurant the soup of the day was a creamy chicken and avocado. Rich, savoury, mellow and complex, and absolutely the best soup I've ever had. I've spent many a chicken carcass trying to replicate it. Fri May 22 10:37:16 -0700 2009 4667914 83022 MrsCris 1 4708327 lol....I just thought of one. In the spring of 1972 I was living in the Co-op Dorm in UC Davis...we shared meals and chores...and bought our own food...and since there were only about 70 people living there the food was much better than standard dorm stuff.... We also ran a little late-night cafe in the dorm kitchen, and would make snacks and stuff for folks living in the "big dorms" who were craving real food. Our specialty was a sandwich: basically a grilled cheese on wheat..but the cheese was good cheddar, and sliced tomatoes and grilled mushrooms went into the mix as well. They were always so good....Maybe someone who lived in Unit III in Davis in the early 70s can remember what they were called..My memory is that someone's name was attached to it. Funny, it should be a simple treat to reproduce, but it isn't the same. Maybe you need a night of studying followed by a good case of the munchies to appreciate it.... Fri May 22 22:43:24 -0700 2009 4667914 10290 janetofreno 1 4708442 Three, all from my honeymoon: Fresh sardines, grilled quayside in Portimao, Portugal. Served with a simple green salad, boiled potatoes, and a glass of vinho verde. Anyone who doesn't like fish should try these - or maybe not, it might spoil you on other fish forever! Souffle potatoes at the eponymous restaurant in Madrid - little pillows of joy! Potatoes deep fried once, left to cool slightly, and then plunged into hotter oil, which makes them puff up into the perfect cross of french fry and potato chip. Tried to make them at home a few times, always failed. On the train from Paris to Lisbon - In Paris, we picked up some local pate, ham, cheese, and two ficelle. On the train, we had an impromptu picnic in our compartment. The texture of the ficelle was the outstanding part - crispy enough that there was some bite, but with a soft yielding crumb. The funny part was we shared our compartment with a French gentleman. As we were rolling through the vineyards of Bordeaux, I opened a bottle of wine that our stewardess on our Toronto-Paris flight had given us to celebrate our honeymoon. It was a California cab. I distinctly remember the gentleman lowering his copy of Le Monde for a moment. After he saw what I was doing, his eyes met mine for a millisecond with just the faint glimmering of contempt. He re-raised his paper, and later left without ever speaking to us. Sat May 23 01:59:40 -0700 2009 4667914 48210 KevinB 1 4710678 There was a place on Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica CAlifornia called "Pickle Bills" that was sold in the early 70's and became a McDonalds. They were around since WW2 and lots of Dogulas aircraft employees ate there, the best hot roast beef sandwiches anywhere, especially the gravy, I cannot duplicate it. Also at University High School in West Los Angeles was the Sloppy Joes, hamburger base with a tomato based sauce served on a hamburger bun, kind of tangy with a tiny bit of sweetness, cant duplicat it either. Sun May 24 09:40:58 -0700 2009 4667914 12130 malibumike 1 4711880 When I was an adolescent, I had the chance to spend two years in Paris. As an impoverished student, I often ate at cheap student restaurants near the University. One night I was eating at one with a Parisian friend. I was remarking on the prevalence of horsemeat butchers in Patris, adding that I could never bring myself to eat horsemeat, all the while eating what seemed like a very tender, juicy steak. My friend said nothing, but just pointed at my steak, and smiled. Sun May 24 19:48:03 -0700 2009 4667914 54222 ekammin 2 4712269 How many times I would have wished at the window that my 5 bucks would have bought a nice, lean sandwich rather than a ticket on a pony that was so slow they had to pay the jockey overtime. Mon May 25 03:05:48 -0700 2009 4711880 57170 Veggo 1 4714642 I am not fond of most citrus fruits, however, I did a presentation for career day at a school where my older sister taught and in the same class, a woman from UC Riverside was also doing a presentation. She brought in a 'new' fruit, called, I believe, an orangelo. I can't remember what they had crossed to make it, only that it looked like a pommelo, but tasted very sweet. I look in produce sections all the time, but I have never ever seen one. Tue May 26 04:43:25 -0700 2009 4667914 322981 renowynn 2 4721176 Whilst backpacking around the US for 3 months 4 summers ago my friend and I stumbled upon a cafe near our hostel in Charleston, South Carolina. We ordered lunch (half a sandwich and salad - so cheap compared to what we had been spending in other cities as we travelled down from NYC). It was a marinated chicken salad sandwich with tomato and it was the best sandwich I have ever tasted. I will never forget the taste of that tomato - it was like I had never tasted tomato before and that was what it was meant to be like! Without speaking I offered my friend a bite and our eyes met in total understanding and agreement. We still talk about that sandwich to this day, back in London. Thu May 28 04:58:15 -0700 2009 4714642 279455 SissyGreen 3 4721638 Yes, THAT is what a tomato is SUPPOSED to taste like! Those kind of experiences make me marvel that the world still eats, say, tomatoes in their less brilliant representation. They can go on for years with bad, under-ripened, anemic tomatoes because of some distant memory or vague notion that it's a tasty food, when it's not at all ... unless it is the kind of tomato of which you speak. Thu May 28 07:59:51 -0700 2009 4721176 40486 Cinnamon 4 4722234 many foods have similar issues, constantly being eaten and assumed to taste like their out-of-season, shipped-from-miles-away, picked-unripe specimens - strawberries come to mind . . . but I think tomatoes are the worst offender in this class. It's at the point where I really won't eat tomatoes out of season (I'm in California, so I can afford to be snobby like that). Growing up in CT, my mom would always whine about the tomatoes and I didn't get what the big deal was - to me they were just a gross vegetable. It wasn't until I had tasted some homegrowns in CT, and of course now in CA, that I learned to appreciate the raw tomato. Thu May 28 10:56:50 -0700 2009 4721638 220674 Cebca 5 4738861 Being so tired of tasteless tomatoes, I'm in the process of growing several different varieties from seed (NOT Big Boy, Beefsteak, or Celebrity). The seedlings are due for transplanting into the ground, so stay tuned for further details. Wed Jun 03 09:20:01 -0700 2009 4722234 322300 Michelly 1 4721851 Oh. At a tiny place on a back street in Lisbon several years ago - I don't know if it even had a name. Nor a menu; the specialty was a rice dish with seafood - rice, clams, shrimp, squid, chunks of fish, all superlatively fresh and baked together in an absolutely delicious conglomeration. Not like paella, it was in a deep bowl, and no saffron; not sure what the spices were, if any. Just tasted of the sea. I went back again a couple of times while I was there, but have never found anything since that was quite as good. Thu May 28 09:04:36 -0700 2009 4667914 98500 Bat Guano 1 4722244 A hamburger I had on my honeymoon at Sam Lords Castle in Barbados 27 yrs ago. It was to die for. A simple dish of home made pasta, garlic, oil and LOTS of truffles in a casual restaurant in Pienza, Italy. The veal parm. we had at this 1 neighborhood italian restaurant in Queens, that has been gone for many, many years. Gelato we had in a tiny place in Rome, on a side street by the Spanish Steps. God I love gelato. Thu May 28 10:59:50 -0700 2009 4667914 15231 synergy 2 4727107 Reminds me of the "Grand Marnier Mousse" served at Josef's in Barbados that we would savor. In order to assure yourself of a taste...you had to reserve 2 as soon as you were seated. The restaurant is still there...but sadly I don't believe it is on the menu.I have tried to duplicate this dish at home as an elegant dinner dessert...the results have been fairly close but perhaps to have it served on the Glorious shores of Barbados is key. Fri May 29 21:51:46 -0700 2009 4722244 17403 easily amused 3 4727738 Having anything served to you on the shores of Barbados always improves the flavor in my book :-) Sat May 30 09:06:18 -0700 2009 4727107 15231 synergy 1 4732779 Found at a "Mediterranean" deli in Colorado Springs, CO: It was more than Mediterranean food. There were also some groceries from all over the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Russia. We bought a jar of pickled mango (yes I know Indian). Maybe because it was my first taste of it but it was exquisite. I used it in marinades, as a condiment and in side dishes. I've found other pickled mangoes since then but nothing quite like those. Mon Jun 01 11:16:09 -0700 2009 4667914 234744 Blueayez 1 4736463 Milk ice cream. I spent most of a summer in Japan during high school, and had plenty ice cream flavors (green tea, red bean, ginger) that are very easy to find on this side of the world. The closest I've found to the milk flavor is sweet cream, and it is nothing like the pure taste I'm looking for. The melon shaved ice was really good, too. We had a little tube of condensed milk to top the pile of ice with. Mmm. They did summer right over there. Tue Jun 02 13:03:40 -0700 2009 4667914 331127 precia 1 4737812 HOW DID I FORGET? Almond-flavoured rice milk from Italian health food stores. I can get rice milk and almond milk here, but not almond-flavoured rice milk. Tue Jun 02 21:19:29 -0700 2009 4667914 131149 Jetgirly 2 4738045 Try a freezer ice cream maker, cheaper too. Wed Jun 03 02:36:19 -0700 2009 4737812 93538 Passadumkeg 3 4738868 Or almond extract or oil in rice milk? Wed Jun 03 09:21:34 -0700 2009 4738045 322300 Michelly 1 4738859 Seafood pizza on the island of Moorea in the pacific. Local guide took us there by boat but then we had to walk about 1/4 mile thru shallow water to the beach, all the while paying attention not to step on a stone fish (painful not deadly). The pizza place was little more than a trailer in a tropical grove with a big fired pizza oven. The owner/cook was maybe italian or french. The pizza was just amazing, tons of unknown and known seafood, very little cheese and a great crispy crust. Never saw or heard of pizza like it!!!! Wed Jun 03 09:19:47 -0700 2009 4667914 92416 ElsieB 1 4739361 Burnt Caramel gelato in Italy. I haven ever gotten over it, and I am not an ice cream lover. Wed Jun 03 11:36:16 -0700 2009 4667914 222384 dvsndvs 1 4740973 Kings Barbeque in Eustis, Florida. Up in colored town, Opened on Saturday nights at 11pm. til whenever. Wed Jun 03 20:25:42 -0700 2009 4667914 184073 susabella 1 4751054 The most heartbreaking things I used to eat as a kid that are no longer sold are the french onion dip we used to get that is no longer sold here, the hamburgers with cole slaw from a little stand near my hometown that was torn down when they widened the road, and the butterscotch marble ice cream from the ice cream parlor that was in the mall in my hometown that closed down when I was a preteen. ALL of my favorite restaurants from my childhood are now closed. :( Sun Jun 07 16:18:02 -0700 2009 4667914 292866 ChefTara 1 4763994 What a wonderful thread.. Paris 2000 Gare de l'Est train station. After a fiery argument in more than adequate French with the bathroom attendant who was not willing to take my 5 francs to use the facilities, I came upon a sandwich stand. I was going to be arriving in Luxembourg at an off meal time and knew I would need something to hold me over until dinner. My train was leaving in 5 minutes so I grabbed a tuna sandwich on a baguette and a can of Kronenbourg 1664. That tuna sandwich still haunts me to this very day as one of the best I have ever had. I can't re-create it, it was plain, the baguette was crisp on the outside and doughy on the inside and washing it down with a cold beer on a fast moving train was purely celestial Thu Jun 11 12:30:09 -0700 2009 4667914 10679 Leanne 1 4768008 Paris, 1990, Gare de L'est: must have encountered the same attendant as Leanne did, on many trips for showers there, who kept trying to force my travelling companion and me into the same stall--and we most definitely did not want to shower a' deux! But I digress . . . I ate many sandwiches there, including tuna, and, yes, they haunt me still. And I live in a city full of great sandwiches. But the most ordinary ingredients on the most delicious bread, in the dinginess of a train station, in Paris = Magic. And then there are the tremazzini in Venice. There is a place right near the Accademia, with an amazing selection. Yet, each time I've contemplated trying to replicate them at home, I think--egg salad? tiny shrimp in mayo? white bread?--how can this be the stuff of dreams? But the all-time haunter, that most elusive of culinary ghosts, was a piece of white pizza in Rome--porcini pizza, to be exact. My husband and I were wandering about, sight-seeing, after a substantial Italian lunch. It was hot, and we found ourselves at the Trevi Fountain, amongst throngs of other tourists, when I got a whiff of something I could not resist, my siren call for sure, and I followed my nose to a little stand (?), a window in an ancient building (?), something on wheels (?), somewhere nearby, and I saw people being handed good-sized squares of pizza. I told DH that I must have some, eliciting a question about my sanity, as well as a reminder that we'd just eaten--amply--and that we had a dinner reservation to work up to. I bought a piece and bit into what I can only describe as the most blissful, transporting combination of earth and cheese. (I did not know then that I was eating porcinis, and much as I love them, they have never tasted so good.) I offered DH a bite; seeing my ecstasy, he bit. Which turned into an excuse to get a second piece. I do not remember anything else we ate in Rome. I will never forget that piece of pizza. Fri Jun 12 15:57:21 -0700 2009 4667914 324814 nomadchowwoman 2 4768454 I started reading your post with a dumb blank look on my face that was gradually but then fully transformed into that of a totally grinning idiot by the Trevi. Fri Jun 12 18:48:30 -0700 2009 4768008 36661 Sam Fujisaka 1 4999026 A dish of paper-thin slices of breast of chicken and the same of fresh bamboo shoots in an intensely chickeny broth and chicken fat sauce, served in a shallow frosted glass platter, lookiing cool and refreshing, served to us at the Zhi Yuan aka Tizzy Sichuan restaurant on Zhonghan Bei Lu in Taipei in the height of hottest summer, by our usual very charming waitress who insisted we needed something cooling to counteract the allergic reaction I had from a surfeit of mangoes. Never seen again, either in the flesh or in recipe form, or known by any of the other Sichuan restaurants I've ever visited. There was a faint whiff of almond about it from the bamboo shoots. Magic. Wed Sep 02 09:41:36 -0700 2009 4667914 13709 buttertart 2 4999272 Wow Buttertart! Such an evocative post, you really captured a magical moment for all of us to share. That dish sounds marvelous. Wed Sep 02 10:48:45 -0700 2009 4999026 89969 moh 3 4999479 Thanks. It was. The food in that restaurant was wonderful. Wed Sep 02 11:46:07 -0700 2009 4999272 13709 buttertart 1 5000451 Pizza in Lugano Switzerland, my aunt's honey fried chicken and, sadly, a Gino Giant. Wed Sep 02 17:16:28 -0700 2009 4667914 19073 daisygirl 1 5000471 In the early 80's in a restaurant in Montreal (Le Fadeau), a chicken breast flattened, stuffed with chicken mousse, then rolled and cooked to perfection. Sliced and served with a wondrous sauce. It just melted in the mouth. I have never forgotten the taste, and have failed to replicate it. The chef died many years later. The replacement restaurant, though highly-rated, did nothing for me on my one visit there. One New Year's Eve, a dinner guest brought along a bottle of 30-year old Port (Barros 1963), It was heaven. A subsequent visit to a wine shop in Montreal turned up another '63, for $600 +. My dinner guest, when told the price, said no regrets, she was with people who appreciated it. Funny, though, after dinner at her place a few months later, with a whole bunch of people, she called me into the kitchen and sneaked me a glass of the same stuff; said she was not sharing with anyone else! Then, years later, a waiter in Boston gave me the same stuff to buy my silence - to not say anything to the chef if he came around to ask how I liked his pride and joy dish, which I told the waiter was horrible. Wed Sep 02 17:24:39 -0700 2009 4667914 13143 souschef 1 5000522 For me it was a soup I had when I was 22. After 12 hours of traveling from 3 airports with little rest and less decent food we landed on a drizzly cold night in Cancun. Even if everything was in English and the people were intensely nice the food was the standard continental fare sterilized for tourists. We opted out and took a cab ride to a restaurant overlooking the water and had what they called "Vueve la Vida" essentially a seafood soup that was the living essence of the briny sweet sea. Perfectly cooked shellfish and a good beer. I've gone over all the Bayless books and tried their versions of Sopa de Mariscos but the satisfaction of a hot comforting soup greeting you in a foreign land you're still adjusting to just can't be replicated. Perhaps good borscht in the middle of the Russian Tundra would be next. Wed Sep 02 17:48:17 -0700 2009 4667914 166091 jecolicious 2 5001486 Appropriately named, "return to life" soup. Thu Sep 03 06:22:53 -0700 2009 5000522 13709 buttertart 2 5187561 My favorite and never found again was a "Orange Soup" from Moscovitch? and Moscovitch?" in Winnipeg Canada, (it was 20 yrs. I might be a bit off on the name.) Anyway , it sounded interesting so I tried it and it was so wonderful. It was a Borscht with mandrine oranges in it. Tried to make it (and I make good borscht) but failed. If anyone has a recipe let me know. Mon Nov 16 21:05:24 -0800 2009 5000522 1108962 beekeroc 1 5000929 Something called Louisiana Butter Cake at Gary Danko in San Francisco. Made out of leftover croissants, it was crunchy on the outside and soft and dense on the inside. I've searched for a recipe, but it looks like it's something that was made up at the restaurant. Wed Sep 02 20:35:07 -0700 2009 4667914 10832 Humbucker 2 5001082 Warm cherry tomatoes, straight off the vine, sitting in the garden in my grandmother's back yard. Must have been around 1976. Wow, I ate them until I was sick. Best tomatoes of my life. Wed Sep 02 22:13:44 -0700 2009 5000929 1097518 veggiemelt 3 5003999 I have a grape tomato plant that I've saved seeds from for about ten years. The tomatoes it produces are the perfect size to pick from the plant and eat. The plant itself that the seeds produce is fantastic in its own right, as it usually lives two years in Los Angeles (essentially overwintering), and thus I have ripe tomatoes as early as April sometimes, but definitely by May. I had friends visiting from the east coast one Memorial Day weekend a few years back, and their three year old, once he tried one tomato from the vine, sat there and ate every single one that was red. If anyone else on the planet had shown up and eaten all my ripe tomatoes in one fell swoop, I would've been angry, but the kid was just so amazed at how good they were right from the vine that it made it all okay ;-) Thu Sep 03 21:38:28 -0700 2009 5001082 11028 DanaB 1 5001138 A bowl of pork soup with noodles at a street stall in Georgetown, Penang. The soup was rich and thick with tender pork slices, bean sprouts, green onions and chewy, yellow noodles. With a bit of chili pepper sprinkled on top, it was a magnificent lunch that I still remember after 30 years. I recall sitting down next to the hawker stall, slurping my food in the summer heat with sweat running down my face, and saying delicious, delicious! Wed Sep 02 23:17:35 -0700 2009 4667914 13204 curiousgeo 1 5001320 I like this thread!! There are so many things I could say, but the taste I remember and miss the most is a cheese naan (naan avec fromage) from an Indian place in Montmarte I ate at a decade ago. It stayed gooey and drippy and buttery half an hour afer we ordered it. There is a chance it's still there, I just haven't been :( Thu Sep 03 04:33:46 -0700 2009 4667914 212582 schrutefarms 1 5001513 There was a takeout Italian restaurant where I grew up called Cirolli's and they had a great "baked lasagna" where they would put the pasta on edge around the container, They also made a great veal parm sandwich. By the way, this is going back 40 years. Thu Sep 03 06:30:34 -0700 2009 4667914 64459 jnk 1 5124808 On a recent trip to Italy, visiting my Italian cousins, I ate peacock (pavone) at their friends house in Treviso. Treviso, a city of canals, is near Venice and Venetian opulence seems to have made it's presence known at that meal. The eating of various birds in Italy is not so unusual. Italian's frequently cook all types of poultry; chicken (pollo), guinea fowl which they call faraona, duck (anatra), spit roasted pigeons (piccioni allo spiedo), goose (oca) and pheasant (fagiano) but I had never eaten peacock. Our meal began with a broth (brodo) made of peacock with nidi d'amore (love nests), a type of pasta filled with ground veal. The pavone (peacock) meat was jointed, braised and served on the bone presented on a giant platter. The peacock legs were carved because they were quite large; much larger than a turkey. The meat was dark but very flavorful and didn't taste gamey at all. We were also served a goose prepared in a similar manner and an Italian meatloaf. When we drove up to the farm (fattoria) there were peacocks roaming the grounds. Little did I know they would be part of the afternoon meal. Fri Oct 23 06:21:47 -0700 2009 4667914 242878 per me 2 5128310 Sounds interesting. I would love to try it someday! Sat Oct 24 17:17:56 -0700 2009 5124808 1081227 DishDelish 1 5125666 Here in southern callifornia back in about 1960 you used to be able to get Real Churrned Buttermilk, hasn't been here for years, I understand they only have it back east and down south, they also have fat free buttermilk, but not here. Fri Oct 23 11:45:43 -0700 2009 4667914 12130 malibumike 2 5125780 Kate's of Maine just introduced it to their line, can you get her products where you are? They're sold at Whole Foods, among others. http://www.kateshomemadebutter.com/Kates-Butter_buttermilk.html Fri Oct 23 12:23:16 -0700 2009 5125666 14386 BobB 3 5132318 Thanks Bob but I just checked and they dont have any of Kate;s products at the two Whole Foods I was at. Mon Oct 26 12:48:01 -0700 2009 5125780 12130 malibumike 4 5132458 They do here in MA - probably only the East Coast outlets carry it. But maybe yours could special order it for you? Mon Oct 26 13:32:47 -0700 2009 5132318 14386 BobB 1 5128346 Miami Beach, 79th Street. It's probably the home of a huge hotel/condo complex now but in 1965, there was an outdoor jukebox and concrete pad for dancing or whatever and next door was a place that made the best hoagies -- maybe Philly cheesesteaks but what did I know in those days? They were delicious and I was hungry. Sat Oct 24 17:40:14 -0700 2009 4667914 64491 mickie44 1 5128713 An awesome sweet and sour sauce, orange in color as opposed to the red stuff. China town, L.A. circa, 1972 Sat Oct 24 21:15:07 -0700 2009 4667914 183005 horseshoe 1 5131840 My Great-Grandmother's chocolate chip cookies. They weren't the sort on the back of the Toll House bag, I have tried to figure out what she did to no avail. When my oldest sons were in Pre-school, after a school play, there were refreshments baked by the parents... someone there had cookies like those. I burst into tears. Mon Oct 26 10:25:22 -0700 2009 4667914 90565 Cookiefiend 1 5132261 Iced peppered strawberry soup at a hotel in the Lakes District of England over 10 years ago. Perfect consistency, and the concept of sweet and spicy was a revelation to me-- I must have been 11 or 12 at the time and I think that was the moment that transformed me from a passive eater to a foodie. I dream of that soup--the sweet tart strawberry puree with the bite of cracked pepper..... I also remember a frozen lemon mousse at a museum cafe in Washington, DC. Just the perfect texture....delightful. Mon Oct 26 12:31:35 -0700 2009 4667914 1092082 OkayTea 2 5141083 Oh, golly! You reminded me: a proper English cream tea, with the scones still piping hot, the clotted cream piled in a bowl, and the strawberry jam tasting of sunshine, in an properly ancient Tea Shop in Devon. The building was built entirely of grey stones, on a winding little street , the curtains were lace and the hostess was jolly. It was a perfect part of a perfect college field trip. We also went to Stonehenge near sunset (and in those days you could wander amongst the pillars), we peeked into the tomb of the D'Urbervilles, and we ended up on "Wessex" Moor as the bonfires for Guy Fawke's Eve sprang to life all over the darkened plains stretching before us.... Thu Oct 29 13:52:40 -0700 2009 5132261 70211 Beckyleach 1 5140718 When I was about 12 years old, our family went to Germany. My dad is a Lutheran pastor, and was asked to do a wedding there, and used the opportunity to bring the rest of the family. Because of jet lag, and being busy in general, we rarely ate supper before about 10 at night, so we usually resorted to a place across the street from our apartment. It was an "Imbus" place which sold a variety of things, but what I remember most was a thing called a Donar. It wasn't anything like the "donairs" that you can get in North America. It was turkish, and closest to what you might get at a Shwarma restaurant here, but it still wasn't the same. It was a meat of some kind (i'm about 80% sure it was chicken) with lettuce, tomato and cucumber, wrapped up in the most heavenly bread I've ever had. It was like a pita, except thick, and with a crisp, wavy brown crust on the outside. And it was all doused in tzatziki sauce. They were available everywhere in Berlin, but I haven't been able to find anything like it in North america. It was then when I was also introduced to the sheer bliss of french fries and mayonaise.... Thu Oct 29 11:40:52 -0700 2009 4667914 1088043 banjoman2375 2 5140870 That's a doner kebab - very common wherever Turks are found. Can be made with any of several meats, typically lamb or chicken. Very similar to Greek gyros. And where you ate it was an Imbiss (or Imbiß), a classic German fast food emporium. My favorite Imbiss item when I lived there was currywurst. Thu Oct 29 12:31:20 -0700 2009 5140718 14386 BobB 1 5141058 It was nearly 30 years ago. We stopped for the market day in a very tiny village somewhere in Oxaca state...I can't even remember the name of the town so we never can return. Mexican markets almost always are wonderful, and at this one, it seemed every person on the mountain had turned out: the streets were lined with vendors selling baskets and parrots and pottery and jewelery and shawls, beautiful embroidery and food, food food: everywhere you looked there were piles of gorgeous peppers, fruits, grains. We were wandering--a bit stunned (the night before had been hairy, lost on twisty mountain roads in the fog, playing "Dual" with giant diesal trucks with no headlights)--through the masses when a beautiful, smiling woman walked up to us, uncovered a tin bucket she'd protected with a napkin, and inquired "tamale?" My husband nodded and held up just two fingers, so she quickly handed us two, banana-leaf wrapped bundles, we handed her the few pesos they cost, and she melted right back into the crowd. THEN we unwrapped and took bits of the SINGLE MOST DELICIOUS mole tamales on the face of the earth! My husband, in particular, was overwhelmed. He dove into the crowds and tried for at least half an hour to find her, but she had vanished like the fog...Maybe we imagined her? ;-) He still sighs and shakes his head, regretfully, when remembering the tamales that got away.... Thu Oct 29 13:43:13 -0700 2009 4667914 70211 Beckyleach 1 5141150 The best wantan mee ever, in Singapore. Years ago, I was in Singapore with my mom and we had to go to the Visa Office to extend our visas (have family there so we'd go for 2-3 months at a time). The office had a small cafeteria on the first floor, so we decided to grab something to eat before we headed out to go shopping. You would think a government office's cafeteria would have mediocre food, but this was delicious -- lots of char siu, wantans, spicy chillis, and perfectly cooked noodles. This was my first introduction to wantan mee, and it's the standard I hold all wantan mee to. I've tried many different ones from many different restaurants and stalls in Singapore, but none match up to that one from the visa office! Thu Oct 29 14:15:06 -0700 2009 4667914 12384 boogiebaby 1 5148168 cafe provence, brandon vt, about eight years ago. it was an appetizer: extremely good ratatouille, topped with sweet, mouth watering carmelized onion, and then drizzled copiously in an incredible butter sauce. i shall never forget it :( Sun Nov 01 20:39:10 -0800 2009 4667914 1120971 soeselene 1 5148420 Before leaving Japan to go back to the US in my early teeens, we had purchased certain foods we knew we would not easily find in the States. One of those items that I remember distinctly was Shiroi Koibito (white chocolate sandwiched between thin buttery cookies). We are now well past our teens, but my brother and I still remember the taste of that cookie. Mon Nov 02 05:00:02 -0800 2009 4667914 120164 BigSal 1 5152200 Peach Pandowdy!!! That was in 1961 and I still remember it as though it were yesterday. My mother-in-law offered to make me a pie of my choice and that was it. But she's gone now and I never got the recipe. Bummer. Tue Nov 03 09:58:14 -0800 2009 4667914 1116836 Ronald_A_Green 2 5163145 My mom made apple pan dowdy. I'll poke around her recipe books and see if I can find her delightful version for you. I remember peeling the apples off the top so I could eat those first. In the meantime, http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/apple-pandowdy Sat Nov 07 08:03:59 -0800 2009 5152200 12072 Googs 1 5170032 My mom was given "Washington Dip" as a gift when we were younger. Neither of us has been able to find it since. I think it was a dip mix that came in a red envelope. Any ideas on where to get it now? Tue Nov 10 09:04:06 -0800 2009 4667914 1123314 tkp0906 1 5176842 Macy's Cellar in San Francisco had a nice deli about 20 years ago. In their cold case they offered something called Stephano's Supremo (or something similar).It was loaf shaped with a filling of layers of cheeses, salami and red peppers and wrapped in a thin flaky crust. I would usually order several slices but finish it off on the way home and wish I had ordered more!! It was probably mass produced in a factory somewhere but I can still remember exactly what it tasted like and it was wonderful. Macy 's closed their deli some years ago but I'm hoping someone will know what I'm talking about and can tell me where I can find it again. Another memory: Back in the eighties, there was a mediocre neighborhood bakery not far from where we lived here in Modesto. But they served something called "gypsy sticks". They were long and looked like a baguette sprinkled with poppy seeds and the filling was a seasoned very finely ground beef mixture. I loved them and ordered them a lot but the bakery has since closed and when I mention them to other people they look at me like I'm crazy. Has anyone ever heard of gypsy sticks besides me? Thu Nov 12 14:30:06 -0800 2009 4667914 254475 Ritcheyd 2 5178207 The Macy's thing sounds a bit like the cold cut pies that my married to an Italian Polish friend used to make for her husband at Easter (and that are available in Italian bakeries sometimes, have also seen recipes for them in Nick Malgieri and Carol Field's books on Italian baking. Might be worth being on the lookout for. The other sounds great as well, perhaps a Bosnian or other bakery specializing in that kind of thing would have something similar? Have not seen a recipe for just such a thing, but the bierocks discussed on Home Cooking sound somewhat similar. Fri Nov 13 06:14:02 -0800 2009 5176842 13709 buttertart 1 5187920 i just remembered there used to be a place in chinatown, on doyers street called BoBo that had the best sesame noodles, but the dish that haunts me was their duck. somehow it was infused this deep, yet not overpowering, garlic flavor that i have never found anywhere else. it was SO good. they closed at least 20 years ago :( they also had an item on the menu called "hot intestines and things" - i always wondered what the things could possibly be, that the hot intestines were the least nasty one that they could name..... Tue Nov 17 05:00:11 -0800 2009 4667914 135229 thew 2 5188314 Was it spicy? There's a Sichuan dish 腸 王 (Mandarin in Pinyin: chang wang) that is intestines and solidified duck or chicken blood in a hot and spicy sauce, served over a heat source. Quite tasty considering you are literally eating blood and guts! Tue Nov 17 08:04:56 -0800 2009 5187920 13709 buttertart 3 5188343 while around quite chowish 20 years ago i wasn;t yet quite adventurous enough to try it, as i would be today. so i have no real details of the dish at all, only my lasting amusement at the name. Tue Nov 17 08:17:31 -0800 2009 5188314 135229 thew 4 5188359 I wouldn't have tried it on my own tick either, but it was a favorite dish of two cousins I taught English to in Taipei and they ordered it up for our farewell banquet. Couldn't say no. Love the dish name too. Tue Nov 17 08:21:46 -0800 2009 5188343 13709 buttertart