Friday, January 25, 2008

Eats you must try before you die...

Greetings, Constant Readers.
Time for a little audience participation...

Below is a list of food I have either enjoyed or want to try at some time in my life, and I think you ought to try them too. It's pretty much from a list in a small notebook I keep to jot down recipes and descriptions of foods that I encounter in my travels.

As I was writing this up, I kept coming up with items I've heard about but haven't tried yet; and there are many, many things that just had escaped my eye, so far...
Your task, dear Readers...
Augment the list.
Give me 5 items YOU think I need to try. 5 of your favorites.
Help me out here.

And Luc... No Poutine. Ain't gonna happen.

So, I give you, in no particular order... The List:
  1. A Louisiana crawfish boil
  2. Arancini di Riso in Venice, Italy
  3. A cup of gelato from a little shop on Via Silvio Pellico, near the Duomo in Milan
  4. A Krispy Kreme donut, hot off the presses
  5. Texas Barbeque, see my girl at Homesick Texan for specifics
  6. Chicken Fried Steak
  7. Brie de Meaux, enjoyed in a small town near Chatel France.
  8. Baklava in any little taverna in Greece or Crete
  9. Hunan-style spareribs
  10. Feijoada - Rice, Black Beans, Pork, Dried Meat, Collard Greens, Orange, Farinha and Cachaca.
  11. Nutella crepe from a street stand in damn near any French town or city.
  12. A real Philadelphia cheesesteak. Jim's on South Street is my favorite.
  13. Deep-fried alligator
  14. Gyros from one of those ubiquitous street stands in Greece
  15. Real jerk barbecue, preferably from a roadside jerk hut in Jamaica
  16. Blueberries picked and eaten directly from the bush
  17. First quality Jambon Ibérico de bellota
  18. Angulas (baby eels)... Some good tapas places have them. Try Dali in Boston.
  19. Dim-sum, from one of the restaurants on Catherine St. In New York
  20. Hand-caught Lobsters from off Big Pine Key, grilled over a camp fire with drawn butter.
  21. Dim Sum in Hong Kong
  22. North Carolina Barbeque (Eastern style)
  23. Cincinnati Chili (Skyline is a good representative...)
  24. Praline Pecans
  25. Muffaletta from Central Grocery in New Orleans
  26. Cuban Sandwich from Ybor City in Tampa.
  27. Venison
  28. Spanish tapas
  29. Wild salmon
  30. Really good lox and Temptee whipped cream cheese on a Brooklyn bagel
  31. Peas in their pods right off the vine
  32. Wild Strawberries in North Carolina that grow along the Appalachian Trail
  33. Caramel fleur de sel macaron from Pierre Herme
  34. Fish that you have caught and prepared all on your own
  35. Sun-warmed Tomatoes, Sliced, Sprinkled with Flaky Salt and Drizzled with Olive Oil
  36. 5 for $1 Pork-and-Chive Dumplings at Dumpling House on Eldridge Street, NYC
  37. Beignets and chicory coffee from Cafe Du Monde, New Orleans
  38. Tamales purchased from a street vendor at 2:00 AM in Mexico City
  39. A bowl of noodles eaten whilst standing at a Tokyo railway station
  40. Grilled Sardines served on toasted bread with a mustard spread
  41. Steamed blue crabs
  42. Traditional bulgogi from a good Korean restaurant with a side of kimchi
  43. Fresh squeezed orange juice from a grove near Lake Placid Florida
  44. 'Squeaky' Wisconsin Cheese Curds from a little rural cheese shop outside Kenosha
  45. A cheeseburger from Otto's BBQ on Memorial Dr in Houston, Texas
  46. Parmigiano Reggiano
  47. Tim Tams
  48. Kangaroo Meat
  49. Chili dogs and a frozen orange from The Varsity
  50. Pizza Margherita in downtown Torino Italy
  51. Marides from Greece
  52. Sushi and sashimi at Daiwa sushi (Tsukiji fishmarket)
  53. Fresh (and I do mean fresh) oysters on the half-shell from a reputable source of your choice, served in generous quantities
  54. A runny, perfectly ripe raw milk cheese (like a St. Marcellin or a St. Felicien) with some good apples, some good pears, some nice grapes, and a crisp white wine of your choice
  55. A hotdog on any corner of NYC
  56. A crusty baguette straight from the oven smeared with chunks of butter
  57. Freshly baked chocolate cake with a thick layer of chocolate icing downed with a glass of cold milk
  58. Coca-Cola in Mexico City, from a 10 oz. green glass bottle poured over crushed ice
  59. Prosciutto de Parma with sweet cantaloupe
  60. Lobster Roll from the N.E. Atlantic coast
  61. Crabcakes from the Carolinas
  62. A plate of pork and green onion stuffed Beijing dumplings, eaten in a tiny hole in the wall Beijing restaurant
  63. Funnel Cake
  64. In-N-Out Burger
  65. Butter you have made yourself
  66. Deep-fried soft-shell crab with beer batter
  67. Italian Ice from the King of Corona
  68. Hawaii Pineapple
  69. Belgian Frites from the streets
  70. Any good open air aged cheese, somewhere relatively close to where it was aged
  71. Some kind of meat roasted over an open flame
  72. Lindt dark chocolate
  73. Impromptu picnic in France after exploring the local market
  74. Mystery meat street dumplings in Shanghai for breakfast
  75. Beef Carpaccio or Steak Tartar
  76. Steamer clams
  77. Eat a fish you caught yourself
  78. An authentic salt bagel with a thin layer of cream cheese, thin slices of perfectly ripe tomato and fresh basil leaves
  79. Very fresh buffalo mozzarella
  80. Chicken Wings from Sticky Fingers BBQ
  81. Rodizio Dinner at a good Churrascaria
  82. Tuna or mackeral Sashimi - straight off of the fish while you are still on the boat
  83. Barbecued octopus whilst sitting out on a patio in Neo Makri, Greece
  84. Fresh teriyaki salmon in Vancouver
  85. Crab cakes from Leone's Crabcakes & Seafood on 13th St. in Philadelphia
  86. A Reuben from a Jewish deli (Carnegie Deli or Roosevelt Deli will do)
  87. Fresh bread that you have baked yourself, warm, with lots of butter
  88. Real fried green tomato with shrimp and remolaude
  89. Cassoulet, preferably in Toulouse in southwest France
  90. Jiaozi - Pork and mushroom is a fav of mine
  91. Wild duck in any and all its forms
  92. Grouper, cooked in olive oil and lemon juice within a few hours of catching it
  93. Heaps of pancakes flooded in maple syrup
  94. Char Siu Roast Pork
  95. Fresh ceviche overlooking a secluded bay, preferrably Cruz Verde, outside Campeche Mexico
  96. The shrimp and crab dumplings or korean spare ribs at Roppongi in La Jolla
  97. Stuffed grape leaves (Dolmas)
  98. Homemade Pierogies
  99. Fried Shrimp in Calabash, NC
  100. Lobster bisque
  101. Xiao Long Bao at New Green Bo in NYC or Joe's Shanghai in Flushing
  102. Malpeque Oysters with just a little squeeze of lemon
  103. Irish champ with pools of butter
  104. Bacon from a free-range pig
  105. Boardwalk french fries with vinegar
  106. Good Belgian beer... Chimay is my favorite
  107. Chocolate with cacao content of 85% or higher
  108. Homemade feta with olives
  109. Scrambled eggs made the proper French way
  110. Hot chocolate made with Cayenne pepper powder
  111. Lumpia
  112. New England Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl
  113. Chinese New Year moon-cakes
  114. A really good fish taco
  115. Real wasabi
  116. Mole Poblano- a blend of chocolate, chiles, garlic, onions and so much more
  117. Hairy (mitten) Crabs in Shanghai
  118. Peking Duck (at the Spring Deer Restaurant in Hong Kong)
  119. BBQ Baby Pork Ribs
  120. Some quickly chargrilled fresh-caught squid
  121. Naked Cajun wings from Hooters
  122. Yeast bread
  123. Southern chicken and dumplings
  124. Sardeles pastes, in a coastal town in Crete
  125. Cheesecake in New York
  126. Fresh Hogfish Snapper, dusted with flour and pan-fried in butter
  127. Raw Vidalia Onions
  128. Oysters in Vancouver
  129. Homemade apple pie, with or without ice cream
  130. A great Italian and/or Greek olive oil right out of the press
  131. Ice Wine
  132. Montréal smoked meats
  133. Street Meat in Shanghai
  134. Roasted Marshmallows from a Campfire
  135. Country Ham & Biscuits
  136. Omakase ("putting your trust in the chef")
  137. Latkes
  138. Southern Greens (mustards and collards)
  139. Fresh Sweet Corn right out of the field
  140. Quinoa
  141. Cioppino
  142. Beer in Germany. Lots of beer in Germany.
  143. Panettone
  144. Fresh cheese curd from Eastern Canada.
  145. Gorgonzola Cheese
  146. Cheese Fondue in France or Switzerland
  147. Stone claw crabs that you caught yourself
  148. Boiled peanuts
  149. Blue Mountain coffee
  150. A perfect slice of key lime pie
  151. Jambalaya
  152. A shrimp and oyster po-boy with a side of red beans and rice, with a cold Louisiana beer
  153. White Castle or Krystal Sliders at 2 am after a night of drinking tequila
  154. Spiny Lobster Eggs Benedict at Louies Backyard in Key West
  155. A blood orange sliced, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt (Really!)
  156. A good Monte Cristo sandwich (Bennigan's is a good source)
  157. Vegemite or Marmite LIGHTLY spread on hot toast which is dripping with butter
  158. Fresh sugar cane
  159. Peking duck from Quanjude, Beijing, China
  160. Fried Turkey
TBG - (pigging) out-

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Okay, you didn't leave much for us add. You already have most of my favorites but I think I can add a few. 1) My husband's shrimp & grits -- the old-fashioned, traditional kind with gravy; 2) macaroni pie -- another old Southern dish -- comfort food at its finest; 3) fresh-brewed, homemade sweet tea; 4) Palmetto Amber beer -- from a local microbrewery in Charleston; and 5) Tres Leches at the Cuban restaurant next to the German restaurant across the street from the beach near Satellite Beach, Florida.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Oh, Oh!!! One more! I forgot! FRESH conch served any way you want it at Flo's Conch Shack on Little Harbor Island in the Bahamas. Also, you need to amend (or add) to #139 -- fresh sweet SILVER QUEEN corn right out of the field. Cooking silver queen is a travesty. And don't forget one of the best sipping rums available -- Ron Zacapa Centennario (sp?).

Anonymous said...

Oh crap. Now I thought of another. A true lowcountry shrimp boil called Frogmore Stew. Heaven on earth! Okay, I'll stop now. I'm getting hungry.

The Big Guy said...

Some items from L3, our Denver Connection-

Real Veal sausages in any pub in Germany

Gyros in Melbourne Oz ( but you don't get to do tennis there)

Jelly Fish at the Shark Fin on Little Bourke St in Melbourne

Rocky Mountain Oysters any bar in Denver ;- )

Buttered toast dipped in hot chocolate (preferably Ovaltine)

The Big Guy said...

Another Constant Reader, AG, emailed me with the following:

Carrot cake from the little pie company on 43rd between 9th and 10th, sold by the slice

A fresh baked bialy from Manhattan's lower east side near Delancy & Bowery...

Any smoked fish from a Jewish deli on Manhattan's lower east side

Yellowtail sashimi in citrus sauce from Nobu

Andrea's buffalo wings.

Luc said...

Beaver tails sold from street stands next to Rideau Canal in Ottawa during Winterlude.

French fries with vinegar sold from old converted school bus by the side of any rural road in Québec

Lobster "guedilles" in Caraquet New Brunswick

Fried clams from any street stand in Shediack New Brunswick and yes ...

Poutine from any restaurant in Drummondville, Qc

The Big Guy said...

OK, Luc...

Next time I'm in Montreal we're going to go have some poutine.

TBG

Luc said...

YES!!!!

Anonymous said...

You pretty much had it covered but here's my list:

1. Cuban oxtail (rabo encendido) from mine or my momma's kitchen! If you never make it, then I suppose Versailles in Miami will do.

2. A real Mojito!

3. Fish sope in Mexico

4. Lombardi's pizza in the Village, NYC

5. super tender rabbit cooked by an old french couple, Paris or beyond.

Anonymous said...

oh wait!!!

churros with chocolate sauce in any Churroceria in Spain!! at 2 am!!! :)

Anonymous said...

I've had #4, 12, 16, 29, 34, 49, 55, 63, 65, 71, 77, 87, 93, 119, 123, 125, 127, 134, 148, 158, and 160.

try a pear half, from the can, with mayonnaise, and shredded cheddar cheese.

It sounds gross, I know, but its good.