What is the single greatest meal of your life?

[EL PRESIDENTE]

high end/low end...whatever.

I'd probably say for me, it was a meal at a farm in Tuscany. Had some of the locally raised beef served as a Bistecca ala Florentina which is a gigantic hercules sized steak...which was just the bomb, along with some simple and fresh italian pastas, appetizers and wine grown right there.

 

[Further]

I was biking through France with my older Brother and we ended up camping one night in a small village high in the mountains. There was no open restaurant or normal store, and we were so hungry, there was a small bakery closing. We went in, they were out of almost everything, our dinner was to be a baguette and some Nutella. Not the feast we needed after 75 miles. As we were buying the bread, we got talking to the bakery owners. They went in back (where they lived) and brought back every leftover they had in their fridge, a pasta salad, some small pickles, some chicken, some cheese and a bottle of wine. They insisted we take it all and would not let us pay. That night we feasted on average leftovers, but the meal was total perfection.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Often...your dining companions and surroundings are just as important as the food itself.

 

[oldguy]

Probably when a buddy came back from Alaska about five years ago. He brought a cooler of fresh halibut, shrimp, and some bear and moose meat. Another buddy brought elk backstrap. I supplied a fresh steelhead and some venison backstrap. We grilled it all up, served with asparagus and a fresh salad from my garden. The ladies made some pasta with pesto and some potatos au gratin. We had four gallons of different micro brew beers. Had a few bottles of wine for the non beer drinkers.

Lots of good friends and good eats.

Go Blazers

 

[Eastoff]

Often...your dining companions and surroundings are just as important as the food itself.

Agreed.

I'm still working on my best dining experience. It'll probably end up some sappy story about being with my fiancee.

 

[Nikolokolus]

When I was in my early twenties I backpacked the Oregon part of the Pacific Crest Trail from Bridge of the Gods' near the Columbia River to Mt. Ashland in 3 1/2 weeks. As soon as we got off the trail after a final 25 mile push, my buddy and I hitch hiked into Medford, went to Abby's Pizza and each ordered our own large combination pie and enough beer to make an Irishman blush. Maybe not the best food I've ever eaten, but I'll be damned if it wasn't the best meal I've ever had.

 

[blazerboy30]

Any man claiming it was some exquisite meal while romantically traveling through Europe needs to hand in their man-card...and get rid of their girly iphone.

 

[oldguy]

Any man claiming it was some exquisite meal while romantically traveling through Europe needs to hand in their man-card...and get rid of their girly iphone.

You hear that Mags?

Go Blazers

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Any man claiming it was some exquisite meal while romantically traveling through Europe needs to hand in their man-card...and get rid of their girly iphone.

totally. a real man's meal is beer and steak with his other bros, possibly shirtless watching men tackle each other in high definition.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

An ex brother in law and I went steelhead fishing on the Wind River and caught a couple. We cleaned then, drove back to his place for a family gathering, filleted those fish and had 4 halves. We got some hardwood going in the fire pit, and put different toppings on each of the 4 halves- sliced butter and brown sugar, spicy bbq sauce, lemon and Cajun. We also put corn and potatoes in foil and in the fire to roast, had the steelhead cooking atop the pit and made some melon salad. Quite the feast.

 

[blazerboy30]

totally. a real man's meal is beer and steak

I was with you to here. But then you forgot the smashed potatoes.

with his other bros, possibly shirtless watching men tackle each other in high definition.

No. It's riding a fixie through the Italian rolling hills, carrying a cute little picnic in a leather shoulder bag. Hipsters can't have a god meal in the U.S.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

July 2001: I had just returned the wedding ring I'd bought for my now ex-fiancee. I'd just been turned down for financing on a drum set at Apple Music. I wandered into Portland Steak and Chophouse, ordered a steak with crumbled blue cheese and a whisky neat. Over the next 90 minutes, I shed all the angst of the entire ordeal of that day, and enjoyed a great steak, two whiskies, and some creme brulee.

...I was laid off from work the next day.


June 2005: A 7-course Italian meal at the rehearsal dinner for my (then new) girlfriend's best friend. The food was fantastic, and the show was watching the father of the groom (who was paying for the rehearsal dinner) weep as his two ex-wives competed with each other on who could order the most bottles of the most expensive wines on the list. A grand time was had by all... err, most.

 

[TradeNurkicNow]

Isn't it interesting that so much of what we enjoy about food is the experience around it? I think it's cool.

Therefore, I can't really put one meal at the top, there's too many variables. But a top three I could probably do:

Le Pigeon a couple months ago for the food, some of the best I've had.
Couscous and stuffed chicken at my boss's house in Morocco at an after-wedding party. Nothing beats home cooked Moroccan cooking for a party.
The mediocre fancy food on the Portland Spirit for my birthday. The scenery and company made the meal that much better though.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Taking pics of your meal is also a douche move.

You definitely lose True Braj points for that. Don't be that guy.

 

[Nate4Prez]

Today: Spicy chicken sandwich from Chik-fil-a, waffle fries, and a peach shake.

 

[Nate4Prez]

Le Pigeon a couple months ago for the food, some of the best I've had.

Heading up to Portland the last week of August and Le Pigeon is on my list of things to do.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I was with you to here. But then you forgot the smashed potatoes.

No. It's riding a fixie through the Italian rolling hills, carrying a cute little picnic in a leather shoulder bag. Hipsters can't have a god meal in the U.S.

it was a family vacation, just with parents and my bro. really nice stuff though. and the steak...was too large to have teh ghey.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Today: Spicy chicken sandwich from Chik-fil-a, waffle fries, and a peach shake.

today was the greatest single meal of your life?

whoa. that's deep.

:MARIS61:

 

[Run BJM]

Not the greatest complete meal but when I was in Amsterdam we ducked into a kebab shop in the wee hours of the morning and I had the most epic eating experience of my life. I got a schwarma wrap with fries and when they gave me the plate they put two condiment bottles in front of me. One was yogurt and one was the "spicy sauce" (you know it if you've ever gotten doner kebab/schwarma). That fucking schwarma was the best thing thats ever graced my palette. I added yogurt and spicy sauce to every bite. Of course I was fucked up but fwiw people do tell me Amsterdam has some of the best Schwarma/kebab.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I fucking love those Doner Kebabs. When I was in Barcelona we had one downstairs from our apartment....3 euros each...fucking bomb. cheap meals...and really bomb shit. had them for breakfast sometimes in fact.

 

[Run BJM]

I fucking love those Doner Kebabs. When I was in Barcelona we had one downstairs from our apartment....3 euros each...fucking bomb. cheap meals...and really bomb shit. had them for breakfast sometimes in fact.

I can't believe they're so completely non-existent over here. Even in San Francisco I've tried a couple of places but they're all crap even compared to the worst ones I had around Europe.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

no kidding. way overpriced too...they just can't get it right. so bomb diggy.

 

[PapaG]

2004. Had a college buddy 4-day weekend in Lincoln City, and we stayed in two neighboring houses on Devil's Lake. A group of us went crabbing one day, brought back a few coolers full of them, and had a crab boil with butter and garlic, among some sides that I don't remember.

Fresh caught Dungeness, and a TON of beers that night, but it was fantastic.

A close second was at my brother's bachelor party in Vegas. Went to Batista's Hole in the Wall, and we rented out the back room and got hammered along with great company and some tasty veal parmesan.

For 'best restauarant' meal, it's hard for me to not love Giordano's in Chicago by Grant Park, but again, it's more about the location and the people, probably, than the food.

 

[THE HCP]

Our wedding rehearsal dinner. Grandparents made the best homemade Mexican feast imaginable!

 

[3RA1N1AC]

we have insane catering at events all the time (kobe beef, lobster everything, truffle oil, whatever) but the best meal i ever had was the first burrito i had after getting into california driving cross country, in a gas station, the place was called el delicioso and it fucking was

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Not the greatest complete meal but when I was in Amsterdam we ducked into a kebab shop in the wee hours of the morning and I had the most epic eating experience of my life. I got a schwarma wrap with fries and when they gave me the plate they put two condiment bottles in front of me. One was yogurt and one was the "spicy sauce" (you know it if you've ever gotten doner kebab/schwarma). That fucking schwarma was the best thing thats ever graced my palette. I added yogurt and spicy sauce to every bite. Of course I was fucked up but fwiw people do tell me Amsterdam has some of the best Schwarma/kebab.

There's a schwarma place by my new house... I'll have to give it a try.

 

[TradeNurkicNow]

Schwarma in Damascus is just insane... not quite like Doner Kebab, because that shit is Turkish (I think?) But the Syrians do it right especially since each one cost roughly 25 cents.

 

[PapaG]

So a burrito in Syria is the best meal ever, and it costs .25?

We Americans are idiots. Here I was wanting more flavors than sea salt, spices, and pepper.

I did really love schrimp scampi for Gionvanni's on NS Oahu, though. Yeah, it was fun. We were travelling and had just got down surfing. Delish!!

 

[MARIS61]

Always my next one.

 

[crandc]

Tough question. Is it the food? Overall experience? Level of fun?

I once shared bad food with someone I was in the process of falling wildly in love with (mutually). It was certainly memorable but not for the food.

I do remember a friend going fishing and we ate salmon just caught, so good. And some really good Thanksgiving dinners - one reason I like Thanksgiving is that turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries and pies are all among my favorite things. Also remember the first time I ate various things (had quail for the first time on my sabbatical, also duck liver flan which sounds disgusting but was really good).

I simply cannot say what was my best food meal ever. But on my recent sabbatical I went to 28 different restaurants (not counting things like a cup of tea from Starbucks on I-5) and my best meal was at the Slanted Door in the San Francisco Ferry Building. It's billed as Vietnamese/Asian fusion. I started with duck confit salad. I'm very fond of duck and rarely cook it since it's such a pain in the butt to fix. Duck was perfect, very fresh greens, good dressing, really enough for two but I ate it all. Then I had (after much deliberation) pork noodles (clearly don't keep kosher!). A bed of rice noodles, a bed of very fresh and crisp bean sprouts and pork three ways; loin braised in a soy-sauce base, fried pork belly, very crisp, and minced in spring rolls, also came with some greens and dipping sauce. Everything was perfectly cooked and all the flavors went well together. They even had a special blend of tea. (next time I go there I'm trying one of their special cocktails). Dessert was entirely Western, two freshly baked snickerdoodles made an ice cream sandwich with super premium vanilla ice cream. The cookies were still warm from the oven so the ice cream was just beginning to melt around the edges. It took a few napkins to eat that. In my 28 restaurant California tour I learned that too many places don't do dessert well, including high end places, this one was really simple and so good.