Unfortunately, I can’t eat everywhere all of the time.
These are a few elusive meals that I long to try but circumstances or timing have prevented me from enjoying. I envy the writers below for the meals they’ve eaten:
Noma (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Noma is my #1 international goal next year – the food looks creative, original, and delicious. Despite its creativity, it retains an organic-ness to it, akin to Manresa, Pierre Gagnaire, or Mugaritz. Manresa to me might be Noma for Very Good Food – a go-to restaurant when all others won’t do. She has dined there many times but her latest Noma review is required reading.
McCrady’s (Charleston, South Carolina)
McCrady’s has been on my radar since my cross-country road trip last year. Visiting long-lost friends won over eating on that visit. Sean Brock has been rumored to be one of the South’s best chefs. His blog showcases plenty of experiments. However, he still cares about the ingredients and inputs – he is busy cultivating a bio-dynamic garden to supply the restaurant with produce. Opinionated About recently ate there and it looks impressive.
Ideas in Food (New York)
My Keyah Grande meals last year in Colorado, from said road trip, were just as experimental and possibly better than Alinea. Alex and Aki, from Ideas in Food, are very talented cooks that, despite some crazy experimenting, manage to retain their focus on ingredients and flavors. I’m not an eGullet fan, but here’s a great write-up on a recent private meal in New York. If I lived in New York, I would definitely hire them to cook me a private meal.
A meal I’ve enjoyed before but wish to re-visit:
Alinea (Chicago, Illinois)
I had a bit too much to drink during my meal at Alinea – my note-taking and photography were certainly diminished that evening (and a proper review never made it to this site.) Not so with The Hungry Hedonist – a great review and greater photos.
And one meal I would love to try but have not seen anything written:
Studio Kitchen (New York)
His blog photos are stunning, possibly because the food sounds better. There’s an experimental slant but you can see the quality of the ingredients in the photos. If I lived in New York, I would seek a private meal.
Enjoy – if you’ve read an interesting meal review lately, share it in the comments.
- chuck