It really all comes down to what you like and what your mood is at the particular time and place, doesn't it? For example, Esteban's experience at Columbo in Lisbon and HK-UMICH's happenstance bowl of noodles with his mom in Sau Kei Wan were the perfect meals given the context. The best evenings I've ever spent dining out were at Gary Danko's in San Francisco and Grammercy Tavern in NYC (with Union Square Cafe in NYC and Genoa in PDX being close). I would not want nor expect that kind of experience at Fenway Park; that's when Legal Seafood's chowdah is the "best restaurant in the world."

I think the beauty of humans is the complex nature of our needs. There is a time and place for everything, be it Gary Danko's or Legal Seafoods.