What was your Best Meal of the Year?
Oct 4, 2013 | 5:02 am
#61
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,438
That is impressive. I will have visited between 18-20 when this year is over. Next year it will likely be a lot fewer for me.
Oct 4, 2013 | 3:38 pm
#62
Original Poster
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,856
Nothing outstanding for me in 2013 yet. A couple of steak dinners at Gibsons in Chicago but I can make the steak almost as good at home with my Dad on our charcoal grille. Still, three months to go so I'd better come up with something worth talking about!
Oct 6, 2013 | 7:41 am
#63
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: DC
Programs: AA,UA
Posts: 71
This is a hard one so I'll choose my best from a handful of trips. I still have a few destinations on tap including Munich so I'm sure a Bavarian resto can eclipse one or more of these.
ShinBay in Scottsdale
The Willows in at Lummi Island
Saison in San Francisco
EL Ideas in Chicago
Schwa in Chicago
ShinBay in Scottsdale
The Willows in at Lummi Island
Saison in San Francisco
EL Ideas in Chicago
Schwa in Chicago
Oct 30, 2013 | 1:31 pm
#64
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Tulsa, OK
Programs: AA EXP, UA Silver, SPG Plat, Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,264
My best meal this year has been at King + Duke in Atlanta this week. Listed as one of Esquire Magazines Top 15 new restaurants, it delivers. Everything is cooked in their own 24 foot long hearth oven.
Just spectacular.
Just spectacular.
Oct 30, 2013 | 6:27 pm
#65
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Washington D.C. via Sao Paulo via Houston via Washington D.C. via Boston via New York
Posts: 1,172
2013 Brought me around the world and the standout hands down was Ryugin in Tokyo - http://www.flickr.com/photos/josh_ma...7633162075574/
Nov 1, 2013 | 7:59 am
#67
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: DC
Programs: AA,UA
Posts: 71
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9780; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.8+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0.0.448 Mobile Safari/534.8+)
You're causing me to reconsider my ATL choices. Headed there next week and I need to decide btwn Empire State South & Bacchanalia one night and The Optimist, Miller Union or Bacchanalia on another.
Originally Posted by fieldeng
My best meal this year has been at King + Duke in Atlanta this week. Listed as one of Esquire Magazines Top 15 new restaurants, it delivers. Everything is cooked in their own 24 foot long hearth oven.
Just spectacular.
Just spectacular.
Nov 4, 2013 | 8:13 am
#69
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In the air
Programs: Finnair Platinum, Bonvoy LT Plat, GHA Tit, Turkish Elite
Posts: 9,177
Bit of a wild card this one, but yesterday:
Matched chocolate and rum tasting (designed by yours truely) at the Rum Kitchen in Notting Hill with Venezuelan rums (Santa Teresa, Diplomatico and Pamplona) and a box of mixed Pierre Marcolini chocolates I had brought along, followed by Zombie cocktails and authentic Jamaican food.
Followed by more chocolates and more rum.
Matched chocolate and rum tasting (designed by yours truely) at the Rum Kitchen in Notting Hill with Venezuelan rums (Santa Teresa, Diplomatico and Pamplona) and a box of mixed Pierre Marcolini chocolates I had brought along, followed by Zombie cocktails and authentic Jamaican food.
Followed by more chocolates and more rum.
Nov 4, 2013 | 6:51 pm
#70
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: San Francisco
Programs: AS MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 701
This is a hard one so I'll choose my best from a handful of trips. I still have a few destinations on tap including Munich so I'm sure a Bavarian resto can eclipse one or more of these.
ShinBay in Scottsdale
The Willows in at Lummi Island
Saison in San Francisco
EL Ideas in Chicago
Schwa in Chicago
ShinBay in Scottsdale
The Willows in at Lummi Island
Saison in San Francisco
EL Ideas in Chicago
Schwa in Chicago
Best meal for me was e by Jose Andres, was an amazing dining experience.
Nov 4, 2013 | 7:52 pm
#71
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Lifetime Titanium Elite, Hilton Diamond, Avis Chairman's, Hertz Platinum, Ntl EE
Posts: 261
Nov 4, 2013 | 8:45 pm
#72
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott Lifetime Titanium Elite, Hilton Diamond, Avis Chairman's, Hertz Platinum, Ntl EE
Posts: 261
I have had many fantastic meals this year. Schwa ranks as the best for myself for overall food and atmosphere followed by Next and Fat Duck. Noma ranks lower on this list. 3 Frakkar in Reykjavik was one of the more interesting with shark, horse tenderloin, and puffin as my meal.
2 x Alinea
2 x Next
3 x Schwa
Jimmy's in Aspen
Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee
Ledoyen
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Yam'tcha
Noma
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Fat Duck
3 Frakkar
Junoon
I'm rounding out the rest of the year at French Laundry, the Bocuse d'Or meal at Next, Kawamura, Jiro, and Narisawa
2 x Alinea
2 x Next
3 x Schwa
Jimmy's in Aspen
Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee
Ledoyen
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Yam'tcha
Noma
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Fat Duck
3 Frakkar
Junoon
I'm rounding out the rest of the year at French Laundry, the Bocuse d'Or meal at Next, Kawamura, Jiro, and Narisawa
Nov 4, 2013 | 11:37 pm
#73
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: May 2002
Location: YEG
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 57,066
Hands down a memorable burger & beer at Gramercy Tavern in NYC. A launch hour respite from a cold January day that turned into a 2 hour leisurely meal complete with NY Times and warm, unobtrusive service made for a nice NY experience I'd happily repeat next time I visit.
