Is it the food or experience or both?

We have had some great meals throughout Europe, but, to me, a unique experience always trumps great food to stay in my memory bank.

Here is one example that I have shared before:

Four of us went to Il Latini in Florence in May, 2001, and had a 9:30 pm seating. We were in a back room, and when a table of American early-eaters left, we were the only four Americans in the room with all the rest being Italians.

At some point (after consuming way too much Chianti), I started singing (I thought not too loudly), "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie..." When I got to that part of the song, the whole room breaks into "That's Amore," and for the next hour or two, we were all singing Dean Martin tunes and conversing (it's amazing how much better the four of us spoke Italian after consuming wine) with one another. Thankfully, the Italian contingent spoke better English than we did Italian.

Our room full of people were the last to leave (I think my singing might have caused other rooms to empty faster). To this day, it is one of our most memorable experiences (if not the most memorable) we have had on our many travels. The night we were there, the food was good, our waiter was hilarious, and we had a blast.

Obviously, it was just luck of the draw, but for that one night, it was magical in that room.

Fine dining...perhaps not. Fine time...you bet.

I remember that night like it was yesterday.

On that same trip, we dined at Donna Rosa, located in the hills above Positano. There was a stuffed-shirt, loud-mouther NY lawyer who was making the night miserable for one of the daughters who was serving tables. He was complaining about everything. Thankfully, he finally departed.

Meanwhile, our waitress (who had studied in Texas) enjoyed our group because we attempted to speak Italian (poorly, but we tried) and were having a wonderful time (by the way, if you can't enjoy this restaurant, you have a problem).

At the end of the meal, she invited me back into the restaurant kitchen to have photos taken with her sister and mama. The meal was good, but it is the experience I remember to this day

Bringing a 45' ketch back from Cyprus to the south of France, mostly single handed, after Practice Wife jumped ship. Tired of being alone, I stopped in port of Fiumicino, and took the train into Rome to see if I could pick up a volunteer crew willing to share costs.

Sat on the Spanish Steps for awhile with my hand lettered "Crew Wanted" sign. Got no nibbles so I wandered around looking for someplace cheap to get a bite to eat. Saw a small place that was, literally, a hole in the wall. Had a curtain over the opening, rather than a door.

I went in, sat down, and got out my dictionary. There was no menu, so I looked up the words for, "I'm hungry" and, "This is how much money I have". I said the words, and plopped down some of my seriously dwindling supply of Lira. The proprietor nodded, clapped me on the shoulder, and the food kept coming, and coming. One of the best and most memorable meals of my life!

Fourteen of us rented 2 "posh" barges and decided to go east from St. John de Losne towards the Cote d'or to Macon in Burgundy. On one particularly fine day, our boat's captain didn't want to tie up at Santanay and kept saying "What's around that bend?" So onwards we go. The sun was seriously setting and we saw a small sign by the canal at a large building "resto and bar". This is in a little town called Chagny. So we tie up the boat and 7 of us, troop in. He announces that he has little to serve us for dinner not much wine. We's popped bottles of our hoard of Burgundy, offered some to him as well. WELL! Out comes a platter of charcuterrie (I know that's not spelled correctly) and great fresh bread. Delicious things. We thought that that was great and dived in thinking that would be that...but nooooo. Next comes something I had dreampt about. Beouf Bourguinan made in Burgundy. Litterly melted in your mouth. (I just mistyped mouth and had typed "Mother". See? And I typed for a living!)
He served that with frites. Now, we're all having a jolly old time and the plates are pretty darned clean and the other boat shows up. That was a very unhappy crew as they didn't realize that Santanay was as far from the Canal as it was and they couldn't find anyplace to eat. Our host's kitchen was now pretty much cleared but those 7 enjoyed eating the leftovers we had.
Now, the host, who up to that moment spoke no english, sits down, takes a long draught of his glass, arms on the table and asked in perfect English, "So? Would you like me to run water and electricy out to your boats? It would cost 5 Euro a boat..
Then he brought out a bottle of his special home-made "marc" he said. White lightening, I called it.
Man-o-man, did all of us sleep well that night. Next day was a bit iffy.

Food has very little to do with my pleasure traveling. It's way low on my priority list. I certainly enjoy trying fun local specialties, but am just as happy with a sausage (hotdog) on the street at a local festival, or a cheese tart at the farmers market on Saturday morning as eating at high-end restaurants.

Food is high on my priority list (I travel for food lots of times) but I still do enjoy a bratwurst in Germany or fish and chips in the UK. I like to enjoy the little things (obviously, as you can read above).

Food and travel are my life so when I travel I not only like to eat but learn about culture and history and local ingredients. I like to take cooking classes in each country I go to as well. I love food a little TOO much!

The culture of food is a central focus of our travels. In Puglia, spending an afternoon with a friend and his mother; canning the peach crop, cooked over a wood fire in the "summer kitchen", or selecting the coniglio from the barn to be dressed and grilled for dinner. Of course all of this is after lengthy discussions of why their homemade wine is "the best". That is the joy of travel for us.

Although there have been many, the most recent stands above the rest. [Is that because at my advanced age memory is failing? Who knows?]

We were in Provence this May, having rented a house in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. After meeting and chatting about our accommodations with our landlord, a most affable gentleman (he'd guffaw at that description), he invited us to his home near Gordes for lunch during our stay. We graciously accepted, knowing that it wouldn't really be confirmed until we met his lovely wife when she came the next day for further instructions regarding our washer/dryer. Sure enough, she repeated the invitation.

The Wednesday of that week, after visiting Roussillon, we made our way to Gordes and found their house. We were expecting a modest domicile (after all, we assumed that they were a middle-aged couple supplementing their retirement). We were shocked when we entered - the house would likely cost in the 2-3 million € range, considering the size of the property, the location of the property, the size of the house, the furnishings, etc.

We first went to one of the outdoor eating areas (akin to a pergola?) for wine, cheese, saucissons, olives, etc. This lasted about an hour. Then we walked around the property while the rest of the meal was put together. We ate in the "kitchen" - a meal of roast lamb, ratatouille, salad, bread, and wine. This was followed by our cheese course, with more wine. Being the gluttons that we were, when offered espresso, we said yes.

Yes the quality of the food and wine and property were fabulous. But what really "made" the meal were our hosts - as they put it, we were "sympathique," and we made wonderful new friends - not a bad thing to have in Provence.

Sam

We were in Paris a few Thanksgivings ago with another couple. We walked around looking for a place to have a fairly early dinner--6:30 or so, because we were starving. We stumbled upon La Table du Perigord near our hotel.

No one else was there yet for dinner, but they seated us. A couple about our ages were the owners. They brought us wine and took our orders. Then they brought us one at a time samples of everything they were cooking for dinner that night and told us all about it. We drank 2 or 3 bottles of wine, and I don't think we ever even got the dishes that we ordered!

By the time we left at about 8:30, the other diners were arriving. Until then, we pretty much had had the owners and the restaurant and the kitchen to ourselves. It is one of my best remembered meals ever.

Many years ago, my Lady Wife and I were wandering through Paris when she decided to become tired and in need of a glass of wine.

This usually happens around 4:00 PM, when all of the restos are closed.

Happening upon a place nearby - one of those establishments with an awning that leads from the door to the curb, we went in.

It was a beautifully arranged and decorated room.

I and asked if it was possible to have just a glass of wine.

The maitre d' kindly showed us out to the terrace - a large flagstone area with a long lawn that sloped down to a creek - and sat us at a table under an umbrella.

Two white wines were brought.

Then two little dishes of snacks.

Then two little dishes of snacks.

Then the chef came out with two little dishes of snacks.

"Here, tastes", says he.

With the help of the maitre d', we discussed the merits of his offering - baked oysters in savory cream sauce.

Two more glasses of wine and

Then two little dishes of snacks.

Another round of "Here, taste".

etc.

We were held prisoner and forced to taste and critique until guests began to arrive.

We were not charged.

Foolishly, or maybe because we were euphoric from the food, we did not find out the name of the resto.

We have not been able to find it again.

Whenever I prepare something new, I always offer a small dish to my LW and say, "Here, taste".

Several years ago, we met a French couple while vacationing in Mexico and exchanged the "if you're ever in Paris (or the U.S.) . . ." invitation. The following year we decided to rent an apartment in Paris and contacted this couple to go to dinner with us while we were there. Instead, they insisted that we visit them for Sunday dinner at their apartment in a suburb of Paris. The meal they presented to us was an incredible feast pairing each course with an appropriate wine and the meal lasting for 5 hours! Because they spoke little or no English and our French was just passable, they also invited a friend who spoke some English to make us feel more comfortable. The five of us sat at a table in the living/dining room that took up most of the room in this little apartment. Our hostess cooked everything herself from scratch in the small kitchen.

Before dinner began and while we chatted, a nice Hungarian Tokay.

Course 1 – petite appetizers of soft cheese and rolled meat and salty nuts paired with a sherry.

Course 2 – Escargot with garlic butter and crusty bread paired with a wonderful chablis.

Course 3 – Scallops of veal with a cream sauce and steamed broccoli put through a ricer with another white wine.

Course 4 – 5 different kinds of cheeses from creamy to blue to hard with a red wine.

Course 5 – Two homemade tarts – apple and strawberry – with a custard base. This was paired with a pink champagne that our hostess received as a gift from her boss when she retired. She said that she would save it for a special occasion and she opened it for us with dessert.

Course 6 – Moroccan mint tea.

Course 7 – About an hour later – strong coffee before starting out for home.

Though we took the metro and train to their home, their guest offered us a ride back to our apartment in the 6th. It was raining and our apartment was on a very narrow one-way street. He parked in the middle of the street to let us out and then, when we got to the sidewalk, he and our host got out of the car, came onto the sidewalk and hugged and kissed us to say goodbye – in the rain! It was like a scene out of an old black and white movie with the rain, the horns tooting from the cars behind the "parked" car and the jumble of French and English goodbyes as we waved them off. The generosity and hospitality of our French friends is something that makes us smile every time we think of wonderful meals and good friends.

So many good meals come to mind. While in Vienna we ate in a restaurant in the 1st district that translates to "cuckoo clock" The restaurant has many cuckoo clocks around, and the food is superb. Homemade fruit vodka, wine, white asparagus, and tantalizing meats, and sauces. It makes our mouths water just remembering this wonderful Austrian treat.

In Dubrovnik we traveled by bus and walked a bit(following directions given to us by a hotel worker) until we came upon an outdoor setting. Fresh fish was being cooked over a wood fire inside the restaurant, and it was the most delicious fish I've ever eaten.

20 years ago, in Chamonix. We had brought sandwiches with us, made from provisions bought at a supermarchee. We sat in a meadow and a local walked by and said 'Bon Appetit'! It's just the first thing I thought of when I read this question! I've enjoyed meals in Paris, Rome - all over the place, but I hardly remember them!

Actually, we're usually so skint after paying for accommodation and transport, that we eat at McDs!!

A particularly memorable chicken salad sandwich made on rustic whole wheat bread comes to mind. Bought in a Paris bakery eaten on a bench in Luxembourg Gardens.

Our first lunch (in the mid 80's) at Corte Sconta in Venice.... and our first dinner at L'Atelier du Joel Robuchon in Paris. In both cases the wonderful food was enhanced by very convivial fellow diners who were passing around food and menu tips.

I've also never gotten over my first exposure to open face sandwiches in Copenhagen (with the beer and the schnapps!)

Thanks for sharing your experiences - it seems as though it is usually the experience (often along with the food) that wins over strictly the food!

Another cool experience we had was meeting Jamie Oliver at "Fifteen" in London. The food was very good but it is the assorted flaky sea salts and Jamie that stood out the most.

Oh Momcat my mouth is watering now! It sounds delicious!

I'm quite young so don't have too many experiences of dinner parties and so on, but the most memorable meals have been those at a friend's house, with great company, so I think the 'experience' beats the food for me. I remember one great night in particular, I was working in France and a coworker I didn't know well invited my friend and I to a barbeque at his house. It was just a simple table set up in the garden and there were only 7 or 8 guests, but he'd made some great appetizers and had about 10 bottles of great wine on the table. We had Lebanese food, then meat, cheese, then coffee, it was all so tasty and we had great conversation with the other guests. Eventually someone suggested we should get some sleep before work, and I was shocked to realise it was past 4am!

Several years ago, I heard a theory that when you travel when your young, you tend to remember activities you experienced on holiday and the older you get, the more you focus on the foods that you ate while on holiday.

After hearing that, it was really cute listening to my grandparents talk about all of the wonderful buffets in Las Vegas while my siblings raved about the shows....

Needless to say, after hearing this theory, I've tried to focus more on activities and less on the food...my effort to stay young!

That's interesting, wanna! My passions are food and travel and thankfully they go hand in hand. I hope to enjoy both for a very, very long time...

After truffle hunting we were given some white truffles (after being driven in the dark, blindfolded, etc.) to enjoy on risotto at a local restaurant. Both the food and the experience made it a night to remember always.

Best meal was a lunch in 2000, and the memory lingers:
Attentive, discreet and expert service in a sensationally-appointed restaurant in an idyllic riverside setting.
Menu:
1. Amuse Bouche
2. La terrine de foie gras d'oie truffee
3. Le carre de veau de lait roti entier, accompagne d'un flan de legumes aux girolles
4. Les Fromages
5. La Peche Haeberlin
6. Cafe
Wines:
Rene Mure Pinot Noir
Marcel Deiss Schoenenbourg Grand Cru Riesling

Satisfaction Level: Extreme

Location: Illhaeusern, near Colmar, in Alsace, France

Restaurant: Auberge De L'Ill