Best meal in Europe ever! A survey.
 

The thread on the best food in Italy has prompted a question - what is the best meal you've ever had in Europe and where? Not just for food, but also atmosphere, service, romance whatever. Let's find the best restaurant in Europe.

The one best is tough--but the one we remember the most vividly and talk about the most was in Rome--Ambasciata d' Abruzzo in Parioli--June 1996.

I believe they've redone the place since then, so I don't know if the atmosphere is the same. At that time they were set up as a more-or-less rustic country restaurant. Hams and sausages hanging from ceiling and walls, baskets of fresh vegetables and fruits visible to the diners, beamed ceilings. Service was friendly and attentive. At each table were a basket of sausages and a basket of breads.

We just asked them to give us what was best that day. So they just brought out each course individually--14 courses. Soups, meats, poultry, fish, vegetables (grilled, sauted, roasted, etc.). One course at a time, each a wonderful surprise.

At the end, the waiter brought out glasses and 4 liquers for us to sample. We were ready to ask for the bill, when my wife commented on a basket really nice looking portobello mushrooms near our table. The waiter's face lit up and he said something like "Ah, the pretty lady likes the mushrooms--wait, wait." And he rushed off.

A few minutes later he comes back with a platter of beautifully sauteed mushrooms. Stuffed as we were, we could not resist finishing them off as the waiter stood by beaming and nodding at our compliments.

I was extremely fearful that I might have to mortgage the house when the bill came--but was pleasantly surprised when the total came to about $95 for the three of us. Actually, more astounded than surprised.

I hope the place hasn't changed much as we intend to return the next time we are in Rome.

It's a hard question if you live here.

Highlights for overall everything:-

The Willow Chinese Restaurant in York.
The Marque in Edinburgh
Rogue in Edinburgh

The Ostler's Close in Cupar

Le Petit Normand in Bayeaux

Fish&chips, sitting on the pier in Kyle of Lochalsh, watching the fog clear over Skye.

drsawyers, good answer!

I'm still thinking about mine...

Gerard Boyer - Les Crayeres - last week!

The Merchant House in Ludlow, UK


In France and Italy , I'm still thinking and trying to decide!

Shoot..how could I have forgotten Sharrow Bay Country House in it's Brian/Frances heyday!

Michel Troisgros...... Troisgros......Roanne, France. Last year.

Gault Milleau has rated Michel Troisgros the best chef for the year 2003.

Herewith I am topping an old thread on best French meals.

The amazing Auberge de Eriden on the shore of Lake Annecy, the food , the service, the view , atmosphere, the chef/owner.

sorry, for the typos but it's too exhausing to always try to correct. On a rainy day like today, my fingers are really bad but. Tant pis!
Here is the website for Auberge de pere Bise. www.perebise.com
p.s. how does one type an url so one can just click on it without typing?

L'Auberge de l'ILL in Illhausen, France, not far from strasbourg... drinks by the river with a special Kir and hors d'oeuvres, several courses inside by the window overlooking the river and a marvelous dessert and cheese, all accompanied by 3 wines of the region...we stumbled up the road afterwards to our B&B, where the lady of the house preparred her special tall sweet bread the next morning for our breakfast....oh such good memories...

chefs: freres Haberlin

we have the covers of the main menu and the dessert menu framed on our bedroom wall to remind us of a wonderful nite...one brother did the art on the cover....

rhkk. we did that last September. Another special place. The guide books all said you needed month in advance reservations but we don't travel that way. On the way to Colmar, I suggested we try to lunch there. (He was wearing burmuda length shorts, my dear partner.) The hostess said if he had long pants we can have a table and we said great as we always keep change of clothes in the trunk for a special happening.The only disappointment was you can only have drinks outside but not dine there in that sylvan setting, but that old guy is amazing who went from table to table to greet everyone, and his son says he does it every time.

So far my best meal in Europe has been Le Vieux Bistro in Paris right by Notre Dame. SIGH!! :)

The best meal makes your heart soar. That did it for you Mary, and that is wonderful. For me, besides the meal is the people that you dine with, or if alone, as I sometimes am, the people who greet and serve you, but you found that out.

Let's see now. . .
The cheese and wine sitting in Green Park in London?
The dinner under the stars and moon at Villa Athena in Agrigento while looking at the illuminated Valley of Temples?
The grilled fish on the docks at Chania, Crete?
The Sami dinner with all parts of reindeer in the earthen hut in Karasjok, Norway?
The raclette in the fog atop Mount Pilatus in Lucerne?
Sitting on the docks in Helsinki, shelling fresh raw peas and throwing the shells on the ground while we swallowed the fresh peas?
The house spaghetti at Silvio in Bellagio?
The dinner at the Parador in Leon, Spain?
Tapas in San Sebastian?
The five star (or should it have been six star?) experience at Chanticleer at Hotel Negresco in Nice?
I could go on and on. . .

I have been fortunate to have had many good meals in Europe. Like Patrick, sometimes trying to decide which is most memorable is difficult. Having a "potluck buffet" during my student days at on the roof balcony of the Villa Corsi-Salviati is quite memorable, for the companionship, and fresh ingredients from that day's farmer's market in Sesto Fiorentino. Likewise, outdoors in Fiesole, eating a cheese sandwich (composed only of cheese and bread) was stunning, due to the view of Florence, and the freshness of ingredients and the companionship of my fellow students.

For "fine dining" experiences, however, I must go with two that stand out. The Studley Priory in Oxfordshire has a restaurant I believe is called Le Croke, and a classmate had her bridesmaid's celebratory dinner there. It was truly outstanding. Also, at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco, the Louis XV was the scene of a dinner to celebrate the birthday of the father of one of my classmates, and it, too, was simply amazing.

BC

I'v zipped past this thread several times without replying, but every time I see the topic I think of our best European meal, which had nothing to do with the quality of the food. Several summers ago, we traveled to Europe with our son, who was a college student at the time. We split up at the train station in Bayeux--he was headed to Amsterdam (of course) through Paris (gulp), on his own in Europe for the first time. We had arranged to meet a month later in a small town outside Munich. Because his Dad and I were traveling too, it was difficult to contact each other, though we did have an emergency contact in Europe.

On the appointed day, we were sitting at a small restaurant in Bad Aibling. We had just finished ordering when I idly wondered when (and if) he'd show up. As I finished the question, I glanced up and there he was! I don't think I've ever been so glad to see anyone in my life! I think he ate his meal and mine too, after eating on a student budget for a month.

Lisbon, Portugal, 1998 "Sua Excellensia". This quirky, small restaurant (12 tables) in a back alley was presided over by a glamourous elderly, talkative, gentleman, a real character who spoke, excellently, it seemed to us, 7 languages.

There was no written menu to speak of; if you were smart, you just ordered from the verbal lists he gave you. He made everything sound fabulous and clearly ruled over the kitchen staff with an iron fist; we could hear him altenately yelling and roaring with laughter to them.

He created an atmosphere where tables started to talk with one another across the language barriers, as, if you sounded dubious about ordering, say, the pate, he would march you over to a table of perfect strangers where it was already being enjoyed.

We started with fresh grilled sardines with a lemon sauce. The next course was the great green cabbage soup that all Portuguese restaurants do, but this was so much better. Then, cod timbales with a cheese sauce of that fresh sheep's cheese that you can only get in hill towns usually and accompanied by a casserole of the small white turnips flavoured with nutmeg and savoury. Dessert was an almond flan with a sauce of apricots. All washed down with that white, almost pale-green new wine , a little frissante, that I always associate with Portugal.

I don't know if this restaurant still exists, but the memory is as fresh as that wine...