Most Memorable Dining Experience
 

What's your favorite dining experiences anywhere in the world? I travel quite a bit and would love to hear responses from other travelers of some of the most memorable dining experiences they have had on their travels.

The terrace restaurant at the Hotel Cipriani on Guidecca in Venice, Italy.

Impeccable cuisine, atmosphere, and service. A lovely gem.

I still think about our dinner at Osteria locanda Il Canto del Maggio in a town a little south of Florence called Penna. Penna is a small hilltown off the A1 and the restaurant is on the very top of the hill. It was run by a local family, of course. The dishes were spectacular and expertly paired with local wines. The local beef was to die for and for the first time ever I had a ravioli that was filled with pecorino cheese and pear in a butter sage sauce that you could have eaten until you became ill. They have a web site and apartments to stay in. If we had known we could have stayed there I might still be in Italy!!

I Sette Consoli in Orvieto

IL Ritrovo in Florence

Da Cesarina in Bologna

Nuovi Notai in Bologna

The prosciutto and cipolini pizza at La Strada in Praiano.

Boyer Les Crayeres in Reims about 5 years ago. Started the evening on the terrace watching the sunset over Reims with a bottle of 92 Bollinger Grand Annee. It was all uphill from there. Wonderful food, lovely atmosphere, and impeccable service. Nothing will ever top that dinner.

Bollinger Grande Annee 1990 is my favourite Champagne, far better than the '92.

The best meals I have ever had were at The Fountain at Four Seasons in Philadelphia, and at the legendary
San Domenico in Imola, Italy. Gordon Ramsay, London, follows.

My Best Service Award goes to the restaurant at the Connaught Hotel in London.

The best mid-priced meal I have ever had, which get my Greatest Value Award, was at Bistro LePic in Georgetown, DC.

My favourite restaurant in the entire world is Chantarelle in NYC, though. Never had a bad meal there, and the room is so beautiful.

Best Cheap Meal Award: a tiny dim sum parlor in the Hung Hom neighbourhood of Hong Kong. $7 US for a meal that I can still dream about.

Cheers,
John G.

For the food, service, and the setting The Auberge de Eriden, on the shore of Lac Annecy where the herb enhanced dishes are created by Marc Feyat.

"Le Saint Vincent" in Chagny in Bourgogne (Cote d'or). 14 people sort of "dropped in" without reserves... we were treated beautifully, with style and grace, the owner and two of his friends joined us.

A friend and were just talking about this and how our favorites sometimes had very little to do with price. Top 5 include a pizza and caprese on the deck of the Aminta, overlooking the beautiful Bay of Naples, Fuori Porto, in Siena on a stormy day when the proprieter took complete care of us, Ski Tip Lodge in Keystone, Co. anytime, the Madrona Manor in Healdsburg with a very special someone, and a huge back yard BBQ with my whole family in Volcano, CA.

L'Ousteau de Baumaniere in Les Baux de Provence. Lunch at Jules Verne. And since you did say anywhere in the world, I will also mention a birthday dinner at Giorgio's here in Portland, OR, as well as MANY memorable dining experiences at Caffe Mingo in Portland. And the Beach House in Kauai.

Le Bernardin NYC (with Bob Hope at the next table, who had no impact on the food, but how coool is that?)

Il Ciak in Trastevere-best veal chop in the universe

The Las Dunas Resort on the Costa del Sol

Cowboy Cut Rib Eye at Sullivan's Steak House in Austin, Texas

Christina's on Orcas Island

Yum.

Gail,
L'Auberge Du Pont Collonges, Lyon France.
Being escorted into the kitchen and introduced to the staff and meeting Paul Bocuse was memorable.
The Caledonian Suite in London where I ate the most horrible dish ever served....Haggis!

I agree with the poster about the Terrace Restaurant at the Hotel Cipriani in Venice. Also, the restaurant at the Hotel Monasterio in Cusco, Peru - fabulous food, atmosphere and value.

Hi
My most memorable is not neccesarily the best. I was in Pirano in Slovenia several years ago and went to a local seafood restaurant. As the menu was in Slovenian and Italian, I ordered seafood pasta. When it came, I didn't know what to do, the seafood were tiny octopus. each about 1/2 to 1" long. I decided that since I ate raw clams, oysters etc. I would give it a try. It was very good, not the best but very good.
alan

Wow Carmen, I was surprised (and glad) to see Giorgio's. I've not been; how does it compare to Mingo?

As for mine, a warm from the oven peach & apple tart, topped with ice cream made with tahitian vanilla, served at a picnic table steps from the lagoon at the "restaurant" in Painapo Beach, Moorea, French Poly. I'm not sure it's possible, but am hoping to top that experience in a few months in Paris.

My most memorable? That's easy. I'll never forget having dinner at Belforte, two years ago, on our final evening in Vernazza. Part of what made it memorable was sitting with a beautiful woman I was head over heels in love with at the time, in a stone room all to ourselves, hearing the Ligurian waves crash on the rocks below through a porthole behind us, and seeing her gorgeous brown eyes flicker along with the candlelight. The other part was when our waiter (a very friendly guy from Volterra) reached across the candle to take our salad plates and his shaggy sweater caught on fire. We immediately jumped up and swatted it out with our napkins and once it was out, we all laughed in shock and amazement.

In no particular order, with the emphasis on "memorable" as opposed to good (because in most cases I don't remember exactly what I ate!):
- In the outdoor courtyard at the Ursulinen in Linz, Austria on a warm summer night
- On the terrace at the Tennerhof in Kitzbuhel, starting when it was light at 8 PM and ending after 11, enjoying the whole long evening in the shadow of the Austrian Alps
- The most spectacular 7-course meal you will ever have in your life at Boyer les Crayeres in Reims - mentioned above - bring your credit cards
- The dining terrace at the Hotel St. Paul in St. Paul-de-Vence with my wife and our best friends
- Arriving at our villa in Positano, rented thru the Parker Company, tired and hungry after a long flight to Rome and long drive down the coast, and finding that the live-in caretaker had prepared an Italian feast for us, topped off at the end with more than a few rounds of limoncello (home-made, from the lemons grown on the seaside terrace outside the door)
- In the US, lunches at Pacific's Edge in Carmel Highlands and at Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, CA

I could go on but I'm getting awfull hungry and there's a 1/2 gallon of Rocky ROad in the 'fridge with my name on it.

Hi beachbum...are you a Portlander too? Giorgio's makes beautiful food--amazing flavors and gorgeous presentation. It's not stuffy at all, but a bit less rambunctious than Mingo. Don't go there if you're in a hurry! Giorgio's is a great place for a simple, but special evening. Mingo is my go-to place when I'm in the neighborhood and don't feel like cooking, which is often ;) Maybe I'll see you there...

Dinner at Lasserre in Paris about 25 years ago. Our first 3 star restaurant (it's since been demoted by Michelin), we were told we could have a table at 7:00 if we could let them have it back by 9:00. (By the way, this is the only time that request has been made of us in France.) On arrival we were taken upstairs by a uniformed page boy in the little jewel box of an elevator.

The food was incredible; to this day I recall the first course of cèpes and the perfect little fraises des bois for dessert. We were absolutely stunned when the ceiling began rolling back to open the room to the stars.

Our fellow diners were also interesting. Across the room was Mary Tyler Moore; at the table next to us was a party of Japanese who took pictures of each course as it was served and who drank orange juice throughout the meal.

Oh, and we wound up staying until about 10:30. I don't know whatever happened to the need to vacate the table; we asked at one point and were told to enjoy our meal, which continued to be served at a perfect pace.

We've had wonderful meals and dining experiences since, but that was definitely the most memorable, just like the first is supposed to be. ;;)

Capo, I loved your story(she say s as she flickers her brown eyes...no not me-sigh!)
John,dorf, my friend never served hagisa to me? Is it that bad?
Shellio, you made Lassere worth going to, by the way you described the ceiling rolling back!