Meals and Milestones: How Food Defined My Favorite Moments

“Your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” – Anthony Bourdain

During my twenties, fine dining evolved from a hobby into a passion. This interest was fueled by the time period (food documentaries were in), my consulting career (eating good while on the road), and a desire to immerse myself in what I perceived as the epitome of a luxurious lifestyle.

Overtime my priorities have changed and although I still enjoy a nice meal it’s definitely not a focus for me. For me, the most important thing is who you get to enjoy your meals with. The food is ultimately forgettable but the friendships and connections that are built will hopefully be much longer lasting.

Eleven Madison Park

The Food: They changed their menu to vegan but the Halibut and Chocolate Pretzel were memorable

The Moment: Eleven Madison is at the top of my list because of the milestone that it marks not because of the food. At the time, Eleven Madison was considered one of the top restaurants in the world. The food wasn’t as memorable as some of the other places we’ve been but it marks a special weekend for Dana and I. The dinner itself was on Dana’s birthday but that weekend was the weekend that I asked Dana to be my partner for life. She accepted and is now stuck with me. The food was OK. We sat in the bar area which may have impacted our experience. The celery root was braised table side “en vessie” (in a sheep’s bladder). Eleven Madison was probably my first time at a truly fine dining experience and although I may not have appreciated the food the weekend meant a whole lot.

I asked Dana to be my partner later the following day; we then spent New Year’s Eve celebrating in Times Square. It was truly a memorable weekend and one that I look back on fondly.

Osteria Francescana

The Food: The entire menu was amazing.

The Moment: For our Honeymoon Dana and I planned on doing a trip to Italy and France with a focus on food. This was our first international trip together and, although I had been to Ireland previously, was my first time traveling between different European countries. Needless to say, I was ill prepared. I packed far too much in a suitcase that was far too big. I booked an AirBnB for us in Modena and after dragging our luggage up multiple flights of stairs I knew that I messed up. Our comically sized luggage took majority of the room in our AirBnB. Ultimately though, it didn’t matter. Dana and I were on such a high from our wedding and were looking forward to celebrating our future together. Our first night in Modena we went to Massimo’s “Franceschetta58” the food was a good introduction to Massimo and had us excited for our meal at Osteria Francescana.

Osteria Francescana is Massimo Bottura’s famous restaurant in Modena, Italy. We had a lunch reservation, and the food was incredible. Massimo is truly an artist, and the lunch experience that was prepared was next level. My personal favorite was the tomato and eggplant in a broth that was indescribable “Autumn in New York, Summer in Modena” (pictured top right). The nuanced flavors and thoughtfulness were like nothing I had experienced up to that point and nothing that I’ve experienced since. We enjoyed the wine pairing with the meal and, needless to say, we were not disappointed. The meal was followed by a long afternoon nap before grabbing drinks at a music-themed bar in Modena. The meal and the small city of Modena were great ways to start our trip and to unwind after our wedding.

Hotel Les Avises

The Food: Farm to table French cuisine. I can’t remember exactly what I ate but I remember being impressed. The ambiance of the hotel is what draws me back.

The Moment: We traveled from Modena to Nice France where our comically sized luggage truly became an issue. First, was the train ride from Italy to France. In my head, European trains were luxurious and a preferred way to travel on a honeymoon. The reality, our luggage barely fit on the train and the ride took hours. We were in a run down carriage and there were no refreshments. While we enjoyed traveling through places like Monaco we arrived in Nice a little worn out. After arriving in Nice, we traveled to our AirBnB which was a small condo on a busy street. At this point, we were kind of beat and just wanted to relax. We made the decision to pivot and move up our Paris leg of the trip. We weren’t in Nice for more than 24 hours before we were hoping on a flight (thankfully no more trains) to Paris. When we arrived in Paris we checked into a hotel (thankfully no more AirBnBs) and settled in to relax for the remainder of our trip.

We decided to take a day trip to the champagne region of France and booked a wonderful tour guide who picked us up at our hotel. We visited Èpernay, France and had the opportunity to tour the Moët & Chandon house in addition to the monastery where Dom Pérignon was a monk. Our tour guide (shout to Geraldine!) was absolutely amazing. As part of our tour we stopped for lunch at Hotel Les Avises. This restaurant is in a hotel on the hill side of Côte des Blancs, France. We ate lunch on the back patio and had the opportunity to chat with Geraldine about life, America, and France. The food and conversation were great and was one of the highlights of our trip for sure. The food was amazing and getting out of the city to see a bit of the country side was brilliant. I hope one day to return to Hotel Les Avises for a stay.

Bing Bing Dim Sum

The Food: Cheesesteak Bao buns and Dan Dan noodles.

The Moment: This place holds a special place in my heart. In addition to having great food, it is a place that we frequented while living in Philadelphia. Many an afternoon and evening were spent eating Philadelphia Cheesesteak Bao buns while hanging out with Dana and and our departed frenchie, Larry. One such weekend, Dana and I were out getting some food before going to see Hamilton. While putting my name in with the hostess stand I notice Jason Segal leaving. I’m blown away. I finish with the hostess and leave to tell Dana who I just saw. As I turn the corner Jason is saying hi to Larry and is greeting a star struck Dana who mutters “you make the world a better place.” Jason got a kick out of it and went about his day. He was in Philadelphia that weekend shooting a movie.

Snow’s BBQ

The Food: Brisket, Brisket, Brisket

The Moment: Another place that was featured on Chef’s table. Snow’s is probably the top bite of food I’ve ever had in my life. It has the benefit of being more recent than the rest of the restaurants but Texas BBQ , specifically brisket, is out of this world. I had the opportunity to eat at Snow’s on two separate occasions while living in Austin, TX. For me, Snow’s tops places like Franklins, Terry Blacks, and Kreuz Market. The brisket just falls apart in your hands and is so moist and flavorful. The first time we visited I arrived a bit late ~7AM! and after waiting in line for a few hours was only able to get sausage and chicken. The second time we visited I was going for the brisket. We left our place in Austin around 4 AM to get to Snow’s around 5 AM. They don’t start serving until 11 AM. The brisket was well worth the 10+hours I ended up waiting in line. I managed to grab a photo of Clay working the pit at Snow’s. Tootsie was also present but unfortunately I didn’t get any good pictures.

Honorable Mentions

Denver

Horseshoe Lounge: Can’t make a list without the “shoe”. This was my watering hole in my twenties. I don’t think they have food but they do have an open patio where you can rip cigs and slam beers.
Tommy’s Thai: Surprisingly some of the best Thai food I’ve had to date.
El Camino Community Tavern: Great brunch spot.

Philadelphia

Stateside: Happy hour old fashions are clutch in the summer. They also do solid charcuterie boards.
Laurel: Duck fat biscuits. Enough said.
Jim’s Roast Pork: Roast Italian Port with broccoli raab. Also, the classic Philly Cheesesteak.
El Cantina Los Cabalitos
South Philly Barbacoa

Chicago

Au Cheval: The burgers were amazing as was the bologna sandwich. The restaurant has a really cool diner vibe. I can say, it’s definitely worth the wait. The only burger that might rival Au Cheval’s would be the Holdout burger in Austin, TX.
Il Porcini: Brick chicken and boulevardiers.
Aliena: Didn’t actually get to dine here but had their takeout twice during COVID. The beef Wellington was next level.
The Aviary: A cool cocktail spot where you can get drinks like the “Cereal Killer” that tastes like fruit loops. I enjoyed the Aviary Old Fashion which included table side branding of a piece of oak (pictured right). The smoke of the branding was captured in a glass for the cocktail.
Roisters: Open fire kitchen. Roister’s is another restaurant owned by Graham. Food and service was amazing.

Austin

Holdout Brewery: Give me a liquid television and a holdout burger as my last meal please.
St. Elmos Brewery / Spicy Boys: Cool brewery with outdoor seating for the dogs. Spicy Boys is a food truck permanently located on site. The cauliflower bites are delicious.
Pearla’s: Seafood styled brunch on South Congress. Outdoor patio is first come first serve but definitely worth it for the ambiance and people watching.
Homeslice: Apparently the guy who owns/owned this also had a bagel shop in Philadelphia. Not sure about the bagels but this was the best slice of pizza in Austin.

Charleston

Home Team: Pork and game changers (frozen rum drink)
Saltwater Cowboys: Frozen drinks on the water.
Leon’s: Fried Chicken
Bar 1867: Oysters.

Ferry The Boat