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Published: June 29th 2017
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We travel to get away. To see new things, to take time out from our busy schedules, and to recharge our batteries. But what often goes unsaid is that we also travel to experience new restaurants, new regional foods we haven’t tried before, and simply to enjoy the opulent luxury of having someone else prepare and serve a fabulous meal.
At home, we grow weary of the weekly menu, the quick macaroni-and-cheese dinners and the fast food burgers wrapped in paper we buy from time to time when we’re too tired to cook and lack the energy and enthusiasm to go somewhere with real food.
The best part of vacation? It’s the restaurants.
As my wife and I sat in
Bistro Bis , an elegant little French restaurant in Washington, D.C. near the capitol mall, we weren’t thinking about how to use up the last package of hamburger in the freezer. And although we enjoyed spending the entire day at the National Gallery of Art, the image of Da Vinci’s Ginevra de Benci no longer penetrated our thoughts, stunning though it was. We were thinking only of the confit de canard in front of us, lightly seasoned to perfection and cooked in its own fat to a delectable level of crispiness and paired with an excellent glass of pinot noir and followed up with a crème brûlée with a perfect hard sugary crust covering the soft, sweet custard underneath.
When choosing a travel destination, yes, we may want to go see an attraction – a museum, a national park, a giant ball of twine – but a vacation without good food is incomplete. Those destinations which offer the combination of fun and exotic things to do, and great restaurants, are always going to be on the top of the list. Here are a few of those unique cities that are perfect destinations for the foodie in all of us:
Chicago, IL Whether it’s a Chicago-style hot dog purchased from a cart on Michigan Street, or a thick, juicy steak at Chicago Chop House, there’s no mistaking that you’re in the heartland and there is midwestern history and tradition to be enjoyed. Though the Chop House opened only in 1986, its home is in a century-old Victorian brownstone building filled with history. For another look into the city’s notorious past, the
Berghoff on Adams Street in the downtown loop boasts Chicago liquor license number one, the first license to be issued after Prohibition ended. We won’t ask whether beer and liquor was served in a secret back room during Prohibition itself, but it is Chicago, after all. Operating since 1898 and probably one of the oldest restaurants in Chicago, the Berghoff boasts an impressive German menu and their very own Berghoff beer.
New York, NY New York City must be included in any compendium of good restaurant destinations, if for no other reason than the sheer volume of choices available. On our last visit, we stayed in midtown and went to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Not far from our hotel we stumbled on the
Pasta Lovers Trattoria on 49
th street, and it was simply incomparable! What a lucky find this one was. It wasn’t crowded and we were seated right away, and the waiter made us feel welcome. We enjoyed the friendly service and the excellent traditional Italian menu. After a crab cake appetizer we enjoyed a pasta fagioli followed by lasagna Bolognese, exquisitely prepared, and a nice tiramisu for dessert. Prices were about average for midtown and lower than some of the more trendy restaurants, and this has definitely become our go-to Italian place in New York.
Washington, DC Politicos live well and love fine dining, and you’re very likely to see congressmen, lobbyists and others who keep the wheels of government turning in any one of the hundreds of great restaurants around the capitol. Washington is a very international city, with residents from every corner of the world, and the cuisine reflects that, though it seems one of the favorite types of cuisine is French. That said, you can find just about any type of cuisine from any part of the world you can imagine. I’ve enjoyed some of the best dim sum in quaint back alley restaurants in China, but Wolfgang Puck’s
The Source , in the Newseum across from the Smithsonian, is one of the best dim sum experiences outside of Hong Kong. Chef Wolfgang has put together an impressive selection of items you’ll never find back home, including a crispy suckling pig appetizer, jackfruit curry, and some southeast Asian favorites like Pad Thai noodles. If you can’t make up your mind – we couldn’t – there’s always the seven-course tasting menu that gives you a mix of all of the signature items.
San Francisco, CA At one time many years ago, I lived in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district, known as the birthplace of the hippie movement. I frequented coffeehouses along Haight Street, where my friends and I would read poetry at one another and sit for hours while ordering a single cup of cappuccino. I understand well why these coffeehouses came and went so quickly, but they were fun while they lasted. I ate sometimes at the free Hare Krishna gatherings in the park, and still to this day believe the Hare Krishnas, despite whatever theological disagreements you may have with them, know a thing or two about how to make good vegetarian food. Not too far from that Haight on Cole Street is
Zazie , and the long line you’re likely to find speaks to its incredibly wonderful brunch offering. A “tip-free” destination that pays its staff a living wage and benefits, Zazie’s brunch offers all the basics, done extremely well, with a nice selection of scrambled egg and eggs benedict variations. Needless to say the service is so far above-par it’s even hard to describe. You’ll find plenty of these sorts of small, neighborhood favorites throughout the city. San Francisco cuisine is a far cry from the meat-heavy Midwestern fare of Chicago, although there are still a few old-school steakhouses to be found if you look hard enough. Stay away from the tourist restaurants at Fisherman’s Wharf if you can.
Seattle, WA Seattle is attracting a lot of attention, not to mention top-flight chefs, and it has become one of the top foodie destinations in the country.
Tulio , at the Kimpton Hotel Vintage Seattle, celebrates its 25
th anniversary this year, and is an old-world Italian favorite, one of the friendliest and most welcoming restaurants in Seattle, and definitely one with the best wine list. Tulio is also one of a handful of destinations with a true appreciation of grappa, with an entire wall dedicated to endless variations of this Italian version of brandy. You’ll also find that people in Seattle aren’t afraid to be experimental, and you’ll find that reflected in the restaurant scene there as well, with things like whole-animal butchery (Brimmer & Heeltap), an incredibly fun and creative venture into veganism (Harvest Beat), and “thali” concept at Poppy. Thali, an Indian style of dining, is an experience not to be missed, offering up small servings of six different flavors on a plate.
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