Whenever I see lists titled “best places to eat,” “best burgers,” or “foods you must experience before you die,” I’m drawn to them like a moth to a light. I can’t resist clicking, but more often than not I leave disappointed. Sometimes it’s because I’ve never visited the city or restaurant mentioned; other times it’s because the featured dish involves strange rituals or ingredients that make the experience feel more like an episode of Bizarre Foods than something I’d actually want to eat.
Bill and Alton Brown
Unlike many of those hyperbolic lists, I believe my own picks aren’t pretentious or food-snobbish. This list isn’t intended to be exhaustive or definitive. Rather, it reflects foods and drinks that, for me, evoke comfort, conjure a sense of time and place, never grow tiresome, or—in the case of homemade versions—far surpass anything mass-produced in a factory.
Bill’s List of Foods & Drinks to Experience:
1. Scrapple
2. Homemade ravioli
3. Steak tartare
4. Kischka (Polish blood sausage)
5. Bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwich)
6. Balinese-style fish
7. Sea scallops with vermouth, artichokes and capers
8. Reuben sandwich (deli style)
9. Rib-eye steak
10. Sushi
11. Raw oysters on the half shell
12. New York–style thin-crust pizza
13. Potstickers
14. Peking duck
15. Bagels with lox / French bread with lox
16. Barbecue pork ribs
17. Caviar
18. Chicken poblano
19. Heirloom / homegrown tomatoes
20. Pastrami on rye
21. Philly cheesesteak sandwich
22. Jackfruit
23. Chicken liver pâté
24. Marmite
25. Homemade ice cream
26. Pilsner beer
27. Homemade / artisan Italian sausage
28. Bennachin
29. Bangers & mash
30. Lamb chops
31. Hainanese chicken rice
32. Mashi
33. Falafel sandwich
34. Broiled portabella mushroom with blue cheese
35. Fresh-picked Bing cherries
36. Fresh apple cider
37. Crab cakes (Chesapeake style, no filler)
38. Calf liver
39. Paella
40. Tapioca
41. Chocolate malt milkshake
42. Amarone (Italian wine made from sun-dried grapes)
43. Italian water ice
44. Cannoli with real ricotta
45. Corned beef with cabbage, carrots and potatoes
46. Boudin
47. Garden tomato, mayonnaise and cheese sandwich
48. Canned pineapple juice
49. Fresh-squeezed orange juice
50. Gravlax
51. Egg cream
52. Patty melt on rye
53. Microbrew beers
54. Fresh salad from the garden
55. Homemade bread
56. Chicago-style hot dog
As I remember additional dishes or encounter new favorites that stir that mouthwatering reaction, I’ll add them to the list and link to recipes or reviews when appropriate.
What foods or drinks would you add to your own list?