It’s officially November, which means we’re situated about halfway between the two Thanksgivings, and I think that calls for another food-related post! About this time last year, I wrote about some of our most memorable meals, which was fun and nostalgic, but this year, I wanted a challenge. For this month’s post, Tucker and I debated long and hard to come up with a list of the top ten best things we’ve ever eaten (in no particular order).
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? It was NOT. We struggled with remembering, with choosing, and ultimately with agreeing on a mere ten dishes out of the thousands of meals we’ve enjoyed over the years. But the hardest part, by far, was realizing it’ll be years and years before we can taste all these things again! Ugh! Oh well, let’s all make ourselves hungry, starting with…
Chongqing noodles from pretty much any noodle shop in Chongqing, China
I am borderline obsessed with noodles. I eat them several times a week in one form or another, so of course, a noodle dish had to be on this list. Surprisingly, I didn’t have too much trouble in choosing my absolute favorite noodles I’ve ever had. Probably because I had them every day for about a week while visiting Western China. What makes them so special? If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a few thousand years of practice. But it might also just be the perfect combination of thick noodles, spicy sauce, and crunchy toppings.
La Sauvagine Fondant from St Hubert in Gatineau, Québec
A somewhat surprising and recent addition to our list is an appetizer we ordered on a whim just last month. We were at one of our favorite restaurants here in Canada and happened to see a melted cheese dish that looked intriguing. Well, not only was it intriguing, it was absolutely addictive! We actually went back and had it again the very next week, which if you know Tucker, you know how big a deal that is. La Sauvagine, the main component, is a soft cheese from Québec to which they add dried cranberries, bacon, pumpkin seeds, green onions, and maple syrup all melted together in a skillet and served with grilled ciabatta. Oh mon dieu!
Sonoran specialties from Mochomos in Aguascalientes, México
Next up is really more of the entire menu than one specific dish, but if we had to choose just one, we could and it would still be on this list. Mochomos is a Sonoran-style restaurant with several branches in North and Central Mexico. Their concept is “Requeza Sonorense” or Sonoran Wealth, which means they highlight the best ingredients from the region in a simple but elegant way. The cortes, or cuts of meat, are the biggest draw, and they are done to perfection, but the sweet and spicy sesame panela is the dish we found ourselves going back for.
Zupy i kotlety from Gospoda Koko in Kraków, Poland
This was one dish we had a little trouble naming, but it stood out so clearly in our minds that we had to put it on the list. Tucked away on one of the many side streets of Kraków’s Old Town, there’s a rustic-looking restaurant (think hay and chickens) that’s still using handwritten menus, and they make the most delicious, homey Polish dishes that we’ve ever had outside of a Polish home. Both times we were there we shared a bowl of rosół (chicken noodle soup) and a plate of meat, sauce, and potatoes, which we’re still trying to recreate at home…to no avail, of course.
Brisket on weck sandwich from Fat Bob’s Smokehouse in Buffalo, New York
Beef on weck is a Buffalo staple made up of thinly sliced roast beef served on a kummelweck bread roll topped with salt and caraway seeds, and it’s really good! But when a place takes an already delicious traditional dish like that and adds slow-cooked brisket to the mix, well clearly, they make our list of best things we’ve ever eaten! In fact, we’re planning on driving quite a bit out of our way just to get this sandwich the next time we have to go south. And if you’re ever there, don’t forget the extra jus and horseradish! So good!
Cuban plates from Old’s Havana in Miami, Florida
Cuban food, in general, is one of our favorites, so we have it fairly often (definitely every time we’re in Florida), and when thinking of the best plate of Cuban cuisine we’ve ever had, Old’s Havana is what comes to mind! It’s there that we had our favorite vaca frita, which is the most incredible mezcla of shredded and fried flank steak topped with sauteed onions and lime, and, of course, everything there is served with the equally delicious Cuban trifecta: rice, beans, and plantains. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that the atmosphere of a place can totally affect how much we enjoy it, and Old’s is truly such a fun place that even if you didn’t like the food, you’d still love the experience!
Katsu from Katsukura in Kyoto, Japan
Japan takes their food seriously, and it definitely shows in their restaurant scene. Just like in Japanese architecture, there seems to be a focus on subtlety and presentation, which we absolutely fell in love with at Katsukura. The first thing we did upon sitting down at this gorgeous restaurant was grind a variety of sesame seeds by hand to make our own individualized dipping sauces. That freshness and attention to detail was also evident in each and every bite of our katsu (a panko-encrusted fried pork cutlet served with shredded cabbage). My mouth is literally watering as I write this…
Khao soi (made by Tucker) at Asia Scenic Thai Cooking School in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Next up is a dish made by Tucker with the help of Asia Scenic Thai Cooking School. For this one, we procured our own ingredients at a local market and followed along as a master Thai chef showed us how it’s done, and by the end of the class, we had one of our favorite dishes in the world made exactly how we like it. Khao soi is a coconut curry-based soup usually made with egg noodles (both boiled and fried), chicken, chilis, and lime. It is an incredibly unique and delicious dish that Tucker, to this day, has never been able to turn down.
Fugazetta from Lunático in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Another somewhat surprising addition to our list is fugazetta. This seemingly simple dish is an Argentine specialty made up of two pizza crusts stuffed with cheese and topped with caramelized onions. I know what you’re thinking, “How can that be special enough to make it onto our top-ten-of-all-time list?” Well, I don’t know what to tell you other than it’s absolutely delicious. The ratio of bread, cheese, and onion is sheer perfection, and the fact that it’s usually made in a woodfire oven, gives it an amazing charred quality as well. ¡Absolutamente delicioso!
Shopska salad from Restaurant Skopski Merak in Skopje, North Macedonia
And last but not least, my beloved shopska salad. I feel like I talk about this salad quite a bit, and I make a North American version of it just about every month, but the original just can’t be beat. The shopska salad originates from Southeastern Europe. We first had it in North Macedonia, and as soon as we did, we were hooked. It’s a mix of fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and sirene cheese (which is kind of like feta) dressed with sunflower oil, vinegar, and salt. It’s incredibly refreshing and is often served with a shot of fruit brandy, so really how could you go wrong?
And that’s it! Our official list of the top ten best things we’ve ever eaten as of November 2024! I really should start keeping a list of all future contenders, so this won’t be quite so hard next time. But honestly, who knows when that’ll be, so until then, bon appétit!
This was an obvious choice for this particular list because we only spent about 23 hours in the country. It was our first foray into long-layover travel, and we definitely fumbled our way through it. It wasn’t too difficult to get from the airport to the city center (and back again), but as we set off with absolutely no plan, it was mostly just a long walk around the beautiful canals. Amsterdam is a great walking city though, so even with our random ambling, we were able to take in the numerous and iconic bridges, bicycles, and fry-stands. We also explored the infamous Red Light District and (from a distance) the I AMsterdam sign, which is sadly no longer there.
Next on our “must return to” list is Finland, which might not have been an obvious choice seeing as we spent almost three weeks there, but at the time we 1) had very little money to spend, 2) were exhausted from finishing up our undergrad degrees, and 3) had just gotten married, which as anyone who has planned a wedding can attest, left us feeling a bit burnt out. Typically when we travel now, we avoid suitcases, and we move around a lot, but as this was our first trip sans car, we failed miserably at both packing lightly and at utilizing public transportation. We also weren’t able to afford train passes or much of anything at that time; in fact, our flights and accommodations were wrangled together with the help of some of our wedding gifts and useful family connections. Regardless of what now seems like a trip very far removed from our usual preferences, at the time, it was magical.
Technically we’ve been to the Bahamas a few times now, but does it really count if it’s on a cruise? I mean, don’t get me wrong, cruises are fun and economical, but they definitely keep you in a bit of a bubble. For this reason, I would love to go back to the Bahamas, without the big boat. I think it would be amazing to fly into Nassau and explore New Providence Island a little more slowly and a lot more thoroughly. There are several forts I want to see on the island, not to mention the art galleries, lighthouses, and, of course, the beaches (especially the ones on the far side of the island). At some point, Tucker and I want to get our diving certification so we can explore the depths too, or if we don’t have time for that, then I want to do one of those bubble helmet dives instead!
Germany, unfortunately, represents another set of rookie moves on our part. We spent a year living just a few hours over the border in central Poland, yet we failed to A) make it to Oktoberfest and B) visit Bavaria, the most quintessential of all the German regions. While I do sorely regret not making time for southern Germany, we did really enjoy our time in Berlin and Potsdam, looking at the incredible architecture, sampling the infamous brews, and picnicking in numerous parks. It was an absolutely lovely time, but of course, I’d love to go back for a festival or two. It’s really not our fault we missed Oktoberfest; we had wrongly assumed it took place in October, but really it’s more of a September event that actually ends in early October. Ah well, it’s on the list for our inevitable return trip. As are other famous places like: Neuschwanstein Castle, the Rhine, Cologne, and, of course, Bavaria.
Perhaps unlike any other place we had been, Mongolia intrigued us in so many ways. It’s really a breathtakingly beautiful country that exceeded every expectation we had for it. We visited for about a week in 2017, but unfortunately, a lot of that time was taken up by work (conferences, presentations, etc.) In our free time though, we were able to pretty thoroughly explore Ulaanbaatar, including temples, yurt neighborhoods, live-music bars, and amazingly trendy restaurants. We also took a short road trip out to Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, which was honestly a bit frightening for me (mostly because we opted to dismiss the rental insurance), but ultimately it gave us the best glimpse of what life is like outside UB.
Last on this list (for now) is a place we actually visited just last year. On our way back to China from a work event in the Philippines, we took a bit of a roundabout path that allowed us to spend almost a week in Malaysia, well, in and around Kuala Lumpur anyway. Malaysia is a tricky country to fully explore in a short amount of time because it’s made up of part of a peninsula (West Malaysia) and part of the island of Borneo (East Malaysia), the two regions being about 400 miles apart. For this reason, although we feel pretty good about our exploration of the amazing capital city, typically called KL for short, we still really want to explore some of the other regions of this incredibly diverse country.
We never made it to a beach while we were in Malaysia, so maybe we’ll start there on a subsequent trip. There are many islands off the coasts of both West and East Malaysia that look amazingly beautiful and relaxing. There are also several world-renowned national parks, which are home to a collection of unique indigenous species that Tucker really wants to check out. Of course, as we found in KL, Malaysia seems to enjoy extreme sports as well, so maybe we’ll try the popular zip-lining, white water rafting, or jungle trekking activities while we’re at it!
Of course, there are three countries, not previously mentioned, that are and will indefinitely be on our return radar: the United States, Poland, and China. These are the places we have the greatest connection to, and thus will need many re-visits and reunions to sustain us. Luckily, our friends and family in Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, 
✔ Learn to play Mahjong
✔ Visit a Buddhist Temple
✔ Perfect our Chopsticks Skills
✔ Hike Huangshan
✔ Share Hotpot and Selfies with Friends
✔ Devour the Dim Sum in South China
✔ Wander around West Lake
✔ Feel like a Kid at Disneyland Shanghai
✔ Learn about the Minority Groups in China
✔ Celebrate Dragon Boat Festival
✔ Drink Tsingtao from the Source
✔ Walk along the Great Wall
✔ Make Dumplings from Scratch
✔ Crisscross the Yangtze
Dani Francuz Rose 