Nicole at Pinch My Salt just tagged me to participate in a Foodblogger’s Guide to the Globe. The idea is to list five items, and only five items, that I think someone should try sometime during their lifetime.
Only five items make it a bit tough. The funny thing is I don’t generally find myself thinking of some of the fancier meals I’ve had in my life… The things I realize I find myself thinking about are, for the most part, what would be considered low brow foods. That’s often what defines a place, though. French foods can be found all over, and can be really well done, but you can find them all over. You can’t find Skyline chili just anywhere, though (I’m not including this one, as I saw someone else already had it).
So here are my five "things to eat before you die" (in no particular order):
- Vincent’s Pizza, Pittsburgh, PA. Vincent’s is a long-time established place on Ardmore Blvd. The pizza is incredible, and the Vinny Pie is the best. What makes it so great? First, the ingredients are fresh, fresh, fresh! The meats are made at local Italian meat markets, and the veggies are sliced super thin and piled on. Second, the crust is incredible, getting some air bubbles here and there. And third, the pizza ovens have probably never been cleaned, which adds a layer of black dust to the bottom of the crust. Every time I get back to Pittsburgh, I remember just how great this pizza is!
- A pastrami sandwich at Carnegie Deli, New York City, NY. Some will argue that Katz’s is better; I’m limited to 5, remember? Actually, I’ve only had the one at Carnegie Deli, and it’s worth a trip back, along with a slice of cheesecake for dessert (the best cheesecake I’ve ever had).
- Smoked salmon and french fries at Mon Ami Gabi, Paris Casino, Las Vegas, NV. The restaurant is the outdoor restaurant in front of Paris. They don’t take reservations, so you may have to wait, but the time to go is after 8:00 PM, preferably on a cool night. The reasons this is on my list are that the salmon is smoked at the restaurant daily, and is the best I’ve had, the fries are for some reason better than any I’ve had before or since, and the Bellagio is directly across the street, and the restaurant is the best seat to relax, have some wine, and enjoy the best free show in Vegas every 15 minutes, the Bellagio Fountain.
- Homemade apple pie, with or without ice cream. This has no place, though mine is pretty good, I think! There’s just something pure about apple pie. It’s made in the fall, which is my favorite time of the year, and makes me think of turning leaves and cooler weather. Store bought apple pies are generally too sweet, and are made with, to me, the wrong kinds of apples.
- Smoked brisket, any good backyard barbecue pit. I know Texas barbecue joints are famous for brisket, but I haven’t had brisket there. I do know of a few restaurants that make good brisket, but it still doesn’t compare to that made by a backyard barbecuer that knows what they’re doing. A lot has to do with the fact that the backyard barbecuer can spend all their time and energy on one brisket, while a restaurant pit master has to cook 50 at a time. From what I’ve seen, the backyard cook wins every time!
There they are! My wife wanted me to add Dave and Buster’s bananas foster pie, but I’m going to have to tag her to do her own list, I think!
I’ve in turn tagged a few other bloggers:
- Neil at The Survival Gourmet
- Dr. G at The Foodologist
- Sylvie at Soul Fusion Kitchen
This post is tagged
Great list! I totally agree with the homemade apple pie. It’s my all-time favorite pie but it has to be homemade!
Curt,
Good list. I have been to Carnegie Deli, did not try the pastrami but there was enough there to feed an army and good too. I will have to add Deschner’s Pizza in Mansfield Ohio and A & W conies in Ashland. Not the A & W known Nation wide but great conies. I definately agree with the Skyline. I will have to try Mon Ami this January when I am in Vegas.
Todd
I posted my entry. Thanks for including me.
http://soulfusionkitchen.blogspot.com/2006/09/five-things-to-eat-before-you-die.html
great suggestions! i agree with the homemade apple pie 100%. can’t share the best pie i’ve ever had with you, because that was Grandma’s & she’ been gone for @ 6 years now. BUT it was such good pie that someone stood up at her funeral & mentioned it. if you can manage to get the apples from you own orchard i think that helps. for me it’s all about the crust though.
peace
I love the idea of a pastrami sandwich in New York - as a Brit I’m not sure I even know what it is - but I do know and love a great apple pie. This is a great list that I should love to try to check out for myself!
Christine, I have yet to have a non-homemade pie that I think compares to my Grandma’s or to mine, for that matter.
Jen, I could do a list of 5 British foods, too! Fish and chips, English cheese with a pint of dry cider, Ploughman’s lunch with a pint of bitter, any good game dish and Flake candy bars are easy to think of, but I’m sure there’s more (just not any veggies in there
) But a pastrami sandwich in NYC is something you definitely should try, as well as a brisket smoked in someone’s backyard!
jen…british food, i agree with Curt about the Flake. and i love a strongbow on occasion, especially with a ‘fry-up’ while we watch soccer(footie) on a Sunday am. we have a great place here in chicago called Elephant & Castle that makes their own mustard inhouse & it’s amazing–good with pretzels.
on a top 5 list for here, we’d have to include Joy Yee’s asian cuisine down in chinatown off cermak. my friend Chris calls it ‘last meal’ good.
I’ve got another “must try” location for your list of places to eat before you die:
Gerst Haus restaurant at 301 Woodland St. in east Nashville, near The Tennessee Titans Coliseum.
The German cuisine has become a Nashville institution. Try the Jagerschnitzel and do the “Chicken Dance”. Friday and Saturday nights are best.
Don’t expect 4-star German cuisine, or fine dining service, but DO expect to have fun.
Brian, the fun part makes up for a lot! The hard part of this list was limiting to ONLY 5!
The one place I should have added instead of one of the places included was Crabill’s Hamburgers in Urbana, Ohio. They make what my family calls ‘greasy burgers’. The best burgers I’ve ever had. A review on Roadfood.com said people call them sliders, but I’ve never heard them called that. My family calls them ‘greasy burgers’, but they are soooo good!
Five things to eat before you die
I was tagged again.
This time Curt over at Buckys Barbecue Blog tagged me to participate in the latest meme, Foodbloggers Guide to the Globe. The premise is that food bloggers from all over the world are list five things that they have e…