The First Course

Starting this blog has been a work in progress. It's been about a year since I came up with the. Blog URL and almost as long as I put pen to paper--but I've eaten and traveled a whole lot in between then. With each meal or each trip I would think "THIS YES THIS would be perfect to blog. Everyone must know what I'm feeling!"...alas very little progress. But the first step is always the hardest to take sometimes as is the first bite in a scolding hot dish. 

I never came from any background--my dinners were mostly boxed, warm to ready type growing up as a kid--but I would sit in front of the TV for hours watching, envying personalities like Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern whisk across the globe eating fish heads, rattlesnakes, and birdnest soup. Mouth salivating I knew this was a calling. I mean we can't all be lucky enough to dine in the side alleys of Hanoi and the tables of Thomas Keller restaurants--but the least I can do is pretend. 

Although the creation of this blog is extremely delayed, it comes at a time when I had enough amazing meals to create a top 3. 

3. Madklubben Cafe De Luxe (Copenhagen, Denmark): Copenhagen is a clandestine hotspot for vanguard food. Although an average meal is $35+ and street hot dogs are stadium priced, I had so many meals here that took what I thought about Danish cuisine and flipped it on its head. Ok granted I had no idea what Denmark had to offer my taste buds but I was plenty surprised. First thing I ate when I got into the city was a bright, lucently ref hot dog. While those are a must have, without a doubt Madklubben is an attraction in itself. Madklubben infuses French culinary techniques with Danish ingredients. Kierkgregaard meets Voltaire. Copenhagen meets Paris. Vikings meet runway models. Apparently opposites do attract. The meal started with a tender veal cut garnished with local greens and drizzled with truffle oil, next came a pork jaw roted in red wine sauce and summer vegetables. I couldn't resist ordering all the desserts: a delicate lemon meringue that looked like a cracked egg and of course ice cream-- a rich, creamy vanilla avec je ne sais qoui that tasted nutty and eggnoggy--a strange summer dessert but I wasn't complaining. 

2. Dosa: Indian food is near and dear to my heart. Actually all of India is near and dear to my heart. I love the food, the history, the culture--I could even deal with its temperamental weather. There's an explanation that when I was conceived my mom craved Indian 4-5 times a week--so I've been biologically programmed to eat Indian. One of my absolute favorite meals is the simple, South Indian dosa. Filled with aloo (potato), curried veggies, and wrapped in a crepe-like tube it's a meal fit for a Gupta. All I need in the morning is a batch full of curried veggies wrapped in a delicious fried wrap.

1. Tafelspitz: I've always been a sucker for history, and none get any more tragic than the Austrian emperor, Franz Josef. However every night of his life he ate a piece of boiled beef stewed in vegetable broth, which was soft enough to be cut with the edge of a spoon, potato pancakes, and horseradish apple sauce--also known as tafelspitz. I came across this dish in Vienna and myself ate it about 5 of the 10 days I was there. Nowhere near Franz Josef's record but enough to appreciate it. If its fit enough for an emperor it's fit for me.

2. The Pearl Brunch (Columbus, OH)

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