What is the single greatest meal of your life?

high end/low end...whatever.

I'd probably say for me, it was a meal at a farm in Tuscany. Had some of the locally raised beef served as a Bistecca ala Florentina which is a gigantic hercules sized steak...which was just the bomb, along with some simple and fresh italian pastas, appetizers and wine grown right there.

 

I was biking through France with my older Brother and we ended up camping one night in a small village high in the mountains. There was no open restaurant or normal store, and we were so hungry, there was a small bakery closing. We went in, they were out of almost everything, our dinner was to be a baguette and some Nutella. Not the feast we needed after 75 miles. As we were buying the bread, we got talking to the bakery owners. They went in back (where they lived) and brought back every leftover they had in their fridge, a pasta salad, some small pickles, some chicken, some cheese and a bottle of wine. They insisted we take it all and would not let us pay. That night we feasted on average leftovers, but the meal was total perfection.

 

Often...your dining companions and surroundings are just as important as the food itself.

 

Probably when a buddy came back from Alaska about five years ago. He brought a cooler of fresh halibut, shrimp, and some bear and moose meat. Another buddy brought elk backstrap. I supplied a fresh steelhead and some venison backstrap. We grilled it all up, served with asparagus and a fresh salad from my garden. The ladies made some pasta with pesto and some potatos au gratin. We had four gallons of different micro brew beers. Had a few bottles of wine for the non beer drinkers.

Lots of good friends and good eats.

Go Blazers

 

Agreed.

I'm still working on my best dining experience. It'll probably end up some sappy story about being with my fiancee.

 

When I was in my early twenties I backpacked the Oregon part of the Pacific Crest Trail from Bridge of the Gods' near the Columbia River to Mt. Ashland in 3 1/2 weeks. As soon as we got off the trail after a final 25 mile push, my buddy and I hitch hiked into Medford, went to Abby's Pizza and each ordered our own large combination pie and enough beer to make an Irishman blush. Maybe not the best food I've ever eaten, but I'll be damned if it wasn't the best meal I've ever had.

 

Any man claiming it was some exquisite meal while romantically traveling through Europe needs to hand in their man-card...and get rid of their girly iphone.

 

You hear that Mags?

Go Blazers

 

totally. a real man's meal is beer and steak with his other bros, possibly shirtless watching men tackle each other in high definition.

 

An ex brother in law and I went steelhead fishing on the Wind River and caught a couple. We cleaned then, drove back to his place for a family gathering, filleted those fish and had 4 halves. We got some hardwood going in the fire pit, and put different toppings on each of the 4 halves- sliced butter and brown sugar, spicy bbq sauce, lemon and Cajun. We also put corn and potatoes in foil and in the fire to roast, had the steelhead cooking atop the pit and made some melon salad. Quite the feast.

 

I was with you to here. But then you forgot the smashed potatoes.

No. It's riding a fixie through the Italian rolling hills, carrying a cute little picnic in a leather shoulder bag. Hipsters can't have a god meal in the U.S.

 

July 2001: I had just returned the wedding ring I'd bought for my now ex-fiancee. I'd just been turned down for financing on a drum set at Apple Music. I wandered into Portland Steak and Chophouse, ordered a steak with crumbled blue cheese and a whisky neat. Over the next 90 minutes, I shed all the angst of the entire ordeal of that day, and enjoyed a great steak, two whiskies, and some creme brulee.

...I was laid off from work the next day.


June 2005: A 7-course Italian meal at the rehearsal dinner for my (then new) girlfriend's best friend. The food was fantastic, and the show was watching the father of the groom (who was paying for the rehearsal dinner) weep as his two ex-wives competed with each other on who could order the most bottles of the most expensive wines on the list. A grand time was had by all... err, most.

 

Isn't it interesting that so much of what we enjoy about food is the experience around it? I think it's cool.

Therefore, I can't really put one meal at the top, there's too many variables. But a top three I could probably do:

Le Pigeon a couple months ago for the food, some of the best I've had.
Couscous and stuffed chicken at my boss's house in Morocco at an after-wedding party. Nothing beats home cooked Moroccan cooking for a party.
The mediocre fancy food on the Portland Spirit for my birthday. The scenery and company made the meal that much better though.

 

Taking pics of your meal is also a douche move.

You definitely lose True Braj points for that. Don't be that guy.

 

Today: Spicy chicken sandwich from Chik-fil-a, waffle fries, and a peach shake.

 

Heading up to Portland the last week of August and Le Pigeon is on my list of things to do.

 

it was a family vacation, just with parents and my bro. really nice stuff though. and the steak...was too large to have teh ghey.

 

today was the greatest single meal of your life?

whoa. that's deep.

:MARIS61:

 

I fucking love those Doner Kebabs. When I was in Barcelona we had one downstairs from our apartment....3 euros each...fucking bomb. cheap meals...and really bomb shit. had them for breakfast sometimes in fact.