Do you live for the FOOD or the MOMENT? Or both? What’s the difference?!
I was asked today what my favorite Restaurant (presumably local) would be. I’ve eaten at some point over my 30 years in Vancouver in just about every notable food spot – from high to low. But does any one Restaurant come to mind when I’m dying to get out of the house? Here counting month 7 of Quarantine in all stages, is there any food or place I’m craving? Needing to go so much I’d even wear a mask to get there?! (to note – I’m not anti-mask, just asthmatic and horribly claustrophobic since childhood, which you can read about here).
the FOOD
As my mind drifted to consider some contenders, I found myself pulled back into the upper floor Botanist-Yin to my girls-nights-out-stomping-ground-of-the-Pac-Rim-Lobby-Lounge-Yang for another peek into their menu. I can ALWAYS be persuaded into Le Crocodile – the GOAT of restaurants in Vancouver. It feels so much like a Parisian bistro and fits like HOME. Comfortable, but expected.
The private room at Cioppino’s that I originally helped to draw up in all it’s wine shelf and millwork glory is long overdue for a visit. I miss West Restaurant terribly, having had so many family celebratory meals there, but alas, memories will have to do… The complex dishes at Pidgin aren’t items I would ever cook, making it a genuine treat to go there… More time is needed at Burdock & Co as my last meals were pretty delicious with unexpected combinations of ingredients, even if the service hasn’t been overly friendly so far.
So… is it the food, the ambiance, the company at hand, the service of the staff, the specific moment in time – or the combination of all of the above – that tugs at me? Is it the food or the moment? While the aforementioned places have most of these to a point, I’m not sure I would say any of them hold a specific sacred place in my heart.
Sometimes it’s just about COMFORT…
Fire Grilled Prawns at Vietnamese haunt Anh + Chi, a Cobb Salad and glass of Rosé at the Tennis Club, a hot, steaming Bagna Cauda at Savio Volpe, or the Gooey Cheese Grillers at Burgoo… Memorable, well made food doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy. They’re delicious, and I go back for them again and again, but are they FAVORITES? Then for most other restaurants, once I learned how to cook it was just disappointing to spend money going out for lesser fare unless eating purely out of necessity (which happens! OFTEN!). How does one sort through it all to pick a favorite?
It’s not always a dream…
I’ve had incredible meals in awkward spaces with painfully unattentive staff that I gave one more chance for the food (thanks for the ‘meh’ memories, Juniper). There have been great meals but the hostess and/or Chef were SO incredibly rude or offensive I would never voluntarily go back for any price, regardless of whatever local awards they’re winning. And there is a more than enough good food in this town to not have to (I’m looking at you, L’Abbatoir and St Lawrence). And I’ve had mediocre meals in dingy places but keep going back because the cook is so darling and hard working and the EXPERIENCE is always positive. But these don’t make the lists either.
As I continued to ponder the whole idea of memorable meals that beckon your return, I really started to dwell instead on my favorite FOOD MOMENTS. They are random, unpredictable, and MAGICAL. To try to go back to any one of the exact moments in a different time can only lead to disappointment or heartbreak. You can’t necessarily FORCE them to happen through intentional ambiance, menu, service, design, location or just the right dinner companions. Although one can – and should – sure try. And none of these moments had every angle nailed down perfectly. I find myself no longer seeking out ‘the best restaurant/meal/night out’, as to being open to the ‘next magical food moment’ wherever it might be found.
the MOMENT
- Like the Gizzard Vinaigrette Salad on a ‘house-restaurant’ patio. My girlfriend and I taking a lunch break from our week-long cycle to quietly overlook the Dordogne River in Southern France…
- A delectably unexpected Marionberry Duck at the Wildflower Grill on the Oregon Coast on family road trips off a menu that surprisingly pleased everyone present…
- Escaping the 45d+ heat for Crispy Taquitos smothered in a runny, almost salty sour cream in a tiny, dusty hut filled with orange checkered plastic tablecloths in Managua, Nicaragua while on short-term missions…
- Deep Fried Ice Cream in huge blocks at the end of a Fajita feast at Cafe Mexico in Victoria, BC as a ‘special treat’ when I would visit during my College years…
(I’m starting to get hungry…)
- Decadent, rich Cassoulets smothered in Foie Gras and Duck Confit while snuggled into the corner of a fortified Carcassonne, our first stop into France driving from Barcelona and my ‘Foodie Boy’s’ first meal in France ever…
- Watching a massive Tomahawk being gently cooked in Duck Fat while sitting ‘kitchen side’ at Union, knowing the sister-butcher was a few doors down in Ossington, Toronto (I need to go back and indulge in that one rather than watch it go past to feed someone else!)…
- A table for our family of 6 celebrating all kinds of birthdays, back to schools, graduations, etc with course after course shared between us all including amuse bouches, freshly baked breads and a chocolate truffle to finish at West Restaurant near our home (now unfortunately closed)…
- Plates of local, in season menu items in Sanremo, Italy, after – THANKFULLY – saying ‘ok’ to all the ‘house specials’ recommended as we sat at the window glancing out now and again to the colorful sun-kissed fishing boats in the harbour next to us…
(Is your mouth watering yet?! Are you feeling these moments?!)
- Our first dinner in Crete at a restaurant we found quite by accident walking up the street while settling in where the waiter/chef picked fruit from the tree over our patio for our dessert, complimented with a shot of smooth Honey Raki…
- Walking into a corner cafe from the bright sunshine in New York City for an wonderfully cooked, delightfully healthy brunch before walking back out into a snowstorm with my younger daughter…
- Incredible dishes and ambiance with all of our kiddo’s for Hubby’s 60th at Acre Farms in the Baja while peacocks roamed the aisles…
- Dirt roadside open-air cafes in north-east Crete serving fish so fresh it was still in shock at having been cooked at all just a mere few feet from the Sea it had been swimming in a few hours before…
- Florentine steaks with freshly baked Breads and crispy-yet-melt-in-your-mouth fried baby Artichokes just off the path of the recently packed-up street markets in front of the Medici chapel…
Luckily for me, this list could go on (as you’ll continue to be able to read about here LOL!). As time has gone by, these precious ‘favorite food moments that sometimes happen in restaurants‘ occur more and more often. (And I’m not even getting into fabulous food and moments at home!). I’ve learned to live in hopeful anticipation of ‘the food AND the moment’, never knowing which corner they might be waiting around. (Also, sidenote – I totally have to hashtag that #favoritefoodmomentsthatsometimeshappeninrestaurants ).
I’d love to hear what you think! Do you have favorite restaurants you go back to over and over, or do you seek out new amazing food moments?
