Brilliant! The "Emmylettta" at Emmy Squared, a Detroit-style pizza topped like a muffuletta sandwich with mortadella, pepperoni and giardiniera.Emmy Squared
I write on culinary topics for many prominent publications, including a weekly restaurant column for USA Today, the nation’s largest newspaper, and I wrote a New York Times bestselling book on food, so eating out is always on my mind. As 2018 winds down, it is time for an annual reflection on my standout restaurant meals from the past 12 months. This is a tradition I started with my “10 Most Memorable Restaurant Meals of 2011,” and have continued every year since. There are still plenty of gems in those previous articles, and most, if not all, of the eateries covered are still very relevant to travelers. So check out last’s years 2017 Best Meals.
This is part of my annual Year in Travel roundup, which also includes the 12 Best Hotels of 2018 and for business and leisure travelers, the Best & Worst of Aviation 2018.
One reason my food lists are especially useful for travelers is because, unlike most publications, I don’t confuse “new” with good. If I ate someplace this year that I have already visited several times in the past, or one that’s been open for 50 years, that’s because the place is still great. If it opened this year but I loved it and think it has staying power, then it made this list. If it’s new and hip and hot but not great, you won’t find it here. Also, my picks tend to be in actual travel destinations some of you will be visiting for business or vacation anyway, so unlike most food magazines, my choices are not all in Iceland. My favorites don’t have to be expensive or Michelin-starred to be great either, they just have to serve great food. Hype or trendiness doesn’t make a restaurant better or worse - what matters to me is the taste.
My food media outlets take me all over the world, and as a result I spend a lot of time in restaurants at every price point. A rough calculus would suggest I eat out at least 250 times a year. Unfortunately, many of these meals are forgettable, or merely “fine.” The following are the coveted exceptions, my ten very best taste memories of 2018.
Nearing the end of a long tasting menu at the best restaurant in North American skiing, the Bearfoot Bistro, with liquid-nitrogen tableside ice cream.Larry Olmsted
Bearfoot Bistro, Whistler, BC: The first time I ate here was nearly 20 years ago, and ever since it has been the standard against which all other ski resort fine dining is measured. Now that I have been back, it just confirms what I already knew - the Bearfoot Bistro is likely the best ski town eatery in North America. I was especially happy to see that they still focus on their signature champagne sabering experience, so if you have never cut the neck off a bottle of bubbly with a sword, this is the place to learn. In addition, since my last visit they added a Russian-style vodka ice cave below the main dining room, so don the Arctic expedition weight parka and head in for frigid shots before a multi-course dinner of silver domes and impeccable sourcing. But whether you choose the Quebec Red Deer or Japanese wagyu, the Vancouver Island black cod or Hawaiian ono, the products are the best in class, yet I wouldn’t even bother choosing - head straight to chef Melissa Craig’s 7-course tasting menu, add the wine pairing option, and kick back for a gastronomic sensory overload. If you are feeling sluggish after the champagne and vodka, there’s a 3-course option.
Emmy Squared is a world-class pizzeria, but Chef Matt Hyland also make a stunning burger: Le Big Matt.Larry Olmsted
Emmy Squared, Nashville & NYC: Several years ago I predicted that Detroit-style pizza would be the next big thing, and I continue to be proven right as this amazing take on the genre spreads geographically. It is the perfect compromise for all the divergent and hardened pizza lovers, a place where fans of thin crust, thick crust, crispy, chewy and deep dish can come together in agreement. I am a big fan, and the latest place I’ve found a great version is Emmy Squared, with three locations in Nashville’s trendy Gulch neighborhood, New York’s East Village, and of course, Brooklyn. The pizza technique is great, but chef owner Matt Hyland also sources the highest quality ingredients and comes up with really creative toppings - my favorite is the is the Emmylettta, topped with the components of New Orleans’ awesome muffuletta sandwich: mortadella, pepperoni and giardiniera-style olive salad (only served in the East Village location). But they are all really good and if great pizza is not enough (actually it is), this pizza specialist also serves a world-class burger. The Le Big Matt has two patties, American cheese, lettuce, pickles and Sammy sauce - at last some burger chef in America is using a secret sauce that for once is not a variant of French or Russian dressing. Hyland fell in love with sambal in Indonesia (so did I on a recent trip, so I get it), then created this slightly spicy Sambal-mayo aioli. In New York, where several of my friends swear by the burger as their favorite, he uses meat from celebrity butcher Pat LaFrieda. In Nashville, where I tried it (delicious!) the drug free, grass fed beef comes from locally beloved Bear Creek Farm. Not surprisingly, immediately after this newest location opened, the Le Big Matt was voted Best Burger in Nashville.
Pre-dessert, or dessert, or maybe post-dessert? There were so many great courses at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons that I can't really remember. Hardly matters.Larry Olmsted
Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, Oxford, England: This stunning property, the lifelong dream of renowned chef Raymond Blanc, also made my list of Top 2018 Hotels - it’s a luxury boutique resort built around a 2-Michelin star dining temple. Blanc takes a lighter approach to traditional French fine dining, and is especially known for his flavor bomb soups, but what really sets it apart is the freshest ingredients, thanks to acres of onsite organic chef gardens and orchards that supply the kitchen with more than 150 varieties of vegetables and herbs - and that’s not counting all the fruits from the orchard. I don’t know of any other restaurants that have nine full time gardeners on the payroll, and it shows. At Le Manoir, dinners can be ordered a la carte or as 3 and 7-course chef’s menus, with wine pairing available. These typically feature a mix of vegetable-based dishes (pumpkin ravioli with bleu cheese and toasted hazelnut for example), seafood (spiced monkfish with mussels, saffron, leeks, gewürztraminer) and meat (such as locally raised venison). It is also notably open for lunch, which many grand eateries of this stature are not, and food loving Londoners regularly make the pilgrimage to the countryside to eat at one of England’s most famed and venerable establishments - I can see why.
If you see Roasted Buffalo Marrow Bones on a menu order it. At The Fort, it's sprinkled with salt, pepper and a few drops of green jalapeno sauce.The Fort
The Fort, Denver, CO: Kitschy, touristic and utterly loveable, The Fort is a Denver icon dedicated to preserving historic American cuisine, right down to the pioneer cocktail menu that specializes in “Fur Trade Potables,” historic drinks dating back nearly two centuries. Despite the recent mixology overload, I’ve never seen gunpowder as an ingredient anyplace else, which makes the “Trade Whiskey,” a must-try for f the brave and curious. The Hailstorm tased better though - they claim it’s the first cocktail recorded as ever having been served in Colorado, made when it hailed by collecting ice pellets and shaking them in a mason jar with bourbon, simple syrup and mint. The entire menu and entire restaurant - set in a 57-year old perfect replica of a historic adobe 185-year old Colorado fur trading post - carries this Old West historic theme. They serve 70,000 orders of bison annually, but while lots of places now have buffalo steaks and burgers, I loved the cracked roasted bison marrow bone, a signature dish here, with two impressive ten-inch-long bones. The menu section titled “From the Prairie and The Forest” features bison (filet, smoked ribs, medallions), elk, lamb, duck and quail. The “Historian’s Platter” is an odd mix of Buffalo sausage, delicious fresh-made guacamole, peanut butter and mango chutney stuffed jalapeños, Rocky Mountain oysters (thin sliced, breaded, deep-fried cattle testicles) and bison tongue crostini. All of these are much better than they sound.
If you see Rabbit Pot Pie Poutine on a menu, order it. At Banter in Cleveland it's awesome!Larry Olmsted
Banter, Cleveland Ohio: If you have been looking for some hipster chef to finally elevate poutine to a higher level, look no further. If you love artisanal sausage, look no further. If you love craft beer - well you get the idea. This odd, fast causal, order at the counter storefront combines two completely different specialty menus, gourmet poutines and sausage, with a seemingly basic array of draught beer, but hidden on the other side of the wall and connected in the back is an adjacent full-blown wine and beer retail shop that can be combined with eating in. Banter offers a staggering array of more than 300 wines, focused on small producers and offbeat varietals, and 450 different beers and ciders focused on craft, from all over the country. OMG! But it was the poutine I loved most, well executed with fries that aren’t soggy, squeaky cheese curds and really creative varieties. My favorite? The “rabbit pot pie” poutine - just fantastic, like the inside of a pot pie plus cheese curds over fries: light gravy with fresh crunchy peas, hand cut chunks of carrot and onion, and tender, juicy braised rabbit. Other top choices include Hungarian-inspired chicken paprikash with spaetzle; poutine topped with seared foie gras and apple gastrique; another with braised heritage breed Berkshire pork shoulder; and the one with the coolest name, the Vladimir Poutine, with Ohio-raised lamb stroganoff, mushrooms and borscht gravy. All are served in large metal trays and big enough for two. The sausages are also quite good - kielbasa is excellent, with a crisp snappy exterior, strong but delicious and slightly spicy flavor. But the must try at Banter is the “Fried Chicken,” a chunky white meat chicken sausage cooked sous vide to make it tender and moist, then double dipped and deep fried for a crunchy, hearty breading. It’s served on a roll topped with braised Southern collard greens, sweet corn mustard and hot sauce, a crunchy texture and flavor explosion and like nothing I’ve ever had. I’d go back in a heartbeat.
Star Chef John Tesar with his babies: at his Knife steakhouse in Dallas, Tesar serves "ultra-aged" beef, like 45, 110 and 240-days dry aged!Larry Olmsted
Knife, Dallas: Celebrity Chef John Tesar gained notoriety after cooking alongside friend Anthony Bourdain in New York in the Eighties, ending up as “Jimmy Sears,” a fictionalized version of himself, in Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. He later earned 5-stars at Dallas’ luxury Mansion on Turtle Creek, along with four James Beard Best Chef nominations and a stint on Bravo’s Top Chef. Today he is all about beef, and even has a steak-centric cookbook, Knife. The specialty at his modern steakhouse, where dining areas are separated by glass walls filled with wine bottles, is ultra-dry aged beef, and the ageing room is also glassed in for display. How aged is ultra-aged? While the gold standard for the best steakhouses has long been 21-28 days, his aged menu offerings start at 45-days, then jump to 110-days then 240-days - ten times the norm. I tried a side by side sampling of his various 100+ day rib steaks, and while very good, to me the jury is still out on whether ultra-ageing, a small but growing trend also found in Vegas and a few other spots, is worth the time and money. But in any case, all of Tesar’s steaks - even the normal ones - are delicious. It’s just a great steakhouse that doesn’t feel like a steakhouse, and even with the signature quirk most of the menu is not ultra-aged. Everything is delicious and there are lots of great non-steak offerings like a “whole roast chicken and panzanella salad” that requires a 60-minute wait, crispy pig’s haunches, spicy lamb meatballs, and a beef tartare “in the style of 21.” It’s a diverse, fun, creative menu, and on top of all that, there are his renowned burgers. Tesar also operates a local mini-chain called Knife Burgers, and his renditions have won all sorts of awards: Texas Monthly rated it the best burger in Dallas, and number four in the meat-obsessed state. I tried several, they are all that, and Knife has some fancier ones that are not at Knife Burger. The original location I visited is in the Highland Hotel, a hip Hilton Autograph collection boutique property in the University Crossings neighborhood, but a second Knife just opened in Plano.
FICO Eataly World in Bologna has 45 eating and drinking options, from sit down restaurants to this indoor porchetta "truck."FICO Eataly World
FICO Eataly World, Bologna, Italy: This isn’t a restaurant per se, but rather the Italian culinary version of Disney World. Every food lover I talk to in this country seems obsessed with Eataly, and each new opening in Vegas or Boston gets lots of press, but no one here - including many journalists writing about them - seems to really know anything about the real Eataly, which started in Turin (I’ve been) and has nothing to do with Mario Batali. Opened last year, FICO Eataly World is the global flagship, and it blows everything you thought you knew about Eataly away - it is its own destination attraction, with a highway toll plaza style entrance, satellite parking lots with shuttles and all the trappings of an amusement park, which it is, except one for foodies. Eataly World spans 20-acres and contains 16 sit down restaurants, 12 other dining stalls and stands, various beer, cocktail and wine bars, cafés, and gelaterias. There are about 45 eating options in all (plus free samples everywhere) and in my four hour visit I had a porchetta sandwich from a truck, like those found in local Italian village markets, a super authentic Neapolitan pizza, gelato (twice!) and a personal favorite of mine, Sicilian arancini. I was too full to do more than scratch the surface. In addition to the eats, 40 shops sell Italy’s finest artisanal products from every region, and that is before the full-sized Eataly supermarket at one end. There is a huge wine shop and the nation’s largest selection of Italian craft beer, along with a full working brewery. Other things made onsite include Grana Padano cheese, extra virgin olive oil, a full range of bread, pasta and dairy products, and honey. Beside bees, they have Chianina cattle, Sardinian sheep, Ciociara goat, and four acres of pastures, fields, and farms. Thirty special activities are offered daily, including demos, tastings and cooking classes. It is the largest food park on earth and in the first six months of operation, more than a half million visitors passed through the front doors. Art lovers visiting Italy don’t skip David, and if you love food you should not miss Eataly World.
Burrito? Actually, it's the best burrito ever, made with 14-hour smoked, all-natural, drug free, Kansas City-style Burnt Ends. Wow!Larry Olmsted
BBQ Mexicana, Las Vegas: I’ve long been a fan of the Border Grill restaurants by the “Too Hot Tamales,” chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, who were at the forefront of the sourcing-focused, ingredient-driven food revolution early on. So, when they opened a new concept I had to check it out - and I am so glad I did. It is not a restaurant so much as a counter that feels like it is in an airport, though it’s actually in one side of a large, busy hallway at the back of Mandalay Bay, on the way to the convention center and Shark Reef aquarium. It is all served to go, with a few high-top tables standing awkwardly in the hallway. As the name suggests, BBQ Mexicana is a smoked meat concept with a Mexican twist, and while the menu is quite limited, literally everything on it is a standout, but the must-have item is the burnt ends burrito, which is the best burrito I have ever tasted, period. All meats are raised naturally with no hormones, antibiotics or the other drugs common in domestic livestock. Vegetables are mostly Nevada grown by partner farms, like the juicy heirloom tomatoes. Everything is made to order, and you can taste it. The brisket is smoked 14 hours, cut into cubes, re-seasoned and smoked again to make into the Kansas City-style burnt ends anchoring burritos or bowls. Another option is pork shoulder, with a Mexican-flavored dry rub, smoked for 10 hours then shredded and tossed with some vinegar. It sounds like sacrilege to me, but I have to admit, even the smoked tofu was great. First rate slow-smoked barbecue is turned into first rate Mexican comfort food, and everything from the imaginative entree salads to sides was rock solid - this place is an innocuous gem and great addition to the Vegas food scene (Secret Tip: You can call from the pool and have your food delivered to the outside bar).
Pine, Hanover, NH: I live nearby, and for as long as I can remember, there was no reason to eat at the Hanover Inn, the iconic hotel owned by Dartmouth College which sits on the 250+ year old village green in the bucolic Ivy League college town. But that changed five years ago when the college invested in a substantial redo of the hotel, upgrading everything, from guest rooms to common areas, but most importantly the main restaurant. They brought in Boston celebrity chef Michael Schlow to consult, and he focused on local and sustainable New England products (think lamb, artisanal cheeses and seafood such as oysters), along with craft cocktails and a vibrant bar scene. In the five years since opening, restaurant head chef Justin Dain, who has been here since day one, has developed his own reputation, and was honored to cook at James Beard House in New York last year. So, the memorable meal I had this year at Pine was a special one-night (so popular they did it second time) recreation of Dain’s James Beard House dinner, but it represented a range of dishes that are often on the menu or similar to them. I’ve also had lunch there a few times, and everyone I know agrees that Pine’s beloved signature burger is the best in town, topped with Vermont cheddar, bacon, crispy onion straws, and chipotle aioli. Today, the town of Hanover is bereft of upscale dining choices beyond Pine, making it all the more important here, and fortunately choices are wildly varied and intriguing, from a pork belly banh mi sandwich to raw bar to crispy octopus with white bean puree, anjou pear, celery leaves, tasso ham and miso vinaigrette.
Fresh "catch of the day" razor clams with garlic at venerable Lamma Rainbow seafood eatery on Hong Kong's Lamma Island.Larry Olmsted
Lamma Rainbow, Hong Kong: Virtually everyone who visits Hong Kong rides the famed Star Ferry across Victoria Harbor to or from Hong Kong Island, and they should, it is one of the world’s greatest commutes. But the harbor is full of other islands and while many are worth visiting, they often go ignored by tourists. On my most recent visit, I was determined not to let that happened, so I took the pleasant half hour ride to Lamma, known for its many waterfront seafood specialists, and traversed the walking path that connects the island’s two ferry ports to work up an appetite. There are several waterfront seafood places lined up in a row, all of which look similar, with walls of fish tanks showing off the massive variety of fresh seafood and simple plastic chairs overlooking the harbor is an al fresco setting. Of these, Rainbow is the best known, opened more than 30 years ago, and it has since spun off two branches in Shanghai, and even operates its own ferry in addition to the public ferry dock a 5-minute stroll away. This is especially popular as a dinner and boat ride combo and night out on the island, but I went for lunch. Like I said, it’s very basic, plastic lawn chairs, a few bottled beers available, but there is a ton of delicious and fresh seafood and a great view. There are several recurring basic options depending on the sea creature you choose, garlic sauce, black bean sauce, fried and grilled, and we did a sampling with salt and pepper fried squid, delicious clams in black bean sauce and exquisite razor clams swimming in garlic. It’s the Hong Kong version of a Maine coast lobster joint, great seafood combined with a great setting, and since Hong Kong enjoys good and often hot weather, I highly recommend it as an outdoor escape in one of the most frenetic and dense cities on earth (and that’s not a knock, I love Hong Kong).
I look forward to dining in 2019. Cheers!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2018/12/21/10-best-restaurant-meals-of-2018/ 2018-12-21 12:07:00Z
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