Good food is an amazing thing. The best chefs can take seemingly random ingredients and concoct an item that wows your taste buds. Now it's not too hard to please me since I have very simple tastes. I've known people who have amazing taste buds and can pick out every individual flavor from a dish, but despite my simple taste buds, I like to think that I still have good taste.
I've been blessed to live in so many places that have great food. Austin, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Taipei each have a unique style of food, and I still dream about and crave food in these cities. So in tribute to each one of places I used to live, I'm going to list my favorite food or restaurant/food stand/food cart in them. My criteria is simple. If I could be magically transported to each of these cities for one meal, what and where would I eat?
Austin, Texas: Hm, this is a tough one. I lived in Austin for 4 years, and I have serious cravings (serious as in I wake up with cold chills because I haven't had my queso fix in months) for its food all the time. If I had only one meal in Austin, though, I would have to say
Salt Lick. Now it's certainly not the BEST barbeque I've ever had, that honor is set aside for the barbeque of Lockhart, but the barbeque is pretty damn good. Anyway, how could you turn down unlimited meat and sides? And they're nice enough to let you take and pack your leftovers (a college student's dream).
Houston, Texas: Ok, so I was only in Houston for about 3 months, and this was before I really went out and explored food, but if I could only eat one place in Houston, it would have to be
Juice Box. Their shaved ice mango is to die for, and for around 5 dollars, you can get a big enough platter to satiate the appetite of 2 to 3 people.
Dallas, Texas (Plano, Texas): I lived in Dallas, Texas (Plano, Texas) for most of my life, and it's still the place I call home. Unfortunately, for much of my life, Plano had a dearth of non-chain restaurants, and I rarely went into downtown Dallas to eat. However, if I could only have one meal back in Plano, it would be at
Whataburger. Specifically the one on Coit and Spring Creek because food sometimes is more about just how good something is. Whataburger is certainly delicious and only available in the South, but I've had so many wonderful experiences at Whataburger that going back always brings back good memories.
Chicago, Illinois: Chicago has some of the greatest food I've ever had. From deliciously juicy Italian beef to the thick and succulent deep dish pizza, Chicago's food was something I truly enjoyed exploring. There are probably about ten places I would put on this list if I could, but if I had one meal?
Flub a dub Chub, no doubt. Now when you go visit Chicago and ask for suggestions, you'll probably hear Gioradano's, Portello's, the usual. I very much doubt anyone will mention Flub a dub Chub to you, but this place is a must go. Their thick well cooked slabs of burger on a pretzel bun are heavenly (if you like egg on your hamburger get the Greg's Hangover), and their fries are to die for! This place holds a special place in my heart because I used to live pretty close to it. It's family run and owned, so I started to get the know the family a bit. They're definitely a friendly and fun bunch.
New York, New York: Food carts. Food carts, food carts, food carts. I fell in love with food carts in New York. Cheap, delicious, large portions, who can resist? Known as the "
53rd and 6th" food cart or The Halal Guys, these guys make the best chicken and rice ever. The line is always ridiculously long at almost all times while they're open (and they're open at odd hours, something like 8PM-2AM). What's funny, though, is that they opened a cart right across the street that almost never has a line; people are just too afraid that the other cart is an imitation cart even though it's clearly listed on their website that its run by the same people. Be careful of the red sauce. That sauce is fire in a bottle. Just a little bit will light up your mouth so don't overdo it. I've made that mistake one too many times.
San Francisco, California: I live in this city now, but if I were ever to move out, and I could only have one meal, it would hands down be at
Benu. Yes, this place is ridiculously expensive, but thanks to my generous brother, my family and I got to enjoy a luxurious dinner at this two Michelin star restaurant. I don't even remember how many courses were served, but every entree was mind blowing in its own right. I hardly remember all the dishes, but I do remember that I tasted flavors and textures that I never thought were possible. Eating at Benu was definitely a life altering event. I never knew food could taste this good!
Taipei, Taiwan: I haven't officially lived here, but I've been to Taipei many times, and I usually stay for an extended period. If I had one meal, I would be at Shilin Night Market traversing the many food stalls and snatching up all the delicious snacks. Stinky tofu, giant fried chicken patties, a la carte skewers of beef, lamb, and vegetables, milk tea, dumplings, bao zhi, the list goes on and on and on and on and on and on. If you are ever a tourist in Taipei, grab a pocket full of money (it doesn't take much, everything is absurdly cheap) and head down to Shilin to take your taste buds for an adventure.
