Mine is a small Arrenchini I had at Slates in Fresno, California.
This little fried ball of risotto was so melt in your mouth delishish, I could have eaten a dozen, but all they gave me was one. It’s not on the menu, or wasn’t anyway. It was just something the chef felt like putting together as a free treat the night I happened to be there. I’d never had one before.
Since then, my husband made some here at home and I tryed some at a local deli last week, but neither were anywhere close to as good as Slates that night.
A big, juicy steak that my uncle made on the grill. I heard him talking about steak earlier, but I didn’t see any steak during the meal, so I ate my fill of chicken, fries, and pita bread… And then he showed up with what seemed to be an entire cow leg. I reluctantly agreed to try it, but told myself that I would only have a few bites and then put it in the fridge for the next day. I ate the whole thing; it was THAT good.
The crab salad in the tasting menu at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.
It was just a tablespoonful of crab salad, presented in a little bowl, with a couple of dressed lettuce leaves. Nothing special to look at, and disappointing in size.
Blew the top of my fucking head off with deliciousness. The crabbiest thing I ever tasted, overlaid with strong, fragrant umami/citrus notes. My eyes filled with tears. Worth the (vast) price of the meal alone.
Just one bite? Well, I have two to talk about. One was a chunk of king crab leg dipped in lemon and melted butter. It was, seriously, better than any sex. I’d bought 10 lbs. of king crab legs for an obscene amount of money - thanks, Deadliest Catch dudes!
The other was a spoonful of deep dark chocolate ice cream, made with expensive imported cocoa and heavy cream, that we whipped up in our new Cuisinart ice cream maker. Un. Be. Lievable.
A bite of grocery store sushi that was heavy on wasabi. It was late in the evening, and I’d had a half-dozen beers but very little to eat the rest of the day. It was almost literally orgasmic.
Can I mention something drunk, rather than bitten?
Back in the summer of 1974 I was in basic training at Ft. Jackson, SC. Heat, humidity, you name it, we had it.
About two thirds of the way through our platoon went on a long march. Oh the sweat, the sun, and the parched lips.
Then our drill sergeant surprised us, and she had brought out for us a keg of sweetened ice tea, with lemon. It was cold and it was delicious, soothing our souls as much as our thirst. Such a simple thing, but the combination of circumstances let me remember little details of that time to this day.
It wasn’t fancy, but although I’ve had plenty of good food I really enjoyed, in a hundred different places, that iced tea stands out. Drill Sgt. Ogg, if you ever read this, a trainee of yours, from B-5, still remembers and thanks you.
That’s exactly what I was going to say–Ted Allen also mentioned that on one of those episodes of “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”. I have the coffee table book, and I think it might have the recipe. Unfortunately, I think I’d have to make about a dozen servings.
Yeah to add to that, though it’s been superseded since, the first time I tried heung so ngap (crispy aromatic duck in pancakes with julienned scallions and cucumber with plum sauce [NOT the same as Peking duck]) I had no idea that anything could taste so good.
Oh Thanks. I’d heard the term before, but wasn’t sure what it meant. Now I can use it and feel very sophisticated.
jjim, I love your description. The night I was at slates, that arrenchini almost made me cry it was so good. It was a business dinner so I had to behave myself, but I wanted to snatch that thing off of everyones plate.
I’m torn: It is either a delicious serving of panipuri I had in India or a plate of steamed kale with smoked marrow I recently had at a restaurant here in Copenhagen. Different worlds, but both equally surprising and wonderful!
Kouignettes. I discovered these on my last trip to France. They contain a lot of slightly-salty butter and caramelized sugar. They literally melt in your mouth, and are the only thing I’ve ever experienced that’s better than sex.