A single bite of a chocolate cake made in the cafeteria of a small town hospital. That was 10? 11? years ago, and I still don’t know if it was so good because it was that delicious, or if it was the fact that I hadn’t had anything with flavor for 6 days.
giggle My husband and I tried it at Prime 112 in South Beach. I understand why people would think it was the best thing they’d ever had. Unfortunately it still tastes of liver. I began to gag and almost threw up. That set off my husband. We had to sit still with our napkins over our mouths till the waiter took it away.
Obviously we weren’t made for that particular kind of fine dining.
I looked at the restaurant’s website, and it looks like the no longer offer it. 
But it was a paper-thin slice of raw venison, topped with a few onions, a few scrapings of cheese, and a cherry. I think I got 5 of them for about $19. Mouthgasm ensued.
Honorable mention goes to gorditas in a tapas place. Prunes stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon, then broiled.
Cheesecake at Shapiro’s Deli in Indianapolis. Shapiro’s is a genuine formica table and florescent light Jewish deli in the heart of downtown Indy. This was 24 years ago, and I can still remember it.
Steak au poivre with green peppercorn sauce at the Winter’s Inn in Rangely, ME. July 22, 1976. I remember 'cause it was my wedding night.
One of those moments when you taste that first bite bite and want the moment to last forever.
Fresh halibut covered in melted gruyere and a sprinkle of really sharp cheddar cheese. It was like eating a cloud.
My first cassoulet, in NYC about 1983. Never could duplicate it.
When I was a kid, I went on a family vacation to Flagstaff, AZ. We usually dined at Olive Garden and the like but for some reason, my parents splurged for a fine dining restaurant. I can’t remember what the rest of the meal was but we all started with this black bean soup, it was more like a broth, not thick at all- it was amazing. I have never tasted anything like it (nor ever found black bean soup made the same way - although I like the thicker way too).
Toss up: my first sushi, or my first crawfish boil.
Yeah, its definitely foie for me too. First time I tried it was in 2000, I was helping open Daveed’s restaurant in Mt Adams, Cincinnati. Part of the training before opening night revolved around tasting all the food so as to be able to enthusiastically and properly describe it to guests.
This particular iteration was pretty simple, a 3oz seared piece of foie (seasoned with sea salt and cracked pepper) which was then finished in the oven, served over a slice of toasted brioche with grilled pineapple and verjus, with a touch of black pepper pineapple gastrique. All that buttery richness (and evil) was perfectly cut by the acids in the pineapple so while it was like eating a meat pillow slathered in butter, it was never cloying.
I have to give second place to a foie gras torchon I had there once as well. Oh, and sweetbreads too.
Damn I miss being able to eat that stuff.
I worked as an intern at the Atlanta Opera in college, and at a Christmas party for the staff the hostess, who was much farther above me in social class and graces than I quite grasped at the time, introduced me to Stilton cheese with gingersnaps and dried apricots. My god.
One more for foie gras.
Also, 2 types of sushi- toro, at a Vancouver sushi joint, and uni with quail egg, though I can’t remember where. Uni is still my favorite, though often not available, and always expensive.
Damn, toro is the good stuff. Quail eggs are too. What’s for lunch?
Holy crap, that was mine, too! It’s the first time I truly, deeply understood the word umami. As simple as it is, it was the stand-out dish of the meal (at least for me).
When I was 17, I went to New Orleans with friends and we ordered ‘Strawberries Arnaud’ (basically strawberries and cream with port sauce) one night for dessert. I’ve never had anything quite so sublime since. Simple but delicious.
Many, many moons ago when I was around 17, several friends and I went backpacking in Quetico provincial park. Long story short we lost all our food – no radios allowed in the park and we’re a 3 day hike back to civilization.
On the second day without food we came across another group who had mercy on us and gave us a 10lb. sack of potatoes, a 10lb. sack of onions, 2 lbs of bacon, and 2 lbs of government cheese. We fried everything together and it was so good we thought we’d gone to heaven; I actually think a few of us cried.
More recently at Lure I had the lamb chops with beet salad in yuzu. The lamb was great but the beets were the best bite of the night and I don’t even LIKE beets.
When I was 17, my French club went to The Maisonette in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was, I was told a 5-star restaurant. It remains the nicest place I have ever eat. But anyway, I had stuffed rainbow trout, which included scallops and shrimp. I also had escargot, which impressed everyone. They were good, mostly garlicky, but very impressive to my virgin palate. (And virgin everything else, for that matter.) 
Ah, the Maisonette. My brother and I both worked there a long time ago. I served, he was a cook. Cincinnati has a lot of really good restaurants right now, more than ever in fact, but the city is lacking for the absence of the Maisonette. In fact, the space is being developed into a new restaurant concept by local chef/restaurateur David Falk, who owns the high end Boca in Oakley square and the upscale Mexican-influenced Nada in downtown.
My first experience with uni was on a pristine beach on the west side of Kodiak Island. We went down at low tide to pick uduqs (Alutiq word for sea urchin) and found a bounty of them. Cracked open at the water’s edge, scooped up with one’s pinky finger and slurped down, amazing. Sweet with a taste of the sea. Also uheduqs, smallish chitons. We cut the foot off, rinsed it in the sea and chewed. Delightful.
I have a favorite fancy pants item I indulge in a few times a year, a black truffle chicken liver mousse with a brandied truffle aspic. At least as good as sex, if not better!
Hm, when did you work there, Foie my boy? I would have eaten there in the late '70s. 1979, I’d guess. I do remember our table was cleaned of crumbs by a little vacuum-cleaner thingie, which made us all giggle like the teenage girls we were (even the boys).