In Search of the Perfect Meal

[lambikins]

Where did you get the wild turkey? Did you have to go hunting in addition to planning that huge meal, or were you lucky enough that someone killed one for you?

Nope, didn't have to "grab up my trusty rifle and go git me one of 'em"; there's several stores in Chicago that deal with game meats and you just have to order them. They carry bison, bear, snake, turkey, quail...all that stuff. The first time I made it, I did order the wild turkey and successive years I just used regular turkey breasts I ordrered from the butcher. After that dang turkey sat in the booze for 3 days, you couldn't tell the difference between wild or domestic.

Now Wild Turkey of a different sort..., that just aids the cook!

All the women on my Mom's side of the family are fabulous cooks as well; I can't even begin to think of the best meal I've ever had, but it would probably be one co-produced by my Mom, my older sister and I. Younger sister finally began learning to cook some things in her late 20's, but still has a world of catching up to do.

It's so nice to hear about all the BEST meals that have come from the family. I guess, in a way, so did mine, but I was the family. I like that my meal has a 20 year old tradition behind it. I'm looking forward to those memories of yours, queenb!

[MRD]

Christmas Eve 2004

Fulton's Crab House, Downtown Disney. I had the Fulton Special: One whole lobster, shrimp, mussels, clams all in a butter garlic sauce with potatos. Best meal ever and it was a special night with my husband and daughter and the first and only time we've ever been away from home and family at Christmas. But it was very magical. I'd love to go back and eat it again.


I have a friend with mouth cancer who is a great cook and foodie. I've eaten some fabulous meals he made. Too many to even recount them all. He touched me so profoundly when he was preparing to have surgery to remove his tongue (if you dip snuff, stop now, this is what will happen), he asked me to prepare one of his last meals.

Fried green tomatos with bacon cream gravy
And Shrimp and Grits (great low country recipe).

I was touched that it was one of his "perfect meals".

He now eats through a stomach tube. And I want to cry because he was such a wonderful cook and we had so much fun in the kitchen together.

[bbnbama]

Christmas Eve 2004

Fulton's Crab House, Downtown Disney. I had the Fulton Special: One whole lobster, shrimp, mussels, clams all in a butter garlic sauce with potatos. Best meal ever and it was a special night with my husband and daughter and the first and only time we've ever been away from home and family at Christmas. But it was very magical. I'd love to go back and eat it again.


I have a friend with mouth cancer who is a great cook and foodie. I've eaten some fabulous meals he made. Too many to even recount them all. He touched me so profoundly when he was preparing to have surgery to remove his tongue (if you dip snuff, stop now, this is what will happen), he asked me to prepare one of his last meals.

Fried green tomatos with bacon cream gravy
And Shrimp and Grits (great low country recipe).

I was touched that it was one of his "perfect meals".

He now eats through a stomach tube. And I want to cry because he was such a wonderful cook and we had so much fun in the kitchen together.

Oh myrosiedog..your post had me in tears.....life can be so cruel sometimes....

[just1paul]

I believe the most perfect meal I ever had was something I did once and have not been able to geet the same perfection again. It was a nice thick steak with enough fat on it to make it really tasty, broiled a nice crusty dark brown but yet rare in the center, a baked potato slathered in butter and sour cream, some veggies with a bloody mary.

[Lucy]

My general, all-around perfect meal is my mother's meatloaf, spoon bread and steamed broccoli. It's like a full meal of comfort foods, and I never make it all for myself, I only get it at my mom's.

But my one-time best meal was something called "chicken rigges" (I think) at a little Italian restaurant in Old Forge, NY, about three years ago. My boyfriend at the time and I had gone to Utica for the wedding of one of my college friends, and we took an extra couple of days and went up into the Adirondacks. It was cold and rainy, and we just puttered around this little town we'd chosen from the map, and then randomly picked this place -- Frankie's Taste of Italy -- for dinner. The food was divine. It tasted so good we took the leftovers 13 hours back home.

[Marleybone]

About 12 years ago when we made our first trip to Yellowstone, we stopped in Cody, Wyoming for a couple of days. We ate at a Mexican restaurant called La Comida, and it was so good we still talk about it. My favorite was the Margarita Mud Pie. We are heading back up that way this summer and hope to go there again.

[misskitty]

My first thought was when I was in a little family restaurant outside of Redovan, Spain. It was 1am, the full moon was orange, it was still hot out, and we had an outside table. We ate grilled lambchops, with sweet Spanish onion and french fries. With lotsa red wine. It was like a postcard.

Another was a simple bowl of beef goulash and a cold beer in a pub in Austria. It was Easter weekend and everything was closed in the old town of Salzburg. I was tired from the plane ride into Germany and driving into Austria to the pension. I knew how to say Beer, it's not hard and couldn't read the menu but the lady said something close to suppe and I gave her a thumbs up. It was amazing. Probably because I was starving.

There's just so many. Including, of course, Xmas dinner with Baba and Gigi with homemade perohe, holubchi, psynycha, kobassa, and other Ukrainian goodies. Yum! All eaten on her red, gold and black trimmed plates from the Old Country on the white lace handmade tablecloth. Great memories.

[nlmcp]

This is a hard one for me.

There was the time in Denver when we went to a place called I think the Bank Vault (it was in an old bank) had escargot, veal oscar, some kind of divine chocolate pie with a great wine.

Or the time in Houston when we went to Harry Kenya, I had a lobster stuffed with crab and cheese and escargot for an appetister and Key Lime Pie.

I don't know it's hard to say. There was even the first real date I had with my ex and for fun we ordered all the foods you had made at the table, so I had Ceaser Salad, Steak Diane and Cherries Jubilee. All were really good.

[lambikins]

About 12 years ago when we made our first trip to Yellowstone, we stopped in Cody, Wyoming for a couple of days. We ate at a Mexican restaurant called La Comida, and it was so good we still talk about it. My favorite was the Margarita Mud Pie. We are heading back up that way this summer and hope to go there again.

Marleybone: I don't know if Cody, Wyoming is like Chicago, with restaurants having shelf life's of 2 years or less, but I'd make a simple phone call out there to see if La Comida was still in business.

When I went to Ogunquit, Maine last year, we went looking for one of my favorite restaurants, only to find out that it closed, five years earlier. Apparently, in resort areas, (like the one I live in in Michigan)they have horrendous turn over rates for restaurants because the tourist season is so ephemeral and chance-y with weather-related problems.

I wouldn't want you to be disappointed out there, if you find out it's been closed.

[DesertRose]

I'm hoping to have a great if not perfect meal this Friday. I'm searching for a special restaurant to celebrate Valentine's day with my hubby. So far, I'm hesitating between Aix and Le Jolifou. Any Montrealers or visitors that can recommend a restaurant?