Vivid as Kodachrome slides, my earliest food memories, from late 1960’s Los Angeles, include backyard barbecues, Bob’s Big Boy burgers, and regular outings to the 1934 landmark Original Farmers Market (6333 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles. Tel. 323-933-9211. farmersmarketla.com) with my late mother Lelia and her sister Libby.
Still going strong, our favorite merchants included Du-par’s for pancakes, Patsy D’Amore’s for pizza, Bob’s for doughnuts, and Littlejohn’s Candies (celebrated 100 last year), for toffee.
In February 1970, we left L.A. for a decade in England, with extensive European travels immersed in culinary cultures and experiences. In 1977, we moved from London to rural Sussex. Raising our own vegetables, fruits, and chickens taught me volumes about Mother Earth.
Portugal was another education, from helping fishermen unload their haul on Salema Beach to marveling at workers wrist-flinging buckets of sardines up to the dock in Portimão. Most possessing was our 1974 road side food stop in mountainous Monchique. She lives in my memory, the ancient woman in black grilling chicken in a metal bucket. Smoke mixing with the pine-scented air, she wordlessly dished out chicken and rolls, took the money, and returned to her grill. She is my original spirit guide for honesty, simplicity, and authenticity in food and cooking.
Twenty years later, in Tuscany, another roadside sorceress in black seduced me with chicken and grappa. Less charmed was the roadside grilled lamb in Morocco that left me crawling like a Marine in my hotel room. You learn as you go deeper into the sensations, emotions, and connections of food.
In 2004, after career misadventures galore, I became an independent travel and food journalist. With Passport serving as a trusted ride by air, sea, rail, and road since 2011, here are my all-time favorite epicurean encounters from around the globe.
Checking every box with flying colors (approachability, atmosphere, authenticity, cuisine, service, and pure pleasure) four French restaurants, one forever in memoriam, head the list. All three are in North America, and they are as good as any in France.
How I miss Les Halles, Anthony Bourdain’s tour de force Manhattan brasserie and all-time favorite haunt. Thankfully, there’s Hollywood’s Petit Trois (718 N. Highland Avenue. Tel. 323-468-8916. petittrois.com) to ease the loss.
Petit Trois Chef Ludo Lefebvre (Photo by Capra Photography)
In classic L.A. tradition, Burgundy native Ludovic Lefebvre’s “L’Original” 22-seat boîte (the Sherman Oaks location is larger) beckons in a non-descript strip mall. The outdoor patio is lovely but the true action is inside at the chef’s counter, so close to the action you could almost flip the Big Mec double cheeseburger yourself. Buzzing with bonhomie, the slender space is your ticket for plump, buttery Burgundy Escargots and other starters. Entrees such as the omelets, wagyu steak frites, and hearty slow-cooked Daube Provençal beef stew are unerring. Libations include cocktails, French wines, and for parting French kisses, absinthe and Green chartreuse.
Philadelphia celebrity chef Stephen Starr’s Le Diplomate (1601 14th Street, NW. Tel. 202-332-3333. lediplomatedc.com) is my D.C. darling. Kicking up its heels like the Moulin Rouge since 2013, his indoor-outdoor homage to French café culture feels airlifted from Paris. The menu energetically stretches from daily specials like bouillabaisse and rabbit roulade to marinière-style mussels, steak au poivre, beef bourguignon, and other brasserie essentials.
Founded in 1980 by theatre-lovers Colette Brossoit and Pierre Villeneuve as a neighborhood spot for socializing with others or alone, always buzzing Parisian-style bistro Restaurant L’Express (3927 rue Saint-Denis. Tel. 514-845-5333. restaurantlexpress.com) is my most cherished Montreal amour.
Through the black-and-white tiled entrance way awaits old-school all-day and late-night comfort food amid the palm trees in the dining room or at the zinc-topped bar. Daily specials tempt alongside steak frites with shallot butter, duck confit and other standards. The extraordinary “Regular” and “Parallel” wine lists are famously drawn from the 11,000-plus bottle cellar. There is reputedly no sommelier, but the servers, among the best in the business, have your pairings covered. Desserts include coffee crème brûlée, with love to go. Every year, L’Express sends me a holiday card; je t’aime aussi!
Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and other Canadian centers abound with top restaurants. Winnipeg often gets overlooked, but to my surprise and delight, offers two apex culinary encounters. RAW:almond (raw-almond.com), is unlike any public food event I have ever experienced. Launched in 2013, this annual three week fine-dining festival is staged inside a uniquely designed tent set atop Winnipeg’s frozen rivers. Running from January into February, each night features multi-course five star dinners prepared by leading chefs. I attended the 10th anniversary in 2023; the experience was peerless.
I also swooned for Winnipeg chef Scott Bagshaw’s Enoteca, since relaunched in his same sexy strip mall hideaway as Né de Loup (1670 Corydon Avenue. Tel: 204-487-1529. nedeloup.com). Bagshaw’s new “wolf-born” concept is for ravenous French-driven small plates like exceptional beef tartare with foie gras and serrano pepper relish.
Saba Spring Spread and Cocktail (Photo by Charles Borden)
Back in L.A., El Cholo (1121 S. Western Ave. Tel. 323-734-2773. elcholo.com) is my go-to for quintessential Mexican food. Originated in 1923 and renamed El Cholo in 1931, the flagship and other locations sizzle with day one dishes such as the green corn tamales. Before his 1969 breakthrough in Easy Rider, Jack Nicholson and other starving actors survived on El Cholo’s 35-cent Frijoles a la Hoja (beans in a pot) and free tortillas and salsa. The Mamas and the Papas singer and El Cholo “super fan” Michelle Phillips once declared that “I will never find a more fun and delicious hangout, ever!”
Hollywood’s oldest restaurant from 1919, Musso & Frank Grill (6667 Hollywood Blvd. Tel. 323-467-7788. mussoandfrank.com) has been a dining and drinking headquarters for generations of film and literary legends. Dark wood-paneled walls, murals, red leather banquets, and red-jacketed servers set a cinematic scene in the Old Room (1934), New Room (1955), and new private rooms.
The star power is palpable. I last dined in a New Room booth warmed by Jon Hamm the night before, by The Rolling Stones’ corner booth, and Frank Sinatra’s former perch.
The menu matches the occasion, starting with the stirred, not shaken Perfect Martini, an iced, aromatic elixir with Spanish olives (no vermouth) served in a petite Martini glass with a carafe for your second pour. Signature dishes include the Original Fettuccine Alfre do, following the recipe brought from Rome’s Alfredo restaurant by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford; lamb kidneys with bacon, Charlie Chaplin’s favorite; and French crepe meets-pancake Flannel Cakes.
My introduction to Fairmont San Francisco’s legendary Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar (950 Mason Street. Tel. 415-772-5278. fairmont-san-francisco.com) was a gas. Lei around my neck and Mai Tai in hand, I was seated as musicians on a thatch-covered barge in the room’s central lagoon, rain falling and thunder and lightning booming, played “The Girl from Ipanema.”
Johnny Hernandez and Jeff Heilman at 2020 Paella Challenge (Photo by Jeff Heilman)
In 1945, MGM set designer Mel Melvin transformed the hotel’s 1929 swimming pool into the S.S. Tonga, an Art Deco cruise liner themed restaurant. Subsequently renamed the Tonga Room, this iconic Tiki palace never disappoints with live entertainment, exotic cocktails, and Polynesian-fusion fare.
Since first hitting Las Vegas on a cross country drive in 1986, the destination has transformed into a global culinary capital. Two Wynn Las Vegas restaurants epitomize the excellence: Japanese temple Mizumi and Italian-driven Ol’ Blue Eyes homage Sinatra (Tel. 702-770-5320. wynnlasvegas.com).
My Texas touchstones include guest judging at San Antonio chef Johnny Hernandez’s annual Paella Challenge (paellachallenge.com) fundraiser. Featuring celebrity chefs and high schoolers, this festive public cook-off, held each March in Mission County Park, supports Hispanic youth aiming for culinary careers.
Meanwhile, Helen Greek Food & Wine (2429 Rice Boulevard. Tel. 832-831-7133) in Houston’s Rice Village is a standout for amazing authentic regional Hellenic fare.
With a colorful history that includes amateur striptease contests, illegal gambling, and regular performances by Billie Holiday and Count Basie in the 1950’s, Miami’s Ball & Chain (1513 S.W. 8th Street. ballandchainmiami.com) has been a Little Havana nightlife hub since 1935. For Cuban food and cock tails and live entertainment in the giant back yard Pineapple band shell, it’s always a party.
Saba (5757 Magazine Street, New Orleans. Tel: 504-324-7770. eatwithsaba.com) is my Big Easy go-to for Israeli chef-owner Alon Shaya’s marvelous mash-up of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and regional ingredients and influences. Revelations include the Louisiana blue crab hummus with soft butter and lemon.
A decade after unleashing L’Opossum sur la Colline de l’Oregon (626 China Street, Tel: 804-918-6028. lopossum.com), David Shannon remains a chief arbiter of Richmond’s acclaimed culinary scene. Ornamented with mirrored walls, chain-swag lamps, and other whimsical décor, his dining bordello is unbridled food theater. Past events included a dinner for gay porn star Jack Vidra.
L’Opposum Fabergé Egg Bed̀azzled (Photo by Kip Dawkins)
Formerly executive sous chef at Patrick O’Connell’s three Michelin-starred Inn at Little Washington in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Shannon has fun with his French Southern menu. Original players such as the Fabergé Egg Bèdazzled With Caviar & Dill Cured Salmon boogie with new cast members such as Fee Fi Foe, Fee Fi Faux Pho. The cocktails, desserts, and service also make L’Opossum a sought-after reservation.
Philadelphia pilgrimages include Reading Terminal Market (1136 Arch Street. Tel. 215-922-2317. readingterminalmarket.org), Philly’s oldest public food market from 1893. Holding court on Rittenhouse Square since 1998, Rouge (205 S 18th Street. Tel. 215-732-6622. rouge98.com) was the city’s first restaurant with sidewalk dining. Inside, this majestic jewel box is for socializing at the oval bar and creative bistro fare like the decadent Ribeye Cheesesteak with beer cheese and caramelized onions.
My NYC love affair began with a bang in 1984 at Studio 54 successor the Palladium. Of my countless Big Apple bites since, my main squeezes after Les Halles are two irrepressibly authentic Italian restaurants. Since 1995, Antonio Migliaccio, a former longshoreman from Ischia, has brought the sauce at his no-reservation, cash-only Noodle Pudding (38 Henry Street. Tel. 718-625-3737) in Brooklyn Heights. Energetic, loud, and frequently flirting with chaos, the room is unapologetically New York, with mobsters and movie stars among the loyalists. Dishes like mashed fava beans, pork chop with hot cherry peppers, and spaghetti carbonara never miss the mark.
Enoteca Maria (27 Hyatt Street. Tel: 718- 447-2777. enotecamaria.com) is owner Jody Scaravella’s heartfelt homage to his market and kitchen days with his late mother Maria and grandmother (nonna) Dominica. This Staten Island destination restaurant stands apart from the traditional Italian menu and secondary guest Nonna program, featured time honored dishes cooked by grandmothers from around the globe.
I could live on the pizza in Providence, RI, my favorite New England culinary capital. James Beard semi-finalist Pizza Marvin (468 Wickenden St. Tel: 401-262-3336. pizzamarvin.com); circa-1953 Caserta Pizzeria (121 Spruce Street. Tel: 401-272-3618. casertapizza.com); and wood-fired eatery Figidini (67 Washington St. Tel: 401-808-6886. figidini.com) are slices of heaven.
No matter who said it, “The chefs in hell are British” accurately described England’s nightmarish 1970’s food culture. Our regular weekend escape, The Mermaid Inn (Mermaid Street, Rye, East Sussex. Tel. 01797 223 065. mermaidinn.com), was one saving grace. Dating to 1156 and rebuilt in 1420, this former smuggler’s haunt in the ancient port city of Rye creaks with history. Time capsule venues include the Giant’s Fireplace Bar, featuring a massive open log fireplace, and 2 AA Rosette-rated fine dining linen-fold paneled restaurant.
My Parisian paramours include Le Bar (25 avenue Montaigne. Tel. +33-1-5367- 6665; dorchestercollection.com) at the legendary Hôtel Plaza Athénée. In Le Marais, Paris’s charming village-like gay center, circa-1615 Marché des Enfants Rouges (39 Rue de Bretagne) is the capital’s oldest food market. Named for a former nearby orphanage, this multi-cultural maze of food stalls and restaurants invites endless exploration.
From Saturday Night Live after-parties to post-concert shindigs with rock stars, I have met my share of famous faces. Showstoppers included a star-studded black-tie gala at Monte Carlo’s famed Sporting Club, followed by the after-party at the venue’s subterranean Jimmy’z Monte-Carlo (26 Avenue Princesse Grace, Monaco. Tel. +33-6-8086-2108. instagram.com/jimmyzmc) nightclub. Clinking Champagne glasses with Sir Richard Bran son and other celebrities at the legendary 1971 epicenter of Monegasque nightlife was a time like no other.
In 2013, our press group was treated to a farewell dinner at the Sydney Opera House with the son of the building’s acoustics designer, his wife, and a local journalist attending as “special guests.” The regal couple, from Venice, barely spoke English. The conversation was halting and taxing, in spite of how graciously we all tried to understand each other. Their cleverly planned hoax was soon revealed when the trio broke into arias worthy of the house; they were actors uncorking a night of merriment.
Named for an island where Aboriginal women once ate shellfish and told stories, the iconic venue’s Bennelong Restaurant (sydneyoperahouse.com) is a consummate showcase of Australian food and wine.
Created by Australian celebrity chef Shannon Bennett in 2000, Vue de Monde (525 Collins Street. Tel. +61-3-9691-3888. vuedemonde.com.au), is a temple of gastronomy on the 55th floor of Melbourne’s Rialto Tower. Trained in Europe by masters including Albert Roux, Marco Pierre White, and Alain Ducasse, Bennett, since moved on, was on hand for an unforgettable 2014 lunch of tea tree–smoked salmon pearls, emu jerky, and salt-cured wallaby with truffle marshmallow.
Trained at three Michelin Star restaurants in Paris and Copenhagen’s legendary Noma, Hugh Allen advances the ingenious, indigenous artistry with multi course prizes like kangaroo pho with green ants and macadamia puree and oscietra caviar in kelp sauce. The more accessible adjacent Lui Bar (luibar.com) has the same panoramic views and a tasty bar menu.
I count my blessings every time I travel and taste the world. It is a privilege that comes with humility, and total respect for every person in the food and hospitality industries. Which brings me to another encounter with a hard-working older woman cooking over a fire. Assisted by a younger woman, likely her daughter, she ran a food stall inside the vast Albert Centre Market & Food Centre (270 Queen Street. Tel. +65-6394-2843), one of 120-plus hawker centers in Singapore.
Her kitchen was cramped and hot. Dating to 1980, the sprawling venue was poorly ventilated and not the most hygienic, despite the determined efforts of the roving custodian (improvements are underway ahead of a projected May 2025 reopening). Head down, the woman made me a basic but delicious plate of food for the equivalent of seven dollars. On a romanticized level, this was straight out of an Anthony Bourdain episode. In a deeper vein, it was a poignant reminder of cooking stripped bare to the place where understanding and appreciation begin.
