Are you the consummate foodie? Do you find that your TV is glued permanently to the food network or that you adapt every travel itinerary around the best gourmet adventures in a city? Do you think about dinner while you’re eating lunch and then base your dining selections on Michelin stars, emerging celebrity chefs or wine-pairing dinner menus?
If the responses are “yes” to any or all of these questions, then this Food Lovers Bucket List is definitely for you.
Aescher — Wasserauen, Switzerland
Welcome to the Aescher Restaurant that is located in Switzerland. It enjoys its location at the foot of the Alps where it is just snugged onto a vertical cliff which is 300’ high. You can either use a gondola from the towns below or take a hike to the restaurant. Those who do make the trek can enjoy the spectacular views of the Alpstein Mountains.
Steirereck, Vienna
Steirereck is often described as the Noma of Austria, a time-tested restaurant that has a modern menu in a city which is not known for gastronomy. In fact, Steirereck is completely singular.
The old building was basically rebuilt with walls of glass to look out on the nearby Stadtpark (City Park). The view feels as thrilling as Chef Heinz Reitbauer’s inventive cuisine, with such plates as coconut-water-poached crayfish with celery root salad, and barbecued beef forerib with potato cream, blue poppy seeds, and alpine sorrel.
The honey course—a tasting of exemplary jars—is accompanied by the buzz of a bee colony. The mood here is completely relaxed, which is good because meals tend to stretch over several hours. There’s a more casual option: the wine-focused Milchbar is hidden below Steirereck.
Eat At The French Laundry
The French Laundry, which is situated in the Napa Valley, is definitely an overachiever. It has retained three coveted Michelin Stars since 2006 and the late renowned celebrity chef – Anthony Bourdain – has called it “the very best restaurant in the world. Period.”
Its Chef’s Tasting Menu is an absolute must-do experience for all Foodies! Owner and exceptional chef, Thomas Keller, is a master at his craft however it will cost you a pretty penny to sample his food at this highly celebrated restaurant. A dinner can very easily run over $400 per person. However the hardest part is actually getting a reservation which can take months.
De Kas — Amsterdam, Netherlands
Back in 2001, an old greenhouse which was owned by Amsterdam’s Municipal Nursery was all set to be destroyed. Then, a Dutch chef by the name of Gert Ja Hageman decided to buy it and make use of its fresh produce in his cooking. The result is De Kas that serves as a successful restaurant and allows its customers to have their meal in the herb garden.
Elkano, Getaria, Spain
Set in a miniscule beach town somewhere between Bilbao and San Sebastian, a town where every restaurant seems to be a destination, Elkano is legendary for fish. It’s a very simple recipe. Chef/owner Aitor Arregui gets all his seafood locally and then cooks it over a battery of grills fuelled by charcoal made from oak.
The specialty is turbot, barbecued in a grill basket with a few squirts of a secret mix of oil, vinegar, and salt created by Arregui’s grandmother. Arregui maintains that part of the secret is to have the turbot skin blister enough for the flames to flavour the meat itself. Before he serves the meaty, lightly smoky fish, Arregui picks out the bones and adds another generous drizzle of the family’s secret oil.
