I often field emails from Magpie readers planning a trip to D.C. and asking for restaurant recommendations. I always sit a little too long in thought before replying because — it just depends! I have some friends who equate “good dining” with the buzziest, most in-demand spots in the area, and others who want a lowkey, authentic cuisine without the bells and whistles. There is room in my book for both and everything in between. When I think about some of the best dining experiences of my life, they’re all over the map, and deeply shaped by the company, the moment in time, the service, the ambiance, even the weather; a good dining experience is so much more than just the food.
A few favorite dining experiences from my lifetime:
+Roast chicken, split with my Dad, at the Tour D’Argent in Paris, circa 2002. The height of glamor then and now. The service, the food, the interior, the feeling of my life spread out before me (I was just about to fly the coop for college) — 10 out of 12.
+Pintxo tour in San Sebastian with Landon — we went with a Basque guide arranged by our hotel (Hotel Maria Cristina) who showed us all the best spots and exactly what to order. It was unfussy in the sense that we were standing around in little food stalls, eating tiny bites with toothpicks in them, but truly some of the most superb food I’ve ever had. Anguilas, beef cheek braised in red wine, gildas!
+Steamed blue crabs on my in-laws’ back patios — a summertime tradition. My in-laws are purists and serve only blue crabs, malt vinegar, Old Bay, and plenty of beer (rose in my case) — no potatoes, no hush puppies, no sides of any kind. You sit and pick until your nail-beds sting with seasoning and the occasional shell injury, and the crickets and cicadas are singing into the twilight. It is delightfully un-fancy and deeply rewarding — the kind of eating that praises the slow and communal.
+Rose’s Luxury, Washington D.C., circa now — our favorite high-end dining experience in the D.C. area. The food is wildly creative and fun, the service absolutely incredible each time we visit, and the wine program compellingly orderable. This is our favorite place to go for a big time celebration.
+Buckwheat pancakes and bacon, Two Rivers Cafe, Basalt, CO, 1994-ish. My Dad would take us to this greasy spoon after camping in the Aspen, CO area all those summers of my youth. I still remember the delight of a warm plate of pancakes after a cold, stiff, mainly sleepless night on the ground, listening for coyotes. I have the fondest memories of those morning reprieves, the indulgence and delight of it.
+Fat Rice, Chicago, 2016. Oh my God, I still dream of this restaurant’s namesake dish: fat rice, a Macanese (Portuguese-Chinese) riff on paella, with flecks of crispy pork and entire prawns and dried fruit and the kind of socarrat most of us can only dream of making once in a lifetime. We took every guest who visited us while we lived in Chicago to this wondrous and one-of-a-kind restaurant, and there was often a long (multi-hour) wait that you’d pass in a tiny curtained-off back-alley space a few doors down, where you could order cheap local beer and shrimp chips. I have so many memories of festive evenings with visiting friends — a rowdy, fabulous, party place with some of the best food I’ve ever had.
+Prune (Gabrielle Hamilton’s restaurant, may it RIP!), New York City, 2018 — this was a moment for us. Landon has long been a fan of Gabrielle’s (has read her books, draws heavily from her cookbooks, etc) and we had dinner at Prune one evening after a long and harrowing moving process from Chicago to New York. I’ll never forget the way Landon looked that night: he had been carrying the stress of the world on his shoulders and finally, sitting in that tiny, cozy, light-filled bistro, I saw him relax for the first time in what felt like ages. His shoulders dropped from his ears; he was smiling without thinking he was doing anything at all. Magical ambiance there — it was a warm evening, and they had the entire front of the restaurant open, with tiny bistro tables spilling out into the sidewalk, and these globe lights that radiated with a hazy, yellow warmth.
+Owen and Engine, Chicago, 2016. I don’t even know if this exists anymore, but this was our favorite burger in a city known for burgers (Au Cheval!), and they used to run an insane Tuesday night deal: a pub style burger, The Perfect French Fry (really, they perfected it!) served with a malt vinegar aioli, a pint of beer, and a shot of bourbon for $16. When I was pregnant with Emory, I craved red meat (I later found I was anemic) and so Landon and I made a routine of taking advantage of this Tuesday night special. Now, those Tuesday nights appear amidst a thick, romantic haze: we were two young married people excitedly waiting for the next chapter, and enjoying the most outrageously delicious burger and fries while doing so. (Landon also enjoyed the fact that he got to enjoy two shots and two beers and I would drive him home after!)
+Passalacqua, Lake Como, 2024 — Just a wow hotel and hospitality experience from top to bottom. I remember telling Landon that I didn’t feel worthy of staying there! Every detail is so opulent, considered, spectacular, luxe! We had several memorable dining experiences there that appear to defy reality (did I really experience it?!) — cocktails (to the tune of $40…) while looking over the tiered gardens down to the lake; a breakfast room with enormous platters of every kind of meat, fruit, tinned fish, and vegetable you could imagine, plus infinite cake stands of different breads and cakes and pastries — and that was just the “standard offering.” They also brought out tiered stands of specialty treats from the kitchen to our table, and you could order absolutely anything you could imagine a la carte. Finally, dinner — dinner! Swoon! We more or less had the entire dining room to ourselves with a pianist playing for us in the corner. It was the most romantic dinner of my life, and the room’s appointments and china only enhanced the incredible food.
I have so many other great dining memories in New York and Chicago especially — too many to name, and all over the map in terms of price and cuisine style and ambiance — but those were the first that bubbled up.
What about you? What are some of your hallmark favorite dining experiences?
Post-Scripts.
+If you are visiting DC and looking for recs, our current favorites (all different styles and vibes — some of these you go for just for the food; some you go for the ambiance, experience, etc): Yellow Cafe, Rose’s Luxury, Maydan, Lutece, Chez Billy Sud, Pho75, Bread Furst (takeaway), Aventino, A&P Pizza, Albi, 2Amys Pizza, Rooster and Owl, Mama Chang’s, Pollo Rico, Caribbean Grill. More here.
+What are your go-to comfort rituals?
+Things I find randomly chic: food edition.
Shopping Break.
+SEA vibes for much less! (And currently 25% off!). Also love these chic boat shoes and this dress, also 25% off!
+Trending among Magpies the past day or two: these wide leg lounge pants.
+Fun jellies — I own these in a clear color and love! Surprisingly comfortable. The plastic is really soft and stretchy. The other jelly-style shoe I LOVE (and have already worn this season — I always get stopped about them!) are these!
+I know a lot of you ordered this cute spring fleece; another fab option that will keep you warm but read “spring season” here. (The pattern on the pocket!!)
+Oo, this J. Crew new arrival! Add a little lace detail to nail this vibe.
+I’ve written a lot about this lightweight, quick-absorbing body oil, but I just discovered their anti-aging balm. It smells so good and I love the way the product feels when absorbed into skin. This brand is super legit — packed with great ingredients and they just work. You know when you splurge on a fancy cream and it’s either greasy or hard to work into skin? I feel like OSEA really thinks about usability. Great products that work really well. Anyway, the balm makes me feel like I’m a botanical genius tending to an herb garden in a beautiful country house. It is a transportive product!
+Obsessed with this eyelet shorts and button-down set.
+Speaking of warm weather sets: Frank and Eileen has restocked its perfect linen sets. I live in the white one in the warm months, but how good is that new soft blue color?! LOVE. These are a splurge but I do get a lot of wear out of them — worn together, or with the pants and a striped tank, or the shirt tucked into patterned shorts. (In cooler weather, I live in their Carmel fleece set — an elevated sweatsuit. My favorite travel outfit!)
+Some of my favorite statement blouses are by Alix of Bohemia — have you tried this brand?! Another brand that often garners a lot of questions from strangers! I love this and this from the current season.
+Swooning over this statement jacket! THE COLORS!
+Ordered my kids these Easter jammies. The print!
+Keep thinking of this pink version of my brown leather Elleme bag. PERFECT for spring. The handle is giving Bottega (compare here). Also love this suede mist color variation.
+More Bottega vibes for less: this and this (under $150 right now!). Love the latter in that yellow color.
+Cute fitness tee in new spring colors.
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This is such a fun question!
Lobster Ravioli at Giacomo’s in Boston’s North End-2016. We had just moved to Boston after getting married. It was my husband’s 23rd birthday and I coordinated with his best friend and his wife to fly out to visit us and surprise him for his birthday! They don’t take reservations and it’s cash only. We waited outside in near-freezing February temperatures for 45 minutes. When we finally made it inside the rich, fresh pasta paired with the bottle of wine we shared (probably cheap because we were young and broke!) are culinary delights I still think about.
Voltaria in Porto, Portugal in October 2024. We waited outside of this little restaurant in the pouring rain (why do all of my best food memories involve inclement weather?) to try their Portuguese tapas. The octopus and codfish and shrimp rice were perfect. We shared a glass of port for dessert which I did not like at all but “when in Rome!”
The rest of my memories don’t involve fine dining, but qualify nonetheless! A juicy hamburger after finishing my first full marathon, a boat of sushi the very day I was cleared for reentry to raw fish after finishing 6 months of chemo, the perfect egg sandwich prepared exactly to my specifications by my loving husband while in the throes of my first trimester, a gleeful family dinner after my younger brother returned home from a three month study abroad internship. What a gift to gather around the table to mark the joys and sorrows of this lifetime with the people we love!
These are so gorgeous, and I love your comment about a lot of great food memories involving inclement weather. Talk about a silver lining!
Your note about the hamburger after the marathon reminded me of a conversation we had a few years ago on the blog — “what is the best beer?” Not as in the brand/style, but the best moment to have a beer. My husband often talks about the best beer being after a long day out in the sun, you’ve just showered, and you crack one open. I love the way sometimes “the best” version of things are just situational — what you need in a specific moment.
xx
Most of my best memories are from before I was gluten free!! Barring a particularly good gluten free bagel and latte from Good Boy in Killarney last summer.
A proper Turkish breakfast in Yalikavak in 2018. Eggs with sliced sausage, tomatoes, yogurt, a million perfect fruits, fresh bread. There were women hand-rolling phyllo and roaming dogs and cats. The baklava at Nusr-et that they slice open with a saber and put ice cream into.
Everything I ate in Healdsburg on my honeymoon in 2017, especially at SHED, the bread with the dark crust made by a Tartine apprentice, the edible flowers on everything, the California tomatoes that remain the best of my life.
Uchi in Austin back in 2015 or 2016, before it was everywhere, remains the most incredible sushi of my life, bar none. The bruschetta at Red Ash (RIP) made of beef trimmings and garlicky mushrooms. The vegan frito pie at Frank. Oysters from Perla’s and Clark’s Oyster Bar. The deep fried polenta covered in a shower of parm at Italic, with one of their sipping vermouths. The hoagie from Home Slice on South Congress that was the size of my forearm. Ramen from Ramen Tastu-ya. Pastries from Le Politique and Julie Myrtille that beat French stuff for me. Mala fried chicken at Old Thousand. Brisket from Freedman’s and La Barbecue and Franklin, queso from Fresa’s, the mozzarella donut with garlic butter from Gordough’s. The tamale factory next to my school in San Antonio that would let you come buy a sack.
The Caesar salad at The Breslin in NYC circa 2013/2014, covered in a shower of fried parsley leaves, the scotch egg, and the lamb scrumpets with mint vinegar. I’m an April Bloomfield fan girl, but I always preferred there to the Spotted Pig. There was a food truck called Takumi Taco that was sushi fusion in a crispy shell. There was a torta place that popped up after the south st seaport got wrecked that haunts my dreams. A Moroccan place in alphabet city that I don’t remember the name of, a friend booked it for his birthday and they roasted a whole lamb.
Locals have different haunts in Monaco. I usually go to Robuchon Deli(carrot soup), Panino Club (Negronis), the condamine market (socca, sushi) or the Irish pub. Zefferino for half-cooked tuna. The Grill is extremely special and their vegetables are unbelievable. Amazonico is the most fun for a night out. The Monte Carlo Beach Club has the best seafood in town. The manchego cheesecake with quince at Coya.
Gorgeous details, as always, so evocative! You really must think about food writing if you’re not already. “Covered in a shower of parm with one of their sipping vermouths” WOW. My mouth is watering! xx
This was by far not my best dining experience, but I still remember it: probably close to 20 years ago, I went used car shopping (I HATE car shopping) on the far side of Columbus, OH, after work. By the time we had finished at the dealer, I was hangry, so we stopped at a Rusty Bucket for dinner. I had the most delicious meal involving seared tuna (was it a wrap? Who knows…too much time has passed) and some sort of soy-sesame sauce and it totally changed my mood. I recall ordering the same dish some time later and being disappointed…nothing tastes as good as it does when you are starving!
I also have fond memories of Valentine’s Day 2026 when we had a date night in. I heated up frozen pizzas for the kids and they ate in the basement with a movie while I made filet with hasselback potatoes and custom salads (wedge for my husband, kale with apple/brie/nuts/seeds for me). We ate by candlelight, talked without constant interruptions, and finished with cheesecake from our local food co-op. My husband said it was the best meal anyone ever made for him, and I’m still treasuring that compliment!
That is so sweet! And really illustrates the point that it’s always about context (people, an oddball moment, a time you just really needed to be fed, etc.)
xx
I love this topic SO MUCH. Like so, so, so much! Could talk about it forever!!!
Off the top of my head…
December 2011, Grafton, Australia — my immediate family + each of us siblings’ partners (none of us were married yet but we’re all still with the same significant other which adds sweetness to the memory) gathered for my mother’s 60th birthday. We had a private dining room in a house converted to a museum, with modern fare and wines my wine-collector brother chose for the meal. It was an absolute riot from start to finish, I still think about the confit duck, and after we went back to my parents’ for a late-night cheese board (my mother doesn’t like cake) and a Pedro Ximénez nightcap.
February 2014, Bangkok, Thailand — mine and my boyfriend’s (now husband!) final night of our first trip overseas. We’d had three weeks backpacking across Thailand, making up our entire itinerary as we went. We finished in Bangkok with a guerilla dining private restaurant that my brothers had given us for Christmas. 14 courses of modern Thai fusion matched with international wine — we were hosted by an Austrian architect (the wine collector) and his Thai partner (the chef) in their renovated Chinatown apartment overlooking the Chao Phraya River. It was called Nang Gin Kui, which translates to sitting-eating-talking. We did just that for seven hours, then headed across town to find a bar we’d heard about at a record store the day before. We got to that neighbourhood at 3am, ate fried chicken from a street vendor, headed to the bar for a couple of hours, then got home at 5am — six hours before we had to head to the airport. Every part of the night was so delicious and fun.
December 27, 2014, Brisbane, Australia — two days after we got engaged, we dined at the bar of a Japanese izakaya-style restaurant in Fortitude Valley. It was our first private moment to celebrate together, and over dish after dish, my now-fiancé (!) drinking beer and me drinking NZ rose, we decided when we’d get married (August 2016) and where we’d go on honeymoon (Japan!). That whole summer sparkled and, after the meal, I remember standing on the street calling our best friends to share the news.
September 2021, Naples, Italy — our first night in Naples after a nightmare 15-hour travel day from Ireland to Italy. Fog cancelled our first flight out of Cork, we had to bus two hours to Shannon, then wait for a final late afternoon flight to Naples. Our flight was so delayed that we missed our hotel checkin and had to get to a neighbourhood café that was holding our room key for us. When we finally got to a little pizza joint my husband had found and had our first taste of Neapolitan pizza, the relief of finally being there was actually superseded by HOW GOOD it was — so good that we went back for a very late, pre-flight breakfast the next morning before flying on to Sardinia. It was my husband’s first night in Italy and I had only briefly been to Milan for less than 24 hours before that, so everything felt new and fresh. We were also finally travelling after moving to Ireland in January 2020 and being locked down for 18 months. I think the pizza would have been life-changing anyway, though what it symbolises is the culmination of so many dreams. Never has a margherita and a Peroni tasted so righteous.
I feel like this would be the MOST FUN dinner party prompt? A few weeks ago I was in Provence and asked my French friends I was staying with if they could only have four cheeses for the rest of their life what they would be. When I tell you that this conversation took up most of the meal! Asking people these favourite things with categories and so on is truly the most enjoyable topic in the world. People have a permission slip to be passionate and enthusiastic on their own terms! It’s just the greatest thing to witness and be a part of. Love these prompts, Jen! xx
Aoife! Your stories transported me here! I love the “Nang Gin Kui” concept — that pretty much sums up heaven when you’re with good company. I love your comment that “the whole summer sparkled.” So sweet.
FUNNY about the cheese conversation in French company! I love the specificity of that question versus “if you could only have one meal on a desert island, what would it be?” Was there one clear cheese winner that everyone said, or were the answers all over the map? I don’t know what I’d say…
This is such a lovely observation, too: “People have a permission slip to be passionate and enthusiastic on their own terms!”
xxx
Aoife, was there any consensus on the cheese? Did any two say the same one? I’m partial to a sheep’s cheese with truffle, the ruffly tête de moine, any triple crème cheese, and Snowdonia’s red wax-wrapped cheddar.
Plus one to the sheep’s cheese with truffle! They carry one at our local butcher that I…could eat daily.
Isle of Capri on 3rd in NYC is the best kept secret for authentic Italian. Cozy atmosphere, homey dishes, and stellar service. Gah..I may need to book a trip back to the big apple!
Ooh thank you for this tip!! I’d not heard of it but added it to my Google Map! xx