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In Search of the Best Dishes with National Geographic and Chef Nobu

Traveling this holiday season? Regardless of your destination, there are probably a few local dishes worth seeking out. The challenge is tracking them down. In 2010, you’ll have dishKarma to help guide your search. Until then, your solution may be a new book from National Geographic.

Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe, is an illustrated overview of the best food from around the world. There’s also a great promotional video that covers a few highlights from the book. For example, the video suggests the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, Japan as the go-to place for fresh tuna.

I'm a huge fan of tuna (check out this post if you dig it too), so I decided to do a bit more research. Eventually I landed on a top ten list created in Google Maps by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa. The map outlined his favorite places in the world and included a brief commentary on each location. It turns out the Tsukiji fish market was where he got his start as an apprentice in a small sushi restaurant. This use of the map application is very cool. You almost get the feeling he was just playing around with Google one day and decided to create this awesome little tool. Check out all of his favorites here.

Have you ever been to the Tsukiji market in Japan? How about one of Chef Nobu's other favorite spots? Perhaps one of his restaurants?

dishKarmaTV visits: nebo - Boston

Recently we visited Boston to film the pilot episode of dishKarmaTV. You told us your favorite dishes, course by course, and helped us compile Boston's "ultimate meal." We crawled around the city to sample each dish and met some amazing people along the way. Next month we'll post the entire episode and ask you to share your ultimate meal.

The appetizer for Boston's ultimate meal can be found at nebo, which stands for North End Boston. This bustling restaurant and enoteca (wine bar) serves up authentic Italian cuisine in a "contemporary chic European atmosphere." We were on a quest to try the Polpettine Meatballs and they delivered!

As we chatted up our concept and the inspiration for dishKarma with nebo owners Christine and Carla Pallotta, they began thinking about their favorite dishes. Before we knew it, there was a huddle at the end of the bar as Christine and Carla consutled co-workers and thumbed through their iPhones to reference online menus. In a matter of minutes they were ready to share their ultimate meals.

These ladies know the restaurant scene in their hometown! If you've ever wanted to eat like a chef in Boston here's your guide:

Hard Rock and John Lennon Challenge Us To Imagine

For some reason I’ve had an affinity for the Hard Rock brand since I was a kid. Even though I only visited three locations, I built a small collection of Hard Rock Café t-shirts. When friends and family went on vacation I always requested they bring one back for me. There was something iconic about the plain white shirt with the faded orange logo, and having the words “Hard Rock” on your chest felt a bit rebellious at ten years old (much like Bart Simpson and Hypercolor did around that same time).

This month Hard Rock launched the 2009 IMAGINE THERE’S NO HUNGER campaign. Inspired by the John Lennon song Imagine, this initiative supports WHY – a nonprofit organization that strives to fight against hunger and poverty around the world. A compilation album, SERVE 4, was produced along with a line of merchandise that will drive fundraising efforts. Tracks for the album were donated by John Lennon (via Yoko Ono), O.A.R., Elvis Costello, Eric Hutchinson, Brett Dennen and more.
It’s great to see Hard Rock is still a cool brand (Rehab Sundays anyone?) and that giving back remains central to their mission of “Love All Serve All.”

Through dishKarma we will soon launch a program that allows you to give back while feeding your passion for remarkable dishes. Just as Hard Rock uses music to support those in need, we hope to do the same as you share your ultimate meal. Stay tuned for more on this.

Do you have a favorite brand from your childhood that is still around today? Have they found a unique way to give back?

Eating Ireland

Okay, not quite, but on a recent trip to Ireland I had a few great dishes that I'd like to share with ya'll. I tried to experience Ireland (on the food side at least) from the most well known, top rated restaurants down to the little cafe that only serves take away. Here are the highlights:

Soup: Beef and Guinness Stew - The Brewery Bar at the Guinness Store House (Dublin) served with a topping of mashed potatoes - this soup might as well be an entree there's so much of it!

Appetizer: Crab and Salmon Cakes - The Cafe Bar at the Morrison Hotel (Dublin)

Sandwich: Turkey BLT wrap at Joe's (Lahinch) - I don't even know what made it so great, maybe the fact that we were in a surfing town in Ireland.

I'd list an entree, but I've forgotten the name of it and didn't write it down. There in lies one of the solutions dishKarma hopes to provide - giving us the ability to document a great dish on the fly so we don't forget and can pass it along to others.

This is just one tourist's view. If you've been to or are from Ireland, we'd love to hear your ultimate meal!

The Ultimate Salad Lives on Mickey Mantle Drive

I recently visited Oklahoma City for the first time and had a blast. Who knew it was such a coolplace?

Before I left, my friend Justin reminded me that OKC was home to his ultimate salad – The Bouquet of Salads from Nonna’s.
Conveniently it was just a few blocks from my hotel on Mickey Mantle Drive. I walked over one afternoon, but it turns out the dish is only served during lunch and I was too late. The good news is they had a killer appetizer called the Mango Crab Stack that made it a worthwhile stop.
The lesson for me? We need to allow special notes attached to the dishes people upload so they can mention things like ‘only served at lunch.’

What sites/apps do you currently use to find great dishes? What would you like to see in the perfect food app?

What are you looking at?

Feast your eyes on FoodGawker...a great site featuring photos from food bloggers everywhere. The site seems very user friendly and is open to anyone who follows the rules of posting food photos. Share a favorite dish, recipe or just the photo - link to your blog and join the community that FoodGawker is creating.

Don't miss their sister site: SND (Sunday Nite Dinner). It's sort of like playing the ultimate meal game with your friends every Sunday!