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!

On a recent road trip I had a killer meal at Emeril’s Orlando (I recommend the double cut pork chop). In every menu there was a special insert that promoted one of Emeril’s charitable programs and encouraged patrons to do their part. When I returned home and visited his Web site, I learned that Chef Lagasse lends his name and efforts to a number of worthy causes.
The one that really caught my eye was the “Come Together to Table Hunger” campaign. This was developed by Macy’s and Feeding America to raise money for local food banks.
In addition to a straightforward donation request on the site, Macy’s will donate a portion of all sales on October 17th. However, the most fun and unique aspect of the program encourages people to host dinner parties and asks guests to make donations in lieu of buying traditional gifts for the host.
Here at dishKarma we love going out to eat, trying new dishes and continuing to search for the ultimate meal. However, there is also something special about a great dinner party at home with friends and family.
The Come Together program is brilliant on so many levels. Clearly it’s a great way for Macy’s to promote their corporate social responsibility, while also driving additional sales. The site includes suggestions for dinner party themes, recipes and even music play lists endorsed by specific celebrity chefs (check out dK favorite Ming Tsai).
Did you host or attend one of these parties? Do you know of other unique charitable ideas or events that raise money for a similar cause?

The Great Taste

I had the pleasure of attending an event over this past weekend in Hartford, Connecticut called: The Great Taste. Of the many food and wine shows, this one was comparably smaller than most at 120 exhibits for food, wine, beer, travel and lifestyle - but offered a true sense of community among the greater Hartford area.

A major selling point for my attendance was The Great Taste's charitable affiliation. A portion of all proceeds benefited the Greater Hartford Jaycees - an organization known for empowering young people to make positive change. Pretty cool.

On the work side, I had the chance to meet some of the great Chef's in the Hartford community and get a sense of their passion for what they do and of course some of their favorite dishes. I could see Hartford as being a great stop along the dishKarma tour in the not so distant future. We're already watering at the mouth!

Have It Your Way

Last night I realized just how much I order tuna. Not for the health benefits, but because I never get bored with the variety of ways it can be prepared.

Take this week for example:

On Monday I called up my favorite local sushi spot, Thousand Crane (or 1K Crane as my friend Sully likes to call it), and ordered the spicy tuna hand roll.

Tuesday I had the tuna from Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop for lunch and it was prepared like the traditional mashed tuna fish. Except everything at Angela’s is done with a twist so they added olives and a few other things to spice it up.

For dinner on Thursday it was back to sushi at 1K Crane, but this time I had the tuna sashimi rather than the roll.

Friday night I went to an engagement party at The Up River Café in Westerly, Rhode Island. The food was great, mostly app/hors d'oeuvres, and this time my favorite fish was prepared as tuna tartar. The brilliant move was individually serving this in porcelain spoons. Major points for presentation and convenience.

Running a close second for presentation (and number one for the fullness factor) was my dinner on Saturday night at Firefly American Bistro & Bar. Here I had the mirin glazed tuna, flash-seared with a spicy ginger/sweet soy sauce over jasmine rice and bok choy. If I’m really hungry and making tuna the focus of my meal, this is a go-to dish. I may even give this a shot in my takeout rotation considering the taste and close proximity to my apartment.

Now I don't eat this much tuna every week (and I should probably try grocery shopping once in a while), but amazingly after all that I’m still not sick of it. Variety, the spice of life.

What’s your favorite way to prepare tuna and who serves it up the best?

Fall eats...with a view.

dK fans everywhere can enjoy a great dish (or meal if you've taken the time to make the trek) with an unbelievable view of the foliage this fall. Vermont experiences over a million visitors per year to take a peek at the foliage the State has to offer and the Cliff House Restaurant at the top of Mount Mansfield in Stowe is the perfect way to dine and take it all in. A personal favorite of mine is the classic Vermont Cheese Plate or perhaps if you're feeling adventurous, go for the Winding Brook Farm Lamb Stew.

Part of the Vermont Fresh Network, the Cliff House takes dining to a new level...an elevation of 3625' to be exact. It's a cheap gondola ride away, or an even cheaper hike... Check out the links and enjoy one of Vermont's hidden gems.

I feel like the fall has so many great options for restaurants to take advantage of. What are your favorites?

Meals on Wheels

Technology and social media are increasingly important to the restaurant business. In NYC, my friend Adam is particularly fond of the food delivery service SeamlessWeb. Apparently you place your order through one convenient Web site and they deliver food from a huge selection of restaurants. Orders are charged directly to your credit card, etc. It looks like this is catching on because it's now available in Boston, DC, LA and a few other cities.

Similarly, my friend Travis uses the chineese food delivery service 1888 Bamboos. The intersting thing about this is you don't know the specific restaurant it comes from. Bamboos contracts with different restaurants depending on where you're ordering from.

Another form of food service that is gaining popularity is the taco truck. There's one in my hometown but it's always parked in the same place. That's not the case with the Kogi Korean BBQ taco trucks. These trucks make their way around LA and use Twitter to alert customers of their location. With almost 30,000 followers, Kogi creates buzz every time they Tweet a new location and inevitably a line quickly forms. It will be intersting to see if ice cream trucks and other mobile food services will take their lead. I can only imagine if I had a 10 minutes head start when the ice cream truck was going to come down my street.....hmmmm Chaco Taco

Still Dishin'

Although there haven't been any recent posts here on our blog, the dishKarma project is alive and well. Our team has been meeting on a regular basis and working through the next evolution of the project. Over the coming weeks we will share some of our new ideas and then hopefully the launch phase 2, the Ultimate Meal Facebook application.

We have also attended a number of food events since our last post. Recently we had a chance to support Share Our Strength and the NH Food Bank by attending Taste of the Nation. This is a national event that is replicated in various local markets each year. It offers a sampling of food and wine from a number of regional restaurants as well as national and international wineries.

My personal favorite dish at the event this year was a cheeseburger slider. Has anyone else noticed that sliders also are turning up on more menus these days? No complaints here, it just seems to be a growing trend.

For those of you who didn't get a chance to attend the NH Taste of the Nation event, it might not be too late. Check out the full event schedule here and see if it's coming to a city near you.

Houston...we don't have a problem.

Travel is about new experiences and giving yourself the opportunity to escape from the familiar and discover new things, right? At least our good friend Leah Smith over at Tafari preaches that mantra. I feel that dining and travel go hand in hand with new experiences and certainly discovery as well.

On a recent trip to Houston, our good friend Canadian Rob took me to the original "Ragin Cajun." Rob told me it was "dishKarma worthy" and he nailed it. The cool thing about dishKarma is we don't care where your favorite dishes are born. They can be from Masa in New York City, straight from mom's kitchen, or as our friend Leah would say, a hot dog from Costco. We all have different preferences which is why we can't wait to get our database up and running with our search for the ultimate meal.

Back to the Ragin Cajun -- we sat on the bar side of the joint because it was just about closing time and the chairs were being raised in the full dining area (cafeteria style mind you). I was hoping for a little crawfish which is something I've yet to discover. We were told the weather this year is causing a crawfish shortage and since this was Monday night, they were all out from the weekend rush. They get them by the sack - talk about fresh - and went through 18 sacks of crawfish over the weekend. I have no idea how many that amounts to, but something tells me a sack holds quite a few. We were steared towards the oysters. As we sipped our Bud's and ordered the main course, the bartender told us the kitchen would have the oysters right up. Sure enough, out walks a man with a tray of ice, sauce and lemon. He reaches down to a bucket underneath the bar pulls out an oyster and begins shucking on a platform directly on the bar in front of us. This went on for all 12 of these fresh, delicious oysters. This is a 35 year old original Houston cajun restaurant that I recommend checking out!

I was excited to share this dining experience from a recent travel adventure with everyone. This we call "spreading the dishKarma." We all look forward to seeing where your travels and dining will take you! We all can contribute to the search of the ultimate meal by spreading a little dishKarma.

The Ultimate TV Diner

Today we’re proud to feature a true New England restaurant expert and media mogul, Billy Costa. For more than 10 years he hosted the award winning TV show Phantom Gourmet. From dinning guides to festivals, the Phantom franchise has become one of the most trusted resources for finding great food in New England.

A few years ago Billy handed over the Phantom hosting duties and launched another show on NECN called TV Diner. On this show he continues to share his favorite dishes, cocktails, venues and more.

Let’s not forget his daily gig as the news and entertainment director for the popular Boston radio show Matty In The Morning. If that weren’t enough, you can also find him spinning the most popular songs of the week each Saturday on the Kiss 108 Top 30 Countdown. With all of these hosting duties, Billy is really giving Ryan Seacrest a run for his money.

When Billy finds time in his busy schedule to hit the town, he's looking for nothing but the best. Check out his ultimate meal crawl around Boston and see for yourself:

Lidia's Italy, Prepared for dishKarma

Italy is a country relatively small in size but home to countless cuisines and flavors. Traditions and fundamentals of Italian cooking have been passed down from generations as old as the ancient Roman Empire. It is commonly said that the everlasting trick to true Italian cooking is that the cook prepare each meal according to his or her own taste and liking. 

There is no doubt that Lidia Bastianich has followed in the footsteps of many historic, culinary revolutionaries that originated from Italy. Lidia, being a true Italian cook, has successfully been able to transform her personal tastes and culinary techniques into an empire of original recipes, cookbooks, television shows, and of course restaurants. 

What has made Lidia most recognizable is her highly entertaining and informative gastronomic tour of Italy television series titled Lidia’s Italy. During this show Lidia journeys through her 10 most favorite regions of Italy, introducing her viewers to local people and unique cuisines.  Lidia’s Italy very well may be the inspiration that determines Italy as dishKarma’s first international quest for the ultimate meal! 

Luckily for those of us who do not travel to Italy frequently, Lidia has brought Italy to United States through a collection of authentic Italian restaurants where you will find menus designed around Lidia’s personal tastes. A true Italian cook also loves to eat, therefore, Lidia was generously able and eager to share with dishKarma her ultimate dishes from three of her New York City restaurants: Felidia, Esca, and Del Posto. Watch Lidia’s ultimate meal and visit one of Lidia’s restaurants for a truly authentic Italian meal…tell them Lidia and dishKarma sent you! 

Ming Tsai Breaks It Down

Ming Tsai is a true mogul. Chef, author, television host/producer, designer, retailer, humanitarian….the list goes on. He may actually be involved with more projects than Diddy!

Ming’s innovative East-West cooking style has made his restaurant, Blue Ginger, one of the top spots in Boston for over 10 years. We recently caught up with Ming and he was cool enough to share his ultimate meal for dishKarma.

As Ming ‘zooms’ around describing different dishes and great chefs, he breaks down a true ultimate meal crawl. This is when each dish in an ultimate meal can be found in the same area, thus making it possible to actually experience the meal in one night. The ultimate meal crawl is also the premise for our dishKarma video podcast, but we’ll save that for another post.

Have you tried any of the dishes in Ming’s ultimate meal?

dishKarma Week 1

It’s been one week since the official introduction of dishKarma and we’d like to thank everyone who has contributed their questions, suggestions and favorite dishes. We’ve heard from friends, family, foodies, famous chefs, fellow marketers and more! It’s been great to get so much positive feedback and we look forward to sharing the next phase as we continue building out the concept.

"It’s fun to think about sitting down to your ultimate meal, but what’s the big picture vision for dishKarma? "

With your help, we’re going to build a comprehensive user driven database of the best individual dishes in the world. The search functionality will enhance as the database grows, and dishKarma will become a valuable resource when traveling or simply looking for the best place to find a specific dish in your neighborhood.

On a personal level, the more dishes you contribute, the more specific and relevant dinning suggestions you’ll receive. This is how we all truly benefit from spreading the dishKarma.

Currently we’re learning about your favorite dishes through videos and Twitter polls, but soon we’ll be rolling out a Web application that will more formally capture your ultimate meal. More on this in the coming days….

I can’t think of a better way to close out week one then with an ultimate meal video from our favorite wine connoisseur and all around marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV! Gary serves up an eclectic mix of dishes, but stays impartial and leaves the locations up to us. Where is the best place to get each dish Gary orders in his ultimate meal (crudo, Olympia oysters, sweets breads, foie gras)?

Welcome home, it's your party!

It’s been 15 years in the making, but phase one of dishKarma is finally complete. Our new Web site formally introduces the concept and invites everyone to share their ultimate meal.

This was truly a team effort and we’d like to thank everyone that has been involved in the project thus far.

We’re hard at work building phase two, but for now please check out the site and sign up for the email list so we can notify you of our progress. Also, follow on Twitter, add the Facebook page, Digg the site, tell a friend or send up a smoke signal.

Don’t forget to upload your own ultimate meal and help spread the dishKarma!

Stay tuned and stay hungry…

The 5 Faces of Food

I had dinner at a great local spot the other night and on the wall were 5 posters that were hand written - each with one of "The 5 Faces of Food." They are: Hunger, Flavor, Nourish, Nurture, Heal.

I thought a lot about these 5 Faces of Food as I read this article posted on Bloomberg this week about the U.S.'s Priciest Eateries. The article talks about 7 of our finest, priciest restaurants including Masa where you'll pay $450 for a prixe-fixe sushi menu and French Laundry of Napa Valley where a dinner for 2 will easily cost $1500. The dining rooms are still filling up, but now it's easier to get a reservation. Hmm, wonder why?

Let's rewind to the original 5 faces of food: Hunger, Flavor, Nourish, Nurture, Heal. I don't see price on this list?

Plate of the Union

With the inauguration just days away, stories about the legacy of Bush and the promise of Obama are everywhere. The other day I pulled up the MSN homepage and found a great article on presidential eating habits. The ‘Plate of the Union’ calls out various White House chefs and the specific dishes they prepared for each commander in chief.

Bill loved burgers, Kennedy clam chowder, H.W. was addicted to hot sauce and apparently Nixon had fresh yogurt flown in daily from California.

I’d love to see someone post the ultimate White House meal. Anyone ever had the honor of dinning at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave?

Arrested Development

It's finally Friday and this is a big weekend for dishKarma. The team has been hard at work on a Web site that will provide an initial introduction of the concept and allow us to begin building the dishKarma community. Although we're trying to limit the features and functionality of this site, it has inevitably grown into much more than just a splash page.

At this stage the team is separated into a few different groups. Some of us continue to think big and ask for the world, while the developers push back and make sure we understand the implications of each suggestion. In response to a recent request, one of our developers laughed and told me he had 'centralized' the code on the site. There was a chuckle among the other basement dwellers, but it was way over my head. Was John trying to tell me something?

Tweet Tweet

Dishkarma is now on twitter! Okay, we've been on for a couple weeks, but wanted to get our page to look the part of a web 2.0 property before we started putting it out there -- props to Brett H for taking care of that! Who knows what it would have looked like if BR80 and griffijw tried messing with it.

Just a couple notes on twitter if you're not already involved (click the word notes for the wikipedia definition). That reminds me, we should put dishKarma on wikipedia...hmm, I'll have to figure that out. Look for a post on that in the near future.

Anyway, follow us: http://www.twitter.com/dishkarma -- we'll be updating you with important news on our launch progress, inviting you to be a part of our city crawls, talking about our favorite finds and asking ridiculous questions like: What was your first dish of 2009? We've got some cool followers already that I'm sure wouldn't mind an extra link: kyork20, Sully, juliaroy, yorkd and Shogrrl2 (if we offended anyone, let us know!!)

What was your first dish of 2009, anyway?

Holiday Treats

It's no myth that the average person gains 7 lbs during the span between the November and December holidays. Why shouldn't we at least be enjoying and recording what we're eating? Don't forget to jot down all of those guilty pleasures that you plan to run off as part of your "New Years Resolution."

We hope you've had a great holiday thus far and would like to wish everyone a healthy and prosperous 2009!