Any Port in a Storm - Best of the Worst!

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May 22, 2013, 9:24pm

Any Port in a Storm :: Dockside Dining :: After Dinner :: Best of the Worst!

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Topic: Best of the Worst! (Read 685 times)

imec
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Best of the Worst!
« Thread Started on May 4, 2011, 8:25pm »

No, not a corny pun about our favorite sausages...

Pick a single dish, drink, restaurant - something involving eating or drinking and tell us the absolute WORST version you've ever enountered. BUT, just so it's not a whine fest (or a wine fest), then tell us the BEST version you've ever enjoyed.

like this...

The WORST Martini I was ever served was in a resort in Cancun (actually the whole meal was abysmal). It didn't seem to have any gin or vodka but seemed to be some odd version of vermouth (probably old) with some olive water and a near rancid olive on a cocktail stick. One sip was all I could deal with.

The BEST however was served to me in the Oak Room of the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston. Poured from it's own shaker into a perfectly chilled Martini glass (without a ridge on the lip) with a skewer of nice fat olives, the remains left in the shaker which was then placed in it's own ice bucket at my table. A bowl of terrific nuts and rice crackers accompanied it. Sure it was the better part of $20, but a drink so perfect in that wonderfully furnished oak paneled room was worth every penny.

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mich64
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Re: Best of the Worst!
« Reply #1 on May 4, 2011, 10:31pm »

Good idea for a thread Imec! Your description of your Mexican Martini almost made me gag and your Boston Martini made me envious.

I will have to really think about this topic and looking forward to reading others.
Cheers,
Mich

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casimira
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Re: Best of the Worst!
« Reply #2 on May 5, 2011, 12:20am »

The absolute worst pizza I ever had was here in New Orleans. It was barely cooked,the so called cheese on it slid off and the mushrooms were canned and cold.
The best pizza I had was in the early 1980's and it was in NYC in some small pizza joint on either 2nd or 3rd Avenue in the mid E70's or 80's. It was my husbands first trip to NYC with me and,we stopped to get a couple of slices and sat outside to eat them.
Everything about it was good,crust,sauce, cheese,piping hot,the surroundings, and the excitement of sharing with a loved one, good,real good pizza.

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mich64
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Re: Best of the Worst!
« Reply #3 on May 5, 2011, 1:52pm »

My experience happens to be pizza as well.

The Worst, in Paris, in the 6th, I am sorry I cannot remember the name of the Restaurant. It was partly our fault, my husband was wanting to arrange an early dinner for us as I was not feeling very well (the beginning of a cold) so we sat down outside around 6:30. We believe they were annoyed with us for wanting a meal prior to 7:00 p.m. We ordered a pizza that had an egg dropped on top and unfortunately they did not leave it in the oven long enough for it to set, it was basically raw. Since we were not feeling spirited enough to protest, we just scooped the egg off. It was not very enjoyable. Once 7:00 p.m. past, our waiter's personality changed dramatically and was pleased to bring me a big pot of tea and serve multiple beers to my husband. We have had a bad pizza before, but this was really bad. Was expecting to get samonella.

The Best is of course in our home town. Greco's Pizza been operating for probably over 50 years. Their deluxe pizza baked in a brick pizza oven has a corn meal bottom and anyone in this town will tell you there is nothing better, no other can compare. Perfect crust, yummy cheese, topped with pepporoni, ham, green and red peppers and olives. A perfect combination.

Cheers,
Mich

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imec
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Re: Best of the Worst!
« Reply #4 on May 6, 2011, 3:33am »

Thanks for your contributions casimira and mich!

OK, Chicken sandwich.

WORST 1984, Airport, Dhahran. I was rather hungry and this was all that was available. It was a disappointment I shall never forget. I can only describe it as broken up cigarette butts mixed with rancid mayonnaise on these very odd sweet (and of course stale) hot dog buns. I still shudder at the memory.

BEST I was in college and living at home. On weekends I worked as a cashier at a self serve filling station. My Dad would make my lunch and get me to work for my 7:00AM start (even though he LOATHED to get up early). I loved his sandwiches and I fondly remember the ones made with leftover roast chicken with a little bit of stuffing on brown bread. Simple but perfect.

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cheerypeabrain
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Re: Best of the Worst!
« Reply #5 on May 14, 2011, 9:23am »

I love curries...OH and I have always lived in cities and towns with large ethnic populations and have taken full advantage of the restaurants and shops that inevitably spring up in these areas.

THE WORST 2009 a new restaurant opened in a large village a few miles away, it was very swanky and expensive. We decided to give it a try and we got a table on a very busy Friday night...I noticed straight away that there were no Indian people eating there, warning sign! The meal was beautifully presented, the table stylish and the service impeccable...but I have personally cooked far better curries myself. It tasted like a poor version of a shop bought frozen one...the rice was bland and hard, the meat chewy and the sauce tasteless....we never went back.

THE BEST 1976 Taj Mahal Restaurant Luton. Lamb biriyani.....heaven on a plate. Perfectly cooked lamb with a rich vegetable curry and fragrant rice...the naan bread was cloud soft and studded with black pepper...we had a bowl of spicy potato chips (couldn't eat them all) and a glass of ice cold Kingfisher Lager....oooh.....numnum.....

« Last Edit: May 14, 2011, 9:27am by cheerypeabrain »

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lagatta
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Re: Best of the Worst!
« Reply #6 on May 15, 2011, 12:33am »

I LOVE imec's dad's sandwiches. Such things can be a real spur to a desire to cook and serve good food (which can, of course, be very simple); simply due to the pleasure it gives to the friends and family we cherish. And can also be a useful "diplomatic" skill.

Also the Luton meal. The spicy chips are a consummate "fusion" dish without the pretense. I'd just love a bowl of them.

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kerouac2
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Re: Best of the Worst!
« Reply #7 on May 26, 2011, 8:25pm »

I was reading through this thread again, which I enjoy very much, but it made me realize how little of an "extremist" I am in terms of best and worst. Usually, when I am having something awful, I imagine reasons to acquit the perps, and when I eat something absolutely excellent, I often take the credit myself ("I must have been really hungry to think that was so good.") or else attribute it to random serendipity of the moment.

But it did bring to mind times when one is a captive audience, and there is no other possible choice than what you are given -- in my case, airplanes.

I read all sorts of reports about airline food, often along the lines of "I never eat it; I bring my own food" or "It was so awful that one bite was all I could eat." or things like that. Well, I'm sorry, but 1) I was brought up to eat what is served to me and 2) when it is time to eat, I will eat anything.

Don't get me wrong -- I will not eat things that are obviously spoiled and/or dangerous, but frankly airline food rarely fits into this category. It is one of the most controlled substances in the world.

However, I still remember the worst 3 airline meals that I have ever consumed.

3. Ethiopian Airlines. I took my mother on a trip that included Ethiopia during the worst part of the famine (Bob Geldof time); I am a great son. The meal served at 2am between Rome and Asmara was impossible to describe. What was the meat? Had the vegetables been fetched out of the trash? Really awful!
2. Egypt Air. I had a free ticket from Paris to New York, but I wish they had not served food. The peas were the size of ping pong balls and the meat must have been an old camel.
1. PB Air. This was a Thai airline providing international service for Lao Aviation which had lost its international licence. The flight was from Vientiane to Bangkok. We were given cardboard boxes containing an iced cheeseburger from a low end dive, a few pieces of raw carrot and a candy bar of synthetic chocolate.

And to keep with the spirit of the thread, here are my 3 best airline meals.

3. Virgin Atlantic. I was upgraded from Los Angeles to London. I will never forget the grilled chicken with mango, the broccoli with almonds in garlic butter and the cherry ice cream with pound cake.
2. Sabena. Through a weird series of snow emergencies in the north, I was put in first class from Atlanta to Brussels. The caviar, the champagne, the lobster... oh it was a wonderful night!
1. Thai International. On a very short flight from Bangkok to Singapore, I think I ate the most magnificent garlic prawns in the history of the world, accompanied by a truly excellent Burgundy, refilled incessantly by the flight attendants.

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