What's the best unexpectedly good food you've ever had?

first time i had linguine with clam sauce.  so simple, yet the taste is something that is so dinstinctively good and addictive.

Butter, clam juice, garlic, insert carb of choice.

The first time I ordered a high quality chocolate “pudding” with grilled bread, top shelf EVOO and sea salt I thought it was possible it would be “ok”. Turned out to be a genuinely memorable desert.

Bacon ice cream.

I remember never eating Brussels sprouts as a kid and hearing that they weren’t good. The first time I had them I was absolutely thrilled.

I’m not a big fan of button mushrooms. So when I first had wild mushrooms it was a revelation.

I don’t like certain pumpkin flavored things — like pie. But I recall being stunned by how good a good pumpkin bread can be.

Kim-chi

(Certain) Blue cheeses

@winetarelli posted:

I’m not a big fan of button mushrooms.

Not enough butter =P

When I'm in Puerto Vallarta, there are a couple places that make a stunning ceviche Camarónes en Aguachile. It's one of those dishes where the heat starts out fairly mild, but builds as you go. But it tastes so damn good, you can't stop eating it no matter how hot it gets.

Just had a great vegetable soup ( hate all the soups)

Beef with red ants in Cambodia

I've recently read about the benefits of foods with casein here https://betterme.world/articles/foods-with-casein/ and decided to cook something with it. I was surprised by how delicious casein brownies turned out to be. Does anyone else eat casein? if yes, what do you cook with it?

@jcocktosten posted:

Beef with red ants in Cambodia

Which wine pairs well with red ants?

Like most things in Thailand and Cambodia - beer at almost all times

@Scott103 posted:

I once had something called "Avalon Style Shrimp", which was basically cooked shrimp on top of garlic bread drenched with probably the most amazing sauce I've had in my life - this creamy, buttery, shrimpy delicious white sauce Best Ultralight Spinning reel. Literally I spent the rest of the day thinking about how I was going to replicate that masterpiece to the point where my dad made fun of me for it lol.

It sounded basic so really didn't expect it to be the best seafood dish I've ever tried, but my god was it good. What was your experience (restaurant or homemade) where you didn't think something would be as amazing as it was?

Edit: wanted to thank everyone for their awesome responses, keep em coming! I've learned about a lot of interesting dishes and foods thanks to you. I really love this community

When I was ten years old, I went on vacation with my grandparents. Now, a couple things you have to understand about my grandpa is that: 1. He was a trucker for 30 years 2. He grew up very poor. Somehow, this manifested into him being all about gas station food and also insisting on eating every last bite of food he purchased for himself or anybody else. You waste nothing—ever. Anyway. We pull up to some random gas station in the middle of nowhere. I’m starving to death and see that on their menu they have BLTs, but not just any BLT, but THE MONSTER BLT. Being a stupid kid playing fr legends mod apk map, I didn’t even read the description. I like bacon. So why not? So I said, “Hey Gramps, will you buy me this BLT?” In his rugged accent he says “I buy it, you eat it.” I swear to God he sounds just like Clint Eastwood. So I think well yeah I’m going to eat it. Why wouldn’t I eat it? So a few minutes later, the gas station lady pushes something that looks like this across the counter toward me: My palms got sweaty. But I was up for the challenge. I actually believed my 60 lb. self could handle a sandwich of this magnitude. About a quarter of the way into it, I was trying to think of ways to get rid of the thing. Maybe there was a dog somewhere? Maybe I could knock it in the floor. Surely my grandpa wouldn’t make me eat a BLT off a gas station floor…would he? Across the table from me, my grandpa sipped his coffee, eyeing my every movement. I had no choice but to eat on. Finally, I swallowed the last morsel. And, to my amazement I didn’t barf. I looked at my grandpa expecting some sort of congratulations. He smirked and asked, “Got room for dessert?” Today, my grandpa has Alzheimer's, but this is one story he can recall on command. 434.3K viewsView upvotes View 71 shares

First time I ever had a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich was in the 80s, working in my parents’ business after school.  My dad hired a few Vietnamese immigrants, and they gave me a banh mi one day.  I was floored at how frigging good all the different flavors melded together, all for the grand price of $1 per.  Have been eating them regularly since, though unfortunately they’re well north of $1 per sandwich now.

Arugula was also a revelation for me.  

Portuguese Clam chowder - no tomato juice, no cream sauce, just great white with Clam juice

@Insight posted:

First time I ever had a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich was in the 80s, working in my parents’ business after school.  My dad hired a few Vietnamese immigrants, and they gave me a banh mi one day.  I was floored at how frigging good all the different flavors melded together, all for the grand price of $1 per.  Have been eating them regularly since, though unfortunately they’re well north of $1 per sandwich now.

Agreed, I love these. It was around 1999 for me. A small Vietnamese takeout opened near where I work. I had never tried banh mi or pho before and they were both a revelation! A middle-aged gal ran the front, and her elderly mother made the food in the back. I still believe there is no soup better, than one made by someone's mother. Now, I am lucky to have a friend with a Vietnamese shop of her own nearby. I eat there quite often, and she makes the best mango bubble teas!

@jcocktosten posted:

Beef with red ants in Cambodia

They have these vanilla ants too that were shockingly good.

what were the red ants like?  super citrusy?

@Insight posted:

First time I ever had a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich was in the 80s, working in my parents’ business after school.  My dad hired a few Vietnamese immigrants, and they gave me a banh mi one day.  I was floored at how frigging good all the different flavors melded together, all for the grand price of $1 per.  Have been eating them regularly since, though unfortunately they’re well north of $1 per sandwich now.

Arugula was also a revelation for me.  

Only 2.5$ here in Dallas area

@Ahsan posted:

When I was ten years old, I went on vacation with my grandparents. Now, a couple things you have to understand about my grandpa is that: 1. He was a trucker for 30 years 2. He grew up very poor. Somehow, this manifested into him being all about gas station food and also insisting on eating every last bite of food he purchased for himself or anybody else. You waste nothing—ever. Anyway. We pull up to some random gas station in the middle of nowhere. I’m starving to death and see that on their menu they have BLTs, but not just any BLT, but THE MONSTER BLT. Being a stupid kid playing fr legends mod apk map, I didn’t even read the description. I like bacon. So why not? So I said, “Hey Gramps, will you buy me this BLT?” In his rugged accent he says “I buy it, you eat it.” I swear to God he sounds just like Clint Eastwood. So I think well yeah I’m going to eat it. Why wouldn’t I eat it? So a few minutes later, the gas station lady pushes something that looks like this across the counter toward me: My palms got sweaty. But I was up for the challenge. I actually believed my 60 lb. self could handle a sandwich of this magnitude. About a quarter of the way into it, I was trying to think of ways to get rid of the thing. Maybe there was a dog somewhere? Maybe I could knock it in the floor. Surely my grandpa wouldn’t make me eat a BLT off a gas station floor…would he? Across the table from me, my grandpa sipped his coffee, eyeing my every movement. I had no choice but to eat on. Finally, I swallowed the last morsel. And, to my amazement I didn’t barf. I looked at my grandpa expecting some sort of congratulations. He smirked and asked, “Got room for dessert?” Today, my grandpa has Alzheimer's, but this is one story he can recall on command. 434.3K viewsView upvotes View 71 shares

did you really just copy and paste this off the internet?

along with all the views/upvotes views and shares too?

was this the sandwich ?

the one with my grubby hands in it?

@g-man posted:

did you really just copy and paste this off the internet?

along with all the views/upvotes views and shares too?

was this the sandwich ?

the one with my grubby hands in it?

I had a Monster BLT at some hole-in-the-wall place in Cottonwood, AZ, earlier this year. It wasn't nearly this big (I think it was 16 oz.), but it was probably the best meal I had that trip.

(BTW, it isn't that hard to make your own bacon, and once you do, you'll never buy packaged bacon again.)

I had a surprisingly excellent burger in the Reims train station restaurant. Juicy center with a little pink and crispy edge, along with really good frites.

@mneeley490 posted:

(BTW, it isn't that hard to make your own bacon, and once you do, you'll never buy packaged bacon again.)

I'm guessing that you're not talking about starting with slaughtering a pig.  What's the process?

@g-man posted:

did you really just copy and paste this off the internet?

along with all the views/upvotes views and shares tooluxury vinyl plank flooring atlanta?

was this the sandwich ?

the one with my grubby hands in it?

yup,

@sd-wineaux posted:

I'm guessing that you're not talking about starting with slaughtering a pig.  What's the process?

No, not slaughtering a pig. But I could do that, if I had to.

This is a bit simplified, but I normally pick up a few pork bellies at Costco, then cut them in half and add a carefully measured dry cure of salt, sugar, and sodium nitrite (also called Cure #1). Sometimes I'll add other things to it, such as maple extract, coarsely ground black pepper, hatch chilie flakes, or even a Black Forest seasoning. There is a dry curing calculator here:  http://diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html because it's important to get the measurements exactly right.

  Seal in plastic, and let rest in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, flipping every couple days. Then rinse, let dry overnight in the fridge to form a pellicule. Smoke between 110°-130° for 10-12 hours. I normally use a mix of corncob and cherry for smoke, but just about any fruit or hardwood will do. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1-3 days. Lightly freeze and then slice.

These days, more often than not, I will use a pork butt sliced in half lengthwise, as it is much less expensive than belly, and there is a better meat-to-fat ratio.

For beginners, there is an easier, foolproof way to wet cure, if you have room in your fridge. For one gallon of water, add 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of white sugar, 1/3 to 1 cup of salt (depending on taste), and 1 heaping tablespoon of sodium nitrite. Mix in a food-grade bucket, and submerge belly into it. Let sit for 1-2 weeks. The cure will penetrate at a rate of 1/4" per side, per day. Let sit another 2 days to make sure. This cure will also make ham, if you inject some deep inside and let it cure in the bucket for the appropriate amount of time.

Thanks!

I've even used my pellet grill to smoke bacon, as it's lowest setting is 150°. You just have to keep an eye on the internal temp of the meat, and don't let it get over 128°, or the fat will begin to render. That usually takes around 8 hours.

@Ahsan posted:

yup,

i'm goign to have to charge you for using my photo then.

@mneeley490 posted:

No, not slaughtering a pig. But I could do that, if I had to.

This is a bit simplified, but I normally pick up a few pork bellies at Costco, then cut them in half and add a carefully measured dry cure of salt, sugar, and sodium nitrite (also called Cure #1). Sometimes I'll add other things to it, such as maple extract, coarsely ground black pepper, hatch chilie flakes, or even a Black Forest seasoning. There is a dry curing calculator here:  http://diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html because it's important to get the measurements exactly right.

  Seal in plastic, and let rest in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, flipping every couple days. Then rinse, let dry overnight in the fridge to form a pellicule. Smoke between 110°-130° for 10-12 hours. I normally use a mix of corncob and cherry for smoke, but just about any fruit or hardwood will do. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1-3 days. Lightly freeze and then slice.

These days, more often than not, I will use a pork butt sliced in half lengthwise, as it is much less expensive than belly, and there is a better meat-to-fat ratio.

For beginners, there is an easier, foolproof way to wet cure, if you have room in your fridge. For one gallon of water, add 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of white sugar, 1/3 to 1 cup of salt (depending on taste), and 1 heaping tablespoon of sodium nitrite. Mix in a food-grade bucket, and submerge belly into it. Let sit for 1-2 weeks. The cure will penetrate at a rate of 1/4" per side, per day. Let sit another 2 days to make sure. This cure will also make ham, if you inject some deep inside and let it cure in the bucket for the appropriate amount of time.

if you did have to slaughter the pig, you acutally have to do a quick boil on it first, to get the hair off, or you can blow torch it, but i like the boil method better since it softens the skin too making it easier to work with,

then you can proceed with the technique

@mneeley490 posted:

I've even used my pellet grill to smoke bacon, as it's lowest setting is 150°. You just have to keep an eye on the internal temp of the meat Tennis Lessons East Hampton, and don't let it get over 128°, or the fat will begin to render. That usually takes around 8 hours.

mine took 7 hours

@mneeley490 posted:

Agreed, I love these. It was around 1999 for me. A small Vietnamese takeout opened near where I work. I had never tried banh mi or pho before and they were both a revelation! A middle-aged gal ran the front, and her elderly mother made the food in the back. I still believe there is no soup better, than one made by someone's mother. Now, I am lucky to have a friend with a Vietnamese shop of her own nearby. I eat there quite often, and she makes the best mango bubble teas!

Ah, bubble tea with boba.  Never forget the first time I tried that in the mid-90s, after much cajoling from friends who raved about them.  Was taken aback at the feel of the boba coming out of the straw, and chewing away.  Now they’re so ubiquitous around here, I’m surprised Starbucks hasn’t added them to their menu…..

@g-man posted:

Only 2.5$ here in Dallas area

I hate you even more.  The best place for banh mi here is in an unquestioned hood part of the flatlands of Oakland, and they still go for $7 after tax.  They’re open exactly 3 days a week currently, and I’ve never not seen a line when I go there.

@Insight posted:

I hate you even more.  The best place for banh mi here is in an unquestioned hood part of the flatlands of Oakland, and they still go for $7 after tax.  They’re open exactly 3 days a week currently, and I’ve never not seen a line when I go there.

Yeah, I used to be able to pick them up for around $3.50. No more. $7 & up, unfortunately.

if it's 5$ and  up, it'll have something fancy like beef filet cuts instead of pork.  and the pate is acutally goose instead of pork blend

sounds like you guys need to eat and drink with me in dfw

@g-man posted:

if it's 5$ and  up, it'll have something fancy like beef filet cuts instead of pork.  and the pate is acutally goose instead of pork blend

sounds like you guys need to eat and drink with me in dfw

I’ll let you know when I’m I’m in the DFW in 2023, so you can suck on my……….toes

@Insight posted:

I’ll let you know when I’m I’m in the DFW in 2023, so you can suck on my……….toes

ha