The Best of Fathom 2013: What We Ate
The most delicious, most bizarre, most beautiful culinary finds from our travels this year.
The most delicious, most bizarre, most beautiful culinary finds from our travels this year.
Where: Rote Bar in Vienna, Austria
"Much like Vienna, it's a contradiction between the fancy and the fun: little spearhead vegetables, unbelievable creamed spinach, dainty fried potatoes, horseradish, and apple sauces — all constructed for what is essentially a boiled slab of beef that falls apart on your fork. It's awesome."
Read the full story: A Few Days in Vienna
Where: Solver Pupusa in Brooklyn, New York
"Pupusas are corn cakes seared on the grill and used as a carrier for protein (pork, fish, or lorococ flower and beans), pickled cabbage, jalapenos, tomato sauce, cheese, jalapeno, and a dollop of crema. Use a fork and knife or pick it up like a giant taco and devour."
Read the full story: Little Black Book: Whole Foods Forager Digs Brooklyn
Where: The Lobster Shack in Portland, Maine
"I took cover at The Lobster Shack at Two Lights State Park. The cozy, wood-paneled room is kitsched-out to the maritime max: taxidermy fish, old farm tools, license plates, framed newspaper clippings — the works. Lobster rolls are served in paper boats on plastic trays. I ate mine greedily, watching ocean waves crash below empty picnic tables on the rain-drenched bluff."
Read the full story: Consider the Maine Lobster
Where: J&G Grill in Bal Harbour, Florida
"For the best sweet and salty ice cream sundae ever imaginable."
Read the full story: 11 Things in Bal Harbour: From Chanel to Chaturunga
Where: Green Elephant in Yangon, Myanmar
"Sit in the garden under a canopy and order local delectables like coconut rice, pork with red curry paste, lophet thake, and lentil soup. You'll quickly note that rice (t'ămìn) is served with every meal. It's at the forefront of the national diet."
Read the full story: Feed Me in Yangon
Where: Don Alfonso on the Amalfi Coast, Italy
"As a rule, I don't care much for desserts, but when I was served impressionismo all' zabaglione, a confection of rum-laced zabaglione served in a cookie cup with cookie spoons, I was done."
Read the full story: I Left My Heart at Don Alfonso
Where: Beijing, China
"Ribbons of lean reddish meat and the occasional green chile peeked out from grilled flatbread. One bite in, and my husband and I turned to each other in surprise. Warm and robust, the cured meat had a salty, slightly smoky chew. It was delicious."
Read the full story: I'll Have the Donkey Sandwich, Please
Where: Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton, New York
"Don't skip the pasta course: My husband declared the lasagna with ricotta and Long Island mushrooms the best he'd ever eaten, and he spends a lot of time in Italy."
Read the full story: Checking In: Topping Rose House
Where: Vivoli in Florence, Italy
"When is a scoop of gelato more than just a scoop of gelato? When it's made from a prized, third-generation, so-secret-its-not-even-written-down Florentine recipe in which the only ingredients are milk, eggs, sugar, and dairy adoration."
Read the full story: A Guide to Recognizing Your Gelato
Where: Torta Pistocchi in Florence, Italy
"The cakes, similar in texture to a ganache, are made with the highest quality dark chocolate (a few different varieties are used) and cream. No eggs, butter, or flour."
Read the full story: Little Black Book: The Florentine Gelato Maker's 5 Favorite Sweet Shops
Where: Babylonstoren in Franschoekk, South Africa
"We roasted eggplants with melted local ricotta and blue cheese, topped them with the last figs of the season, then garnished them with pesto and pear slices with a cashew-nut dressing. This was our main course, but hardly the meal’s sole star."
Read the full story: Babylonstoren: The Technicolor Salad
Where: Konoba Batelina in Istria, Croatia
"The appetizers stream out in endless succession: anchovies with conger eel mousse, sardines in saor, sea bream carpaccio, shark belly confit, anglerfish liver mousse on onion marmalade. I assemble a plate with one bite of each, and everything is pretty intense. Anglerfish tripe is a little too chewy and jellyfishlike for my tastes, but bonito confit is meaty and terrific."
Read the full story: Istria, the Better Italy
Where: Nopi in London
"Nopi was everything I'd hoped it would be: A meal that tasted as if it were cooked by someone who understands exactly what makes my palate hum. Hearty at times, dainty at others — Ottolenghi maintains the balance of an Olympic gymnast in the kitchen. Dish after dish offered acid, umami, uncanny seasoning, temperature play."
Read the full story: Love Letter: Nopi in London
Where: Covent Garden in London
"The burgers are made from 100 precent Aberdeen Angus beef from Scotland, the bacon is free-range Wiltshire pork from Suffolk, and the sausages are handmade by Sillfield Farm in Cumbria from a rare breed of pork."
Read the full story: Burgers in the London Garden
Where: Antojitos Don Juan in Orange County, California
"The standout dish is crab-stuffed, bacon-wrapped shrimp soaked in a garlicky, cheesy, spicy, and tangy sauce that is so good, you'll find yourself spooning it into your mouth like soup."
Read the full story: Beyond Boobs: The Real Food Scene of the OC
Where: The Marche, Italy
"A bitter vaporised chocolate aroma was so evocative and wonderful that I'm sure I would have invented Willy Wonka right then, if Roald Dahl hadn't beaten me to it. It was chocolate heaven."
Read the full story: Chocolate Had an Affair with Olive Oil in Italy
Where: Osteria del Trivio in Spoleto, Italy
"The primo, the pasta course, was just ridiculous: strangozzi (an Umbrian variation of linguini) with fava beans, pancetta, and pecorino. Now, remember that even though I've known Tonello since I was born, we're trying to make a good first impression and don't want to seem like crass Americans. Still, I dare you to eat this and not lick your plate clean."
Read the full story: Fathom in Italy: The First Supper
Where: Pavia's kitchen via Turks and Caicos
"From four liters of water that I carried 1316 miles, I had made 3/4 cup of flaky, homemade salt. It wasn't as interesting as chef Wolfgang's. It was considerably clumpier. But it was mine, and it somehow makes spaghetti taste better."
Read the full story: I Travel for the Salt
We make every effort to ensure the information in our articles is accurate at the time of publication. But the world moves fast, and even we double-check important details before hitting the road.