I know that people travel for many reasons. Some are thrilled to stand inside old churches and watch natural light stream through stained glass windows; others love to gambol over jagged rocks just to make it to the top. I even know people who like to visit baseball stadiums all over America just to be able to say they’ve been there!
But for me the top reason to travel is to taste. What other activity gives you an excuse to eat out three meals a day? Forget about breakfast in the room, or skipping a meal. When I travel, I’m not interested in saving money or avoiding the crowds. Like Jane Goodall, I want to be out in the field, smelling, tasting, observing the animals, until night falls. Then, I want to glide into my comfy bed, and dream about the the next day’s meals.
For me the top reason to travel is to taste. What other activity gives you an excuse to eat out three meals a day?
The price for my singular focus is that certain friends won’t travel with me. Like the one who packed a suitcase full of nutrition bars so as not to waste time visiting restaurants on her last trip to China. She even had the chutzpah to report back that the food wasn’t great! As for skinny friends who might want to split a salad for lunch, or carry around leftovers all day, we are not meant to be roommates. Let those size zeros spend hours trying on outrageously overpriced garments and gazing at themselves in the mirror. I’d rather be staring at a pastry case.
For those of you who travel to eat, here are a few pointers for hunting down a good restaurant experience:
Regarding the big cities, reservations are still de rigueur, unfortunately. There’s something about planning a meal two months in advance that stifles spontaneity. As a result, I leave the reservation-making to friends or family members who care even more than I do about eating at the right places—like my friend the professional restaurant critic. I can count on her to target the hot restaurants, make the reservations, and know exactly what to order when we arrive at about 10 p.m.—the only time we can get and dangerously close to my bedtime.
The restaurants that haunt my dreams are those small, idiosyncratic places in down-market neighborhoods where the chef is still doing exactly what he or she loves. To find those you have to be willing to wear comfortable shoes and wander side streets for as long as it takes—poking your head in to look at menus, judging the happiness of the patrons and generally sniffing the vibe. A chef friend did give me a shortcut that sometimes works. Skip restaurants with bad signage out front, she said. If they don’t care about the sign, chances are they won’t care about all the other details that make a restaurant great, including the food. Butts in seats is always a good sign.
The restaurants that haunt my dreams are those small, idiosyncratic places in down-market neighborhoods where the chef is still doing exactly what he or she loves.
Restaurant miracles can happen. On our first night in Tokyo, we were ravenous when we wandered into a dimly lit place under the elevated train tracks that had no sign at all. It was filled with men in identical black suits sitting at long tables, throwing back sakes along with weird foods. We couldn’t comprehend the menu at all, so I wandered around the room pointing at diner’s plates while the petite waitress tagged alongside jotting notes on her pad. I still don’t know what we ate that night, but I’ll never forget the experience. It was perfect.
As for following the advice of professional food or travel media, be wary. As a former member of that hungry tribe, I can tell you that people working in the industry feed off each other like a group of hungry catfish. That’s why the same spots show up on everyone’s list. Who has the time to visit each new hot spot and write honestly?
I certainly didn’t when USA Today called looking for a scoop on The Best Tacos in LA. Without blinking an eye I named Yuca’s, a place conveniently located up the street from my home. A month later, this little hut located in a liquor store parking lot and furnished with broken chairs had a James Beard award pasted on their window and a quote from USA Today. Business exploded because of a random phone call. I giggle every time I walk by.
Right now, I’m thinking about restaurants because I’m revving up for my first trip to Paris since 2019. I’m doing due diligence, checking with trusted sources on what’s new and leaving enough time between reservations to make some discoveries of my own. Even with meticulous planning there are bound to be some disappointments, but I’m not worried.
As Scarlett O’Hara once said, “Tomorrow is another day.” And each day has three meals!
Los Angeles food writer Helene Siegel is the author of 40 cookbooks, including the “Totally Cookbook” series and “Pure Chocolate.” She runs the Pastry Session blog.
