Caroline1

Best meal I ever ate:

It's not the best meals that stay bright and clear in your memory. With time they all blend together and leave you with a sense of gratitude for having eaten so well. Vibrant memories come from the disasters. The most *memorable* meal I've ever had was a birthday dinner in Dayton, Ohio. My husband made reservations at the most elegant restaurant in town. And it was impressive! Starched Damask linen. Wedgwood Florentine China. Wallace Romance of the Sea sterling. Waterford crystal. Chandeliers Versailles would die for. My husband ordered escargot, chateaubriand and cherries jubilee. From the sommelier he ordered a great Bordeaux and champagne. And then the captain and wine steward disappeared. And a chubby little waitress in starched apron with a huge bustle of a bow in back and a frilly little hat pushed a cart up to our table. She looked like a refugee from Denny's. She unceremoniously swept away the Wedgwood, the sterling silver, the lead crystal, and replaced it all with crockery and... Well, the flatware was one grade up from plastic. Next she trundled our meal to the table on her squeaky cart. With a wooden handled ancient butcher knife from the kitchen and her bare hands, she hacked the chateaubriand into four chunks and dumped two on each of our plates. I kept waiting for my husband to admit it was a joke. It wasn't! He had a little chat with the maitre'd as we left. I wish I could say the entire meal was comped, but I don't think it was. That was a long time ago, and through the years that meal has brought more laughter than anything else I can think of. Some things truly are priceless.

My current drink of choice:

Cool clear water.

I really wish I could:

Stay 77 but do it in a drop-dead gorgeous 25 year old body!

My "Go-to" dinner party dish:

It's never the same thing twice.

My favorite comfort food:

Probably whatever is in the refrigerator.

My top 5 favorite restaurants:

Only five? That's waaaaay too much editing!

My most tattered cookbooks:

Larousse Gastronomique, Andre Simon, some great Chinese and Japanese cookbooks, and I have a truly fantastic collection of the "cook book" segments published monthly in House Beautiful in the '60s, which is possibly my all time fave. Great recipes and incredible food porn!