An early dinner with my dad, at about the age of twelve. He took me to the fancy hotel in the small area where I grew up; we ordered a Willy Carpetbagger (??) steak and about six other courses, with a dish of lemon sorbet before the main arrived. This was just about the time that I really became interested in food, and it's a special connection that my dad and I share. To go back now, I'm sure the food and the service would be a letdown (it's a very small town), but in my memory it was the beginning of my appreciation for what food can mean.
My "Go-to" dinner party dish:
Cassoulet, tomato-sausage risotto (MS), stacks from a crazy cookbook I shouldn't have ordered
My top 5 favorite restaurants:
Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Angelo's Pizza in NYC (more for the memory of a special trip with my now-husband)