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Last updated Winter 2025

MISC.

All-stars all over the map.

★ - All-time favorite / ✸ - Changing menu / Must-orders are bolded

Amsterdam, NL (1) • Barcelona, ES (1) • Carlsbad, CA (1) • Chicago, IL (2) • Lisbon, PT (2) • Madrid, ES (1) • Nashville, TN (1) • Paris, FR (1) • Rockport, MA (1)

  • The kind of restaurant experience you dream of while traveling in a foreign country. You can’t help but feel like Anthony Bourdain at this authentic Portuguese tasca filled with locals, even if you wait 2+ hours like I did. 

    ✸ Order notes: Piglet pastry, deep-fried rabbit, Portuguese sausage, “handjob” cod salad, octopus rice, peri peri shrimp, salame de chocolate ice cream sandwich. 

    Website (booking) / Instagram

  • A True lobster shack on Cape Ann, known for their “no-nonsense, no celery lobster rolls.” 

    Order notes: Lobster roll.

    Website / Instagram

  • I’m still waiting for a brunch restaurant to blow my mind the way this De Pijp gem did. Every dish is beautifully plated and pushes the flavor boundaries of the first meal of the day. 

    ✸ Order notes: Poached eggs with hollandaise and potato rosti.

    Website / Instagram

  • I was both intimidated and suspicious of this barbeque behemoth at first glance. I thought, “This gigantic barbeque chain can’t be that good,” but it was!

    Order notes: Pulled pork shoulder sandwich, sliced beef brisket, mac n cheese, cornbread. 

    Website / Instagram

  • An impressive all-day restaurant, bar, and bakery in the heart of Carlsbad village. Don’t let its size fool you—the attention to detail and quality in this 8,000-square-foot space rivals that of a 22-seat restaurant. The menu is inventive but not fussy and consistently delicious. Partners John Resnick and Chef Eric Bost are the visionaries behind the space but they’re also just downright fantastic people.

    Order notes: Sourdough country bread, charred maitake mushrooms, mafaldine, bucatini, ‘nduja pizza, rotisserie chicken, lamb meatballs, pistachio tiramisu

    Website / Instagram

  • A rustic cafe brought to life by two Brazilian, coffee-loving friends. This was my favorite breakfast I had in Spain.

    Order notes: Cantonese-style scrambled eggs, banana bread.

    Website / Instagram

  • A glamorous take on classic Chicago dining nestled in an old cobblestone courtyard. 

    Order notes: Vodka rigatoni, coal-roasted chicken, key lime pie.

    Website / Instagram

  • Raw cement and warm candlelight make the perfect atmosphere to complement the innovative menu that changes bi-weekly.

    ✸ Order notes: Aged mimolette and carrot jam, spiced cauliflower and raïta, sweet potato ricotta ravioli, fennel with smoked pistachio and stracciatella.

    Website / Instagram

  • A Michelin-rated Israeli restaurant with particularly outstanding vegetarian dishes. 

    Order notes: Challah and tahini, cauliflower shawarma, chicken shawarma, balagan de chocolate.

    Instagram

  • A River North staple whose bright, airy interior reflects the light and simple Mediterranean menu. 

    Order notes: Hummus with lamb ragu, charred eggplant, green falafel, mushroom kebab.

    Website / Instagram

  • These heavenly custard tarts are all over Lisbon but this was by far the best one I had. This spot is outside of the city center so make a stop in the MAC/CCB Museum while you’re in the area. 

    Order notes: Pastel de Belem (add cinnamon). 

    Website / Instagram