The Laywer Foodie
This article originally appeared as a guest post on Feb. 27, 2015, on the Life Kids and Me Blog.
A few years before I was born, my parents emigrated to the United States from the poorest country in the western hemisphere – Haiti. They settled in Brooklyn, New York, where I was born and raised in the Caribbean enclave known as Flatbush – where over 40% of the population comes from “the Islands.” From my mother’s kitchen to dinner at my friends’ homes and local restaurants, I grew up on English, French and Spanish Caribbean cuisine. This is the origin of my love of food.
Most little boys dream of being an astronaut, firefighter or police officer. Not me. So you may guess that I wanted to be a chef, right? Nope. I didn’t want to prepare the food, just eat it! I wanted to be a food critic for the New York Times! The thought of going to all types of restaurants, ordering several dishes, getting to taste them all, and expensing it – now that was a great way to make a living! Obviously, very few actually go on to be what they dream as a child. I guess I am no different. I ended being a lawyer – an Intellectual Property lawyer to be more specific. But, being a lawyer has luckily afforded me the opportunity to travel and therefore eat in all types of restaurants around the world. So my tax returns may say I am a lawyer, but my passion is being a “foodie”!
A few years before I was born, my parents emigrated to the United States from the poorest country in the western hemisphere – Haiti. They settled in Brooklyn, New York, where I was born and raised in the Caribbean enclave known as Flatbush – where over 40% of the population comes from “the Islands.” From my mother’s kitchen to dinner at my friends’ homes and local restaurants, I grew up on English, French and Spanish Caribbean cuisine. This is the origin of my love of food.
Most little boys dream of being an astronaut, firefighter or police officer. Not me. So you may guess that I wanted to be a chef, right? Nope. I didn’t want to prepare the food, just eat it! I wanted to be a food critic for the New York Times! The thought of going to all types of restaurants, ordering several dishes, getting to taste them all, and expensing it – now that was a great way to make a living! Obviously, very few actually go on to be what they dream as a child. I guess I am no different. I ended being a lawyer – an Intellectual Property lawyer to be more specific. But, being a lawyer has luckily afforded me the opportunity to travel and therefore eat in all types of restaurants around the world. So my tax returns may say I am a lawyer, but my passion is being a “foodie”!
Food·ie
/ˈfo͞odē/
A person who has an ardent or refined interest in food [and] seeks new food experiences as a hobby rather than simply eating out of convenience or hunger.
But, I am not just any kind of foodie. My particular brand of foodie is where I like to stick to one favorite dish per restaurant (or sometimes two). That is, my type of foodie is like the character Mickey Gordon (played by Billy Crystal, a fellow New Yorker!) in the 1995 Columbia Pictures movie, Forget Paris – Mickey always ordered one dish (veal parmigiana) no matter what restaurant, what city, or what country he was visiting! From chain restaurants to casual to fine dining, what follows is a list of some of my more recent favorite dishes (with a bias for the dinner menu) served in some of my favorite restaurants, I’ve visited during my almost two decades of traveling for my day job. These are the dishes that I would drive in a snow storm or get on a plane just to have again (maybe even on my own dime). Enjoy!
| Restaurant | Location | Favorite Dish |
| 29 South | Amelia Island, FL | Grilled Romaine Salad + Slow and Low Smoked Short Rib |
| Acadiana | Washington, DC | Pan Crisped Roasted Duck |
| Asia de Cuba | London, UK | Char Siu Beef Short Ribs |
| B. Matthews | Savannah, GA | Caesar Salad + Rack of Lamb + Pancetta, Purple Potato and Edamame Hash |
| Backyard Burgers | Southeastern Chain (visited Franklin, TN location) | Black and Blue Burger + Vanilla Milkshake |
| Bandera | Chicago, IL | Iron Skillet Cornbread + Famous French Dip |
| BB’s Restaurant and Bar | Jacksonville, FL | Croissant Bread Pudding |
| Betelnut | San Francisco, CA | Korean Beef Short Ribs |
| Bombay Club | Washington, DC | Lamb Vindaloo w/Naan |
| Brasserie Les Halles | New York, NY | Bavette au Bleu |
| Capital Grille | National Chain | Mini Tenderloin and Gorgonzola Sandwiches with Parmesan Truffle Fries |
| Carrabba’s | National Chain | Pork Chop Marsala |
| Cheesecake Factory | National Chain | Crusted Chicken Romano |
| Cityfish | Orlando, FL | Mac and Cheese and Fish Tacos |
| Crazy Pita | Las Vegas, NV | Chicken Pita |
| DaLat | Dallas, TX | Beef Pho |
| Del Frisco’s | National Chain | Blue Cheese Lettuce Wedge + 8 oz. Filet Mignon + Onion Rings |
| Don Pollo | Bethesda, MD | ¼ White Peruvian Chicken with Yuca & Sweet Plantains |
| Fat Hen | Johns Island (Charleston), SC | Wedge Salad + Meat Loaf |
| Girl & The Goat | Chicago, IL | Chickpea Fritter and Roasted Cauliflower |
| Gloria’s Latin Cuisine | Texas Chain (loved the Uptown Dallas location) | Warm Crispy Tortilla Chips with Bean Dip + Chicken Quesadilla |
| Green Erth Bistro | Jacksonville, FL | Jujeh Soltani Kabob |
| La Merenda | Milwaukee, WI | La Merenda Salad + Argentinian Style Beef with Mashed Sweet Plantains |
| Le Colonial | San Francisco, CA | Bo Bit Tet |
| Metro Diner | Jacksonville, FL | Chicken & Waffles |
| Michael’s Deli | King of Prussia, PA | Ham, Swiss, Turkey & Salami Salad + Cheese Steak Hoagie |
| Mr Chow | Beverly Hills, CA | Crispy Beef |
| Nobu | Global Chain (London Berkeley St) | Wagyu Steak |
| P.F. Chang’s | National Chain | Oolong Chilean Sea Bass |
| Paladar | Chicago, IL | Tostones + Ropa Vieja |
| Pasta Pomodor | California Regional Chain (San Ramon, CA) | Caesar Salad + Bolognese |
| Peninsula Grill | Charleston, SC | Winter Greens Salad + Rack of Lamb |
| Perla | New York, NY | Orecchiette |
| Quartino | Chicago, IL | Orecchiette with Fennel-Sausage Ragu |
| Rasika | Washington, DC | Lamb Nihari |
| Ruth’s Chris Steak House | National Chain (but I love the Arlington, VA location with a view of Regan National Airport) | Filet Mignon (butterflied) w/Mac & Cheese and Au Gratin Potatoes |
| The Potters House Soul Food Bistro | Jacksonville, FL | Fried Drummettes + Southern-style Collard Greens + Cheesy Mac and Cheese + Cornbread |
| Three Layers Cafe | Jacksonville, FL | Chicken Salad + “Jeff Squares” Brownies |
| Wagshall’s Deli | Washington, DC | Pastrami on Rye |
| Wild Ginger | Seattle, WA | Buddha Rolls + Salmon Satay |
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