The Best Thing I Ever Ate

The Food Network has a show where celebrity chefs talk about their favorite foods from their favorite places. It's pretty interesting to hear what they have to say and of course it gets me thinking about the very same thing. For many years I wouldn't hesitate with my answer to the question "What's the best thing you ever ate?"

There is a luxury hotel called Le Manoir Richelieu way up on the St. Lawrence River in a little village called Pointe-Au-Pic. It is the province of Quebec, Canada in a region called Charlevoix. The river is very wide at this point, so wide you can't see the other shore at times. The hotel resembles a Normandy chateau with beautiful flowers and a sweeping lawn that slowly spills down to the banks of the St. Lawrence. Next door is a casino that is much more Monte Carlo than Foxwoods.

My wife and I visited Charlevoix about 12 years ago. We were staying at an inn within walking distance of Le Manoir and we planned a special meal in the small gourmet restaurant located in the hotel.

The meal consisted of many courses each with its own wine pairing. We were in way over our heads gastronomically but it was a great experience. The one thing I'll never forget about the meal was the crème de champignons (cream of mushroom soup). I love mushrooms, any kind served any way.

The waiter brought a bowl with warm buttery mushroom broth. Next he spooned in a variety of delicately braised mushrooms. Finally, he took an Aladdin's lamp looking thing and covered everything with a devilishly creamy purée. He told me to wait for about two minutes before eating. I started counting, one-one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand.... I think I made it to about to about fifty three and I couldn't take it anymore. I stuck my spoon in that bowl like a prospector digging for gold. It was perfect. I could go on about the other courses but I will simply say that the final course, the second dessert, was a chocolate whale. That pretty much sums up the experience.

That mushroom soup was the old champ. I have a new favorite, much closer to home, much more familiar.

Our kids all play rec soccer. Sometimes the schedule works, sometimes it doesn't. One particular Saturday last fall the stars aligned. Two of the girls had games on fields side by side at around 11 a.m. and my third daughter had a game at around 1 p.m. It was one of those great autumn days that I prefer over a summer day. Full sun, light breeze, leaves nearing peak color.

In between games everyone is hungry. We have just enough time for a very quick bite. We all agree on the only place that will fit the bill, the hotdog stand. As we make the left turn the best parking spot opens up. We glide in and everyone orders, some dogs, some burgers, maybe a grilled cheese. The bill comes to around 18 bucks. We get a great table. Alfresco dining at its best. The order is prepared quickly and is presented just how it's ordered.

The neighboring tables are filled with other soccer families, the variety of uniform colors match the turning leaves. A perfect Saturday in Norton. What more could you ask for?

I'll never forget the crème de champignons but that hot dog with yellow mustard I had last fall at the hot dog stand is the best thing I ever ate.