What's on your eating bucket list?

Photo: Contributed

The spectacular Lake Agnes Teahouse in Banff National Park was a highlight dining spot for columnist Kristin Peterson-Laprise.

Have you ever played the game at a dinner party of asking people would choose as their favourite meal or what bucket list meal they want to enjoy?

It might depend on your mood, if you decide a favourite. On a cold winter day, after working hard, maybe some comfort food is the thing, not an extravagant meal that requires going out and dressing up.

But bucket list items are usually specific. I read an article this week that mentioned some incredible food adventures, like the Lake Agnes Teahouse in Lake Louise, Alberta (I have been there, it’s a spectacular reward for the hike required to get there).

I’ve added a pin in our food travel map for the Pikes Peak Summit House in Cascade, Colorado, too. Apparently they make donuts that taste unique because of the high elevation they are cooked at. (If you know my hubbie, you know why a donut place is on our list.)

For a full meal, we have checked off a few places on our list over the years. Charlie Trotter’s five-star restaurant in Chicago was a once-in-a-lifetime experience—an eight-course tasting menu with wines at each course and a tour of the kitchen afterwards.

My cousin took us to Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York state, where dinner was etherea—tastes, smells, stories and theatre, all intertwined in the food on the plates.

But I also remember a simple lunch with a Red Stripe beer at a bar in Jamaica that you have to get to by boat. It sits on stilts in the ocean. It’s called Floyd’s Pelican Bar.

A place we stopped by last summer, the Fat Boy drive-in restaurant in Maine - even though it was pouring rain - had the best burger and shake ever. I had the best French toast ever in Maine too, at the Palace Diner, which is a vintage Pullman train car.

Perhaps clarifying a theme could help you define your bucket list. What do you want to try more of?

For me, enjoying retro places that speak to my love of vintage food and decor makes my heart sing. Exploring traditional flavours and understanding different cultures also makes the food I eat taste better.

While in France this fall, we are visiting fresh food markets to find local specialties and asking locals what their favourite places are. So far, it has helped us choose picnic ingredients, find hidden bakeries and choose tiny restaurants that have all been sensational.

All of the conversations made me think, do I have ready recommendations for visitors who might ask me back home where to go? If I had to pass on a favourite recipe to be preserved, which one would it be?

That’s your homework for this week, readers. Even if you have your bucket list lined up to check off, think about what you could share with someone else that would give them an amazing food experience.

After all, one of the best parts about food is sharing it.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.