I attended the Travel & Adventure Show in DC last weekend, and had the opportunity to meet the author of 1000 Places To See Before You Die, Patricia Schultz. She also is the Producer of a Travel Channel show of the same name. Below is my interview with Patricia:

JAY: What foods you bring with you when you travel abroad (and why)?

Patricia: I bring power bars for in-between meals and anything bite-size sweet for night time so I don’t attack the hotel minibar.

JAY: What foods do you bring as gifts when you travel?

Patricia: If I am bringing a gift, I go to Li-Lac Chocolates in NYC for their chocolate NYC icons such as the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building.

JAY: What foods do you want to try before you die? (These are foods you have not tried.) It could be food of a place you haven’t been yet or just something you haven’t tried.

Patricia: There is much of the Nordic cuisine movement sweeping through Scandinavia that I haven’t yet sampled.

JAY: What foods do you think everyone should try before they die?

Patricia: Bistecca alla Toscana in Florence or environs, Moroccan food in the ancient Casbah in Marrakesh or Fez, Chinese in a hole-in-the-wall family-run eatery in the Hutongs or back alleyways of Beijing, or a bbq under the stars with South African wines after a full day of safari in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. The setting should be as delicious as the food.

JAY: What drinks do you think everyone should try before they die?

Patricia: I am not much of a wine connoisseur but I enjoy sampling the wines from whatever country I go to. And the same when I am traveling in the US. They say each of the 50 states has some degree of wine production, be it ever so humble. Who knew Texas had wine? The Hill Country outside Austin does some nice stuff.

JAY:  What desserts do you think everyone should try before they die?

Pavlova from New Zealand, the artistic creations you see in Vienna’s pastry shops, really good, dense, honey saturated baklava from Greece, and tiny, wild strawberries in season drizzled with Balsamic vinegar like only the Italians can get away with.

JAY:  What are places you visited where you were surprised at how much you enjoyed the food?

Patricia:  Lima, Peru.

JAY: Best Airplane meal you have had?

Patricia:  Is this a trick question? I’ve never had a good meal on an airplane.

JAY:  You live in NYC. Which restaurants would you recommend as “must try”?  I met you in DC and my site is based in DC, so please answer the same question for DC.

Patricia NYC: for a splash-out memorable (and expensive) evening out, Le Bernardin; for Woodie Allen fun the mile-high pastrami sandwiches at Carnegie Deli; for a little bit of Italy the tiny Salumeria Rosi on the Upper West Side north of Lincoln Center.

D.C. The pop-up restaurant of America Eats by Jose Andres before it disappears July 4th and the wonderful talents of Michel Richard in the casual environs of Central.

JAY:  You’re going to die (eventually). What would you like your last meal to be? You can combine items from different countries/locations, or not.

Patricia: I lived for 5 years in Tuscany. I would like a very simple, very authentic Tuscan dinner made with fresh ingredients from those rolling hills – enhanced with local olive oil and a super Toscano red as the sun sets over one of Italy’s most beautiful corners.

Patricia is working on the food version of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. I’m looking forward to reading it when it hits the shelves.

-JAY

————————–

Check out my friend’s Costa Rica Tours and don’t forget to use the code “TOUCAN” to save money. He has some group tours that you can join.

-JAY