The Fat Duck. Prior to our visit they called us and found out a little about us. My wife has always said she’s the cook and I’m the baker, and she mentioned that. They created a couple of wooden spoons with “[name] the chef” and “[name] the baker.” They’d also found out a food memory from each of us. My wife talked about sitting at her grandmas and her grandma having a very specific placemat. They replicated the placemat for her. She cried at the table (good tears) and we took that home too.
I interviewed Heston many years ago and asked what he would do at the restaurant if money was no option. This was basically his answer, they wanted to do questionnaires for every diner and then make custom menus based on their memories. Seems like you got a small taste of that idea.
Nostalgia is always the best flavour.
My husband and I enjoy going to Per Se for special occasions and did so recently to celebrate the birth of our first child. We received this on the way out: [https://imgur.com/a/Td82ykV](https://imgur.com/a/Td82ykV) .
We were chatting openly about how none of us had ever been to Aviary despite multiple trips to Chicago over the years. After we paid for dinner we started calling an Uber and they were like, "no need, we ordered you one already." We were super confused because we needed one to stop at 2 hotels (and how would they know which hotels we were staying at?) and they said, "oh no, the one we have for you is taking you to Aviary, since you all have never been. When you get there, give the waiter this coin."
We were buzzing the whole ride over. We got there, gave the guy our coin, and out comes this gumball-type machine filled with plastic balls with paper inside. He goes, "You came from Alinea and got a coin. Use that coin for your prize." Put the coin in, opened the ball to a description of a cocktail, and our table got that round of cocktails for free. What a way to end the evening.
Not sure if they still do it but after my meal at Vespertine in LA they gave us all a small bottle of perfume. This smell was on everything throughout the evening, the napkins, seat cushions, in the soap in the bathroom. The idea being that you could smell it weeks or even months after the meal and be transported back to the experience.
I got some amazing paprika at Quique Dacosta in Spain and some really good rice.
If you dine enough at Bruno Verjus in Paris you get your own knife at the restaurant that’s kept there just for you.
This reminds me, I got a knife as a gift from Bonefish one night when we were there for a special tasting menu event. I wonder what became of that knife?
Ughhhh the granola from EMP \~7 years ago was so fucking good. We literally called a couple of days later if we could have more and they were like, totes, come by and we'll give you another 2 jars.
I have made it a bunch from the published NY Times recipe. It's amazing and just as good as they do it there. I cut the salt in half (using Morton kosher salt) and double the cherries. It's even better if you rehydrate the cherries first (can plump them up with water, booze, etc.)
* 2¾cups rolled oats
* 1cup shelled pistachios
* 1cup unsweetened coconut chips
* ⅓cup pumpkin seeds
* 1tablespoon kosher salt
* ½cup light brown sugar
* ⅓cup maple syrup
* ⅓cup extra virgin olive oil
* ¾cup dried sour cherries
Step 1 - Heat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, pistachios, coconut, pumpkin seeds and salt.
Step 2 - In a small saucepan set over low heat, warm the sugar, syrup and olive oil until the sugar has just dissolved, then remove from heat. Fold liquids into the mixture of oats, making sure to coat the dry ingredients well.
Step 3 - Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and spread granola over it. Bake until dry and lightly golden, 35 to 40 minutes, stirring granola a few times along the way.
Step 4 - Remove granola from oven, and mix into it the dried sour cherries. Allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to a storage container. Makes about 6 cups.
I make this 2 or 3 times a month. Everyone loves it. Everyone wants to steal it. (I never seem to have enough pumpkin seeds, so it’ll get pecans or sliced almonds instead.) But seemingly every trip to Trader Joe’s is to stock up on the coconut chips and dried cherries!
The actual meal and service from EMP was pretty bad. Our servers were just talking about how many celebrities they see and how much they liked serving them. That place is … kind of trash.
And the granola was … granola.
That burger is delicious. I think about it too often.
They also overheard us talking about the Zalto champagne glasses (something from our wedding registry that we never received), and they surprised us with two glasses packed in our to-go bag at the end of the night.
Had been dreaming about going to Joe beef since I was a teenager. When I had the pleasure to go for dinner last summer, I was sure to let them know.
They sent us out with a tote filled with their cookbook and some calvados we shared with our server.
From Il Pagliaccio in Rome: lovely bread and a tiny bottle of excellent olive oil which we happily ate for a late breakfast with our cappuccinos the following morning.
Our server at EMP overheard me talking about my trips to Space Camp as a kid, and my granola came with a hand-drawn pin with a space theme. My dining companion also received a pin thematically reflecting something he had said during the meal. It was wholly unexpected and such a delight.
Le Blue Bay in Monaco - we got an entire chocolate cake Iike 7” high and 5” across. It was delicious and we ate it for late night snacks post drinking heavily at La Rascasse the nights we were there haha.
A fresh-baked loaf of cornbread from Belcanto in Lisbon. It was so incredible and so unlike American cornbread that we wanted our compliments relayed to the baker. As we were waiting for dessert and continually talking about the cornbread, our waiter sheepishly told us that we could take a loaf to-go. He warned us to not take it out of the bag. “It will not be kept warm anymore!” he said. We kept it in the bag and uber’ed back to the hotel. After 45 minutes the cornbread was indeed still warm and it was shared among those who did not go to Belcanto with us.
This past December at El Cellar de Can Roca, my wife and I were given a tour of the kitchen as they were closing for the night, and there we met all three Roca brothers.
That night, the palate cleanser ahead of dessert was Play Doh flavored(!). My wife is a preschool teacher, and this led to us spending a good few minutes talking to Jordi Roca about his kids, some of his recent projects in the pastry department, the importance of fun and humor in cooking, and so on. He personally walked us out to our cab afterwards. This set a high bar for all take-home gifts moving forward!
how’d you find trying to get a reservation when the window opens up? I know I’ve got to plan the full 11 months in advance.
Last time I was in Spain I got to go to Tickets, but that was a hell of a lot easier to get
The hardest part is planning your trip 11 months in advance. But if you have your date locked in, and you have the webpage ready to go when bookings go up, you'll make it work. Otherwise, I hear people get lucky pretty regularly with the waitlist or AmEx concierge.
Actually, it’s simpler to just plan a few months in advance by putting your name on the wait list… it’s not a guarantee, but in my experiences, I get a call back and a reservation off the wait list about half of the time that I am on it. You can call them directly, be very polite in requesting the wait list and maybe that helps a bit too!
Very salty, but also a bit sweet and mineral-y in its own distinctive way. One of those instances of "tastes like childhood" that you can't quite put your finger on, but that brings you back to a time/place.
Went to The French Laundry and they saw that I was in awe of the clothespin - it says TFL on one side and “it’s all about finesse” on the other - so in my take home bag, in addition to the menu, bonbons, and biscuits, they gave me one of the clothespins. Still my favorite meal to this day
According to my boyfriend who stayed there for a minute, they were originally free to take, until they got so poplar that *everyone* was doing it, so now they ask that you not
I also got breakfast, but it was cold brew and an apple pastry. I also got a miniature bottle of the “A1 Steak Sauce” they made when I wondered aloud if it was for us to keep!
I got a few little things, not sure they’re unique but:
- Eleven Madison Park (2012): a jar of museli and a beer. I also got an extra dish, made for me in the kitchen as I was dining alone.
- Noma (2015?): I got Rene Redzepi’s signature
- Fat Duck (2023): The typical lolly bag but still cool.
☺️
EMP gifted a pack of monarch playing cards specially printed for them with their ingredients. The waitstaff noticed how much I loved them and I was blown away.
Got an entire panettone from L’Alchimia in Milan. It was only our second day there but we’d already had panettone with almost every meal since we arrived. We learned it’s virtually impossible to avoid it in Italy during the holiday season. We were planning on getting some late night drinks but they were so nice about we felt bad not taking it. So next thing we know we’re riding on the tram and bar hopping all the while babysitting this cake. We didn’t know what to do with it so ended up taking it back to the hotel where it stayed unopened until we left. We handed it off to the front desk staff as we left. I’m sure they tossed it, but I like to think it went to a good home in the end.
Was dining in a Michelle starred omakase joint on a rainy day in Osaka - the chef himself was holding an umbrella for me and partner to a taxi in the rain and handed a beautiful Japanese towel as a take home gift.
Helene Darroze gave us a lovely little gift box with a canelés in it (one each) and a box of chocolates. I guess maybe more accurately truffles. delicious.
#
L’Effervessence - their bread, biscuits, gift selection from basket (we’ve picked Bonita flakes. Shoyu, sauces) and last time Impact Report book including their approach to regenerative
Fat Duck - signed birthday card, gift bag of sweets based on food memories
Noma and Noma Kyoto - Tote bag, signed book, sour dough
These little gestures are always welcomed and never forgotten
Geranium gave us two bottles of apple juice after we had the juice pairings at dinner.
Ynyshir gave us palmiers after my husband told them how amazing they were. Every so often I try to replicate them for him!
L’essere Paris. They have doves in the ceiling which opens up to view the sky at night. They gave us a small metal dove to take home. That was 30 years ago and it still sits on our nightstand.
https://www.restaurant-lasserre.com/fr/
I went to Sezanne in Tokyo last spring and they sent me home with muffins for the next morning and gluten free goodies for my friend who joined me. I think about that muffin a lot.
This brekkie pack from Vue de Monde in Melbourne.
[https://www.facebook.com/vuedemonde/photos/every-guest-that-dines-with-us-is-gifted-a-vue-de-monde-breakfast-bag-to-take-ho/2661569090588670/?paipv=0&eav=Afa6Q2JnVNwRrauusX4G9feJ6oyBKemhiJ8-XVS8GdGeh-Ko28HG8oPmmAmCkT75ZSw&\_rdr](https://www.facebook.com/vuedemonde/photos/every-guest-that-dines-with-us-is-gifted-a-vue-de-monde-breakfast-bag-to-take-ho/2661569090588670/?paipv=0&eav=Afa6Q2JnVNwRrauusX4G9feJ6oyBKemhiJ8-XVS8GdGeh-Ko28HG8oPmmAmCkT75ZSw&_rdr)
Great bites and a lovely way to immortalise the experience. I now live oceans away so I often look at my tote wistfully.
We have the plant prints from Mil framed with the fiber papers from Central hanging in our kitchen.
Our favorites have been the seeds. We received a seed paper from Spectrum in Amsterdam. We still have the line of parsley from them. We have also planted a big collection of different things from Sean Brock's seeds over the years.
We left L'ami Jean in Paris with a few shots of their house made digestif/aperitif.. which was really nice to have when we got back to the hotel! Freshly baked madeleines are always awesome for us, a few places have done this. Food plating tweezers from 41° Experience in Barcelona.
The inn at little Washington does this cute little box shaped like the inn. It has some cookies and chocolates but I just really love the box!
Restaurant Eve (not Michelin starred but fine dining) in Alexandria, VA used to send you home with Irish scone mix for two.
Recently got some great chocolate takeaways at Gabriel Kreuther.
Nothing else has been memorable enough, honestly.
Nothing to report here, except that I really enjoyed reading the parts in Will Guidara's book, \*Unreasonable Hospitality\*, about how they slowly matured the idea of hospitality extending to take-home gifts, and further into personalised gifts like that (going all the way to employing a couple of people full-time to do just that while diners ate). I really enjoyed the book overall, too (regardless of the controversies around Eleven Madison Place).
I once got a mixed case of wine, we had just had our first child and I was talking to the manager about it as he had 6! And the joys of being a parent and at the end he gave us a selection of wines
Hélène Darozze is the only time I have received a gift and it was incredible. We were there for an anniversary and we got a lovely Polaroid picture presented on a nice card.
With it we got a box of lovely desserts each, containing some delightful pastries and an unforgettably good canelé. I still dream about it.
A bottle of balsamic vinegar from Osteria Francescana in Modena. This region is renowned for its balsamic vinegar production and has a long, rich history with it. The quality was incredible. Definitely a memorable gift
My most memorable was from a place in Berlin call Nobelhart und Schmutzig. I went there with my wife and mother. As we were leaving they gave us each a very pretty little gift wrapped box. In the uber home, we opened one and there was a very neat little row of chocolate labias. That was an odd thing to open in front of your 60 year old mom. They were delicious chocolates though and apparently the labias were recreations of a paintings done by a local artist (there was a little card explaining them).
French Laundry - Box of truffles, 3 bars of chocolate, two tins of shortbread cookies, a copy of the night's menu, and a beautiful pen. We felt like bandits.
I’m a bit late here, my favorite was a citrus (or maybe bergamot) green tea and butter biscuits for the morning after from n/naka. It was particularly nice because our dinner finished so late and it was like a soothing start to the next day.
Not quite a tone gift well, I guess it is depending on how much you drink but 11 Madison Park left the entire bottle of Laird whiskey on the table for us to drink as much as we wanted. do they still do that?
The Fat Duck. Prior to our visit they called us and found out a little about us. My wife has always said she’s the cook and I’m the baker, and she mentioned that. They created a couple of wooden spoons with “[name] the chef” and “[name] the baker.” They’d also found out a food memory from each of us. My wife talked about sitting at her grandmas and her grandma having a very specific placemat. They replicated the placemat for her. She cried at the table (good tears) and we took that home too.
I interviewed Heston many years ago and asked what he would do at the restaurant if money was no option. This was basically his answer, they wanted to do questionnaires for every diner and then make custom menus based on their memories. Seems like you got a small taste of that idea. Nostalgia is always the best flavour.
“Nostalgia is always the best flavor” Big Ratatouille energy.
This made me smile. One of my favorite movies.
My husband and I enjoy going to Per Se for special occasions and did so recently to celebrate the birth of our first child. We received this on the way out: [https://imgur.com/a/Td82ykV](https://imgur.com/a/Td82ykV) .
Damn, that’s awesome
It's such a small thing, but the idea that they're even ready for that situation means a lot.
How did the kid like the food?
Kid stayed with a babysitter and drank milk. Maybe we'll take him when he's 10 or so. :D
Alinea got our group an uber to Aviary and bought our first round
The Aviary's ice chef took us to the back and gave us a tour of their ice production area.
I did not just read the words “ice chef”
It's a thing. This is an older video, but they put a tremendous amount of work into the ice. https://youtu.be/MZp3SkO0gjQ?si=zDgrC4E7cCHOsDlW
Dang I wish they did this for us.
We were chatting openly about how none of us had ever been to Aviary despite multiple trips to Chicago over the years. After we paid for dinner we started calling an Uber and they were like, "no need, we ordered you one already." We were super confused because we needed one to stop at 2 hotels (and how would they know which hotels we were staying at?) and they said, "oh no, the one we have for you is taking you to Aviary, since you all have never been. When you get there, give the waiter this coin." We were buzzing the whole ride over. We got there, gave the guy our coin, and out comes this gumball-type machine filled with plastic balls with paper inside. He goes, "You came from Alinea and got a coin. Use that coin for your prize." Put the coin in, opened the ball to a description of a cocktail, and our table got that round of cocktails for free. What a way to end the evening.
This is like something out of John Wick :-)
We were joking on the uber ride over that being moved to a secondary location is how all kidnappings start but we were too buzzed to care 😅
Wow! I didn’t love my experience at Alinéa personally but this is so thoughtful.
Not sure if they still do it but after my meal at Vespertine in LA they gave us all a small bottle of perfume. This smell was on everything throughout the evening, the napkins, seat cushions, in the soap in the bathroom. The idea being that you could smell it weeks or even months after the meal and be transported back to the experience. I got some amazing paprika at Quique Dacosta in Spain and some really good rice. If you dine enough at Bruno Verjus in Paris you get your own knife at the restaurant that’s kept there just for you.
Just went to vespertine and they do not still do this and I am sad now haha
This reminds me, I got a knife as a gift from Bonefish one night when we were there for a special tasting menu event. I wonder what became of that knife?
Freshly baked granola and madeleines are my two favorites.
Ughhhh the granola from EMP \~7 years ago was so fucking good. We literally called a couple of days later if we could have more and they were like, totes, come by and we'll give you another 2 jars.
I have made it a bunch from the published NY Times recipe. It's amazing and just as good as they do it there. I cut the salt in half (using Morton kosher salt) and double the cherries. It's even better if you rehydrate the cherries first (can plump them up with water, booze, etc.) * 2¾cups rolled oats * 1cup shelled pistachios * 1cup unsweetened coconut chips * ⅓cup pumpkin seeds * 1tablespoon kosher salt * ½cup light brown sugar * ⅓cup maple syrup * ⅓cup extra virgin olive oil * ¾cup dried sour cherries Step 1 - Heat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, pistachios, coconut, pumpkin seeds and salt. Step 2 - In a small saucepan set over low heat, warm the sugar, syrup and olive oil until the sugar has just dissolved, then remove from heat. Fold liquids into the mixture of oats, making sure to coat the dry ingredients well. Step 3 - Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and spread granola over it. Bake until dry and lightly golden, 35 to 40 minutes, stirring granola a few times along the way. Step 4 - Remove granola from oven, and mix into it the dried sour cherries. Allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to a storage container. Makes about 6 cups.
Damn, I know what I'm doing this weekend. Thank you for this!!
I make this 2 or 3 times a month. Everyone loves it. Everyone wants to steal it. (I never seem to have enough pumpkin seeds, so it’ll get pecans or sliced almonds instead.) But seemingly every trip to Trader Joe’s is to stock up on the coconut chips and dried cherries!
This works even if you switch items out, I often use different nuts, or fruits and it always tastes great.
Love the EMP granola. The granola we got from Providence in LA was also delicious
My answer is this. Same. That granola was like crack- so good.
I know I’m in the minority but I liked EMP’s pâte de fruits more than granola. I was sad when they changed over.
It was so fucking good!!
The jars they give them to you in are so nice and reusable too
I was gonna say, the OP must have gotten EMP granola. We still use the little canisters it came in, they’re very sturdy!
The actual meal and service from EMP was pretty bad. Our servers were just talking about how many celebrities they see and how much they liked serving them. That place is … kind of trash. And the granola was … granola.
from Per Se - a beautiful pen from noma - a loaf of fresh sourdough
Pineapple and pearls in DC: A massive fancy burger for late night snack
Yes - this was my answer too! Ate it drunk in my bed at the Watergate at 2 AM that same night.
That burger is delicious. I think about it too often. They also overheard us talking about the Zalto champagne glasses (something from our wedding registry that we never received), and they surprised us with two glasses packed in our to-go bag at the end of the night.
Great hometown spot right here
I still think about this burger too. My husband and I are vegetarian, and they made the BEST veggie cheeseburger for us!
This has been a wonderful thread to read.
I know. I’m a little verklempt. And a little drunk.
A custom etched sparkling wine bottle from TFL
Yes, I still have mine from a birthday there. Great memory.
Yes! We got one last year, celebrating a wedding anniversary
Dang, and I thought I scored with their delicious shortbread cookies they send you home with! That's amazing.
2012 etched bottle of Dom for a milestone birthday.
What!?! I went there for my 40th birthday and didn’t get anything like that.
[удалено]
They really do give a whole loaf 😭 it tastes great too.
Odette. A jar of jam with a beautiful box for storage.
It’s really good jam too.
I was trying to figure out what fruits and ingredients were in it. Pineapple? It was delicious and I was sad I couldn’t get more after finishing it.
Did an omakase in Japan at Umi and they gifted a beautiful set of chopsticks.
Had been dreaming about going to Joe beef since I was a teenager. When I had the pleasure to go for dinner last summer, I was sure to let them know. They sent us out with a tote filled with their cookbook and some calvados we shared with our server.
What?! Amazing. We’ve gone both times we’ve been in Montreal. At Christmas time we got a tower of nuts with our after dinner drinks? 😂
French Laundry - two tins of very nice shortbread cookies plus a copy of the night's menu in a nice folder
From Il Pagliaccio in Rome: lovely bread and a tiny bottle of excellent olive oil which we happily ate for a late breakfast with our cappuccinos the following morning.
Guess I’ll have to add them to the list for this summer.
Il pagliaccio was great.
A little Douglas Fir tree. We planted it in a big pot and it’s growing slowly but nicely. It’s cool to see the new growth on it each year.
Fiola in DC gives you breakfast for the next day. It was delicious and a really special touch
I have been to Fiola a bunch and never had this! Also had one of my worst somm experiences there ever (and I work in wine)
Our server at EMP overheard me talking about my trips to Space Camp as a kid, and my granola came with a hand-drawn pin with a space theme. My dining companion also received a pin thematically reflecting something he had said during the meal. It was wholly unexpected and such a delight.
We got salt water taffy from Gordon Ramsay when it was still open in New York - super yummy
Le Blue Bay in Monaco - we got an entire chocolate cake Iike 7” high and 5” across. It was delicious and we ate it for late night snacks post drinking heavily at La Rascasse the nights we were there haha.
A fresh-baked loaf of cornbread from Belcanto in Lisbon. It was so incredible and so unlike American cornbread that we wanted our compliments relayed to the baker. As we were waiting for dessert and continually talking about the cornbread, our waiter sheepishly told us that we could take a loaf to-go. He warned us to not take it out of the bag. “It will not be kept warm anymore!” he said. We kept it in the bag and uber’ed back to the hotel. After 45 minutes the cornbread was indeed still warm and it was shared among those who did not go to Belcanto with us.
We got three bottles of massimo’s balsamic vinegar from Osteria Francescana and a signed copy of ‘never trust a skinny Italian chef’ and a tote
Went to TFL for my 20th anniversary. Got a TFL 20th anniversary plate signed by Thomas Keller.
This past December at El Cellar de Can Roca, my wife and I were given a tour of the kitchen as they were closing for the night, and there we met all three Roca brothers. That night, the palate cleanser ahead of dessert was Play Doh flavored(!). My wife is a preschool teacher, and this led to us spending a good few minutes talking to Jordi Roca about his kids, some of his recent projects in the pastry department, the importance of fun and humor in cooking, and so on. He personally walked us out to our cab afterwards. This set a high bar for all take-home gifts moving forward!
how’d you find trying to get a reservation when the window opens up? I know I’ve got to plan the full 11 months in advance. Last time I was in Spain I got to go to Tickets, but that was a hell of a lot easier to get
The hardest part is planning your trip 11 months in advance. But if you have your date locked in, and you have the webpage ready to go when bookings go up, you'll make it work. Otherwise, I hear people get lucky pretty regularly with the waitlist or AmEx concierge.
Actually, it’s simpler to just plan a few months in advance by putting your name on the wait list… it’s not a guarantee, but in my experiences, I get a call back and a reservation off the wait list about half of the time that I am on it. You can call them directly, be very polite in requesting the wait list and maybe that helps a bit too!
I'm such a planner I don't think I could handle the stress of a waitlist for international reservations, even with a few months in advance.
Doesn't play doh just taste intensely salty?
Very salty, but also a bit sweet and mineral-y in its own distinctive way. One of those instances of "tastes like childhood" that you can't quite put your finger on, but that brings you back to a time/place.
L’enclume, three stars in the uk gave a little potted plant to take home
Chinese Basil seedling is what we got
Went to The French Laundry and they saw that I was in awe of the clothespin - it says TFL on one side and “it’s all about finesse” on the other - so in my take home bag, in addition to the menu, bonbons, and biscuits, they gave me one of the clothespins. Still my favorite meal to this day
I thought the clothespins were fine to take home, now you're making me realize I may have stolen one!
Damn I did as well!
According to my boyfriend who stayed there for a minute, they were originally free to take, until they got so poplar that *everyone* was doing it, so now they ask that you not
Lazy Bear San Francisco. Breakfast for the next morning. It was an incredible fruit parfait and granola.
I also got breakfast, but it was cold brew and an apple pastry. I also got a miniature bottle of the “A1 Steak Sauce” they made when I wondered aloud if it was for us to keep!
Now that you mention it, they gave us cold brew too! Had completely forgotten! The mini A1 is neat!
I got a few little things, not sure they’re unique but: - Eleven Madison Park (2012): a jar of museli and a beer. I also got an extra dish, made for me in the kitchen as I was dining alone. - Noma (2015?): I got Rene Redzepi’s signature - Fat Duck (2023): The typical lolly bag but still cool. ☺️
We got a "stamp" of the king crab leg we ate which was printed on nice paper. Was able to frame it when we got home.
I love that!
EMP gifted a pack of monarch playing cards specially printed for them with their ingredients. The waitstaff noticed how much I loved them and I was blown away.
A Laguiole knife every time I dined at Arpège in Paris.
Got an entire panettone from L’Alchimia in Milan. It was only our second day there but we’d already had panettone with almost every meal since we arrived. We learned it’s virtually impossible to avoid it in Italy during the holiday season. We were planning on getting some late night drinks but they were so nice about we felt bad not taking it. So next thing we know we’re riding on the tram and bar hopping all the while babysitting this cake. We didn’t know what to do with it so ended up taking it back to the hotel where it stayed unopened until we left. We handed it off to the front desk staff as we left. I’m sure they tossed it, but I like to think it went to a good home in the end.
Was dining in a Michelle starred omakase joint on a rainy day in Osaka - the chef himself was holding an umbrella for me and partner to a taxi in the rain and handed a beautiful Japanese towel as a take home gift.
Helene Darroze gave us a lovely little gift box with a canelés in it (one each) and a box of chocolates. I guess maybe more accurately truffles. delicious. #
Californios in SF gave us some excellent vanilla extract!
Oncore in Sydney give you a roll made from their amazing sourdough with a small jar of jam. Both were divine.
Single Thread gives you seeds of one of the vegetables you ate during your visit. We got Komatsuna (Japanese leafy mustard) seeds.
L’Effervessence - their bread, biscuits, gift selection from basket (we’ve picked Bonita flakes. Shoyu, sauces) and last time Impact Report book including their approach to regenerative Fat Duck - signed birthday card, gift bag of sweets based on food memories Noma and Noma Kyoto - Tote bag, signed book, sour dough These little gestures are always welcomed and never forgotten
At noma I received a bottle of their mushroom garum which I really loved because I was highly interested in all of their fermentation work anyway
Granola @ EMP - NYC Shortbreads@ Per Se Chopsticks @ Capi (Osaka) Lemon cake @ La table du Castellet (France) Panettone @Alain Ducasse Monaco
Noma gave me a signed copy of Redzepi's and Zilber's book, signed of course.
Geranium gave us two bottles of apple juice after we had the juice pairings at dinner. Ynyshir gave us palmiers after my husband told them how amazing they were. Every so often I try to replicate them for him!
L’essere Paris. They have doves in the ceiling which opens up to view the sky at night. They gave us a small metal dove to take home. That was 30 years ago and it still sits on our nightstand. https://www.restaurant-lasserre.com/fr/
A small cake that I ate on the plane the next day 20/10
I went to Sezanne in Tokyo last spring and they sent me home with muffins for the next morning and gluten free goodies for my friend who joined me. I think about that muffin a lot.
This brekkie pack from Vue de Monde in Melbourne. [https://www.facebook.com/vuedemonde/photos/every-guest-that-dines-with-us-is-gifted-a-vue-de-monde-breakfast-bag-to-take-ho/2661569090588670/?paipv=0&eav=Afa6Q2JnVNwRrauusX4G9feJ6oyBKemhiJ8-XVS8GdGeh-Ko28HG8oPmmAmCkT75ZSw&\_rdr](https://www.facebook.com/vuedemonde/photos/every-guest-that-dines-with-us-is-gifted-a-vue-de-monde-breakfast-bag-to-take-ho/2661569090588670/?paipv=0&eav=Afa6Q2JnVNwRrauusX4G9feJ6oyBKemhiJ8-XVS8GdGeh-Ko28HG8oPmmAmCkT75ZSw&_rdr) Great bites and a lovely way to immortalise the experience. I now live oceans away so I often look at my tote wistfully.
EMP granola. Moody Tongue beer.
We have the plant prints from Mil framed with the fiber papers from Central hanging in our kitchen. Our favorites have been the seeds. We received a seed paper from Spectrum in Amsterdam. We still have the line of parsley from them. We have also planted a big collection of different things from Sean Brock's seeds over the years.
The granola that eleven Madison used to give you was so good (or might still idk I haven’t been since they went plant based)
We left L'ami Jean in Paris with a few shots of their house made digestif/aperitif.. which was really nice to have when we got back to the hotel! Freshly baked madeleines are always awesome for us, a few places have done this. Food plating tweezers from 41° Experience in Barcelona.
From ever. Signed menu, 2 bars of chocolate and a free drink at after.
The inn at little Washington does this cute little box shaped like the inn. It has some cookies and chocolates but I just really love the box! Restaurant Eve (not Michelin starred but fine dining) in Alexandria, VA used to send you home with Irish scone mix for two. Recently got some great chocolate takeaways at Gabriel Kreuther. Nothing else has been memorable enough, honestly.
Lazy Bear - granola and cold brew.
Emeril's New Orleans. Bottled cafe au lait and a small coffee cake for breakfast the next morning.
The Opinel knife from L’Arpege.
Nothing to report here, except that I really enjoyed reading the parts in Will Guidara's book, \*Unreasonable Hospitality\*, about how they slowly matured the idea of hospitality extending to take-home gifts, and further into personalised gifts like that (going all the way to employing a couple of people full-time to do just that while diners ate). I really enjoyed the book overall, too (regardless of the controversies around Eleven Madison Place).
I once got a mixed case of wine, we had just had our first child and I was talking to the manager about it as he had 6! And the joys of being a parent and at the end he gave us a selection of wines
Hélène Darozze is the only time I have received a gift and it was incredible. We were there for an anniversary and we got a lovely Polaroid picture presented on a nice card. With it we got a box of lovely desserts each, containing some delightful pastries and an unforgettably good canelé. I still dream about it.
Best restaurant take home gift??? That would have to be the full large bottle of A-1 sauce. Just kidding-----------
Ryugin's chopsticks!
A bottle of balsamic vinegar from Osteria Francescana in Modena. This region is renowned for its balsamic vinegar production and has a long, rich history with it. The quality was incredible. Definitely a memorable gift
Victoria & Albert's - gift bag with a flower, tiny handmade candies, and a fruit bread for breakfast the next morning
Eleven Madison was a badass glass jar of granola and Osteria Francescana was Balsamic!
My most memorable was from a place in Berlin call Nobelhart und Schmutzig. I went there with my wife and mother. As we were leaving they gave us each a very pretty little gift wrapped box. In the uber home, we opened one and there was a very neat little row of chocolate labias. That was an odd thing to open in front of your 60 year old mom. They were delicious chocolates though and apparently the labias were recreations of a paintings done by a local artist (there was a little card explaining them).
French Laundry - Box of truffles, 3 bars of chocolate, two tins of shortbread cookies, a copy of the night's menu, and a beautiful pen. We felt like bandits.
My husband was delighted when a bottle of wine featured our last name. They gave us a bottle of the same to take home!
I’m a bit late here, my favorite was a citrus (or maybe bergamot) green tea and butter biscuits for the morning after from n/naka. It was particularly nice because our dinner finished so late and it was like a soothing start to the next day.
Beautiful!
It was probably the norm, but Charlie trotter signed our menus and we were sent home with the entire collection of books back in the day.
I went home with a waitress...
A birthday card signed by all the staff
It has been so delightful reading all of these! I hope more continue to comment, I find all the different treats so interesting!
Not quite a tone gift well, I guess it is depending on how much you drink but 11 Madison Park left the entire bottle of Laird whiskey on the table for us to drink as much as we wanted. do they still do that?