I’d like to get a public conversation going—a community-generated list of the quintessential foods and dishes that define our city. Foods that you have to try at least once before you die (or move), and that you miss most when you go away.

It’s the foodie equivalent of a birder’s Life List. Only, because we’re talking about food, each list is a very personal thing, reflecting a hodgepodge of memories, everyday routines, and sentimental associations.

To get started, here are 10 of my favorites, in no particular order: (more…)

Your Chowder hounds have sniffed down the best culinary events in town. Check back every Thursday for your weekly prix-fixe of foodie feasts, cooking classes, wine tastings, and more.

April 10, 6:30-9 p.m.
Taste of the Nation Boston
Hynes Convention Center, $85 (advance); $95 (door) VIP: $135 (advance); $145 (door)

Boston’s hottest chefs and restaurants are donating their time and cuisine for Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation, which raises funds to fight childhood hunger in Boston and across America. More than 80 of the city’s finest will participate, including Andy Husbands of Tremont 647, as well as Hamersley’s Bistro, Rialto, Radius, Icarus, Gargoyles on the Square, Les Zygomates, East Coast Grill, KO Prime, and more.

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Toro, Ken Oringer’s boutique tapas restaurant in the South End has some of the best ambiance in the city: chic but cozy, with a quirky fake bull’s head hanging above a wood-burning fireplace. Some of the food leans more nuevo americano than authentically español (case in point: the garlic shrimp are, a traditionally robust dish, is made overly delicate with the addition of saffron). But any quibbles I have were recently swept aside with one choice tapa. (more…)