Australia
The food in the tropics of Queensland surprised us. This was the one destination where I did not expect to find fantastic meals and drink - and there it was, right in front of me! The dishes we enjoyed in Cape Tribulation were mostly "New Australian" takes on traditional Australian fare, like barramundi. The wine lists were solid, but the beer was lacking outside of Cairns, where we found a better than average hole in the wall at which to avoid returning to our hostel. Similarly, the food we ate at the Great Barrier Reef on the live aboard scuba dive boat operated by Prodive was also wonderful. I did try to tackle the cassowary to taste, but no luck.
Singapore
Singapore was a culinary destination for us, even before reading Calvin Trillin's article "Three Chopsticks" in the most recent food issue of The New Yorker. We quickly learned that plenty of good, inexpensive food can be found in markets, like shopping malls. Dana and I tried everything we could, but we left with dozens of intriguing menu options untasted. Some day we will get back to eat as much as humanly possible.
Italy
I don't usually seek out Italian food and, honestly, I think the cuisine is too heavily relied upon by those nervous to branch out. The freshness and simplicity of the food we ate in Italy was astounding. I could not get enough. I've never eaten so much pasta in my life! Well, since college, at least. We learned a lot of the essentials in Assisi during a cooking class. From our eating experiences in Italy, the two ingredients I will remember most will be the truffles I ate throughout the peninsula and the chicken neck I ate in Florence. Most Italian restaurants won't risk their reputation by serving a bad house wine, so the appropriate liquid accompaniment to these fantastic plates were both tasty and inexpensive... €5 for a liter at one restaurant in Rome. Of course, we had even better wines in Montepulciano.
France
Of course France is known for its culinary delights, and we sought out one of my favorite cheeses, made in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon. Lyons had plenty to offer, including the famous Le Sud, but our best meal in the country was lunch on our last day, in Annecy. Here we dined on the traditional alpine meal of raclette cheese melted over bread, potatoes and other equally healthy foodstuffs.
"What about the wine?"
Oh yes, the wine was great, but we didn't venture into too many wine regions and did not get to do any tasting. I can say that the French wine was much better than the French beer.
Switzerland
Switzerland offered some very good food, but it was by far the worst value during our trip. The Swiss franc had about the same exchange rate as the Australian dollar, but the costs were much higher. What's more, when we ordered a bottle of wine, it was 500ml instead of the usual 750ml. The travel books and Web sites mentioned Switzerland's secret: fantastic wine that was not exported. The impression was that these wines are SO GOOD that the Swiss don't want to share it with the rest of the world. Well, we tried a few, and they can keep it. The vineyards do make for beautiful scenery.
Germany
These Germans are great eaters and great drinkers! Large portions of flavorful meals served with expectedly good beer or unexpectedly good wine. Sure, I knew they make some great riesling and gewurztraminer, but the range was broader than that. Würzburg surprised us with their winery/hospital. With beer specialties such as altbier and rauchbier, Düsseldorf from and Bamberg, respectively, and impressive bier halls across the land, it's a true beer destination. Dana and I were even a bit overwhelmed early on, and we picked up sushi for lunch in München. Heresy!
Belgium
But we saved the best for last, didn't we? There's not much I can add on the quality of Belgian beer that I have not already posted, but I will reemphasize the quality of the food, in terms of taste, presentation and service. I can think of no other place where people genuinely seem to care so much about your culinary experience. Not because they want to impress you, but because they want you enjoy your meal. Then again, I guess they really have to do that if they're going to serve you horse.
