When a new year comes around, it’s natural to look ahead and think about the goals, experiences, and adventures on your agenda for the next 12 months. After a few years when travel was stymied or stopped altogether by the pandemic, travel lovers have been looking to make up for lost time with trips that have languished on their list. 

The No. 1 reason I like to travel is in search of new experiences involving food. Last fall I took a trip to northern Italy — a culinary Disneyland destination for me. I designed the week-and-a-half trek with food at the forefront. I planned what I wanted to eat and where I could find it. I filled the space between meals with visits to museums, cathedrals and historic sites, but it all had to revolve around food.

Every minute that went into planning my meals in Italy was worth it. I had some fine dining experiences that will be treasured memories for the rest of my life. The fresh pasta of Bologna, a fine risotto in Milan, a simple fritto misto in Venice, an anything-but-ordinary mortadella sandwich in Florence, and a pasta all’Amatriciana in Rome are the kinds of inspiring dishes that were worth every penny and more. I left inspired and full — just what I wanted from the trip. 

This is not the first excursion I’ve taken with my palate as priority. And over the years, I have refined my process for lining up the very best meals in new-to-me locales, while minimizing the duds. You can sometimes stumble randomly on a gem, but leaving food as a last-minute decision often means you aren’t taking full advantage of your temporary opportunity.

So whether you’re planning a brief staycation in a neighboring Montana town or traveling halfway around the globe, these tips can help you ensure exciting and delicious experiences you’ll remember long after your return.

The most important tip I can offer is this: Be sure to consult a number of different sources when selecting your meal targets. I list the sources I use regularly, but I never rely on just one to make a decision. If you confirm through two to three sources that a spot is legit, your chances of a great meal go way up. 

1. Ask a local — If you’re heading somewhere that is a bit of a food mystery to you, seek out a friend or acquaintance from the area and ask for recommendations. You may not know if you share any tastes with this person, but locals know how to avoid tourist traps and identify places that people from the area frequent. This is one of my favorite methods of unearthing new under-the-radar hot spots during in-state travel. 

2. Reputable publications — There are print magazines and online publications that specialize in restaurants reviews and culinary highlights. This is one of my favorite ways to identify trendy dining options in larger cities — especially restaurants that are relatively new and trying new things. Over the years I’ve searched online for articles about must-eats in particular cities, states and countries in Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Food and Travel and others with great success. 

3. Bloggers and influencers — You aren’t the only one who likes to travel. Plenty of bloggers and influencers do it for a living. They will often document a trip as they go or write a recap of the places they ate. Identify a few who frequent spots that interest you and follow them. 

4. Professional food writers and reviewers — Not to be confused with bloggers and influencers. I’m talking about local journalists who produce restaurant reviews for their area. Oftentimes you can find a particular food writer’s Top 10 for their hometown, which is far superior to the Top 10 lists aggregated from random people on a travel app. If you can find multiple Top 10 lists for a particular city, see which locations come up more than once. They’ll usually be worth a visit.  

5. Social media — Nearly every restaurant has some kind of social media presence where you can see photos of the dishes they make. You can often gauge a location’s attention to detail in the kitchen by clocking the care and time they invest in an inviting, professional and regularly updated social media page. There are some exceptions to this rule, including restaurants so old-school they can’t be bothered to care about Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, but I can often rule in or rule out a location based on what I see them post to social media. 

6. Find the menu — Once you’ve identified a culinary candidate, see if you can find the establishment’s menu online. This can give you a better sense of whether they offer options that entice you. Keep in mind that some restaurants change their menus seasonally, so you can always call to find out if the menu you’ve found is current. This can be a great way to budget your meal itinerary as well. 

Sorry to be a broken record, but you shouldn’t relay on any single means of research exclusively. Use several or all to nail down your ultimate choices. Ideally, this research should be done well in advance of your trip. Try to plan at least one month ahead, especially if you’re traveling to a large city or foreign country. 

For tasty locations that take reservations, chances are you’re going to have some competition to get in. Many top restaurants will open reservations 3-4 weeks in advance of the dining dates, so delaying until the last minute may leave you on a wait-list or worse. If an online reservation system shows the place is booked on your chosen date, give the restaurant a call to see if there is a bar-seating option that doesn’t require reservations, or a wait-list to take advantage of cancellations. 

This may seem like overly planned overkill, especially if you want to keep your options open for happy accident and kismet. Never fret. I try to leave my itinerary more open for lunch, depending on what I see and smell once I arrive. This is a great way to experience something more casual, explore street food options, or just follow where your stomach leads you in the moment. 

Follow these guidelines and your chance of a destination dining disappointment will be drastically reduced. You may very well make a food memory that will open your mind to a new culture, introduce your taste buds to something exciting, and inspire you in the kitchen when you get home. 

The post Let your palate lead you appeared first on Montana Free Press.