In Miraflores, Peru, the restaurant Maido blends Peruvian and Japanese flavors. (Photo: Promperu)
By Whitney Shindelar, as told to Karla Walsh
What topic are you endlessly curious about? For some, it’s art. For others, it’s sports. For Crème Bakery owner Sammy Mila, it’s food.
“I long for those moments of discovery, and I will travel far and wide for the best bite,” Mila (pictured) told me as we began brainstorming her potential dream trip. Although she’s game for Michelin-level dining and enjoys the artistry of it all, she admitted that “cheap and questionable is my favorite way to eat.”
In the past, Mila has explored New York City, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Thailand and Mexico City via her taste buds, and now she’s pondering another culinary adventure. In her dream scenario, she would jet off for 10-20 days to feast her way through a new-to-her region with a pal or partner. As she put it: “I love to have at least one other buddy that I can digest these moments with.”
Here are three options I dished up for her to consider.
Peru
Peru is one of those rare places where the most celebrated chefs on the planet and the woman with the cart on the corner are both, in their own way, doing something completely extraordinary. On the street-food side, Grimanesa Vargas is a legendary little spot known for anticuchos (beef heart grilled over open flame). Locals have been going for decades. On the other end pf the spectrum, Central is one of the best restaurants in the world, full stop. Chef Virgilio Martínez built the entire menu around Peru’s ecosystems. Each course represents a different altitude and a different region, so you’re essentially eating your way through the whole country without ever leaving your table. And if you want something that lives beautifully between those two worlds, Maido offers Nikkei cuisine — a gorgeous Japanese-Peruvian fusion born from Lima’s Japanese immigrant community. It tastes like nothing else that exists anywhere.
Oaxaca, Mexico
Oaxaca has one of the oldest food cultures in the Americas, and it is completely, unapologetically itself. There’s no tourist version of it. It’s a state that rewards wandering. While charting your path, you can taste your way through the seven canonical and remarkably complex moles. Then swing by a market like Mercado 20 de Noviembre. Here, at Pasillo de Humo (the smoke corridor), you pick the meat — chorizo, tasajo, cecina — women grill it over charcoal braziers, then build your plate right in front of you. Chapulines (grasshoppers toasted with lime and chile) are here, too, if you’re feeling adventurous. And when you’re ready for a sit-down spot, Origen is an excellent option. Chef Rodolfo Castellanos takes those same ancient Oaxacan ingredients and applies a precision that has earned the restaurant serious international attention. Casa Oaxaca is another restaurant I always find myself coming back to. Offering a taste of the markets, mezcal, chocolate, all while celebrating slow food, it feels like the city itself sat down to have dinner with you.
San Sebastián, Spain
San Sebastián has this rare ability to deliver both the thrill of discovery and the depth of world-class dining, sometimes on the very same evening. Your ultimate evening starts in the old town, where the streets are narrow, there are little bars absolutely everywhere, and every counter is loaded with small, beautiful pintxos for a euro or two. Eat one standing up while you plot where to go next. This is txikiteo, the Basque evening ritual. No reservations, no dress code, nothing to decode. You just follow your instincts from bar to bar and let the evening unfold. Two highlights: Bar Nestor for a piece of their coveted tortilla de patatas (they make just one every night) and La Viña, home of the burnt Basque cheesecake that every restaurant in the world is currently copying. At dinnertime, try three-Michelin-star Arzak; it’s like a story that unfolds in a meal.
The big reveal: After considering all three potential itineraries, Mila chose Peru. “I was introduced to the beauty of Peruvian food by the amazing Mariela Maya from Panka, and have been wanting to dive deeper ever since,” she said. “I am a big fan of seafood and bold flavors, so Peruvian food checks those boxes for me.”
If you’re feeling inspired to chart new territory yourself, Whitney Shindelar suggests contacting her six to eight months before you’d like to travel. With your purpose, passions, timeframe, and budget as a guide, she’ll take it from there. Planning fees typically range from $750 to $1,200 for a one- to two-week trip. Visit undiscoveredsunsets.com to kick things off.
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