The 10 Best Dishes on Earth and Where to Get Them Locally (Part 1)

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This article may produce a puddle of drool on your laptop or desk. If you are on a diet and trying to lose weight, close this tab or better yet run away. You’ve been warned!

These are – in my opinion of course – the ten best dishes on mother earth. Well, ten is a neat number for articles, and it has to be cut off somewhere. If I had my way, it would be a top 1,000 best dishes on earth. Narrowing it down to ten was like picking two of your favorite children out of the five you have. It was slightly traumatizing. Yes, I’m a foodie. It’s one of my few vices. No, I am not obese or even overweight. It’s all about a love for textures, aromas, and presentation and NOT quantity. Food is something many of us are passionate about and conversation in the “real” world and on the internet usually spirals into a debate about which nation’s cuisine is best or who creates the best version of a particular dish. It’s not hyperbole to say that these debates escalate into a heated argument and even in rare occurences a phsyical row. An easy way to get people arguing is stating who makes the best pizza, wings, or burger. Someone in your group will think you are “Wicked stupid” or be amazed how clueless you are about the genuine article or how it’s made in the “old country.” Tell someone that Pizza Hut makes the best pizza ever and you may even get a punch in the face.

I’m not particularly into being punched in the face in my older age. When I was a bit younger it was a favorite past-time of mine. It got me a lot of ugly. A few more punches may be a tipping point into disfigurement. The point is that these best dishes on earth are the best dishes on earth in my opinion. I am not stating an objective fact. I’ll admit I have a bias and probably an Asian one. Being a foodie, I’d love to know how clueless I am about where to get the real deal. It means I get to feed my addiction. Get it? Feed? Food article? Addict….aw forget it. If you see me in public don’t punch me in the face. Don’t come at me bro. Or sis. I’ve dropped a disclaimer. I’m off the hook.

So, here are the ten best dishes on earth and more importantly where you can get your hands on them. I couldn’t possibly place them in order. Again, that’s like ordering your favorite children from the one you love the most, to the one you love the least.

1. Bibimbap
What? These silly sounding Korean words translate into extreme bliss. I have no idea what Bibimbap, Bibim Bop or Bibim Bap means in Korean, but it’s probably along the lines of “Drool inducing madness.” It comes in a bowl with moist, perfectly cooked rice as a centerpiece. The rice’s best friends surround it and they are typically shredded carrots, shiitake mushrooms, sliced cucumber, cooked spinach, soybean sprouts, cooked beef, and topped -depending on where you go – with an egg. While this is a standard, I’ve seen the beef replaced with chicken or fish and some variation of other vegetables.

Apsara's Pho
Bibimbap by Dartmouth’s “From the Seoul!

It usually arrives at your table on a hot plate and sizzling but I have seen versions where the rice is warm, but the ingredients room temperature or cool. I like the cooked versions because you get nailed instantly with all of the aromas of the meat and vegetables. It is typically accompanied with a red sauce, which I believe is called Gochujang. The first time I had Bibimbap, I used my chopsticks to navigate the bowl and randomly pick out ingredients. Big mistake. The Korean lady immediately set me straight for this violation and told me that I had to mix all the ingredients together to really do it properly. Ok, so I do that now. All about avoiding that punch in the face.

Where can you get Bibimbap? Ginger Grill that used to be in downtown used to be the premiere spot for it. I’ve had it too many times to count. That restaurant closed and From the Seoul opened up in Dartmouth next to the old Daddy Junky’s Music and Texas Roadhouse. Their version is cooked and comes with all the obligatory condiments that typically accompany an outing at a Korean restaurant. The owner will bring out the Gochujang at any level of heat from wimpy to “You’re dumb!” at request.

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About Joe Silvia

When Joe isn't writing, he's coaching people to punch each other in the face. He enjoys ancient cultures, dead and living languages, cooking, benching 999#s, and saving the elderly, babies and puppies from burning buildings. While he enjoys long walks on the beach, he will not be your alarm clock, because he's no ding-a-ling.

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8 comments

  1. YES! Spot on. Apsara in Fall River is the best! Pho, BeeBong, everything there is perfect!

  2. Hi Erin! I LOVE the Bee Boong! I’m always torn…..Pho or Bee Bong……Bee Boong or Pho?

    Galaxie restaurant on Rt. 22/Reservoir Avenue in Cranston makes UNBELIEVABLE Nime Chow and Bee Boong. If you haven’t been, it’s worth the trip.

    Thanks for reading! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Joe thanks for the article. We Tried the Pho this weekend from Sivalai in Fairhaven and were very impressed. Never would have known it was there so thanks for the hook up!

  4. Thanks for reading Chris! Was it your first Pho or were you already an addict when you walked in? ๐Ÿ˜‰

    You have to try Apsara’s in Fall River too. You can get the “bizarre” bits in their Pho!

  5. Love From the Seoul and Ayur Shr. I tried Bibimbap because of an article I read on here..most amazing thing I’ve ever eaten.

  6. Couldn’t agree with you more! My favorite places to eat

  7. I am in San Diego visiting my new grandson,coming home, to Acushnet, on thursday. Last night we had Pho for dinner. My daughter has been talking to me about it for a long time, I had no idea what it was and was eager to try it. One of the best dishes I have ever eaten! I was saying to her, I have no idea if I can get this back home and Walaa! Here is your post the very next morning! You know where I’ll be going when I get back home!

  8. I would add New Bedford style pizza to this list. I have introduced friends to the family -owned homemade sauce and thin crust varieties and they are all blown away. The common observation is that they have not had pizza like this back where they came from.

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