The truly well-traveled man is also well fed; that is to say well versed in the great restaurants of the world. Here are five gourmand experiences worthy of your bucket list - if only to casually begin anecdotes with "The last time I was at Noma..."
Gourmand Experiences: Sublimotion by Paco Roncero, Ibiza:
When it opened in the new Hard Rock Ibiza in 2014, this extreme version of dinner theater was dubbed the world's most expensive hotel restaurant. A feast for the senses - yes, all of them - plus a healthy dose of science and magic make it an experience not to be missed. Each course is accompanied by a plethora of visual, palpable and even audio embellishments.
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Noma, Copenhagen:
You could easily walk right by one of the world's best restaurants and not even know it was there. But once you're seated at a table, no other place exists. "We look to our landscape and delve into our ingredients and culture, hoping to rediscover our history and shape our future," notes chef René Redzepi. The restaurant is noted for creating dishes out of ingredients that are foraged from the nearby forests.
Harry's Bar, Venice:
Both the Bellini and carpaccio were invented at the world's most elegant eatery, opened in 1931 by bartender Giuseppe Cipriani. A favorite of Ernest Hemingway, Alfred Hitchcock, Truman Capote and Orson Welles, it continues to serve the beautiful people in the most beautiful city in Italy.
La Table Krug , Mexico City:
The newest, coolest restaurant in Mexico is also one of the world's most exclusive; the temple of dining dedicated to the famed French Champagne house Krug in the chic St. Regis Mexico City only seats 12. Chef Sylvain Desbois creates exquisite 11-course menus for his privileged guests. CEO of the St. Regis Bernard Villèle recently told Forbes that "The Table of Krug will be Mexico's closest French restaurant. An experience like no other, in which beauty, pleasure and enjoy[ing] every bite will be the only objective."
The French Laundry, Napa Valley:
Other celebrity chefs may come and go on the world's stage, but Thomas Keller will always be the man who inspired them all. The stone cottage dating to 1900 that houses the restaurant has become a mecca for the finest, freshest, French-inspired cuisine, all served with an inimitable New World accent.
