Lee was one of my freshman-year roommates at Cal. He and I used to go to King D multiple times a month all through college. Sometimes just the two of us. Sometimes with four, six, eight or eighteen people. Sometimes with the Cal Rugby team. We went before finals and after finals. Before, during and after Cal games. Winter, spring, summer and fall. I took family there. I took international visitors there. I took dates there. We were convinced that KING Dong was, hands-down, the best Chinese food in Berkeley.

No single restaurant in Berkeley has so many memories for me. My all-time favorite dishes were Hunan Chicken, Mongolian Lamb, Sechuan Beef, and Dry-Fried String Beans. The waiters knew what we would order before we sat down. Going to dinner and eating their butt-kicking spicy dishes was a great treasure of life in those days. I loved sitting around the table seeing grown men weeping at the amazing tastes. And laughing at each other’s faces as we ate.

It was also a great place to get take out back then. They served huge portions of those same dishes we enjoyed dining in. I survived my first year in grad school relying on king-dong-to-go.

And then things changed. Real fast and real bad. King Dong was sold. Twice. The menu stayed the same, but the food was totally different. The magic was gone. I remember being served rotten green beens. It was over in an instant. I have driven by the restaurant countless times over the years. So sad and tragic. I heard someone on the street talking about King Dong take out about a year ago. The Yelp reviews were OK. Not sure what it would take to get me back inside.

Alas, great restaurants don’t last forever. But great memories do. My current vote for best Chinese in Berkeley is The Great China on Kittredge.

In one of my early talks I shared about some of my “bests” and “worsts” in terms of life experiences.  I will save the worsts for another time.  But I am constantly thinking on “bests”, especially in terms of food.  In that speech I joked that my Mom experiences a “best meal of her life” at least once a week.  For me, I try to be a bit more careful with my rave reviews.  I am lucky to live in a city of great food, and in a broader region of good eats.

So here are some of my favorite food items.  Just a few since it is late at night.  These are the individual yard sticks against which I measure all my experiences with these same things.

• Best Chicago Pizza: Zachary’s Pizza in Oakland
• Best New York Pizza (not in New York): Gioia Pizzeria in Berkeley
• Best Pizza Other: Cheeseboard in Berkeley
• Best Chicken Enchiladas: Mario’s La Fiesta in Berkeley
• Best Burrito: Papalote in San Francisco
• Best Chile Relleno: Cactus Taqueria  in Oakland
• Best Deli Sandwich: Genova Delicatessen in Oakland
• Best Hot Chocolate: Bittersweet Cafe in Oakland
• Best Morning Bun: La Farine in Oakland
• Best Chocolate Croissant (Chocolatine): La Farine in Oakland
• Best Ice Cream: Rick’s Rather Rich in Palo Alto
• Best Gelato: Naia in Berkeley
• Best Donut: Stan’s Donuts in Santa Clara

So that should get the ball rolling.  I will update this post in the future.