Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, Memphis Tennessee

When in Memphis... if you ever travel to the south, you absolutely HAVE to sample the local food. Your "must have" list should have barbecue and fried chicken as the first two items. If you're from the Northeast US, like me, you've probably had pretty good fried chicken and/or barbecue at some point in your life... but even the best and most authentic in the northeast pales in comparison to the real thing. The place to go for fried chicken in Memphis, according to my contacts there, is Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - featured on multiple TV shows such as, $40 a Day, Man Vs Food, and Best Thing I Ever Ate. Gus's is the real deal, no hype, no fuss, just the best fried chicken I've ever dug into.

Asia on the Parkway, Philadelphia PA

During a business trip to Philadelphia, I happened upon a restaurant that had a nearly ideal location. It was situated on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, sandwiched right between several large hotels, a bustling business district. It sits almost exactly between theparks at  Logan Square and at JFK Plaza (aka LOVE park). The front of the restaurant has a good amount of outdoor seating with a great view of the Basilica of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. It's the kind of location that guarantees plenty of foot traffic, plenty of business lunches, and plenty of tourists. A restaurant almost CAN'T fail at a location like this one.

Return to Brasitas in Norwalk, CT

Just over a year ago, I had a great dinner at a little Latin Fusion spot in Norwalk Connecticut. I returned to the area on a business trip recently, so it was almost a foregone conclusion that I'd be paying another visit. It was everything I remembered, so I took the opportunity to try a few dishes that I missed the first time around.

Bouillabaisse - Harbor Lights, Norwalk CT

Western Connecticut is one of the wealthiest areas in the country. It should come as no surprise that there is a fairly high concentration of quality restaurants in the area. I had heard some of my coworkers thought highly of a certain seafood restaurant on the bay in Norwalk called Harbor Lights- so naturally I made sure to urge the team to give the place a try the next time a business trip took us to the area.