What overall destination has had the most impressive food?
The best food I’ve had was probably in Tasmania. The way they grow things is so extraordinary: the best cherries in the world, the best fish in the world, the best coffee. They make [sparkling wine] now that is reputedly as good as any French Champagne. We had the most fabulous cookouts on beaches with phenomenal chefs. They have wonderful restaurants in Hobart—and then there are restaurants in the countryside around Hobart. You have to have a helicopter or a small plane if you want to really get around because there’s only one road and it’s one lane. It’s hard to go from place to place. I was with the grandchildren, but we ate fabulous food every single meal. It’s a really fabulous place to visit.
What destination is the most underrated for its food?
Well, I don’t know if it’s underrated, but Melbourne has delicious food. I love Melbourne and I think it’s such a fabulous place to visit. The children loved Sydney—they loved every single thing that we ate in Sydney. We went to Beijing—that was a little harder to find the best food since it was wintertime and ingredients were scarce. It was right before COVID-19, so even though we were eating in what was reputedly the best places, it was more difficult to get to the flavors and taste that we really were looking for.
What’s the best place you’ve been for street food?
I could eat street food all day long in Bangkok—it’s so good. Any of the noodle dishes, the fresh vegetable dishes, the rice. I mean, everything we had in Bangkok was amazing. Everything.
What’s the best comfort food?
Home—that’s the best comfort food. But I eat a lot of Japanese food and I can find a lot of comfort in Japanese food. In New York, I love Sushi Yasuda and Bar Masa—those are my two favorites. I always get soup—I like to try the miso soup in those restaurants, sometimes with clams, sometimes with just tofu. I always order the oshinko because I love oshinko and as much of the delicious fish that they serve as possible.
Where’s the best place to grab a cheap eat?
I’ll stop on my way home for one of the best bagel, cream cheese, and smoked salmon sandwiches at Barney Greengrass. Their chopped liver on rye is good too.
On the flip side, how did you bring a sense of place to your Las Vegas restaurant, The Bedford?
It really does feel like you’re eating in my house, even though it’s about five times bigger. It’s still very cozy and restful. What really makes it work are the great big [backlit prints] behind the windows—what you see are real views of my real farm and I took most of the pictures myself. They’ve been blown up so that you look down at a lane of trees; you look straight at my stable and you see the horses.
So what’s next on your travel list?
I want to go to the small islands around Sicily, like Panarea and all of those little islands. I also wanted to go on the Trans-Siberian Railroad across Russia, but now with the terrible, terrible war going on, I just can’t do that.
Is there a destination you always return to for the food?
I am too old to go back to the same place over and over again. I am not that kind of traveler. My favorite place is where I haven’t been yet.
