MILAN — There’s a moment – right before the northern lights appear – when the sky looks like it’s deciding whether or not to show you something. Then it does, and you understand why you traveled 4,000 miles. Twenty-five Americans stood beside me in the snow. Nobody spoke. The northern lights don’t require commentary.

The aurora borealis had been on my bucket list for 25 years. To finally witness it – and to share it with friends who had trusted me enough to travel this far from home – made it something more than a checked box.

It made it personal.

Over the course of 10 days, we covered three countries – Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Of the three, Norway was new to me. We had an after-hours visit to the Royal Opera House in Stockholm with a cocktail reception – just our group, no one else in the building – and a private tour of the Vasa Museum. That’s one of my favorite things to do on these tours: get my people into places after the crowds have gone, when you can actually breathe and absorb a room.

In Copenhagen, a chef met us with his entire kitchen mounted on a bike. My guests either pedaled electric rickshaws or rode with other guests who were drivers while his crew cooked a five-course lunch on the move, including fresh hen-of-the-woods mushrooms he had foraged and sautéed right there on the street.

Then there was dinner at Savage, a Michelin-starred restaurant I bought out for the evening. An 18-to-20-item multi-course tasting menu with wine pairings that lasted more than three hours. A private Michelin experience on a group tour is something I take a lot of pride in pulling off.

Norway, though. Norway was the showstopper.

The Flåm Railway is one of the most scenic train rides on the planet. We followed that with a boat cruise through the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord. Fjords on either side, waterfalls dropping straight into the water. It’s the kind of scenery that makes you feel small in the best possible way.

Over the course of the trip, we ate whale and reindeer. If you’d told me 30 years ago I’d be sitting in the Arctic eating Rudolph with a clear conscience and going back for seconds, I would have questioned your judgment. And mine.

One of my favorite dinners on any trip I’ve ever hosted was the king crab experience at Aera Nord. The crabs were caught right where we were and were swimming minutes before we ate them. No pretense. Just extraordinary product handled simply and served fresh. That’s the kind of food moment I live for.

People ask me sometimes – don’t you get tired of it? Doing the same thing, trip after trip, year after year?
No. The answer is always no.

Someone asked me recently how I juggle the restaurant business with the travel business. Actually, they aren’t two businesses. They’re the same business. It’s all hospitality. It’s reading a room, anticipating a need, getting the details right and caring enough about the people in front of you to make them feel like they’re the only ones who matter. Whether that’s a couple at a corner table in Hattiesburg or 25 travelers watching the northern lights in Norway, the job is the same.

This year I’m hosting trips to Scandinavia, Portugal, Greece and Rome with the Amalfi Coast, along with six Tuscan experiences. And here’s some news I’ve been holding onto: I’ll also be hosting a local tour in New Orleans – and by popular demand, actually overwhelming popular demand, a couple of Mississippi tours. If you’ve ever wanted to eat your way through my home state with me as your guide, that’s coming. Stay tuned.

Between groups I landed in London for a few days. My wife was originally joining me, as she always does, but a family medical issue back home required her to stay. I kept London on the schedule for one reason: Fallow.

Fallow is a restaurant that operates as if someone said, “Let’s build a place specifically for Robert St. John.” Casual atmosphere. Creative, upscale food that doesn’t take itself too seriously. A crackerjack team of chefs with Michelin-level skills and zero Michelin-level pretension. No tweezers. No foams on a slate. Just serious cooking by serious cooks who happen to think food should be fun.

I followed those guys on social media for a year before I ever walked in. Last year I finally made it for lunch. My rule when traveling solo or with family: the entire schedule revolves around restaurants I’ve read about, researched or visited before. There are too many places on the list to visit the same spot twice. But after that first meal at Fallow, I canceled my dinner reservation elsewhere, went back that night and returned the next day for lunch. Three meals in 36 hours. That never happens. They also run Roe, a sister concept with the same energy and ambition.

Fallow is, to my taste, one of the best restaurants I’ve eaten in anywhere. Period.

As I write this from a hotel room in Milan, getting ready to head south and host another group in Tuscany, I keep thinking about that moment on the tundra. Twenty-five of us, standing in the snow, watching the sky do something none of us had ever seen. Nobody on their phone. Nobody talking. Just a shared silence that meant more than anything I could have said.

That’s what travel does. It puts you in a room — or on a frozen plain — with people you might never have known, and it gives you something to carry home. Not a souvenir. Not a photograph. A memory that belongs to everyone who was there.
It’s all hospitality. It always has been.

Onward.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Brussels sprouts have had their big comeback over the last decade, showing up on every hip restaurant menu from coast to coast. And while I’ve never been a huge fan, my wife loves them. They’ve even earned a permanent spot on our menu at Tabella alongside roasted salmon – a dish that’s become one of our most popular offerings.

This isn’t that recipe, but it stands alone as a simple, straightforward side dish. The bacon adds richness and smokiness, the lemon zest brightens everything up, and the Parmesan gives it that savory finish that makes the sprouts feel a little more special.

Blanching the Brussels sprouts before roasting them helps achieve that perfect combination of crispy exterior and tender interior. The addition of honey or maple syrup gives them a touch of sweetness to balance their natural bitterness. And while bacon is great, using pancetta instead gives it an even richer, more luxurious flavor.

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved if large
3/4 cup shallots, sliced thin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
4 slices thick-cut bacon or 1/2 cup diced pancetta, optional
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, optional
1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze, for finishing (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Instructions:
■ Blanch the Brussels sprouts in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then immediately transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry thoroughly.
■ Place the Brussels sprouts, shallots, garlic and thyme in a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again to coat.
■ Spread the sprouts onto a large baking sheet. Sprinkle the bacon or pancetta over the top and place on the center rack of the oven.
■ Roast for 15 minutes and stir. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup if using, then continue roasting for another 15 minutes.
■ Remove the sprouts from the oven and sprinkle them with the lemon zest. Stir to distribute the lemon zest, then top with the grated Parmesan cheese.
■ Finish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze before serving, if desired. Enjoy immediately.

Robert St. John is a restaurateur, author, enthusiastic traveler, and world-class eater from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He has spent four decades in the restaurant industry, written 13 books, and written a syndicated newspaper column for more than 24 years. Read more about Robert at robertstjohn.com.