In Amsterdam, restaurant food tends to be hit-or-miss. Most dishes are under-seasoned, but that doesn't mean you won't eat well.
The fact is, you're likely to have good cafe food; meaning great sandwiches, delicious cheeses, excellent coffee, and plenty of good breads and pastries. Meanwhile, Amsterdam's various ethnic offerings continually surprise new visitors. The trick is knowing where to find these spots and getting the local experience while you're at it.
Interestingly, some Dutch export products consumed at home taste much better when you're in Holland. Heineken and Grolsch, for instance, seem to have more subtleties and depth of flavor.
Gouda isn't generally regarded as a particularly interesting cheese, but stop by Kaasland Singel, west of Centraal Station, and have a sampling of the locally produced cheeses. You'll be surprised that the Gouda can have a creamy richness similar to French comte.
The 3-star Michelin restaurant Mugaritz (rated 3rd in the Top Fifty
Restaurants of the World) is high up in hills of Errenteria, Spain
twenty minutes outside of San Sebastian. It is surprisingly easy to get
to if you are an expert in Himalayan climbs, hairpin turns, and fluent
in the basque language called Euskara. After you arrive at this
culinary mecca, you remove your crampons, ice axe, and Formula One
racing helmet, and are ushered into their gorgeous kitchen sanctum. A
sparkling cava (Copa Cava Opus Evolutium Ad Private) is given to you to
sip. A discussion is then held between you and the various friendly
alchemists who will be cooking your meal regarding the philosophical
underpinnings of that evening's dishes.
Dateline 2011: San Sebastian, Spain – 3 Star Michelin "Arzak"