They too are tight-lipped, but happy to tell you their standards, which alter depending on the client.

CNN: Confessions of a hotel mystery shopper

Manufacturers are only too happy to indulge these desires, with refrigerators that let you surf the Internet for recipes, ovens that will keep a meal cool while you're at work and start roasting it in time for your arrival home, and sinks that turn into dishwashers --look Ma, no loading!

FORBES: Cutting-Edge Kitchen Gear

Many artists are all too happy to create one-of-a-kind pieces for you.

FORBES: Forget Lichtenstein's $45 Million Sale: Why You Should Buy Comic Book Art from Living Artists

Whether you're ordering a char-grilled kathi roll at Khan Chacha, a beloved local institution in New Delhi since 1968, or an overstuffed lobster roll laced with lemony mayo at off-the-radar Holbrooks Lobster Wharf in Harpswell, Maine, you are sure to find happy residents -- and a few in-the-know travelers, too.

CNN: Will travel for food: Share your favorite local eateries