It sounds like you may have a constricted esophagus caused by acid reflux. I fought this problem for years and besides being scary, it's also embarrassing when it happens at a restaurant. It happened with me when I ate meat like steaks and roast, or with dinner rolls. A time or two I had to go to the ER, become sedated, and have it pushed down with a scope. My doctor at the time never seemed interested in working the problem.
A few years, I was fed up with living like that and changed doctors. I visited a GI doc and had an endoscopy (along with a colonoscopy) and began taking Dexilant along with changes in my diet, such as no food two hours before bed. I of course fudge on that a bit from time to time, but generally follow those guidelines. Since then, I've had zero issues with swallowing; it really changed my life. I also avoid tough steaks or chicken which is generally healthier for me anyway.