Whats the best restaurant in your neck of the woods?

[quakerboy]

Last edited Tue Jan 17, 2012, 07:17 PM - Edit history (1)

Your favorite, the one you would consider eating at on a regular basis if you had the cash(and setting aside the health issues of eating potentially too tasty food)?

I will admit my ulterior motives: Planning a dreap road trip. Want good food.

[WCGreen]

1. Michel Symons Lolita and his Lola Bistro

There is a unique confluence of ethnic and chic traditions brought together by Symon that give Clevelanders an unpretentious sampling of foods of the world that is often mistaken for quality by diners in the larger cities of the world.


Curiously, roight around the corner from Lolita where it started in the Tremont neighborhood, is Sokolowskis, a polish themed one of a kind blue collar cafeteria style place to grab some stuffed cabbage, a link or two of Kielbasa, smoked or fresh, that is one of the hidden charms of Cleveland.

http://www.sokolowskis.com/

[quakerboy]

12. Symons was on

Iron chef America or some other food network show, right?

Sounds tasty. How do you like Cleveland? Its a place that is often mentioned and rarely thought of, in my experience.

[WCGreen]

18. You can get a job and move around and have all the emenities of a big city

without the hassels....

There is a lot to be said for Cleveland and there are a lot of detractors but all in all, a good place to live.

[grasswire]

36. Symons is also on ABC every week day (noon PST)

He is part of the show The Chew, which features Mario Battali too. It's a show about food and cooking.

[quakerboy]

38. If I had TV

or watched daytime TV when I had tv, I might know that.

I do think that cooking shows are a positive thing, better than most of what the networks put out.

[grasswire]

39. well The Chew is not a very good show as far as cooking shows go

Chatty and light.

[HopeHoops]

2. Al's.

[quakerboy]

14. Wheres that, and what do they serve?

I'm going to guess in the solarium, with a frying pan.

[HopeHoops]

17. Great pizza, Itallian dishes, sandwiches, salad bar, and a SHITLOAD of draft beers.

Well, it has a full-service bar, but the beer selection is incredible.

On Edit: Forgot - south central PA (west shore near Harrisburg).

[quakerboy]

23. Sounds tasty

Looking at that area on google maps with satellite view, I have a question.

What are all the green lines just to the NW of Harrisburg? They dont look big enough to be mountains, nor wet enough to be riverbeds. They are a bit oddly shaped and long to be fields, and are all interspersed with what appears to be city.

[HopeHoops]

32. Welcome to PA. NW is Perry County. There are ridges running SW to NE.

LynneSin knows about the area. Those are the ridges we've got, for what they're worth. Larger regions that look like a patchwork quilt of green lines are probably crop fields. Find Harrisburg and on the other side of the Susquehanna we've got a handful of Al's (small chain). I've got two within five minutes of my house.

[davidpdx]

3. here in Seoul Korea the pickings are slim

I would say On the Boarder, TGI Friday's.

[quakerboy]

25. Wow

If TGI friday makes the list, the pickings must be slim indeed. Though I only ate there once, that was enough for me. I would have assumed that for Seoul, Korean food would top the list.

[Lasher]

77. Kimchi is not for the faint of heart.

But that is way too simplistic. A full course Korean meal is an adventure, and I don't mean that sarcastically.

[quakerboy]

93. Kimchi is special

I knew a gal who had been adopted, going straight from being an 8 year old fending for herself on the streets of Korea to living in a nice home here in the US. She had some acclimatization issues. For some time she made her own kimchi and a few other things by secreting various food items from the family stores and creating buried stashes in the back yard.

Hoo boy. Not my thing. I don't really like Cabbage and I don't generally like fermented things. Between the two, I can live without kimchi quite comfortably.

did you know that in 2010 there was a Kimchi crisis? The things you learn on wikipedia...

[Lasher]

96. I did not know about the kimchi crisis.

I like to eat it but not very often. We can buy it here in the States, ya know. Since it's usually pretty spicy it can hit the spot while enduring those frigid Korean winters.

[siligut]

4. Bengal Tiger, Indian buffet and always great

Great food, no wait, friendly staff and owner. Not pricey at all and you can bet they know us there.

[quakerboy]

15. That sounds good

I come and go on Indian food, I enjoy it but its not at the top of my list usually. There is an Indian buffet here in Portland that gets good reviews, but they were missing about half the things my wife really wanted. food was ok, maybe a little better.

[3dogs]

5. best restaurant

Hello,
Can't recommend much in the Twin Cities, but the best in my past would be the Crystal Room in Westmont, Illinois and Palermos in Clarence, New York.............
I'm glad I came to Minnesota.......just sorry I stayed.
3dogs too many

[quakerboy]

46. What does the

Crystal room serve? what makes it so good?

How about Palermos?

What keeps you in Minnesota? It seems like its kinda an overlooked state, kinda attached to the Dakotas, but my mind groups it as a Great Lakes state.

[KamaAina]

110. It's the Dakotas that are attached to Minnesota

not the other way around. "The Cities" (Minneapolis and St. Paul) in particular are actually quite civilized, with sports, live theater, and of course fine dining. Then there's the originial Mayo Clinic down in Rochester, etc.

And Duluth IS a port on Lake Superior.

[3dogs]

128. Crystal Room.....

Hello Quakerboy,
The Crystal Room serves Bohemian and European dishes. Mainly pork based with fresh vegetables, dumplings and LOTS of beige gravy......A dozen imported beers and fresh baked deserts. The clientele is old, like me. 50s - 60s peeps . They have been open for over 27 years.
Palermos is ,was a family owned dining spot in Clarence,New York. All fresh made pasta and gravy.
Whenever I'm in these areas, I don't miss the chance to eat there........
df

[ohiosmith]

6. Mesa Grill, Binion's Steak House, Todd English PUB, Hubert Keller Burger Bar to name just a few.

[quakerboy]

19. You sound like me

Its hard to pick a favorite when you have a plethora of options.

I tend to like good solid meat and potatoes fare. We have a place around here that I am informed is the best Philly cheese steak place this side of the continental divide. Tasty stuff.

Now, are you writing from Vegas? those restaurants seem to be located there, unless there are more than one under the name. Vegas is a place I intend to visit again, and hopefully armed with more information. Last time, I had a decent time, but the food was terrible everywhere we went.

[ohiosmith]

41. I do live in Vegas quakerboy. Please contact me in advance of your visit and I'll provide you with a

list of restaurant options.

[blockhead]

92. Throw a few names out there...

I'll be in LV this coming Monday through Friday.

[Wait Wut]

7. Bill's Grill and Alfonso's

Bill's for great burgers/fries and Al..'s for fantastic Mexican.

[quakerboy]

22. Solid offerings, by the sound of it

Burgers are something often done well, rarely done perfectly. So simple to make good that they are often overlooked, I think.

[hifiguy]

8. Murray's in downtown Minneapolis

I have eaten in many steakhouses - Ruth's Chris, Manny's, CraftSteak, but I have never in my life had a better steak than those at Murray's. They age their own beef in-house and make a wicked vodka martini.

[ohiosmith]

10. The best bleu cheese crusted filet I ever had.

[quakerboy]

21. Interesting

I do like good beef. May have to add that to my list to eventually visit.

They are not a cheap spot though.

I wonder how they stack up to what I have experienced. I'm generally pretty easy to please, meat wise, but I do get more picky when I shell out more.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

42. I ate there once, years ago, on somebody else's tab.

It was excellent. But OMG, they are expensive!

[geardaddy]

87. The Butter Knife steak?

I've eaten there a couple of times, but never had the butter knife steak. I've had their other steaks.

I agree, it's an old school excellent steak house. Too bad they had to shove their union workers out.

[quakerboy]

95. Say what?

That totally kills my buzz for trying to visit there. What happened with the workers there?

[geardaddy]

101. They're union busters

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/08/31/murrays-union/

[quakerboy]

106. Way to practically

pull the steak right out of my mouth.

[geardaddy]

107. Sorry.

I was upset, too. I love that place, but their unionbusting has put a real nasty taste in my mouth.

[quakerboy]

111. Better to know than not

It just stinks though. Sometimes I wish I didn't know what a horrible company Walmart is in virtually every way, or how Target funds Anti-gay politicians. Mainly when they are the handy store or I know they have a better price on something I could really use.

But such is life. Its better to know and make an informed decision than just to do blindly things that undermine what one believes in.

[OriginalGeek]

9. In my town,

Del Friscos. Right now we only go there on special occasions. If I were a 1%er they'd get a lot of my money.

But at the end of the month we are driving down to Tampa (from Orlando so just an hour and change) to go to Bern's Steak House for my friends' anniversary dinner. They are getting a fancy hotel and we will get all dressed up and take a limo to the steakhouse. I am very excited! lol.

http://www.bernssteakhouse.com/


Their salads are made mostly from vegetables grown on their own organic farm. I reckon any place that is willing to go to that much trouble for a damn salad must be REALLY serious about their other food. They have 2 cheese caves. One for softer cheeses and another for hard cheeses - because they need different temperatures. Wine selection is supposed to be incredible and they don't bring around a dessert cart - they take you up to the dessert floor.


I'm a little bit worried that I will be spoiled afterwards. But there's no danger of me becoming Richie McBankster. The work I love doing doesn't pay like that and I don't wanna do work I hate.

[quakerboy]

28. both sound tastily

unaffordable. These are the places I would try if I were to suddenly discover I had an unknown very rich relative who had passed on and left it all to me. I'm sure after about 20 visits each, I would get over it.

[OriginalGeek]

30. Yep

Birthdays and anniversaries are pretty much it. Some day that Lotto gonna hit though!

[quakerboy]

34. Ive already planned out

what to do if I ever win the lotto.

Its complicated slightly by the fact I don't play the lotto. But still, what if someone drops a ticket and its the winner and it gets caught on a breeze, blown in my door, dropped on my keyboard in such a way as to pull up the lotto page then fly up and stick to the screen showing the numbers match. What if that?

[OriginalGeek]

40. Well if that

then it's a darn good thing you have a plan!

I'd just be running around crazily with my arms akimbo and occasionally stopping at Bern's and Del Frisco for sustenance. That's no plan at all!

[quakerboy]

35. Lotsa places with that name

Actually the first thing it pulls up on google is Rogue ales, which has a pretty tasty little pub here in portland. The second one is a local portland strip club. Apparently google believes I have spelling issues and like to see nekid ladies.

What kinda food is it that catches your attention?

[warrior1]

13. Three Sisters

Star Ginger, Hana Tsubaki

[quakerboy]

51. Those all sound good

Although I mistrust star ginger. The tables are too small. How can they serve me a heaping Americun size portion on those itty bitty tables in the picture.

[Burma Jones]

16. The Inn at Little Washington

http://www.theinnatlittlewashington.com/

[quakerboy]

56. Looking at Google Earth

That is apparently near Compton.

Also, that's a very squiggly river up to the north.

So what do they serve that is so tasty?

[trof]

20. Probably Magnolia Court in Foley, AL

http://thehotelmagnolia.com/Magnolia_court.html

A bit farther away would be The Grand Hotel at Point Clear.
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/ptlal-grand-hotel-marriott-resort-golf-club-and-spa/

[quakerboy]

57. What makes them good?

What the dish of choice?

[TBF]

24. Houston area - Central TX Style BBQ

http://www.centralbbq.com/ - I stop in for lunch once a month at most (completely delicious but they serve huge portions and everything is awesome - I eat way too much)

[quakerboy]

29. That sounds very good

I dont actually like BBQ sauce flavor, but the cooking makes it ok. Or better than ok, in many cases.

[oneshooter]

82. West Houston, Itallian. Roccos, southern style Itallian

Owner is the cook, he's from Southern Italy, his wife is from Sicily. Great food, all prepared to order.

[TBF]

83. Thanks for this -

we're gonna have to try it.

[oneshooter]

120. Located south of I-10 on Fry Rd. About a mile from the freeway, left side.

[TBF]

121. thanks :) nt

[quakerboy]

100. I would never have thought

of Texas for good Italian. Granted, its a big state with a lot of people with all sorts of people with all sorts of backgrounds, but it doesn't fit my mental mold for the state.

I will have to check it out if I ever make it to Houston.

[Populist_Prole]

26. Olive Garden or Applebee's.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha....Just kidding. I know all too many people in my neck of the woods who think so though.

Lang Van or Houg Viet is my choice.

[quakerboy]

47. You gonna get hurt

throwin around names like that.

So whats your favorite dish at either of those restaurants? Can I ask what area you are in?

[Populist_Prole]

66. Shrimp and sugar cane, and some soup, the name I forgot with rice noodles, lots of cilantro

Charlotte NC area.

[Major Nikon]

27. There's a family run Thai restaurant that's my favorite

It's a small place. A husband and wife run it. They provide great food and great service.

[quakerboy]

33. You generally get the best deal in a place like that

There are several in that flavor in my neck of the woods. a Chinese restaurant that is clearly a family venture, with a few outsiders to help. The food is pretty Americanized, but still very tasty and affordable.

Or McCraes just up the way here in east Portland. Its American diner, breakfast and lunch. "Home of the 12 egg omelet, 1 lb burger". Not as a special, thats just the standard size. Its not fine dining, its basic, hearty fare. Its a greasy spoon, to be honest. Reasonable price, when you look at what you get for it(except for the $8 side of 1 waffle, that was ridiculous, and not to be repeated). But I would happily eat there several times a week.

2 locations owned and mostly staffed by one family. As best as I can figure it, mom runs one and dad runs the other. Mom's restaurant is way better. Get to hear the sisters squabbling and dividing up work if you sit in the right spot, and the food comes out better and more generous portions.

[marzipanni]

72. Not where we live, but where my husband and I went one summer-

We were at my mom's house, about to drive from Massachusetts to Maine. Since my husband's great grandfather was from the area we mentioned Waldoboro, at which point my brother's friend said we had to go to Moody's.

Moody's Diner U.S. Route 1, Waldoboro Maine

http://www.moodysdiner.com/diner/index.html

My husband also loved the Clamorama at the Maine Diner, (also on Route 1) Wells, Maine

http://www.mainediner.com/menu_seafood_dinners.cfm

In Maine, I'll have a lobster roll.

[quakerboy]

75. Moodys seems like a neat place

is it worth 2 hours of driving to eat there?

I was going to start in Portland Maine, and work south from there.

I hear the lobster is good. but I have a seafood allergy. So that limits my options. Gonna go to Maine and not have lobster, gonna go to New Orleans and not have Gumbo.

[marzipanni]

88. Allergic to shellfish, or seafood in general?

Maybe you could get scrod.

[quakerboy]

114. Yes

Its a mental allergy. My mom, though I love her, is not ranked among the worlds better cooks.

I was served bad fish and seafood a number of times growing up. The number of times corresponded directly with the number of times that I was served fish or seafood that did not come in a can or in a frozen stick.

I now can not eat fish without getting nauseous and vomiting. If it lived in the water, and I eat it, I end up worshiping the porcelain alter. Ive tried various preparations to get around this, but experience shows me it has become universally true. So I don't eat it anymore.

[MorningGlow]

31. Phillips European

Funny place--in an anonymous strip mall, but totally high-end inside. Unbelievable gourmet dinners, fantastic wine selection, and an OBSCENE array of gloppy desserts, each one better than the last. Biggest problem: picking just one.

http://www.phillipseuropean.com/

[quakerboy]

37. Interesting

So what does the "European" part signify?

They do seem to have a desert focus. Seems likely to cause sugar comas.

[MorningGlow]

52. No clue.

Maybe they thought it would sound posh.

You say sugar coma like it's a bad thing.

[quakerboy]

94. Twisted view

I have a twisted view, I suppose. Until recently, I worked with an older population, generally with mental illness. Of about 100 people I had responsibility to coordinate services for, probably 2/3 were diabetic, often barely treated. On my second day of work, I had to break down a door to get to a guy who was in a diabetic coma. Plus my wife was diagnosed as diabetic a while back.

So, Sugar Coma has different implications in my mind than in yours.

To be fair, I used to have regular sugar binges. So tasty. I cant do it anymore, after over a year of eating basically without any product containing sugar/HFCS, now instead of feeling full and sugary, I start feeling very awful.

To be slightly less of a downer, a good piece of cheesecake is hard to skip. Charleston Chew's are my downfall.

[Neoma]

43. Lao Sze Chuan

Good Chinese.

[quakerboy]

53. Good chinese

is good. We one local around here that I like. Although, its pretty Americanized. Lotsa older white folk there. Chinese happyness. But its cheap and filling, and has good flavor.

[Initech]

44. If I had to pick: El Farolito Mexican Food (Orange County, CA)

Easily the best hole in the wall Mexican place in all of California... Maybe the US.

I also am a fan of Oggi's Pizza: good pizza and a wide variety of beers on tap including some good house brews.

[quakerboy]

63. There are about

a million El Farolito's in California. Is it a chain, or which one is the good one?

I don't know how people pick a favorite Mexican place. There are so many all over that just by chance you have to be able to find a dozen really good ones in virtually any reasonably size city.

[Initech]

68. This one:

http://elfarolitomex.com/

[quakerboy]

73. Oddly

Despite the fact that the LA area is one of the places I am most likely to end up repeatedly visiting, and despite the fact that many of these posts make me want to add stops on my trip that are hundreds of miles off my current plan, and that I love good Mexican food, this seems like one that I will likely miss, purely because crossing LA is slightly more intimidating to me that driving from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.

How's their Flan?

[stevedeshazer]

45. Bennett's in Grayland Beach, WA.

Top notch food in an out-of-the-way location. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but walk in and you get excellent service and great food. They have a sampler called 'Best of the Best' that is great.

Just in case you ever venture to the Washington coast.

Watch out for the Shoalwater Tribe speed trap a few miles south. They set up as many as five cops at a time with radar guns and bust tourists. It cost me a hundred bucks for doing 43 in a 35.

Grayland Beach State Park is nearby, we stayed there in a yurt the week after Labor Day, and it sure was nice.

[quakerboy]

71. Thats close to home

I could make that a day trip sometime.

What sort of food do the offer?

Seems like the whole coast is like that, speed traps and such. I found the empty police car that they used to leave further south on the northern Oregon Coast amusing. I can see why though, people get going way to fast out there, tired after a few hours drive out there, and people cross the coastal highways on foot, with kids, fairly often. Not a safe combo.

[kwassa]

48. There really is no best .... like comparing apples to oranges

or in this case comparing Vietnamese to Thai to Chinese to Moroccan to Greek to Columbian to Japanese to ....

There are hundreds of restaurants within a few miles of here, out in the DC suburbs.

I like variety, not one dish or cuisine.

[quakerboy]

74. DC is high on my list to visit

Any highlights that I should make a point of eating at?

[Ter]

49. Applebees

[quakerboy]

58. I take it you live somewhere

where apple bee's is the only local restaurant?

[csziggy]

50. My current favorite - Ted's Montana Grill

Good fresh food, well cooked in reasonable portions for not too horrendous prices. Though I usually end up taking half home, mostly so I can enjoy the flavor another day!

Ted's is owned by Ted Turners. Hubby says he opened the chain so he'd have an outlet to sell his buffalo mean. The buffalo steaks, short ribs and meatloaf are great, but so was the salmon and trout I had there and the side dishes are great. I've never had a dessert there - the entrees are too good.

[quakerboy]

54. I like Bison

Its kinda funny that "teds Montana grill" was opened in Ohio, and only 6 years later started a location in Montana.

I think I'd like to try their food. It sounds good.

[csziggy]

55. Their bison is very tender - and very tasty!

I haven't had anything there that was not excellent.

[Lasher]

78. Do they have rocky mountain oysters?

[csziggy]

91. Not at the restaurant here - maybe closer to the ranch in Montana?

I almost tried rocky mountain oysters once - Florida equine version, anyway. We had six colts that we gelded the same day and my vet tried me talking into cooking up the "waste" and tasting the results. Just couldn't do it.

[Lasher]

98. I had rocky mountain oysters at a restaurant near Denver.

Tasted very good. They were sliced and fried. Buffalo must have balls as big as cantaloupes.

I have found a slaughterhouse near my home where they butcher pigs. They discard the mountain oysters. I feel a scheme coming on, whereby I ask them to save them for me and I'll probably be able to get them cheap. I envision a family dinner that will not soon be forgotten.

Life is an adventure. Go for it.

[RZM]

59. The Happy Greek

So far my favorite in Columbus. Apparently Governor Ted Strickland was a fan and held events there.

[quakerboy]

60. I assume

that they serve Greek food.

I come and go on Greek food. Some of it is very good. Other things not as much.

[RZM]

61. Yeah. But man, I really like it alot

They have this red snapper pita with a red pepper tsatsziki. It's not spicy, but has a nice little kick.

I live a few blocks down from it. If you're ever in town, I'll take you there on me

[quakerboy]

65. If I ever make it there

I will take you up on that.

[RZM]

67. Please do

Chances are, if you're on a long road trip, you'll probably end up on I-70 at some point. And that runs about 5 minutes from me and this restaurant.

Wherever you go, I hope you have a good time. I drove across the country in 2003 and I had a wonderful time. It's something I think every American should do at least once.

[Xipe Totec]

62. China Pearl, Quincy Mass

http://www.yelp.com/biz/china-pearl-quincy

[quakerboy]

76. Looks kinda fishy

Er... The pictures seem to depict mainly water dwelling organisms served as meal related protien choices.

Whats good there?

And what exactly is dim sum?

[Xipe Totec]

79. Oh, my...

It has an enormous variety of dishes. Vegetarian, pork, chicken, beef, and um,... water dwelling organisms. Steamed, fried, baked, broiled...

As for Dim Sum: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dim_sum

The beauty of dim sum is that you get to see the dishes fully prepared, ready to eat, and in small portions right at your table. You pick and choose what looks good, and pass on what doesn't.

The restaurant sits over 500 people.

[quakerboy]

97. Interesting. And scary

At least to me. I'm sure my wife loves the stuff.

Scary to me, due to seafood allergy. Unless the foods are very well labeled as they are brought or I was with someone very comfortable with helping me ID dishes, I would be scared about what to pick, because lots of things look good on the outside and contain... trouble... for me on the inside.

[Aristus]

64. Stanley & Seaforts.

The local upscale steak and seafood place. It's perched on a hill overlooking downtown Tacoma and the Tideflats. Great food; spectacular service. A place of memories. I proposed to my wife there. The very first time I was fired from a job, my wife took me to lunch there to cheer me up. My wife's parents arranged a celebratory dinner there for when my wife graduated from dental hygiene school. We took our grandson to lunch there on New Year's Day this year. Great place...

[quakerboy]

99. I know its customary

to combine steak and seafood, but as a person who loves steak while being allergic to seafood, I cant help but wish that places would chose one or the other.

Have you ever eaten up in the revolving restaurant on the space needle?

Overpriced, but a neat experience. I did it when I was young and dumb, and being rebellious.

[Aristus]

129. I took my wife for dinner there on Valentine's Day, the year after we started dating.

Now, 17 years later, I'm taking her there again this coming Valentine's Day. It's fun.

[Odin2005]

69. Fargo: Casa Ramos. Real Mexican food, there...

...not bastardized tex-mex. Great food.

[quakerboy]

90. Out by my college

there was a small hole in the wall Hispanic market. They expanded to take over a second shop, and opened a restaurant.

They did not speak a lick of English. The only time I ever heard English was when the owners grand school age son came out and translated something for some finicky customer. And aside from myself and a few others I brought, I never saw another Caucasian in that shop. I'm guessing it was fairly authentic.

Damn good food. Damn good. And super cheap. Plus interesting candy, Mexican coke, and really tasty baked goods. Although I was a bit perturbed that the bright colored looking cookies/rolls were bland and untasty, while the plain looking ones were often really good.

One odd thing I did notice. When one of my female friends would order, she always seemed to pay less. We tested it one time, she and I went in about an hour apart and bought exactly the same thing. And she paid about a dollar less on a ten dollar purchase.

[TheCruces]

70. Las Cruces, NM -- El Sombero or My Brother's Place for Mexican

De La Vegas Pecan Grill for an assortment of things made with green chiles and pecans (including their beer).

[Dorian Gray]

80. I live in NYC

so there are many to choose from. I have about 25 favorites!

Favorite sushi: Sushi of Gari on Upper East Side.

Favorite Thai: Sri Pra Phai in Woodside, Queens

Favorite Farm to Table: Applewood in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Favorite Burger: Hillstones on 27th Street

Favorite High End joint: Per Se (Time Warner Center)

Favorite Cheap Eats: Vanessa's Dumplings in Chinatown

Favorite Pizza: Franny's in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

[AsahinaKimi]

81. Kushi Tsuru, San Francisco

My favorite Japanese restaurant in San Francisco. Located in Japantown (Nihonmachi).

http://www.kushitsuru.com/

[quakerboy]

104. Thats going on the list of almost certain to get visited

SF is on our list to be visited, one of only a few stops written in stone. And my wife loves Japanese Cuisine.

I on the other hand, like vegetable tempura.

So we make it work.

Thank you for that recommendation.

Hopefully our next visit to San Francisco will be far better than the last.

[AsahinaKimi]

115. Another DUer emailed me asking for a great Japanese restaruant

I had given it my highest recommendation, based on having gone there thousands of times, and coming to know the staff. They do great, and the person, who had gone, loved it. Enjoy your stay in San Francisco!


Kimiko ~yori.

[LynneSin]

84. Mikimotos in Wilmington, DE

Amazing Spicy Tuna.

Best Sushi in town!

[quakerboy]

103. I have an odd question

When I look at the map, Wilmington looks like a contiguous part of Philadelphia, despite being in a different state. By Google, its a similar drive from my home to downtown here.

How do Ya'll east coast types with your cities all built into each other, keep it straight? Do football teams from Philly high schools play teams from Wilmington? Are there people with houses built over the line, living some sort of dual life where they take a shower in Pennsylvania and then make toast in Delaware? Do cats sleep with parrots, and the whole natural order get all fuggered up?

[LynneSin]

124. Technically we're part of the Philly metro area

Philly Metro area includes Philadelphia County along with the 4 counties in PA that border it, New Castle County DE (Wilmington) and about 4 counties right across the river in NJ.

But no HS teams in Philly usually play other HS in Philly or right next to Philly. Wilmington HS teams usually play other teams in Northern Delaware. And I actually have a Co-worker whose house is in DE but backyard is in PA. And the closest my cat got to birds she killed them both.

[quakerboy]

125. So what you are saying is that due to the

vortex confluence of states, your cat has become some sort of unwitting feline black widow in her relationships with birds?

What a mixed up place.


At least you have good, nay Amazing spicy tuna easy to hand. That's worth something.

[LynneSin]

126. Only Evita - she has a thing for songbird meat

Abbott would rather just lick his empty furry ballsacs

[AngryAmish]

85. Schwa

http://schwarestaurant.com/

I haven't been to Alinia so I have to go with Schwa. Do not plan a road trip around going to Schwa. It is worth the trip but 1. They never answer their phone to make a reservation (the way we get in is through a friend in the business) and 2. If they don't know you they might bounce you if a celebrity wants a table - they call you up and say the restaurant is closed due to "plumbing issues" and could you come back in a few months?

It is BYOB but they tab for the full menu is $110 or more per person.

It is a complete pain in the ass but the food is amazing. Not just good. I've been to most of the Michelin starred places in town. None of them compares to Schwa. None.

[quakerboy]

102. Thats a... Spendy meal

I don't know if I could justify that price tag to myself, even if I did win the lotto. I have a hard time with a once every few years $50 steak on my parents dime. I enjoy them, don't get me wrong, but it kinda hurts me inside. I end up thinking of people going hungry, and the other benevolent or sustainable things I could do with that amount of money.

[geardaddy]

86. This one is the best, I think.

The Craftsman - Excellent menu with local food and organics

[quakerboy]

105. I am sure my wife

Will be intrigued at the idea of chili katsup

I had to look up Harissa, never heard of it before. I look things up often, but its rare I come across something that I have absolutely no notion of what it is before I look it up.

The food is good? Do you have a favorite? How are the portions?

Their website could use some improving, unless my computer is just being weird. Something went wrong translating it to my screen, or something, and everything on their navigation bar is tiny and impossible to read, even after I zoom in a few times

[geardaddy]

108. Their food is excellent

The pork chop is probably my fave and the portions are generous.

Here's a link to their dinner menu.

http://www.craftsmanrestaurant.com/files/dinner.pdf

[shanti]

89. the kitchen in sacramento

arguably, the best restaurant here. they're big into local food sourcing, and quite pricey.

http://thekitchenrestaurant.com/

[quakerboy]

109. The food sounds good

Although, never having had a $125 meal, I would expect it to be more than good if I ever did.

When I was in college, I would have eaten for 2 months or more on that amount. Granted, there was no Consomme, Confit, Chervil, or Brulee involved.

[shanti]

117. oh i agree

the price is steep, similar to chez panisse and the french laundry. but if money is no object....

[KamaAina]

112. I did quite nicely in Sac at Il Fornaio

down near the Tower Bridge.

Not nearly as pricey, kick-ass food, and when someone asked the waiter what the name was of the wine she was drinking, he repiled, "Oh, no. That would be very difficult to find in stores".

[shanti]

118. il fornaio

is great too!

[KamaAina]

113. In the Bay Area?

Are you trying to start World War III or something? We take our food very seriously out here.

We're talking about a place where not only do people put "restaurant designer" under "Occupation" on their 1040s, but they've picked over the supply of historic buildings to redo in San Francisco so thoroughly that they've now set their sights on Oakland across the bay!

The one thing I can tell you is that the best restaurant in the Bay Area is not at Fisherman's Wharf. Neither are any of the next ten. Or one hundred. Or... well, you get the idea.

Super-duper expensive places would include Chez Panisse in Berkeley, still going strong decades after it attracted so many competitors to north Berkeley that the area is called the "Gourmet Ghetto", and the French Laundry up in Napa County. More moderate places are far too numerous to name; I'm partial to John's Grill right near the cable car turnaround in SF, which is done in a Sam Spade/Maltese Falcon theme.

[quakerboy]

122. Every once and a while

You get lucky and find a good place to eat that's in a popular touristy spot. But not all that often, it seems.

Johns Grill sounds interesting. When you say theme, do you mean the decor, the food, or both? SF is on the for sure visit list, so good yet reasonably priced places are high on my list of things to find there.

[KamaAina]

127. Decor, although the food is somewhat old-school as well

Christmas Eve, for instance, I had sole amandine. Not exactly in keeping with the trendy California locally-sourced nouvelle fusion minuscule portions.

http://www.johnsgrill.com/

[Old Troop]

116. In Wilmington, DE (where I reside for work) Mrs. Robino's.

Maybe Lynnesin can comment. In Leominster, MA (my real home) Il Camino or Illy Camilly as everyone calls it. Both are small and family owned.

[greatauntoftriplets]

119. IMO, it's Kevil's

Local, family-owned place. The food is wonderful, especially their has-brown potatoes casserole. Sorry, they don't have a website.

[quakerboy]

123. Thats the best kind, I think

What neck of the woods is Kevil's in?

[XemaSab]

130. In Redding?

Kanya Garden

http://www.yelp.com/biz/kanya-garden-thai-cuisine-redding

The Post Office

http://www.yelp.com/biz/post-office-saloon-and-grill-redding

Taqueria los Gordos

http://www.yelp.com/biz/los-gordos-taqueria-redding

Anyone who doesn't like these places is just wrong. They're all excellent, especially the Thai.

[quakerboy]

131. All I remember about Redding

is heat and smoke. Next time I pass through, I will hope to create a new perception.

[XemaSab]

132. Half the year the weather is actually really nice

3 months it's roasting, and 3 months it's pouring.

[JCMach1]

133. Gazebo (Indian restaurant for food)

and then Magnolia's (at Bloomingdale's in Dubai Mall) for dessert.

Seriously thinking about that for tonight.

[DFW]

134. Aphrodite

It's a Greek place, obviously. It's about 100 meters from our house door.

We're in a small old medieval town just northeast of Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf has great Japanese, but they are so expensive, they are really only affordable if you are on a Japanese expense account or can access Mitt Romney's credit card.

Back home in Dallas, we have three fabulous places a five minute walk from the house, all in Highland Park Village:

Patrizio's, GREAT Italian place, not too heavy.

Café Pacific, excellent seafood, but only go for lunch. They double the prices for dinner.

Mi Cocina, top notch Tex-Mex. Be prepared to wait in the evening. They do not take reservations, and the word is out.

Patrizio's and Mi Cocina are surprisingly reasonable for food of that quality. The same goes for Café Pacific until the sun goes down.

[Canis Mala]

135. Easy... BONGES!!!

http://bongestavern.com/Home.html

You have to take a cooler and tailgate until your table is ready.


If you're stuck in Indy, it's the Mug -n- Bun. Great tenderloins (Indiana's state sandwich!)

http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=1321