Whats your favorite restaurant ? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

drbrandini · #1 12-05-2002, 08:54 PM

What is your favorite restaurant? Feel free to go indepth and enlighten us as to why.

My favorites: Carrabas, Olive Garden, and the inexpensive Mexican restaurant down the street--El Cerro Grande..mmmm and of course I never eat fast food that stuff is way to bad for me!

LuckyF8 · #2 12-05-2002, 09:56 PM

This question is not fair!

Too hard to pick just one.

The Cheescake Factory, has a great selection of food, great service, fast!

I love to cook as well, so hummmmm.............Let's go to Kuan's house!

#3 12-05-2002, 10:19 PM

First, a note, I wouldn't consider any hyperexpensive restaurant my "favorite". A "favorite" should be one can go to all the time. ADNY (Alain Ducasse) may be brilliant -- it was the one time I went -- but at those prices (think CL600 servicing is expensive?) neither I nor anyone who's not in the media, sports, crony capitalist, or restaurant reviewing businesses can try enough of their selections over time can really consider it a "favorite". I'm not able to go there often enough to form an.

That said, a few places I always call on in a few different cities:

Atlanta, GA, USA:
*Apres Diem (Monroe Drive, is that Midtown already?). Admittedly not as good as its predecessor (Cafe Diem in the Highlands) in terms of either menu or ambiance, but still one of Atlanta's better eateries.

*Cafe Alsace (VA Highlands) - a small (four or five table) place dedicated to the food and wine of this most Germanic of French Departments. Lots of Gewuerztraminer on the menu. A great date place, because it's quiet, intimate, classy, excellent, and not insanely expensive.

*The Cedar Tree (Emory Village, Decatur) - Lebanese/Palestinian fast food. Also "Pitzas", which are pita sandwiches with a hot, vaguely pizza-like stuffing. There was a time in college when I was here every other day.

*Savage Pizza (Little Five Points) - second best pizza I've ever had, whole wheat crusts, interesting toppings such as artichoke hearts.

Berlin, Germany:
*La Travola. A wonderful Italian restaurant and enotica. They often have live jazz playing, and when not the owners' musical tastes are impeccable and the house stereo outstanding. Oh, the food's great and the wine list, while pricey, is outstanding.

*The Doener-stuebe at the U1-Onkel Toms Huette (yes, Uncle Tom's Cabin) station. Their Doenerkepabs have never failed me.

Karachi, Pakistan:
The seafood restaurant attached to the Avari Towers hotel. Outstanding selection of Indian Ocean fish one doesn't find elsewhere, with typically brilliant Pakistani service.

Lahore, Pakistan:
*The steak-house in the base of the WAPDA (Water and Power Authority) is one of the finest in the world. Better than Seeger or Chops in Atlanta, the Palm in DC, etc.

Salzburg, Austria:
Toskana. In a cellar on the St.-Julien-Str. side of the Lehnerbruecke, Toskana has to be the best Italian restuarant owned or ran by anyone named Herbert Grun

Seriously, the food is excellently prepared from innately high quality ingredients and priced super-reasonable. The pizza is better than any I've had, be it in New York, Chicago, or Napoli. Seriously.

Vienna, Austria
*Halle, in the Kunsthalle Wien. Great modern food at student-friendly prices (especially the prix fixe lunch) in a place that looks like it was designed by Helmut Lang.

Washington, DC, USA:
Fetoosh. A higher-end Lebanese restaurant. I hope it's still there (I haven't been for about four years)

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of Turkish/Lebanese/Palestinian food, and not much for chain restaurants.

Also, just so no one gets the wrong idea, my only relation to any of these restaurants is as a paying customer.

Jason Beal · #4 12-05-2002, 10:41 PM

For a chain restuarant (which I generally don't like ) Carrabba's is the best I've seen out there.

Best fusion menu I've had in the south is : SideBerns in Tampa.

Best French: Bistro Toujours in Deer Valley

So many other good ones I've been to in San Fran and New Orleans it's tough to decide. But those are some of my favs above.

Kuan · #5 12-06-2002, 08:23 AM

My favourite restaurant, at least for today, is Le Vichysoisses in Lakemoor Illinois. WHERE? Lakemoor Illinois, a small town with a population of about 2000 about 1.5 hours NW of Chicago. It's a small bistro deluxe run by Bernard Cretier who has held the title of Maitre de Cuisinnier (Master Chef) for over ten years now. My other favourite restaurant is Le Coq au Vin in Orlando, Florida. Also run by a fantastic chef named Louis Perotte who used to work under Paul Bocuse. This is where chefs go to eat when they want to go out to eat. Why do I like them? Simple, it's price and value. These are two restaurants far away from the main drag which manage to serve great food at a very reasonable price. You walk into these places and there's a sense of honesty in the air. Most entrees are between 15 and 22 dollars, with the occasional exotic dish running in the low 30's. First courses are between 4-7 dollars.

Execution of these dishes is always perfect. The souffles arrive at your table at their peak (excuse the pun). Salads are prepared the minute before they arrive at your table. Wines are well selected for their value, not price. You might see the occasional Dominus there, but no, you don't get first growth Bordeaux, there's no need.

Other notable recommendations:

Four seasons and Ritz Carlton dining rooms. Peabody hotel dining rooms. Craft in NY.

French Laundry, Napa Valley. Le Bec Fin, Philadelphia, Alfon Pink's, Los Angeles. Kona Jack's, Indianapolis. Jean Georges. James Beard house is cool, check to see who is cooking there. Great NY Noodletown... man, there are just so many!

Ah, and one cannot forget, Victoria and Albert's at the Grand Floridian in Orlando. Absolutely magnificent 7-9 course menus every night accompanied with the appropriate flight of wines.

I'm not even going to get into South East Asian street food! Ted knows that's THE BOMB!

Kuan

tkd_M119 · #6 12-06-2002, 10:28 AM

Reading this thread is making me HUNGRY!!!!!!

Here in West Hollywood I like to go to Cadillac Cafe, Carneys (best dogs and bugers in town), Pinks (not as good as Carneys but great selection of dogs), McDonalds (what can I say? It's comfort food for me!), Toi Thai, Zen Grill, Greenbalts (great NY style deli, best Motzaball soup), Canters (favorite family gathering place for me & my in-laws), Marios Deli (Glendale, great Itallian deli, KILLER sandwiches!), Banderas (Santa Monica - good steak/meat place), Marmalade (Malibu, I've heard some of their other locations vary in quality), El Pollo Inca (great grilled chicken), Real Food Daily (more a veg/vegan place but food is really tasty), The News Room, Jack in the Box (love the Sourdough Jack!), Basix Cafe, Los Tacos (on Santa Monica next to 7/11, favorite greasy Mexican food mmmmmm)

That's about all I can think of for now.

Gotta go eat!!!!!

G-Benz · #7 12-06-2002, 10:44 AM

I like MEAT!!! Good ole artery-clogging MEAT!

So my favorite is Fogo de Chao, a brazilian-style open flamed pit that offers about 24 different cuts of meat.

It's all you can eat, and gaucho-clad waiters cruise the tables with humongous skewers of the different meats, and you load up on your favorites until your gut explodes!

Actually, there is an all-you-can-eat "salad" bar that is to die for! You can easily shut down your appetite grazing there, so its best to lightly sample, so that you can gorge on meat for the rest of the evening. But I have a weakness for the Shettake (the REAL spelling gets edited) mushrooms and procuitto, and I do make a pretty good sized salad plate too!

Addison, Texas is a bit of a drive from Keller...fortunately, "Boi Na Braza" opened up near Grapevine and their fare matches up with "Fogo" in every respect...and the drive is much shorter!!!

dtanesq · #8 12-06-2002, 01:44 PM

The Waterboy - great staff, great room, great chef, great menu, great wine list, one of the most romantic spots in town. I go in there very often.

Moxie - same as above, not quite as romantic a place to take a date. Different, more aggressive cooking. Massive, complicated sauces. Only place in town to get liver and onions and meatloaf and mashed potatos and it's haute cuisine. Try Bill's Mom's cheesecake.

Biba Ristorante - best Italian bistro/haute cuisine I've ever had, including anyplace in the greatest city in the world - San Francisco.

Aioli - very good paella and a terrific wine list.

Streets of London Pub - bangers and mash and English beers on tap.

Everything else in town is average.

My kids like a place called Jack's Urban Eats - good food from a limited menu served sort of buffet style. Everything good and goes down well with Newcastle on tap. Cheap, too. Hip mid-town clientele.

#9 12-06-2002, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Mmmmmmm... pad thai Yep, my favorite food. Madison has a decent choice of asian restaurants, but nothing like Mpls.

Ever been to Seattle? If you like Asian food, this city is overflowing with it. Go to the International District (south of downtown) and you'll see what I mean.

Also, the neighborhood of Fremont (in North Seattle) has four or five damn good Thai restaurants within a three-block radius of each other. I never liked Asian food before I moved to Seattle for school, but I'm now a convert.

-Sam

el presidente · #10 12-06-2002, 02:03 PM

Years ago (about 10+), I was on a business trip to Omaha, NE and went to a 'famous' steakhouse. Can't remember the name.

Best crabcakes.....some little place in Rumson, NJ that is reportedly frequented by 'The Boss'.

Don't really have an Atlanta area 'favorite', but the most unique I visited was a South African restaurant called 10 Degrees South (neat place) in Buckhead.

jsmith · #11 12-06-2002, 02:09 PM

peter luger's steakhouse in brooklyn, ny, where the waiters are rude, the decor is butcher block and everything's ala carte!?

Kuan · #12 12-06-2002, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by w126
Kuan, the best place to find a good Thai restaurant in Mpls is in the 26th and Nicollet area??

Absolutely NOT! I don't think there's a single Thai restaurant on the street. The "best" Thai restaurant, and I say "best" meaning best in Minneapolis, which average by Thai restaurant standards, is on Hennepin Avenue in Uptown in the back of the Uptown mall.

Methinks you may have better in Madison!

Kuan

rickg · #13 12-06-2002, 03:15 PM

13 Coins in downtown Seattle. Has a good variety of dishes, but I like the Pepper steak the best. I'ts a little hole in the wall place that if you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't know it was there. But is a fairly high class place, for me at least. And there are usually a lot of German cars in the parking lot!

After that, I like good ol Arby's. Guess you can tell I'm just a working class stiff.

TTaM · #14 12-06-2002, 09:29 PM

Hands down, best food ever is a good Chicago Deep Dish from Pizzeria Due's at 619 North Wabash in Chicago. Same pizza from Uno's down the street, but better atmosphere. It is my opinion that this pizza is hand crafted by god and if Jesus had eaten it at the last meal, he would of run from the Romans.

How people eat pizza that isn't from Chicago is beyond me.

#15 12-07-2002, 02:31 AM

The North Beach Restaurant, Stockton and Coumbus, SF. Petrale sole to kill for. The best calamari marinati on the planet. Try the scamponi (not on the menu). Oh, and you will not find better espresso this side of Milano.