Your Favorite Restaurants Thread

[obie]

OK, let's try to make this into our own personal Zagat's. My top five reduced-price luxury restaurant options in New York City -- or, the way to check out some great restaurants for a lot less cash:

5. The tavern section of Gramercy Tavern. You almost definitely have to wait for a table, but damn is the food worth it. The back room's prix-fixe is something like $80 a person; up front you can order from an a la carte menu and eat well for less than half that.
4. The Bread Bar at Tabla -- Just as good as the main room, but more relaxed and a hell of a lot cheaper.
3. Blue Smoke -- It doesn't have a cheap-menu option because the all-BBQ menu is inexpensive enough to begin with (at least by high-end NYC restaurant standards). It's Danny Meyer's most affordable restaurant, but it still has the great food and near-perfect service that all of his restaurants have. Also, it's just a lot of fun. The banana cream pie dessert just might be the best dessert on earth.
2. AZ -- Beautiful space, great food, and normally not cheap. But, my wife and I last went there for the $20.03 lunch during Restaurant Week in January, and it was just as good as their $65 per person dinner.
1. Union Square Cafe -- There are few true New Yorker dining experiences greater than sitting at the bar of the Union Square Cafe. Everything tastes perfect, and it's half the price of the main dining room. The valhrona (sp?) hot chocolate is the drink of the gods.

Anyone else?

[Aimer, Northend Diva]

I'll toss in some reviews...good and bad

Reno's Pizzeria and Restaurant; Studio City, CA

I believe it's family owned. Rather small, but it's all about the atmosphere...they make you feel like you've just become part of their big Italian family. Pizzas start at 3.50, they also have calzones, pasta dishes, subs with fries and other things (like shrimp, fish, clam dinners). I had the meat lasagna (it comes with salad and garlic bread, but I didn't want the garlic bread so the man said "okay, I give you extra big salad instead") My friend had the steak sub with fries (they're crinkle cut and quite yummy). We were both satisfied with our meals and even sampled each other's dishes. It's a Coke place, so bonus points for that

Jerry's Famous Deli; Encino, CA

I don't know how this place got to be so famous...must be the friendly service because I wasn't too impressed with the food. I got the Philly Cheesesteak with fries (shoestring)...they were good, but not as good as the crinkle cuts at Reno's. The steak on the sandwich was rather tough, dry and appeared to be overcooked. The grease from the cheese made the sub roll soggy and doughy. If I'm paying 11.95 for a cheesesteak, I expect a WHOLE lot more when it comes to the flavor dept. Makes me long for a Charley's Steakery...where I KNOW I can get a good cheesesteak with fries and a drink for about 6-7 bucks. I wanted to finish my meal with a decaf cappacino and was brought a regular decaf coffee instead. The server was friendly though. Like I said, that must be what they're famous for.

California Pizza Kitchen...all over the damn place, though Beverly Hills or Hollywood on the patio are good for people watching

One place that I've worked for that I can honestly say that I like just about EVERYTHING on the menu. So I'm going to mention some select items.
Appetizers= spinach artichoke dip
soup= potato leek soup
salad= BBQ Chicken salad or White Balsalmic Provencal (even better if you add chicken breast)
pizza= traditional: hawaiian or vegatarian with goat cheese; non-traditional:= southwest chicken burrito
pasta: chicken tequila fettucina, chicken marsala marinara
dessert: key lime pie, tiramisu
sandwich: chicken caesar sandwich

[JAnderson14]

Pachanga Grill- Odenton, MD

Kind of odd for a genuine Mexican restaurant, owned by Mexican natives, to be found in Maryland (our hispanic population is mostly Salvadoran and Honduran), but there it is. Nothing too surprising here...very good Mexican food, huge servings, and cheap. The enchiladas are where it's at. I don't recall them having a bad dessert, either. Considering my town Crofton, which is right next to Odenton, has only Taco Bell and La Fiesta (a Mexican place run by guys from Bangladesh), this was a fine addition to the area's choices.

Macaroni Grill- Chain

Yeah, it's a chain. So what? It's also great every time. I'm sure almost everyone has been there, so I won't go on.

Sly Horse Tavern- Crofton, MD

The best place in town. Kind of a secret too, since it's inside a community and rather hard to find. Well worth it though...it is expensive, and you can't go dressed in your "I'm With Stupid" tshirt, but the food makes up for it. The crabcakes are equal to any I've had, and this is Maryland so that actually means something.

Los Panchos- Fresno, CA

Similar to the Pachanga Grill...what can I say, I like Mexican food. Good rice, good guacamole, and the beef flautas were fantastic. Plus, $2 ice cream sundae! I almost went back for dinner that same day.

[puttputtfc]

Baker's Cafe- A steak place in Canton, Ohio is home to the best steaks I have ever tasted. The meat is purchased from the Amish who live nearby and the quality is second to none. Go during the PGA Firestone tournament if you want to rub shoulders with some pro golfers. If it is good enough for Norman, Palmer, and Nichlaus, it's good enough for me.

Candlelight Inn- A Scarsdale, NY restaurant that has the best chicken wings ever. The place is tiny so even on a Monday at 3 in the afternoon you have to wait for a table.

Antonio's Pizza- It is what it is. Located in downtown Amherst, MA, this pizza is the perfect college restaurant. They sell pizza and pop. Nothing else. The different types of pies are sure to please and you can gorge for three dollars.

Tacqueira Mercado- Fairfield, OH, just north of Cincinnati is home to the best Mexican food I have ever had. Nothing fancy, just quality food cooked with care. Nothing on the menu is over seven dollars and the portions are huge.

Moonlight Tandoori- My favorite Indian restaurant is on Cottingham Road in Hull, England. Cheap, tasty, and fantastic naan bread.

These are the first five that come to mind.

[fidlerre]

chipolte - chain

i know, i know. fast food. but so what. the first time i went there i simply fell in love with their simple burrito's that put anything else you can buy for $4.00 to shame.

stan's restaurant - westerville, ohio

this is one of those places that your grandparents would take you when you were a young kid. the food is incredibly inexpensive, the servers are those old ladies in hair-nets just looking to get you whatever you need to make the meal great. their specialty; an open-faced turkey sandwich covered in gravy that is to die for, and it costs all of $5.00 bucks.

figlio's - columbus, ohio

a moderately priced italian restaurant that has a pretty decent wine list for a place that won't bust your credit card. they make some of the best wood-fired gourmet pizzas i have ever had outside of italy...and when i dont wana have pizza i can always enjoy their portobello ravioli.

the refectory - columbus, ohio

okay this is usually one of the best rated restaurants in columbus and also, one of the most expensive...but on a special night this is the place to come. a wonderful french cuisine and the thing i get everytime i go, the roasted rack of baby lamb. oh yea, they have the best wine list in columbus as well, some 13,000 bottles.

barcelona - columbus, ohio

paella to die for. the best i have ever had. they also have this pork chop dish that is stuffed with prosciutto and fontina cheese...mmm, i am getting hungry just thinking about it. it is a pretty trendy place in german village, just south of downtown that is usually packed on the weekend with the 'nyc' wannabes stuck in columbus.

damn, i need to go make some dinner now!

[MikeLastort2]

Galileo Ristorante (http://www.robertodonna.com/galindex.htm), Washington DC. My wife was Robert Donna's pastry chef back in 1986 or '87, before I knew her. Roberto is a fantastic chef, and is also a hell of a lot of fun to party with.

Ristorante Tosca (http://www.toscadc.com/), Washington DC. Cesare Lanfranconi was Roberto's executive chef, and left about three years ago to start his own restaurant.

Yokohama Restaurant, Wheaton Maryland. Our favorite sushi bar. Mr. Kim, the owner, is Korean, and claims to be the longest working sushi chef in the entire DC Metro area. He's been at it for 35 years. In addition to sushi, he also has really good Korean food.

Fiaschetteria Toscana (http://www.fiaschetteriatoscana.it/), Venice, Italy. Traditional Venetian food at very reasonable prices. Their cuttlefish on a bed of risotto flavored and blackened with the ink of the cuttlefish is one of the most fantastic things I have ever tasted.

Ristorante Al Covo (http://www.frommers.com/destinations/moredining.cfm?h_id=41726), Venice, Italy. Really really nice people, really really home style atmosphere, really really great food.

Agata e Romeo (http://www.agataeromeo.it/), Rome, Italy. Recommended to us by Roberto Donna, of Galileo. Agata and Romeo are a really nice couple. She cooks, he runs the business side, and their daughters wait the tables. We've closed the place every time we've been there.

There are so many other places we really love. Cibreo, in Florence, Italy, Cafe Atlantico, in Washington, DC, Jaleo, in Washington, DC, Tara Thai, in Bethesda and Rockville MD, lots of other places.

One of my favorite things to do is to mention that my wife was a pastry chef and used to be in the business. It makes going out to eat a lot more fun.

[nicodemus]

Taste of Thailand - Birmingham, AL - This is some seriously good stuff. Cheap as mess...it's in a crappy strip mall, but is awesome. The owner is really into soccer (big USA fan since Thailand sucks.)

Taste of India - Miami, FL - I can't believe the place serves south Indian food...an extreme rarity in the USA. Their chaana and vadha are awesome.

Ali Baba - Birmingham, AL - Persian restaurant once again in a crappy strip mall. You'll pay through the freakin' nose at this place, but is is worth it. The chef is the son of a chef that worked in the Shah's kitchen. Awesome stuff. I hate fish, but will eat it there because they know how to prepare it.

Dreamland Ribs Tuscaloosa, AL - Their slogan "Ain't Nothin' Like 'Em Nowhere" pretty much sums it up.

Mellow Mushroom - can be found in college towns all across the southeast - awesome pizza (each independtly owned & operate though).

[CrewDust]

Hyde Park Steakhouse.

Amd of course LaBamba's, burritos as big as your head. :)

[TheWakeUpBomb]

Best Steak - Sam & Harry's - Washington, DC - The New York strip was amazing.

Best Ribs - Wet - Calhoun's - Nashville - Has locations in Knoxville that I've never been to.

Best Ribs - Dry - Corky's and The Rendezvous - Memphis - Corky's is more consistent, and has a couple of locations throughout the South.

TIE: Best Dessert - Commander's Palace - New Orleans - This place is a contender for best restaurant. Classic old New Orleans, the Bread Pudding Souffle is a classic. You can go for lunch and get a gourmet experience for half the price of Emeril's myriad of restaurants.

Best Dessert - Don't know the name of the place - Ljubljana, Slovenia - It was an nice restaurant in the city center, near the river. They had this blueberry pie/cake that was incredible - one of the best things I've ever eaten. If you go, make an effort to find this place.

Best Expensive Dinner in New York - Picholine - Impeccable wine and service, and amazing food, at a price (of course). Very gourmet, this place has a guy who's just in charge of cheese. Any lover of gourmet cheeses will fall in love. I've found that, at many gourmet restaurants, it's often a matter of style over substance. Not true here, where the food is definitely the star.

Best Chocolate Shake - Rotier's - Nashville - I've had shakes all over the country. They've never topped this one.

Best Burger - Char-Grill - Raleigh, NC - Many contenders here, but for my money, the consistent winner is the steak burger at this burger stand in Raleigh. I'm partial to the location on Hillsboro St. near NC State, but I've had success at other locations.

Best Sandwich - Central Grocery - New Orleans - After much soul-searching, I have to go with the original Muffaletta. Gooey, greasy and bigger than your head, it is a sandwich experience like none other. A few years back, I would have said the Po-Boys at Mother's in NO, but they changed owners, raised prices and have gone downhill, I'm afraid.

And slightly off-topic...

Best Bar - Tosca - San Francisco - A classic, with a beautiful bar, knowledgeable bartenders and chocolate brandy concotion that is the perfect warm-up on a cold evening. Make sure to try it before moving on to your favorite perfectly mixed cocktail.

[JackTown55]

hmmm

Doe's Greenville, MS: Its run down, in the middle of a ghetto, and expensive as hell. That said it serves huge, and I mean huge, steaks that hang of the plate, and tons of MS delta hot tamales.

McCallisters chain based in Jackson, MS: its a great Sandwich place.

Little Tokyo Jackson, MS: sushi bar, main chef Tomei-San is very friendly, but its a little place and often has long waits.

Cinco de Mayo Jackson, MS: best Mexican food I've ever had, I was shocke when I came to Arizona that the Mexican food here is good, but no where near is good as Cinco de Mayo.

Ra Sushi: Tempe, Az very good Sushi restarant. Very loud though with ultra-trendy interior.

Saki's Tempe, Az: its not as good a Sushi place, but has some great entrees and even some good pizzas

Slices Tempe, Az: Great little quick stop pizza place.

Subway all over the U.S. and in 72 countries: well they make sandwiches.

[art]

I'll do a little promotion of my hometown restaurant scene, Portland, Maine. Little city, great restaurants. My best/most favorite (all of these are in Portland):

Back Bay Grill: great seafood, GREAT winelist, great staff. Personal fave is the filet mignon, which is dreamy at the BBG.

Fore Street: probably the best resaurant in the city in terms of all the awards it gets. Even so it's not portentious, and has great service. They have remarkably fresh food, anything grilled there is mucho yummy. The atmosphere is a little like an airplane hangar and it's almost impossibe to get a seat without a reservation, but I always try to go at least a couple of times a year. IMO one of the 10 best restaurants in all of New England.

Silly's: A charming little hole in the wall, with third-hand furniture and an outside "dining room" with tables of wire barrels and whatever else they could find. Also, some great, original food. "10" on the "cool" scale.

Street & Co.: Cramped & expensive, but worth it. Great food, great wine. Not so great service all the time but it is an enormously popular place and they always seem rushed and harried when I go there. Also they have an absolutely enormous Sea Food selection. It's also down a little cobblestone side street, which makes you think you're in another century.

Ri Ra: a little hole in the wall on Portland's waterfront, with authentic and good Irish and English food. Complete with a cramped little Irish pub in an old, OLD wood building.

Miss Portland Diner: Portland is near the heart of Diner country, and this is a true diner, a large, sivelry, shining dining car parked on the side of Marginal Way. It has that Diner ambiance, and some pretty good food. In true Diner tradition, it's also one of the most inexpensive places around.

Becky's: The Queen of early morning breakfast. Cheap, good eats, cheap, plastic seating, only the best at Becky's. Go early or you wont get a seat.

Benkay Sushi & Japanese Restaurant: There is good Sushi in Portland. Honest. It's here.

Flatbread Company: Ok, it's a chain, but it's really good. Fresh made, original, and delicious pizzas.

Gilbert's Chowder House: Classic little New Englad chowder house, with true, heavy, delicious chowder.

Great Lost Bear: this is one of those "hip" places frequented by those who think of themselves as the young cool crowd, but who are really much closer to the flannel/pickup/facial hair/Rush Limbaugh crowd. But I like it anyway, almost entirely because of their Beer List, which is many pages long.

Gritty McDuff's deserves a mention because of it's Beer. It's otherwise too cool for school.

ugh..there's dozens of others but that's enough.

[Dante]

Filomena's - Washington DC - Simply the best Italian restaurant in DC. Absolutely great food and the service was top notch.

Man Ray's - New York City - Great food with a very nice atmosphere. The blend of chinese/western european/american dishes are excellent. Not to mention their very good sushi.

Gino's Pizzeria - Ithaca, NY - GREAT pizza and it's cheap too. A real college town pizzeria.

Thai Cuisine - Ithaca, NY - The best Thai food I've ever had. People would travel from Buffalo just to eat there.

Trattoria Ramiglia - Frosinone, Italy - Everything is homemade and you can taste it, all the pastas the sauces the dough. The vegetables and fruits are grown in their garden behind the restaurant. It had to be the best food I had in Italy, ever.


originally posted by MikeLastort2
Galileo Ristorante, Washington DC. My wife was Robert Donna's pastry chef back in 1986 or '87, before I knew her. Roberto is a fantastic chef, and is also a hell of a lot of fun to party with.


I'm sorry, but I thought this restaurant was terrible, I went their twice and both times I was sorely dissapointed. The service stunk and the food came out cold the second time, not to mention it tasted horrible. I will never go back, nor would I ever recommend it to anyone.

[GringoTex]

Best Steak: Bob's Steak and Chop House in Dallas

Best Barbecue: Country Tavern between Tyler and Kilgore, TX

Best Pizza: Pizza King in Longview, TX

Best French: Bookinistes in Paris

Best German: Dattler in Freiberg

Best Vietnamese: Kim Phung in Austin

Best Seafood: La Posada in La Libertad, El Salvador

[TheWakeUpBomb]

Originally posted by Dante
Filomena's - Washington DC - Simply the best Italian restaurant in DC. Absolutely great food and the service was top notch. I had a great experience here as well. I couldn't remember the name, and it was a few years ago, but it was solid.

JackTown55, do they still have Pizza Express in Jackson? About 15 years ago, that was the best delivery place in Jackson, and some of the best delivery pizza I've ever had. The sauce and whole wheat crust were incredible.

[MikeLastort2]

Originally posted by Dante
I'm sorry, but I thought this restaurant was terrible, I went their twice and both times I was sorely dissapointed. The service stunk and the food came out cold the second time, not to mention it tasted horrible. I will never go back, nor would I ever recommend it to anyone.

Oh well. Of all the restaurants I have ever eaten in, Ristorante Galileo is my all-time favorite. Roberto Donna (http://www.robertodonna.com/biography.htm) is recognized as one of the best chefs in the country. He has won numerous awards, and has cooked for the likes of Dick Cheney, Hillary Clinton, Alan Greenspan, Dick Armey, and other Washington big wheels, all of whom are repeat customers. Il Laboratorio del Galileo is incredible, or at least the New York Times (http://www.robertodonna.com/labindex.htm) seems to think so. In fact, we happened to be eating in the Laboratorio the night of the review.

My wife and I will be at Galileo again this Saturday for a barberesco wine tasting and cooking class (http://www.robertodonna.com/spring2003foodandwinerd.htm). We've celebrated birthdays, anniversaries and other special occassions with Roberto and his staff. We've taken friends and family there, and they've all been very impressed with the food, the service, and the atmosphere.

I thought this thread was for people to post their favorites, not to have those favorites bashed by someone who had a bad experience or two.

[Dante]

Originally posted by MikeLastort2
I thought this thread was for people to post their favorites, not to have those favorites bashed by someone who had a bad experience or two.

Well excuuuuuse me.

[Smiley321]

Rocco's - Italian - NY city, east village
Maria's - Mexican - Santa Fe, NM
Goode Co. - BBQ - Houston
Fogo de Chao - Brazilian BBQ - Houston
North Beach Restaurant - Italian - San Francisco

[Benedict XVI]

Schneider's Churrascaria, Sao Leopoldo, RS, Brasil.

Beats Fogo do Chao's bunda.

I loves me some Tony Cheng's Mongolian Barbeque, too.

[Real Ray]

Casa Botin Madrid. On some levels, there are several other places I have enjoyed more in Spain, but (and this shows you the absurdity of soccer fandom) I will love Botin like I loved...well my first love, as it was here I ate dinner with my wife-to-be on the night Real Madrid beat Juve to win the '98 Champions League. One of the best nights of my life-I have the bill framed above the desk I'm typing from: I started with the Melon con Jamon, the Cochinillo Asado for the main course...Oh Jesus... :D What a night!

Seville This is a very good Spanish place on Christopher Street-fantastic green sauce

Malaga Another good Spanish place on the Upper East Side.

Blue Smoke I will second Obie: fantastic BBQ, great music.

Joe's Pizza There are two Joe's on Bleeker right off Father Demo Square-go to the one on the actual corner for IMO the best NY-style pizza in NYC. The art of the slice lives here.

[Jeff]

I rarely dine high end, so many of these will be your casual joints, but anyway:

Denver:

Chipotle and Qdoba: Gotta have me a burrito.

Marlowe's: Downtown on the 16th Street Mall, well reknowned in the area for steak. They used to have a post-midnight $3.99 Cheeseburger and fries special, just short of an all you can eat. Big tasty mushroom burger if you want some hangover prevention.

Lim's: funky little Mongolian BBQ joint on the far west side of LoDo. Plenty of beef, nnodles, and other good stuff for cheap ($6 of lunch for big lunch bowl with side orders).

Quebec City: ANYTHING. I don't remember the names of the places, but they were all frigging amazing. Steak, fish, fondue, everything rocks up there.

Boston:

Grand Canal: DO NOT order the nachos unless you are completely hungry. Delicious, but the plate's about 2 feet high, enough to feed four or five people. Don't bother with the dinner, these will fill you up for good.

Pho Pasteur: You like Vietnamese, you'll love this place. Outstanding fish and noodle dishes.

John Harvard Brewhouse: Greatest Pot Pies EVER.

Redbones: Legendary BBQ joint in Davis Square, Somerville. Many kinds of pork, kick ass fried catfish, you name it.

Blue Ribbon BBQ: In Arlington, MA, maybe more flavory BBQ than Redbones.