[BANGPOD]

Head-Fi'ers --

What are your favorite classy restaurants?
Please include any pertinent information!

For me? They are in New York City:

Mr Chow, Masa, Per Se, Alain-Ducasse, Daniel...
Grammercy Tavern, Le Bernardin, Nobu, Ferrara's...

The Rainbow Room... The 21 Club...

I could go on forever! What about all of you?

BANGPOOP

 

[stevesurf]

Le Colonial - New York and San Francisco **** $$

The Old Homestead - New York **** $$$

Del Frisco's - Las Vegas ***** $$$$

Ruth's Chris - Las Vegas *** $$$

Bradley Ogden - Las Vegas ***** $$$$

Crustecean - Las Vegas *** $$$$

Farralon (sp?) - San Francisco *** $$$

McCormick & Kuleto's - San Francisco *** $$$

Cin Cin - Vancouver **** $$

Blue Water Cafe - Vancouver **** $$

 

[Aman]

Carmine's baby, in the good ol' NYC!

 

[The_Mac]

The Capital Grille, detroit.

 

[10068]

Denny's!!

 

[stevesurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Mac The Capital Grille, detroit.

That is too funny - I just lit a candle with the matchbook from the very same restaurant!

I agree also about Carmine's - great italian food; long wait!

 

[zotjen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aman Carmine's baby, in the good ol' NYC!

While I certainly like the food at Carmines, I wouldn't consider it a classy restaurant. My idea of a classy restaurant is one where you need to make a reservation, the food is expensive, the decor is elegant, and men are required to wear jackets.

 

[10068]

Sorry if this counts as thread-crapping... buuut...

what's the point of classy restaurants? That's like buying Hifi gear because it' expensive and looks pretty

What matters is how the food tastes. To my tongue, food that's greasy and has a "home-cooked" flavor to it tastes better than 20 or 30 or 40 dollar-a-plate food. YMMV i suppose :-/

 

[plus_c]

It's not "men must wear jackets" classy, but I'm a big fan of Morimoto in Philadelphia. From the perspective of a college student, it's more than classy enough, lol.

 

[BANGPOD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sduibek what's the point of classy restaurants? That's like buying Hifi gear because it' expensive and looks pretty What matters is how the food tastes. To my tongue, food that's greasy and has a "home-cooked" flavor to it tastes better than 20 or 30 or 40 dollar-a-plate food. YMMV i suppose :-/

Sduibek --

It is safe to correlate the restaurant's cost/classiness with the food quality.
Obviously, there are exceptions -- but more often than not, this is the case.
I am sorry, but "greasy, home-cooked flavor" is hardly a sophisticated taste.
It may be your preferred flavor, but it is hardly that of top-tier restaurants.

Have you been to any of the restaurants that we have listed above?
I have been to just about half of them (especially in New York City).

Most of them (if not all of them) have been nothing short of eye-opening.
At Per Se, Masa, and Daniel, I even felt that the quality exceeded the price.
Alain Ducasse and Jean-Georges would have been my two top reviews...
But Per Se swept them off their feet with regards to American-French fusion.
The above serve "foie gras" that competes with many native restaurants.

At the others restaurants, though, they at least lived up to my expectations.

Even though all of the other restaurants listed outclass it as a whole...
Mr Chow's Chicken Satay is the best single dish that I have ever eaten.
It's peanut alfredo sauce is pure bliss and it just screams masterpiece.

I will continue going to Mr Chow because of that (and the Peking Duck).

Is that not what makes a restaurant? Reaching the pinnacle of cooking?
It is my favorite restaurant, even though there are better restaurants...
But, I am biased -- I have a sweet spot for Asian-Italian-American fusion.
It just so happens that Mr Chow produces everything that I enjoy eating

I am a restaurant reviewer down here, so this type of thing is my passion!
Now, if THOSE are not classy (redefining my palette), I am speechless.

You must realize, though, that all of the above cost me at least $100 per person.
This is including AT LEAST the tasting menu, tax, tip and one alcoholic drink.

In this price range, restaurants have established a worth-while flavor.
Without such said flavor, restaurants are in a unique position for bankruptcy.
Experienced restauranteurs/reviewers are adept at recognizing culinary ability.
Said people cannot be fooled at this level, eateries are just too expensive as such.

BANGPOOP

 

[mjg]

peter lugers - best steak there is
bryant and cooper - pretty awesome

 

[mjg]

"s that not what makes a restaurant? Reaching the pinnacle of cooking?
It is my favorite restaurant, even though there are better restaurants...
But, I am biased -- I have a sweet spot for Asian-Italian-American fusion.
It just so happens that Mr Chow produces everything that I enjoy eating"


Not totally what makes a resteraunt.


What makes a restaraunt in the long stay is an avid following, loyal customers, atmosphere, location, location, a reliable and good menu,always getting written up well by critics and zagats and not straying from a formula that works. Good resteraunts that stand the test of time are rare as hell.

Alot of the trendy now now resteraunts that pop up then dissapear are basiclly a bunch of celebrities or resteraunteurs trying to make some kinda cash cow by mostly selling the fame and mystique of a special place rather then " just good food". Sometimes the food isn't even as great as you'd tend to think. Resteraunts in general, not just mega resteraunts usually dive under within a year because it's a really shady and tough buisness. Places you just find great food in, ironically, aren't always the places you read about in the paper, sometimes you really get surprised.

I've been to alot of really nice places, and at any price peter luger's is the best steak. Yet, my dad at home can cook a piece of meat just as nice, but the quality of the food their (which isn't very fancy, pretty remedial types of food, just meat, potatos, all cooked in lots of butter) is always the same, very nice. They use excellent meat as well. Their service sucks, it's impossible to go there without a reservation. The food is ridiuclously expensive.

Then i've had steak at a place like franks (so have you i'm sure). Price is way, way cheaper, and you know, steak is pretty much almost as good, service is much better. Franks isn't some world famous steak house, but i'd go there anytime and not feel as if i'm getting robbed (like going to lugers)

 

[lini]

Pauline's Pizza - somewhere on Valencia Street in SF (Mission district): Best pizza I ever had anywhere. Great salads - and try the Sorbet Trio!

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[BANGPOD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjg ...

mjg --

I am well aware that there is more to a restaurant than it's food, but...

I could go on forever about what else contributes to a restaurant's longevity.

For the purpose of truncating my response, I only mentioned the food.
I mentioned "reaching the pinnacle of cooking" to point the above out.
I aimed to discuss the restaurants' food quality in an absolute manner.

Thank you for mentioning it, mjg -- but I intentionally avoided that issue.
As noted -- ambience, service, locale and clientele are integrally important.

But for the time being, culinary quality is my prime discussionary piece.

BANGPOOP

P.S. Judging on steak quality alone, Peter Lugers is better than Frank's Steaks.
But when other factors are taken into account, this inequality becomes ambiguous.
Said factors make rankings on culinary quality too arbitrary for universal acceptance.

 

[Aman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zotjen While I certainly like the food at Carmines, I wouldn't consider it a classy restaurant. My idea of a classy restaurant is one where you need to make a reservation, the food is expensive, the decor is elegant, and men are required to wear jackets.

I don't know - it's classy for me, a student, who would rather eat nothing than not eat a Subway sub for lunch