What's Your Favorite Restaurant In Your Area?
Feb 3, 2006 at 6:38 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 58

The Monkey

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Given that we have so many different people from so many different locations, I thought it would be cool to hear people's favorite restaurants. So go ahead and let 'em go!

Mine is Gramercy Tavern in NYC.
 
Feb 3, 2006 at 6:51 PM Post #2 of 58
subway...no joke..not much around here...or maybe cattlemen's steak house but one doesnt feel like steak everyday.
 
Feb 3, 2006 at 6:54 PM Post #3 of 58
Mimi's Cafe. Love their crab cakes.
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Feb 3, 2006 at 7:00 PM Post #4 of 58
In Arlington, VA (just outside DC): Ray's the Steaks. Best steak I've ever had, period. And I've had steak at Peter Luger's (in NY), The Palm (DC), and the Capitol Grill (DC), all of which are highly regarded. The steak at Ray's (it's actually owned by a guy named Michael, but Ray was a nickname of his) is so good I can hardly even describe it. It is just AWESOME.

Anyone in the DC metro area, if you like steak, you owe it to yourself to get to Ray's the Steaks. I don't remember the address, but it's on Wilson Blvd. You pretty much have to get a reservation a couple weeks ahead of time though (sometimes more).

Edit: I forgot to mention, it's also cheaper than the three other places I named. Steaks are a little under $30, give or take a few dollars depending on what cut you order (the hanger is good and not expensive) and if you get anything to go on the steak (like sauce, blue cheese, etc.). Also, the Sherried Crab Bisque is fantastic.
 
Feb 3, 2006 at 7:03 PM Post #5 of 58
Quote:

Originally Posted by tennisets
In Arlington, VA (just outside DC): Ray's the Steaks. Best steak I've ever had, period. And I've had steak at Peter Luger's (in NY), The Palm (DC), and the Capitol Grill (DC), all of which are highly regarded. The steak at Ray's (it's actually owned by a guy named Michael, but Ray was a nickname of his) is so good I can hardly even describe it. It is just AWESOME.

Anyone in the DC metro area, if you like steak, you owe it to yourself to get to Ray's the Steaks. I don't remember the address, but it's on Wilson Blvd. You pretty much have to get a reservation a couple weeks ahead of time though (sometimes more).



Great to know. I hope that this thread can become like a little database for people who are traveling and would like to try a restaurant that people in that area actually like. On the subject of steakhouses, one of the best steaks I've ever had was at a place in Iowa called Rube's, where you cook your own steak!
 
Feb 3, 2006 at 7:07 PM Post #7 of 58
The Turtle Club, Fox, AK - best prime rib anywhere, and it's just $20
The Pump House, Fairbanks, AK - The seafood stew is amazing
 
Feb 3, 2006 at 7:15 PM Post #9 of 58
Either Mi Casita or the Mediterranian Grill. :drool:
 
Feb 3, 2006 at 7:26 PM Post #10 of 58
Bacchanalia in Atlanta, GA.
Masa/per se in New York City.
Mr Chow in Beverley Hills, CA.
Peter Luger in Brooklyn, NY.

Nobu and Rao's are close behind, as well.
 
Feb 3, 2006 at 7:41 PM Post #11 of 58
For fine dining in Grand Cayman, my favorites are:

High end: Pappagallo Ristorante, The Great House, and The Wharf. There are all sorts of options at the resorts as well. Now that the Ritz Carlton has opened, the bar will be raised considerably. I'm told that they have 4 or 5 restaruants, all of which are highly thought of.

More relaxed, but still excellent dining: The Lighthouse, Calypso Grill, Copper Falls Steakhouse, Decker's, Bamboo (for Sushi), Reef Grill (for fish).

For the lunch thing, or casual dining, I like: Cafe Medeiterraneo, Cassanova's, and Ragazzi (for Italian), Canton (for Chinese), A Taste of India, The Lobster Pot, Thai Orchid.

For the 'local' thing, cheap, totally casual, and a true taste of Cayman: Champion House II, Cracked Conch By the Sea (cheapest Sunday brunch), Liberty's, and many others that I would take you to, but only after giving my "full and fair disclosure"

For a 'pub crawl' or to catch some sports (but still safe food): Lone Star, Durty Reid's, Fidel Murphy's Irish Pub.

Out of the way places that are worth it when you have time to wander: Rum Point Restuarant and Kaibo Yacht Club.

If I had to pick just one (i.e., if my special lady was taking me out for my birthday), it would be Pappagallo.
 
Feb 3, 2006 at 7:54 PM Post #12 of 58
Man, I've been so busy with school, I haven't had a chance to explore NYC's restaurants very much. I did go to Sushi Yasuda once and found that the quality of the fish was comparable to high-class sushi in Tokyo, but I don't know if I quite liked its style. It's kind of like saying the K 1000 belongs with the top headphones - but still admitting you prefer the HE90 or R10 or something.

Still, that was just one trip and it's best not to decide only on one going.

Okay, so favorite restaurants:

San Francisco
Tlaloc - best gourmet burrito. Try the fish or seafood burritos. I'm a bit of a gourmet burrito fan (sigh, there's gotta be something better than Chipotle here in New York, right?!?!) and this place tops my prior fav burrito place, Anna's Taqueria in Boston.

Evvia/Kokkari - high class Greek. I think I've posted on this place before on the high-class restaurants thread. There are better restaurants, but for a huge dinner with friends and family, with plenty of red wine, I haven't had a better dining experience.

House (the one in North Beach) - asian fusion. Love this place for lunch. Again not the fanciest place in the world - actually pretty small and a bit shabby, but the food is always very yummy.

I wish the San Francisco bay area had a decent steakhouse. I used to be a regular at Mortons. They do have a fantastic prime rib (call early and reserve your order!). But in terms of steak, I've had far better at random steakhouses here in NYC.

Tokyo

Jangara Ramen (Harajuku) / Tsukumo (Ebisu) / Musashi (Shinjuku). If you think ramen is instant noodle, you're sadly, sadly mistaken. That's like thinking all steaks are like those little frozen salsbury steaks. Each of these ramen places serve a different type of ramen (though the first two do specialize in quite different tonkotsu ramens) and each is fantastic. They're famous and have lines but for good reason (so many famous places suck). Blows away the average Tokyo ramen joint out of the water. Jangara is the place you go on Sunday morning to slurp away that nasty hangover. Tsukumo is where you go at 3 AM with all the folk you've been drinking with for some late night grub. And Musashi - man I never thought I would like shoyu ramen (no flavor!) but Musashi made me change my mind. Such a rich fish broth. Yum.

Boston

Ambrosia on Huntington - Again, I've had better food elsewhere in Boston (Rowes Wharf, Blue Ginger - I think I've eaten at half of the "top" list in this city for Zagat's) but when I think of the best, most perfect meals I've ever had in my life - easy, my 25th birthday at Ambrosia. Actually, I just looked them up in Zagats - they didn't close did they?!

Olives - I've been disappointed at other Olives locations (most notably the one in Tokyo) but the original Olives, while sometimes not as great as it should be, is capable of putting together a fantastic meal. I haven't tried their branch here in NYC - but I did order their food via room service while staying at the W, and it was fantastic (though that isn't saying much -something is always lost in translation when you order room service even from a fantastic sitdown hotel restaurant).

Lol - this is a favorite restaurant in your local area thread isn't it? Heh, I've been moving way too much over the last 5 years. Still, I think I've been to each of these places at least a half dozen times each, and them's some thoughts - I really look forward to exploring NYC more.

Best,

-Jason
 
Feb 3, 2006 at 7:55 PM Post #13 of 58
Feb 3, 2006 at 8:05 PM Post #14 of 58
Quote:

Originally Posted by tennisets
In Arlington, VA (just outside DC): Ray's the Steaks.


Yeah, I've heard about this place but never got to try it. While I was a student at Georgetown I was a huge steak fan and hit most of the big places in DC. But actually, my fav place used to be Mike's American Grill out in Springfield. Unfortunately, they've gone far far downhill from their glory days back in 1996.

Ray's is definitely on my list of places to try for the next time I'm down there.

Best,

-Jason
 
Feb 3, 2006 at 8:12 PM Post #15 of 58
In Ft. Worth, Texas:

1. High end (in this case, Italian food): La Piazza, which (deservedly) is voted in Zagat as being #1 in the genre.

2. Steaks: forget the high-end places like Del Frisco's, grab a $18.00 Filet Mignon at Charlestons (including a great salad and sides) for the best bargain on the planet. Casual atmoshphere.

In Montefollonico, Italy:

Couldn't resist the chance to tell you about my favorite restaurant in the world. It is both a hotel (18 rooms) and an exceptional ristorante with one of Europe's most-celebrated female chefs (Dania Luccherini). Located about an hour south of Florence, it is worth the drive from anywhere on the Continent. Check it out at http://www.ristorantelachiusa.it. It's kind of like Head-Fi, your wallet will suffer but your soul will be enriched.
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