Your favorite restaurants?
 

I saw this topic on another board and was somewhat mortified by more than a few of the answers (Applebees?????). I thought if I posed the question here, there might be some more interesting responses.

So, what are your favorite restaurants/places to eat? Maybe we can all learn of some new swanky places. I'll start by posting my response to the original thread.

(in no particular order)

El Tepeyac - Los Angeles, CA (Mexican)
Gallagher's - Las Vegas, NV (Steakhouse)
Peter Luger's - Brooklyn, NY (Steakhouse)
Genkai - Dana Point, CA (Sushi)
Eddie's - Ronkonkoma, NY (Pizza)
Anchor Bar - Buffalo, NY (Buffalo wings)
Thai This - Dana Point, CA (Thai)

Boma--WDW, FL (African-inspired buffet)

Gyro House - Everett, WA (Pakistani/Mediterranean)
Agua Verde - Seattle, WA (Coastal Mexican)
Sushi Mori - Everett, WA (Sushi)
Napa Rose - DL, CA (Californian Cuisine)
Thai Basil - Kent, WA (Thai)
Kouros - Auburn, WA (Greek)
Cedars on the Ave - Seattle, WA (Mediterranean)
Biergarten - WDW, FL (German)
Mamma Melina Ristorante - Seattle, WA (Italian)
Galway Arms - Seattle, WA (Irish)
Best Piroshki - Seattle, WA (Russian)
Pizza Brava - Seattle, WA (Pizza)
Than Brothers Pho - Everett, WA (also Seattle, WA) (Pho)

T.G.I. Friday's
Ruby Tuesday's
Olive Garden
Red Lobster
Chili's

And you might not believe this, but we've got ALL of those right here in Orlando!

okay, here's my real answer-

BOMA (that's vote number two)
Mr. Souvlaki (in Tarpon Springs FL, one of many great Greek eateries)
Amura (Japanese, in Orlando)
There's a real good Indian place here but I don't know the name of it. (little help, MF?)
The Shed (Santa Fe, NM)
Taco Sal (Albuquerque NM)

I miss The Shed so much, I just yesterday ordered two jars of red enchilada sauce from them online. Can't wait!

It's called INDIAN CUISINE.

Tasty Thai (Lake Forest)
Sango Sushi (Laguna Niguel and HB)
Katella Deli (Los Al)
Kings Pizza (HB)
Avilas (Lake Forest) - Mexican
Quick n Tasty (Yarmouth, Nova Scotia) - Seafood
Prince Arthurs (Yarmouth, Nova Scotia) - Seafood
Monsoon (3rd St, Santa Monica) - Sushi
Gypsy Den (Costa Mesa) - Sammiches, salads
Chipotle (yes, I know it's a chain, but it's still a favorite)

ETA: Hudsons Grill. I think there are some around still.

El Tepeyac - East LA (you haven't had a burrito until you have consumed a Hollenback!)
The Hobbit - Orange, CA
Captain Keno's - Encinitas, CA
Blue Agave - Yorba Linda, CA (Great South-Western!)
In-N-Out - all over the place
Rutabegorz - Fullerton, Tustin, Orange
Virgil's BBQ - New York City (yes, you can get great BBQ ribs in NYC!)

Long Beach & the Greater Southern California Area

• Le Creperie
• Open Seasame (home of heroin chicken)
• Lashers
• Madison
• Super Mex
• Taco Nazo
• Giesha House
• Patina

Chicago

• Tru
• Vermillion
• Hot Chocolate
• Cafe des Architects
• Cafe Iberico
• Nacional 27

Paris

• Man Rey

Euro, where's your Orlando list?

Crap - forgot one:

611 Supreme - Seattle, WA (Crepes)

I figured you locals had that covered

We know your favorite restaurants?

Oh allright

Orlando

• California Grill
• Boma

Mmmmm - It's been ages since I've been to Versaille

ummm... Don't really have one. Being the renecks that we are, we tend to enjoy the chain restaraunts.

DLMom would say for Mexican food she likes Mauricio's, but every time I have eaten there I have spent the next day sicker than the worst hangover.

At DLR we like ESPN Zone and *gasp* RFC. Of course the only other place we have eaten (besides breakfasts) is Naples, and I was underwhelmed. I didn't much care for the food at Blue Bayou.

I have pedestrian tastes with swanky dreams.

My favorite Seattle restaurant is The 5-Spot, though the food isn't the main attraction.

In Honolulu it is the Chinese food stalls outside of the Waikiki Daiei.

The comment above about Boulevard in San Francisco is interesting because one of the things I love about there is that the food is so incredibly good and yet I never leave feeling like I overate. However, I think the quality has declined just a little bit over the last few years (though it could just be that when you work a block away and it is the go-to impress people from out of town place I got used to it). The Fifth Floor in SF is also incredibly good.

I tend to prefer the small local places though and I never know their names. There was a Mexican place down the street from our place in Oakland that served the best salad (the Tampico Salad, if you must know) that I have ever had. We must have eaten there twice a week for a couple years. Still don't know the name of the place. We never referred to the restaurants by name, just by ethnicity. "Do you want Thai, Mexican, pizza, Japanese, Korean, or Italian?" It was obvoius which of the choices we would go to.

At Walt Disney World the best is Victoria & Alberts for fine dining and Spoodles at Boardwalk for casual dining. Lani can't be in Orlando without eating at Boma twice but I can take it or leave it.

Best random discovery: another place I don't know the name of but I had the best enchiladas in my life at a little Mexican place in Clinton, Arkansas, on a road trip a few years ago (the perfect place to stay if you have certain activities in mind). This thoroughly reinforced my motto to always ask the hotel desk guy for a restaurant recommendation when checking in. We would never have gone in otherwise.

Lovin' the contributions so far! :)

Once, when I was in Buffalo, a few locals kept talking about a motel bar with "the amazing scallops". Well, after a while, curiosity get the best of you and ... we went to try these scallops of the gods.

The place was a dive, and with the exception of a couple or two, pretty much deserted. I was nervous. They ended up being probably the best scallops I have ever tasted. Damn near licked the plate clean. To this day, I can't figure out what they were laced with but I would kill to have them again. I just don't want to have to go to Buffalo to do it. I have no idea what the place was called, only that it was in an outskirt called Hamburg.

Anyway, a couple of other honorable local mentions...

Tommy Tangs - Hollywood
Los Golandrinas - Capo Beach
Tommy's Famous Burgers

And the dearly departed "Meaty Meat Burger" on Pico and Faifax, rest it's soul. There was never a better burger made, IMHO. There were literally lines around the block.

Boulevard (#2 vote for this fabulous eatery) and I can't wait to dine there again
Angkor Borei (SF, Cambodian)
The Red Crane (SF, vegetarian chinese place, very tasty)
Chez Panisse (Berkeley)
Wahib's Middle Eastern Cuisine (South Pasadena/Alhambra)
India Sweet House (Pico Blvd, West LA)
Miyagi (VA, sushi)
Taste of Saigon (VA, Vietnamese)
Jing Jing (Palo Alto, Hunan)
Pasand (Sunnyvale, South Indian)
Le Cheval (Oakland, Vietnamese)
Estrellita (Mountain View, in May & September for the mole)
can't remember the name, but there is a great sushi place in Encinitas (very near k street & the main drag) they do a chinese dynamite roll that is to die for
and when I want to be just awful, McD's french fries

Looking forward to adding the heroin chicken place to my list o favorites

LA:
Poquito Mas
The Stinking Rose

OC:
Claim Jumper
In-N-Out

Monterey:
New Tokyo

Boston:
Regina's Pizzeria
Giacamo's
Izzy's
The Clam Box

Hawai'i:
Wailana Coffee House
Liliha Bakery
Kua'Aina
Ono Hawaiian Food
Legend Seafood Restaurant
Hee Hing
Rainbow Drive-In
Cafe Sistina

More I forgot the first time:

Hickory Park - Ames, IA (BBQ)
Magdalina's European Cuisine - Issaquah, WA (Bulgarian)
Periklis - Victoria, BC (Greek)
Theno's Dairy - Redmond, WA (Ice Cream)

This thread is nice, but it makes me sad. Having been an ex-pat from NYC for the past ten years, I am reminded that many of my favorite restaurants there (Le Madri & Second Ave Deli, for example) no longer exist or are a shadow of their former selves. When I do get home, I always hit at least one hip place, but I haven't found magic yet. A few months ago, we dropped 2 weeks rent at Tabla for a dinner for 4, and while it was a fine meal, I'm not hurrying back...

Having said that, I constantly look forward to visiting the following WDW restaurants:
- Boma
- Flying Fish
- Artists Point

Here in San Francisco, I still enjoy
- Foreign Cinema
- Gary Danko

And, of course my perennial NYC faves remain
- Smith & Wollensky Steak House
- Joe's Pizza (once on the corner of Bleeker and Carmine - now moved half a block down)
- Yonah Schimmel's Knishes
- Gray's Papaya (any location - preferably after midnight - 2 hot dogs with a medium papaya drink - heaven)

When not dining at Hometown Buffet, I've been known to enjoy the culinary creations of:

• A Little Slice of Cuba (now closed, sadly)
• Velma & Eddie's Everflowing Foodbag
• Big Bang Burger Bar
• Bilgewater's (seafood)
• The Gilded Truffle
• L'Idiot's
• New Leviathan
• Raisins
• Tchotchke's

No one said Pink Taco...
:D

San Diego:

• Old Town Mexican Cafe
• Casa De Pico
• Point Loma Sea Food
• Georges on the Cove - For Ambience more than food.
• Cafe 222
• Bread & Cie
• Corvette's

And I know... go ahead and shudder now...
Rice King and KFC.
I also have an affinity for the Whole Foods Food bars

Regina's Pizzaria - (Italian) Boston
Lashers - (Fine American) Long Beach
Madison (steak) Long Beach
California Grill (French!) DLRP, France
Pink Door - Seattle
La Creperie (French) - Long Beach
Open Sesame (Lebanese) Long Beach
Tru (Fusion) Chicago

I know I have a lot more, but, wih a cold, I can't think of food right now.

Oh man - we can include closed places?! Then by all means the Iron Horse, formerly down SoDo area in Seattle, lost to "progress", where your meal was delivered by the model railroad. That was the best.

Oh my god, is it the Mo Better Meaty Meat Burger? It CLOSED?! That was our favorite LA restaurant name! (We've never eaten there, though.)

Los Angeles:
Inn of the Seventh Ray, in Topanga Canyon. Delectable upscale organic food in a setting that smells like the woods. Actual frogs croaking. Tom says it out-Blue-Bayous Blue Bayou. The breakfast buffet is amazing, try the vegan duck!

Akbar, in Pasadena. The best Indian naan I've had, and also some excellent coconut eggplant.

Geisha House, in Hollywood. Sushi is excellent, atmosphere is even better. Come earlier in the evening before the velvet rope goes up.

Miceli's, in Hollywood. Best. Caprese. Ever. Love the opera-singing waiters.

Porto's Bakery, in Glendale. A cuban establishment offering a delightful array of wee mousse cakes and other delightful sweets. Back when I ate of the meat, their potato balls stuffed with spiced meat was a favorite of mine.

Figaro, in Los Feliz. Organic French cuisine. A fondant chocolate cake that Audra fondly refers to as "easy-bake oven for grownups" and our friend Matt calls "sex cake."

Santa Barbara:

Bouchon. Wine-country fare with no vegetarian items on the menu. They take vegetarians' preferences in flavor and food, and they create something that is completely unique for you. Our stuff always looks even prettier (and tastier) than the carnivores' menu items do (and they're not shabby either.)

Soujourner Cafe. Excellent vegetarian fare and a mean iced mocha.

Natural Cafe. Air atmosphere, tasty guac, and a carrot shake (like carrot cake through a straw) to die for.

Ann Arbor, Michigan:

Zingermann's. The best deli west of Manhattan. Excellent array of fine cheeses, meats, and olive oils. A whitefish salad that is so mellow you could go into a coma. Wickedly clever sandwich names (like Frank's French Kiss, which is a tongue sandwich.) Their bakery might be making our wedding cake.

The Gandy Dancer. Built in an old railway station, this is some of the finest of cuisine in the midwest.

Seva. My first foray into vegetarian restaurants. Tastiest sweet potato pommes fritas anywhere.

Orlando:
Victoria and Albert's. This is the best meal I've eaten. Ever. Worth the expense for a once-in-a-lifetime culinary experience.

Cape May Cafe. If you're starving after your plane flight, they offer delightful comfort clambake/fish fry fare. I prefer their oreo truffles over Boma zebra domes. (Gasp.)

And Boma. That's a no-brainer. Three kinds of hummus at one restaurant outside of Los Angeles? Count me in.

(edited to add Figaro.)

NA's post just made me think... what was the name of the kushiage joint we ate at in Tokyo? That's a must-do...

I wish I had taken a picture of the restaurant sign like I did so many others. We'll have to ask Carl. That place was INCREDIBLE!

Actually, everything we ate in Tokyo was pretty amazing.

In Oregon:
Buster's Texas Style Barbecue (bbq) my boys were in heaven
Toki Teriyaki (korean)
King Tin (chinese)
BJ's or McMenamins (brewery and great food)
Los Deux Amigo's (mexican) husbands fav

In Seattle friends took us to
a wonderful Irish pub
a couple breakfast places down by the harbor
and a place I think called Z(X?)enia

When we drove through Sacramento I picked up a brochure for a place called The Melting Pot (fondue)
We finally tried the one in Seattle and it was a swanky experience with our friends. They are in Portland and many areas and now I need to save my money and go again!!

Taco Bell
Burger King
McDonalds
Del Taco
Jack in the Box
Carls Jr
Wendys

Yes! The best place for a quick meal (we have taken some to the cemetary screenings before, too.)

We have that, too, and I've never been.

But I have been to the Matterhorn Restaurant in San Francisco! It was a long time ago, though, so I don't remember if it was really good or not. Their bar did seem to a be a yuppie after-work hangout.

Oh yeah! McMenamins rocks! Best onion rings ever.

Oooh... is this the place a few blocks down from the Kodak? I did go to an italian place, from the kodak, walked a few blocks... saw stars... little opening, had been there for years... had a Monroe connection?
I loved it... had no idea what it was called.

That is zee one! We should go sometime.

Oh man, if you like fondue you have to go!! Don't be afraid to ask the waiter what they recommend either. We had the most wonderful cheese fondue that wasn't on the menu. Oh my god I'm stilling thinking about it and want more!
I was going to do a rate the swank on it, but my descriptive writing skills have been too busy trying to whip my extended family into shape.

Have you ever had the sweet potato fries? A friend introduced us to that one and they were surprisingly delicious! The onion rings are the best though.

Ok, I thought of one that is non-chain related. The Micro Brewery place in the Colorado Belle in Laughlin, very good food.

The Boiler Room?

Oh yes, Love Miceli's. Mario Lanza used to sing in the balconey there. Fabulous spinach with garlic and tossed with pasta of your choice, please

I'll add one for Maine:

Ogunquit Lobster Pound - fantastic lobster, and don't forget the warm blueberry cobbler with ice cream.

Not a big fan of sweet potatoes in general. The onion rings, though, are amazing. Oooh! And the apple cider!

Yes, same place, although I believe the "Mo Better" part was added when they tried opening a second place on Melrose, which was financed by the Wayans Bros. who were huge fans of the original. Unfortunately, the Melrose location was short lived. It just wasn't the same and was substantially more expensive. It closed, leaving only the original location on Pico (which was far better). Sadly, the original burned down a few years ago and as far as I know, there aren't any plans to replace it. Why? I do not know but it is a cryin' shame, I tell ya.

Yep!!!