OT- Best Restaurant You Have Eaten At?
I have started eating eating (meaning not going to Applebees/Outback Steakhouse for dinner) in the past couple years with an older brother as a chef. Where are some of your favorite eateries (local or otherwise). Any suggestions for midwest cities?
Blue Tractor in A2 has awesome bbq. The Arena maybe a dive, but they have some great buffalo wings. Best meal I ever had was a Kobe steak, lobster sandwich at West End Grill.
If you ever find yourself in Charleston, SC head over to John's island and eat at JB's smoke shack. Best bbq buffet ever. It is a little hole in the wall place, but it is amazing.I'm sorry if you think Blue Tractor has good BBQ
I wouldn't think someone who's been to the south would praise the Blue Tractor's bbq.
Considering they are different types of BBQ. BT is memphis style and JB is Carolina style.
im pretty sure somebody from memphis wouldnt agree with you.....but it is better than smokehouse blues
I agree. However, BT focuses on tomato based sauces emphasized in memphis style BBQ. I prefer carolina style with vinegar and mustard.
"I prefer carolina style with vinegar and mustard."
That's not actually quite accruate, at least insofar as you are talking about South Carolina. The typical style in South Carolina depends on where you aree in the state. Vinegar style is most common in the low country, mustard style is most common in the midlands, and tomato based is most common in the upstate. There really isn't one type of "Carolina style" although the argument could be made that the most common style is the tomato based sauce used in the upstate since there are more people (and more restaurants) in the upstate.
Ethiopian Diamond, Chicago:
http://www.ethiopiandiamondcuisine.com/
It's among the best I've experienced in the last few months, anyway. There are two others similar to it nearby on Broadway.
I tried Demera on Broadway and found there were quite a few items on the menu that I liked. I also found that Ethiopian dining tends to provide you with a pungent aroma that will linger throughout the night. Good for concerts if you don't want anyone to stand in a five foot radius of your person.
I actually like Demera better than ED. Demera is probably one of the ones you call near to it on Broadway.
(They have a killer lunch special, if you don't want to commit to a full dinner)
Chicago:
Best all around, spend tons of money: Moto.
Best steakhouses: Gibson's, David Burke's Primehouse.
Best cheapish/mid-range Italian for Tourists: Rosebud's.
Schwa, by far. I ate at Charlie Trotters last week and it was good, but nowhere near the creativity and experience you get with Michael Carlson's food.
Best Sandwich-Pastoral (broadway/oakdale)
Best Mexican (other than Bayless)-Chalam Balam (broadway/briar?)
I'll make my way to the Ethiopian place this week.
When I lived in Chicago almost a decade ago Le Francias in Wheeling (suburb) was one of the top 5 french Resteraunts in the country. The Chef opened his own place down the road called Le-Ti-Ti-De Paris and although off the beaten food critic path I find the food no different at 20% the price.
I liked Schwa - it was incredibly good and had a very creative menu. My best meal, though, was at Spring.
Damn good. I think Zagat gave it a 26 or 27
Diver Scallops over Braised Oxtail...fantastic.
i think trotter's kitchen experience is amazing...
I have never been to CT's, so I cannot vouch for whatever the "kitchen table" is.
However, Moto invited my guest and I to tour the kitchen, play with the liquid nitrogen, and enjoy a complimentary (small) bottle of wine.
They had me at complimentary wine.
It's a table (4 person) in the kictchen at Trotter's that you can eat at whilst enjoying the chef, sous, and the rest of the cooks whipping up yours and the rest of the restaurants meals. I'm assuming they have one at Moto as many upper-tier restaurants do.
My entire party and I (5 of us) got to tour the entire Bayless empire last summer. Mainly because we did the tasting menu at Topolo starting at 9:30pm and were the last patrons in there. The art in those restaurants is really fantastic.
We also saw the kitchens, offices, the backup set for Rick's TV show, wine cellar, pantry, and a still-under-construction XOCO.
Foodie food can be very expensive, but if you pick the right places you can really get an experience out of it. Be prepared to drop some significant $ on the fancier Chicago places, but you'll get your money's worth. Much better than going to a high class place trying to penny pinch.
Toppers pizza after bar close ha. Do you guys even have a toppers in AA?
Coach Insignia in Detroit is fantastic. You have to try their lobster corn dogs....unbelieveable!
The Signature Room in Chicago is a great experience as well. I recommend the lobster bisque.
The Signature Room is a little touristy, food is good but not on par with the foodie destinations. Way overpriced.
It's called Yoder's. You may have seen it featured on a recent episode of Man Vs. Food. It's a small family place that has a line out the door no matter what time of day.
Anyway, everything is homemade. The portions are insane and the pies are out of this world. Now I'm hungry.
There's an Amish place at Lancaster, PA called the Shady Maple Smorgasboard which is DELICIOUS. Went there a couple years ago...it's insane.
Any place with the word smorgasboard in it must be good, haha. Love the word, loved the food even more. It's a buffet.
...I can name any number of smorgasbords frequented by my grandparents in MN that are absolutely horrendous.
In brief:
4th generation scandanavian food must be viewed with suspicion.
Lime Jell-O casseroll - the taste of summer!
A quaint little place in Ann Arbor, MI called BTB.
Seriously, there is no beating one of their burritos when you're blacked out of your gourd.
+1 to that.
A chile relleno burrito and large horchata from Pancho Villa = excellence. Perhaps not the high class meal the OP was seeking, but damn good.
Churrascaria steakhouse
The one in northville? i forget the name...
Lawry's is fantastic, but I'm not sure that it's worth the money.
The first is a small chain in Texas and one or two in the surrounding states called Rudy's Country Store. They have some of the best meat I have ever had in my life. First thing we were asked when walked in was whetehr we'd been there before, and we got free samples to try so we'd know what we want to order. Got myself a massive potato stuffed with meat and IBC root beer on tap. If I am ever in Texas again, I will make very sure I go back to one.
Second is a place that I do not recall the name of in Guatemala. I was down there for two weeks last summer, and on the last night, we went to the local large eatery. For the equivelant of about $10, we got a dish with every kind of meat you can think of in it. Ribs, steak, chicken, sasuage, you name it. There was 10 or 11 kinds in all, and we had plenty of corn and other side dishes to go with it making for quite possibly the best meal I've ever had. Also, down there, they still make their pop with real sugar and put it in glass bottles, which added a great touch to it all.
They know how to make pizza in Guatemala too. No idea where it came from, since I didn't personally order it, but wherever it came from it was fantastic. Two nights in a row they seem to take pepperoni only as pepperoni and bell peppers for some reason, but as much as I normally dislike peppers, this pizza was so awesome I think I actually prefer it with, as it added quite a bit to the flavor to that paticular sauce.
Co-signed. Rudy's is the real deal. You can find them on the web at: www.rudysbbq.com.
I've eaten there a number of times. I've also mail ordered their "sause" (it's misspelled on the bottle) and the turkey rub. The rub makes the best poultry I've ever had.
All of their meats are terrific. The amazing thing is that Rudy's is just one of many outrageously good bbq joints in Texas, (particularly Hill Country).
But when I was about 14, my Dad, Brother, and I went to St. Louis to visit our Aunt and Uncle.We went to the Little Italy section of town and found this sandwich shop that had THE BEST fucking subs you've ever had in your life. It was amazing, and I wish I knew the name of the joint.
Funny story about that trip...My Uncle is a 4 star General in the Air Force so we were staying at his pad in the military base. (Scott's AFB, if I remember correctly) My Bro and I had some bud but were to paranoid to just blaze up, so we grabbed the keys our Dad's van and smoked it the fuck out. One problem though; We were so stoned that we locked the keys in the smoke-filled van. So we had to call some MP's to come and jimmy the window down to unlock it.
I'm positive they smelled the chronic, but I think they were to scared to say anything because of my Uncle's position. So they just kissed his ass on there way out, not literally, mind you. And that was that, off Scot-free.
I live in StL now, maybe I could figure this out.
First of all, our "little italy" is called "The Hill" (sort of in the south city area of StL).
Second, I'm thinking the sandwich shop is LeGrand's (http://www.legrandsmarket-catering.com/). If they named their sandwiches after people and things, then this is for sure the place.
If it is, I can vouch a second opinion in the "best sandwich I have ever eaten" category.
You are definitely a man who knows his shit. I'm bookmarking that damn site.
For the many Alums in Chicago, I would highly recommend Crisp. Its a Korean BBQ place and it is unreal.
Mine was a great meal. Buddy got food poisoning, though.
Yeah its on Broadway. What do you usually go with? I'm partial to the chicken or beef bowl or the wings.
I like the bowl with the fried egg best. That said, I don't eat there often. If I'm in the area I usually stop at Pastoral. Its expensive (especially if you like some prosecco or a 312 matilda with it) but worth every penny. It's no longer on the menu, but ask them to make you the Smokey Finocchi. It's bomb chrons. Huge selection of olives and Pickles too (the garlic being my favorite in small quantities).
Great chicken and a great deal. It's a shame it's closed on Mondays, I always have a craving after a weekend. Honestly, their buffalo sauce is among the best I've ever had, and it's a korean chicken joint.
I have had the privilege to live and eat in New Orleans for the past six years. In my honest opinion, the Big Easy has the best restaurants in the country. If you ever make it down to the “crescent city” here are three suggestions. Go to Dragos for the char-grilled oysters. Crazy Johnies for the bar-b-que shrimp (It is not what you think of when you think “bar-b-que”. The juices that the shrimp is in is incredible. I not only sopped up the juice with bread, but I also injected it right into my blood stream. Lastly, if you are looking for something a bit more “highbrow”, go to “Restaurant August” owned by world class chef John Besh. Restaurant August is where I had my best meal ever. I know with the moniker of “Spam and beans” it might seem like I shouldn't be listened to, but trust me, New Orleans is where it is at.
Laissez les Bon Temps Roulez
I lived in NOLA 1999-2001 and have been hungry ever since I left. The best part about NOLA is that the cheap food is every bit as good as the expensive food (and the expensive food isn't that expensive relative to NYC, CHI, DC, etc.). If I had one meal left, it would be the smoked soft shell crab at Clancy's.
There's something special about gulf coast seafood prepared in New Orleans that can't be recreated with seafood trucked in; similar to getting "pissers" in Ipswich, lobster in Maine, clams in Boston or crabs in Thailand...wait...scratch that last one. Or don't, it'll make it worse. And it's terribly sad that New Orleans may not be cooking with local seafood for quite some time.
When in New Orleans, call triple-A: August, Arnauds, Antoines. Awesome.
It's a steak house, pretty expensive, but it's damn good. Tons of kinds of meat served right after another until you can't eat anymore.
Also good in Cleveland is Melt. They have a ton of sandwiches, may I suggest the Breakfast Burger. I've heard some of the other stuff is really good too, and I have to admit that I loved the Breakfast Burger, but some of the other sandwiches looked even better.
Melt was just featured on Man v. Food. Adam successfully completed their absurd 14 cheese grilled cheese sandwich, fries & cole slaw. I'm heading back to AA from Western NY at the end of the week and am thinking about stopping by. Although I didn't see any oversized commemorative t-shirt or other branded gimcracks, and I need some kind of incentive for my food challenges.
They open at 11 and don't take reservations. So I'd recommend being ready to wait or getting there right when they open as they fill up really fast.
Yep, great restaurant. I was there last weekend and there was a 1.5 hour wait for a table and 45 minute wait to get the food once you order. They do have a full service bar though or you can just get carry out
I just saw an episode of Man vs. Food where he tried the 5 pound grilled cheese sandwich challenge - and he beat it.
Looked like a pretty neat place.