Landmark local dining establishments

[Piranha]

OK guys, I thought it would be interesting to have everyone post their personal favorite local dining spots and the link to their website if any. I travel often on business and also for pleasure at times, though increasingly more rare. It seems that I spend a great deal of my time seeking recommendations or looking for a nice place to eat when I am away from home. Here are a few of my personal favorites in the greater LA area.

If any of you guys are ever out here in LA, I would highly recommend tyring out Canter's Deli on Fairfax. I am sure Allan S and Nick would both agree about this nostalgic LA eaterie. One of my clients and I went there for lunch today. No need for dinner after eating lunch at Canter's.

Another killer place for lunch is Pink's. Granted it's not in Chicago, but they do have some excellent dogs. Jerry's Deli is another one of my favorite places for lunch. An old favorite for a nice relaxing dinner before a play at the Music Center, Laker game, or concert would be the Pacific Dining Car.

Allan S. has previously mentioned both Philippe's and Musso & Frank, and I would highly recommend them as well.

What are some of your favorites? Enquiring minds want to know.

[mandi]

Well, if you are ever in Springdale, AR and just want someone to fix you a light lunch visit Dimes Meat Mkt.. Now if you want a good ole down home big home cooked lunch and it happens to be a Thurs or Fri., you MUST go to the sale barn near the rodio grounds.

Now, you probably need to find your nearest sale barn and see if they serve lunch. If they do and you have never been, you may want to give them a visit.

[picky]

MILLER'S BAR in Dearborn, Michigan just scored 8th nation-wide on GQ Magazine's best bar burger list.

I agree that they are mighty good, but there's really nothing remarkable about them....they're just good. But, 8th in the nation????

I personally prefer the "Flying Leprechaun Burger" at Dunleavey's Irish Pub (used to be Maury's Bar years ago) in Allen Park. It's got your bacon and cheese that is made with cheddar and horseradish! Now, THAT'S a remarkable burger!!!

There's also the "Speedboat Burger" at The Speedboat Bar on the Detroit River in Wyandotte, Michigan. It's topped with bacon and gorgonzolla cheese. Awesome!! They also have the best no-bean chili in town.

[kev313]

If anyone ever gets to the North Side of Chicago (Rogers Park), I'd recommend http://www.heartlandcafe.com/hc_index.htm

[PAR69]

Well, here in Atlanta there are several excellent restuaraunts and you don't have to dip into the "next-pair-o'Klipsch" savings account to dine there.

Burger and bar food: The Vortex

http://www.thevortexbarandgrill.com/TheVortex/index.htm

(check out the photos of the Little 5 Points location - great people watching)

BBQ - Williamson Brothers in Marietta - my favorite BBQ restuaraunt in GA.

http://yp.bellsouth.com/sites/williamsonbros/page2.html

if your hungry get the All you can eat special (not on the menu)for about $8.

"EATS" - you have your choice Pasta (6 noodles and 6 sauces) or Jerk Chicken

http://atlanta.citysearch.com/profile/2998967/atlanta_ga/eats.html?specialty_id=65

This place is great and you can eat a huge meal for less than $7

Mexican/Tex-Mex: Nuevo Laredo Cantina

http://www.nuevolaredocantina.com/home.php

try the chicken mole

great thread by the way!

[greg928gts]

If you ever find yourself in Winslow Maine (ha ha), check out Big G's where you'll find huge portions and everything homemade. Each slice of bread is 10" x 10" x 1". (They sell 1/2 sandwhiches too.)

You should see their whoopie pies (that may be a local term, if so, they're sweet round chocolate cakes top and bottom sandwhiching even sweeter frosting filling. About as big around as the woofer on a KSB 3.1 and as sweet as SET/Khorns.)

Greg

[skonopa]

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On 6/23/2005 8:45:18 PM greg928s4 wrote:

You should see their whoopie pies (that may be a local term, if so, they're sweet round chocolate cakes top and bottom sandwhiching even sweeter frosting filling. About as big around as the woofer on a KSB 3.1 and as sweet as SET/Khorns.)

Greg

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They call those "moon pies" around here.

Anyway, here in Fredericksburg we got:

For a quick burger and diner type food, check out the 2400 Diner on Caroline Street.

Also, another place for excellent burgers is Five Guys Burgers & Fries. You guys on the west coast can keep your In-n-Out burgers.

After dinner, want to go get some ice cream? Carl's, also right there on Caroline Street is about as landmark as it gets around here.

For Mexican, I love Azatlan on Rt 3, near the mall.

For a pizzeria/italian type food, Brother's Pizza & Subs, also on Rt 3 is my favorite place (I love those meatball subs they got there, plus that lasagnia is just friggan awesome! And, or course, the pizza!)

For chili and wings, there is The Hard Times bar and grill. The one near the river on Rt 1 is the best one.

Unfortuantly, where I work is so friggan far out in the boonies that there is really no decent place to get lunch, besides a couple of fast-food joints. There were a couple decent mom-n-pop places, but it seems the good ones end up closing up all the time. Net because business is bad, but because the people running it gets tire of it anc closes up shop.

And of course, we got all the usual chains. I'll admit that I do love the chicken fetuccini at the The Olive Gardan, as well as the spicy-garlic wings at Buffalo Wild Wings, and those "traditional" subs at Quiznos, and the triple-cheese burgers at Fudruckers. Damn, making me hungry - may have to take a drive over to Carl's and get an ice cream cone.

[lynnm]

If you ever find yourself hungry and in Windsor Ontario,and have a hankering for some REALLY EXCEPTIONAL fish and chips visit Sir Cedric's Fish and Chips on University Avenue or at the mall at Huron Church Line and Tecumseh Rd.... If you are in Detroit Michigan...It's worth a trip over the border (The mall location is take-out only but the Fish and Chips are as good).

Order the Halibut and Fries dinner.Trust me a Fish and Chips dinner DOES NOT get better than this anywhere!

A few years back my wife and I were in Windsor and I overheard a waitress chatting with another customer. He asked How long has this place been going? She replied I don't know exactly but it was here when I was a kid...So probably since about 1970 or so..I guess.

I piped up that I had been coming to that restaurant for over 50 years!

My first memory of that restaurant dates to ca.1950,( I was 6 or 7 at the time of my first visit). At that time it was called Edward's Fish and Chips and was primarily a take-out along the lines of British take-away shops. For a dollar a serving you got 2 pieces of deep fried battered Cod and a generous helping of fries wrapped in newspaper...The same dinner was available with Halibut for $1.50 or $1.75)

Later the restaurant became Steve and Eddie's but the quality remained the same.After that it became Sir Cedric's.

If you do go... Order the Halibut and Fries.The Cod is very good but the Halibut is as exquisite as ever...I know this because I no longer live anywhere near Windsor and visit Sir Cedric's perhaps every 10 years.I was in Windsor last month due to my mother-in-law's passing away and my wife and I went to Sir Cedric's partly for lunch but also partly in homage to her mom who so loved the Fish and Chips from "Edward's."

Like so many who had endured the great depression she had great reluctance to spend an exra few dollars to treat herself and therefore she rarely if ever went there unless we took her..She always insisted on paying the bill even though we were in a far better financial situation. We let her pay only because she needed that rare opportunity to feel like she was a parent in charge.

I have only once ever had Halibut and Chips that came close. That was in downtown Victoria BC and even then my wife merely nodded when I said: "This is lovely--It's almost as good as Steve and Eddie's!!" and she said Almost but not quite!

[jheis]

If you're in the general SF Bay Area, a couple of "of the beaten track" favorites.

Mexican: Las Palmas Taco Bar. 55 Front Street, Santa Cruz. Just off the boardwalk. Best EVER chilli verde burritos. No rice, no beans, just chunks of pork stewed in a green chilli sauce. Buy three, they're small.

Italian: Buca Giovani. 800 Greenwhich St, San Francisco. Downstairs in a brick lined basement in North Beach. Tuscan specialties; venison, rabbit, killer veal piccata.

Spanish/Peruvian: Alejandro's S.G. (sociedad gastronomica) 1840 Clement Street, San Francisco. This is the hangout for the South American crowd in SF. Try the trout wrapped in Serrano ham (or anything else).

James

[merkin]

Jim's Ribs Rock Island Ill. All the blues artist from Chicago eat there when they come to town. No alcohol sales. Get carry out of baby backs and get a cold twelve pack to wash them down.

[ben.]

I have lunch about 6 times a month at OneEyedJack's in Lockport, NY. It's a two minute drive from work, at the corners of Rts 78 & 93. The staff is fantastic. My off-the-menu special is a Memphis Catfish Sandwich. Cornmeal-breaded cat, with a mustard-vinegar sauce and slaw as a sandwich. I add their hot BBQ sauce. I'm working on the owner to add it as a regular item, and a couple guys in the back have tried & liked it as well. I don't know if I can get him to name it after, me, but we'll see...

I've been a regular since they were out in the sticks in a little tiny place. I'd stop in, as I was delivering appliances for my store at the time. Since they've moved in to a more high-traffic area, they do over a ton of meat a week. Literally. Anyway, the pulled pork and beef brisket are the staples, but they do great smoked chicken and turkey breast, too. A BBQ spaghetti is a nice twist (with pulled pork and smoked sausage in the sauce). Their baked beans are the best I've ever had, and the slaw is the only slaw I'll take more than a few bites of. They do whole turkeys for holidays, and we've had them a few times since they started doing that.

That's my seat on the corner.

[ben.]

Damn! I forgot about the smoked chicken wings! Not a classic deep-fried wing, but excellent in their own right. If you want them traditionally hot, though, you need to ask for straight Frank's, as they mix in the liquid margarine like everyone else up here for their "hot". The guys in the kitchen and the girls up front that matter are with me on this one...

[kev313]

Hey Merkin, thanks for that one! I have to get out to court in Rock Island about once a month, and I never know where to eat. Nice little city!

[DrWho]

Well the website sucks but this is by far the BEST TRUCKSTOP in the country...located in Morris, IL just off I-80 on Route 47.

http://www.rplaceromines.com/r_place/restuarant.htm

ok I know, truckstop puts a certain picture in your head, but R-Place seriously has the best food ever. My girlfriend and I drive a good 40 minutes (one-way) about every other weekend to dine there. The food is really cheap and you get a lot of it and everything there tastes amazing. It has a homey feel to the place and all the servers are very friendly. Heck, the main seater lady always tries to remember names and will greet you when you return.

They also have a huge 4 pound buger that is free if you finish it off in 30 minutes (that's 4 pounds of beef plus tons of toppings). I know of a few trucker dudes that swing an hour out of their way to eat there and they'll finish the whole thing! yep, talk about some really big boys

[Royster]

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On 6/24/2005 7:20:51 AM kev313 wrote:

Hey Merkin, thanks for that one! I have to get out to court in Rock Island about once a month, and I never know where to eat. Nice little city!

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Being from Chiaco there too many to name. But my favorite is:

New Rebozo on Madison street in Oak park. Amazing central American Mexican food.

[nicholtl]

Well, Tom already mentioned a few great local joints - Canter's, Jerry's Deli, and Pink's Hotdogs (get ready for a HUGE line). I'd also throw in Mel's Diner, The Pantry, and Pink Dots.

I got a couple recommendations that you guys might want to take your wives or girlfriends to for that "special occassion." These are some of my favorite fine dining restaurants that ooze so much class, your significant other will have no other choice but to show you some loving afterwards:

Grace Restaurant. http://www.gracerestaurant.com/ Set amidst a chocolate and coffee color-scheme, the freshly cut flowers, modern decorations, and flattering hue of lighting will instantly calm your nerves and settle you into what I promise will be one of the finest meals of your life. Their menu changes constantly, but they have THE BEST crab cakes and duck breast. Oh, be sure to try their "morning after pastries" dessert. It's to die for.

Citrine. http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/37736120/?brand=smx_restaurant-nc Their newest executive chef came from the famed restaurant Bastide, and he would put chef Gordon Ramsey to shame. They have the finest Colorado rack of lamb I've ever tasted, and every Tuesday and Thursday for $10, they have an unlimited wine pouring from their EXTENSIVE wines-by-the-glass list. Also, they have the tastiest diver scallop appetizer ever created.

Matsuhisa. http://www.nobumatsuhisa.com/flash/home.html Besides the melt-in-your-mouth sushi and exotic creations that I pretty much gaurantee will make your eyes bigger than your stomach, world-reknowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa's (who also owns Nobu Malibu) dim, romantically inviting restaurant is a great place to spot anyone from Brad Pitt to Carrie-Ann Moss. The place is probably THE most famous sushi joint in LA. Do not leave without trying the Kobe steak dish, or one of their many fruit-infused dessert sakes. Personally, I get all 3 flavors (they change according to season) and just get RIPPED.

Vibrato Jazz Grill. http://www.vibratogrilljazz.com/experience/welcome.php This will be a favorite not just among any jazz lovers (Tom, Allan...), but probably all you Klipschheads too. The entire restaurant revolves around a VERY large stage, spotlights and all, where nightly, quartets or quintets play live jazz good and loud. Often times, many of them are actual recorded musicians. But don't let the loud music fool you. Everyone is dressed to the nines in this Cold Water Canyon house of power, with a hot singles scene at the bar and an even cooler balcony/opera type seating up top. Did I mention that the pork porterhouse is absolutely delicious? They also have the widest selection of scotches and bourbons I've ever seen at a restaurant. Ask for a Macallan 18 neat, or a Bookers on the rocks, and you'll get that, AND a slap on the a$$. Truly a jazz lovers wet-dream.

[kev313]

Oh, REAL places to eat?

Alinea.

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/dining/mmx-14753_lgcy.story (link to story about the chef)

Tru.

http://www.trurestaurant.com/

and, of course, there is always...

http://www.charlietrotters.com/index.asp (book 3 months in advance for weekends!)

enjoy!

[kev313]

As far as dogs go, the legendary Demon Dogs is now gone, but those in the know preferGene and Judes

[kev313]

And if you find yourself in the Andersonville neighborhood, do stop at:

http://www.hopleaf.com/

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/barsandclubs/28802,0,2270235.venue

http://centerstage.net/bars/hopleaf.html

...but skip the food!

[BobbyT]

If your ever in Louisville

Genny's Diner

Cliftons Pizza

Mike Linnings seafood

Lynn's Paradise Cafe

Bootleg barbeque