<p>I think at the high end Las Vegas is amazing now. I can’t wait to go back.</p>
<p>Philadelphia, Chicago and New York. You’ve got to be kidding about Las Vegas - even at the high end. Sure there are some good restaurants there but mostly set up by restauranteurs/chefs in other cities who want to capitalize on their names.</p>
<p>The inevitable San Francisco vote here. And, way beyond what you’d expect for its size - Portland, Maine. Top “ranked” restaurants (this is CC, after all) and a very large number of quality bistro and ethnic restaurants. Gaps in Mexican and minimal # of Chinese though.</p>
<p>Have to reluctantly agree with barrons on Las Vegas. I used to go there annually for a conference. Watched the food scene morph from dismal to optimal over the years. Some of them may just want to “capitalize”, but if I’m there I get to eat the good food.</p>
<p>I have to admit- I don’t really enjoy high end restaurants- not if it means worrying about spilling something on my dress and having a ton of silverwear to wade through! ( not to mention a different wine with each course)
I truly enjoy more casual ethnic restaurants- indian/thai/east african/vietnamese… not only is it more fun- but you don’t feel guilty about what you paid for the theatre tickets before dinner
I also like some of the seafood restaurants in Seattle- -
Portland Oregon also has some amazing places- I still have to eat at Genoa though-
I think most places where you have access to fresh & quality ingredients and where people value good company and good food and the time to enjoy both you will have good restaurants.
BTW speaking of SlowFood
Angelo Pelligrini’s book the Unprejudiced Palate was republished this spring
buy it!
<a href=“http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0547/051123_food_awards.php[/url]”>http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0547/051123_food_awards.php</a></p>
<p>Used to be Pittsburgh. Now a lot of the old standbys are gone. Johnny Garno’s, Cranberry Hall, Pappan’s, Brendan’s…rest in peace. Tic Toc is still around as are Rico’s, Monterrey Bay, Shakespeare’s, Atria’s (now with more locations) and Le Mont. Other than those we are left with chains like Bravo, Olive Garden, Bob Evans, etc.</p>
<p>Columbus seems to have the most chains, so if you want variety I’d go there. Also can’t go wrong with WDW in Orlando since they have Victoria & Albert’s.</p>
<p>It used to be New Orleans.</p>
<p>I couldn’t bear to say it, cangel. We Tulanians have a link to “what’s open” in various categories. Last time I looked, there were 333 restaurants open, but of my personal favorites only a very, very small percentage. Will report in after our January trip.</p>
<p>What I like about LV is you can sample some of the best from most of the major cities in the US plus several other countries in about a two mile radius. The competition is very keen so standards are high and they can buy the best of everything in bulk. The paper had an article how LV had bought up vast amounts of the best wines in the world.</p>
<p>I was very happy with our restaurant choices when we were in Las Vegas for a business trip a few months ago. Prices were also high, though.</p>
<p>My vote would be for Portland, OR. There’s a lot going on with “local food” (ingredients grown/harvested locally in cooperation with the restaurants), prices are reasonable, and it’s still possible to get a table without reserving months in advance. Not pretentious. The local wines (Oregon wines) are lovely as well, and also reasonably priced. </p>
<p>I may be getting a special view of Portland, though, because a close friend is “in the food business” there and so knows all the best up-and-coming places.</p>
<p>Yeah, but does LV have the Peruvian restaurants we have here in SF? My new favorite food.</p>
<p>It has got to be Houston, TX…we love to eat and we are the fattest city in US.</p>
<p>I agree with Barrons. In the food world, the arrival of Joel Robuchon at the MGM Grand is huge news. I dined at L’Atelier earlier this month (the bistro side). Guy Savoy was to open at Caesars Palace in the spring but I read it’s been postponed until summer.</p>
<p>Well, based on my own life experience, it’s definitely NOT Los Angeles. </p>
<p>SIGH.</p>
<p>Jmmom. they are trying, but it will be awhile. On a brighter note, the zoo reopened this weekend.</p>
<p>Reading threads like these remind me of how much I miss living in a city with great restaurants! When I lived in Seattle some of my favorites were:
Ray’s Boathouse
Palomino
El Gaucho
Metropolitan Grill
Salty’s (but mainly for the view 
)</p>
<p>and then there were a ton of asian restaurants (Thai, Korean, teriyaki, etc) where the people who owned them were actually from the country whose cuisine they were offering…not like some other cities which will go unmentioned ;)</p>
<p>Rays is still great- we live close and have gone there for special occasions- like my H’s 50th birthday last spring.
I told them in advance and we had a fantastic table- food was stellar too.</p>
<p>Ballard is apparently the new Belltown- don’t know how I feel about that- but while some restaurants have closed since we moved in- others including a great India Bistro and Sofrito Rico ( puerto rican) have opened up</p>
<p>also Cascadia, Rover’s, Lampreia, Oceanaire, Earth & Ocean, Campagne, etc.
I really like Rovers- but although my husband likes to listen to Thierry on Tom Douglas ( Dahlia Lounge…) radio show- he doesn’t really like French-
I blame his mother-he was raised on Scandinavian food-</p>
<p>NYC. Period. End of conversation. IMHO</p>
<p>but how is their parking?</p>
<p>Who drives a car in Manhattan?</p>
<p>Met. Grill, very over rated IMHO. Have eaten there twice, and was under-whelmed each time.</p>
<p>I have to agree that LV is quickly rising to the top.</p>