Favorite Restaurants

Parent Cafe
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<p>Spinning off from jmmom’s thread where she mentions that CC might soon take over for Zagat, since we’ve already replaced Fodor’s in travel recommendations…</p>

<p>What are some of your favorite restaurants around the world and why?</p>

<p>Here are mine - I tried to think of 10, but had to add a few that I feel like I just can’t leave off - there are so many more - but I want to hear what others enjoy
:
Philly:</p>

<p>Morimoto - Japanese (because I love their fresh Sushi, interesting drinks and the cool decor)</p>

<p>CinCin - which is Chinese/French fusion (it’s in my neighborhood so I go for take-out often, the food isn’t smothered in useless sauce that hides the flavor, flavorful dishes - best crab cakes)</p>

<p>Tangerine - Moroccan (amazing atmosphere, love this place for meeting friends for drinks/dinner, interesting entrees and AMAZING desserts)</p>

<p>Alma de Cuba- Cuban (this used to be my fav Vietnamese restaurant until it was converted to a Cuban spot, which is now my new favorite on Walnut Street - romantic feeling with lots of candles - love the sea urchin appetizer and the Chilean sea bass entree, even if it is non-PC to order)</p>

<p>Washington, DC:</p>

<p>Sequoia - Seafood (awesome terrace seating - good seafood - best place to watch the fireworks on 4th of July -I once had dinner alone here and the owner came out and sat with me - very cool guy - my favorite summer spot in DC because of the terrace view and because I love Georgetown)</p>

<p>Los Angeles/Santa Monica:</p>

<p>Ciudad - Mexican/Caribbean (I always order the Peruvian Ceviche (again, Sea Bass) and tapas)</p>

<p>Melisse’ - (French - and darn close to the real Parisian experience except that the waiters can understand my questions and ANSWER them - nothing like when I took a dare to order something unknown off the menu at Bowfinger in Paris and out came a pigeon :eek: sitting on a bed of sauerkraut and pork - so I appreciate English speaking waiters)</p>

<p>Whist, at the Viceroy Hotel- English - another outdoor favorite w/poolside dining and great seafood. This spot is great for times when you need to close a deal and the conversation is proprietary because the al fresco tables are under private cabanas. </p>

<p>Laguna Beach:</p>

<p>Las Brisas- Mexican - ANOTHER outdoor favorite (see a theme here?) - breathtaking views as it sits on the cliff overlooking Laguna Beach, which is accessible via a stairs from the restaurant. </p>

<p>NYC:</p>

<p>SOB - Latin dancing - (ok, so I go here for music and drinks more than food, but that counts too!!)</p>

<p>Daniel - Another place I enjoy breaking the “Sea Bass” rule. Sorry :frowning: </p>

<p>Paris:
Le Brunch de Crillon - because the kids can go and sample and because it’s one of two buffet brunches that I’ve ever enjoyed (this one and the one at Hotel du Pont in Delaware)</p>

<p>Angelina’s - Simply for the Mont Blanc!! (and the Salmon)……</p>

<p>Complaint about Parisian restaurants : Smokers and people sitting too close together and I always get the feeling that those sitting next to me are eavesdropping on my conversation - maybe because they are looking right at me every time I look over and smiling when I say things to my companion that would prompt a smile. :confused: Hmmmmm. This is great when I’m interested in meeting people and chatting cross-tables……but sometimes I’m not. </p>

<p>Caribbean:</p>

<p>Rhumblines on St. John - Pac Rim and VERY spicy - Man, I love spicy food but this place pushes me to the limit. The food is YUMMY though…and the atmosphere is very tropical with rope swings the bar and torches everywhere - another outdoor favorite. It’s also really causal, which is all I want in the land of sun and sea.</p>

<p>Dottie’s Front Porch on St. Thomas - I just like this place for owner, Dottie….a one-woman show……she’s the hostess, waitress, chef and bottle washer…and bartender. There are about 8 tables……get there early or you’ll wait as this place is popular……and yes, it’s outdoors, but has a roof - no walls. </p>

<p>Athens:
Milos - Seafood - uhhh…yes…another outdoor al fresco thing. But, the food is really awesome. I wasn’t impressed with the dining scene in Greece. But, this one is a star…IMHO. Maybe it was the terrace. Who knows?</p>

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<p>Damn, you’ve made my mouth water. How about thoses three tiered seafood platters at Bofinger that must weigh 50 pounds but the waiters carry them up the stairs balanced on one hand? Now where am I supposed to find one of those in LA? I didn’t know about brunch at the Crillon, but it’s now on my list. I’ll add my favorites after I eat!</p>

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<p>York</p>

<p>Masa - Wonerful Japanese resteraunt… I’ve eaten Japanese food in Philly, NYC, and Miami… and none of it compared with what we had at Masa…</p>

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<p>kirmum, can’t say I saw those…I must have been too busy trying to convince my H to trade his seafood pasta for my pigeon - which he eventually agreed to after much teasing and snickering - and a promise that I would cancel the reservation at La Tour for which I still avoid the coincierge :(</p>

<p>What are your favorites?</p>

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<p>I’ve been to many superb ones in France and Italy – as well as the U.S. One that doesn’t fall on many lists but that I would recommend strongly is “La Cappanina di Sante” in Florence.</p>

<p>Piazza Ravenna, next to Ponte da Verrazzano (Gavinana)
Tel. 055 68 83 45, closed on Sunday. </p>

<p>It is just slightly off the beaten path, a few pontes from the highest concentration of places, located just across but also along the Arno. Not cheap anymore. When we first went there about 15 years ago, four of us spent about $100, and this included a many course dinner and (um) 4 bottles of a Sicilian wine (Corvo), as we dined in a covered area outdoors on a summer day for about 3 hours. Now this restaurant gets on lists as “expensive” (40 Euros+ per person, it’s likely to be more than twice as expensive in dollars today as it was when we first went there).</p>

<p>It has fabulous seafood – “fish” is too narrow a label. We discovered this place on the recommendation of a Fiorentino whom we met on the bus between Heathrow and Gatwick. Langostinos, steamed octopus, a local “perch-like” fish called gronchi (sp), and many many more specialties.</p>

<p>Here are a couple of links.</p>

<p><a href=“Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands”>Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands;

<p><a href=“http://www.travelvantage.com/flo_res1.html[/url]”>http://www.travelvantage.com/flo_res1.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>there’s another place in York that I really like… i believe it was called Harp & Fiddle… I"m not sure if it’s a chain or not, but it was an Irish Pub downtown… just recently opened… if you are ever in the area i’d definately reccomend checking it out… <a href=“http://theharpandfiddle.com/[/url]”>http://theharpandfiddle.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Well you didn’t miss much at Tour D’Argent. I was shocked when I finally got there. Boyfriend was so proud to have scored the reservation. We laughed all the way home that night. They pretty much just had duck. Really mediocre duck! We had better foie gras at noname bistros!</p>

<p>My favorites (this could take all day…)</p>

<p>In LA: Big Mama’s Rib Shack where I had a fun dinner with the girls last night, the ivy, Valentino for great Italian, Spago for that smoked salmon pizza, Nishimura for the best sushi, The Palm for business meals.</p>

<p>In NY: Daniel for the most sublime everything, Jean Georges a close second, Nobu, Churrascaria Platforma for the best Rodozio outside of Brazil, Coco Pazzo for incredible Italian.</p>

<p>In SF: My very favorite restaurant, French Laundry in wine country, Yank Sing for the world’s best dim sum, Aqua for amazing seafood, Masa’s, one of the prettiest diningrooms anywhere with wonderful food, Bocadillos for great Tapas, Gary Danko for the ultimate in CA cuisine.</p>

<p>In London: The ivu, The Wolseley, St. John.</p>

<p>In Paris: L’Espadon, Taillevent, Cafe Marley. Asian, Cinq at the George V, and any bistro in the Best Bistros book by Hamberger! </p>

<p>Unfortunately, duty calls, but more later.</p>

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<p>My H agreed with you about La Tour, as he had been there before. I was looking forward to the view - he called me a “tourist”, which is the biggest insult one can lay on me. At least you understand why I’m avoiding the concierge after asking him to cancel the res that he made on only 24 hrs notice. - all for the pigeon!</p>

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<p>Paris:</p>

<p>Brasserie Stella: best steak tartare in the world (but sit outside/smokers partout.) Best waiters. Total neighborhood hangout.</p>

<p>Le Pre Catalan: plus elegant tu meurs</p>

<p>Berthillion: go to the source for incredible sorbet</p>

<p>Angelina: SECONDED hot chocolate & people watching. Dress!</p>

<p>L’Orangerie: subtle elegance & tradition, beautiful location on Ile St Louis.</p>

<p>La Guirlande de Julie (?sp) casual place on Place des Vosges, most beautiful square in Paris</p>

<p>Finzi: chic italian near the Musee Jaquemart Andree</p>

<p>Le Bourdonnais: just delicious; great for lunch</p>

<p>Le Cherche Midi: great small fashionista cafe/ pasta is superb</p>

<p>Les Bains Douches: eat at midnight, then DANCE</p>

<p>I could go on and on and on…</p>

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<p>I found the Place des Vosges purely by accident one night and couldn’t believe I had not known it was there all those years! I like all of the restaurants I’ve eaten at there. Oh, those romantic summer nights. I’m sure I fell in love in that square!</p>

<p>Where is Angelina, how have I missed another find?</p>

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<p>And please do go on and on, I’m taking notes!</p>

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<p>The Tour d’Argent was still quite fine when we first went there in 1976 (and still had 3 stars). Of course, you know their specialite, and you hope to have a good and in our case romantic meal. For reasons that were not obvious, we got a perfect table where we could look out toward Notre Dame as the sun was setting. The next time we went there, however, some years later, the restaurant had lost some lustre and, not coincidentally, also a star. There are many many more interesting places to dine in Paris, in a wide variety of styles and cuisines.</p>

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<p>Angelina is a wonderful Salon de The on the Rue de Rivoli not too far from the Louvre (between Louvre & Concorde). It is a very traditional place with gilt & high cielings. The “Mont Blanc” was invented there (chesnut puree confection favored by the Aga Khan.)</p>

<p>Crowd is old ladies in Hermes scarves, young groovies in Hermes scarves, & a few little kids having chocolat chaud. </p>

<p>If you like Place Des Vosges, there is an excellent hotel there “Pavillion de la Reine” that was literally the queens palace several hundred years ago…tucked away behind a discrete doorway. Sooooo wonderful.</p>

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<p>I know the Rue de Rivoli well, it has one of my favorite hotels and an American bookstore. I like the first. There is a small bistro just down the Street from the Ritz, Ardoise, that I believe has the world’s best foie gras. An ex sous chef from Tour D’Argent. Main dishes are just passable but the desserts are wonderful, too. Have you tried the Souffle restaurant also in that neighborhood? One of our favorites for lunch. There are so many wonderful hotels in Paris, but I will certainly check out Pavillion de la Reine. I could just eat my way through the market on market days into the restaurants!</p>

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<p>I have a business trip to San Juan soon. Anyone know restaurants there?</p>

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<p>Three years ago, we won a raffle at the Art Institute of Chicago, which gave us 2 round trip business class tickets to Paris, plus 3 nights in the George V. Of course it wasn’t really “free” because we owed tax on the prize, and we added another week “on our own” (but at a little *** hotel in the 16th Arrondisement that we’ve stayed at a few times).</p>

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<p>Kirmum, yes on the San Juan recommendation. Do you like Cuban? If so, there is a VERY authentic Cuban restaurant in San Juan…almost just across from the El San Juan - “Metropole”. It’s not fancy…just a nice, authentic spot with great food and decent prices. Puerto Rico isn’t exactly bustling with great eateries. My only other San Juan recommendation is the “Caribbean French Toast” served at the ESJ’s restaurant (I forget the name of the restaurant - but it sits on the side of the hotel facing the beach and has a terrace over the pool area(there I go again with the terrace thing). Anyway, the Caribbean French Toast is to die for. The best eateries in PR are the roadside shacks…IMHO.</p>

<p>Also, Angelina’s is either right next door to or a few stores away from a store that has tons of Limoges in the big picture window. If you shop for Limoges you’ll know what I mean…and it’s an easy stroll from the Louvre. SBMOM perhaps you and I have both visited in a winter month, which has lured us to Angelina’s for hot chocolate. It doesn’t have the same feel in Spring/Summer, at which time everyone is headed for the al fresco options. </p>

<p>There’s a restaurant that I really enjoyed in Paris that I can’t remember the name of. Maybe someone here can help me identify it. The theme was dogs. There were dog paintings everywhere, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the name was related to dogs.</p>

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<p>I don’t know much about Cuban food so you’ll have to tell me what to order. Roadside food, you’re speaking my language now. What type of food? I’m seeing Jamica jerk stands in my daydream. Do you like the El San Juan hotel? Worth staying at for the french toast. I was looking on trip advisor today, there’s a Ritz Carlton and a Wyndam that sounded nice and an older hotel in the old town, can’t remember name. Suggestions?</p>

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<p>I had the best meal of my life in Rome. I don’t remember the exact name of the restaurant, but it was on the right hand side of the Piazza behind the Jesuit church in the city. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it was the best food I have ever tasted.</p>

<p>In LA (home town) I enjoy Mastro’s Steakhouse, Spago and Iroha.</p>

<p>In NYC (future college town) I enjoyed Steak Frites in the village along with Dojo.</p>

<p>On Maui: It is a must to go to Joe’s Bar and Grill in Wailea and the Halliemaile (pronounced Hi-Li-E-My-Le) Grill in upcounty and Sarento’s on the Beach in Kihei. Those restaurants are my favorites on the island.</p>

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<p>David Paul’s on Maui is excellent</p>