Best Restaurants You've Ever Been To

I have eaten at many fine establishments all over the United States. For the absolute most remarkable seafood there is no place like Jake's Famous Crawfish in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. They've been around over 100 years and are unparalleled for freshness and flavor.

 

Las Brisas in Chappell Hill, Texas. I have been around the world and it is up there.

 

Captain Jim's Seafood in North Miami, FL, is easily the best seafood I've ever eaten. It started out as a fish market, and soon after a small restaurant was added on. The fish is fresh off the boat, and dirt cheap (as in $15 for a huge piece of ahi tuna with sides). You can get anything prepared anyway you want it. Whole fish, filet's, broiled, blackened, fried. It's a plastic silverware and paper towel roll on the table type place, no stuffiness whatsoever. There's been a line out the door every time i've been.

Try the crab bisque, fried conch, blackened grouper, diver scallops and fresh lime.....the list goes on and on.

 

I have not been to many outrageous restaurants, so this post is about the best food I have ever had. When my dad was still serving in the Navy up in Maine, they had this cottage that families could rent out for the weekend in Prospect Harbor. It was right at the tip of a small cape on the ocean. If I find one, I will include a picture. Anyways, we were cruising around town, just checking out the area, when we noticed this fishing boat unloading their catch. We had not seen any restaurants worth going to, so we decided to purchase a couple 1.5 pound lobsters. So we get back to the cottage, and we start up a pot of boiling water. Once the water was boiling, we plopped the two lobsters in, and waited until they got to that signature crispy red to pull them out. We did buy three lobsters, but one had died on the journey back to the cottage. We took the lobsters out, and separated the meat from the rest of the body. Once my dad turned his back, I sneaked a small little morsel of a claw. Living in Maine for seven years, I had had lobster countless times in countless ways; lobster rolls, lobster salad, lobster spaghetti. But man, this lobster was amazing. The way it melted in my mouth, the way it tingled just the right taste buds blew me away. Not once did I wish that something as impure as butter that usually masked the slight bitterness of common lobster touch one molecule of this masterpiece.
The best restaurant i have been to would have to be Trattatoria Amalfi in Salem, NH.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Fat Duck (Bray UK)- agreed. Pure theatrical and culinary genius - the most memorable meal ever.
L'Atalier du Joel Robuchon (London)- Beautiful cooking, lovely people beneath the French arrogant exterior - so good I went twice in a week and ate the whole "tapas" menu.
Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester (London) has the best Sommelier in the world and the food's very high class, even if the customers aren't!
Le Manoir du Quait Saisons (Oxford) - Raymond Blanc's magical setting for a meal cooked with real skill and an appreciation of the importance of quality ingredients plus staff that are not remotely pretentious in 2* restaurant.

Most disappointing: Maze. Gordon Ramsay's 1* offshoot. The bill aspired to a greatness that the food never achieved.

 

Correct about Northern Michigan. My vote is for Lasserre in Paris. Has anybody used Karmafoundations concierge service? Is it as good as the Black Card?

 

Boca Raton: Basil Garden for homemade porcini filled ravioli
Coral Gables: Caffe Abbracci for shrimp and porcini risotto
Denver: Blue Bonnet for Mexican
Phoenix: Garcia's for Mexican
Paris: La Famiglia for their pasta dishes
Washington D.C.: Burrito Brothers
Georgetown: Filomena's
Chihuahua: my finance's kitchen for the most incredible homemade tamales

and the baked potato soup at any Houston's restaurant.

 

Sea Blue
MGM Grand, Las Vegas

 

Commander's Palace....smack dab (sorta) in the middle of the Who Dat Nation!

 

Primehouse Steakhouse......NYC

 

Best for me was Milo's in Montreal. Mulan De Mujan, in Nice France. Le Grill in Hotel De Paris. Mastro's in Beverly Hills.

 

Just ate at Bartolotta @ the Wynn in Veags. One of my parent's favorites. I hadn't tried it, but it kicked butt. great food, even better service!

 

Most my finest dining experiences lately have been in San Francisco. Quince is one of the best if not the best for the food and the restuarant I enjoy the most when I go there. Michael Mina and the Lobster Pot Pie are a pretty close second there as well. Local to me I find by far the best restuarant and the closest to real service possible in Santa Barbara is the Stonehouse in the San Ysidro Ranch.

Jeff

 

The wife and I just hit Botero and Le Cirque in Vegas. Both are fantastic. Bone in filet with chimichirri sauce, and a RIDICULOUS black truffle risotto the next night.

 

My top 3 favorite restaurants would be as follows:

La Cambusa, Positano, Italy
NOBU, Las Vegas and NYC
Del Posto, NYC

 

Recommendations sought.

Going to be in London and Paris at the end of May. Where should I eat that represents the best experiences possible (preferably somewhere somewhat romantic) that I can get a reservation for with just over a month's notice...

thanks!

 

la tour d'argent and taillevent fit that bill the last time i was in paris, admittedly quite some time ago.

 

Any recommendations for restaurants in Sicily (anywhere in Sicily)? I will be going with a marine buddy of mine who has never been on a vacation in his life, so I want to make sure we eat like kings.

 

Alain Ducasse @The Dorchester and The Fat Duck (Maidenhead) were excellent when I was there in March.

 

If you want romantic, I'd suggest Le Cinq at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris. This photo is a repost, but you'll get the idea. Great food, stunningly beautiful space, top staff, etc.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

i enjoyed the oxo tower restaurant, mainly for the view, it was amazing, you can see the whole of london

 

Big into fine dining, go somewhere upscale at least twice a week for business discussions or celebrations.

Dallas: Nick and Sam's.

Best steakhouse in Dallas, have tried most of them except for Three Forks, if you're in Dallas don't waste your time just go straight to Nick / Sam's.

Recommendations: Any of their Kobe Steaks / Potatos Au Gratin / Creamed Corn (ask them to go heavy on the corn) / Cheesecake

Lawry's in Dallas is the best Prime Rib if you're in the mood for Prime Rib. Their Spinning Salad / Creamed Corn / Spinach / Coconut Bananna Pie were my favorites.

Other then that, Ruth Chris in Ft. Worth makes an amazing Creme Brulee, never been to any of their other locations to confirm the consistency.

 

Reminds me of The French Room in Dallas.

pic from thetoprestaurant.com
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Jekyll's Kitchen in Chagrin Falls, Ohio - http://www.jekyllskitchen.com/

--Grant

 

Hi Grant!



I have been to:

The View-Minneapolis, Minnesota
D'amico & Sons-Golden Valley, Minnesota
Newsroom-Los Angeles, California


All I can think of.