Best Restaurants You've Ever Been To

JSYK, It's BreNts, in Northridge. Another good deli in the valley is Art's.

 

Also, when you're here, go to Dan Tana's for the NY strip. It's an event!

Trust me and resist all the Arnie Morton's/Ruth's Chris/Palm chatter on this one!

Order the Beckerman Potatoes on the side (off the menu).

 

Went to Dan Tana's 4th of July weekend. They didn't honor our reservation and sat all their regulars in front of us. Man was my dad pissed! We have some great old time Italian in Chicago; Baccanalia, Gene & Georgetti's, La Scarola, etc.

 

Ouch! Sorry to bring that up, Did you stay?

 

Been there, done that... Great steak!

 

Its hard for me to say which is best ever, as I am not a huge foodie.

For example, the best thing I have ever had was the Lobster Risotto at the Inn on Biltmore Estate. The best service was at L'Auberge Chez Francois (http://www.laubergechezfrancois.com). Overall, my favorite restaurant is "219" in Alexandria, VA.

Not as fancy as many others here, but hey, I like 'em

-dsd

 

Yes, my brother didn't want us to embarrass him. Food was good, however I doubt we will go back.

 

Do you stay in the SF Valley when you come here?

 

We stay at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood. My brother lives in Whitley Heights, which is very close.

 

Gotcha...

 

gordon ramsays (original) london
benares in london
il moro in rome
la dama in barcelona
la sirenuse in positano
cipriani's in ny

 

Saul - Brooklyn, NY
The Village Pub - Woodside, CA
Chez Panisse - Berkeley, CA

 

In case you needed proof!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tedmills/430139559/

 

Mama Mexico in NYC was great, the best guacamole I've ever had, made fresh to order. Nobu was pretty good as well but the portions were way too small, typical for these high falutin joints! lol

 

Wow that looks excellent, I will be there in 6 weeks. I will miss the smell of Canters, all those gorgeous baked items by the front.

 

Personal faves: La Mer in the Halekulani Hotel in Hawaii, and Le Petit Bedon in Paris, France.

I'll never forget the night my wife and I were at Le Petit Bedon. We'd lost our passports, and this was around the time of the World Cup. If you recall, there was some unrest as there were elections in Algeria that were cancelled.

Depressed that we would never see the passports again, we decided to see if the Concierge could get us into Alain Ducasse. That wasn't going to happen, so I asked if he had a recommendation for a place the locals enjoy, which was Le Petit Bedon. Suffice to say, we were so overwhelmed by the friendliness, the atmosphere, and the food that we forgot our troubles for the night.

What became of our passports? I was told by a US Embassy employee that American passports were worth more than gold at the time...only to have him tell me that a woman working a kiosk by the Arc de Triomphe found them and held them for us! I offered her $50 for her kindness, which she didn't want to take, but I insisted.

Allez les Bleus!

 

In Los Angeles, maybe not the "best", but very good:

Japanese: Matsuhisa or Mr. Chow

Brazilian: Fogo de Chão (chain, but VERY good lamb chops)

Steak: Mastro's or Palm

Lobster: The Lobster

French: Mimosa or Cafe des Artistes

Italian(ish): Orso

Sushi: Too many to list, but I do like more creative sushi like Blowfish in WEHO or Roku.

New place to try: XIV or Gordon Ramsey at the London Hotel

 

Monty's serves a 22-24 oz tail that's pretty tough to beat.

 

Chanterelle - NYC

Bistro One Ninety Queen's Gate -London

 

My top 3 of all time:

1. Freddy Giradet in Lausane - he is dead now, but just the best meal period
2. Louis V - Hotel de Paris - Alain Ducasse.. wow... spectacular + great wine
3. Joel Robochon - Maison Las Vegas... was just there fantastic - great selection of Krug Champagne

My most favorite for any time

1. Le Taste Vin Paris - St. Louis en lile
2. Aria - Atlanta pretty good
3. Burns Steak house in Tampa.. wild wine cellar, great caviar, and Foie gras

 

Well ... I'm only 23, so I don't really eat at fancy restaurants yet, but here are three I have enjoyed:

Just a while ago I went to Chinois on Main in Santa Monica, CA.
Then back home in Vienna it would be the Steirereck (literally means Styrian corner).
The third I enjoyed was the Cantinetta Antinori in Florence, Italy.

Hmm ... if I only knew the names of the two good restaurants I went to in HK and London ... I never really payed attention to names back then.

 

Has anyone been to the Inn at Litte Washington?

 

If you're in columbus, not known for its cuisine, this is my favorite spot.

http://www.chefhandke.com/index.htm

Handke is one of only 48 Certified Master Chefs in the United States as designated by the American Culinary Federation. Only problem is, he just retired and promoted his former sous chef to take over. Have not been back since the switch over. Try the Duck.

Mike

 

I know Hartmut Handke...great guy... good tennis player.. he was in the culinary olympics several times.. and won a gold medal... Great Chef!

 

I would agree that Langer's is better than Canter's. But Carnegie in NYC beats them both.