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What are your Favorite Restaurants ??????????

cuban smokes

cuban smokes

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I like a couple small local spots. National chains I don't feel like mentioning as everyone already knows about them and they're all standard.
 
B T Longhorn Saloon and Steakhouse in Brenham, TX is one of the best I have been to lately. Some of the side portions are a bit skimpy but the entrees are very good and reasonably priced. Besides steak, burgers, chicken and seafood they have very good Cajun food as well. They also have an impressive looking bar but I have not used it.

I could not get the their menu link to work for me (browser issues?) but here is their "about" page:

BT Longhorn Steakhouse
 
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ttwtt78640 said:
B T Longhorn Saloon and Steakhouse in Brenham, TX is one of the best I have been to lately. Some of the side portions are a bit skimpy but the entrees are very good and reasonably priced. Besides steak, burgers, chicken and seafood they have very good Cajun food as well. They also have an impressive looking bar but I have not used it.

I could not get the their menu link to work for me (browser issues?) but here is their "about" page:

BT Longhorn Steakhouse
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I've got to admit the turf & surf looks great!


19ee98_d888890996074b46b16d000d71383868.webp
 
Not chains.

Chain restaurants suck, they cater to the people who love bland predictable boring food.

Give me a local place any day that serves interesting food, preferably Indian, or Arabic or Thai or Ethiopian or a good vegetarian place. Huge fan of Mexican food, considering where I live, but I am picky. Managed to find a fantastic Mexican place in Kauai a few weeks ago..they even had mole', which was great, but the shrimp fajitas were quite swell, and the grilled mahi mahi was also amazing.

But, if you ever see me in an Applebees or Cheesecake Factory or Olive Garden, you have my expressed permission to enter the place and put me out of my misery.
 
Chomsky said:
I've got to admit the turf & surf looks great!


19ee98_d888890996074b46b16d000d71383868.webp
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My favorite there so far has been the étouffée over dirty rice for about $10 as a lunch special and, for about a dollar and a half more, they add a blackened catfish fillet. I think that the étouffée and rice are better than the catfish so I save a buck fifty and get more of what I want. ;)
 
I've moved out of the US a long time ago so the restuarants I would pick won't even show up on a google search.

There's a nice all you can eat Korean place near my house and they have fresh food and BBQ for only $7- so that's one. The problem is I only eat there once a month lest I get fat.
 
beefheart said:
Not chains.

Chain restaurants suck, they cater to the people who love bland predictable boring food.

Give me a local place any day that serves interesting food, preferably Indian, or Arabic or Thai or Ethiopian or a good vegetarian place. Huge fan of Mexican food, considering where I live, but I am picky. Managed to find a fantastic Mexican place in Kauai a few weeks ago..they even had mole', which was great, but the shrimp fajitas were quite swell, and the grilled mahi mahi was also amazing.

But, if you ever see me in an Applebees or Cheesecake Factory or Olive Garden, you have my expressed permission to enter the place and put me out of my misery.
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I hear you regarding chain restaurants. My exception is White Castle. I know, I know. White Castle is my junk food chain weakness. When I am in Chicago I'm going to have lunch at White Castle before I head back to the desert.

My fav Indian is Flavors of India on 16th Street.

Persian Garden on W. Thomas is very good. I've eaten there often for years and years.

The only Ethiopian restaurant that I know is in Tempe. I can't think of the name of it. It is pretty good.

My mostest favoritest Mexican restaurant (and I have many favorites) was in Nogales (Arizona side). I can't remember the name of it. It was a hole in the wall, nondescript dump. Sweet Jesus, was their food ever good! They are no longer open. Years ago they were closed down for multiple health hazards. :shock:

Over the years I have eaten without caution all over Mexico: dicey street vendors; taco stands; back alley joints and have never had any issues. Once in Puerto Vallarta I went to a sports bar at the Marriott to watch a televised fight, had a salad and got Montezuma's Revenge the next day. I thought I was going to have to fly home in diapers. But in Nogales the authorities close down a great Mexican place! Life is unfair.
 
Risky Thicket said:
I hear you regarding chain restaurants. My exception is White Castle. I know, I know. White Castle is my junk food chain weakness. When I am in Chicago I'm going to have lunch at White Castle before I head back to the desert.

My fav Indian is Flavors of India on 16th Street.

Persian Garden on W. Thomas is very good. I've eaten there often for years and years.

The only Ethiopian restaurant that I know is in Tempe. I can't think of the name of it. It is pretty good.

My mostest favoritest Mexican restaurant (and I have many favorites) was in Nogales (Arizona side). I can't remember the name of it. It was a hole in the wall, nondescript dump. Sweet Jesus, was their food ever good! They are no longer open. Years ago they were closed down for multiple health hazards. :shock:

Over the years I have eaten without caution all over Mexico: dicey street vendors; taco stands; back alley joints and have never had any issues. Once in Puerto Vallarta I went to a sports bar at the Marriott to watch a televised fight, had a salad and got Montezuma's Revenge the next day. I thought I was going to have to fly home in diapers. But in Nogales the authorities close down a great Mexican place! Life is unfair.
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Cafe Laliabella is in Tempe, there is a good one on Camelback and 3rd street, or around there, Abyssinian something, they do an amazing coffee service, they roast the beans in front of you and serve a killer brew along with a hot charcoal and incense. For Indian, the best in town is The Dhaba in Tempe..amazing good. There is a good Mexican seafood place on McDowell and 19th street, San Carlos Bay. Almost as good as the food in Rocky Point.

If you like sliders, there is a Chicago style place on Indian School and 37th, Chicago Hamburger Company, I like it because they have turkey burgers...I don't eat beef...
 
ttwtt78640 said:
My favorite there so far has been the étouffée over dirty rice for about $10 as a lunch special and, for about a dollar and a half more, they add a blackened catfish fillet. I think that the étouffée and rice are better than the catfish so I save a buck fifty and get more of what I want. ;)
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Yeah, the prices look great. I was going to comment on the excellent value of some southern food.
 
cuban smokes said:
what are your favorite restaurants?

I have many but a few are located in my home state, Louisiana ............ below are some of my faves .............

tell us about your favorites !!!



Parrains Seafood - Home


Seafood Restaurant | Westwego, LA | Mosca?s Restaurant


Herby K'''s


Superior Grill - Shreveport :: Fabulous Mexican Dining
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In London i loved the Pont de la Tour, where I usually went with visiting friends and The Ivy that I regulared. The Romanella I did three or four times a week in Frankfurt. It wasn't the best in town but cosy and good. Here I like Chippy, a fish, chips and mushy peas place, Ramon's that does Spanish and Maruja with an Oh Whow seafront view and marvelous chipriones or grilled veggies.
 
Chomsky said:
Yeah, the prices look great. I was going to comment on the excellent value of some southern food.
Click to expand...

Another, a bit closer to home and less expensive, favorite of mine is the Dixie Grill in Seguin. TX. It's less fancy/formal (to the extent that your food may be served on a tray lined with brown paper) but the food is very good. They sell T-shirts that say "Legalize Pot Roast" and have some weird art slide shows on multiple TV screens around the perimeter of the dining area.

Dixie Grille - Menu - Lunch & Dinner

Photos - Dixie Grille
 
ttwtt78640 said:
Another, a bit closer to home and less expensive, favorite of mine is the Dixie Grill in Seguin. TX. It's less fancy/formal (to the extent that your food may be served on a tray lined with brown paper) but the food is very good. They sell T-shirts that say "Legalize Pot Roast" and have some weird art slide shows on multiple TV screens around the perimeter of the dining area.

Dixie Grille - Menu - Lunch & Dinner

Photos - Dixie Grille
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I wouldn't hesitate to eat at any of those places, and wish I had something like that near me.

Much of the so-called southern food here is themed restaurants, aimed at northerners - usually hipsters - as an "experience". And it's priced accordingly. It's even getting hard to find a legit northern style dive diner, much less a southern one!

Occasionally a transplanted Southerner, or more often their kids, will open a joint up. But they always shoot for the young hip crowds in the hip neighborhoods, and cater their food and experience to that crowd. Definitely not my thing.
 
Chomsky said:
I wouldn't hesitate to eat at any of those places, and wish I had something like that near me.

Much of the so-called southern food here is themed restaurants, aimed at northerners - usually hipsters - as an "experience". And it's priced accordingly. It's even getting hard to find a legit northern style dive diner, much less a southern one!

Occasionally a transplanted Southerner, or more often their kids, will open a joint up. But they always shoot for the young hip crowds in the hip neighborhoods, and cater their food and experience to that crowd. Definitely not my thing.
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Yep, when I lived near DC there were few Tex-Mex places. One opened up called Ray's Ranch House in Hyattsville, MD run by a guy from Vermont (???), when I asked for salsa for my breakfast plate he gave me a blank stare and eventually asked why I made such a strange request. I knew immediately that he had never been to Texas or Mexico but after I explained the tradition he did start stocking salsa, both green and red (verde y roja) from that point on but stopped serving breakfast fair. I think it did fairly well for such a tiny place simply by trying to fill a void. Yep, just found that it still exists...

https://www.facebook.com/RaysRanchHouseMD/
 
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ttwtt78640 said:
Yep, when I lived near DC there were few Tex-Mex places. One opened up called Ray's Ranch House in Hyattsville, MD run by a guy from Vermont (???), when I asked for salsa for my breakfast plate he gave me a blank stare and eventually asked why I made such a strange request. I knew immediately that he had never been to Texas or Mexico but after I explained the tradition he did start stocking salsa, both green and red (verde y roja) from that point on but stopped serving breakfast fair. I think it did fairly well for such a tiny place simply by trying to fill a void. Yep, just found that it still exists...

https://www.facebook.com/RaysRanchHouseMD/
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I think this goes to show that if you want authentic regional cuisine, go to the region! :2razz:
 
Chomsky said:
I think this goes to show that if you want authentic regional cuisine, go to the region! :2razz:
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Yep, I wasn't born in Texas (but my mother was in 1919) but I got here as soon as I could. ;)

There are also plenty of good German restaurants around this part of the state. One thing that I have yet to find in the US is a Guamanian (Chamorro) restaurant - the closest have been Philipino and Korean places which I guess will have to do since there is considerable crossover.
 
Chomsky said:
Yeah, the prices look great. I was going to comment on the excellent value of some southern food.
Click to expand...

I have to agree. Southern food seems to have more spice or zest and affordable. I really miss the seafood from the Louisiana/Texas gulf coast. I miss the chicken fried steak that seemed awesome everywhere along with fried chicken, and barbeque.
 
ttwtt78640 said:
Yep, when I lived near DC there were few Tex-Mex places. One opened up called Ray's Ranch House in Hyattsville, MD run by a guy from Vermont (???), when I asked for salsa for my breakfast plate he gave me a blank stare and eventually asked why I made such a strange request. I knew immediately that he had never been to Texas or Mexico but after I explained the tradition he did start stocking salsa, both green and red (verde y roja) from that point on but stopped serving breakfast fair. I think it did fairly well for such a tiny place simply by trying to fill a void. Yep, just found that it still exists...

https://www.facebook.com/RaysRanchHouseMD/
Click to expand...

I cannot find decent Mexican or Tex-Mex anywhere in PA. You are right. You have to go to the area. I miss the cheap and plentiful Tex-Mex of Texas and the SW.
 
In Houston I really liked Goode Co. Barbeque. I had my first barbeque brisket sandwich there when I was a child. That was before all the hype and the addition of the hamburger and seafood restaurants. Last time I ate there several years ago it was still good food. The original on Kirby dr.
 
PIPEWRENCH said:
I cannot find decent Mexican or Tex-Mex anywhere in PA. You are right. You have to go to the area. I miss the cheap and plentiful Tex-Mex of Texas and the SW.
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Yep, you can't beat a tasty and belly stretching meal for that price. Everything is bigger in Texas except the prices. ;)

Guy Clark song perfomed By George Strait and his Ace In The Hole Band:



I'll toss this in for free. ;)

 
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justabubba said:
good call on Parkers BBQ


suspect you were around to try Lang Van on shamrock (near eastway) in charlotte. my wife's favorite
great lemongrass-curry chicken (not her favorite - too hot)
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Lang Van rings a bell but I'm not sure. I like Thai food.
 
Just a couple of places....

http://www.blueoceansushi.com/us/home/WELCOME.html
Bayern Stube Restaurant : Fine German Cuisine : Gibson City, IL : (217) 784-3804
https://www.charliegittos.com/
Dressel's Public House | Farm-to-Table & Craft Beer
V.Picasso Restaurant
http://www.blackdogsmoke.com/

Sooooo.....Sushi, traditional German, Italian on the Hill in St Louis, Farm to table pub fare, Rustic Italian (Great Cioppino! ), and a smokehouse.

Sounds silly but I go to Bayern Stube almost solely for the Spaetzle and the Beer. I really miss having Spaetzle every other week, I miss Grandma more :(
 
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