Three Best Restaurants in Your Home Town/County.

What are the three best restaurants in your local town/county/city. These are your choices and not what others say. With each restaurant please list a signature dish which captures the spirit of the restaurant.

I am from Montreal in Quebec, Canada and here are my top three choices in no particular order (I love meat so these choices reflect that):

Joe Beef: A small up-scale restaurant which is quite pricey but which serves magnificent food and has an excellent ambiance. Signature dish is a filet of horse meat served with a Jenga tower of upscale french fries beautiful fiddle-heads (fern fronds) and an egg on top. The meal also comes with a mild habernaro and shrimp soup and a magnificent dessert of choice.

Le Pied de Cochon: A lovely restaurant serving hybrid French-Québécois cuisine in a warm and welcoming environment devoted to the love of dining, food and drink. Signature dish is a pig's head with a huge lobster erupting out of its mouth served on a huge platter and decorated with edible greens and decorations. The meal is four groups of 2 - 4 diners and is far too much food for one person to manage. Sides of pate de fois gras, deep-fried pork skin and other pork products accompany the meal. Very expensive but also transcendent ally good.

La Maison Publique: A strange but charming restaurant converted from an old bar and devoted to the celebration of eating the meats which no one wants to eat and which usually end up in hotdogs or meat fillers. The offal-based menu may seem revolting to the uninitiated but if you are not a vegetarian/vegan then I assure you that the food turns out to be magnificent every time. The sampling menu is the best way to go. A meal of 7 - 9 courses selected by the chef and based on what's available on any given day. Magnificent seafood and unconventional meat dishes accompanied by spectacular sides which while contaianing meat have much more to offer.

So, what's on offer in your neck of the woods?

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

Great idea for a thread Evilroddy. Happy to participate.

I live in southeast Michigan so I have from Detroit and its suburbs to Ann Arbor to pick from.

My three would be

Michael Simons ROAST which is in downtown Detroit in a fancy hotel. Terrific food from a master of modern cooking and a man who loves his animals as long as they are grilled to perfection. He even does a whole beast on most days so you may find a suckling pig or a goat or a small cow or something even more unusual. Great drinks also and the price is not cheap - but well worth it. Sometimes they have this honeyed dates that you can get for an appetizer that are better than a dessert. And if they are on the menu - get the deep fried crackling pig ears. They are to die for.

Roast

My next choice would be from my favorite ethnic food which is Japanese. On the edge of Ann Arbor is a place called YATSUBA on Hogback Road (which is one great name for a road) which has the best sushi in these parts and - amy more importantly - the most consistent. And the price is fair. We have celebrated many a family birthday there and they will do this big boats for you if your party is large enough. Too many newer Japanese restaurants have gone overboard on the 100 plus types of rolls filled with all manner of creams and pates and what not reducing the fish to a minor player. And that is NOT what Japanese food is suppose to be about. This place also has great Nabayekiu Udon and they give you crispy shrimp tempura on the side so it does not get soggy like so many other places when they serve it already swimming in the broth.

Yotsuba - Japanese Restaurant and Bar

My third choice would be a burger joint - and I think the best burger in this area is at KNIGHTS STEAKHOUSE in Ann Arbor. They are known for the quality and freshness of their meat and lots of the better restaurants in Ann Arbor but their meat from the butcher shop end of Knights. But go to the restaurant (avoid U of M football game days which are a zoo) and try their burger which comes several different ways or they will do a custom order for you with just about anything you want on it. And the bar takes pride in strong drinks... none of those fancy girlie looking things where you wonder if they put any liquor in it. Great place with lots of local history and feeling about it. Make sure you go to the original on Dexter - not the newer one downtown.

http://www.knightsrestaurants.com/ann-arbor/

In Tucson we are fortunate to have some fantastic dining options.

Vivace - Upscale Italian in a beautiful setting overlooking the city. This isn't a pasta and lasagna joint but, rather explores the cuisine of central and northern Italy. It's a little on the pricey side but not ostentatious or pretentious. You get what you pay for and every time I've eaten at this establishment I left feeling like I got a deal even if it cost in excess of $100/head.

Ghini's French Cafe - It's not big on ambiance but this little breakfast and lunch spot in a shopping center actually uses herbs and spices. Top quality ingredients and attention to detail make this a solid step or two above what you normally think of as a breakfast cafe. It doesn't hurt that a fantastic French bakery is attached.

Monkeyburger - It's a small burger joint in a town with tons of good burger joints. These guys, however, pull it off just right. The burgers are huge and juicy. There's a little creativity that goes on but not so much that it overwhelms you (for example, I don't need caviar on my burger or 200 choices of topping). It's reasonably priced and everything is done right. Don't miss the fried pickles.

Denny's
Applebees
Red Lobster

Evilroddy said:

What are the three best restaurants in your local town/county/city. These are your choices and not what others say. With each restaurant please list a signature dish which captures the spirit of the restaurant.

I am from Montreal in Quebec, Canada and here are my top three choices in no particular order (I love meat so these choices reflect that):

Joe Beef: A small up-scale restaurant which is quite pricey but which serves magnificent food and has an excellent ambiance. Signature dish is a filet of horse meat served with a Jenga tower of upscale french fries beautiful fiddle-heads (fern fronds) and an egg on top. The meal also comes with a mild habernaro and shrimp soup and a magnificent dessert of choice.

Le Pied de Cochon: A lovely restaurant serving hybrid French-Québécois cuisine in a warm and welcoming environment devoted to the love of dining, food and drink. Signature dish is a pig's head with a huge lobster erupting out of its mouth served on a huge platter and decorated with edible greens and decorations. The meal is four groups of 2 - 4 diners and is far too much food for one person to manage. Sides of pate de fois gras, deep-fried pork skin and other pork products accompany the meal. Very expensive but also transcendent ally good.

La Maison Publique: A strange but charming restaurant converted from an old bar and devoted to the celebration of eating the meats which no one wants to eat and which usually end up in hotdogs or meat fillers. The offal-based menu may seem revolting to the uninitiated but if you are not a vegetarian/vegan then I assure you that the food turns out to be magnificent every time. The sampling menu is the best way to go. A meal of 7 - 9 courses selected by the chef and based on what's available on any given day. Magnificent seafood and unconventional meat dishes accompanied by spectacular sides which while contaianing meat have much more to offer.

So, what's on offer in your neck of the woods?

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

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We are planning a road trip through Montreal for a few days and then going as far as Quebec City next spring or summer so these come in very handy. Who has the best breakfast in your area?

Taqueria La Jalicience: A real Mexican food place, kind of a dive, My son found years ago,
but they serve Lengua and barbacoa tacos, (beef tongue, and cheek meat)

La Hacienda Restaurant: A local Tex-Mex chain, that varies from store to store, the one near my work
is some of the best Tex-Mex I have ever had, (and I have had Plenty).

Angelo's Pizza & Pasta: Just good basic Italian food, with a good atmosphere.

PTF said:

Denny's
Applebees
Red Lobster

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You poor deprived soul!

longview said:

Taqueria La Jalicience: A real Mexican food place, kind of a dive, My son found years ago,
but they serve Lengua and barbacoa tacos, (beef tongue, and cheek meat)

La Hacienda Restaurant: A local Tex-Mex chain, that varies from store to store, the one near my work
is some of the best Tex-Mex I have ever had, (and I have had Plenty).

Angelo's Pizza & Pasta: Just good basic Italian food, with a good atmosphere.

Click to expand...

One of my fav, great pad thai
HAWKERS | Scratch-Asian Street Food | SHARE THE FARE

Love this place, good music, good food, great Sangria. Also...the ceviche is freaking out of this world
Home - Ceviche St. Petersburg

This is a ride across the bridge to Tampa but it's a great steak house. They have an amazing wine menu and they have a desert room with a book of deserts. Amazing place
https://www.bernssteakhouse.com/

Rexedgar said:

You poor deprived soul!

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There's a dinner called R&B which opened in June.
It's a "soul" food greasy spoon but who in their right mind wants to take the family to a place like that ???
Deprived ?
Where do you eat out ?
Red Robin ? lol.

PTF said:

There's a dinner called R&B which opened in June.
It's a "soul" food greasy spoon but who in their right mind wants to take the family to a place like that ???
Deprived ?
Where do you eat out ?
Red Robin ? lol.

Click to expand...

I can only guess what “soul and greasy spoon” have to do with your response. If you have a Denny’s, Applebee’s and a Red Lobster, you must live near a decent sized population center. You have to experiment a little. Those three chains do not expose you to much in the way of palate expansion. We reside in an area where you can get most any type of food. And yes we have a Red Robin, decent burger and an alcohol license, but I remember they were over priced. Expand your horizons...

haymarket said:

We are planning a road trip through Montreal for a few days and then going as far as Quebec City next spring or summer so these come in very handy. Who has the best breakfast in your area?

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Haymarket:

I would recommend the following places for breakfast in downtown Montreal:

Au Festine de Babette - French cuisine and lovely crepes. Perhaps the most homestyle choice.

Sparrows - Just really good breakfast fare.

Beauty's Luncheonette - Montreal food with a Jewish twist. A Montreal institution since 1942 IIRC.

Cosmo's: A right of passage for Montrealers. A tiny greasy-spoon with good food and a legend. The former owner "Cosmo" made the place special but he passed away and the part of the family which is not in jail runs the place. The food is not as good as the choices above but the street cred is off the charts! Cosmo was an institution and an absolute madman!

The best bagels in Montreal are to be had at St. Viateur Bakery on Rue St. Viateur, off Park Avenue (Avenue Parc) in the north part of Montreal. They are unbelievably good and can form the core of a breakfast picnic which can be enjoyed anywhere in the city.

If you want something more ethnic then there are some really good tea houses and Dim Sum places too.

For Quebec City I would recommend Paillard on Rue St. Jean for breakfast. It's a bakery and restraint. Also Le Billig also on Rue St. Jean is very good too. But the best choice, weather permitting is to go to any good bakery, put together a picnic breakfast and dine on one of the green spaces in this magnificent old city.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

Evilroddy said:

Haymarket:

I would recommend the following places for breakfast in downtown Montreal:

Au Festine de Babette - French cuisine and lovely crepes. Perhaps the most homes choice.

Sparrows - Just really good breakfast fare.

Beauty's Luncheonette - Montreal food with a Jewish twist. A Montreal institution since 1942 IIRC.

Cosmo's: A right of passage for Montrealers. A tiny greasy-spoon with good food and a legend. The former owner "Cosmo" made the place special but he passed away and the part of the family which is not in jail runs the place. The food is not as good as the choices above but the street cred is off the charts! Cosmo was an institution and an absolute madman!

The best bagels in Montreal are to be had at St. Viateur Bakery on Rue St. Viateur, off Park Avenue (Avenue Parc) in the north part of Montreal. They are unbelievably good and can form the core of a breakfast picnic which can be enjoyed anywhere in the city.

If you want something more ethnic then there are some really good tea houses and Dim Sum places too.

For Quebec City I would recommend Paillard on Rue St. Jean for breakfast. It's a bakery and restraint. Also Le Bilig is very good too. But the best choice, weather permitting is to go to any good bakery, put together a picnic breakfast and dine on one of the green spaces in this magnificent old city.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

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I cannot thank you enough Evilroddy.... this will be great. I am going to copy these and print it out and put it in our CANADA travel road trip folder.

They all sound wonderful!!!!!!

North Star Seafood Restaurant - One of those little places that all the locals know about and rarely share the knowledge of its existence with non-locals. The signature dish, for me anyway, is the London Broil. All the fish and shrimp and such are great as well, but the owners are Greek, and they marinate the London Broil overnight in their secret Greek marinade. If you ever get lost in my part of the country, and want a unique food feast, go by North Star and ask for the London Broil (medium rare) with baked potato and a side order of fried shrimp with all you can drink sweat tea.

Red Bridges Barbeque Lodge (locally known as just Bridges) - The picture of the two young folks on the web page are the grandkids that run the place now, with their dad still hanging out. This place is a gem in western NC because they serve what is considered eastern NC BBQ. What you order is pulled pork - either small or large plate or basket. Don't get the minced/chopped, just the pulled. If you order chopped they'll happily bring you some, but they'll know you ain't from around there. Bridges is about 20 minutes from my house, but we go there all the time. They catered my son's wedding rehearsal dinner a few months ago. Shelby, the town it's in, is also the hometown of the Official Livermush Festival in NC. There's lots of web pages about it, and it even has its own Facebook Page. If you've never had livermush, you gotta try some. Fried in a skillet then put on toast with some yellow mustard, and add a fried egg or two on the sandwich if it's breakfast time - which leads me to my last of the three...

The CDA Store in Gastonia - Another local secret, but even more secret than the first one above. This place, until recently, was in an old 1800's building with saggy wooden floors and lapboard siding inside and out. It looked plain ugly. However, if you wanted a melt in your mouth homestyle breakfast sandwich and an ice cold Nehi Grape or Orange, or even better a SunDrop or Cheerwine, this is the place to go. They didn't have big sign, and if you didn't know what it was, you'd drive right past and never think twice.

The city condemned the old building and made them tear it down. Admittedly, it didn't much to get it to fall over. The new place has the same folks, the same grills, the same drink coolers, and lots of pictures from the old place. I had my first "store bought" livermush sandwich there, way back when. My grandfather took me there, and his grandfather took him there, and so on. I've taken my sons there since they were old enough to hold the sandwich and eat it on their own. They got to go to the old store, where you got your brown bagged sandwich, went out the front door across the street to the dirt lot and ate with everyone else, from firemen, police, construction workers, linemen, landscapers, lawyers, doctors, and even a politician or two eating off the hoods of their cars or trucks and sharing gossip of the day.

Evilroddy said:

What are the three best restaurants in your local town/county/city. These are your choices and not what others say. With each restaurant please list a signature dish which captures the spirit of the restaurant.

I am from Montreal in Quebec, Canada and here are my top three choices in no particular order (I love meat so these choices reflect that):

Joe Beef: A small up-scale restaurant which is quite pricey but which serves magnificent food and has an excellent ambiance. Signature dish is a filet of horse meat served with a Jenga tower of upscale french fries beautiful fiddle-heads (fern fronds) and an egg on top. The meal also comes with a mild habernaro and shrimp soup and a magnificent dessert of choice.

Le Pied de Cochon: A lovely restaurant serving hybrid French-Québécois cuisine in a warm and welcoming environment devoted to the love of dining, food and drink. Signature dish is a pig's head with a huge lobster erupting out of its mouth served on a huge platter and decorated with edible greens and decorations. The meal is four groups of 2 - 4 diners and is far too much food for one person to manage. Sides of pate de fois gras, deep-fried pork skin and other pork products accompany the meal. Very expensive but also transcendent ally good.

La Maison Publique: A strange but charming restaurant converted from an old bar and devoted to the celebration of eating the meats which no one wants to eat and which usually end up in hotdogs or meat fillers. The offal-based menu may seem revolting to the uninitiated but if you are not a vegetarian/vegan then I assure you that the food turns out to be magnificent every time. The sampling menu is the best way to go. A meal of 7 - 9 courses selected by the chef and based on what's available on any given day. Magnificent seafood and unconventional meat dishes accompanied by spectacular sides which while contaianing meat have much more to offer.

So, what's on offer in your neck of the woods?

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

Click to expand...

We dig a pit and throw in meat and veg and cook it all day... what is a restaurant?

The Bear Cross. Not a restaurant, but a local pub with dining. No frills but good quality food well cooked. I was surprised to discover they're in the top twenty Bournemouth restaurants on Trip Advisor!

Chez Fred. "Fish and Chips" is the traditional British fast food cafe meal. Chez Fred take it a step above without going to the seafood restaurant extreme of Rick Stein's where it might be cordon bleu, but a main course gets you a portion of fish for $35 with vegetables extra!

Lola's in central Bournemouth is Spanish/tapas based, all fresh food, great service a little expensive but worth it.

Hard to say, lots of good restaurants around.


There's a really good El Bronco that stands head and shoulders above the others in the area, but there's also a couple of little taquerias I love for lunch.

The Colonial Fishcamp is a good place to eat, not fancy but good food and plenty of it.

We have a local burger joint we call the Red Barn that has about as good hamburgers, onion rings and fried mushrooms as any place around, though WayBackBurger is close.

Saffron is about the best for Indian food, which I love.

Uncle Poon's for chinese, Japan House for Japanese...

I have long not eaten in Olympia, and I no longer eat in Tacoma though Top of Tacoma is a great bar..so Seattle then:

Travolta Capital Hill by Ethan Stowell

Loulay by The Chef in the Hat

Blueacre


If you want a winebar go see Bruce formerly of Le Gourand over at Le Caviste

McDonalds - Very unassuming and not well known restaurant, even among locals, known for their Calamari and and Caviar Beef Burger platters.

Kentucky Fried Chicken - Locals simply call it, KFC, it has supplied artisan asian fusion style chicken to the community for decades and really stays true to its roots in Kentucky Province, China.

Taco Bell - Known for its authentic Brazilian/Filipino Burritos that are literally so good, you will **** your pants.

My three favorite local restaurants?

Hm--

Italian Cuisine, Italian Foods | Saint Simons Island, GA (have never tried their pizza, but their Italian is to die for)

Millhouse Steakhouse | More than a Steakhouse (favorites are their truffle mashed potatoes, and creme brulee cheesecake)

5 de Mayo Mexican Grill Brunswick GA | Authentic Mexican Grill (locally owned, small, non-assuming, but some of the best Mexican food I've had. My favorite? Their chili relleno. All other restaurants are compared to theirs.)

Evilroddy said:

What are the three best restaurants in your local town/county/city. These are your choices and not what others say. With each restaurant please list a signature dish which captures the spirit of the restaurant.

I am from Montreal in Quebec, Canada and here are my top three choices in no particular order (I love meat so these choices reflect that):

Joe Beef: A small up-scale restaurant which is quite pricey but which serves magnificent food and has an excellent ambiance. Signature dish is a filet of horse meat served with a Jenga tower of upscale french fries beautiful fiddle-heads (fern fronds) and an egg on top. The meal also comes with a mild habernaro and shrimp soup and a magnificent dessert of choice.

Le Pied de Cochon: A lovely restaurant serving hybrid French-Québécois cuisine in a warm and welcoming environment devoted to the love of dining, food and drink. Signature dish is a pig's head with a huge lobster erupting out of its mouth served on a huge platter and decorated with edible greens and decorations. The meal is four groups of 2 - 4 diners and is far too much food for one person to manage. Sides of pate de fois gras, deep-fried pork skin and other pork products accompany the meal. Very expensive but also transcendent ally good.

La Maison Publique: A strange but charming restaurant converted from an old bar and devoted to the celebration of eating the meats which no one wants to eat and which usually end up in hotdogs or meat fillers. The offal-based menu may seem revolting to the uninitiated but if you are not a vegetarian/vegan then I assure you that the food turns out to be magnificent every time. The sampling menu is the best way to go. A meal of 7 - 9 courses selected by the chef and based on what's available on any given day. Magnificent seafood and unconventional meat dishes accompanied by spectacular sides which while contaianing meat have much more to offer.

So, what's on offer in your neck of the woods?

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

Click to expand...

What?

What happened to Schwartz's and their Montreal Smoked meat sandwich on rye. My God, there is not ONE slice of rye bread west of the Rockies and the pickles suck. More, what they pass off as "smoked meat" is corned beef.

Meanwhile, you cannot experience Vancouver without at least lunch at Seasons in the Park in Queen Elizabeth Park. Reservations WILL be necessary, a week in advance on summer week ends. Valet parking and an "adventurous" menu from wild bird, pheasant American turkey; as well as cross culture dishes, European dishes with a hint of Asia.

Gentlemen will need a jacket evenings, but can forego a tie. It over looks all of downtown Vancouver and the North Shore Mountains and is the best plast to watch a sundown summers around 10:00 to 10:30 PM


Two, is the best Greek in the world, Maria's Taverna on W. 4th in Kistilano. They manage to serve up some sea food that is to die for, lobster tail in garlic butter that really does melt in your mouth. I love lamb when it is done right and these guys can do it right in everything from kabobs to a cutlets.

And three, well that's a matter of preference. The Golden Dragon on Victoria Dr. is not much to write home about, the decor is "early forget it" and it's cavernous dinning room does little for romance and intimacy. In fact there are only three or four tables for four, the rest are six and eight. The sea food is still swimming when you order it, and is brought to the table still alive for your approval, true to Mandarin tradition. They can make eel so soft and delicious you can't get enough.
Their Mandarin is top notch, but the Sezchwan is out of this world, IF your palate is conditioned to spicy food....not always hot spicy, but spicy nonetheless. I also have to advise that Chinese on the West Coast has very little in common with Chinese in the east, in fact I doubt you could order chow mien (American) at all.

The two finest ever restaurants are, alas gone now. The Only Seafood Grill on East Hastings in the heart of the slums was the best seafood place I have eaten at, anywhere including all along the Pacific Coast, Mexico and the Caribbean. Their Halilbut Cheeks were mouth weatering.

The other was Hombre's which should get honorable mention simply for it's address: 101 Blood Alley in Gastown. It was run by a Chinese woman and a varying kitchen staff, but they served true Mexican, not Texmex. It like so many other wonderful little holes-in-the-wall has been replaced with McDonald's and Sub shops.

Fearandloathing:

Schwartz's is somewhat over-rated in my opinion. Don't get me wrong. The smoked meat is very, very good, as are other items on the menu, but the the service is mediocre and it's too often like eating your meal in an overpacked cattle car. Just across the street was the Main Deli which served as good a smoked meat menu plus more with a much more enjoyable dining experience. A recent change of ownership has somewhat diminished the Main but its legacy lives on at Smoked Meat Pete's just off the western end of the island on Highway 20. That is where you will find the best smoked meat in or near Montreal. Pete is Peter Varvaro Jr., the son of the Peter Varvaro who opened the Main Deli in the early 1970's.

The only restaurant from your list which I ever ate at was Maria's Taverna, and it along with Athene's and Stepho's made Greek dining in Vancouver a delight. I did not have any of the seafood platters at Maria's but the Lamb was to die for. If I ever get back to Vancouver (my dad's hometown) I will try out your other two recommendations. Thanks for recommendations.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

Should you ever make your way through the Saint Paul, Minnesota;

Mancini's Char House: Be prepared to pay a bit, but if you love a good steak, this is the place for it.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaur...ancini_s_Char_House-Saint_Paul_Minnesota.html

Cossetta's: if you like Italian, this is just down the road from Mancini's, its been in business since 1911.

Hours & Location | Cossetta

Skinners Pub Like the name says, Skinners does basic pub food, but its done well, its inexpensive, and you get a lot of it.

http://skinnersmn.com/

Rexedgar said:

I can only guess what “soul and greasy spoon” have to do with your response. If you have a Denny’s, Applebee’s and a Red Lobster, you must live near a decent sized population center. You have to experiment a little. Those three chains do not expose you to much in the way of palate expansion. We reside in an area where you can get most any type of food. And yes we have a Red Robin, decent burger and an alcohol license, but I remember they were over priced. Expand your horizons...

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City has a few "palate expansions" but I'm not traveling fifty three miles for a "country buffet" style diner.

PTF said:

City has a few "palate expansions" but I'm not traveling fifty three miles for a "country buffet" style diner.

Click to expand...

Good chattin’......

PTF said:

Denny's
Applebees
Red Lobster

Click to expand...

This town was the subject of a Twilight Zone episode.