What is your favorite local Restaurant?

[AlCzervik]

Mine is Thai Basil, it's only a few miles away and i have never had a less than excellent meal there. When i have out of town visitors that have never had Thai food that's where i bring them.

http://www.thaibasilrestaurant.com/

[flvegan]

1. Trang Viet.

It's Vietnamese. Everything is fresh. Half the menu is vegetarian, and half of that is vegan. The owner, Mr. Trang, is also very supportive of the animal right/welfare community in Tampa, and an all around nice guy.

When in season, he has the best pomelo that he grows in his yard. Yum!

[AlCzervik]

2. i finally tried Vietnamese food this past summer, it was very good and fresh, next up

is the Afghani place that just opened.

[flvegan]

7. We have a few good Thai places here.

Unfortunately, most of the REALLY good restaurants here are steak or seafood places.

[TZ]

3. Roy's Place.

You could spend hours alone just reading the menu. Its a sandwich place but the menu is like 100 pages long and the different names of the sandwiches are hilarious!
http://www.roysplacerestaurant.com/

[HopeHoops]

6. Didn't they used to have something called a Bender Schmender?

I think that was the name of the restaurant. It was in Columbia, MD in, oh, 1980 or so. The Bender Schmender was about a foot high and cost something like $25 (which was expensive then). If you ate the entire thing alone, they would bring you another one for free. They claimed only one person had ever done it. Basically it was enough for about six people, seven layers of bread and all kinds of lunch meats, cheeses, and lettuce/onions/tomatoes/pickles, etc.

[TZ]

8. It's Schmender Bender

And they would play a drum and bang cymbols loudly when someone ordered it. Hilarious!
Didn't know there was ever one in Columbia though. The one in Gaithersburg is the only one I know about...

[HopeHoops]

29. It used to be on the East extremety - a victim of the "mow the Earth" developers I guess.

[seemunkee]

47. Anchoy, bacon, and chopped liver

Delicious, but no one wants to be around me afterwards.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

4. Lindburgers.

Local gormet burger chain in Palm Beach County. Still have yet to find a better burger.

Also I enjoy a BBQ joint called The Georgia Pig in Fort Lauderdale. The place is a true dumpy dive, and I don't want to even think about looking in their kitchen and what type of health code violations may or may not exist. But dammit, if they don't have the best pulled pork sandwiches available. Plus the place just smells great. That wonderful smoky barbecue smell just permeates the air when you get out of the car and walk into the place.

[TommyO]

5. Ben's Extreme BBQ in Bayville, NJ

http://www.exbbq.com/

The Garlic Bisque is to die for (and with heavy cream you know why). It's made with roasted garlic and it's incredible.

The last time I was there, Ben had just finished some pastrami that he has been experimenting with and was offering samples to everybody in the restaurant. It's not on the menu yet, but will be soon.

[Brewman_Jax]

24. Self-delete

[Arugula Latte]

9. A place in Portland (Ore.) called "Lucy's Table."

Everything is tasty, fresh and seasonal. The service is great and they are great about accommodating people with dietary issues, requests, preferences, etc.

[1gobluedem]

10. Right now it's Amadeus in Ann Arbor

Authentic European cuisine, wonderfully cooked: http://www.amadeusrestaurant.com/

Also, Red Hawk in Ann Arbor; their grilled lamb pita is the best: http://www.redhawkannarbor.com/index.php?page=main_page

[AlCzervik]

12. next time you go can you bring me back the Chocolate Gateau and White Chocolate Macadamia Bombe?

please?

[1gobluedem]

23. Certainly

I'm sure they both ship well. :hi:

[auntAgonist]

33. putting both of those on MY list to visit.

[Initech]

11. A Mexican place called "El Farolito"

It's great, its cheap, and the food is ALWAYS consistent. Whenever I get out of town visitors who've never had Mexican food I always bring them there. If its too crowded then my backup place is Pepe's - also fuckin' excellent Mexican food.

[AlCzervik]

13. we have a place like that here called Casa Gomez, it's nothing to look at but the food

is just awesome.

[no name no slogan]

14. Arby's.

It's right down the street. Every night is Arby's night.

[AlCzervik]

15. i used to like their bbq sauce.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

31. Look what I just found!

http://www.grouprecipes.com/38021/arbys-barbeque-sauce---copycat.html

[flvegan]

I miss Horsey Sauce.

Horsey Sauce could go on anything. They still have that there?

[no name no slogan]

27. I think so.

Truthfully, I haven't been there in a long time. We have a local little hole-in-the-wall place in ST. Paul that does roast beef sandwiches that is thousand times better than Arby's. It's called Maverick's and it reminds me of what Arby's was like in the 1970s-- including the fresh horseradish and potato cakes. Since they've opened I haven't been to Arby's.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

32. Here's a recipe

Maybe you can make your own?

http://www.grouprecipes.com/54687/secret-arbys-horsey-sauce.html

[flvegan]

35. Sweet! Thanks.

[Critters2]

20. LOL! nt

[ZombieHorde]

16. "have never had Thai food"

How many adults in this country have never had Thai food? Thai food is extremely popular.

[AlCzervik]

18. you'd be surprised, almost everone from back east that has come for a visit has never had it before.

[ogneopasno]

17. A bar/pub known pretty much only to locals here. The food is OK, but it's fun to go and see

people you know. Tap beer isn't too expensive, either.

[soleiri]

19. I can’t pick just one.

The others would be jealous.

Cinnamon Vegetarian Restaurant, Orean, Bright Star Thai Vegan, and Veggie Era are some of my favorites.

http://www.cinnamonvegetarian.com/
http://www.oreanshealthexpress.com/
http://www.veggie-era.com/main.html

I don’t have the website for Thai Vegan, I barely discovered it last week.

[av8rdave]

21. Baja

A little hole in the wall Mexican place with no atmosphere in a strip shopping center. The waiters no little or no English, but so what? The food is excellent, the service great, the prices reasonable and they make a killer margarita.

[MorningGlow]

22. Quite a few, actually

India House

The King and I (Thai, of course)

MacGregor's (mmmm bar food and burgers...)

Romeo's (Italian, of course)

I'm sure there are more, but those are the first that came to mind.

[geardaddy]

39. Are you in Minneapolis?

We have all those except the last one. lol

[MorningGlow]

40. No, Western NY

I guess there's a finite number of restaurant names! I do know that all the ones I listed are privately owned and local. Small world, small language!

[Brewman_Jax]

25. Mudcatz Bayou Bar and Grill

http://www.mudcatz.com/

Great menu and live bands most of the week in addition to Friday and Saturday. I have a personal bias because I really like the food and I know the owners. :D

P.S. most people don't get the name reference. :P

[Left Is Write]

26. 8th Street Wine Company, the Ram, a little walk-up place called The Hungry Onion (great malts!)...

Kahoots. Kahoots makes their own salad dressing, and I'd walk across hot coals for that salad dressing.

ETA Smoky Mountain pizza also. I like their lasagna and pizza margherita.

[Critters2]

28. There's a Mexican restaurant here that I like--Las Jardines.

Big veggie menu, good food, within walking distance of my house, friendly staff. It's where I take friends and family when they visit from out of town.

Interestingly, we have some local places I won't go to because they don't seem clean to me. There are two such places. I've had really bad experiences at them, and won't go again. I think the local/chain divide is overstated. There are chains I'll go to because they offer choices I can eat, and seem clean and well managed. There are local restaurants I won't go near because the menus are all meat-based entrees, they won't make changes requested by the customer, and they don't seem clean to me.

I try to judge a specific restaurant by that one restaurant--not by the larger category it fits into.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

30. Rice Paper, an upscale Asian fusion place in my Minneapolis neighborhood

The owner is Vietnamese but doesn't serve standard Vietnamese food.

[geardaddy]

36. That is good!

:hi:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

34. Thai Orchid...where I live. Love it. n/t

[Lydia Leftcoast]

38. In Portland?

I used to live near the Thai Orchid in Portland.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

73. This Thai Orchid is on the East Coast. I think it may be a

"standard" name for Thai restaurants. :shrug: :D :hi:

[geardaddy]

37. My latest is

Amazing Thailand

but I'd also say La Belle Vie, Lucia's, Bryant Lake Bowl, and The Red Stag are some others.

[BurtWorm]

41. A not too expensive but very well done Italian restaurant called Regional

on 98th and Broadway in NYC. Went there for Valentine's Day with wife and daughter. I had a beet and goat cheese salad, a tantalizingly spicy dish of orechiette, broccoli rabe and dried chilies from Abruzzo, followed by a piece of Florentine half-frozen cream cake. Wow, was it good! They serve a delicious simple country bread with a pureed chickpea spread instead of butter.

:insert smiley kissing fingertips:

[kwassa]

42. Thai Farm

http://www.thaifarmrestaurant.com/

though the suburbs of Maryland will never compete with the incredibly cheaper and fantastic Thai food in Los Angeles, where I lived for many years. The best eating town I ever lived in.

[MissMillie]

43. Pho Dakao - vietnamese

good stuff

[TheCentepedeShoes]

44. BL Bistro

I prefer going for lunch, less noisy

[Shakespeare]

45. I'm in LA--too many to pick just one.

Barney's Beanery (my favorite pub EVER)
Tito's Tacos
Mishima
The Apple Pan
Original Thai BBQ
Tandoori Nights
Los Tacos

That's my short list.

[GOPisEvil]

53. I heart Barney's Beanery.

*drool*

[Shakespeare]

56. Would you believe I only recently ate there for the first time?

In LA since 2000. CA took me there a few months ago, and it became an instant favorite. AND they carry one of my most favorite (and rather esoteric) microbrews, Bear Flag Republic's Racer 5 IPA. :thumbsup:

[GOPisEvil]

57. I only went for the first time in October.

I'd seen it before, but never went. But, there were 18 of us from my training class that went out one night, and Barney's had something for everyone.

I went back on my last trip. :9

[Shakespeare]

59. It's right in my neighborhood.

Let us know the next time you'll be around--we should all go together!

[GOPisEvil]

60. I will definitely let you know!

I'm angling for another work trip down there soon, but we'll see if the budget allows.

[Initech]

68. No love for Philippe's?

I always make a point to stop there whenever I'm downtown. I fuckin' love that place.

Oh and Apple Pan kicks ass.

I'd also put the Pantry Cafe, Original Tommy's (Beverly/Rampart location), Pink's, and Carnie's on my short list.

[eyesroll]

46. Transfer.

www.transfermke.com

Best pizza in Milwaukee. And I'm picky as hell about pizza--I burn out on the crap it quickly (I'm a student and many of our events are "free pizza").

[seemunkee]

48. Royal Mile Pub

Fish and Chips and good beer. What more do you need?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

49. Kobe Japanese

http://www.kobesushi.com/

Good food, reasonably priced. The restaurant has changed owners a few times. Last year, it was sold again and the new owners lifted it out of the slump it had been in for the last few years.

This is NOT high-end Japanese...for that, Hatcho is a few miles down the road, waiting for customers with pockets deep enough to pick up the tab.

http://www.hatcho.com/index_en.html

:toast:

[triguy46]

50. Claud's. No 'e', onion fried in burgers in Tulsa.

More of a diner than restaurant, but if I could only eat out in one place, that would be it.

[clyrc]

63. My parents live in Tulsa, and they love Claud's

They are both diabetic, though, so the visits have to be limited.

[MedleyMisty]

51. Landmark

One of the many reasons we chose this house is that it's less than a minute drive from Landmark. If we have time and the weather is nice, we can walk there.

There are many Best of awards from Creative Loafing around, and there's a reason for that. They even have a commendation from the governor. Everything there is good and there's lots of things to pick from, including a variety of delicious desserts. I love the chocolate cheesecake.

I usually get the grilled cheese sandwich, but I also like the calabash shrimp and chicken imperial.

We usually end up taking my mother there to eat when she comes to visit and she loves it and was saying that she wished she had one at home last time.

It doesn't have an official website, but I found a few reviews. Most of them are great and glowing, but there's a few that really make me question the disposition of the reviewer. And the last site I looked at had two reviewers who had problems with its location. That's another reason for liking this house - it's in an ethnically diverse working class neighborhood.

[bbernardini]

52. India Garden in West Chester, PA.

I probably have a special attachment to it as I'm pretty sure it was the first place I ever had Indian food. I've since had a lot of Indian food at a lot of different places, and they still make my absolute favorite chicken curry and poori ever.

[dana_b]

54. Sushi Monster

in Belmont, CA. yum!

[Forkboy]

55. er...Parkhill Pizza.

I suppose you use silverware when you eat too. :eyes:

[AlCzervik]

58. i do, i'm an elitist, i even put a napkin on my lap.

i do actually eat pizza with a fork and knife too much to the horror of my husband.

[Forkboy]

66. I figure I'm doing good if I don't use my sleeve as a napkin.

:shrug:

:P

[begin_within]

61. Soltan Banoo (Persian) on Park Blvd. and Antique Row Cafe on Adams Avenue in San Diego

[Gormy Cuss]

62. The Mediterranean and its child Babaloo's

The best falafel that I've ever had (and that my world traveler friends say rivals the best they've had abroad) plus an excellent lamb shwarma and bakdonsieh (a cucumber salad with a tahini sauce.)

More than half the menu is vegan.

Plus the people running the places are friendly, helpful, and efficient.

[clyrc]

64. I love lots of local restaurants, but my favorite is Uttam

It's a local Indian vegetarian restaurant, and I love it. They have the best masala dosa, dokla, sambar, masala chai and ras malai. I love it love it love it! And it is so cheap it is embarrassing! One of the strange things I've found about this area is that the cheaper food is usually much better than the expensive stuff. It took me a few years to realize this, and sometimes I do try the more expensive restaurants, but mostly I stick to the cheap, good food.

[yellowdogintexas]

65. 'Mexico Real' a fine family owned operation in our neighborhood

followed by Nonna Tatta's Italian which is amazing

King Tut an Egyptian place almost next door to Nonna Tatta

Wan Fu for Chinese
Thai Tina's for Thai
Maharajah for Indian
Italian Express for Pizza
Charlie's for burgers




notice none of these are chain restaurants.

[SoxFan]

67. 1686 House, La Caretta, India Palace, the Athens, KC's Rib Shack

Yes, I am seriously middle-brow with most of my favorites.

For the Fancy Night Out, it is the 1686 House in Kingston, NH, about 25 miles east of Manchester and 10 miles west of Hampton. As the name indicates, it is in a 300+ year old colonial house. Soft, romantic lighting, huge wine list, elegantly prepared dishes.

La Carreta: Excellent Mexican (not just Tex-Mex) cuisine, including seafood dishes.

India Palace: Small, unpretentious Indian place with remarkable service and good food. Good vegetarian selection which comes in handy during Lent.

The Athens: Greek comfort food. Not gourmet by any means, but yummy and reasonable. Damn good baked lamb with endive and rice.

KC's Rib Shack: A NH place that manages not to screw up BBQ. Great ribs, good beer selection, and fried pickles on the appetizer menu.

[yewberry]

69. Very local

Here in West Seattle:

Taqueria Guaymas
Royal India Grill
Pailin Thai
Mission
West 5


Outside of WS:

Marco's
Cedar's
Hillside Quickies

[OmahaBlueDog]

70. Lazlos (2 locations in Lincol and 1 in Omaha)

Microbrew beer, yummy food, excellent service, very reasonable prices

[Mollis]

71. Thai Cafe. Peter Chus. Yama Shushi.

yum yum yum

[PBS Poll-435]

72. Dos Banderas

In Garland, TX.

Awesome "Tex-Mex" with none of the chain-restaurant feel.

[KG]

74. the Domain, 4th St Shrimp Store, Harveys 4th St Grill, Stan's, Hungry Bear, El Cap

lots of local resturants in my corner of the world. very rarely go to a chain.