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Post below with your favorite places to eat, and I'll try to keep them indexed up here. If your state/province/country isn't on the list yet, put it down anyway and I'll be happy to add it!
NEBRASKA Lincoln The Magnolia Grilled salmon or crab cakes
Omaha Gorat's Steakhouse (Warren Buffet's favorite restaurant) Lo Sole Mio; 3001 S 32nd Ave, 68105, Tel: (402) 345-5859 (For Eggplant Parmesan or their veal dishes)
NEVADA Carson City Z Bistro a nice change of pace from the usual mexican and asian restaurants. It's on North Roop Street near the Wal-Mart. They specialize in savory buckwheat crepes filled with cheeses, meats, and veggies for lunch. Dinner is served on Friday and Saturday and the menu changes weekly. (http://www.atzbistro.com./)
NEW BRUNSWICK St. Andrews by the Sea Windsor House - Try the maple sugar creme brulee! WOW!
NEW HAMPSHIRE
NEW JERSEY
NEW MEXICO Alamogordo Memories a quaint restaurant in an old restored home. Nice varied menu and charming decor. (http://www.zianet.com/memories/)
Bosque Farms Benny's - To Die For greazy spoon burgers, great (New) Mexican food~ King Benny Burger is my fave~double meat, guacamole, bacon, cheese, green chile...messy and delicious... Open Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 1675 Bosque Farms Blvd., Bosque Farms, NM 87068 Phone: (505) 869-2210
Chimayo Rancho de Chimayo A lovely restaurant, country inn and gallery. For their Mexican food in general, and great flan
Espanola Angelina's is a great favorite with local lamb served as well as other traditional red and/or green chile dishes. Homey and reasonably priced.
Los Alamos Chili Works In a little shack in what used to be a used car lot, you will find the best breakfast burrito I have ever eaten and I have tried them all over. My favorite is bacon/red chile, but they have many kinds of meat and green chile, as well as Christmas -- red and green on same burrito. Also fabulous green chile cheese burger, New Mexico soul food and other New Mexico food cooked perfectly.
1743 Trinity Dr, Los Alamos, NM 87544
Los Lunas Benny's II - To Die For greazy spoon burgers, great (New) Mexican food~ King Benny Burger is my fave~double meat, guacamole, bacon, cheese, green chile...messy and delicious... Open Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. 1503 Main St. S.W., Los Lunas, NM 87031 Phone: (505) 865-2255
Mesilla La Posta de Mesilla (www.laposta-de-mesilla.com) Really great New Mexican food, been there since the 1800's.
Santa Fe Bumblebee's - a healthy fast food place that fills an important niche. Two Santa Fe locations and at least one in Albuquerque. Everything is fresh and healthy. Delicious homemade chips and salsa bar. My favorites are lamb tacos or shrimp tacos, but my husband likes the trout. Can you imagine a fast food place with a menu like that? Also beer and wine. (www.bumblebeesbajagrill.com) Guadalupe Cafe - 422 Old Santa Fe Trail (Cool off with adobe pie!) Holiday Inn Express-Santa Fe; 3470 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87507, (505) 474-7570 (Try the prime rib!) Saveur Freshly made soups, salads, hot entree's, sandwiches made to order, desserts, beer and wine. Everything is very fresh and elegantly prepared but the prices are very reasonable for the quality.
204 Montezuma Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 989-4200 Tomasita's - 500 S. Guadalupe St. (good Mexican food and worth the wait)
NEW YORK Ardlesy Mina's Restuarant - near Yonkers and White Plains, NY. WONDERFUL Italian food! They are the original mac daddy of the eggplant rolatini dish I first came to love and look for in all good Italian family restaurant and gauge against. You can't go wrong, and the portions are generous. 935 Saw Mill River Rd, Adrsley, NY 10502
Beacon The Piggy Bank - it's a converted bank and its now a bbq place with the best pulled pork around.
Brooklyn Peter Luger Steak House; 178 Broadway, 11211, (718) 387-7400
Ketonah The Blazer Pub on Rt 684 (They do the best chili and fries I have ever, ever, ever had)
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
NORTH CAROLINA Boone Peppers; 240 Shadowline Dr, Boone, NC 28607, Tel: (828) 262-1250 (Their onion rings are worth a hundred mile drive.)
Brevard The Quarry, beautiful interior and the best French Onion soup ever made.
Edenton Acoustic Coffee - for great desserts, (try the homemade biscotti), and live music on Friday nights, Saturday afternoons, and Saturday nights. Sean's (309 South Broad Street). The soups are exquisite. The menu changes here, too, but it is very imaginative, and very fresh.
Rutherfordton Water Oak (in the Tanner/Doncaster Outlet Complex). Shrimp and grits, lamb, etc. For dessert try the bourbon bread pudding.
NORTH DAKOTA
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
NOVA SCOTIA Grand Pre Restaurant le Caveau at Domaine de Grand Pre winery - Menu changes, but everything we had was good. We were in the area for nine days, and went to Restaurant le Caveau
four times. ;-)
Halifax Sweet Basil Bistro A wonderful little restaurant with fresh and interesting foods. Several vegetarian items on the menu for those who prefer them. One of my favourites is the Squash filled ravioli with hazelnut cream sauce. It's down on the waterfront which is a nice area for a walk after a meal and is a favourite area for tourists also. http://www.scanwaycatering.com/SweetBasil/
Nova Scotia - I grew up there and although I don't live there now, I visit this restaurant every time I go home (including just a couple of weeks ago!). Sweet Basil Bistro is a wonderful little restaurant with fresh and interesting foods. Several vegetarian items on the menu for those who prefer them. One of my favourites is the Squash filled ravioli with hazelnut cream sauce. It's down on the waterfront which is a nice area for a walk after a meal and is a favourite area for tourists also.
Here is the website with sample menus, hours, and phone number for reservations.
Oh, another wonderful thing - it's completely non-smoking.
To Die For greazy spoon burgers, great (New) Mexican food~
King Benny Burger is my fave~double meat, guacamole, bacon, cheese, green chile...messy and delicious...
Benny's II Info
- Home of the Benny Burger
- Serving New Mexico over 30 years
- Breakfast burritos, handmade tamales
- Large variety of sandwiches
- Open Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Benny's I open on Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Benny's Location(s)
1675 Bosque Farms Blvd., Bosque Farms, NM 87068 Phone: (505) 869-2210
(II)1503 Main St. S.W., Los Lunas, NM 87031 Phone: (505) 865-2255
Oops, forgot the city! It's in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Halifax is the capital city of the province, and one of the places most people visit if they travel there.
Thanks!
New Mexico - Santa Fe - Tomasita's - 500 S. Guadalupe St. (good Mexican food and worth the wait)
and Guadalupe Cafe - 422 Old Santa Fe Trail (Cool off with adobe pie!)
St. Andrews by the Sea, New Brunswick - the maple sugar creme brulee at the Windsor house! WOW!
Grand Pre Nova Scotia - Restaurant le Caveau at Domaine de Grand Pre winery. Menu changes, but everything we had was good. We were in the area for nine days, and went to Restaurant le Caveau four times. ;-)
Edenton, North Carolina - Sean's (309 South Broad Street). The soups are exquisite. The menu changes here, too, but it is very imaginative, and very fresh. Then go across the street to Acoustic Coffee for great desserts, (try the homemade biscotti), and live music on Friday nights, Saturday afternoons, and Saturday nights.
In a little shack in what used to be a used car lot, you will find the best breakfast burrito I have ever eaten and I have tried them all over. My favorite is bacon/red chile, but they have many kinds of meat and green chile, as well as Christmas -- red and green on same burrito. Also fabulous green chile cheese burger, New Mexico soul food and other New Mexico food cooked perfectly.
In Santa Fe, there are many great restaurants but one healthy fast food place fills an important niche. That would be Bumblebee's with two Santa Fe locations and at least one in Albuquerque. http://www.bumblebeesbajagrill.com/
Everything is fresh and healthy. Delicious homemade chips and salsa bar. My favorites are lamb tacos or shrimp tacos, but my husband likes the trout. Can you imagine a fast food place with a menu like that? Also beer and wine.
I make NC barbeque sauce. Now the tomato-barbeque sauces taste too sweet and seem too gooey to me.
I make one change though, I use some liquid smoke in mine, especially if I don't cook the meat over charcoal.
We have a small town, population about 6,000 and the county is about 30,000 but it is a high end summer home destination and we have a lot of general tourism. So we have a lot of restaurants and most are up and down main straight or close by. They range from quite good to decandent. The latest is The Quarry, beautiful interior and the best French Onion soup ever made.
The one problem we have with the restaurants in Brevard is that they are a bit loud because no one uses carpeting. Odd.
In Santa Fe, a small French restaurant with a reasonably priced menu:
Saveur
204 Montezuma Ave
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 989-4200
Freshly made soups, salads, hot entree's, sandwiches made to order, desserts, beer and wine. Everything is very fresh and elegantly prepared but the prices are very reasonable for the quality.
Z Bistro in Carson City is a nice change of pace from the usual mexican and asian restaurants. It's on North Roop Street near the Wal-Mart. They specialize in savory buckwheat crepes filled with cheeses, meats, and veggies for lunch. Dinner is served on Friday and Saturday and the menu changes weekly.
Ardlesy, NY - Mina's Restuarant - near Yonkers and White Plains, NY. WONDERFUL Italian food! They are the original mac daddy of the eggplant rolatini dish I first came to love and look for in all good italian family restaurant and guage against. You can't go wrong, and the portions are generous.
Mina's Restuarant
935 Saw Mill River Rd
Adrsley, NY 10502
In Alamogordo, NM there is a quaint restaurant in an old restored home called Memories. Nice varied menu and charming decor. http://www.zianet.com/memories/
In Espanola, NM, Angelina's is a great favorite with local lamb served as well as other traditional red and/or green chile dishes. Homey and reasonably priced.
new orleans!!!
I just spent 6 days in new orleans and we ate at Deeny's, Alpine, Rumallade and also went to westvago to buy crayfish, crabs and 50 lbs oysters. cheap and yum, yum most especially the large oysters. The crayfish was not that hot and I think i ate at least 15 lbs. I love them because we do not get fresh cryyfish in Va, also we feasted with steam crabs. The only yhing I do not like about new orleans is a lot of the food are fried.The tourist are back and we stayed tight at the French Quarter at the Chateau Orleans. I like to go back and experience Mardi Gras !!! Bellie
I have too many favorites in New Orleans to name, but I really love:
Brightsen's ( traditional Cajun cooking -- done right -reservations a must)
Mandina's -- traditional New Orleans. Also has a new location on the North Shore of Lake Ponchatrain see:http://www.mandinasrestaurant.com/Reopening.htm
Rutherfordton: Cafe at the Mall is excellent. Out of the way place, but the food is wonderful.
Salisbury: The Academy near downtown is very good. Located in an historic building, it has good atmosphere.
Asheville: 12 Bones (down near the river). Best ribs, greens and cornbread I ever ate. The greens and cornbread can make a meal. Lots of courthouse personnel eat there if they can get in.
I agree that Brigten's is wonderful for some dishes. Rabbit Divine.
Across the street is Dante's Kitchen which is also a fine place for straight forward regional dishes. Brennan's for breakfast was big and fun, but not great for taste. Nice show and ambiance. Galatorire was bad. Sorry. Food was not plated, but slopped on a plate and the eggs over cooked, with an unseasoned sauce. Nothing special. Service was good, so not their fault. We didn't even order desert. DH "spotted trout" was maybe a trout, but more likely not. DS, who is a chef in New Orleans, was not impressed. The only dish that was good was the oyster and bacon brochette. But that is hard to mess up.
Loved for lunch most of what we ate at Bayona. Nice presentations, very fresh, interesting and good service. One dish I thought lacking was the Caesar salad with preserved lemons. Tasted fine, but not to the quality of the duck with cashew butter and pepper jelly or the fine welsh rabbit with roasted tomatoes and smoked meat or the other dishes we tried. Rambla is a fine and fun spot to eat first rate tapas. It is new and connected to the Restaurant that my son is the chef de cuisine in which is Restaurant Cuvee. We were amazed by the presentation and taste our DS sent out to us. One of my favorites was an oyster pot pie with tasso and pork debris and a savory creme brulee made with foie gras. We had several outstanding meals at Cuvee, but then I am his mommy. Another find was Cafe Degas. Wonderful veal boudin served over an Alsatian sweet and sour cabbage and a fine veal dish and a very tasty lemon ice box pie with a very nice waiter named Jason. Loved a lunch outside in the FQ called Cafe Amelia for a good chicken gumbo, a very nice shrimp and macque choux dish as well as salads and sandwiches. DS took us to his favorite sushi place in Uptown called Ninja. I concur that is serves sushi and other Japanese dishes that are as good as it gets in a simple place (upstairs from what appears to be a garage bar) at remarkable prices. Poke salad was the best I ever had, anywhere, and a spicy tuna plated with lemons and spouts was Nobu good. Stein's Deli on Magazine is the real deal. We had him slice a selection of his very remarkable collection of deli meats for our Christmas lunch. They make a "mean" sandwich. I didn't order the tongue one, which my son says is a killer. They had a great blond brownie too. We also ate po boys at Mahoney's (peacemaker- oyster, cheese and bacon) and at Cooter Brown's (shrimp and bacon) both good, but lacking the flavor I remember from Domilese's. Late burgers at Yo Mamma's was wonderful at the bar. Tried my DS order which was a peanut butter which tasted like a beef satay burger. Pretty good with a beer. Plus they are open late for food. He also goes to Port of Call for a burger. Last trip we loved Bistro Daisy but not G.W.Fins, as I felt like I was in Vegas not New Orleans, food was fine, but we had a pompous waiter. Herbsaint and Cochon are both wonderful for interesting and well cooked and presented food. Next trip we will try Stella, Commander's, and a many others. Tried to get to Parkway (another DS's favorite) and to Crabby Jack's. Will try to get in line and Dick and Jenny's and Jacques Imo's, both given the thumbs up by our son. Also will try another Besh place, August (DS worked there for 6 mo) or La Province. Ate at his steak house and it was just a steak house except for one pasta dish which was with crab and was delicious. Missed going out to another fine place in a defunct strip mall called Phou Tau Bay that is a favorite of many Nola chef's. We ate some amazing Vietnamese food out there last spring. But then again there is just so many places to eat amazing food in New Orleans. If anyone goes to Cuvee, tell them the chef's son sent you. Patti
The chef's son? Or the chef's mom? Sounds like you had a guided gourmet tour of NO gastronomy. I get back there once or twice a year but don't often get to the really fancy downtown places. Sorry to hear that Galatoire's was disappointing. It is one of my all time favorite restaurants in New Orleans, but any local will tell you that all the time honored restaurants have had their ups and downs as one generation retires and the next moves in. Since I now live in New Mexico, I am not in the loop on which one is good now. It is hard to imagine that it's trout was not good! That has always been one of their top dishes -- but I think they use ocean trout not lake trout. Never ordered it myself. I love Shrimp Clemenceau and their own version of a Shrimp Remoulade.
Brigtsen's is also good for soft shelled crab and lots of other things. I have enjoyed Jaques Imo's in the past. Don't know if they still have the dish "Godzilla vs. The Killer Tomatoes." or some such. It is fried soft shelled crab leaned up against fried green tomatoes and is wonderful. I like the casual atmosphere.
We also like Nola's and Emiril's as well. And of course Commander's Palace. Breakfast at Brennan's hasn't been great for many years now, I understand. As a child, though I absolutely loved it.
I haven't had any sushi in New Orleans except once right after Katrina on a place on Metairie Road. At the time it was one of maybe 2 restaurants open on that end of town. The sushi was good but the wait was terrible. Many more people were trying to get in than the restaurant could possibly serve. Even so the fish was good. It was just the totally overworked help that was the problem.
I would like to try Ninja, now that I know about it. Will keep it in mind for the spring. And I will keep Cuvee in mind. I am usually flying into NO in the late afternoon and trying to get a meal and do my grocery shopping before an 85 mile drive to my farm in Mississippi. But once in a while we spend an extra night in New Orleans so we can eat. Many of the restaurants you name I have never even heard of -- but look forward to trying. I have heard a lot about Bayona but haven't been there yet. Hopefully, I will get there eventually.
I am glad to hear the tourists are back. New Orleans needs that industry in the worst possible way. And I hope enough of the local cooks and restaurant workers are back that they can serve the first class food that New Orleans usually has.
billieg,
I know what you mean about so much food in the New Orleans area being deep fried, but it is usually lighter than most deep fried food in the rest of the South. Still, I find they are trying to trim the bad stuff out of the menu now. You can now get a fried oyster salad instead of a fried oyster poboy which has a lot fewer calories. And as long as you eat raw oysters and boiled crawfish, you don't have to worry about the fat. I envy your trip to Westwego. I haven't been there in years. Last time I was in Mississippi ( near the coast) though the neighborhood celebrated a local birthday with 6 gunnysacks full of the freshest oysters I have ever tasted. Sigh. There is so much to love about that part of the world.
And, I hate to admit it, I am addicted to deep fried -- if it is done well. However, I have never been able to get a fried shrimp as delicious as the ones in any hole in the wall in New Orleans, here. And I have never been able to gag down the fried oysters here. When in New Mexico, stick with something that doesn't live in the ocean. We have lots of other kinds of good food.
My son is the chef. He is just 27 and has no kids yet. No time for a social life either or money for one. We were so sad at Galatoire this time. It was totally lacking. I didn't even take a picture. We are booked for 10 days in April and will do a major restaurant crawl with some serious foodies that we will be going with to Jazz Fest. One of them will be attending his 21st Fest in a row and, as he drives down from New England, he has an amazing record of all his food finds along the way. He spends a couple of weeks just doing music and food each time. He is a wonderful source as he records it all. I will report back. Here is a little collage a few of the dishes we enjoyed at various places. Patti
I so envy your major food crawl in the Spring. The photographs of your dishes are beautiful. Made me want to know what they were. Any chance you could give me a key with the name of the dish and the restaurant where you had it? I assume you only photographed the things you liked. I will definitely try to catch some of the restaurants you mention -- and perhaps even some of the dishes you mention next time I go.
There are also some wonderful New Orleans restaurants across the lake in Covington and Madisonville. Many have branches there or up and moved there -- like KPaul's.
And you are right about the amazing Vietnamese food in New Orleans. Many Vietnamese were resettled in New Orleans after the Vietnam war and now that they have settled in they have wonderful restaurants. I haven't tried any of them in years, but if you find a good one, let me know. I remember that years ago I used to love Tres Yuan -- hopefully spelled correctly -- in Covington. They served among many wonderful dishes soft shelled crabs in some wonderful sauce. Again. Don't know if it is still good. Restaurants do change.
I will be awaiting your list of restaurants for the next trip. How hard was it to find reservations for the jazz fest or do you stay with your son?
I will post you a list. I know what they all are and where. But it is on another computer and I am hanging close to the wood stove today. Cold. Have you eaten in Covington at a Restaurant called Dakota? It is owned by the same two men who own Cuvee where my son is the chef as well as their new restaurant, Rambla. I haven't eaten there, yet.
The Vietnamese have added yet another layer to New Orleans already great culinary mix. Plus a great work force. We didn't find any soft shelled crabs this trip which are a favorite of my DH. We had my 93 year old mom with us, so we didn't get to the stray far from mainstream food, though she still travels all over the world.
We rented a condo through VRBO new Orleans for Christmas in the FQ (Charters & Ursuline) and another place through Craigslist in the Warehouse district for Jazz fest. Both very reasonable and very nice (haven't stayed in the one yet, but DS checked it out) But I did them a long time ago along with our plane tickets which we did on mileage. Both half the price of a modest hotel and with kitchens. Though we didn't use the kitchen much, needless to say. There was a beautiful pool and garden in the center at the condo for communal use. We ate muffaletta, from the Central grocery Store with some Zapps and a Barq's RB. poolside. Most pleasant. But I think there is a better one out there. We also had take out fried chicken that was excellent and cheap from Fiorella's Cafe just around the corner. We were not overlooking the pool, but had a very private balcony and two bedrooms with a nice garden and no immediate neighbors in the secured gated 1825 large home that has been converted to 8 units. The owner lives mostly in Siddell, and rents it out when she isn't using it. She gave us her resident parking sticker, which was totally great as we had use of our son's car. She highly recommended Irene's in the FQ but they don't take reservations and was packed with a very long wait on our last night. We will try it next time. Food looked good and it had a charming look. Patti
Oh, thanks for these tips! I would like to see the jazz fest and would love to have a kitchen, just for coffee in the morning and for chilling wine and snacks. Love the muffalettas at Central Grocery, in fact, I clove just being inside and smelling Central Grocery. Would love to try Irene's and Fiorella's. There are just so many great holes in the wall in New Orleans -- that is one reason we never get to the big famous places -- though they are outstanding, in most cases. Will have to keep Dakota's in mind. Another fabulous place to eat on the North Shore is Sal and Judy's. They put fresh lump crabmeat on everything. I forget the name of the little town it is in but it is between Slidell and Covington. Sadly, I haven't found any really great restaurants in Slidell -- a few so-so ones. But I buy most of my seafood there for cooking at the farm. Lots of shrimp boats come in at Slidell. Gulfport, MS. is a good place to buy fresh from the boat seafood as well, but there are lots of good places to do that closer to New Orleans.
Maybe I can talk my husband into a spring trip to the farm where we rent a place in New Orleans for a few days. That would be heavenly.
I look forward to seeing your dining list.
By the way, for quick, reasonable Oysters fixed a variety of ways, I like the Acme Oyster House. They even have a place at the airport where I always get my last fried Oyster Salad before departing. Oysters are very fresh and well prepared.
There is a new restaurant in Alamogordo, NM called Stella Vita. It is downtown on New York Ave. Wonderful food, especially the salads. Freshly made foccacia bread with dipping oil. Word is the owner made the $ to open it from what she made off of catering when the movie crew was in town filming Transformers.
I always loved the little "downtown" area of Alamogordo:) I especially liked the little homes on the "state" streets that were converted into businesses. I'll have to ask my brother to check that one out as he still lives in Alamo. He's a chef at The Lodge in Cloudcroft.
The tiny downtown has changed lots since I moved here. The woman who opened that restaurant opened a sandwich, coffee/tea place next door and is rumored to open a third making it quite a nice destination. Pajaritomt--be sure to dmail me if you get down here and you can stop by for a garden tour!
Just returned from an Exploritas tour in NMexico (ABQ, SFe, and Taos). We had only one dinner and one lunch open, the rest were all provided for the group. Group lunched at Tomasita's and dinner at Antonio's, both in SFe. We thought Antonio's was better than Tomasita's; loved the flakey style of their sopapillas although the service was indifferent. Antonio's made an excellent shrimp chimichanga.
Both meals we had on our own were better: 315 Bistro & Wine Bar in SFe, right off the main square, is a delightful French bistro that I wish we had locally - and as we live in the food-crazed Northern CA San Francisco Bay Area, that is high praise from my DH and I. Had the pork osso bucco special that was absolutely amazing. Beet salads were creative and delicious. Perfect espresso and cappuccino to go with the dark chocolate mousse - sublime!
Church Street Cafe in Albuquerque had some actual heat to the food, which we found lacking in SFe and Taos (despite Tomasita's vaunted "We are not responsible for the heat of our chiles" sign). The old-fashioned chile rellenos are solid and much more filling than they look! We're big eaters but they defeated us, LOL. Nice gentle heat build-up in their guacamole, BTW. Good service, very friendly. I came in for a snack one day, starved for some protein, and got a fast steak quesadilla from them. A little chewy but flavorful and grease-free, ideal to wolf down and they got us out fast as we had asked.
Lupo's Hampton Beach NH Best scallops and fried clams open all winter
Smokehouse Boscawen NH Husband is from the south and says it is the best BBQ here
CC Tomatoes Concord NH best chicken Marsala I ever had
Weathervance WQeirs Beach NH best fish and chips
