What was the best restaurant you ever ate at?

[edabbs44]

I think my two best restaurant experiences were at Emeril's Delmonico in NOLA and Il Mulino in a few locales. I went to Emeril's back in 2001 and had a great meal. I enjoyed the BBQ Shrimp as an appetizer and the Veal Oscar for my entree. Great dining experience all around from the wait staff to the food. Very classy.

I've been to the Il Mulinos in NYC, San Juan and Las Vegas. If anyone has the opportunity to eat there, do it. It is a different kind of meal. They give you a great antipasto sampling when you walk in the door including tastes of different meats and cheeses. Then the courses are to die for. The first time I went I had the best osso buco I have ever had. Pastas are great and the desserts are phenomenal. They end the meal by giving you a free homemade glass of grappa. I will pass on that in the future.

Anyone else?

[klw]

My favorites are Il Cucina in London, Lui Lui in W. Lebanon NH, Crazy Burger in Narragansett RI and Hoagie Haven in Princeton NJ. Each is a very different experience but give great food at good value without pretense. As a vegetarian I rarely find "fine dining" to be worth the expense. For me the menu options tend to be limited and not worth it.

[remdog]

This thread is interesting to me because I've just spent about two hours on various restaurant websites reading and writing reviews.

Without trying to sound pompous, I'm a bit of a 'foodie'. I love food and I'm a fairly good cook. Over many years I've spent a lot of time traveling on business and an expense account affored me the opportunity to try a lot of great restaurants.

Tonight I was trying to track down a receipe for the best tuna carpaccio that I've ever had. It's served in a little place in Petaluma, CA. I've talked to the chef, I've called the maitre'd, I've tried to chat up the waitress and the only thing that I've found out is that, apparently, the chef adds a small amount of lite brown sugar to the sauce so that it comes out as a combination of sweet (the brown sugar), citrisy (the lemon juice) and piquent (the capers). I'd just like to know the ratio so I can make it for myself at home.

The restaurant is named 'Vino Grigio' and it was, hands down, the best new restaurant that I ate at in '07. '08 is still not decided yet but, right now, it's in the lead for this year too. I've been back there a half dozen times and I've never been disappointed. One time I had a business associate with me and she ordered the veal picata (one of my favorites also). When she finished she whispered to me, 'do you think anyone will notice if I lick the plate? That's the best sauce I've ever had.' She used discretion and mopped the sauce up with bread but, in the end, the plate was so clean that it looked like it just came out of the dishwasher.

I don't know that this is the best restaurant I've ever eaten at; there were the great steaks in Chicago, N.Y and L.A., the fish soup in Nice, France (and I don't even like soup), the fish in Miami, S.F., L.A and Hong Kong, the pasta in Italy and the dim sum in Hong Kong that makes you wonder why the US didn't come up with something so simple but so delicious. However, if any of you get to Petaluma, CA (a nice little town about an hour's drive north of San Francisco) check it out. I think you'll enjoy it.

Rem

[klw]

My favorites are Il Cucina in London, Lui Lui in W. Lebanon NH, Crazy Burger in Narragansett RI and Hoagie Haven in Princeton NJ. Each is a very different experience but give great food at good value without pretense. As a vegetarian I rarely find "fine dining" to be worth the expense. For me the menu options tend to be limited and not worth it.

Here is an example of why I should not post after 10 pm. The London restaurant is Il Fornello and not Il Cucina. It is on Southampton Row which is not far from where my brother's office used to be. I always get the same gnocci dish so I have no idea how the rest of the food is but I like the place. Not fancy but a solid place.

For breakfast I must say I am torn between Polly's in Sugar Hill NH, PJ's Pancakes in Princeton, and the Sugar House in Royalton VT. I will have to continue the research on this one.

[kaldaniels]

I think my two best restaurant experiences were at Emeril's Delmonico in NOLA and Il Mulino in a few locales. I went to Emeril's back in 2001 and had a great meal. I enjoyed the BBQ Shrimp as an appetizer and the Veal Oscar for my entree. Great dining experience all around from the wait staff to the food. Very classy.

I've been to the Il Mulinos in NYC, San Juan and Las Vegas. If anyone has the opportunity to eat there, do it. It is a different kind of meal. They give you a great antipasto sampling when you walk in the door including tastes of different meats and cheeses. Then the courses are to die for. The first time I went I had the best osso buco I have ever had. Pastas are great and the desserts are phenomenal. They end the meal by giving you a free homemade glass of grappa. I will pass on that in the future.

Anyone else?

My wife and I ate at DelMonico...our lasting memory is having our glasses of water filled up everytime we took a sip. I had the BBQ shrimp as well...what'd you get, like 4 of them? A great and memorable place to go, for sure.

[edabbs44]

My wife and I ate at DelMonico...our lasting memory is having our glasses of water filled up everytime we took a sip. I had the BBQ shrimp as well...what'd you get, like 4 of them? A great and memorable place to go, for sure.

Don't remember how many shrimp were in the order at Emeril's, but I do remember ordering the Shrimp Oreganata at Il Mulino and getting 4 of them....for $22. Needless to say Il Mulino is a special occasion kind of place.

[SunDeck]

I've eaten at some famous places in the US, but hands down nothing compared to the Maisonette. It's a shame the place is gone.

Generally, I'm not one to go for the famous and expensive. I prefer regional or "home" cooking, like Mama Dips in Chapel Hill, or any of the zillions of places that serve pulled pork down there. Those places are different, obviously, from the high end, chef driven restaurants, but my satisfaction with a finely made low country shrimp and grits down in Charleston or a perfectly seasoned fried chicken dinner from St. Peter's out near Brookville, or a bucket of crawdads down Lafayette way is no different.

[RollyInRaleigh]

Generally, I'm not one to go for the famous and expensive. I prefer regional or "home" cooking, like Mama Dips in Chapel Hill, or any of the zillions of places that serve pulled pork down there. Those places are different, obviously, from the high end, chef driven restaurants, but my satisfaction with a finely made low country shrimp and grits down in Charleston or a perfectly seasoned fried chicken dinner from St. Peter's out near Brookville, or a bucket of crawdads down Lafayette way is no different.

[SunDeck]

Randy,
Ever been here?



It's a little hole in the wall on the dock at the yacht basin in Southport, NC.
Best shrimp I've ever had and the beer used to be self serve. Don't know if you can do that anymore, but it's probably the place I miss most down along the coast.

http://www.provisioncompany.com/

[RollyInRaleigh]

Randy,
Ever been here?



It's a little hole in the wall on the dock at the yacht basin in Southport, NC.
Best shrimp I've ever had and the beer used to be self serve. Don't know if you can do that anymore, but it's probably the place I miss most down along the coast.

http://www.provisioncompany.com/

Interesting you ask that. No, I haven't been there, but we were one win from going to the NC State Little League baseball tournament this past summer in Southport and one of my friends recommended the place, if we went.

[redsmetz]

I've eaten at some famous places in the US, but hands down nothing compared to the Maisonette. It's a shame the place is gone.

A guy that used to share my office told the story about the one time he ate at the Maisonette. In the early 70's, he worked in the traffic department for Kenner Products and his boss called him and another co-worker into his office. The boss told them to call their wives and tell them they wouldn't be home for dinner. They were all going to dinner with the sales rep from a large ocean carrier serving Puerto Rico. The boss didn't care for him and decided he'd run up such a high bill that the rep would never call on him again. They spent over $600 for dinner (remember this was in the early 70's), the guy didn't bat an eye, pulled out his credit card and paid. Plan foiled, but a fine meal was had.

[SunDeck]

A guy that used to share my office told the story about the one time he ate at the Maisonette. In the early 70's, he worked in the traffic department for Kenner Products and his boss called him and another co-worker into his office. The boss told them to call their wives and tell them they wouldn't be home for dinner. They were all going to dinner with the sales rep from a large ocean carrier serving Puerto Rico. The boss didn't care for him and decided he'd run up such a high bill that the rep would never call on him again. They spent over $600 for dinner (remember this was in the early 70's), the guy didn't bat an eye, pulled out his credit card and paid. Plan foiled, but a fine meal was had.

That must have been something. In my one visit to the Maisonette, I was amazed not just at the food, but at the service. At one point my wife asked me if I had noticed that the butter dish kept getting refilled. Somehow, the guy kept sneaking up and putting down a fresh one without us seeing him. But the most impressive thing was the fact that the waiter was as nice to us as he was to the group sitting next to us, with Carl Lindner at the head of the table.
His regular table, at that.

[Hoosier Red]

If you're ever in Indy, I recommend R Bistro. It is the best consistently excellent and unique food I've ever had.

[RichRed]

My favorite restaurant: Tautog's near the oceanfront in Va. Beach.

Great food (esp. seafood), atmosphere (converted cottage with indoor/outdoor seating and two bars), friendly service, reasonable prices especially for the oceanfront and its own free parking lot - a rarity in that area.

Any time friends are in town, we take them there. Love that place.

[RedsBaron]

That must have been something. In my one visit to the Maisonette, I was amazed not just at the food, but at the service. At one point my wife asked me if I had noticed that the butter dish kept getting refilled. Somehow, the guy kept sneaking up and putting down a fresh one without us seeing him. But the most impressive thing was the fact that the waiter was as nice to us as he was to the group sitting next to us, with Carl Lindner at the head of the table.
His regular table, at that.

I ate at the Maisonette a number of times and I agree: the food was great and the service was terrific. I loved the place.