At the end of the year, restaurant critics usually put together lists of the top restaurants - or the top dishes in Frank Bruni's case - creating a new "hit list" of restaurants for their city for the next year. San Francisco's list includes Dosa, Nopa, Coi, Kaygetsu and Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc. Seattle has cheap eats on their list, as well as pricier places, as does New York. All are surely fine eateries, but these lists are not the be-all and end-all of dining in their respective cities. Are your favorite restaurants included?
Restaurants are left off because they aren't trendy, aren't new or are just plain overlooked and I know that some places that I like to eat don't always make the cut. I'm not saying that this makes them the best restaurants in any given city, but that doesn't mean that they don't deserve some recognition. Is anyone up for making our own list of reader favorites from around the country/world? List some of your favorite restaurants in the comments (along with a city and/or website, if applicable) and we'll see if we can't come up with something even better than the standard newspaper top tens.
A fraking amazing Battlestar Galactica cake
Iced Tea 101
Pierogies + cheese + onions + kraut = Parmageddon!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-01-2007 @ 5:19PM
Sherry said...
Elizabeth's Cafe and Winery, Duck, NC (Outerbanks). O my goodness. Every morsel was a piece of heaven. From salad to dessert. A tad pricey ($300 for 2), but worth every dime
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1-01-2007 @ 5:26PM
Karen said...
Columbus, OH, the one and only Thurman's. The best and biggest damn burger anywhere.
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1-01-2007 @ 5:59PM
Patti Shock said...
With many celebrity chefs having restaurants here in Las Vegas, we have so many fine restaurants that it is difficult to select just one. I guess I will go with Bouchon. It is owned by famed chef Thomas Keller, of the French Laundry in Napa. Bouchon is in the new tower at the Venetian, right on the Strip.
http://www.frenchlaundry.com/bouchonLV/bouchonLV.htm
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1-01-2007 @ 6:01PM
tofugorilla said...
Best restraunt I ate at last yer was Monkas in Inverness CA. Too bad the joint just burned dowm :(
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1-01-2007 @ 6:26PM
eva said...
DeLisi (now Positano) in Vineland, NJ . . . and before you say, "whatever, there are not good restaurants in washed-out south Jersey towns," go and try their handmade gnocchi with sundried tomato cream and a slice of their tiramisu, and the antipasto platter that will hit you like one of the mobsters that loves it. Substantial, perfect Italian fare. It's BYOB, not too expensive, and the interior decoration includes Pellegrino patio umbrellas and trompe l'oeil garden scenes. It's just excellent.
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1-01-2007 @ 7:18PM
Kassie said...
Quang in South Minneapolis. Where else can you get awesome Pho, amazing egg rolls and a drink for $10? Best Vietnamese ever.
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1-01-2007 @ 8:15PM
GoatGurl said...
Italian Grill, Batesville, AR
This place has the best Italian food, everything from the sauce to the bread sticks are baked in the restaurant. Moderately priced.
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1-01-2007 @ 8:31PM
Rita said...
Bangkok Chef in Honolulu, Hawaii. This small restaurant housed inside a garage started out as a Thai market place, and has since branched out into food preparation. It's cheap, the ingredients are always fresh, and it's consistent. Everything on the menu from the green curries to the mango ice cream over hot sticy rice is fantastic. Portions are big, and the Pad Thai leftovers make a great breakfast!
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1-01-2007 @ 11:24PM
Renee said...
Ohana Luau in Syosset New York
WOW the BEST sushi sashimi on long island NY fresh fish excellent service
I love this place
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1-02-2007 @ 12:10AM
JMForester said...
Here are some of my favorite places, all are absolutely great. --JMF--
Little Pepper - Flushing, Queens, NY (northern & Sichuan Chinese)
Chili Chicken - Jackson Heights, Queens, NY (Indian style Chinese)
A Fan Ti - Flushing, Queens, NY (Uighur / Xinjiang Chinese)
Little Lamb Happy Family restaurant - Flushing, Queens, NY (Northern Hot Pot Chinese)
Gum Fung - Flushing, Queens and Jing Fong - NYC, NY (Dim Sum)
Bosna Express - Ridgewood, Queens, NY (Pljeskavica aka Bosnian burgers)
La Portena Restaurant y Parrillada - Jackson Heights, Queens, NY (Argentine steakhouse)
Malaysian Rasa Sayang - Elmhurst, Queens, Ny (Malaysian)
Upi Jaya Indonesian - Elmhurst, Queens, NY (Indonesian)
Natural Tofu - Sunnyside, Queens (Korean Sundubu jjigae)
Bulgara - Long Island City, Queens, NY (Bulgarian)
Zabb Thai - Jackson Heights, Queens, NY (North Eastern Esan/Isaan Thai Cuisine)
Waterfront International Enterprises Chinese - Flushing, Queens, NY (Northern Chinese)
Monbar - Astoria, Queens, NY (Southern Egyptian)
Vietnam Banh Mi So 1 - Chinatown, NYC (Vietnamese sandwiches)
NY Noodletown - Chinatown, NYC (Chinese, Roast baby pig, soft shell crab, shrimp dumpling soup)
Meskerem - NYC (Ethiopian)
Sakagura - NYC (Japanese Izakaya)
Veracruz - White Plains, NY (Homestyle Mexican)
El Miski - White Plains, NY (Peruvian, ceviche)
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1-02-2007 @ 12:59AM
Joanne said...
Definitely Manresa in Los Gatos, CA takes the #1 spot - a fantastic meal and a destination - don't miss it!
We had a great meal at the Farmhouse Inn in Forestville, CA - it deserves honorable mention. Here's some pictures and comments on that dinner...
http://www.forkandbottle.com/restaurants/sonoma/farmhouse_inn.htm
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1-02-2007 @ 1:59AM
Lorrie said...
GoatGurl- Thanks for the tip! I had to do a double-take when I saw Batesville on this list. I'll try that next trip that direction. Try out Triangle Cafe, we were there just a couple of days ago and their burger is one of the best I've had most anywhere. If you need suggestions in Jonesboro, I'll be glad to help!
Just a couple of my favorites this year:
Asheville Pizza Company - Asheville, NC
A truly fantastic pizza.
Piero's - Jonesboro, AR
Best Italian and steaks in Jonesboro.
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1-02-2007 @ 4:05AM
Kelly O'Brien said...
My favorites are Le Chat Noir in old fairhaven district of Bellingham Washington the best table side steaks you might ever be lucky enough to enjoy...not to mention the wonderful local oysters sauteed in a lovely orange wine sauce......also had a terrific meal right across the street at the big fat fish co. I live on Orcas island ,in the San Juan islands of Washington,I am a waiter at the premier restaurant here, and when I go off island ,I always try to go to bellingham to eat at "le Chat " or "The Black Cat" ....in Seattle I still love the 13 Coins ,it can't be beat ,and it is open 24 hours.......also Rovers,a little stuffy ,but incredible ....I think the best burger in seattle is DICKS,on capitol hill..the best burger in Bellingham is WINS drive in....but the very best burger in all of america can be enjoyed at the Everson Washington Auction barn where you can also buy a cow ,a horse ar a big box of bunnies...weird but true!!
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1-02-2007 @ 9:01AM
Rosita said...
Vincenzo's, McMullen-Booth Road at Enterprise Rd., Clearwater, FL, is my standout of the year - can't remember anything but the shrimp scampi appetizer. ooooooh.
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1-02-2007 @ 9:27AM
calamari said...
Bloomsbury Bistro in Raleigh, North Carolina, is the "restaurant in a place I don't live now" that I miss most:
http://www.bloomsburybistro.com/raleigh/
Restaurant I hit every time we visit Minneapolis -- the Rainbow.
http://www.rainbowrestaurant.com/
Most interesting restaurant we've visited where we live now -- Sierra Bonita Grill:
http://www.sierrabonitagrill.com/
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1-02-2007 @ 9:50AM
Alanna said...
There's a great little place in Los Angeles called the Newsroom -- "very LA" is the way a new friend describes its food, including the grilled artichokes and smoked tofu in udon noodles I enjoyed recently. Just excellent!
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1-02-2007 @ 12:18PM
chachacha said...
Sol y Sombra in Scottsdale, AZ. Modern Spanish. Boring town, great restaurant.
www.solysombraaz.com
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1-02-2007 @ 12:41PM
Foodie Bride said...
Houston offers quantity but nothing too impressive as far as quality goes. El Tiempo on Washington offers the best Tex-Mex in town. Cafe Red Onion offers fab latin-fusion. Best Italian vote goes to a chain and everything else is pretty much just "eh."
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1-02-2007 @ 1:29PM
Kristina said...
Simple: Just a simple Banh Mi Vietnamese sandwich in a little cafe in Sacramento, California. New Paris Bakery. The most perfect sandwich of grilled, thin pork on a crusty roll with a tender inside, seasoned daikon and carrots, sprigs of cilantro, and a giant, steaming bowl of pho. The sandwich was the grand total of $1.75.
Complex: We had a grand time at Restaurant LuLu in San Francisco, with roasted mussels in a cast iron skillet with butter for dipping, portabella mushroom pizza, spit fired roasted duck and polenta, and more. Excellent.
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1-02-2007 @ 1:47PM
erin said...
Blair's in Silver Lake (Los Angeles), CA
Rich, comforting dishes, the best risotto and desserts I had all year. Often gets derided in comparison to LA westside restaurants, but I love it.
http://erinskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/10/blas-about-blairs-no-way.html
Indian, a Taiwanese pub in the San Gabriel Valley, CA
Fried duck tongue, anyone? Here you can wash down greasy yet delicious Taiwanese pub food with cheap pitchers of beer. Quite the welcome twist on the American sports bar.
http://erinskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/04/not-quite-deep-end-dining.html
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