My favorite was a couple of Portugese restaurants in Newark, New Jersey.
One of them, I believe it was called Rocky and Rubelo's. We went there with the whole family and everyone ordered something different for the menu.

Start with Kale soup with Chourico, Broiled Chourico, clams made in a brandy sauce, Paella, Mariscada in a brandy sauce, Baccula made in sauce, rabbitt, steak rolled up like a brocciole. It was a feast to be washed down with wine.

For dessert, a flan pudding with expresso and Sambuca. To walk out feeling fully satisfied and all's right with the world.

Have eaten in many great restaurants throughout the world - on business and thankfully on an expense account, but now we like Boston's North End for great Italian and Bar Harbor, Maine for eat in the rough fresh lobster ............... Sitting at an old picnic bench with twin lobsters and clam chowder, overlooking the ocean in Maine - that is hard to beat. We usually do it in early September, after Labor Day, when everyone has gone.

Love Love Love ....
 

Roy's in Maui.....Yuuuum!

Wow, that sure sounds like fun! Do they also have good food?

I am still looking for one just like chasing for Mr. Right. However, if you ask me what would be the last dish I would like to eat before you know what, then it would definitely be abalone steak. It has to be about the size of a filet mignon but half deep, juicy and tender, not hard and let me do the cutting. Any restaurant that might offer this delicacy?

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
 

I like Ruth's Chris steakhouse. Went there in North Carolina and the meal was wonderful. Also like the lasagna at Carmine's in NYC. Haven't traveled outside of the US much so can't comment on the great food offered in other countries.

Toooo many to list...but...for down home cooking, Lambert's.
Other places, The Wichita Club and the Ranch at Keystone, CO

Makoto Japanese Steak House, Melbourne and Shorty's Barbq in Miami

El Torito in Marina Del Rey, Calif. Best mexican food ever, with fresh guacamole made at your table and made to your specification. Unbelievable staff, beautiful marina views. Just perfect.

For an informal lunch.....The Crab Cooker of Newport Beach, CA.

For dinner, Wagyu beef skirt steak and lobster at Tom Collichio's Craftsteak.....at the MGM in Vegas.


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Mastoris Diner in Bordentown New Jersey.

My new favorite: Narcoosee's at the Floridian Resort Disneyworld.

Wherever my son is executive chef. Great food, and parents don't have to pay. :a040:

The rolls at Mastori's are wonderful, no denying that.
Donna, Carnegie Delie love the corned beef, brightspot01, I used to love the Muffalettas there but last time we were there they were so skimpy on the olive salad that they really let me down. The line was waay down the street, premade sandwiches and not done as well as usual. Not sure if I'm giving them another chance or they have lost their touch.
Rokinronda, I soo agree with you! would drive hours or plan a vacation around good, REAL Ipswich (belly) clams. LOVE them so much they could be my last meal on earth.
For an all around restaurant I would have to go with Mr.B's in New Orleans. Everything we have ever had there has been fantastic (also good bread). Fantastic soup (eggplant parm, turtle, gumbo ya ya, seafood gumbo), barbequed shrimp, white chocolate brownie, bread pudding. Yikes, this thread is making me so hungry I can't stand it.

To many to list and a lot depends on the type of food. Like Ray's Boathouse in Seattle for Seafood is tough to beat. Bern's Steak House in Tampa is great for Steaks. For overall general dining my favorite is Cafe Renaissance in Vienna VA. Outside the US, there a couple local places in Tuscany that are to die for food, Nero Nuvo in Kuala Lumpur is tough to beat. And for my last meal, sitting at a any one of many side walk cafe's on the Champs Elysees having a great meal and people watching.

Maggiano's..Downtown Chicago. Italian food that I would give up military secrets for (if I knew any!!) Afterwards a 10 layer chocolate cake. Oh Lord!!

http://www.boxhillpizzeria.com/img/order_crabcake.png

Box Hill Crab Cakes & Pizza in Abingdon, Maryland. It's about a mile west of I-95 at the Route 24 Bel Air Exit, that's about 13 miles before the Baltimore Beltway going south. They have the best cheese steaks anywhere, the best crab cakes in Maryland and very good pizza. The place is a goldmine, it's dining room only holds about 100 people and it's packed for lunch and dinner everyday. I lived from 1998 to 2011 about two blocks away, so I miss that place alot.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6194/6...4f809cb2_n.jpg

Best meals:
Alaska trip with freshly caught salmon cooked over alder wood with a basing of brown sugar, lemon, and butter. WOW!

Patty's Plantation in the SW corner of Kentucky. Best pork chop ever!

Had a great steak at Ruth Crist's in PA.

Breakfast has to be the Red Cottage in Dennis (Cape Cod), MA
and the Black Dog on Nantucket.

Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys. Spectacular view, our table was on the beach, wonderful presentation, service is great, same wait person from the time you get off the boat, followed us from the bar, to our meal table to our desert around the fire pit. We have been twice, the food has been awesome.

I remember the first time someone took me to Arthur Ave. All around were areas of the Bronx that looked very dangerous, but Arthur Ave was an oasis of peace. I wonder why? Great places for great Italian food.

At the Cedar Key Art Fest last spring the local Lions Club was selling food in the city park overlooking the Gulf. The Crab Boil was served in a fish net and outstanding and only $7.

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Shorty's in Miami.

Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club, Kilmarnock, VA. Chesapeake Bay

The Number-5. 33 South Washington Street in Binghamton, NY.

Can't pick just one. Locally (until we move to TV next year) White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport, ME. Beautiful setting, fabulous service & food and you feel totally spoiled! In Europe - a great restaurant in Venice - don't recall the name, but amazing food and service. And lastly - had the great pleasure of dining at Paladar La Guarida in Havana, Cuba last summer. Our choral group traveled to Cuba - an amazing experience!

Skunk Hollow Tavern Hartland Corners Vermont The absolute best pizza ever and birch beer 25% alcohol

Well...There was a Greek chef who opened a restaurant in Lebanon, TN called Gondola House. He later sold it, but the new owners kept all the original dishes and recipes. It is still there today, just down the street from the first original Cracker Barrel...If you ever go to Lebanon, TN, just east of Nashville, stop in Gondola House. They make everything from scratch, fresh, great Italian and Greek food, best pizzas, Greek salads...

Parker's bbq, wilson, nc
no bbq taste like eastern nc bbq

ok its a chain but Roys
 

All time favorite I can't go to any more as I don't know a member it was the Pacific Club in Honolulu

Roy's is a chain but they all have different food as it varies by the chef and what is available fresh locally.
I like the one in Hawaii Kai better than the one in Waikiki for instance.
My husbands favorite restaurant is Ono Hawaiian on Kapahulu in Waikiki but it is a locals place for Hawaiian food and would probably scare you guys.
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/med...iian-foods.jpg

From the past....Acorn on Oak...The place was filled with Chicago luminaries. Alas, it's closed now, but yes, it did have the tremendously good Acorn Burger, perfectly seasoned ...deep char crust...and thick and juicy. This particular area of the Gold Coast was known for good burgers, what with Hamburger Hamlet right around the corner, and several other "joints" trying to make the claim.

But Acorn on Oak did have the best -- cooked to order, even a medium-rare if you desired. The fries were whole-cut and not greasy, and nothing was quite over-salted, but there was indeed plenty of sodium in everything, as if to induce you to enjoy an ice cold beer from the bar. In those days I could somehow eat a whole Acorn Burger and still have room for at least 2 beers in frosty mugs, but now I'm not quite sure how I fit it all in. :-)

Service was always good -- the place wasn't large (it was a small piano bar), but it did have its cast of characters. There were the media types from the Tribune and Sun Times, including one nationally-famous movie critic whom I spotted there on two occasions.

There were the legislators, but I think they were more sparse. Mostly it was the locals -- the folks who lived in this Gold Cost area, and a bunch of guys who lived on the Magnificent Mile would make the short walk down Lake Shore Drive and round the corner to stop in. It was the kind of place where you could spend several hours, arriving as early as mid-morning, when the place was often "open" a bit before its posted hours.

In the winter time, it was a nice, dark corner in which to hole up for the warmth of a drink or two, and some conversation. You didn't need to know anybody there to join the conversation; you just had to be not stupid. Chicago is a place where we love to give (and sometimes hear) opinions, and Acorn on Oak was a place where this would happen.

In the summer...off college...I drove for Yellow Taxi....and during the down time between the morning and afternoon madness...I would pull the cab over and get a burger to go. Thick and bloody...charred and tart...with intense season...garlic and rosemary and celery and then a quick single malt and a tune...The occasional tourist would walk in, and they would stand out from the locals, but the place loved it -- A on O had gained a secret-clubbish cult following and the word was out about the burgers, especially. So you might well see a suburban family, replete with a pair of teenagers, stopping in for a mid-afternoon lunch or early-supper amid a day of museums, biking, or whizzing to the top of the Hancock Tower. The place wasn't killer-expensive, although not cheap by any means, but reasonable enough, and just enough of a rare-find to justify dining here versus the many other options they had -- Acorn on Oak gave them something to talk about, and the feeling that they knew something about Chicago others didn't. And that's a feeling we all love, yes?

My brother and I go fishing off of Key Largo with a guide. After a good day we bring the fish home and go to Hobo's. A restaurant in Key Largo that takes our fresh catch and cooks it for us. The service is great and very personal. The food is delicous especially when they use the peppercorn sauce. Can't wait to go again.

The French Laundry - Napa area. Truly world class food and total dining experience. Beyond expensive and ya gotta know somebody to even get a reservation .... fortunately I knew somebody, that knew somebody.

Gary Danko - San Francisco. It is hard to be better than The French Laundry .... but Gary Danko's just might be.

Sierra Mar - Big Sur. Tucked into a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean it has a spectacular view and food to match!

I am sensing a distinct Bay area theme ... so I will switch gears.

Prejean's - Lafayette La. Horrible tacky tourist trap decor .... stellar cajun / creole food.

Smitty's Market - Lockhart Tx What smoked bbq is suppose to taste like .... brisket is so good it will make a grown man cry.

My Granny's pinto beans/with ham and fried corn bread .... old fashion heaven. I am getting close, got the beans&ham down and the corn bread is real real close.

I will second that. :thumbup:

Our server even gave us the menu for a souvenir.


While its food isn't in the same class, the Blue Dog Cafe in Lafayette is also a neat place to check out.
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Hey! I remember this place , it reminded me of a lunch place with no name on the north end of kawalo basin.....it had a cotton ball on the front screen door and I can tell you for a fact that it didn't do any good.........
If I want mahi mahi I go to Wailana coffee shop ......and anything else its hard to beat the elks lodge on north Kaulakaua...( foot of diamond head)
If you want a good meal cheap then go to the spaghetti factory at Wards warehouse......The to best restaurants used to be the Tahitian lanai and the old Halekalani (house without a key) but there gone now and Waikiki lost a lot of flavor .....oh and don't forget CAN'LIS ............
ALOHA FUMAR

:mmmm:My favorite place is Carmine's on 44th St. in NYC (The Theater District).

Thornbury Castle in Bristol, England

Close to the top is a restaurant named "Salt" in Stockholm. I had duck with ligonberry sauce that was superb. My husband, the carnivore, had reindeer. First Bambi, then Babe and now Rudolph. But, I guess I did eat Donald Duck, oh well.

555 and Hugo's restaurants in Portland, Maine