[DDoug]

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

[Aloha]

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...

[RETIREDSFW]

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

[TrudyM]

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

[Geewiz]

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?

[anarick]

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.

[LndLocked]

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.

[OnTrack]

Originally Posted by LndLocked

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

I will second that.

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.
.

[The Great Fumar]

Originally Posted by TrudyM

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

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

[CHIEFSAL]

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

[GatorFan]

Thornbury Castle in Bristol, England

[FloridaShrimp]

Originally Posted by Talk Host

We talk lots here about local restaurants. What is your favorite restaurant in the whole world?
Mine happens to be an Armenian restaurant in Moscow. I have been there on numerous occasions and am always impressed with the food, atmosphere and culture. I have been in the kitchen and there are at least 15 people, from Grandma and Grandpa to grand son and everybody in between.

How about your favorite restaurant memory!

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.

[Billyg]

555 and Hugo's restaurants in Portland, Maine