What are some cool places to eat where you live?

[craigdawg]

I like to eat out, especially when I'm travelling. So as a public service and because I'm presently hungry and thinking about eating, I say we share some of our hometown favorites.

What I'm hoping to discover are some of the places you'd personally want to take someone visiting from out of town, a food item or experience they can only have in your 'hood.

Let's limit it to three categories:

1. Burger (or similar sandwichy item) - no chains please
2. Wildcard - anything, your hometown specialty perhaps or something unique
3. Fine dining - a bit subjective but usually there's at least one outstanding establishment in your town

Okay I'll go first:

Sactown, CA

1. Burger - Nationwide Freezer Meats - 1930 "H" Street, Sacramento. Sort of a local favorite.

2. Wildcard - Mikuni Sushi (http://www.mikunisushi.com/) - three locations downtown Sac, Fair Oaks, and Roseville. A "fusiony" sushi bar known for some creative maki. If you go on your birthday you can spin the prize wheel and win something.

3. Fine dining - Biba (http://www.biba-restaurant.com/) - 2801 Capitol Avenue, Sac. Biba Caggiano is a very well-regarded Italian chef and her restaurant is absolutely wonderful.

[ham_man]

East of Round Rock and North East of Pflugerville (Austin Area)

Burger - Oldtimes...burger joint near my house that makes awesome hamburgers

Wildcard - Cele Store...close to my house, they make kick ass BBQ. (Cele was featured in Secondhand Lions, the scene where they eat BBQ)

Fine Dining - I don't really know of any fine dining eateries around here as I am still a teen

[Applespider]

Tricky to limit to 3 given the thousands of eating places in London but here are my favourites in those areas (excluding my favourite sushi, pizza, Brazilian, Belgian...which one to put as the wildcard!)

1 Burger - The Hamburger Union (http://www.hamburgerunion.com) , Dean St

2 Wildcard - BBQ - There's not enough of it in London. Bodeans BBQ (http://www.bodeansbbq.com) on Poland St does wonderful ribs (baby back, pork and beef) and shrimp.
2a Wildcard - local. It's an experience rather than a restaurant. Wandering around the Borough Market (http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/) is a culinary wonderland. It has the most wonderful fresh ingredients and some of their lunchtime 'snacks' smell so flavorsome, they almost fill you up without eating them.

3 Fine Dining - J Sheekey's between Charing Cross Road and St Martin's Lane. Wonderful seafood; their fish pie is delicious. And they have a tailcoated doorman who will hail you a cab and walk you to the main road with an umbrella if it's raining.

[MacAztec]

I was just in Sacramento a few weeks ago, I ate at UpperCrust Pizza on K street I believe, that was pretty good. I also ate at a VERY good Deli that was across the street from the Sheratinn (not sure on the spelling, its the hotel down the street from the hyatt). That was REALLY good, they stack teh meat on.

Anyways, here are a few for my city

Burgers - Johns (Hwy 111), really good big burgers

Wildcard - Capris (in DHS). Awesome steak, pasta, and seafood. Not that expensive. My friends grandpa owns it. Good pizza too!

Fine Dining - Sullivans Steakhouse. Best steaks, best salads, best onion rings, etc. Really good.

[iGary]

1. Burger - Fuddruckers (http://www.fuddruckers.com/locations/loc-list.asp?state=md) Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD

2. Wildcard - Joss Cafe and Sushi Bar (http://www.josscafe-sushibar.com/josshome2.htm) Main Street, Annapolis, MD - Best sushi I have had anywhere on the planet. And I've eaten it everywhere, including Japan.

3. Fine dining - Lewnes (http://www.surfannapolis.com/entities/entityDetail.cfm?said=77) 4th Street, Eastport, MD

[Mechcozmo]

1. Burger - Fuddruckers (http://www.fuddruckers.com/locations/loc-list.asp?state=md) Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD

They are a chain, BTW. Is one here in San Diego. Good food, though.

[ProjektJ]

This question is torture...
East Village, NYC
Burgers:Blue 9 Burger
Wild Card: Sapporo East
Fancy: Chanterelle, or March

[Jovian9]

Bloomington, IN (home of Indiana University)

1. Jankos Little Zagrebs (steak....best I've ever had)

2. Shanti's (Indian Cuisine)

3. Grazie (Italian)

[wordmunger]

Okay, Charlotte:

Burgers: Matt's Chicago Dog. Obviously the dogs are their specialty but they also have great burgers. Fries are amazing.

Wild card: Gotta be the barbecue. If you've never had Carolina pork barbecue, it's different from the more "standard" Texas stuff. You order a "tray," a little paper boat with cole slaw and shredded pork. Then smother with your choice of BBQ sauce. Make sure your order comes with plenty of hushpuppies. The best place is in Mooresville about 20 miles north of Charlotte: Lancaster's. Great stock car racing memorabilia there as well (not to mention most of the racing teams eat there, so you're apt to spot someone famous. Not that I would know who the famous drivers are, or anything. I really should go to a race one of these days.)

Fancy: LaTorre's (Miami-style fusion cuisine). No too fancy, but incredible food!

[iGary]

They are a chain, BTW. Is one here in San Diego. Good food, though.

Yeah, I know, but there is no other place in town to get a decent burger....the chain was acually started by some ex-Naval Academy grads I heard.

[mactastic]

Hmmmm.... ok lets see.

Burgers - AG's Villiage Grill. Great burgers, and cheap. All the HS kids flock there after school and on weekends.

Wild Card - As a huge sushi fan, I'd love to put one of those here, but I don't think any of the local places quite rise to that 'cut above' level I'm looking for. Not that there isn't good sushi here, it's just not world class. However, I will recommend a bakery in the wild card spot. It's called Hush Harbor and it's right near my work so I eat lunch there pretty often. They make their own bread artisan-style and it is easily some of the best bread I've ever had. Their chef makes wonderful salads and sandwiches for lunch, and you can always stop by in the morning and get a cinnamon roll or a scone that will make most places offerings taste like cardboard. It's not often you find a place where the guy rolls his own puff pastry every day (and if you get a chance to watch someone perform this task, it is quite impressive.) Anyway, anyone who happens to find themselves in the Atascadero area ought to make a stop there. The other wild card I'd offer is the local Cajun joint. Fantastic chef in a little hole-in-the-wall kind of place that only the locals know about. For $15 you can get 3 filet mignon medallions with a jumbo shrimp on each topped with hollandaise, and served with the best collard greens I've had, fried green tomatoes, and cornbread. And when you're done you can browse through their collection of hot sauces for sale.

Fine Dining - So many choices in this catagory. Seeing as how I'm in cowtown, I think I'll go with one of the local steakhouses. AJ Spurs and to a slightly lesser extent F. McClintocks are both top notch places with some of the best meat available. A nod also goes to a place called McPhee's in Templeton for their oak-grilled venison tenderloin. Yum Yum. There are also so many good seafood restaurants I can't begin to get into. Sufficed to say that Dorn's in Morro Bay is one of my favs.

K, I'm hungry now!

[clayj]

1. Burger - Fuddruckers (http://www.fuddruckers.com/locations/loc-list.asp?state=md) Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD

2. Wildcard - Joss Cafe and Sushi Bar (http://www.josscafe-sushibar.com/josshome2.htm) Main Street, Annapolis, MD - Best sushi I have had anywhere on the planet. And I've eaten it everywhere, including Japan.

3. Fine dining - Lewnes (http://www.surfannapolis.com/entities/entityDetail.cfm?said=77) 4th Street, Eastport, MD1. I'll second the Fuddruckers nomination... I haven't been to the one on Bestgate Road (my Dad lives in Annapolis), but the ones here in Charlotte are really good. I-77 Exit 25 and North Tryon Street near UNC-Charlotte are both good.

2. Firebirds Rocky Mountain Steakhouse, Stonecrest Shopping Center, south Charlotte (Rea Road exit off I-485). Really good steak, fried calamari, bread, and lobster spinach queso.

3. Morton's Steakhouse. Pretty much all Morton's locations are identically good. We have two in Charlotte... West Trade Street (1/4 mile from where I live) and at Southpark Mall.

[homerjward]

hmm...fuddrucker's definitely makes the best burger in town, but as far as non-chain, i'd have to say it was little hip's before they closed. giant burgers, like 4 people could share one big, and some incredible onion rings. but now it's probably lucky burger (w00t! right down the street from my house and run by a friend's parents) or chris madrid's. much better burgers than lucky burger but kinda far from my house so i dont go there often. they're incredible greasy and they have great nachos too.

for wildcard: earl abel's is an institution definitely. it's a coffeeshop type place with out of this world fried chicken and they've been there quite awhile. of course if you're in san antonio you have to eat mexican food, but stay away from el mercado. it's expensive and not so great. there's a local chain called las palapas that's pretty good, and it's cheap and quick with great tacos, but the best is guajillo's. it's not just enchiladas and stuff; they also have stuff you wouldn't expect like great soup. carmen's is good for pizza, but not eat-in. they just do delivery and carry-out, but the crust is really good and it's cheap like pizza should be :D im not much of a barbecue person even though san antonio has a lot of it. it's texas barbecue with lots of beef, especially brisket. im quite a fan of chinese food and i like chin san but that's way the hell away from everything and it's the kind that you know is bad and ultra-americanized but you just have to have sometimes :p my dad's a great chinese cook so i usually eat chinese at home.

water street is sort of an upscaley-type seafood restaurant. not exactly what you'd call "fine dining" though. no reservation needed and you wouldn't feel out of place there in a t-shirt. great seafood and gumbo :p it's not quite a chain but there's 1 in san antonio and one in corpus christi (coastal city ~150 mi south on interstate 37) surprisingly the food's better in san antonio.

im not much of a fine dining person so ill leave that alone.

i'd better stop listing stuff i'm making myself hungry :D
in short, san antonio has great food

[shane1]

Burger: Sorry y'all, it's Fuddrucker's here too... great burgers, every city you find them. But in Windsor, a bar called Feelgood's 5 minutes south of the bridge makes a damn fine mashed cow sando too.

Wildcard: If you like tasty Thai that scars your ringpiece, Basil Court in downtown Windsor is the goods. You'll crap thermite, but it's worth it. I like to tear into the pub food at the Kildare House 5 minutes east of downtown as well. Hit the fish and chips, get some curry sauce for your fries, and wash it down with a few pints of Fullers ESB. Get yourself somewhere comfortable soon after, because you're not going anywhere for a while...

Fine dining: Beats me, if I want to eat really well, I make it myself.. I's po'

[AliensAreFuzzy]

In Appleton, Wisconsin...
Burgers-Good Company on College Ave.
Wildcard-Stuc's Pizza. Really good Itallian foods.
Fine Dining-It's a tie between the Lombardi Steakhouse and Black and Tan. Both are really good places.

[killuminati]

In Vancouver Canada...

Burger: Vera's Burgers (http://www.verasburgershack.com/)
Specialty: Sushi, millions of good ones; Minatos, U-Bento, Sushi Hachi.....
Fine Dining: Lumiere (http://www.lumiere.ca/), Feenie's (http://www.feenies.com), Gotham Steakhouse (http://www.gothamsteakhouse.com/)

[Thanatoast]

There are a few good restaurants in Denver...

Burger - the local chain, Good Times, uses local Coleman beef with no added chemicals, and they also have an array of good chicken sandwiches. I particularly recommend the Big Daddy Bacon Cheeseburger. BTW, I don't eat at any other fast-food chains except Chipotle, because I am a fast-food snob, so take that as you will.

Wild Card - There's a hookah bar called Marakesh Cafe on Colorado Blvd and Evans that makes great Middle Eastern Cuisine, though the Baklavah is better down Evans near University at Jerusalems. I'll also mention Fat Jack's, which makes sub sandwiches on Evans and I-25. Beats Subway hands down. One more: Golden Shanghai on Parker and Florida makes great Chinese.

Fancy - I found a little Italian place down on Havana and Iliff called Viaggio that I enjoy. There's also an Italian place on Leetsdale and Market dowtown called Bocca di Beppo(sp?) that has great atmosphere and excellent food.

As always, when I go to a new town, I look in their local free, ad-supported paper, the ones sitting right next to the major labels on the street corner. In Denver we have the Westword, and I know Dallas has the Observer. Great resources for finding local dining, music, bars, etc.

Happy dining!

[iGary]

1. I'll second the Fuddruckers nomination... I haven't been to the one on Bestgate Road (my Dad lives in Annapolis), but the ones here in Charlotte are really good. I-77 Exit 25 and North Tryon Street near UNC-Charlotte are both good.

I live right down the street. :D

[Vster]

Burger- Boat House Grill (http://www.boathousegrill.com)

Wildcard- Reale's (http://www.realespizzaandcafe.com/), what can I say? I'm originaly from NY and this is the closest thing to New York style Pizza baby!

Fine Dining- Bellagio (http://www.bellagioitalianbistro.com)

[wdlove]

I go to a place that essentially fits all of your categories IMHO. Its at the Chestnut Hill Mall, on the first floor, very near the Apple Store. Charley's, we have gotten to know the hostess on Sunday. So we usually get a good seat. We also belong to their club, for every $300.00 that we spend they send us a $20.00 coupon. A reward for loyalty.

[clayj]

I live right down the street. :DIf you wanna weird someone out, go to the Annapolis Marine Art Gallery at the dock, talk to Jeff Schaub (the owner), and tell him that Clay Johanson (the younger, not the elder) said hi. :) They have some pretty cool stuff there, including works by Willard Bond.

[dotnina]

Burgers
Paul's Place ... most amazing hamburger ever. I don't know anyone who has ever been disappointed in their hamburger. They have about three places now, all in "The OC"

Wildcard
I can't think of one. Perhaps BJ's Brewery, which has actually expanded to Oregon and Arizona now, I believe. Their pizzas are unparalled.

Fine Dining
Villa Nova in Newport Beach ... very classy, pianos, overlooks the harbor. They have terrific deserts as well.

[Bibulous]

Burger –
Greektown, for lamb chops
Fine Dining -

[scem0]

Triumph Cafe, Austin TX.

Great vermicelli, amazing fried rice, and free WiFi... What more could you ask for?

scem0

[puckhead193]

On long Island NY:
Burger - smoken Al's -great ribs, burgers etc
wildcard- Emilo's - In commack - great italian food,
fancy - i have few
PG steak house -dix hills - good food, small, great service
Pace's - smithtown - another steakhouse, more upscale more ritzy but good food, good service and nice a selction of coctails ;)
Morton's -its a chain but its dam good

[ham_man]

Wow, 3 people from Austin. Reppin' the 5-1-2...:p

Where is the Triumph Cafe scem0? I am always looking to try new things, specially when free internet is involved...:D

[Timelessblur]

Burger -- I going to have to with Spankies here in lubbock

Wildcard -- hmm hard. There is a resturanted on broadware that I like quite a bit I just can not think of its name.

Fancy-- Come on dude I am collage student I can not afford to go to those

[scem0]

Wow, 3 people from Austin. Reppin' the 5-1-2...:p

Where is the Triumph Cafe scem0? I am always looking to try new things, specially when free internet is involved...:D

Spicewood Springs Rd.

website (http://www.triumphcafe.com/)

I live for this restaurant, and I know you'll love it :).

scem0

[stevietheb]

I'm going to cheat and post for three locations I consider home: Houston, TX (lived in the Clear Lake area), Austin, TX, and Cambridge, MA

Also, I'm not really into fine-dining (due to budget constraints)...so I will put a restaurant I consider high-end (for my budget) in the Fine Dining category.

Houston:
BURGER: Tookie's down in Seabrook, near Kemah (just down the road from the Kemah Boardwalk). I strongly recommend Stomp's Icehouse Special (a spicy burger!) and some onion rings. Drawback: no free refills on Coke.
WILD CARD: Gringo's in Pearland, TX -- good Tex-Mex, but always busy...
FINE DINING: Fu's Garden (specifically the one in Rice Village, corner of Kirby and University) -- good family-style Chinese and MSG free!

Austin:
BURGER: Hut's on 6th St is good, as well as Dirty's near UT on Guadalupe (esp. good onion rings)
WILD CARD: Gotta love Trudy's. When I was a student at UT, I used to go get the taco plate for $3.95. Try the Mexican Martini (limit 2). For more authentic Mexican check out Curra's
FINE DINING: Does the Salt Lick count as fine-dining? Great place to hang out and eat all you can of some Texas-style BBQ.

Cambridge:
BURGER: RF O'Sullivan's (across the street from me in Somerville)--knocks the socks off the Harvard Sq favorite, Mr. Bartley's
WILD CARD: John Harvard's -- for the beer (though I do love the grilled meatloaf)
FINE DINING: Haven't been here long enough for a real opinion on that.

[ham_man]

Thanks scem0, I may have to hit that up next time I go out. :)

Oh, stevietheb, Trudy's is VERY good. Never been to Salt Lick though...

[jefhatfield]

Let's limit it to three categories:

1. Burger (or similar sandwichy item) - no chains please
2. Wildcard - anything, your hometown specialty perhaps or something unique
3. Fine dining - a bit subjective but usually there's at least one outstanding establishment in your town

Okay I'll go first:

Sactown, CA

1. Burger - Nationwide Freezer Meats - 1930 "H" Street, Sacramento. Sort of a butcher shop with a grill.

2. Wildcard - Mikuni Sushi (http://www.mikunisushi.com/) - three locations downtown Sac, Fair Oaks, and Roseville. A "fusiony" sushi bar known for some creative maki. If you go on your birthday you can spin the prize wheel and win something.

3. Fine dining - Biba (http://www.biba-restaurant.com/) - 2801 Capitol Avenue, Sac. Biba Caggiano is a very well-regarded Italian chef and her restaurant is absolutely wonderful.

burger- clown alley, san francisco, ca

wildcard - cafe pergolesi, santa cruz, ca

fine dining - pacific's edge, big sur, ca

[homerjward]

edit: just 'membered something. there's an awesome place in san marcos (halfway between SA and austin) called gil's that has great burgers and manske (sp?) rolls that are huge hot cinnamon rolls dripping with butter and icing :eek::cool: they also have like $1 drafts and $.25 wings on thursdays i think, although i'm neither there on thursdays or old enough lol. every time i go to the outlet mall in san marcos i eat there. sorry for the interruption, and dont know why i put "edit" since this is a new post...

[Timelessblur]

I'm going to cheat and post for three locations I consider home: Houston, TX (lived in the Clear Lake area), Austin, TX, and Cambridge, MA

Also, I'm not really into fine-dining (due to budget constraints)...so I will put a restaurant I consider high-end (for my budget) in the Fine Dining category.

Houston:
BURGER: Tookie's down in Seabrook, near Kemah (just down the road from the Kemah Boardwalk). I strongly recommend Stomp's Icehouse Special (a spicy burger!) and some onion rings. Drawback: no free refills on Coke.
WILD CARD: Gringo's in Pearland, TX -- good Tex-Mex, but always busy...
FINE DINING: Fu's Garden (specifically the one in Rice Village, corner of Kirby and University) -- good family-style Chinese and MSG free!


Oh heck yeah Tookie's is great. I have not been there in years. Now Gringos is nice. And it hard to get in. Never been to Fu's Garden.

I am from Friendswood and I may have to go eat a tookie's while I am home over spring break

[virividox]

pepato - spaish
gaudis - spanish
kai- japanese fusion
lolo dads - continental

all in manila!!!

[CaptainCaveMann]

Cotijas! Its a local taco shop(Mexican food). Its arguably the best and cheapest Mexican food in San Diego. 5 Rolled tacos with everything including guacamole for $2.79 and 5 rolled fish tacos with everything for $2.99 and a Sangria(Mexican soda) for a buck. Also i really like Chilis. :p

[cyanide]

Chicago, IL

Burger: Billy Goat Tavern.. Cheezborger!Cheezborger!Cheezborger! all you chicagoans know what i mean.

Wild Card: Ed Debevics. Basic food, but the catch is they treat you like **** on purpose. great gag for someone who has never been there, and a wonderful atmosphere.

Fine Dining: Miller's Pub. This is not your ordinary submission in this category, but this place is a GEM. AMAZING ribs and steaks, perfectly hospitable staff, great bar and atmosphere, and nice enough for most occasions. all this nestled right downtown on wabash a few blocks south of the randolph st. station. This is easily my favorite restaraunt in the US, falling second in the world only to Smile in Erlangen, Germany.

[gwuMACaddict]

washington dc

these are the rastaurants that i have programmed in my cell phone...

cafe milano: best italian in the city
1789: intamite setting, cozy evening, great food
mendocino: dynamite wine bar
ardeo/bardeo: another excellent wine bar/restaurant

[craigdawg]

This is some great info. Any more Bostonians? I'm going to be there in the fall for sure. Chowdah!

[yellow]

Durham, NC

Nana's Restaurant (http://www.nanas.citysearch.com/).
Randy's Pizza (http://dine.com/p/dine/info.cgi?RID=56945)

[hulugu]

Tucson, AZ


1. Burgers: Gentle Ben's Brewry or Cody's Beef and Beans
2. Wild Card: It's Tucson, so Mexican food here rules: El Charro Cafe (since 1921), Leruas (best green corn tamales) and Guadalajara Cafe are all really good.
3. And because it's Tucson, fine dining can also be great Mexican food: Cafe Poca Cosa. If you ever go there, get the Plato Poca Cosa the chef makes a platter of three dishes for each individual.

Santa Fe, NM
1. Burgers: a tiny, hold in the wall called Bobcat Bite. The burgers are huge and well made and you can get a Hamburger Steak with green chilies.
2. Wildcard: in the Plaza, you can go to either the old Woolworth's and get a frito pie or you can go to The Burrito Company for posole.
3. Fine dining: There's lots of great places, but I always come back to Tomasitas.

[Blue Velvet]

Maroush

Yummy Lebanese food.
Kings Road, London, SW3

[mactastic]

wildcard - cafe pergolesi, santa cruz, ca

I've nursed many a hangover on their patio...

[Raid]

Wow, there are just so many good restaurants in the GTA... I'll try to stick to the format though, or this post would get too long.

Burger joint- Hero Certified Burgers (http://www.toronto.com/profile/858505/) Pricey, but damn good burgers!

Wildcard- Dutch Dreams, best ice cream joint in all of the GTA... on par with the likes of Kawartha dairy (for those of you with cottages/homes in the Haliburton area) or Avondale dairy (for those in the Niagara region). It's on Vaughn Road, just west of Bathurst and a little north of St. Clair.

Fine dining- Canoe (http://www.canoerestaurant.com/) Really expensive, but the view is great and the food is better. Make sure you go on your bosses dime. ;)

[kiwi-in-uk]

Leeds (UK)

1. Burgers - The Dining Room
2. Wild - Livebait
3. Fine - Malmaison

Melbourne (AU)

1. Burgers - Grand Hyatt bistro
2. Wild - Vlados (NOT for vegetarians)
3. Fine - Flower Drum

Also Canberra (AU)
Charcoal Grill Restaurant (phenomenal steaks)

[emw]

I live in the 'burbs of Chicago, so here are some ideas:

Burger - Pilot Pete's (http://www.airnav.com/airport/06C/PILOT_PETES) (near the Schaumburg Airport)

Wildcard - Sal e Carvao (http://www.salecarvao.com/) (Brazilian) - all I can say is "all-you-can-eat meat"

Fancy - Morton's Steakhouse (http://www.mortons.com/website/htmldocs/locations/schaumburg.html)

[joetronic]

Burgers- The Mushroom Burger. Vegan burger joint in York PA. Many "meat" eaters eat there to just for a change of pace. Very good food and a great price. Eat there more then twice a week.

Wilcard- Sakuria. Japan Steak house in Westminster MD with very good veggie food. very good steak and seafood from what I hear, even thouhg I hav never ate any there.

Fine-Atly house. very very uppity place in Abbotstown PA. Took my wife there for her b-day last year. very good food, but very very pricey. they yelled at me becuase I wasn't wearing dress shoes, and thought I was crazy when I asked if (cant remember item) was cooked in butter.

[jsw]

Andover, MA: Blah

Champaign, IL: Papa Del's Pizza. You will never find a better deep dish pizza, and the Chicago pizza joints are as good (many of them) but not better.

[jmsait19]

I live in St. Charles (a suburb of St. Louis). Haven't been to a whole lot of fancy places, but I'll give it a shot.

Burger's - I assume White Castle is a chain, but they truly are the best. For a non chain there is a place in St. Charles that used to be called The American Rooadhouse, I believe it is JJ's now. They have amazing burgers.

WildCard - The Ameristar Buffet which is at the Ameristar Casino here. They have specials like all you can eat crab legs on fridays. They always have all you can eat ribs and some steak, just about anything you want, you can find. And it's all you can eat. Absolute best buffet I've ever been to.

Fine Dining - Robata's of Japan located in the WestPort Tower. It is a place where they cook the food in front of you. Very good steaks and whatever else kind of Japanese stuff you might like. The cooking the food on the table thing is very cool. Really enjoyable experience.

[PixelFactory]

My Chi-town picks would be:

Burgers: The Twisted Spoke. Huge burgers and great seasoned steak fries. Traditionally a biker (not just Harley) hangout but has renovated and doesn't have as much bad boy vibe. Also great for thier sunday morning breakfast burrito and spicey bloody marys

Wild Card: Uno's - One of the best Chicago style deep dish pizzas.

Fancy: Charlie Trotter's - Food is unbelievable. Unfortunately, so are the prices.

[jefhatfield]

I've nursed many a hangover on their patio...

and of course, as a wild card right where you are now, mcclintock's is great

an aj spurs bbq house, mcclintock's competition, recently moved in near me in marina, ca not far from the cal state university in seaside...i have not tried aj spurs but told it was comparable to mcclintock's

[munkle]

Not quite agreeing with the categories but what the heck.

London:

Burgers - Lucky Seven, New York style diner in Westbourne Park owned by Tom Conran (son of Terence). Small menu but what it does, it does well.

Wild: Esearn Kheaw, best 'peasant' Thai food outside of Thailand. Terrible location, terrible decor but none of it matters once you start eating!

Fancy: A few too many to choose from in London but I'm going with Nobu. Not exactly a controversial choice but the black cod alone makes putting up with the 'C' list celebrities bearable ;)

[jmsait19]

Wild Card: Uno's - One of the best Chicago style deep dish pizzas.

We have an Uno's here in STL. Not to say that it compares to what is probaby the original. However, seeing it on this list now puts it on my list of places to go. Wow, never thought I would benefit from this thread.

[jsw]

We have an Uno's here in STL. Not to say that it compares to what is probaby the original. However, seeing it on this list now puts it on my list of places to go. Wow, never thought I would benefit from this thread.
The chain Uno's aren't bad, but they are nothing like the real thing. If you ever get the the real one, you'll see the chain has almost nothing in common with it aside from the fact that you can get pizza there.

[PixelFactory]

The chain Uno's aren't bad, but they are nothing like the real thing. If you ever get the the real one, you'll see the chain has almost nothing in common with it aside from the fact that you can get pizza there.

Very true. I've eaten at an Uno's by my parents house just outside Chicago and was disappointed. It just wasn't the same food. The only place that has the exact same pizza as the Uno's in downtown Chicago is Duo's, their sister store one block away. I guess they got so busy they needed to expand and this was the only option.

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

If you're ever in Bergen...

Burger: Bon Appétit (Nøstet) (http://www.bon-appetit.no/mainframe.asp?chp=N%F8stet), yes it's a chain but after they closed the hamburger bar in Nygaten many years ago, this place has had the best burgers...

Wildcard: This was a tough one, but I have to go with the two fast food places in Bergen that exclusivly serves sea food: Søstrene Hagelin (http://www.sostrenehagelin.no/) and Madam Bergen (http://www.madambergen.no/), both have the best fish soup, the highly recommended local speciality, and the ever popular fish cakes, perfect both as a snack or for dinner...

Fine dining: Naboen (http://www.grannen.no/no/index.html) (site mainly in Norwegian, but the menu is also in English). Not really a fancy place, but great food and atmosphere. 50/50 Swedish/Continental menu, I tend to go with the continental but not always.

[Macaddicttt]

washington dc

these are the rastaurants that i have programmed in my cell phone...

cafe milano: best italian in the city
1789: intamite setting, cozy evening, great food
mendocino: dynamite wine bar
ardeo/bardeo: another excellent wine bar/restaurant

I just have to point out that at least two of those four are in Georgetown (Cafè Milano and 1789). And I think you said earlier that GW was better than Georgetown. I think not. :p

[Zazette]

If you ever happen to be in Montreal (province of Quebec, Canada) you may taste the well known "Poutine". It looks discusting but if you pitch your fork in it without looking it's actually pretty good. It's french fries with cheese and hot gravy on top so everything melts together. You can order it in every joint, even McDonald has it!

Traditional French Canadian food is very heavy on fat and sugar. A long time ago, they were putting maple syrup on everything. It's soooo delicious on ham trust me!

If you go outside Montreal during spring time, you can eat at a "cabane à sucre" roughly translated into "sugar shack" I think... There you can enjoy (?!?) "oreille de criss" or "Christ's ear". It's the fat from the bacon without the meat fried until it's crisp. Then, every single thing on the table is floating on maple syrup...eggs, ham, sausage, bacon, beans etc. And for desert, it's maple syrup pie! To digest everything after eating, there's a lame DJ spinning last year dance hits and you get to dance to "I'm a Barbie Girl" til you drop :D It's an experience to do once in your lifetime...not twice lol

[emmawu]

Milwaukee Area

Burgers: Mazo's on 27th Street. It's been open since 1936 and the burgers are wonderful

Wild Card: Beans and Barley, North Avenue and Oakland. Great pancakes and other cafe specialities

Fine Dining: Eddie Martini's on Watertown Plank Road for steaks, seafood and great atomosphere. You wouldn't be surprised to see Humprey Bogart walk in (if he was alive, that is)

Exquisite Dining: Sanford's on Pleasant and Jackson. About 10-12 tables and Julia Child would go there when she was alive.

[applekid]

Stuff in Maryland (particularly in Columbia, MD):

Burger - Hard Times Cafe - http://www.hardtimes.com/index.htm - They have some quality chili, too. A chain in Maryland.

Wildcard - Sushi Sono - http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/visitor/56520,1,5442929.venue?coll=bal-features-specials - Down by Lake Kittamaqundi (try saying that one!), a nice man-made lake. There's other nearby restaurants, but Sushi Sono is a personal favorite of mine. The waitresses appear to be Korean, but the chefs are definitely Japanese, so no worries. They do offer Koreans kimchi, if you ask for it. The sushi is quite good, but I like the other Japanese food they offer.

Fine Dining - Not too much of a fine diner, so I don't know. *shrugs* Or at least I can't remember of any...

In DC/Virginia/Marlyand, another good "Burger" restaurant is Austin Grill - http://www.austingrill.com/ - It is a chain (I didn't know until I checked their website recently), but only in DC/VA/MD.

People in Maryland, post some more! I'd like to know the hot spots in Maryland.

[rhpenguin]

London, Ontario, Canada

1. Burger (or similar sandwichy item) - Prince Alberts Diner - A great greasy spoon in downtown London. Awesome Mozzerella Sticks
2. Wildcard - Mexicalli Rosas. A fantastic authentic Mexican joint. Also downtown. Get the Mexi Dip :D
3. Fine dining - Micheals on The Thames. A great little 5 star restraunt right on the Thames river. Very nice atmosphere.

[stevietheb]

Oh heck yeah Tookie's is great. I have not been there in years. Now Gringos is nice. And it hard to get in. Never been to Fu's Garden.

I am from Friendswood and I may have to go eat a tookie's while I am home over spring breakI'm from Friendswood too. Small world! Lived there for 18 years...

[stevietheb]

The chain Uno's aren't bad, but they are nothing like the real thing. If you ever get the the real one, you'll see the chain has almost nothing in common with it aside from the fact that you can get pizza there.My wife and I often eat at the Uno's here in Cambridge...

For an excellent deep-dish pizza in Austin, TX--check out Mangia's--there are a couple of locations.

I belive the story goes that the owner quit his job and moved to Chicago for a few years to learn the pizza business and then brought that knowledge back to Austin with him. For dessert, I strongly recommend the Ooey-Gooey Brownie.