Best local restaurants, tell me.

Cool thread:

Best Coffeehouse

Donkey

Donkey Coffee and Espresso has its roots in community. With more than 4,000 square feet of cozy space to enjoy the best coffee the world has to offer, our fundamental mission is to love the world through fair and just business practices. This translates into selling exclusively Fair Trade coffee, providing exceptional hospitality and celebrating music and art throughout the shop. So whether you're surfing the web with our free wireless access, listening to a local band or poetry slam, perusing brochures in the justice room, playing a board game with a child or viewing fantastic artwork on the walls, Donkey is a place where you belong.

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Best burritos/late night drunk person food

Big Mama's Burritos

Literally the best burritos I've had in my life, bar none. And late at night you'll find many an Athenian stumbling down the street covered in burrito residue

Mostly Ann Arbor and some Metro Detroit Area

Suggested categories:
Best day-to-day choice? Zingerman's Roadhouse (selection is very diverse and specials change weekly)
Best Asian? My one exception to the area, Chinn Chinn in Mattawan (just outside of Kalamazoo), Rich JC, Tomukun or No Thai (Ann Arbor), Peking House (Royal Oak)
Best BBQ: Slow's (not even a contest)
Best Burger? Jolly Pumpkin, Grizzly Peak, Blimpy Burger are all solid choices but my hands-down favorite is Frita Batido's
Best Steak? Chop House, Knight's (neighborhood favorite)
Best fine dining? The Grange, Vinology, Pacific Rim
Best business lunch? Zingerman's Roadhouse, Pizza House

Added a category:
Best Pizza: Pizza House

There's not a lot of special restaurants in my area, mostly chains. Wawa, Texas Roadhouse....
Pennsylvania.

I don't have a strong opinion on most of the categories, but for St. Louis:

Best burger: Fatted Calf, closely followed by Blueberry Hill (although BH might win for the atmosphere). Honorable mention for Seamus McDaniels
Best BBQ: Pappys, Bogarts

Also from the Twin Cities:

Best day-to-day choice? Erbert & Gerbert's is a delicious chain sandwich shop - the soup is tasty, especially in the cold weather
Best Asian? Not a connoisseur, so I either hit up one of the local buffets or Leann Chin
Best BBQ: I'm a big fan of Baker's Ribs - they have 9 TX locations and one in MN
Best Burger? Lions Tap
Best Steak? I've only had it once, but Manny's makes a good steak
Best business lunch? Jimmy's in Minnetonka is solid

For Munich, I'd choose the Ruffini. Great to have breakfast on Sundays. Best cakes in the whole town, too. Good restaurant to dine as well. Best thing is, it' has a nice terrace, mixed clients and is collectively run, so great atmosphere all around. Hmm, now I'm hungry.

SW Florida here.

Best Breakfast: Skillets

Everything is scratch-made. They make all their bread, scones, homemade corned-beef hash (not that dog-food looking stuff from the can), and they have the best bacon.

There's a reason this place is always packed...

MattG said:

SW Florida here.

Best Breakfast: Skillets

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Hm, might need to try that when in FMB later this year.

I'm from the DMV and am often in different places so my suggestions will be scattered all over the place. I love eating and my friends love eating so we're always out together.

Best BBQ: Chaps or Andy Nelson's. Great pit beef, and all that good stuff.
Best Burger: Shake Shack in D.C. Famously known for being in NY but if you haven't had it before, seriously go out right this instant and get it. If you're looking for a small mom and pop shop, try Burger Bros. Great little burger place with quality food every time.

yg17 said:

Best BBQ: Pappys

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Pappys is good. I went there a few times when my brother was in St. Louis

Edmoton, Alberta

Sawmill Restaurant - Great Steaks
Tony Roma's Ribs

stonyc said:

Added a category:
Best Pizza: Pizza House

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Good god Pizza House is awful. Go to Silvio's.

mobilehaathi said:

Good god Pizza House is awful. Go to Silvio's.

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Technically, no pizza in Ann Arbor holds a candle to Chicago or the East Coast. Although Mani Osteria is starting to change my mind.

Which reminds me...

Best Pizza: Mani Osteria

stonyc said:

Technically, no pizza in Ann Arbor holds a candle to Chicago or the East Coast. Although Mani Osteria is starting to change my mind.

Which reminds me...

Best Pizza: Mani Osteria

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Ok that's a very fine choice!

mobilehaathi said:

Ok that's a very fine choice!

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Yeah, I had totally forgotten about Mani..

Problem with living in small community... not a lot of choice. But glad I am not on Lasqueti Island (though it's close by.) A cafe... Mary Jane's. A pub and restaurant in the local small hotel - restaurant is open 3 evenings a week in the slow season...

But....

In my community -
Best Coffee... take your pick, we are awash in coffee shops.
Best French Pastry - the French Pastry shop. In a small community names are not really that important.
Best Ribs.... the Inn.
Best Pizza ... the Pasta place.
Best Sushi.... Don't know, haven't tried them all.

Ok.... not very useful.... sorry....

Gutwrench said:

Suggested categories:
Best day-to-day choice?
Best Asian?
Best BBQ:
Best Burger?
Best Steak?
Best fine dining?
Best business lunch?

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Raleigh, NC

42st Oyster Bar probably tops my list for all around favorite. Good SF, good atmosphere, unpretentious.

Backyard BBQ Pit is a dive but man, they got what counts which is hands down, the best Q around along with country sides. They've been on the Food Network a few times.

There's also a few 5 Guys around which is my fav local burger. I've heard In-And-Out is better but we don't have one.

The Angus Barn is good for steaks and company dinners and though it's fine dining it's not snobby. I've been to Ruth's Chris and Second Empire and thought the food was OK but they're not my kind of place.

Mellow Mushroom makes a good pie near downtown, Milton's serves up a good pizza in North Raleigh. The latter is good because they don't mind if my kids get rowdy and I can unwind with a beer.

stonyc said:

Yeah, I had totally forgotten about Mani..

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Me too, and I make a point to go there anytime I'm in the area!

MattG said:

SW Florida here.

Best Breakfast: Skillets

Everything is scratch-made. They make all their bread, scones, homemade corned-beef hash (not that dog-food looking stuff from the can), and they have the best
There's a reason this place is always packed...

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Visited Skillets yesterday - the bacon and biscuits were delicious!

I'll bite (haha)

Capital Region, NY (Albany, Schenectady, Troy Saratoga is it's own animal in this regard)

Day to day? Who goes out EVERY day? Lots of sub shops for lunches, I'd have to say Capri's in Schenectady has the BEST value and great quality

Asian? No comment
BBQ? Lots of places, we now have a Dinosaur's (of Syracuse, Rochester and NYC fame)
Burger? Jumpin Jack's is a seasonal place by the river (a morning show did a report last year on the ski show put on by this place every summer), Red Robin is great, Recovery Room is good
Steak? Delmonico's
Fine Dining? Barnsider
Business? Albany Pump Station...