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Best Restaurant You've Dined At


All Hail

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The Michelin Guide just came out with their 2018 list of restaurants that qualify for their prestigious award.  The Bay Area now has 8 3-star Michelin restaurants, which is more than the entire state of New York.  

This begs the question, what is the best restaurant you have ever dined at?  I realize that many of you might not be foodies per say but regardless of your answer, there is no judgement here.  

My favorite:

#1 - l'Assiette Champenoise (Reims, France)

#2 - The French Laundry (Bay Area)

#3 - Joel Robuchon (Vegas)

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50 minutes ago, All Hail said:

I'm embarrassed that I still haven't gone here yet.  It needs to happen soon. 

 

I go to precious few “fine dining” establishments.  I made a point of going to restaurants on The (Italian) Hill in St. Louis.  I’m Italian and there are at least a dozen landmark Italian Restaurants on The Hill.  Going to one of those Restaurants is like going to the San Diego Zoo, The Space Needle, Golden Gate Bridge if visiting SD, Seattle or SF.

The restaurant that has given me the most joyous dining experiences is still Perry’s Cafe, Old Town, San Diego.  Do it Sunday morning and walk it off along the beach.

AH, have you ate at Tadich Grill on California Street?  Another humble, compared to Aquerello, and joyous find. A place to go with the guys.

 

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9 minutes ago, KUGRDON said:

I go to precious few “fine dining” establishments.  I made a point of going to restaurants on The (Italian) Hill in St. Louis.  I’m Italian and there are at least a dozen landmark Italian Restaurants on The Hill.  Going to one of those Restaurants is like going to the San Diego Zoo, The Space Needle, Golden Gate Bridge if visiting SD, Seattle or SF.

The restaurant that has given me the most joyous dining experiences is still Perry’s Cafe, Old Town, San Diego.  Do it Sunday morning and walk it off along the beach.

AH, have you ate at Tadich Grill on California Street?  Another humble and joyous find.

I have been to both Perry's and Tadich Grill, both solid. I think Tadich is the oldest restaurant in the US west of the Mississippi, or something like that. Good seafood, really liked the old booths and bar.

Perry's seems like a typical diner, doesn't seem to have been updated since the 70's, but good comfort food.

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tad-s-chicken-n-dumplins.jpg

This is a sentimental choice. Beautiful location right on the Sandy River in Troutdale, OR. It's been a fixture on the Columbia River Scenic Highway for more than 80 years.

I'm not really a "foodie" but I've spent more than $400 on dinner for two at Rover's in Seattle, and I wouldn't call it the best restaurant I've eaten at.

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I don't think I have been to any on the Michelin  list in San Francisco ( have been to the Bouchon in Vegas many times ). I keep meaning to make a reservation to the French Laundry one of these days for a getaway with the wife, is it still the thing where you have to reserve exactly 30 days in advance?

Have been to a few on the Bib Gourmands list there - Kokkari Estiatorio ( Greek place ), and Yank SIng ( dim sum, been there often ). Been to several other nice places there, Jardiniere, Postrio, Scomas, Rose Pistola, Harris' Steakhouse among others. Haven't been in a few years, need to go back.

I don't believe there are any Michelin rated places in Utah, Valter's Osteria is probably the nicest fancy place I have been to recently.  My favorite restaurant here is probably the Red Iguana, delicious Mexican food, though hardly fine dining.

Been to a ton of great places in Vegas, most of the high end steakhouses and a lot of Italian and French places, but haven't done Joel Robuchon yet ( I am much more adventurous than the wife with food, so can be difficult to convince her to try exotic stuff),  did it live up to the hype?

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1 hour ago, KUGRDON said:

I go to precious few “fine dining” establishments.  I made a point of going to restaurants on The (Italian) Hill in St. Louis.  I’m Italian and there are at least a dozen landmark Italian Restaurants on The Hill.  Going to one of those Restaurants is like going to the San Diego Zoo, The Space Needle, Golden Gate Bridge if visiting SD, Seattle or SF.

The restaurant that has given me the most joyous dining experiences is still Perry’s Cafe, Old Town, San Diego.  Do it Sunday morning and walk it off along the beach.

AH, have you ate at Tadich Grill on California Street?  Another humble, compared to Aquerello, and joyous find. A place to go with the guys.

 

As a guy of half Italian descent myself, I will have to check those out if I am anywhere near the St Louis area.  

Ironically, I took my wife -- and not the guys -- to Tadich's.  It's very cool, a complete throwback.  The food is solid but it's great dining in such a historic establishment.  As Mano said, it's the oldest restaurant east of the Mississippi.  

I was just in SD with the wife visiting some of our closest friends (who live there) and we went to Cucina Urbana downtown near the water.  It was great.  I love SD every time I visit. 

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41 minutes ago, Mano said:

I don't think I have been to any on the Michelin  list in San Francisco ( have been to the Bouchon in Vegas many times ). I keep meaning to make a reservation to the French Laundry one of these days for a getaway with the wife, is it still the thing where you have to reserve exactly 30 days in advance?

Have been to a few on the Bib Gourmands list there - Kokkari Estiatorio ( Greek place ), and Yank SIng ( dim sum, been there often ). Been to several other nice places there, Jardiniere, Postrio, Scomas, Rose Pistola, Harris' Steakhouse among others. Haven't been in a few years, need to go back.

I don't believe there are any Michelin rated places in Utah, Valter's Osteria is probably the nicest fancy place I have been to recently.  My favorite restaurant here is probably the Red Iguana, delicious Mexican food, though hardly fine dining.

Been to a ton of great places in Vegas, most of the high end steakhouses and a lot of Italian and French places, but haven't done Joel Robuchon yet ( I am much more adventurous than the wife with food, so can be difficult to convince her to try exotic stuff),  did it live up to the hype?

The French Laundry is currently booking through December 31st but it's sold out.  You have to book within the hour (probably closer to the minute) of when they release new reservations for the following month.  You now have to pay in advance, which is kind of nice because by the time you get there, everything is taken care of unless you purchase wine or drinks. 

 

Kokkari is one of my favorites.  That is my go-to spot when dining out with vegetarian friends.  

Yang Sing is one of the best Dim Sum spots in SF -- fantastic spot.  

Scomas is kitschy but they still deliver solid seafood meals.  Great place to take a family, kids love the fact that it's on a boat. 

Joel Robuchon was fantastic.  The wife and I spend way too much on fine dining and we've tried a ton of Michelin star spots.  I've only been to 4 3-star restaurants and all of them were worth every penny.  Joel Robuchon was no exception.   10 course dinner, Quail, Lobster, and Wagyu beef were the stars.  Also had a killer shrimp confit.  

I loved Epic Steakhouse in Vegas.  Their aged porterhouse was one of the best steaks I've ever had in my life.  

Wasn't too impressed with La Cirque, which is all the rage these days. 

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1 hour ago, Quack 12 said:

tad-s-chicken-n-dumplins.jpg

This is a sentimental choice. Beautiful location right on the Sandy River in Troutdale, OR. It's been a fixture on the Columbia River Scenic Highway for more than 80 years.

I'm not really a "foodie" but I've spent more than $400 on dinner for two at Rover's in Seattle, and I wouldn't call it the best restaurant I've eaten at.

Thanks for the heads up Mano, drive by Troutdale 50 Times a year.  Will try it.

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34 minutes ago, Quack 12 said:

It was me, but yes, it's well worth the short side trip. 

My apologies Quack.  I’m not a dumpling fan but the name and picture warrant the stop.  What’s your favorite menu item?  I don’t know, I’ve only had chicken and dumplings once almost 60 years ago.  My Gram made it and the dumplings were gummy (to a 6 year old).  Maybe not supposed to be that way.

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42 minutes ago, All Hail said:

As a guy of half Italian descent myself, I will have to check those out if I am anywhere near the St Louis area.  

Ironically, I took my wife -- and not the guys -- to Tadich's.  It's very cool, a complete throwback.  The food is solid but it's great dining in such a historic establishment.  As Mano said, it's the oldest restaurant east of the Mississippi.  

I was just in SD with the wife visiting some of our closest friends (who live there) and we went to Cucina Urbana downtown near the water.  It was great.  I love SD every time I visit. 

Your next San Diego trip should include happy hour fish tacos at South Beach Bar & Grille in Ocean Beach not far from the pier.

The Hill is a must visit for anyone who claims to be Italian.  The only Italian neighborhood I’ve ever been in.  Real Estate isn’t listed, sold by Italian to Italian by word of mouth.  You can’t walk into a market without smelling rosemary and garlic.  Guys like Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola grew up there and waited tables in the restaurants.

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2 hours ago, Mano said:

I have been to both Perry's and Tadich Grill, both solid. I think Tadich is the oldest restaurant in the US west of the Mississippi, or something like that. Good seafood, really liked the old booths and bar.

Perry's seems like a typical diner, doesn't seem to have been updated since the 70's, but good comfort food.

Perry’s for Frittata of your choice, cottage fries, apple muffin,  Tadich’s choose surf and turf combos.

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58 minutes ago, All Hail said:

The French Laundry is currently booking through December 31st but it's sold out.  You have to book within the hour (probably closer to the minute) of when they release new reservations for the following month.  You now have to pay in advance, which is kind of nice because by the time you get there, everything is taken care of unless you purchase wine or drinks. 

 

Kokkari is one of my favorites.  That is my go-to spot when dining out with vegetarian friends.  

Yang Sing is one of the best Dim Sum spots in SF -- fantastic spot.  

Scomas is kitschy but they still deliver solid seafood meals.  Great place to take a family, kids love the fact that it's on a boat. 

Joel Robuchon was fantastic.  The wife and I spend way too much on fine dining and we've tried a ton of Michelin star spots.  I've only been to 4 3-star restaurants and all of them were worth every penny.  Joel Robuchon was no exception.   10 course dinner, Quail, Lobster, and Wagyu beef were the stars.  Also had a killer shrimp confit.  

I loved Epic Steakhouse in Vegas.  Their aged porterhouse was one of the best steaks I've ever had in my life.  

Wasn't too impressed with La Cirque, which is all the rage these days. 

You got me thinking about San Francisco so I have to give a shout out to

Swan Oyster Depot on Polk Street.  San Francisco Crab without the fufu.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g60713-d370407-i277462344-Swan_Oyster_Depot-San_Francisco_California.html

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1 hour ago, All Hail said:

The French Laundry is currently booking through December 31st but it's sold out.  You have to book within the hour (probably closer to the minute) of when they release new reservations for the following month.  You now have to pay in advance, which is kind of nice because by the time you get there, everything is taken care of unless you purchase wine or drinks. 

 

Kokkari is one of my favorites.  That is my go-to spot when dining out with vegetarian friends.  

Yang Sing is one of the best Dim Sum spots in SF -- fantastic spot.  

Scomas is kitschy but they still deliver solid seafood meals.  Great place to take a family, kids love the fact that it's on a boat. 

Joel Robuchon was fantastic.  The wife and I spend way too much on fine dining and we've tried a ton of Michelin star spots.  I've only been to 4 3-star restaurants and all of them were worth every penny.  Joel Robuchon was no exception.   10 course dinner, Quail, Lobster, and Wagyu beef were the stars.  Also had a killer shrimp confit.  

I loved Epic Steakhouse in Vegas.  Their aged porterhouse was one of the best steaks I've ever had in my life.  

Wasn't too impressed with La Cirque, which is all the rage these days. 

 

Been to La Cirque, I am with you, don't get what the hype is all about.

If you like Kokkari, you should check out Milo's Estiatorio next time you are in Vegas (in the Cosmopolitan) . Loved everything there, especially the appetizers - the barbecued octopus and  their special appetizer ( kind of a ratatouille with eggplant and zucchini ) were my favorites, along with the Greek yogurt  for desert ( we got it with honey and walnuts, honey imported from Greece from bees that only pollinated sage plants, delicious). Fish flown in from Greece. Really pricey for dinner, but a great deal for lunch. YMMV

Milos-Special-Octopus-Estiatorio-Milos-L

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16 hours ago, KUGRDON said:

You got me thinking about San Francisco so I have to give a shout out to

Swan Oyster Depot on Polk Street.  San Francisco Crab without the fufu.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g60713-d370407-i277462344-Swan_Oyster_Depot-San_Francisco_California.html

Old school and awesome.  Some of the best seafood in the city and at reasonable prices no less.  

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16 hours ago, KUGRDON said:

Your next San Diego trip should include happy hour fish tacos at South Beach Bar & Grille in Ocean Beach not far from the pier.

The Hill is a must visit for anyone who claims to be Italian.  The only Italian neighborhood I’ve ever been in.  Real Estate isn’t listed, sold by Italian to Italian by word of mouth.  You can’t walk into a market without smelling rosemary and garlic.  Guys like Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola grew up there and waited tables in the restaurants.

I checked out the new sports bar in Mission Beach - Draft.  That place is fantastic.  They have over 100 beers on draft, solid food, about 20 TVs, and they are located right on the ocean.   I wish SF or anywhere in the East Bay had a sports bar like Draft. 

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