Best restaurant experience

[SlaveToTheGrind]

Tom R. inspired me with his Nemo thread.

When I was visiting Japan in 1990, I went to this restaurant for an all you can eat beef. Now if you have neen to Japan, you know beef is very expensive. This place had piles of raw beef in addition to sushi, sashimi, and toriniku. The whole idea of the place was you cooked your own beef. Each table had a grill recessed in the middle and you skewered the beef and cooked it right there. I think the price converted to something like $20.

 

[Repo Man]

I would say I have had 2 great restaurant experiences. One would be at Aureole in Las Vegas. Best steak I have ever had, outstanding service, awesome salads and appetizers, and one of the best decors I have ever encountered. They have this huge tower of wine and a robotic arm will go up and grab the bottle you select.

Second best experience would be Lake Park Bistro in Milwaukee. There are a lot of great restaurants in Milwaukee, but the attention to detail was exceptional. I think there were at least 4 different servers, one for wine, one for salads, one for dinner and one for desert. Food was great.

 

[Duke Of Dystopia]

My brother and I were wandering around the southern German countryside. When hungry, we stoped at this little guest hause about 1:00 in the middle of nowhere.

There were 6 german farmers in thier late 50's or 60's. We sat down at our own table and had a wiess bier apiece. After the second one, we found out we couldn't eat until 6:00.

The farmers envited us over to thier table. We drank another 4 or 5 wiessens on top of the ones we had had at our own table. those 6 guys spoke less english combined than I presently speak german myself.

Never did eat there. We left about 3:30, but we had the best damn time with those farmers.

 

[Big Easy King]

While in Denver for the 2003 APA National Conference, Planderella and I dined at Cheesecake Factory with two friends, who are also planners. The food and cheesecakes were fabulous and we had a great time. In my opinion, The Big Easy has the greatest seafood restaurants (and all other restaurants) in the world but, to this day, I haven't had a shrimp pasta dish as good as the one I had there.

I also tried and enjoyed sushi for the first time while in Denver. The restaurant (can't remember the name of the place) had a great contemporary and traditional atmosphere. Planderella and I had a great time with my cousins, who reside in Denver, that evening.

Any dining experience in New Orleans is very worthwhile...excellent eats, drinks, and good times!!! If you ever visit The Big Easy, I suggest you dine at Acme Oyster House (great seafood), Praline Connection (great soul food), Ruth's Chris Steak House (excellent steaks), and Sun Ray Grill (great contemporary cuisine), just to name a few. N.O. has so many great restaurants with varying cuisines to choose from! So, come on down and get your eat and drink on!!!

 

[donk]

King Ludwigs Bavarian Outpost. Corner of Highway 89 and Airport Road in Ontario.

Looks like a dive from outside, looks like a dive inside, but the food is awesome. There is only 2 or 3 things on the menu and everything is made from scratch pretty much while you wait. You can actually hear them pounding the scnitzel. Don't be in a hurry if you ever go there and bring your eating and drinking pants.

Denver, would probably be one of the last places I'd want to eat fresh seafood.

Can't wait to go to Toronto next week for eating.

 

[SGB]

Since our son was born in 1999, I think I can count on one finger the truly outstanding dining experiences I've had.

Right now we enjoy any place that gives us a reasonably good meal while not either a) trying to pretend that our son does not exist, or b) assuming that all children his age are monsters, and should be treated as such.

I suppose we will raise our standards again once we kick our kids' sorry butts out of the house.

 

[NHPlanner]

While I was in Baltimore for a Habitat for Humanity project in College, I ate at a little Inner Harbor restaurant called City Lights....to this day, the best crab cakes I've ever had. Their calimari was excellent as well.

Good casual atmosphere, and great views of the harbor.

 

[Big Easy King]

Denver, would probably be one of the last places I'd want to eat fresh seafood.

I thought the same until I tried one of the shrimp pasta dishes at Cheesecake Factory. Very good!

 

[Tranplanner]

Can't wait to go to Toronto next week for eating.

Does this mean I have to come up with an idea for dinner now?

I've had too many good meals to really just pick one. My wife and I absolutely loved the seafood out in Nova Scotia. I'd have to go with that I guess. "The Five Fishermen" in Halifax was the highlight. Hope it's still standing!

 

[Richmond Jake]

Acme Oyster House

I'll confirm this recommendation. I ate there a couple of times the last time NO hosted the APA convention.

My best experience was dining at the French Laundry in Yountville, CA (Napa Valley). Just an amazing experience. Everything was perfect.

 

[biscuit]

I've had so many it's hard to name just one. One of the best things things about my time in Charleston was that you couldn't walk a block without tripping into a great restaurant, and I'm not talking about those fried sea food places you usually have at the beach.

If I had to pick one I would have to say it was Carolina's, simply just for their shrimp and grits.

 

[Plannerbabs]

Not really a restaurant, but lots of people and food were involved: mussels and sausages cooked over a huge fire on a beach on the Mediterranean in France, served with bread and white wine, as the sun went down. That was years ago, and nothing since has come really close.
Although, speaking of sushi, I did have some excellent mackeral in Indy the other day.

 

[Repo Man]

I thought the same until I tried one of the shrimp pasta dishes at Cheesecake Factory. Very good!

I'll give the Cheesecake Factory props, for a chain restaurant they serve up some awesome food...and cheesecakes. I think the Baja Chicken tacos rival tacos at most Mexican restaurants.

 

[Cardinal]

A couple come to mind.

I can't remember the name of the place, but I doubt I'll ever go back. It was a hotel in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, with a Chinese restaurant. The service was outstanding and the food was incredible.

The second place is Mo's Steakhouse in Milwaukee. Again, they offered incredible service. No other steak I have eaten even approached the one I had there.

 

[SkeLeton]

New Orleans in Valdivia... Amazingly good... Amazingly expensive (for the middle class Chilean)

 

[mcmplans]

Taylor Grocery outside of Oxford, MS is a little on the "rustic" side but the food and atmosphere make a trip a worthwhile experience. When I lived in Oxford, my friends and I went there at least twice a month. It is also brown bag only which makes it fun.

Also, I ate one of the best meals that I have ever had at the Yocona River Inn outside of Oxford. Small place, great atmosphere and fantastic food.

 

[nerudite]

Elmo's relatives made me fresh lobster (and even pre-cracked it for me) this summer... that was the best food I'd ever had.

For restaurants... I'd say, Mon Grenier (french, duh) in L.A. was the best restaurant... the squab and escargot was amazing. The best pasta I ever had was in rome in some back alley by the trevi fountain... some little place called il piccolo arancia (or something like that).

There are two restaurants in the edmonton that are great: syrtaki (greek) and kobe (japanese/sushi). You wouldn't think there would be great sushi here... since we are in beef country and all, but the chef used to be the sushi chef for the japanese consulate here in town (which is coincidentally about three blocks from my new house).

 

[H]

Oh so many. If I had to pick just one it would be the Yocona River Inn near Oxford, MS, but far from anywhere – out in the country.

The food is simply the best. They don’t take reservations, it is a small place, and I have waited up to 2 hours to eat there before. But they have a nice porch with swings and rocking chairs while you wait. It is BYOB so you can party while you wait. They supply corkscrews & wine glasses or tumblers, ice & coke (whatever you need).

It is best to go with a group, but its fun for couples as well.

The menu is seasonal and the food is simply divine.

I have had too many good nights there full of good friends and fine women to even try and describe any one occasion.

If you are ever in the area, go there.

http://www.yocona.com/

*click media link to see photos.

 

[BKM]

If you overlook the high prices, the Bay Area has great food.

Let's see: We took my mom to a restaurant in San Francisco called One Market. What an awesome lunch. They had chicken macaroni and cheese that my mom still raves about. That was a lot of fun.

There is a great little Pan-Asian "small plates" restaurant in Oakland (Grasshopper) that I have visited five times the past six months. Fantastic food, cool Japanese-style graphical art, enjoyable company (my sister, and sometimes my brother in law). I really like small plate menus because you can try a lot of interesting food without stuffing yourself silly.

Local: Vacaville has a great seafood restaurant called Old Post Office Grill. Inventive menu, enjoyable company (friends).