The two places that best represent your town

quote:

Originally posted by Poverty Pete

I love the Original Joe's in San Jose. A bowl of minestrone would be really good right now, with the snow beginning to fall.

A place who's minestrone I miss was the U.S. Restaurant. Doesn't sound Italian but it was--in a San Francisco North Beach kind of way, similar to the various "Joe's". The food was cheap (especially the daily special--the only one I remember was fried calamari on Friday) and it attracted a lot of retired seniors, many of them Italian immigrants from the neighborhood, and such because of that. For decades it sat on the corner of Columbus and Green. I ate many a plate of veal parmagiana with pasta there. Then it was replaced by a yuppi spot which quickly folded and turned into another yuppy spot and so on. U.S, finally did reopen under somewhat different managment further down Columbus, but it didn't look the same to me and I have never tried the new version

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy Thruthegarden

BT -

Can the public still get tickets to the California Culinary Academy's dinners? I went to one years ago and the food was outstanding. I've been to their website but there was no mention of dinners being open to the public. Thanks for any info.

The place they serve dinner to the public is called the Careme Room: http://www.sallys-place.com/food/dining_directory/north_america/sf/careme_room.htm At lunch, they have another spot--a "grill" with an entrance around the corner on Turk St. I think it's open for lunch daily.

Hard to answer this question when you've lived all over the planet.

Pittsburgh: Primanti Bros.
Boston: DAILY CATCH!!!!!
Michigan: Zingerman's in Ann Arbor.
Iowa: Archie's Wayside

Now for my current town of Anchorage which will mean probably nothing to all of you: but here we go.

The Lucky Wishbone for fantastic fried chicken.
Humpy's for GREAT halibut and Bloody Marys.
Moose's Tooth for the best pizza.
Swiftwater Cafe in Whittier for EVERYTHING.

Ok, more than two but I couldn't help it!

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef


The Lucky Wishbone for fantastic fried chicken.

Gasp!! Are we talking about the same outfit: http://www.luckywishbone.com/ ??

I've heard their adds a million times but never dreamed it would actually be GOOD.

NO!! NO!! It's a privately owned restaurant for the past 50 years in Anchorage. http://anchorage.citysearch.com/profile/1310251/
Very, very, very good food. If the cops eat there.......well, that says it all!

quote:

Originally posted by berndog

I don't think I can keep it to just two places, and since we rarely eat at the expensive fancy places, I won't even go there..

In Rochester, Roadfood is best represented by Nick Tahoe's or Tom Wahl's.

Best BBQ would be Dinosaur BBQ or Sticky Lips BBQ. Both offer on-site pit smoked brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and chicken.

Best Italian would be Ricci's (a smaller family type place), or Mario's Villa Abruzzi.

Best Greek food (and a 24/7 diner atmosphere) is Mykonos Cafe.

Berndog - you ever been to Charlie Brown's up on N Goodman?? As good as a diner that I have ever been to up there...I have always thought the two Rochester candidates for true RF were Nick's and LDR out in Charlotte....although Wahl's is good too!

Los Angeles!

The first one is obvious...Phillipe's French Dip, which is one of the few foods we can lay claim to having invented here.

It's too hard to narrow down the second...I have to cheat too...after all, it's a megalopolis!!! I can pick a few places where the community gathers, and a guidebook would say "locals" frequent:

Cuban...Versailles
Soul Food...M & M's
The Original Tommy's chiliburger

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

If the cops eat there.......well, that says it all!

Cops ate at the place I worked at in Memphis. Free coffee, no tax on meals. That's what it said there!

What, no Kincaid Grill on your list?

quote:

BT Posted - 02/08/2006 : 02:31:29
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quote:
Originally posted by fpczyz

our city is bigger, has better weather and more sun then that little boutique town north of us and we are now the hub of the Bay Area
But, strangely enough, has no major league baseball, no NFL football, no world class symphony or opera, no "Wall Street of the West", no bridges, no harbor, not much to look at, really. But someday--not likely in my lifetime or yours, Frank--it'll get over the inferiority complex. Till then, I'll maybe try a meal in ORIGINAL Original Joe's which is in the ORIGINAL hub of the Bay Area. Cheers.

lol.................................... very good BT I love our little banters. and just maybe when you do visit the San Francisco OJ's I'll come along for I have never eaten there. But I've been told that it is no longer under the same "original family " as the San Jose OJ's
I liked your two SF picks.......... but for me nothing says San Francisco as does

Red's Java House

Caffe Trieste

Tommy's Joynt

Swan Oyster Depot

quote:

Originally posted by EliseT

Los Angeles!

The first one is obvious...Phillipe's French Dip, which is one of the few foods we can lay claim to having invented here.

It's too hard to narrow down the second...I have to cheat too...after all, it's a megalopolis!!! I can pick a few places where the community gathers, and a guidebook would say "locals" frequent:

Cuban...Versailles
Soul Food...M & M's
The Original Tommy's chiliburger

I love Versailles, Great chicken, ropa vieja. Even saw Jimmy Smits waiting in line with the rest of us. My absolute favorite place there.

Frank--I have to admire you--those were pretty good picks for an out-of-towner and I was going to list both Tommy's and Red's Java House as "runners up" but I decided to follow the rules and just list 5. Actually, though, I give "the Java House":
a slight edge over Red's based on location (next to AT&T Park, formerly SBC Park which was formerly PacBell Park ) and a much bigger menu. Tommy's, on the other hand, is right up the street and I eat there a lot, but I've touted it many times before and even published the picture. Cafe Trieste is also a great choice although SF is full of coffee houses and it's pretty hard to pick just one.

I'm not as big a fan of Swan's as you are though--too many tourists in line these days and I don't like restaurant lines plus I think it's going down hill and the Sterns have already been there (that may be the problem).

quote:

Originally posted by Lamkid

City: Salem, Oregon
Two Places: McDonalds & Taco Bell

I kid you not! This town has terrible taste in food. We have the usual Applebee's, Red Robin, and fast food, not only are we the capital of Oregon, we are the capital of fast food! And lousy fast food at that. Service is unheard of, and good food, I'm sorry, not here. Oh yah, and everyone who has a speck of Hispanic blood in them opens a Mexican food place. These are usually so bad, I make better Mexican food! And I'm not Hispanic! That's why my husband and I do road trips, for the food!

My favorite place to eat is the Willamette Universiy Commons dining room. The school has a beautiful old campus and is located directly across from the state capitol building. Prices are reasonable and the menu has a lot of variety. I also like Los Baez, a Mexican place that has been around for about 35 years. I agree that Salem is mostly a culinary wasteland, a fact that has not changed in the 30 years since I graduated from Willamette.

BT and fpczyz: What about Jumpin Java? You can't get more San Frnacisco than that, can you?

I wish I had a pic of us at Jumpin Java during our last visit. The only pic I have of restaurants is my wife coming out of Chow after lunch, and a pic from the Grubsteak.

I've lived in four towns for some time, and have recommendations for each.

Indianapolis:

Shapiro's Deli, reviewed on this site. Serious kosher style deli. Try the corned beef sandwich.

Hollyhock Hill, a very good fried chicken restaurant, served family style. Haven't been there in 20 years, but friends have. This one is representative, as there are several fried chicken restaurants in town, but this one's considered the best.

Michigan City IN:

Redamak's, a bar in nearby New Buffalo MI with nationally known cheeseburgers.
Hard pressed to name a second restaurant, but Lindo's is a good coffee shop.

Albuquerque:

The Frontier, reviewed on this site. Everything's good. try the Frontier Burrito, anything with carne adovada, or the Frontier Roll. Also, the Fiesta Burger with green chile.

Many excellent New Mexican restaurants in Abq. Los Cuates is a very good New Mexican restaurant (3 locations), as is Sadie's. Explore...

Las Vegas NV:

Hard to start, but I'l confine myself to Roadfoodish restaurants--reasonably priced, no chains.

Casino coffee shops often have very good, reasonably priced food. The Golden Gate downtown has the Bay City Diner, which has something for everyone; we've never been disappointed. Try the prime rib or one of the steaks, and their shrimp cocktail. The Peppermill is a standalone coffee shop near the Riviera, and is supposed to be very good, but we've never been there.

Buffets are representative of LV as well; some are excellent, some are grim. The best buffet for the money in LV is the Aladdin. The food's prpared in small batches, so doesn't get stale. Broad selection of stations--seafood, Italian, Asian, American, Middle Eastern, salad, and dessert(!). Skip the Southwestern section. The Aladdin will soon be renamed to Planet Hollywood, but supposedly PH plans to leave the buffet alone.

Cincinnati

Montgomery Inn
Famous for ribs that are boiled rather than smoked. Strange and unfortunate, but true. One of the highest grossing restaurants in the country.

Camp Washington Chili
Cincinnati style chili, goetta, and double decker sandwiches - the cincinnati triumvirate - all available 24 hours a day

quote:

Originally posted by Rick F.

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

If the cops eat there.......well, that says it all!

Cops ate at the place I worked at in Memphis. Free coffee, no tax on meals. That's what it said there!

What, no Kincaid Grill on your list?

Well........I would have liked to slip Kincaid Grill in there.....but was afraid that the moderators would liken it to soliciting. But then again, how many of you are hanging out at the corner of Jewel Lake Rd. and Raspberry Rd.?? Maybe I'm safe on this one!

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Montgomery Inn: Famous for ribs that are boiled rather than smoked. Strange and unfortunate, but true. One of the highest grossing restaurants in the country.

TJ: One can take "highest grossing" in two different ways. I'll take it in both!

I'll save lleechef the embarrassment:

Is that where she works?

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Cincinnati

Montgomery Inn
Famous for ribs that are boiled rather than smoked. Strange and unfortunate, but true. One of the highest grossing restaurants in the country.

Camp Washington Chili
Cincinnati style chili, goetta, and double decker sandwiches - the cincinnati triumvirate - all available 24 hours a day

TJ, I have great respect for you and your city. That's why I've got to say, choosing Montgomery Inn disappoints me. From a tourist's point of view, or if you wanted to make an easy stereotype, your choice would certainly be appropriate. But for a guy as smart as you, with as much Roadfood savvy as you've got, I would think you could dig a little deeper to find at least one other restaurant that "Best" (in all senses of the word) represents Cincinnati. If nothing else, you could pick the Boar's Head Hot Dog stand inside Jungle Jim's.

Please take no offense from my comment. If I didn't think you were up to the task, or, if I didn't think there were better choices, I would have kept my trap shut.

Buddy

BHR: I agree with you that there are better choices out there,but I took the question literally, and I do indeed find the Montgomery Inn to be one of the two eateries that best represent eating in chain/corporate eatery-crazy Cincinnati

I think that Cincinnati in the here and now doesn't know what real true bbq is. For many Cincinnatians, The Montgomery Inn is the singest best restaurant in town, their favorite, their choice for a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary, and they fill it to capacity nearly every day. Bob Hope loved this place, and brought it lasting fame. Out of town sports teams regularly go there. Nick and Jessica were there when they last were in Cincinnati. Etc, Etc, Etc. It is easily the most famous restaurant in all of Cincinnati, particularly now that the Maisonette is no more. In a sense, I am saying it is truly representative of Cincinnati in that people are not well educated here about what good food is. This is a chain loving town, and the Montgomery Inn is well on it's way to becoming a chain, and their food is very formulaic/corporately controlled.

My other choice is far and away the most representative of Cincinnati, and is very roadfood worthy. But every year, when Cincinnatians (who really and truly love their chili parlors, mind you) are polled to find out what their favorite chii parlor is, it's Skyline. Camp Washington never gets more than 5% of the vote, if even that. I doubt most Cincinnatian's even know of Camp Washington Chili.

The most crowded restaurant in the area right now? The brand new Cheesecake Factory. There was much crowing in the local media about the return of IHOP to Cincinnati about 8 months back. The parking lots of every Applebee's in town is always full. Etc, Etc. This is a town that likes, nay loves, Corporate food. Montgomery Inn just happens to be the most "cincinnati-ish" of these corporate eateries.

Now, if we're talking most representative in a *roadfood* sense? It'd be Camp Washington then a half dozen or so other joints, probably starting with Aglamesis in Oakley.

Jack's Oyster House: Probably best represents Albany on the cuisine landscape. I would not call exactly RoadFood with no entree on the menu lower priced than $16.00. However one does not go to Jack's to save money. Jack's has been an ALbany landmark for around 90 years really it is a flashback to the old times in Albany Dining.

Ralph's Tavern: Good food cheap and lots of it I would rather wait 15 minutes at Ralph's than 90 minutes at The Olive Garden. At Ralph's you are going to get the best $6.00 bowl of pasta and meatballs you ever had. At roughly half the cost of Olive Garden this is really a no brainer. Not too mention there are not any college student Waitrons taking your orders and getting half of it wrong they have some old school waitresses at this place. Check out their mozzerella sticks with raspberry sauce. Yum

quote:

Originally posted by EliseT

Los Angeles!

The first one is obvious...Phillipe's French Dip, which is one of the few foods we can lay claim to having invented here.

It's too hard to narrow down the second...I have to cheat too...after all, it's a megalopolis!!! I can pick a few places where the community gathers, and a guidebook would say "locals" frequent:

Cuban...Versailles
Soul Food...M & M's
The Original Tommy's chiliburger

Elise.. I agree with Tommy's.. but also.. I have to add "The Taco room, a hop skip and a jump from CSULA, that was my hangout for the 2 years I went there.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Is that where she works?

Yep. That's me. Voted Best Fine Dining in Anchorage.

But I'm NOT SOLICITING!

For a good laugh, check out www.ktuu.com

Click onto "What's Cookin" You will see my boss, live and in person! I am the Director of the program..........which means that I'm Girl Friday and have to attend to Chef Al's every need and feed the camera crew!

TJ, I follow your reasoning and respect your answer. I guess I read more into Jim Hilton's original question. My interpretation was, "Which two restaurants best represent the character of your town AND you wouldn't be embarrassed to share with a fellow Roadfooder."

No problem at this end on Camp Washington. And I am, unfortunately, familiar with Montgomery Inn to the tune of a single, disappointing, overpriced visit. But as an occasional visitor to Cincy, who's always looking for the hidden gems, I guess I was hoping you could make a better suggestion for my dinner choices next time I'm in town. April 5 through 9 BTW.

Buddy

quote:

Originally posted by jim hilton

Yesterday I made a few posts that might have been considered by some to be a lttle, errr, "flamboyantly angry". I would like to atone by starting what I hope will be a fun topic. I'd like to hear about the two eating places that best represent the essence of your town, In Portland Dan and Louie's oyster bar is an obvious choice. It has been owned by the same family for over a century. It is an oldtown classic with a decor of cluttered nautica, each room filled with plates and drawings featuring ships. Your major decision is whether to order a single or double portion. I strongly recommend the double. If it is available, marionberry pie makes an excellent dessert.
My other choice would be Kennedy School, a combination, hotel, restauramt, cigar bar, snd movie theater, located in a former Portland elementary school. The place serves superb microbrews and is one of several places in Portland to offer the opportunity to enjoy good beer and a movie. It is one of a number of places owned by the McMenamin brothers, two gents who have made a good living buying old buildings and renovatting them into micropubs

I'd have to say the two places that best represent the essense of the city in which I live are the McDonald's Classic Drive-Thru restaurant and the Burger King. On the other hand, it might be the Taco-Bell and the KFC. Boy, it's tough to choose. Of course, it could be the Tim Horton's and the Frisch's. Or maybe the Bob Evans and the Wendy's.

quote:

Originally posted by Scorereader

BT and fpczyz: What about Jumpin Java? You can't get more San Frnacisco than that, can you?

I wish I had a pic of us at Jumpin Java during our last visit. The only pic I have of restaurants is my wife coming out of Chow after lunch, and a pic from the Grubsteak.

Jumpin Java?? Grubsteak?? You get around, my friend. I'm impressed--those are not spots where you commonly find non-locals.

Jumpin Java, as you evidently know, is a small neighborhood coffee shop on Noe St. I can't imagine the average visitor would ever encounter it. I happen to know about it because at certain times I have gone there every Sunday to read the Sunday paper since it's often less crowded and easier to get a table than the better known places on and just off Market St. But its fatal flaw from my point of view is the fact that they sell iced tea, my personal beverage of choice, but NEVER have any lemon to put in it. Iced tea without lemon = IMHO, but for years, off and on, I've coped (sometimes I even bring my own in a little baggy). But sometimes I just can't face it and head down the street to the horribly crowded, see-and-be-seen spot, Cafe Flore. other than than quirk, it is a quiet spot similar to many such places all over town which , I suppose, makes it in a way "representastive" though not special.

Grubsteak is just off Polk St. which, decades ago (before the Castro) was THE strip of gay bars in town. It's quieter now and has both a number of interesing restaurants (including the popular Swan Oyster Depot and one of my favorite Indian places, Maharani) and a seedier end with "adult" book/toy shops and teen runaways selling both drugs and themselves (One of my personal favorite charities is the Larkin St. Youth Center which serves this population and successfully gets many of them back on the road to productive lives, but that's another story). Anyway, the Grubsteak grew up serving late night, after-bar-hopping meals to Polk St. party people. It always has had pretty good food, though, and since the owners were Portuguese, it has some interesitng Portuguese specialities I wouldn't know where else to find on the menu (alongside the burgers and chili and scrambled eggs). Anyway, Grubsteak is good, but I wouldn't call it "representative" of much beyond itself.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

BHR:

Now, if we're talking most representative in a *roadfood* sense? It'd be Camp Washington then a half dozen or so other joints, probably starting with Aglamesis in Oakley.

Years ago I would have said Cincinnati would be best represented by one of the German restaurants because of the city's pervasive German heritage...perhaps Grammer's, Lenhardt's, the Mecklenburg, or the Black Forest when it was located on Colerain Avenue. Not so any more. Beyond Oktoberfest, there isn't much German feel to the city and some of those places have closed, moved, or changed their menus (nothing low-fat about a traditonal German menu). Now, instead, we have the Hofbrau Haus. I admit I haven't been there yet but it looks kind of chain-like as opposed to some of the good local places that were around.

Agree totally about Montgomery Inn. A couple a weeks ago, they were pushing samples of Montgomery Inn Sauce at bigg's. I wasn't paying attention and accepted a cocktail wienie slathered with the stuff...cloying, sickly sweet. Don't begin to understand why people like that stuff.

Well, if I'm sticking to the city I live in, which is the planned community of Columbia, MD, the representative restaurant would be some sort of big chain restaurant. While there are some authentic places here, the vast majority of restaurants are chains...high end, low end, and everything in between. And they are all busy all the time. It kind of amazes me. You can get to a restaurant at 5 PM on a Tuesday here, and you'll wait for a seat! I joke that no one in Columbia ever eats at home.

Baltimore (my adopted city) has some great places, but the definitive restaurant for me would be Faidleys in Lexington Market. The Market is very Baltimorean, and Faidleys has been there for some 100 years. And the crabcakes are delish; the best I've ever had.

In Chattanooga:

The first choice is easy...Zarzour's. It has been reviewed many times on this site and others. The second choice, however, would be harder. A couple of suggestions would be the Big River Grille and the original Griffin's Foot Long Hot Dogs.

I haven't lived in Toledo in a long time, but I grew up there and still visit frequently. I would have to say the Beirut and Tony Packo's still do a good job of representing Toledo's Lebanese and Eastern European Heritage. Someone who currently lives there might disagree.

That said, I understand and agree with TJ's reasoning on Montgomery Inn. If any restaurant is representative of Cinti., not just roadfood Cinti., that is the one.