Deliciousness
According to someone somewhere, these are the top 50 restaurants in the world. I've been to none of them and haven't even heard of many of them, which makes this post thoroughly uninteresting. That is, until, I add my own personal spin. Listed below are my top 5 restaurants. I could list 50 if I tried really hard, but it's not worth it. Feel free to share your picks for best eats, then we can all lament about the fact that we're really hungry for good food but are stuck with leftovers again.
Spec's Top 5 Restaurants
(type of cuisiune noted in parens.)
1. Siam (Thai) Lambertville, NJ
2. Sunny Garden (Chinese) Princeton, NJ
3. 4912 Thai (Thai) Washington, DC
4. PJ's Pancake House (Breakfast/Diner) Princeton, NJ
5. Maggiano's (Italian) Washington, DC
Spec's Top 5 Restaurants
(type of cuisiune noted in parens.)
1. Siam (Thai) Lambertville, NJ
2. Sunny Garden (Chinese) Princeton, NJ
3. 4912 Thai (Thai) Washington, DC
4. PJ's Pancake House (Breakfast/Diner) Princeton, NJ
5. Maggiano's (Italian) Washington, DC
posted by Spec at 9:44 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
No one is less qualified than I to comment on this story, since it is well known that I care more about my shoe style than food.
But, I "do" watch the Food Network and have access to an internet connection, so I am therefore able to say whatever I want regarding food. Therefore:
1. Like Spec, I haven't heard of these restaurants--with the exception of Charlie Trotter. Never eaten there, but I've heard of it.
2. The list seems a bit Western-Eurocentric for a "global" list. Are Mali's rat balls and fried chicken feet so unpalatable?
3. My list of only 4 great restaurants is flawed because of my shockingly bad memory, but here goes:
a. Frontera Grill (Mexican) Chicago . . . the only really famous place I've ever eaten.
b. The Library at Vendue (high-class American) Charleston . . . the priciest place we ate on our honeymoon, so it MUST be good.
c. "Someplace we'll go on our trip to SF later this year" . . . here's hopin'.
d. I don't remember the name of the place but it was a restaurant in Hanapepe, Kauai. They made this soy-sauce infused pork tenderloin that was damn-near incredible.
I slept with the window open last night--the first such event this year. Around 3 a.m., I heard Fencey the Peacock cry out
"br-awww!" After wondering what makes a lonely peacock suddenly cry out in the night, my mind drifted to food, and to Spec's entry.
Like Burb, I am strangely unqualified to comment. As much as I like food and always say that if I was rich I'd treat myself to the best restaurants (which I doubt are on this top-50 list, for some reason), I don't have any shi-shi favorites. You'll all be disgusted, but here's my Top 4:
1. "Talita's" Columbus, OH Tex-Mex
Not known for quality ingredients or cutting-edge cuisine, Talita's redeems itself with its masterful enchilada sauce. I've had chicken enchiladas all over this great land, and Talita's are still my favorite. I've been going there for 17 years and have yet to have a bad meal.
2. "Chevy's" A CHAIN!! "fresh Mex"
For a chain, this is a great restaurant. Like Baja Fresh (R.I.P.) there are "no cans." It's very, very good, and the pica de gallo is delicious.
3. "CeCe's Something or Other" Columbia, MO Steakhouse
When I'm not eating chicken enchiladas, I'm eating filet mignon. And this unassuming, small restaurant in a small city had the best steak I've ever, EVER had. It's the kind of place where they'll bring out the uncooked steak on a plate, just to show you the perfect marbling. Shockingly, the common sides were perfectly cooked and delicious, too.
4. Unknown Restaurant New Orleans
Seafood and Steak
It was in this restaurant at the edge of the French Quarter that I had the best meal of my life. The kind of meal that you see people eating in movies like "Like Water for Chocolate" and "Babette's Feast." Blackened Amber Jack and a side of buttery pasta so perfectly cooked that you just wanted to lay your head down and sweetly dream. I washed it down with an ice cold beer and the notes of a jazz trio with reverberated perfectly across the refurbished wooden floor.
I noticed tonight that Newsweek has a brief article on a food critic's book of great restaurants. So, I thought I would include the list of good restaurants Johnny Apple liked on 40-city tour.
"Watershed" in Atlanta. Described as a delightful southern restaruant in a former gas station.
"Hominy Grill" in Charleston. "As unpretentious as they come--a former barbershop." [What is wrong with the Southern real estate market?]
"Frontera Grill" and "Topolobambo" in Chicago. [All I can say is Booyah! A restaurant I picked was mentioned!]
"Sonny Bryan's" in Dallas. A concrete-block shack that serves a great cut of beef. [Again with weird Southern ruins.]
"Sam Choy's Diamond Head" in Honolulu
"Arthur Bryant Barbecue" in Kansas City. [Even though he may be a punk, Bobby Flay profiled this place on Food Network once.]
"Valentina" in Los Angeles. [Italian food]
"Kurtzs" in Louisville. [the horror . . . the horror. Sorry; it was too easy.]
"Galatoire's" in New Orleans
"Zuni Cafe" in San Francisco [maybe I'll try it if I can spare the time to take our postponed anniversary trip while in the midst of the Burb-a-palooza 2K7.]
"Equinox" in Washington, D.C.
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