In your city, and your city only, what are the fanciest restaurants? What are your favorite restaurants (fancy or otherwise)?

Cafe Society
41

I was at a friend’s house last night and, while full-blown US citizens, they are of Mexican descent (they were born in Mexico). The wife was telling me that, here in Chicago, the Mexican restaurants are struggling. Places that used to have a line out the door for awesome food have almost no customers now because of the ICE presence in Chicago.

While it does mean I can now go and not wait in line for great food it mostly sucks. I kinda liked waiting in line and talking to people (and usually it went pretty fast). Not to mention I want these owners to succeed and keep making great food!

42

It’s a damn shame. The folks in this place put up a sign saying “We’re still learning English. Please be patient.”

43

I’ll take @Dorjan 's word on the fanciest or “best” restaurants in Cleveland, but my favorite is probably George’s Kitchen, a family diner. The food isn’t knock-your-socks-off amazing, but it is good (especially their chicken noodle soup), and quite affordable (around $10 per person), and I’m not in a position where that’s something I can ignore.

Or, if I take the question of “my city” more literally to mean the municipality I actually live in, I’ll go with a place called Vintage India. I love Indian food, and it’s the only place I’ve found that’s still open that doesn’t white-spice me. There’s also a Middle Eastern place called Aladdin’s, and a Mexican place called El Barrio. I don’t know “fanciest”, though: Lakewood, OH doesn’t really do “fancy”.

44

I guess my “city” would be Eugene, Oregon, as it’s the closest larger population center (just over 170,000) near me.

The restaurant here that is generally regarded as the “fanciest” would probably be Marche.

It’s decent. The food is good, though I’m one of those, “I can make it better and cheaper at home,” types. There’s not much on the menu I wouldn’t be willing to tackle myself, and many of the things are similar to things I already prepare. When I go to a “fancy” restaurant, I want to be amazed by the things they can do that I can’t! And for that reason…

… my favorite restaurant here, not really fancy but the food is always astonishing, is Izakaya Meiji Company. They specialize in small plates, meant to be shared. Even with drinks – and they have some wonderful drinks! – you’d be hard pressed to spend even $100 per person.

Last time I went, my friend and I shared plates of Spinach Goma, Saikyo Miso Butter Oysters, Skewered Pork Belly, a Small Salad, Hot Garlic Shrimp and Tonkatsu. I washed mine down with a Lion’s Tail, my friend swilled a Meiji Mule.

For dessert, we split a Crème Brûlée. We left, happily splitting a tab of around $135.00, including tip, and agreeing that the Crème Brûlée was gilding the lily a bit. Great little place! Be prepared to pack in, however. Seating is very close, but that has its own charms. There is often instant camaraderie among patrons.

(For the record, I do make Crème Brûlée at home. Not often.)

45

We are a suburb of DC (Silver Spring) so generally do “suburbs fancy” not “fancy fancy”, you need to go into DC for properly fancy restaurants. The two fancier places off the top of my head are the steak house (Hollingers) which we go to for happy hour on occasion, and the upscale bougie latino place (Lime and Cilantro).

The main cuisine in town is Ethiopian (there is a big Ethiopian population) I am a big fan, my favorite is Meleket. There is also a very good Burmese restaurant, Mandalay, too. There are two excellent breweries that have food but I wouldn’t recommend either of them for their food alone.

46

This is going to come off elitist, but the fanciest (not best!) place in Springfield is a brewpub and a staggering bill is like completely bog standard suburban Chicago prices?

In Arlington VA there are a couple of the chain steakhouse + a couple local ones that are somewhat fancy. Carbonara is an Italian place that Biden just ate at. Most of the really fancy places are across the river in DC. Couple others in NoVa and a 3 star restaurant out in the Shenandoah Valley

47

Like @Chronos, I am unsure whether “my city” is the entire metropolitan area, or literally just the municipality I live in.

If it’s the former, Sacramento does have two Michelin starred restaurants: Localis and The Kitchen. I have not been to either of them.

If we limit it to just the specific suburb I live in, I guess the “fanciest” would be the Sutter Street Steakhouse. They’re the only place in town labeled “fine dining” per Google.

As for my favorite, a very good Burmese place opened near me relatively recently. I can’t vouch for their authenticity; they are actually the first time I’ve had Burmese food, but I have never gotten a bad meal from them.

48

I may be misreading your tone, but what do you expect in a small city that’s 100 miles from the nearest international airport?

49

There was a Mon Ami Gabi located about 10 minutes from me, in Chicago’s western suburbs, at Oak Brook Center. It was our go-to place for a really nice meal; we went their regularly for birthdays and our anniversary, and it was absolutely my favorite restaurant. It closed down at the end of 2021, when their lease expired, and it made me very sad.

50

Not anymore, the Inn at Little Washington has lost a star.

51

Brewpubs are by far my most common type of restaurant when dining out, I just don’t consider a burger and beer to be fancy and surprised that ~$40 a head would be “staggering.” Their burgers are like the same price as a chipotle burrito.

I went to school at UIUC, well away from international airports. Obed and Isaac’s would have been a rare treat, but I don’t think I’d have considered it fancy.

Short Google search shows me: Menu — VELE which is more what I was expecting.

52

Looks good but gotta say “Olive Oil Tasting” reads to me as drinking some oil. :slight_smile:

53

Same here. Though my theory is while the quality of the beer at a brewery will usually get better with time the quality of the food will get worse (they will start out trying to distinguish themselves with food but over time will end up just degenerate into generic pub food)

My local brewery in Silver Spring MD (now called Third Hill) was run by a British couple and did excellent meat pies but changed hands and while standard of the beer was kept up, the food is now very generic.

54

AKA Enshittification.

It seems nothing is immune from it.

55

We had Mum’s 100th birthday party there. The food was excellent, and the manager and staff treated us like old family friends.

They even taught my daughter to serve, gave her some practice behind the scenes, then she got to be part of the choreographed dessert presentation.

56

My favourite restaurant in town was the local 99 franchise, but it closed a little over a year ago. There’s a good little Mexican restaurant, but it’s been several years since we were last there. The best hamburgers in town are at the SubVets clubhouse.

57

what about that French restaurant staffed by ex-cons supposed to be excellent?

58

That would be Edwins. While very good, i wouldn’t call it the fanciest.

59

thanks! had a brain lapse, couldn’t remember the name.

60

Well, in fairness to myself, a) I haven’t lived in Springfield for quite some time,* and b) AI gave me Curate, not VELE, as the fanciest place in Spiffled. And c) I’ll be damned, Springfield is upping its fine cuisine game. Good on the town. And d) Mrs. H and I have never gotten out of Obed & Isaac’s for less than $150, but we go all out and get appetizers, beer flights, the whole megilah.

*Yes I know I violated the rules of my own thread for parsing the cuisine in a city where I don’t actually live, but where I actually live is an Ozark Mountain town of 600, where the beginning and the end of our dining options is Casey’s. So I chose my hometown of Springfield instead.