Hee hee…
Any doper who might come over soon will have to let me know beforehand!
I ain’t giving away any info here!!!
[sub]…counting the time that has passed since I started the contest among dopers to see who will be the first here…
almost 2 years and still counting… not the fastest moving contest I have seen…
but I am patient…
:rolleyes:
What-a-burger - Family owned, great burgers and shakes, and they have not changed in years.
Best hamburgers in the state!
Ok, another take on Minneapolis:
Sushi - Cafe Della Vita. Best Sushi in town by a landslide - blows away Fuji-Ya, Origami, etc.
Steak - I’m a big fan of Mortons of Chicago, but I like the atmosphere as much as the food.
Thai - Sawatdee
Best Overall - Aquavit, same owners as the Aqavit in New York. Go for the tasting menu matched with wine service. Heaven on earth.
I live in a nothing little town in Virginia called Centreville. This isn’t a farm town of 500 people, we actually have tens of thousands of people in our geography, but Centreville is a town littered with townhouses, development, strip malls, traffic… and not much else. Restaurants around here are McDonald’s, Domino’s, chinese take-out, Ruby Tuesday, etc. So my restaurant selection will consist of places in our surrounding towns that have eating establishments worth mentioning.
Italian
Maggiano’s… an Italian chain, but by far has the best pasta in this particular area.
Mexican
Picante-The Real Taco. One of the few single-standing Mexican restaurants actually owned by a Mexican family and they make a mean mole.
Seafood
Hey, this is the Virginia coast (well, close enough to it). Blue crabs a-plenty. Any independently-owned crab shack has crabs to die for - Captain Pells, Ernie’s Original Crab House, etc.
American/Homestyle
For chains, you generally can’t go wrong with Cracker Barrel. For breakfast/greasy-spoon, a local diner called Payne’s is damn fine. The Payne family is one of the first families to settle and farm in Centreville and their diner still stands as a landmark of how far the town has come (or sunk, in some opinions)
Donuts
I have to mention this category because it’s the one thing that makes me drool while I think about it. The Krispy Kreme in Alexandria is the Gates of Heaven as far as I’m concerned. A tiny little joint open until the wee hours of the morning (if not 24 hours - I can’t remember) that gives you the hot donuts right off the belt. Go in there at about 6 a.m. and prepare to melt…
Oooh! OOOOOOOOH! For the best in town fish and chips, jump on the F train and come out to Brooklyn.
The Chip Shop on Fifth Avenue and Sixth Street, in Park Slope. Not only perfect non-greasy fried taters and fresh fresh delectably-battered cod, but weird British soft drinks, delicious steak-and-kidney pie with LOTS of kidneys in them, not like those phony-ass made-for-Americans steak-and-kidney pies, chip butties (French fry sandwiches), and MUSHY PEA FRITTERS!
I live in a place commonly referred to as Dili, East Timor. My suggestion for anyone looking for good food would be to stay away from here. However, my wife is the best cook around!!!
I’ve been to Istanbul in the past two years, I think, maybe a little earlier than that. I was just having an IRQ type discussion with a Turkish friend in Germany about a side trip to Istanbul on my next visit. It’s a bit out of the way… but, you never know. What was the final on the match today, BTW?
[/hijack]
Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you’ve a date in Constantinople
She’ll be waiting in Istanbul
Italian: Gargano’s North damn good ravioli and a shrimp pasta salad you’d sell your grandma for!
Mexican: El Maya they have outta this world quesadillas and a great and cheap lunch menu. Love them chile rellenos!
Seafood: Blackbeard’s Seafood. Grrrrrrrrrrrreat crabs and a weird but wonderful southern American favorite…fried dill pickles.
American/Homestyle: Aunt Fanny’s!!! Try the chicken and dumplings…a real southern American favorite. Big plus for this southern American bible belt town…they are OPEN ON SUNDAY!
Good evening friends.
The restaurant industry in Omaha is very competetive, so we have lots of great places to eat.
We are famous for steaks here, and there is constant discussion as to where you can get the best steak. For a traditional steak house, there is Johnny’s. (Jack Nicholsen’s upcoming movie, About Schmidt had a scene set there) Good food, reasonable prices. For a dry aged steak you can cut with a fork, there is Gorat’s.
We have a variation on the theme, an Italian Steak House. A typical meal there: Included in the $12.95 price, start with an appetizer of fried ravioli, with a thick marinara sauce to dip. Salad, and fresh hot italian bread, and a cup of the soup of the day is next, then a 14 oz New York Strip, baked potato and a side dish of spaghetti or mostacholli, with a glass of the house chianti. Spumoni and coffee for dessert rounds out the meal.
This meal is repeated almost identically at Piccolo’s, Caniglia’s, La Casa, Angies, Anthony’s, Venice Inn, and Cascio’s and Mister C’s. Everyone has their favorite and argues about it, but if the truth be known, the food is great at any of them.
You forgot to mention Stoby’s. I practically subsisted on Stoby’s sandwiches (and pies) and Mazzio’s pizza during college at Hendrix in Conway.
(My sister and brother-in-law live in Russellville, BTW).
SWAMPBEAR??
Are you from ALLBENNY GA???
You didn’t say in your post, but I recognized the restaurants you mentioned.
I grew up there… 
I can’t think of one in the town I live in that I have even been to, but I live in a suburb just a mile or so from Dallas. In Dallas I have quite a few I think are special.
‘Two Guys From Italy’ for Italian food, really cozy atmosphere, decor reminds me of Italian restaurants in '70s TV shows and movies.
‘India Palace’ for Indian. I’ve only been to a few Indian restaurants but this is the best of them. Great food, good service (though they are often busy), nice and dark, bar has a good variety of beers. The only dish with 5 stars on it’s heat index is the only food I have ever gotten at a restaurant that was just too hot for me (I still finished it, but I never order anything hotter than the 4 star vindaloo anymore).
‘Bo Bo China’ for Chinese. Best Chinese food I’ve ever had (except for their hot and sour soup, which is still good but I’ve had better). They have an open kitchen and you can see the cooks getting their forearm hair burnt off in the roaring flames. We had a smallish Doper gathering there once, it’s not far from where Chef Troy lives.
‘The Filling Station’ for hamburgers and sandwiches.
‘Fogo De Chao’ is a Brazillian steakhouse, which is very different from your traditional steakhouse. You pay a flat fee to get in ($35 a head last time I went) and, after you have your salad, servers bring various cuts of meat on long spits that they roast them next to an open fire on. If you want some, they’ll cut you off a slab or piece and move on. If you are an enthusiastic carnivore, it’s definitely worth the price.