[li]Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA is the home of California cusine. The first time I went there I was served what remains to this day one of the most remarkable foods. It was Vitello Tunato, slices of cooked veal shoulder napped under a caper and tunny fish (yes, fish) sauce. You cannot believe how good it was.[/li][li]Le Mouton Noir in Saratoga, CA is a wonderful little French restaurant near where I live. The first time I went there for an anniversary with my then girlfriend, we were seated in the owner’s booth. My entre was a boneless squab stuffed with a forcemeat of veal and pistachio. For dessert was a triple cream (sour cream, whipped cream and creamed cheese) heart topped with raspberry sauce. Yum! Let us not forget the broiled garlic and olive oil marinated shitake mushrooms topped with French Chevre (goat cheese). I serve this appetizer at a lot of my dinner parties (I will post the recipe in my “Utimate Recipe Thread”.[/li][li]Le Papillion in San Jose, CA was owned by a manager in the optical lithography department of one of my semiconductor jobs. The only thing I really remember was being served cold smoked salmon with a coarse Pommeroy type of French country mustard. It was an excellent pairing.[/li][li]Narsai David’s in Kensington, CA was a total disappointment. The service was slow. I ordered both my lobster and my girlfriend’s prawns to be lightly cooked and both arrived fresh from a quarter hour stay under the warming lights and tough as shoe leather. Narsai’s was one of the only true French restaurants in the San Francisco bay area but this was just before they closed, so who knows? (Needless to say, I sent both orders back to the kitchen. One of the only times I have ever had to do so.)[/li][li]Ala Carte in Berkeley, CA is a delightful little French restaurant, all I remember from that meal was a wonderful pate terreine and a flourless triple chocolate (cake, frosting and sauce) dessert that my girlfriend and I could barely finish between the two of us, it was that rich.[/li][li]Chez Louis in Palo Alto, CA was a true delight. My girlfriend ordered the Bienville oysters (flown in from Spain). As a chef I had never enjoyed raw oysters before (they were always way too gooey). I tasted one of hers and promptly ordered another plate. The kitchen held our main courses so that we could sample these delightful mollusks (to which I am now firmly addicted). She had the New Zealand spring lamb chops while I had the noisettes of venison with a burgundy and brandy sauce (outstanding). Perfect service, excellent food, wonderful decor and razed to the ground for a Walgreen’s a year ago (blech)![/li]Rue De Paris in San Jose, CA is a wonderful bistro that is economical yet high quality. Linen on the tables and superb service. I have stolen their hearts of palm salad with creamy vinaegrette recipe for my dinner parties as well. The Escallopes du Veau au Princess are a toothsome delight. Collops of veal with white asparagus napped in a reduced stock glaze is unforgettable. Don’t even get me started about their dessert cart!
There’s a place in (near?) White Bear Lake MN called Lindy’s Steak House that’s a local legend. They serve huge steaks family style, bringing it to the table in one hunk and you carve off sections for yourselves.
The best was a Japanese restuarant in San Francisco. Don’t recall the name offhand, but it was located in the shopping mall area of the Hilton. I tried their special – superb with every bite.
Dickey Brennan’s, in New Orleans. Most incredible steak I have ever had. Top notch service, as well.
Al Bottegon, Maniago, Italy. What a wonderful place. Nestled in a cove at the base of the mountains, with a river running through the place. Wonderful.
Brandt’s Little Cafe in lovely downtown Palatine, Illinois.
Hands down best steak, best burgers, best everything, including atmosphere.
Aquavit serves up the best Scandinavian food in New York City. You have never had such incredibly prepared, fresh fish in your entire life. I had a herring plate appetizer which consisted of herring elegantly prepared in five or six different ways, plus a Carlsberg Beer and a shot of homemade Aquavit. I’ve eaten a lot in Europe, especially France, and I have even had some wonderful meals in Iceland. But this was the best dinner of my life, no doubt.
MR
I don’t know if I’d go so far as to call it the best restaurant I’ve ever been to, but my favorite is probably Brasserie Savoy in SF. It’s right around the corner from the Prescott Hotel, where we used to stay when we were in SF for trade shows, and after a long day in the booth, it always seemed like the epitome of civilization. I should add that a two-hour wait automatically bumps any restaurant off the top of my list, and one of the things I like best about Brasserie Savoy is that I’ve never had to wait more than a couple of minutes even on a busy night with no reservations.
Absolute best is probably Bacchanalia here in Atlanta, but I rarely have occasion to make reservations that far in advance.
Mango’s in Anguilla, BVI. Atmosphere (right on the Caribbean Sea), wonderful food, warm breezes, full moon, terrific bottle of wine, the woman I love…it all added up to the best dining experience of my life.
I have three. The first two are Italian and I haven’t been to either in years, so I don’t know if they are still there. Scoozi on Huron in Chicago and Ferd Grisantes, outside of Louisville, KY. One that is there: Nate’s Steak and Seafood in Addison TX. Great cajun!
Ah, how can I narrow it down? Food is my FAVORITE thing!
Artu’s, a great little Italian joint in Boston, near Old North Church at 6 Prince Street.
Vicki’s of Santa Fe, in Indian Wells, CA- near Palm Springs, fantastic food and good prices.
The Crab Cooker, in Newport Beach, CA. Been going there my whole life, it’s great. You have to use plastic utensils, though- the turnover is that high! Nixon heard about the place and once asked to come in for dinner while he was President. When the owner found out that the Secret Service required that the whole restaurant be shut down while Dick was there, he said sorry guys, eat somewhere else, I won’t disappoint my regular customers!
China Palace, also in NB, CA- best Chinese food around and I’ve tried it all.
Mirabelle, in Austin TX (south of Mesa and Steck), is the best restaurant I’ve ever been to. Excellent Californiaesque/modern/I don’t know how to describe it kind of fare (like lamb tender roast with blackberry sauce and garlic potatoes.) Voted best new restaurant in Austin.
Hmmm . . . well, it’s hard to pick a best, simply because I love to eat so much that every restaurant has something to offer, so I’ll pick three I particularly miss from Cleveland.
Tommy’s, in Coventry/Cleveland Heights. Simply the biggest selection for vegetarians I’ve ever seen. Good prices, great entrees, and the smoking section and nonsmoking section are on opposite ends of the building.
Aladdin’s. Mediterranean food. They served a soup called V-9 Soup, which had huge chunks of potato, zucchini, carrot, and lots of other stuff. They also had a great vegetarian chili and a lentil soup, all of which you could topped with cheddar or feta. A lot of great meatless entrees, and some of the best hummus around.
Max’s Deli, in Rocky River. More great vegetarian entrees, and plenty for the carnivores, too. But the best feature is the desserts–giant, fat-filled pies and cakes and cheesecakes. Portions so huge we often had to get our dessert to go.
Eight of the Boston’s top ten restaurants are in Providence… if anyone happens to be in Little Rhody, try Walter’s La Locanda del Coccio (Italian-Jewish) or Neath’s New American Bistro or the well-known and slightly over-rated al Forno. Of course, some of the best restaurants in RI aren’t the ones on the tourist map. The best calamari I’ve had in a restaurant can be had at a place called Mike’s Kitchen, which is found in a VFW hall in Cranston. Almost as good as homemade. Well, ok, maybe not. And there’s a Chinese restaurant in North Providence (Lucky Garden) that my Boston-dwelling Chinese friends say has better dim sum than anywhere in Beantown. But now that I’m a Brooklyn girl, I just had to try Peter Luger. Hoo boy, that’s a steak. And the cheesecake’s pretty good, too.
I’ll have to second Pl on his choices, having been there myself.
Tommy’s is excellent and is voted so every year almost.
Max’s has HUGE baked potatoes (though I’ve never tried a dessert).
Also, I must mention Maria’s, an italian restaurant.
It has wonderful lasagna!
The best restaurant I’ve eaten at is Ruthellen’s in Indianapolis. (Yes, Indianapolis.) Ate there this summer with Mrs. F. and another couple. We ordered a variety of dishes, from pork to beef to seafood to pasta, and we sampled each other’s entrees. Three of the four were among the best dishes I’ve ever eaten, and their crab bisque was to die for. Plus their desserts were great (I’m still surprised we had room). Service was the best I’ve ever had - knew exactly when to be there, without being too present, either.
A couple come to mind for me.
Ivar’s Salmon House in Seattle, WA.
The Oyster Bar in Portland OR.
Four Seasons in Las Vegas. (Actually the first time we went it was just the restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel, the second time we went it had been named “Steak” but the experience and food was the same wonderful standard.) It’s nearly impossible to find (adjacent to the Mandalay Bay, on the lower level) so you stand a good chance of having the entire dining room to yourself, with a waiter hovering nearby to top off your drink or whisk away a crumb as necessary. There’s an adjecent cigar and martini bar so you can enjoy a top notch cocktail with your meal and a stogie after, if that’s your bag. 
We make it a point to go whenever we’re in Vegas, and now that they’re building a Four Seasons in San Francisco, I can’t wait to try that one.
Fogo de Chao, home of all-you-can-eat filet mignon…
It’s a Brazilian place, where the wait staff wanders about with skewers of fresh-grilled meats. You turn a little marker on your table to green when you want them to stop by. There’s also a salad bar and fried bananas and such for those who would dare to dilute the sheer carnivorous joy of it all. The desserts are wonderful, and the wine list is quite acceptable as well. I believe that there are two of them in the DFW area–I assume they have a presence elsewhere as well.
Props to:
Chez Shea in Seattle. Tiny and romantic setting, and the food’s utterly delicious.
Jae’s in Boston (the three-story one). The lobster miso soup will blow you away.
The Stinking Rose in San Francisco. In terms of a “great” restaurant, the ambience is probably too boisterous to qualify, but the food’s amazing.
And of course, I have to mention my favorite restaurant in Seattle, The Two Dagos from Texas. Simply great, and the chocolate mousse is the best you’ll ever have anywhere.
But as far as the best restaurant experience I’ve ever had, I have to mention Wine Spectator’s Greystone run on the site of the Culinary Institute of America’s Napa branch. Spectacular food, incredible building, and lots and lots of good wine. Mmmmm.