# What's the best restaurant you've ever been to? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 2, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918 "2010-08-02T19:31:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/1 "2010-08-02T19:31:11Z")
We did this a few years back but I thought it’d be nice to get a whole new crop of responses. Let’s break it up into categories: Best soup Best salad Best appetizer Best sides Best entree Best drinks/alcoholic Best drink/non-alcoholic Best dessert Best fried chicken Best pizza Best burger Best Chinese Best Japanese Best other Asian Best French Best Italian Best German Best Mid-eastern Best atmosphere Best service Best entertainment ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/2 "2010-08-02T19:33:45Z")
Had a wonderful dinner at [The Commander’s Palace](http://www.commanderspalace.com/) in New Orleans. Had a great dinner at some swank place in Daytona Beach when I was 12, but don’t recall the restaurant and I don’t really trust my memory, for what does a 12 year-old know about quality food? ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/3 "2010-08-02T19:47:38Z")
Best soup: Arrows, Ogunquit ME (Corn Chowder from corn grown onsite) Best salad: Buddakan, Philadelphia PA (Calamari salad) Best appetizer: Craigie on Main, Cambridge MA (Charcuterie) Best entree: Radius, Boston MA (Filet Mignon) Best dessert: Le Bec Fin, Philadelphia PA (Dessert CART!) Best Chinese: Nothing beats my mom’s house Best Japanese: Tomoe, New York NY (Sushi, but really good sushi) Best French: Some place in Montreal. L’Epsicier? ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/4 "2010-08-02T19:48:15Z")
A cold lobster roll at The Lobster pot in Wareham, MA, about one hour from Boston. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/5 "2010-08-02T19:56:12Z")
Best salad - [Claim Jumper](http://www.claimjumper.com/menu_soups_and_salads.aspx) of all places. Especially if you have them substitute Thousand Island dressing for the Ranch. Best sides - It would have to be some wide-spot-in-the-road BBQ joint. Hush puppies and greens and shit like that. Best entree - Off the top of my head, the New Mexican Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin at [Mesa Grill](http://www.mesagrill.com/lasvegas/pdf/Mesa%20Dinner%20Menu.pdf). I make the best pizza in the world, so there’s no answering that one. Best burger - [The Hat](http://www.thehat.com/menu.htm) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/6 "2010-08-02T20:01:52Z")
Best soup - Chick Fila Best salad - Wendy’s Best appetizer - Hooters Best sides - Hooters Best entree - TGIF Best drinks/alcoholic - Hooters for the trifetca! Best drink/non-alcoholic - Whatever restaurant sells Diet Coke. Except McD’s - their DC sucks. Best dessert - McD’s Best fried chicken - Church’s Best pizza - CiCi’s Best burger - Burger King Best Chinese - Panda Express Best Japanese - Panda Express (what, there’s a difference?) Best other Asian - PF Chang’s Best French - That place in Epcot Best Italian - Olive Garden!! Best German - Wienerschnitzel Best Mid-eastern - That other place at Epcot Best atmosphere - ??? I’ve been able to breathe in almost any restaurant I’ve been to. I don’t get the question. Best service - Ruby Tuesday’s Salad Bar Best entertainment - Chuck E Cheese ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/7 "2010-08-02T20:05:36Z")
Best soup- my own kitchen Best salad- my own garden Best appetizer- Aquavit, Manhattan Best sides- Creamed Spinach, Peter Luger, NYC Best entree- Aquavit, NYC Best dessert- “Chocolate Circus”, Carnelian Room, San Francisco Best fried chicken- Edzell’s, Seattle Best pizza- Edwardos, Chicago Best burger- Knights of Columbus cookout, Yankton, SD Best Chinese- Family owned sit-down, Chinatown, Chicago Best Japanese- Osaka, Seattle Best Italian- 3 blocks southeast of the Coliseum, Rome Best German- Berghof, Chicago Best Mid-eastern- Chez Marianne, Paris Best atmosphere- Inn at Bay Fortune, PEI Best service- Aquavit, NYC Best entertainment- Jimmy’s, Chicago ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/8 "2010-08-02T20:21:37Z")
Hard for me to pick a “Best” of anything, but I will try to point out restaurants/dishes I liked a lot and that I think you all would like too. Best Soup: Going to butcher the spelling, but the Tom Yun Giang at **Lotus of Siam** in Las Vegas was absolutely amazing and the best part of the meal. The menu is great for those of you bored with “regular” Thai cooking. Best Sandwich: I may have mentioned before the lobster roll at **Young’s Lobster Pound** in Belfast, Maine. It’s sumptuous, with loads of sweet flavorful lobster. Highlight of my trip to Maine. Best Cheese Shop: Tie between the **Cheese Iron** of Scarborough, Maine, and the **Cheese Shop** in Carmel California. Great selection for both, plenty of local cheeses, and incredibly helpful staff. Best BBQ (Texas): I don’t have selections for other types of BBQ; just noting Texas BBQ since its the only variety I’ve tasted widely. That said, I still love the brisket and sausage at **Kreuz Market** ; the chicken at the **Salt Lick** in Driftwood; and the brisket at **Franklin BBQ** in Austin. Best Burger: The burger at **Casino El Camino** in Austin, Texas is extremely tasty. Open late too. Weirdly, some of the best German food I’ve ever had, has been from the **Bavarian Grill** in Plano, Texas. The cheese soup & asparagus I had at the **Brauneberger Hof** in Brauneberg, Germany, was pretty good too. Love the cannolis from **Mike’s Pastry** in the North End of Boston. **Henderson’s Chicken Shack** in the 3rd Ward of Houston, makes excellent, fried to order, fried chicken. Favorite high-end restaurant meal? Tie between **Everest** in Chicago, and **Masa’s** in San Francisco (when Serrano was cooking) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/9 "2010-08-02T20:23:23Z")
I had a few birthday dinners at Nikolai’s Roof when I lived in Atlanta. Very old-fashioned price fixe Old World sort of place - your entrees come out all at once and the domes are taken off with a flourish, that sort of thing. Absolutely amazing. Plus, they have something like 30 homemade flavors of vodka for you to sample. I’d love to go back. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/10 "2010-08-02T20:26:15Z")
My own answers: Best soup – The lobster bisque at Top of the Hub in Boston. The best I’ve ever had. The runner up was Maison Robert, also in Boston. Best salad – The Greenery (now Seashell Cafe) in Rockport, MA. I don’t know what it was, but the vegetables were extra special good. Didn’t need dressing. The raw broccoli tasted incredibly good to me. Best appetizer – Escargot in a creamy puff pastry, La Grenier, Vineyard Haven, MA. Best sides – Same place. I could gorge on the creamed carrots and potatoes by the troughful. Unfortunately, they dole them out by the teaspoon. Those darned French. Best entree – Snow crab legs at The Lookout Tavern, Oak Bluffs, MA. Admittedly the atmostphere contributes greatly to the experience. Best dessert – Creme brulee at Lola’s in Oak Bluffs. The put a little fresh fruit and bourbon on top, and flamed it at the table. Unfortunately, the restaurant is no longer around. Best fried chicken – Brookville Hotel, Abilene, KS. Best pizza – Dogwood Cafe, Jamaica Plain, MA. The blueberry pie makes me want to rethink my best dessert response. Best burger – Mrs. Bartley’s we miss you. Best Chinese – China Pearl dim sum, Boston Best Japanese – All you can eat buffet at Arirang House in Boston. The food is fair at best, but I love the variety. Best other Asian – Bangkok City, right across the street Best French – La Grenier, yet again Best Italian – Pappa Razzi Best German – The Hofbrau Haus, Rochester, NY. German restaurants are rare around here. Best Mid-eastern – Helmand, Cambridge, MA Best atmosphere – Lola’s once again. Leopard print table cloths, wrought iron, black lace curtains, and King Whatzisname Best service – Maison Robert. The staff worked as a team. To get bread, for instance, one guy would bring the place, another would bring the bread, and another brought butter. It took four people to bring us our soup. And the manager was constantly on the floor, making sure everyone was happy. Best entertainment – Medieval Manor, Boston. If you’re extra cool, the jester will come to your table and tell you jokes too dirty to be told on stage. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/11 "2010-08-02T20:28:23Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > Love the cannolis from **Mike’s Pastry** in the North End of Boston. Yum! I love those. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/12 "2010-08-02T20:33:04Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Best dessert – Creme brulee at Lola’s in Oak Bluffs. The put a little fresh fruit and bourbon on top, and flamed it at the table. Unfortunately, the restaurant is no longer around. Hey, they reopened, and in a more convenient location! I know where I’m eating on Thursday. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/13 "2010-08-02T20:49:13Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > We did this a few years back but I thought it’d be nice to get a whole new crop of responses. > > Best atmosphere > Best service Gordon Ramsay’s at the London West Hollywood. OMFG! If a dining experience could translate into an orgasm, this is the place. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/14 "2010-08-02T21:18:54Z")
Best drinks/alcoholic, Best atmosphere, and Best service: all [Le Bernardin](http://www.le-bernardin.com/). By “drinks” I mean wine list. They had such an amazing wine list… blew my mind. I would also put them as “Best Seafood” if we were doing such a category. Best burger: [Kroll’s](http://www.foodspot.com/Clients/WI/GreenBay/KrollsEast/default.aspx?accid=13309) in Green Bay. A truly Wisconsin thing: real butter melting off my burger. Best dessert: [Mirlycourtois](http://www.mirlycourtois.ca/)in Winnipeg. My husband had amazing Crepes Suzette and I had a fantastic blood orange ice cream with a wonderful Gran Marnier sauce… yum Best French and Best sides: [Les Halles](http://leshalles.net/brasserie/) in New York. All in all, amazing French food. It’s not haute cuisine and that’s what I love about it. It’s not pretentious French food; it’s real French food. And their fries? To die for. I’d make another trip to New York just for those darned fries if I could. Best Italian and Best appetizer: [Babbo](http://www.babbonyc.com/)in New York. Amazing food. It’s Mario Batali’s restaurant and I went in thinking it would be tiny, pretentious food. But no, it wasn’t. It was real portions (not humongous, sick to my stomach portions), but enough. I ordered an arugula salad, thinking it would be some tiny thing. I mean, it was listed as an appetizer. But damn! It was heaping, with fresh Parmesan and balsamic vinegar… yum. And that was just the start… Best pizza: [Ian’s Pizza](http://www.ianspizza.com/) in Madison. Original, creative, unique, delicious, affordable. I mean, have you ever eaten a Chili Cheese Frito pizza? And it’s soooo goooood. Best Mexican: [El Sarape](http://www.elsarapegb.com/) in Green Bay. Very authentic, very traditional, very affordable. It’s the best salsa I’ve ever had, flavorful sides, delicious entrees. I love it. Best Soup and Best Salad: [Fratello’s](http://www.supplerestaurantgroup.com/fratellos-gb/default.html) in Green Bay. Their White Chicken Chili is made in small batches in house and it’s incredible. My husband works there and I keep trying to get the recipe from him, but he won’t give it to me… but he makes it sometimes. I also love the Asian Chicken salad. Homemade, fresh dressing, bitter greens… it’s a delicate balance and it works. ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/15 "2010-08-02T22:25:19Z")
Best Pizza - Mineo’s in Pittsburgh Best Steak - Killen’s in Pearland, Tx ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-restaurant-youve-ever-been-to/548918/16 "2010-08-02T22:38:08Z")
Best soup - Pat Troy’s (Irish Pub) in Alexandria VA. Just plain French Onion, only slightly better than the rest, but I saved my raw onions from the salad and put them in for the best soup I’ve ever had. Best salad - Jo To (Japanese Steakhouse) in Sarasota FL. I’ve had comparable ginger dressing salad since, but they give enough dressing that you can use it as a dip later. Probably the single best tasting thing I’ve ever had. Best sides - Capitol Grille. Large enough to share and tasty. Best entree - The first time I had a steak from Outback Steakhouse. Unfortunately it wasn’t a reproducable experience ☹ Second is probably the two times I’ve had an English Grill platter (once at the aforementioned Pat Troy’s, the other at an English Pub in Orlando. Can’t go wrong with 6 or 8 different meats in one entree) Best pizza - Bizarro’s Beachside in Indialantic FL. Thin NY-style pizza, thin enough for the oven flavor to bake in. Best Japanese - Jo Tos. Best French - [hijack]I don’t believe I’ve ever eaten at a french restaurant! [/hijack]