The Restaurant Thread

[CameronBornAndBred]

I would love to visit Boston again. Sorry about the Angus Barn comment , I just get so damn hungry for that place. I guess I could go to Morton's Steak House here instead.

I need to add one more joint to my list. Morgan's in New Bern, NC.. AWESOME FOOD..

Down the road from me, but never eaten there (or anywhere in New Bern) What kind of food?

[wilson]

Six Feet Under in Atlanta is one of the best seafood joints around, with a damned fine rooftop deck to boot. Anytime any CTer is in town, you just let me know, and we'll go there.

[ArkieDukie]

There's a fabulous authentic Cajun restaurant called Who Dat's in (I kid you not) Bald Knob, AR. Best shrimp I've ever tasted - flown up fresh daily from the Gulf. They have a platter that we always jokingly called the Bubba Gump platter that has a variety of shrimp dishes with enough food to provide meals for a couple of days. My favorite barbecue place in LR is Whole Hog Barbecue. Their pulled pork is incredible, and they have a selection of sauces on the table to choose from. They also have very good potato salad. Another local place in LR, Cotham's, has amazing fried catfish, fried okra, and fried green tomatoes. The secret is their breading. They're also somewhat famous for their hubcap burgers. Their burgers are good, but the catfish is so good that I always get that. And, although the catfish at Cotham's is very good, it's not nearly as good as Valley Cafe in Kingston, AR. IIRC catfish night is Saturday. Their hush puppies are phenomenal.

For local places here in St. Louis, there's a great little Mediterranean place on Euclid that my co-workers and I like. Of course, it goes without saying that Ted Drewe's is great. (Mental note: need to go to Ted Drewe's...)

[rockymtn devil]

In Denver, the Cherry Cricket is a great locals fav. The beer list (emphasizing Colorado craft brews) is fantastic and the burgers are top-notch. I recommend the cricket burger with smoked cheddar, bacon, and some green chili on the side to dip in.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Jordan's, Emerald Isle --- seafood for the budget minded.
This is where the beach babes ate, I've never been there before; it was worth the half hour wait. It reminded me a lot of Bullock's, except it was seafood and not barbecue, they even had the mints for sale at the cashier. You are welcomed with a basket of hush puppies, which were great, and they provided lots of honey spread to go with them. They have a steam bar, which I didn't get anything from but DukePA's significant got a good looking batch of stone crab legs. They have a pretty good beer selection from the bar as well, which you can sit and eat at if you are eating single or with a small party. The food that we had was lots of fried seafood, they have a really good selection and you can order combo plates. Large portions, I had the rest of mine for lunch the next day. The also have landlubber food, so if you are with a picky person, or someone who can't eat shellfish, then it's still a good choice.

[DukePA]

Jordan's, Emerald Isle --- seafood for the budget minded.
This is where the beach babes ate, I've never been there before; it was worth the half hour wait. It reminded me a lot of Bullock's, except it was seafood and not barbecue, they even had the mints for sale at the cashier. You are welcomed with a basket of hush puppies, which were great, and they provided lots of honey spread to go with them. They have a steam bar, which I didn't get anything from but DukePA's significant got a good looking batch of stone crab legs. They have a pretty good beer selection from the bar as well, which you can sit and eat at if you are eating single or with a small party. The food that we had was lots of fried seafood, they have a really good selection and you can order combo plates. Large portions, I had the rest of mine for lunch the next day. The also have landlubber food, so if you are with a picky person, or someone who can't eat shellfish, then it's still a good choice.

What he said Also, if you want to eat healthy, do not go to Jordan's. It's just an old fashioned fish house. Nothing fancy, but fun if you're in the mood.

[DukePA]

I would love to visit Boston again. Sorry about the Angus Barn comment , I just get so damn hungry for that place. I guess I could go to Morton's Steak House here instead.

I need to add one more joint to my list. Morgan's in New Bern, NC.. AWESOME FOOD..

Down the road from me, but never eaten there (or anywhere in New Bern) What kind of food?

I love Morgan's. It's upscale burgers, pasta, seafood, etc . . . The place is built in a rehabbed old New Bern building.

[wilson]

Charleston, SC: Jestine's Kitchen. Corner of Meeting St. and Wentworth St.
In my book, any place that has fried chicken livers on the menu is automatically pretty good. That's just what I had for lunch, with macaroni & cheese and fried okra, along with a glass (well, actually about four glasses) of what they call "Jestine's table wine"...sweet tea.
'Twas delicious. Well worth the ~20 minute wait for a table.

[TillyGalore]

I would love to visit Boston again. Sorry about the Angus Barn comment , I just get so damn hungry for that place. I guess I could go to Morton's Steak House here instead.

I need to add one more joint to my list. Morgan's in New Bern, NC.. AWESOME FOOD..

If you want a good steak, please don't throw anything at me, but Applebee's cooks up a great steak. Seriously, I'd rather go there for steak than the AB.

[Sue71]

I would love to visit Boston again. Sorry about the Angus Barn comment , I just get so damn hungry for that place. I guess I could go to Morton's Steak House here instead.

I need to add one more joint to my list. Morgan's in New Bern, NC.. AWESOME FOOD..

If you want a good steak, please don't throw anything at me, but Applebee's cooks up a great steak. Seriously, I'd rather go there for steak than the AB.

You're seriously asking me not to throw something at you after a comment like that?

[Sue71]

Good Applebees: Mozzarella sticks, Asian chicken salad, mudslides
Bad Applebees: Steaks (in my experience)

I'd go so far as to say that TGIFridays has better steaks.

Which reminds me... dinner tonight... hmmm...

[bjornolf]

I had a sirloin at Applebee's the other day that was totally disgusting. I asked for medium rare and got medium well. It also had this weird burnt salty taste in the grill marks, and the rest of it tasted like they'd injected it with some weird saline solution. One of the worst steaks I can remember. I am never eating another steak at Applebee's. Ever. JMHO.

I think Tilly just has some kind of beef with the Barn. Everytime I mention it, SHE throws something at me. What did they do to you, Tilly?

[devildeac]

I had a sirloin at Applebee's the other day that was totally disgusting. I asked for medium rare and got medium well. It also had this weird burnt salty taste in the grill marks, and the rest of it tasted like they'd injected it with some weird saline solution. One of the worst steaks I can remember. I am never eating another steak at Applebee's. Ever. JMHO.

I think Tilly just has some kind of beef with the Barn. Everytime I mention it, SHE throws something at me. What did they do to you, Tilly?

"...beef with the Barn..."

Good one, Big Guy

[Miles]

I had a sirloin at Applebee's the other day that was totally disgusting. I asked for medium rare and got medium well. It also had this weird burnt salty taste in the grill marks, and the rest of it tasted like they'd injected it with some weird saline solution. One of the worst steaks I can remember. I am never eating another steak at Applebee's. Ever. JMHO.

I think Tilly just has some kind of beef with the Barn. Everytime I mention it, SHE throws something at me. What did they do to you, Tilly?

I refuse to eat steaks from the middle-grade chain restaurants. I've never had a decent steak from Applebee's, Chili's, T.G.I. Friday's, Outback, Fuddruckers..... you get the picture. Other than the lack of skill in the kitchen, I've found their quality of meat is just substandard. I don't like tendons in my food.

[Miles]

Encinitas, CA: Siamese Basil. Scrumptious Thai food and awesome lunch specials. It's in a great location on Hwy 101, surrounded by shopping and is a short walk to the beach. Head across the street for a few colds ones in the prototypical SoCal dive-bar, the Saloon.

Charlotte, NC: Kelly and I have been spending some time at Good Food on Montford. Their menu is more than fairly priced and there's just enough variety to satisfy most dinner parties. We like to sit at the bar and go "tapas". Get a bottle of wine or two, order a few appetizers and enjoy the night. Our favorite: the cheese plate, the beef carpacio, and some foie gras and toasted brioche.

[bjornolf]

I refuse to eat steaks from the middle-grade chain restaurants. I've never had a decent steak from Applebee's, Chili's, T.G.I. Friday's, Outback, Fuddruckers..... you get the picture. Other than the lack of skill in the kitchen, I've found their quality of meat is just substandard. I don't like tendons in my food.

I didn't even know you COULD get a steak at Fuddrucker's. Wow. Also, while I agree for the most part, especially after my Applebee's experience, I have had decent (not great) steaks at Golden Corral. I've also had very good steaks at places like Mike's American (in Springfield, VA) and Logan's Roadhouse (which I would definitely consider a mid-grade chain). I've also had good ones at Lonestar Steakhouse and at Texas Steakhouse. Outback has gone downhill recently, at least around here. They don't put as much seasoning on them anymore, and the meat seems to have a LOT more gristle than even a few years ago.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

The mention of a Weber grill on the Barbecue thread reminded me of another interesting restaurant: Weber Grill Restaurant http://www.webergrillrestaurant.com/. This is a place where one can celebrate the greatness of Weber in the food served, the atmosphere, the classes offered. I've eaten at the one in Lombard, IL. You can't miss it because of the giant Weber grill on site.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I had a sirloin at Applebee's the other day that was totally disgusting. I asked for medium rare and got medium well. It also had this weird burnt salty taste in the grill marks, and the rest of it tasted like they'd injected it with some weird saline solution. One of the worst steaks I can remember. I am never eating another steak at Applebee's. Ever. JMHO.

I think Tilly just has some kind of beef with the Barn. Everytime I mention it, SHE throws something at me. What did they do to you, Tilly?

"...beef with the Barn..."

Good one, Big Guy

This is about a different Barn...maybe Cathy has eaten there.

"It was a place known for a sizzling steak or a succulent lobster any night of the week not to mention a vineyard of wine under one roof. But, tough times have forced one local restaurant, many consider a Greenville institution to stop service.
Owner Bob Simon and his wife Donna are closing the doors on the Beef Barn in Greenville.
Simon says the poor economy and a boom in chain restaurants have forced the couple to stop service since the restaurant opened in 1967.
Simon has been with the Beef Barn since 1983 and he and the restaurant have collected several awards over the years for its food and its extensive wine selection." From http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/52114992.html

[bjornolf]

I'm always saddened when I read something like that. Especially when it's the chains that put them out of business.

[CathyCA]

This is about a different Barn...maybe Cathy has eaten there.

"It was a place known for a sizzling steak or a succulent lobster any night of the week not to mention a vineyard of wine under one roof. But, tough times have forced one local restaurant, many consider a Greenville institution to stop service.
Owner Bob Simon and his wife Donna are closing the doors on the Beef Barn in Greenville.
Simon says the poor economy and a boom in chain restaurants have forced the couple to stop service since the restaurant opened in 1967.
Simon has been with the Beef Barn since 1983 and he and the restaurant have collected several awards over the years for its food and its extensive wine selection." From http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/52114992.html

Yes, I've eaten there. It was good. The last time I ate there was Mother's Day, but I didn't have a steak--I had the buffet.

They've been cutting down their hours for some time now, and were only doing catering and special events recently. The Beef Barn was an institution here in Greenville. I'm sorry to see them go.