Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with restaurants

Eating well in Europe -- England, France, and Italy edition

Concolora — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:33:33 -0800

It's happening!! Mr. Concolora and I are flying out to London tomorrow to start our three week tenth wedding anniversary European extravanganza and I'm about to pop with excitement. We're going to be in London, Paris, Dijon, Verona, Vicenza, Venice, and Rome and we'd love some recommendations on where to eat. Snowflakes inside! We have two 'event' dinners planned, one in London and one in Paris. For those we're looking to spend somewhere in the thirty Euro per person range.

For everything else, we'd like to stay reasonably inexpensive while staying away from American style fast food. We love street food, we are incredibly adventurous eaters (offal is totally cool with us), and we actively want to eat local food. We have a small amount of French and Italian in our travelling party, and we're confident that we can pull off ordering , etc in restaurants where little or no English is spoken.

Help us eat well in Europe, AskMeFi!

Where to eat with the in-laws, in Annapolis, MD?

jon1270 — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:20:07 -0800

Me and the missus are meeting her parents in Annapolis this weekend. Of the four of us, two are enthusiastic omnivores, one loosely follows Atkins' diet (low carb) and one is intolerant of dairy and even small amounts of capsaicin. None of us are at all familiar with Annapolis. We'll be there for about 2 days, and have one car. Where should we eat? Also feel free to recommend a lunch spot in Baltimore, where my wife and I (the omnivores) might stop on our way home.

Eat and run in Saint Louis tips

J0 — Sun, 05 May 2013 06:12:19 -0800

This is two-things-ism, sort of. Will be in St Louis, MO, USA, along with Ms J0 next week Monday-Thursday, staying at the Drury Inn down by the Arch. Will be in work/meetings until 5pm but would like recommendations on where after that time we could go run (Forest Park?) and also where we should go eat. We have some ideas on good restaurants (limits: Ms J0 is pescetarian) but will gladly accept your tips on the best food and drink establishments. We have a vehicle. Thank you.

Mission: Dinner

exceptinsects — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:15:22 -0800

Where should I eat dinner tonight in the San Francisco Mission district? It will probably be just me. I like pretty much anything, but prefer the interesting hole-in-the wall to fine dining.

Best place to have brunch this Sunday near Lenin's statue?

kestralwing — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:33:20 -0800

We only get to Seattle occasionally these days, and usually eat at old favorite spots. But this Sunday we have tickets to a new theatre, West of Lenin, and want to meet family for brunch before the show. There's plenty of restaurants in the area, but we'd like a place that's comfortable with us hanging around drinking coffee after we finish eating, and I need a place that's relatively quiet. Any kind of food, definitely doesn't need to be cutting edge cuisine, most any price range. Maybe out Leary Way towards Ballard? The further from the statue, the less time we'll have together. (And I think a picnic along the canal is a little premature this year.)

What's happening in the upper echelons of the food world?

Muirwylde — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:50:40 -0800

Help me discover the leading edge restaurants both in the US and internationally that are doing the most exciting things with regard to food, sourcing, plating and presentation as well as highly creative menu development. I am specifically interested in photo-rich sites so I can see, up close and personal, what constitutes the avant-garde in the professional food world at this time. Color, fusion, small plates, farm-to-table, table-to-farm, locavore, locally-sourced, sustainable. I'm familiar with some of the buzzwords in todays foodie world but feel free to add to the list! I would love to see photos; especially photo-rich aggregate sites, that display pictures of the best-of-the best in today's professional food world. Links directly to restaurant sites okay too. Pictures preferred over intellectualizing but an analysis of what's happening would be interesting too.

What sparked my interest recently was some of the food 'Bar Agricole' is doing in San Francisco. I realize that East Coast, West Coast and other areas all have a slightly different look. I would like to see examples from all areas in the US, as well as in Europe, Japan and elsewhere.

Downtown Seattle gathering place weeknight

Jazz Hands — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:43:02 -0800

My husband and I are going to Seattle in a couple of weeks. We would like to have a get-together with several friends, 15-20 people. Ideally a place that is casual, there will be a couple with their newborn, toddler and five-year old. As well as other friends with older teenagers. Not a wild drinking night, but a very rare night that far-flung friends will be in the same city. Something that won't happen again for years if ever. So we want food, adult beverage for those who wish, conversation, the ability to move around tables and circulate a bit.

Where is this place? I'm hoping to be in/extremely near Pacific Place or City Center. Or otherwise near convenient, safe parking. More concerned about weather possibilities and having people walking terrible distances in it. I don't mind making reservations/otherwise guaranteeing a number of people to reserve a private dining room. This would be either Monday, April 29 or Tuesday April 30.

Portland OR restaurant for 20th anniversary?

dbmcd — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:30:17 -0800

Our 20th is the 23rd of May - and we want awesome food! To clarify we'll be in town that Thursday - Sunday evening. That's Memorial Day weekend, but we'll be coming home on Sunday.
Thursday is the Big Day, but we could do any day of the weekend.
We'll have a car, and would like recommendations for great (truly) food. Price is (almost) no object - we'll only have one 20th anniversary.
For background, we've enjoyed Simpatica in the past, but our last two outings there were not as good as previously; we just don't care for one of the new chefs.
I searched, but I know the Portland restaurant scene changes quickly, and I'm seriously Yelp-challenged.
Thanks!

Looking for awesome restaurants,bars and fun things to do in New Orleans

Afroblanco — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:37:59 -0800

My girlfriend and I are going to New Orleans for Jazz Fest later this month. Although we'll spend a fair amount of time at the festival, we'd like to spend some time exploring NOLA itself. Looking for awesome restaurants, bars and fun things to do in New Orleans First on the agenda is food. We already have plans to visit Commander's Palace, Central Grocery, Cafe DuMonde, and Brannan's. But for the rest of our meals, we're looking for delicious, authentic food that any local would be proud of. Totally down w/ "hole in the wall" places and dives. Cajun, Creole, Soul Food, BBQ, seafood, it's all good.

Definitely on the lookout for quality, non-touristy bars and hangout spots. Any place that I could only find in New Orleans and nowhere else.

Also just looking for cool things to do in general. We plan on doing a walk around the Garden District, checking out some jazz at Preservation Hall and touring some of the historic graveyards. What are some other cool things to check out? We're really into taking long walks, and we'll probably want to piece together a walking tour of sorts. Any areas (other than the French Quarter and Frenchmen St.) we should include?

Finally, any advice for Jazz Fest or visiting New Orleans in general will be welcome. For example, we'd like to get around by foot and public transportation. Is this a bad idea? (we've got shuttle tickets to get to/from the festival) We're staying in the French Quarter, dunno if it makes a difference.

Where to eat next in NYC?

Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:18:44 -0800

Where to go for dinner next in NYC? I'm a lifelong New Yorker and love going out to eat. However, I feel like I'm in bit of a rut, mostly returning to neighborhood reliables and a handful of other favorite restaurants around the city. The wealth of information about NYC restaurants out there is pretty daunting, so I'm hoping for some direction from the hivemind. Some more details inside. A few of my favorite places are Devi (Indian), Auroro Soho (Italian), and Cafe D'Aslace (French). If there's a common theme uniting these, it's that I'd say they all have very modern sensibilities, bringing each of their regional cuisines up-to-date and improving them with new ideas and very fresh ingredients without slavishly adhering to traditions. They also each have interesting interiors and, to me, "fun" vibes without being overly loud. (Devi's maybe a little more formal but still pretty relaxed.)

I'm open to almost any cuisine. I eat vegetarian or fish (though not shellfish/crustaceans), but I've rarely had an issue with that in all my years living in NYC. (Even steakhouses have alternative options these days.) I don't mind paying for moderately expensive meals (let's say, three dollars signs out of four on Yelp), but I'm not looking for 11 Madison Park-type blowout meals. Usually it's just me and my wife, or the two of us and friends, so kid-friendliness is not a concern for us.

I'd love to receive specific restaurant recommendations for anywhere in the city (if I've given you enough to go on), but I'd also welcome ideas for websites which help make sense of the restaurant jumble. (I'm thinking more along the lines of curated sites, blogs, etc., rather than "search every single restaurant" sites like Zagat.) Thank you so much!

Overnight in Oberhausen

dmvs — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 05:17:30 -0800

My husband and I want to drive from Berlin to Oberhausen soon to visit Christo's Big Air Package. Where should we stay overnight? It doesn't need to be in Oberhausen, but ideally within about a 30 minute drive. Restaurant suggestions also welcome.

Fine dining in Berkeley

gnutron — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:22:30 -0800

Seeking nice restaurant recommendations for an anniversary dinner in Berkeley or nearby. My wedding anniversary is approaching. My wife and I rarely get nights out from the kid, so we decided to splurge and make reservations at Chez Panisse. The next day it caught on fire.

Can you please suggest some nice restaurants in Berkeley or the surrounding East Bay area? We're omnivorous, and we've already eaten at Gather and FIVE.

Restaurant recommendations near Dupont Circle (Washington DC)?

theatro — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 07:25:58 -0800

I moved to DC recently-ish, but haven't explored the restaurant scene very well. Now I have a friend coming to town next week, staying right near the Dupont Circle Metro station, and I could use some recommendations for places to eat. Can any locals help me out? We're both omnivores, and while I'd prefer economical options, I don't think we're averse to considering something pricier if it comes highly recommended.

There was a previous question about Dupont Circle-area eats from 2011, but since the top contender in those answers has apparently closed by now, I'd love to get some more recent input. Please help me be a good host!

Pre-wedding brunch restaurant in Oak Brook, Illinois

McPuppington the Third — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:53:48 -0800

I'm planning a nice pre-wedding brunch on a Saturday in May for a friend who lives in Oak Brook, Illinois, but I live in LA and don't know any restaurants in that area. Any suggestions from Chicago MeFites? There will be about 10 women at the brunch. It doesn't have to be in Oak Brook, but it would be best if it wasn't more than half an hour away (or so). Ideally we'd love to have a private room, although that's not required. We're looking for somewhere nice-ish, but it doesn't have to be crazy upscale.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Hippie anarchist seeks fun times in Seattle!

Frowner — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:45:37 -0800

To my surprise, I will have one Saturday in Seattle very soon. I will be staying in downtown and reliant on public transportation. I would like to do this type of thing:

1. Eat some delicious hippie-type meals at restaurants serving local, vegetarian/vegan or otherwise tasty food. I'm not familiar with which cuisines are particularly good in Seattle. (By contrast and for example, I'd feel confident telling someone that there's a lot of good East African food and a fair amount of home-style vegetarian food in Minneapolis but no good Italian or sophisticated vegan food.)

2. Visit a museum, scenic park or other interesting site where one walks around.

3. Visit a radical/hippie/activist coffeeshop, bookstore, infoshop, etc.

4. Possibly purchase some kind of fancy men's accessory such as a nice scarf or hat

I would also consider other fun things or other social justice oriented things (like, if there's going to be some kind of teach-in or protest or something. I'd like to plan out my route in advance so that I can look up the buses before I go.

I will not have a smart phone or other sophisticated internet-access device, so I must boldly forge ahead armed only with maps and clear directions.

Thank you, mefites!

Restaurants: reservations vs. walk ins

librarianamy — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 05:46:24 -0800

Are you, or have you been, a host/ess at a restaurant? If so, can you tell me what was going on with the reservations vs. walk ins at a restaurant we went to over the weekend? Just out of curiosity. On Saturday, after having attended a theater matinee, we decided to join friends for dinner at a convenient, fairly popular sit down chain dining establishment. We've all eaten there before, and usually lean on having reservations, especiall on a Saturday at 5:00 pm. However, since we didn't know when the play would end, we decided to chance it without resevations.

The first member of our (four person) party approached the hostess and was told an hour wait. We had already paid to park our cars, so decided to wait it out. As we sat there, I remembered seeing the OpenTable sticker on the door when we walked in, so checked out the app on my phone. I was able to sign up for a 5:30 reservation. I went up to the hostess and canceled our friend's name on the list, and we were seated immediately.

When we were leaving, as we put our coats on in the lobby, we heard one hostess tell a walk in that the wait was then close to two hours (at 7 pm). Just because I'm nosy, I checked the OpenTable app quickly, and sure enough, there were tables available for 7:30.

So I'm just curious - how does the reservation vs. walk in system work at a standard restaurant? Are establishments that use OpenTable required to leave a certain number of tables open for their users? Or is it something else, like that particular place really wants to discourage walk ins? I've never worked at a restaurant, so I'd really love to learn more. (I've googled, and while I've read some on the OpenTable business model, nothing to the first hand explainations I'd like to hear.) Thank you very much!

Restaurant delivery websites

Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 13:10:42 -0800

What are your favorite websites for ordering food to be delivered from restaurants? I'm a devotee of Seamless, but I know there are a lot of competitors out there, including sites which only serve specific local areas. So I'm interested in both sites with "national" and local scopes, anywhere in the U.S. I'm not interested in individual restaurant websites with their own in-house ordering systems — only looking for sites which feature multiple restaurants. Thanks.

Help me plan a unique New York City bachelorette party

rachaelfaith — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:10:24 -0800

I could use some input on how I can pull off the bachelorette party I have envisioned, in New York City, in late May of this year. Keywords: fun (not raunchy), slumber party, karaoke, good food, overnight. My cousin pulled a fast one on me and moved her wedding up by a full year. I'm scrambling to plan the bridal shower (a whole 'nother beast) and a bachelorette party. Most of the bridesmaids and a few friends are in the North Jersey/NYC area, so holding it in Manhattan is the primary choice. The party will be held either 5/31 or 6/1.

I have envisioned a night that goes something like this: Eat some delicious food, go to a karaoke bar and sing drunken anthems, maybe hit a bar or club after, end the night at a location in which I can turn into the greatest slumber party, complete with blanket forts, snacks and cupcakes and air mattresses or shared beds, fluffy slippers, silly little-kid blankets, et cetera.

I suppose the most important questions are:
1. Where can I construct a slumber party? Are there any hotels you might know of that would work with me on this? I considered AirBnB, but I would have to clear it with the owner beforehand, and possibly come in a day early to decorate... This is my main concern.

2. Where should I bring a group of 5-10 mid to late 20's women for a not-too-expensive, not too 'adventurous' (I think some of them are picky about worldly cuisine) dinner? Maybe a tapas place? I would consider Blue Ribbon Bakery for the general ambience and food type but it's not ideal in terms of loudness and large parties.

3. Which karaoke bar can accommodate large-ish parties? Sing Sing on St. Marks is my go-to, but maybe I'm missing out on other great options. Private rooms are ideal.

4. Any suggestions on other clubs or bars to go to? None of us are into the club scene, nothing super exclusive, nothing snobby, nothing aimed at the college crowd. Just a decent place we can get drinks and dance a bit before ending the night.

5. Any other alternative ideas or activities that might work for this group would be wonderful. Bride-to-be is 26, girly, loves romantic comedies and coming of age movies, comfort food, getting dressed up, baseball. Not into overdone NYC bachelorette things like Lucky Cheng's. Can handle some raunchy fun but nothing overt. Probably not into the 'spa' thing but will go for occasional pedicures.

Help!

What and where should I eat and drink in Seattle?

slogger — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 18:11:53 -0800

I have one evening alone in Seattle. What should I eat and drink, and where should I do it? I'll have one free evening in Seattle later this week. I'd like to grab a decent meal and some good beer. I like good food, and I'm willing to pay for it, but I don't know if I'm up for doing any fine dining alone. More like dinner at the bar for me. Charcuterie and cured foods are some of my favorites, but I'm not limited to that. I'm not a huge seafood person, but if there's a must-have seafood meal waiting for me, I'm there.

Also, I'm a huge beer lover, all styles, from Belgians to IPAs. Beer can be a part of dinner or afterwards. I'll be staying downtown, but will have access to a car (which I'd rather not use if I'm going to be drinking).

Bonus question: I'll have a few hours to kill before my flight the following day. What local food items should I bring back home?

Pittsburgh restaurant recommendations

librarianamy — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:40:32 -0800

I would like your help brainstorming the perfect Pittsburgh restaurant(s) to suit the needs of my local group. Special requirements (of course) inside. The local professional group that I'm a member of will be hosting a "dine around" later this month. I've never actually attended one, but they're defining this as "meals with different hosts at various restaurants around the city scheduled at the same time on the same night." Our members can then pick which host/restaurant they want to dine with that night, for networking and fellowship.

Usually when I eat out, it's just the two of us, and we stick with our favorite haunts. (It's not that I'm not willing to try new places. It's just that I love Piper's Pub that much.) So truthfully coming up with a venue that can meet the requirements (below) is stumping me.

1) Most importantly, a place that takes reservations. We're probably looking at four or five different places that can seat six to eight people at the dinner hour. We're leaning towards a Tuesday or a Wednesday, so we're not fighting weekend crowds.
2) I'd prefer local, not chain.
3) Vegetarian friendly.
4) A place that isn't going to balk at splitting checks. This is minor, but would be a perk.
5) Relatively affordable. A large chunk of our membership are graduate students on a budget.
6) With good food. And drinks.
7) Geography isn't important. We're mostly in the city, as a whole. I'm fairly certain that one of my CMU/Pitt colleagues will host in Oakland, and someone else has claimed dibs on Kaya (the Strip). I'm most familiar with the South, but as I said, flexible.

Portland, OR restaurants for a soy- and corn-free vegetarian?

rednikki — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:51:51 -0800

We are going to Portland, Oregon next week. I am a vegetarian. I am allergic to corn and soy. My partner is an omnivore who eats everything except marzipan and raw animal/ocean flesh. What (aside from Natural Selection) are our can't-miss restaurants? Bonus for desserts! A few more details after the cut... Corn allergy: means everything made from corn, including distilled vinegar, baking powder (which has cornstarch), powdered sugar (which has cornstarch), and obviously corn syrup. Soy allergy is pretty much all stripes of soy protein (tofu, tempeh, TVP, etc.) but not soy lethicin, thank goodness! In Los Angeles, land of the gluten-free, the soy allergy makes most non-Indian vegetarian restaurants complete no-go zones. I have heard rumors that in Portland I can get a seitan cheese steak, which excites me to no end!

I love ice cream as if it were my kidnapped child and if there were ice cream in town that didn't have corn syrup I'd be so thrilled. Salt and Straw, alas, is a total corn-syrup zone.

Not playing in Peoria

caryatid — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 19:25:58 -0800

I have to go to Peoria, IL for a week starting February 6 to tend to the affairs of my mother, whose dementia is getting worse. I grew up there but I haven't been back for years, and when I did go back I stayed at Mom's. Now there is no room at Mom's because she's in assisted care. Where should I stay? In particular I am not looking forward to eating fast food or at a restaurant every day, so I am considering taking a room with a full kitchen at the Residence Inn by Marriott. It's close to a Fresh Market, and also three miles from Mom's assisted care facility. The rooms there list for $159 a night. That's Plan A.

Plan B is another Marriott property, Springhill Suites, with a microwave and mini fridge for $139. The rate goes down to $109 for the weekend. It's being renovated, according to the website. Also close to Fresh Market, three miles from Mom.

Plan C is a downtown "boutique" hotel, the Mark Twain, with a microwave and mini fridge for $129. There is a restaurant in the hotel, so there's room service. Since it's downtown I assume there are other places to eat nearby. I could be wrong. It's also more than twice as far to Mom's.

I've looked at hotel reviews and these seem like the best bets (Peoria apparently has a lot of awful hotels). Price is an object but not much of one - the $159 is more than I want to pay, but I can manage it if I have to and if it's worth it. I think being able to cook might be comforting. I anticipate this being a rather stressful visit, while I am used to a lot of solitude and serenity.

Anybody live there or been there for business recently? Is it worth it to be downtown for dining options? Got a better recommendation than my Plans A B or C? Any place decent to eat that you could recommend? Anything else I should know about Peoria in February? (I live in Denver.) I will have Mom's car.

Any tips on dealing with unkind demented mothers is appreciated as well. I had a hard enough time dealing with the constant criticism when she was not suffering from dementia. SO not looking forward to this.

What are some Toddler-friendly places in Manhattan?

Alison — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 09:26:32 -0800

My husband and I are taking my nearly 2 year old on her first trip to New York. We're going to be there to buy books and fabric, but this will take less than a day out of our three day trip. We've been to New York dozens of times, but never with a kid in tow. We'd like some suggestions for toddler-friendly shops, sites, and restaurants that we can use to break up our errands. She's a well behaved kid, well-versed in visiting museums and sit-down restaurants, and is pretty good at handling new things, but she's still a toddler and thus unpredictable at times. We're trying to avoid breakables, long lines, and places where the occasional toddler tear would ruin the atmosphere.

We will be staying in Chinatown and our errand destinations are mostly in Midtown, the Garment District, and Soho. If the weather is friendly enough we will visit the Central Park Zoo or walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. She would probably enjoy a good toy store if the weather is poor. Foodwise, she is one of the least picky eaters I know and likes to try new things.

On one specific note, I would pay good money on a casual Izakaya in the Midtown area, one with tatame-mat cubicles where you can close the door for some privacy.

Emperor Wu liked cake, but not exploding cake!

Nomyte — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:59:44 -0800

I have a very utilitarian relationship with food. I want to have a sensuous relationship with food. I like food and eating. I have no known food allergies. There are very few foods I wouldn't be willing to try. I like reading restaurant reviews in the paper, I like inoffensive cooking shows, and I've been enjoying Adam Cadre's occasional notes on food and cooking for the past 8 years. He generally describes himself as "anhedonic," but he seems to have a lot of fun eating things.

The problem is that I've never been "wowed" by food, never had a "food orgasm," or experienced any of those other hyperbolic things people say about food sometimes. I'm completely unable to, e.g., rank my 5 favorite burgers. A burger is a burger is a burger. Some are bad, others are not bad, but I wouldn't ask for one on my deathbed.

I do have a reasonably keen sense of taste. I can distinguish herbs and spices, identify ingredients, and so on. But when I'm eating out, it's usually very easy to notice that something is delicious because it's saltier than I would make it at home, or it's deep-fried, or it has more sugar in it — not because it's somehow intrinsically delicious or interesting.

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. There is music that can drive me to tears. I find certain smells almost intoxicating: the scent of irises, tomato plant stems, lanolin, a pine forest in the summertime, the inside of a beehive, etc. I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to have a similarly intense experience with food.

Potential obstacles: I was raised in a family that had a very utilitarian view of food. My own time is quite limited, so my home cooking is often very simple and perfunctory. I go to white tablecloth restaurants very rarely. I hope this doesn't eliminate the possibility of the experiences I'm seeking, since people report having them all the time at food trucks, market stands, pizza joints, and sandwich shops.

Actual questions:

Do you have intense, positive, "revelatory" experiences with food? Describe them.
Compare the intensity of the pleasant experience of a really great meal to, say, a beautiful piece of music or a breathtaking landscape view.
What should I focus on to maximize the likelihood of these food experiences? (For example: eating at higher-end restaurants, exploring new ethnic cuisines, experimenting with new ingredients, etc.)

Many thanks for sharing.

Your favorite fast casual restaurants please!

timpanogos — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 05:58:40 -0800

What is your absolute favorite fast casual restaurant in your city? I'm working on a project where I'm trying to get exposed to more of these by region. I would love to hear the name of your favorite soup or sandwich or burger joint in your area. The parameters are that you have to watch your food being made, and you have to pay at a register, where you don't tip anyone formally 15% (tip jars may be present). We're talking your LeBoulanger (CA) your Milio's (WI), your Fresh City (MA), etc. I'm looking for places that have 3-15ish locations ideally, so not just one location but not 20+.

Thanks AskMeFi!