Let's have some fun with this one. Hopefully, when everyone is through, we will all have a list of great new places to try. I am not the chef that most are on this board, but one of my passions is eating at great restaurants.
My criteria is simple, list the best restaurants that you visited for the first time in 2005. My list is:
1) Ansons - Charleston, SC great lowcountry cuisine
2) Larkspur - Vail, CO elegant varied menu with great wine list, my first Leonetti there
3) Kali's Court - Baltimore, MD another diverse menu with great seafood offerings
4) Milwaukee Club - Milwaukee, WI private club, had a paired dinner here
5) Picasso - Las Vegas, NV elegant French
6) Bartilottas - Las Vegas, NV new Wynn's resort, I have previous thread on my "lifetime experience" there
7) Lacroix - Philadelphia, PA award winning French cuisne
8) Estia - Philadelphia, PA as good as Greek food (I'm a Greek) in my life
9) Ocean Room Sanctuary - Kiawah Island, SC as good as anywhere in Charleston in an incredible hotel
I was very blessed to be able to go to all of these great places. I would love to get some new suggestions from all of you.
Posts: 509 | Location: Myrtle Beach, SC | Registered: Oct 29, 2002
Given my limited 2005 travel, and limited budget when I travelled, I can offer only a short list:
In London, Rules continues to be a must-visit for anyone fond of game cooked in traditional English style. Pearl in the Renaissance Chancery Court was also good and good value, and offered wines by the glass of a quality perhaps never before seen (i.e second growth bordeaux).
My best meal of 2005 though was here in Ottawa, at Beckta, a new-ish place opened by a former sommelier at Café Boulud and Danny Meyer's Eleven Madison Park. The fact that it is one of the fedw places in town that allows BYO just makes the food that much tastier, for some reason....
------------------- Go Bruins!! Go Tigers!! Go Pistons!! Go Lions!!
The Wild Boar - Nashville, TN. French cuisine, excellent wine list (WS gives it top marks but I found this only after my visit), and service better than I have seen in most restaurants.
My suggestion for people visiting the Woodinville wine area (Ch. Ste. Michelle, DeLille, Columbia, Matthews, etc.): If you can't immediately get into the Herbfarm or the Barking Frog, head 1/4 mile east to Purple Wine Bar & Cafe. My wife and I celebrated our last anniversary there. The food is great, much less expensive than the former two, and the wine selection is extensive. They even offer flights to go with your meal, and different wine specials each night.
*********** "I was thinking how nothing lasts. And what a shame that is." --Benjamin Button
Posts: 3688 | Location: Everett, WA | Registered: Mar 08, 2002
Only 1 really good one. When we were in Vegas in October we went to Delmonicos. The food was wonderful and the sommelier was very helpful to us newbies. We even got to see Emeril as he was in town that day. Very memorable.
We had a much less extravagant dining year for us, so the only standout was Felidia in NYC. We'd been meaning to get there for a while and really enjoyed our night.
Michael Mina here in LV is great, but SF is better... Picasso really stood out when we went there this year. Mix was really good, too, but SO expensive. Not worth the $$, IMO. Ruths Chris is still my favorite for steak...but Fleming's, craftsteak, Prime and Nine are all phenomenal as well.
Posts: 335 | Location: Las Vegas | Registered: Aug 30, 2005
1. Locke-Ober Boston 2. Oregon Grille Baltimore 3. Trattoria del Lupo Las Vegas (tie for #4) Rooster Cafe Elkridge, MD Cafe de Paris Columbia, MD 5. Smythe's Cottage Fredericksburg, VA
------------------------------ "Hey Man, I'm drinking wine, eating cheese and catching some rays." Oddball
Originally posted by Rex66: Michael Mina--SF Picasso--LV Ruths Chris--LV
Michael Mina here in LV is great, but SF is better... Picasso really stood out when we went there this year. Mix was really good, too, but SO expensive. Not worth the $$, IMO. Ruths Chris is still my favorite for steak...but Fleming's, craftsteak, Prime and Nine are all phenomenal as well.
Didn't read the thread carefully...best restaurant been to for the first time... hands down, Michael Mina--SF.
Posts: 335 | Location: Las Vegas | Registered: Aug 30, 2005
Molino's - Bonita Springs, FL Estiatorio Milos - NYC Pazzo - Naples, FL (just took me 6 months to locate a case of the wine we had there) Flemings - Chandler, AZ (great steak followed by a $20 glass of Port) Norma's - NYC - best breakfast ever (better than Brennan's in New Orleans)
This is my first post. Have been reading all your stuff for awhile, but am a real novice. Just wondering if I have enough time left to try all the wines that beckon me.
Hey Zero, nice to see you back. Did you take your wife here for an anniversary?
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No, we are seperated. Her friend spotted me french kissing a blonde at the Monkey Bar. The wench dropped dime on me and now I live in a studio apartment in Soho.
Posts: 105 | Location: Long Island, N.Y. | Registered: Sep 28, 2004
scbeerman - thanks so much for the heads-up on Molyvos. It is directly across the street from our timeshare at the Manhattan Club, and in five years, I've never been there. Will definitely be hitting it in May. Thanks, again.
I may have to edit this post a couple of times as some of the names come back to me. Right off the top of my head;
Trattoria Stefano - Sheboygan, WI (no, I'm not kidding) Le Jolifou - Montreal Draelion - Dallas Veni Vidi Vici - Atlanta Il Localino - Atlanta Bistro Pastis - Vancouver Ristorante Piemontese - Stresa, Italy
This message has been edited. Last edited by: steve8,
Babbo (NYC) Draelion-the first time I went, sorry steve8, it is usually 10 times better than the night you went (Dallas) Nana (Dallas) for the beautiful view on the 40th story overlooking downtown Dallas
