Just returned from Myrtle Beach and found three excellent restaurants and one decent Italian place:
Highly recommended: Sobaya Japanese Bistro; Sea Blue (in North Myrtle); and Fire and Smoke Gastropub
Recommended: Toscana Italian Bistro (food was very good, service not so much)
Taco Temple in Morro Bay. Iâve tried it 3 times with consistent results on the special fish tacos and desserts. Canât imagine better fish tacos.
further update: it closed.
Alan, what is the new OC resturant to try out?
What price are you thinking of? I have numerous suggestions in many states, but some are very pricey. Some are truly world class.
nothing of note lately, unfortunately.
Urbana in the Anaheim Packing House is worth visiting. And grab a PopBar on the way out.
Iâll put in a plug for LâArtusi in NYC. Great pastas, and very BYO friendly with $25 corkage with no bottle limit. They also have a private room inside their wine cellar if you are looking for a special experience.
NYC:
I have a restaurant/food blog so I eat out (too) much and I have to say that one of the finest meals I have had anywhere was at Gabriel Kreutherâs in NYC recently: http://www.pearlsandoysters.com/2016/02/29/nyc-gabriel-kruether/
BOSTON:
I live in Boston and I would add Dumpling Cafe to the recommendation above as another great place to eat In Chinatown. Excellent soup dumplings (and shorter lines and I like it better then GDH but both are very good). There are a ton of really terrific places in Boston. Here are some current favorites (with links to my write ups and pics if you are interested) :
Uni - Clio closed and was reopened as an expanded Uni. Think wonderful global small plates, fun atmosphere and great service and cocktails - Boston: Uni
Select Oyster Bar - my favorite âoyster barâ in Boston. Also very good are Island Creek, Row 34, Neptune and B&G but Select is my personal favorite - Boston: Select Oyster Bar
LâEspalier - fine dining at its most elegant with simply WONDERFUL food. Love having lunch here - Boston: LâEspalier
Pastoral - terrific pizza and wood fired vegetables. Boston: Pastoral â ARTisan Pizza + Kitchen + Bar
O Ya - considered one of the very best restaurants in Boston (Frank Bruni picked it as his favorite non-NYC restaurant in the country when he was the critic for the NY Times). Expensive Japanese inspired deliciousness. Boston: O Ya
State Park - (in Cambridge) - tries to pretend it is a dive bar (from the folks who were behind the delicious Hungry Mother which has closed) but it is just a fun place with really good food.
UPSTATE NY:
Someone mentioned the Fingerlakes so I have to add Danoâs Heuriger on Seneca Lake. Really great. And if you are in the Syracuse area a visit to the original Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is SO worth a trip! Upstate NY: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
-KB
Best restaurant in Shanghai: UltraViolet!
Just returned from Barcelona. I highly recommend LaSarte (a three Michelin star). It provided one of the best meals I ever had.
Now that youâre retired you can work on that Berserker post count.
SF
Italian:
Perbacco
Beretta
American:
Cockscomb
Universal Cafe (brunch)
House of Prime Rib
Hog Island Oyster Bar
Trou Normand
Little Skillet
Anchor Oyster Bar
Japanese:
Omakase - Sasaki, Kusakabe, or Yoshizumi (in San Mateo)
Saru
Mensho
Orenchi
Ebisu
Dim Sum:
HK Lounge on Geary at 18th (wait at the dive bar next door for the cheap Bloody Mary)
Not trying to be a smartass, but isnât that to be expected from a Michelin 3 star?
I donât know how to reply to your question. Earlier during the trip we went to a two star in Rome that didnât live up to expectations (or two star rating). So ratings donât necessarily guarantee anything. Regardless I thought LaSarte was great.
Considering that itâs immeasurably difficult to achieve, and men have committed suicide over losing their 3-star status, I would expect nothing less than a mind-blowing experience from visiting any 3-star establishment.
Madrid
StreetXO (get in line 30 min before they open)
Vinoteca Moratin (make a reservation)
Salamanca
La Hoja 21
Caceres
Alboroque
Atrio (2-Michelin star restaurant thatâs on par with places like Manresa in CA, and a bargain at âŹ149/person)
Seville
conTenedor
Casa Paco El Buen Comer
Carlos Baena
Ronda
Tropicana
Barcelona:
Tickets
Pakta
Cinq Sentis
Toronto
Harbour 60 Steak House - Great steak and lobster. Huge wine list with big names but pricey.
Piano Piano - Casual, incredible Italian, Wood burning pizza and pasta.
Bar Isabel - Spanish inspired and casual.
Momofuku - If you know it, you love itâŚif you donât know itâŚgo!
Josoâs - best squid ink pasta and seafood.
Nami - consistent great sushi.
We just returned from Italy and were lucky enough to be able to plan our trip around a reservation for dinner at Osteria Francescana. I woke up at 2 am Arizona time the day the reservations opened to secure this reservation (after around 15 minutes of the website being overrun with internet traffic). The meal was excellent. The wine pairing was very interesting. They served all white wine except with the âCamouflage Pigeonâ in which they served a Primitivo. The meal was definitely memorable.