Food If you are in *insert city here*, you HAVE to try *insert restaurant here*........

These reviews make me want to travel! But for now, I'll stick with Toronto:

The best pizza in town is at George's at Dundas and Pembroke. It's gooey and crisp bottomed and topped to the rafters, and cheap! They also make the best Cesar salad I've ever had. It looks like a dive, but it's clean and delicious and family run. The local favorite from George's is spaghetti and chicken, doused in thick beef gravy. Not really my thing, but hugely popular and apparently "a taste sensation."

Fresh (there are quite a few locations) has the widest vegan menu in town, though I prefer the Urban Herbivore in Kensington Market.

The best place for beer is the Beer Bistro at King station. It features a huge and frequently changing beer list with intelligent, well trained and attractive staff. The food is delicious, but I mostly go for beer. If you're a meat-eater, get the frites. They are the most perfectly prepared french fries in the city, but they're made with a rich duck fat so I don't eat them anymore.

 

Also, if you're in Toronto, check out the Krispy Kreme burger being offered at the Exhibition (CNE - http://www.theex.com/concerts-events/ ).



More accurately known as the Luther Burger
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Burger )

 

SAVANNAH

TOUCAN CAFE.. Great steaks, great staff...and not too expensive.

 

I think the best burger in Toronto is at Priest Burger on Queen E. near Coxwell. The patties are hand-formed with fresh beef throught the day and the potatos are hand cut fresh throughout the day as well.

They also have this thing which is a large portobello mushroom, stuffed with cheese and deep fried. You can get it on a burger or as the burger and it's awesome.

All of the other Toronto restaurants mentioned in this thread are excellent. You can't go wrong with any of them. Well, maybe Dangerous Dan's.

 

Phoenix... Pizza bianco.. best rated pizza joint in the entire country.. Also Los Dos Molinos.. Super spicy Mexican food its awesome

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Philadelphia:

There are a few really good places for cheesesteaks but the "usual suspects" are usually not the best and some are outright poor. So for an excellent chance at getting a really good cheesesteak, try Cosmi's Deli, 1501 South 8th St. http://www.cosmideli.com/cheesesteaks.html

Lots of cities have great pizza, but I've been going to Tacconelli's for over 50 years and they are one of the best, with only the freshest ingredients and recipes perfected over time. They're in the Port Richmond neighborhood in Philly where I grew up, at 2604 E. Somerset St. You can BYOB. Unlike the "good old days", now adays if you go on weekends, call ahead to reserve a dough, otherwise you're banking on luck. http://www.tacconellispizzeria.com/index.html

 

England:

If you've got a time machine, set it for 1965 and go to Schmidt's Restaurant in Charlotte Street, off Tottenham Court Road in central London. Silver service, thick tablecloths, Teutonic hospitality. The roast beef with noodles was made from cattle who queued up outside the slaughterhouse for the privilege of contributing their butts to this dish. The noodles, I am sure, got their final cooking by soaking up some beef stock. Green beans were not as al dente as is popular these days, but maintained their shape on the plate. Unlike some.

If you stay at 1965, pop into a Lyons Corner House, where their curry, for about 1/6, is an amazing combination of meat, sultanas, and banana. Wow.

Now, more currently on topic:
If you've lent the time machine to a friend who is rectifying an anomaly which might have cause a breach in the fabric of space-time, then go to Bognor Regis, on the South Coast of England. A short walk from the station is the Magna Indian Restaurant. I'd say their specialist skill is in keeping taste-distinction between close members of the same food family. It is about 4 years ago, so I am plumbing my memory ... Part of it was the fresh ingredients.

Back to Tottenham Court Road in central London. Go to Goodge Street Station and turn left. Within One minute's walk, you see on your left a small 'square' ... which you'd imagine should have grass. Well, it did. But it got paved over. On the far corner of the square ... not diagonal, but effectively a 90 degree left turn and walk along the side of the square, you come to Gig's Fish Bar. Now I must confess, I had not idea where they got their Loukanika, but those Greek sausages had Magic in them. I bet the great grandchildren of the cattle who donated their butts to Schmidts came along to this place.

One more place .. it is not exactly a restaurant. It is a Cake and Tea shop, outside The Cumberland Gate of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, Surrey. I was born and lived my childhood within two minutes walk of that place. It is called 'Newens' ...look :
http://www.theoriginalmaidsofhonour.co.uk/

There. It was our local family cake and bread shop. In latter years, I have something from there at the rate of once every three years. I do not know how they managed it, but they seem to have retained precisely the same high quality I remember from my childhood days.

Heck ... I am supposed to go to sleep now, but I need to have something to eat. I wonder why?

 

Matthews, NC - Hibachi Grill

-If you are a Chinese Buffet aficionado, you need to try Hibachi Grill. I've been to a LOT of Chinese-American buffets in my day, but this place takes the cake. 250+ items, none of it bad. Fresh, hot, not dried out, items you don't find elsewhere, and $9.25 a pop for an adult dinner on a Saturday. I never thought I'd find a Chinese place I liked after leaving New England, but I have seemingly stumbled across the Holy Grail of buffets.

 

If you ever find yourself in Tucson you have to hit the Shish Kebab House. Amazing Mediterranean food. Just had the lamb shank from there, and the meat was so tender you could eat it with a straw. Just make sure you have some time on your hands. They are not the fastest place to order from, but it's well worth the wait.

 

I would add, if you're in Philly and you like Belgian beer & food, you must go to either Monk's cafe or Eulogy (or both!).. They're excellent places! The former gets very busy and doesn't take reservation though, as far as I know.

 

Those look revolting. Then again I think Krispy Kreme donuts are disgusting so I may be biased.

 

1978 Kool-Aid mixed drinks ARE TO DIE FOR in Jonestown (currently on the dark side of Haley Bop)

 

don't they eh? I heard that they were tasty though. Don't think I would ever try one unless I could just take a bite and leave it at that.

 

It's not a very nice ambience and more of a take out but If you are in Bloomfield, NJ and want to have the best Chinese/Cantonese food, try No 1 Chinese Restaurant. The Veg. Lomein is phenomenal.

 

I love this place! Such good food (and beer!).

In Columbus: Check out The Thurman Cafe if you're looking for an excellent burger. It's delicious.
In Pittsburgh: Check out Primanti Brothers. Lots of different sandwiches - most come loaded with cole slaw and french fries. Not for the healthy eater.

 

Key West, FL:
Blue Heaven – save room for Banana Heaven for dessert
La Crêperie Key West

Bobalu's – love their the grouper sandwich

Philadelphia:
Mixto

Knoxville, TN:
The Tomato Head

Tellico Plains, TN (~60mi SSW of Knoxville):
Tellico Beach Drive-In – get the slaw dog

Frederick, MD:
Isabella's Taverna & Tapas Bar – excellent tapas
The Tasting Room
Black Hog BBQ
VOLT Restaurant – $$$$, run by Top Chef Season 6 runner up Bryan Voltaggio
Brewer's Alley – a neighborhood staple

Columbia, MD:
Victoria Gastro Pub

 

Oooo, we're going there again when I get back. I'm buying. You can carry me to your couch.

 

New York City:
Forgot to mention the Popover Café in Manhattan. Kind of an addiction.

 

Dubai:
- Nobu (Japanese)
- Kiku (Japanese)
- Yaloomba (Australian)
- Verre (French/International)
- Butcher & Grill (Steak)
- many Arab cuisine places, but I can't remember the name of a single one of them

Abu Dhabi:
- Brauhaus (German)

Tokyo:
- Miyuki (Japanese; only one restaurant listed for Tokyo, because I always stayed in the Four Seasons it is located in and it was the only really good restaurant I was able to find in my very limited time per stay there. A real shame, because I know there's tons of awesome places in Tokyo)

Kabul:
- Boccaccio (Italian)
- Taverna du Liban (Lebanese)
- New World (Korean)

Sydney:
- Aria (French/International)
- Tulsi (Indian)
- SakeSake (Japanese)
- Schnitzel Haus (German)
- Teppanyaki (Japanese; I know it's a category of Japanese food, but that's the place's name)

Wuppertal (Germany):
- Pizza bei Giovanni (Italian)