textualdeviance (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
textualdeviance) wrote2004-04-09 03:12 pm
textualdeviance) wrote2004-04-09 03:12 pm
Ooooh
Meme thanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
solcita by way of frogboy
Seattle and environs:
Bamboo Garden-- Lower Queen Anne
All-vegetarian Chinese place, which also has some other asian dishes. They use soy fake meat in a lot of things and it works really well. Particularly fond of their chicken and corn chowder and sweet and sour. The beef rolls are also good.
Rickshaw-- Greenwood
A nasty little Chinese dive, with terribly greasy and scary Americanized Chinese food, served up with bad karaoke. An experience. The hot pepper tofu is, however, fully worth it.
Simpatico-- Wallingford
Amazing Italian spot. Cozy, dark, romantic, with fantastic rustic food. The DiCampo salad is extraordinary. Highly recommended for a nice evening out. Not fancy, just quiet and warm and wonderful food.
Broadway Grill-- Cap Hill
The eye candy alone is worth it, but the food is good, too. Very urban guppie, and probably a little too much on the god I look fabulous crowd (worse on weekend nights) but it's a good place to go with friends if you're in the area.
Cedar's-- U District
Great Indian food. Craving it right now, actually.
?-- Ballard
I can't remember the name, butcoyotegirl took me to this Thai place in Ballard about 6 months ago and I loved it.
Canyon's-- Bothell
There are a couple of locations of this one. Southwestern. Nice and spicy, with a west Texas/New Mexico feel.
Desert Fire-- Redmond (and Seattle)
Another Southwestern. This one's a little more yupscale than Canyons.
Claim Jumper-- Redmond
Next to Desert Fire, this is a chain outlet from California. It's a country/western themed place where the rule of the day is LARGE FOOD. Starve for two days before going. They garnish their plates with an entire apple, if that gives any sense of the scale of what they serve. Meat, meat and more meat is what's on the menu.
While I'm on chain restaurants, I'll say that I prefer Las Margaritas to Azteca, though both are nice. I also like Cheesecake factory, Rainforest Cafe and the Old Spaghetti Factory (hey, kitsch works on me) and of course Buca di Beppo, for when you have a group of 30 and you want huge amounts of simple Italian food. And yes, I go to Olive Garden sometimes. Sue me.
Seattle and Portland: McMenamins. All of their pubs (Seattle locations include Six Arms on Cap Hill, and Dad Watson's in Fremont) have great atmosphere, great house-brewed ales and good food. Try the High Pasta or the Voodoo Chicken Sandwich if they're on the menu. And have a pint of Ruby.
Portland:
Hotcake House-- Powell and 11th
Scary little 24 hour dive. The perfect place for greasy breakfast food after a night out.
Old Wives' Tales-- Burnside
Quite simply my most favorite Portland restaurant. It's a nice little yuppie/hippie cafe with mostly vegetarian/organic stuff. Classy and healthy. The Hungarian mushroom soup is worth the trip.
Elephant's-- Nob Hill
Not a restaurant, but an upscale deli. The best in town. Their foccacia is amazing. Breads, desserts, entrees, salads, etc. made in-house, plus an enormous selection of cheeses, imported candy and wine. Perfect for putting a picnic basket (or a road trip bag) together.
Chen's Dynasty-- Downtown
I have no idea if this place still exists, but it used to be one of the nicest Chinese places. 12 page menu, with some very unsual items. Incredibly attentive and friendly staff. A nice tablecloth place to go for Chinese.
For fast food, I used to love going to Macheesmo Mouse, but I don't know if they exist anymore. There was also this amazing little Indian fast food place in Lloyd center (I want to say it starts with a W) which has great pappadums. And then there's always Burgerville. Yum. :)
Ashland:
The Black Sheep pub
British-style pub with all the traditional stuff you'd expect. Rarebit is very good, as is the potato-leek soup. Very crowded on weekends during theater season, but a nice place to go for a pint during downtime
Greenleaf's
Very nice deli/cafe with balcony seating overlooking the creek. Service can be slow, but the food is yummy yuppie stuff.
Reno:
Deux Gros Nez-- California hill
I include this just because it's a major part of my misspent youth. Originally the only place in town to get espresso, this euro-style cafe serves foccacia sandwiches, scones and frappes, with a sassy menue, sassier people behind the counter, and the odd and disaffected populating the place until late at night.
Blue Heron
No idea if this place still exists, but when I was a newly-veg teen, it was the only veg restaurant in town. I used to live off of their monster burritos.
Guido and Garcia's
Sadly lamented, this place closed while I still lived there and I still miss it. It was an Italian/Mexican place. One half of the menu for each cuisine. You got chips and salsa and breadsticks, both at your table.
I haven't been there recently enough to assess, but as for casino food, the Nugget, the coffee shop at the Peppermill and most of the restaurants at the El Dorado used to be good. Avoid any coffee shops in restaurants outside of upscale casinos or anywhere in Sparks except the Nugget. When in doubt, hit a chain instead. There are several Carrow's and Lyon's outlets there that serve well. And don't, for the love of God, eat at Circus Circus, no matter how desperate you are.
Maui:
Lahaina Cafe, Lahaina (near Kaanapali resorts)
They serve on plates which are in the shape of an Aloha shirt. That alone makes it beyond cool.
Honolulu
Longhi's -- Ala Moana center
Great upscale Italian food, and lovely sunset views. The windows open up to give the place a nearly-outdoor feel.
San Francisco:
It's been a zillion years since I've been there, but I still remember this wonderful Italian place, I think it was called Giuseppe's? Where I proposed to my ex.
LA:
Mel's on Sunset
Classic diner food. Nice, reliable place. With valet parking, even. :)
New York:
Bloom's Cafe
The waiter alone was worth it. Ordinary New York cafe, I assume, but everything was made from scratch, and the waiter was sassy and friendly.
I also liked the Italian place we went to a few blocks from the hotel but I don't remember the name of it. Started with an F.
Vegas and Disney World are their own little guides. Anyone going there can ask me for recommendations.
I also have a fondness for gourmet grocery stores. My favorites in Seattle are Larry's, PCC, Whole Foods and the Admiral Thriftway in West Seattle. In Portland I go to Nature's Fresh Northwest and Daily Grind (which isn't really gourmet-- it's hippie veg food.) And of course there's always eating your way through the Pike Place Market. The bakery, for instance, is a stop in and of itself.
I know there are plenty I'm forgetting, so I may add to this list later.
solcita by way of frogboySeattle and environs:
Bamboo Garden-- Lower Queen Anne
All-vegetarian Chinese place, which also has some other asian dishes. They use soy fake meat in a lot of things and it works really well. Particularly fond of their chicken and corn chowder and sweet and sour. The beef rolls are also good.
Rickshaw-- Greenwood
A nasty little Chinese dive, with terribly greasy and scary Americanized Chinese food, served up with bad karaoke. An experience. The hot pepper tofu is, however, fully worth it.
Simpatico-- Wallingford
Amazing Italian spot. Cozy, dark, romantic, with fantastic rustic food. The DiCampo salad is extraordinary. Highly recommended for a nice evening out. Not fancy, just quiet and warm and wonderful food.
Broadway Grill-- Cap Hill
The eye candy alone is worth it, but the food is good, too. Very urban guppie, and probably a little too much on the god I look fabulous crowd (worse on weekend nights) but it's a good place to go with friends if you're in the area.
Cedar's-- U District
Great Indian food. Craving it right now, actually.
?-- Ballard
I can't remember the name, but
coyotegirl took me to this Thai place in Ballard about 6 months ago and I loved it.Canyon's-- Bothell
There are a couple of locations of this one. Southwestern. Nice and spicy, with a west Texas/New Mexico feel.
Desert Fire-- Redmond (and Seattle)
Another Southwestern. This one's a little more yupscale than Canyons.
Claim Jumper-- Redmond
Next to Desert Fire, this is a chain outlet from California. It's a country/western themed place where the rule of the day is LARGE FOOD. Starve for two days before going. They garnish their plates with an entire apple, if that gives any sense of the scale of what they serve. Meat, meat and more meat is what's on the menu.
While I'm on chain restaurants, I'll say that I prefer Las Margaritas to Azteca, though both are nice. I also like Cheesecake factory, Rainforest Cafe and the Old Spaghetti Factory (hey, kitsch works on me) and of course Buca di Beppo, for when you have a group of 30 and you want huge amounts of simple Italian food. And yes, I go to Olive Garden sometimes. Sue me.
Seattle and Portland: McMenamins. All of their pubs (Seattle locations include Six Arms on Cap Hill, and Dad Watson's in Fremont) have great atmosphere, great house-brewed ales and good food. Try the High Pasta or the Voodoo Chicken Sandwich if they're on the menu. And have a pint of Ruby.
Portland:
Hotcake House-- Powell and 11th
Scary little 24 hour dive. The perfect place for greasy breakfast food after a night out.
Old Wives' Tales-- Burnside
Quite simply my most favorite Portland restaurant. It's a nice little yuppie/hippie cafe with mostly vegetarian/organic stuff. Classy and healthy. The Hungarian mushroom soup is worth the trip.
Elephant's-- Nob Hill
Not a restaurant, but an upscale deli. The best in town. Their foccacia is amazing. Breads, desserts, entrees, salads, etc. made in-house, plus an enormous selection of cheeses, imported candy and wine. Perfect for putting a picnic basket (or a road trip bag) together.
Chen's Dynasty-- Downtown
I have no idea if this place still exists, but it used to be one of the nicest Chinese places. 12 page menu, with some very unsual items. Incredibly attentive and friendly staff. A nice tablecloth place to go for Chinese.
For fast food, I used to love going to Macheesmo Mouse, but I don't know if they exist anymore. There was also this amazing little Indian fast food place in Lloyd center (I want to say it starts with a W) which has great pappadums. And then there's always Burgerville. Yum. :)
Ashland:
The Black Sheep pub
British-style pub with all the traditional stuff you'd expect. Rarebit is very good, as is the potato-leek soup. Very crowded on weekends during theater season, but a nice place to go for a pint during downtime
Greenleaf's
Very nice deli/cafe with balcony seating overlooking the creek. Service can be slow, but the food is yummy yuppie stuff.
Reno:
Deux Gros Nez-- California hill
I include this just because it's a major part of my misspent youth. Originally the only place in town to get espresso, this euro-style cafe serves foccacia sandwiches, scones and frappes, with a sassy menue, sassier people behind the counter, and the odd and disaffected populating the place until late at night.
Blue Heron
No idea if this place still exists, but when I was a newly-veg teen, it was the only veg restaurant in town. I used to live off of their monster burritos.
Guido and Garcia's
Sadly lamented, this place closed while I still lived there and I still miss it. It was an Italian/Mexican place. One half of the menu for each cuisine. You got chips and salsa and breadsticks, both at your table.
I haven't been there recently enough to assess, but as for casino food, the Nugget, the coffee shop at the Peppermill and most of the restaurants at the El Dorado used to be good. Avoid any coffee shops in restaurants outside of upscale casinos or anywhere in Sparks except the Nugget. When in doubt, hit a chain instead. There are several Carrow's and Lyon's outlets there that serve well. And don't, for the love of God, eat at Circus Circus, no matter how desperate you are.
Maui:
Lahaina Cafe, Lahaina (near Kaanapali resorts)
They serve on plates which are in the shape of an Aloha shirt. That alone makes it beyond cool.
Honolulu
Longhi's -- Ala Moana center
Great upscale Italian food, and lovely sunset views. The windows open up to give the place a nearly-outdoor feel.
San Francisco:
It's been a zillion years since I've been there, but I still remember this wonderful Italian place, I think it was called Giuseppe's? Where I proposed to my ex.
LA:
Mel's on Sunset
Classic diner food. Nice, reliable place. With valet parking, even. :)
New York:
Bloom's Cafe
The waiter alone was worth it. Ordinary New York cafe, I assume, but everything was made from scratch, and the waiter was sassy and friendly.
I also liked the Italian place we went to a few blocks from the hotel but I don't remember the name of it. Started with an F.
Vegas and Disney World are their own little guides. Anyone going there can ask me for recommendations.
I also have a fondness for gourmet grocery stores. My favorites in Seattle are Larry's, PCC, Whole Foods and the Admiral Thriftway in West Seattle. In Portland I go to Nature's Fresh Northwest and Daily Grind (which isn't really gourmet-- it's hippie veg food.) And of course there's always eating your way through the Pike Place Market. The bakery, for instance, is a stop in and of itself.
I know there are plenty I'm forgetting, so I may add to this list later.
no subject
dave & i are trying out Bombay Cricket Club tomorrow night for his bday. i'll tell you how it is.
no subject
Now I'm all upset again about moving away from Chicago. I can't find any decent food in this damn one-horse town (okay, two horses and a couple of camels. Really.). I really miss Buca. And Ed Debevic's sheerly for the atmosphere. (Okay, and Ed's cheese fries.) And BD's Mongolian Barbecue. And that great little Thai place around the corner. My queendom for some Thai.
*sobs*