Restaurant Recommendations

[A Y]

Thanks guys. Lucques sounds pretty good all around.

--Andre

 

[bigbadbuff]

Great thread- some really good recommendations based on my experiences in these towns.

 

[A Y]

Bigbadbuff, I see you're from Richmond. Any suggestions for restaurants and bars there? The downtown stuff (Shockoe Slip area) is mostly quite expensive for the quality you get.

--Andre

 

[Manny Calavera]

Wow, lots of fantastic recommendations guys. Spot-on. I currently live in hunt country Virginia and we have some astounding restaurants including: The Inn at Little Washington (best restaurant in the country in my opinion, though I've never had the privilege of dining at The French Laundry), The Ashby Inn, The Rail Stop, Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Aster and L'Auberge Provencale. Honestly, each of these restaurants is on par with any regional or French-fusion fair you'd find in D.C. And actually, when I'm in D.C. it's usually on a casual shopping or pre-show outing, so I generally just hit up Matchbox or Pizza Paradiso. Sushi-Ko if I'm lucky (its rolls are among the best in the country). Also, if you're in the Tyson's Corner area, check out Konami for some amazing sushi. Two words: lobster sashimi. I could talk about food forever...

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by Andre Yew

Bigbadbuff, I see you're from Richmond. Any suggestions for restaurants and bars there? The downtown stuff (Shockoe Slip area) is mostly quite expensive for the quality you get.

--Andre

I'm not Bigbadbuff, but some of my favorites:

Kuba Kuba: Huge servings of Cuban food, done right. Great tres leches cake. Excellent prices for what you get. Can easily get two meals out of a single order.

Cafe Gutenberg: Simple food and good desserts in a lovely setting -- hardwood floors, book-lined walls and huge windows that the light stream in. Reminds me of Hemingway, so it's appropriate they have an excellent au lait. (Probably the only really good au lait I've had in Richmond.)

Can-Can: French restaurant in a strip mall. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the food is good and service unpretentious. The interior works hard at being French, but it's pretty. Good brunch.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by jonglover

And actually, when I'm in D.C. it's usually on a casual shopping or pre-show outing, so I generally just hit up Matchbox or Pizza Paradiso. Sushi-Ko if I'm lucky (its rolls are among the best in the country). Also, if you're in the Tyson's Corner area, check out Konami for some amazing sushi. Two words: lobster sashimi. I could talk about food forever...

I liked Matchbox, but I'm not sure I'd go back. I can't really say why. I enjoyed my food, and the fried onion shavings were good, but I left a bit underwhelmed. I have no aversion to it, just don't think it would occur to me when I was hunting food in D.C.

 

[Manny Calavera]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

I liked Matchbox, but I'm not sure I'd go back. I can't really say why. I enjoyed my food, and the fried onion shavings were good, but I left a bit underwhelmed. I have no aversion to it, just don't think it would occur to me when I was hunting food in D.C.

The service has really gotten bad since the crowds started coming in. It's not a food mecca by any means (not even a casual food mecca; read: Ben's Chili Bowl and Pizza Paradiso), but it's conveniently located for when I'm out and about in Chinatown, and not as rough on the stomach as Five Guys.

Also, another Richmond recommendation: Sticky Rice. Ultra-casual (buckets full of tater tots), but the quality of the sushi is really, really surprising and it's cheap (notice a theme in my mentions, as I'm poor).

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by jonglover

The service has really gotten bad since the crowds started coming in. It's not a food mecca by any means (not even a casual food mecca; read: Ben's Chili Bowl and Pizza Paradiso), but it's conveniently located for when I'm out and about in Chinatown, and not as rough on the stomach as Five Guys.

I love the arch. That area is one of my favorite parts of D.C.

Also, another Richmond recommendation: Sticky Rice. Ultra-casual (buckets full of tater tots), but the quality of the sushi is really, really surprising and it's cheap (notice a theme in my mentions, as I'm poor).

The tot sauce is delicious. And the amount of tots you get is obscene.

 

[A Y]

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

I'm not Bigbadbuff, but some of my favorites:
Thanks Doc and Jonglover! I haven't been checking in on this thread often enough. --Andre

 

[whoopee]

A plug for El Vez in Philadelphia. The best fish tacos in the city, excellent guacamole and dips, and really satisfying caramel sopapillas. Ridiculous wannabe hipster/Starr vibe, but still comfortable enough for frequent Blackberry use.

 

[denimdestroyedmylife]

The guacamole at El Vez is excellent. Agreed.

 

[Saucemaster]

I haven't been yet, and am way late on actually reading this thread: is El Vez *really* going to satisfy my California cravings for real guacamole, or is this yet more Yankee Mexican Food?

 

[denimdestroyedmylife]

Well, they have a dedicated guacamole maker on the floor mashing avocados on a bicycle----so provided they are real avocados (not CGI), it's real guac.

Happy hour this week?

 

[Saucemaster]

Originally Posted by denimdestroyedmylife

Happy hour this week?

That's a great idea.

I could really use some real, honest-to-God guac.

 

[norcaltransplant]

New York Restaurant Review
As recommended by a friend for a date:
http://www.icoppinyc.com/html/index2.htm

We had:
(shared) Carpaccio with grana padano cheese
- Too much argula. Pine nuts, cheese, and meat were all excellent.

Main:
Seafood stew
Risotto with sausage and pureed broccoli rabe
Roasted potatoes with fennel and rosemary

Dessert:
Chocolate Mouse with Fresh Blueberries

The bill came out to around $80 with tax and tip. A bit pricey on a student budget, but Ive been working a lot and havent had much time for dating. The outdoor garden seating, boxes filled with herbs, and mid-seventy degree NY made for a near perfect evening. It also helped that my date was strikingly cute.