Restaurant Recommendations

Originally Posted by ChicagoRon

Click to expand...

I went with pork the tomato broth torta as well!

I'm traveling next week, but I'll pm you to meet over there for lunch one day, maybe the week after. If I have a light day, maybe I'll start with a visit to your shop. I live a few blocks away, but have never been in.

Let me know, I have been traveling every week since the first of the year but that is slowing down now and will be in Chicago more.

Miel in Nashville (www.mielrestaurant.com). Smaller place, reservations required. Maybe the best meal I've had in Nashville, right up there with Tayst. Only place in Nashville to ever offer an amuse bouche, which imo shows they take themselves very seriously. They also finish the meal with a tasting of honey (miel is honey in french, iirc). Came in right at $200 for 1 appetizer, 2 salads, 2 very good entrees (duck for myself, bouillabaisse for my wife), a very nice chocolate tasting dessert, 2 glasses + a half bottle of wine, and a coffee with Bailey's. Portions were extremely generous for restaurants in this price range.

Took my daughter in to Woodfire Grill in Atlanta this week and had the 5-course chef's tasting menu. We were sitting at a table within ten feet of the cooking area and were amused by the folks popping over to snap a shot of chef Kevin Gillespie with their camera phones (what a difference an appearance on Top Chef can make). The food itself was excellent, though for a few of the dishes I'd have liked a bit more of some of the sauces (i.e. something to actually enhance more than one bite of the dish rather than just being a decorative squiggle on the plate. ) Five courses consisted of shrimp on shrimp toast, a large diver scallop, a pairing of smoked pork loin and pork belly on a bed of creamed corn, a lamb loin under a fennel salad with fig jam, and an interesting molten chocolate dessert accompanied by homemade ice cream and a bit of curry-flavored marshmallow fluff.

Was in Miami this past week. Had an exceptional meal at Casa Tua (although, bring your big wallet to this one). Very professional service, which was mildly surprising given that the tip is automatically included, regardless of your party sized, at 18% (as is the case in most places in SoBe). Sat in the garden and it was easily one of the more stunning settings in SoBe.

Also went to Barton G which was fun and the food was decent. The real show here are the drinks and the desserts (both of which run in the $20/per +). Very fun place but getting in is very hard without a reservation. A place to take your significant other/woman that you're sleeping with, or your kids.

^^ I'm going to have to try Casa Tua next time I'm in Miami. Since the GF's parents have a condo down there, I'll put hotel money savings towards a meal!

I also wanted to warn anyone here away from Nomi in Chicago (in the Park Hyatt). Granted, I was there for restaurant week, and for lunch, but what we were served was basically inexcuseable.

Between the four of us, we had nearly every option available -

appetizers: Butternut Squash soup, roasted pear and pecan salad (last option was foie gras, nobody got that). Both were meh at best. I get a pretty good butternut squash soup from Whole Foods (Imagine is the brand, iirc) add a little paprika and I would take that over this one any day of the week.

mains: Pork Shoulder sandwich, sushi, and the Parisian Saffron Gnoochi. My sandwich was utterly subpar compared to Xoco's pork sandwiches/panini's. Flavor was just not there, the pork, as far as I could tell was pretty poor (huge amounts of fat just hanging around, rather than being part of the meat). The sushi had almost no fish in it (this I'll write off as a result of restaurant week), but was no better or worse than any other sushi I've had. The Parisian Saffron I think was the best dish, but would have probably been better as an appetizer with toasted sourdough bread more like a bruschetta simply because of the delicate flavors. After eating a salad with Rocquefort, candied walnuts, and endives, this dish tasted sort of like potato paste.

Dessert was terrible, but I suppose I've been spoiled by desserts typically found at steakhouses here in the city. Three options - Macaroons, cream puffs, and a yogurt/granola thing. Macaroons were fine, less the fact that they were tasteless. Had a nice crunch to them, colors were great, presentation was fun. Cream puff's had gold leaf on top, but other than that were unexceptional. I think the highlight was the "not guilty" dessert which had great vanilla yogurt with vanilla specks, topped with fresh granola.

All told our bill with a couple perriers was around $120 after tip/tax, so very good considering the place (not long ago a couple drinks in at the bar and I was at around $120/person). However, don't waste a nice dinner coming here. I love how people are willing to write off mediocre food for "ambiance", but I think major contributing factors to the ambiance are 1.) Waitstaff and 2.) Other patrons.

On the first topic, each waiter was wearing a button with $1.09 billion on their lapels. I obviously asked what it was for, and apparently they're on bad terms with Hyatt regarding their contract. If I had to guess, Hyatt made $1.09B in profit last year and waiters at this hotel were stiffed on raises (this is a pritzker owned hotel/outlet, but at all the other hotels I deal with, pay was static if not cut, with a huge reduction in headcount).

On the other patrons - pretentious. And not in a cool-oh-I'm-in-the-company-of-high-rollers-here kind of way, but a damn-you-drove-all-the-way-from-bumblefuck-ohio-to-stick-your-pinky-up-while-drinking-your-bottom-shelf-champagne?

I don't know, but while the physical layout of the place was very nice (open kitchen so you can see the chefs at work), the "ambiance" as I experienced it was very negative.

My $100.02 on the place.

As a counterpoint, May Street Market on Grand is supposed to be really good and I'm going to try that out tomorrow. Green Zebra or Mana tonight. If good, I'll write a recommendation.

Nomi is not that bad, but it does not represent good value, IMO. It's a great place for a cocktail though, esp. in the summer when you can drink on the terrace.

^^ I figure it has to do with Rest. Week. I'm guessing a place like that isn't meant to do 120 covers for lunch (as the waitress told me it was doing), but foodwise I wasn't impressed. The bar though, is pretty cool.

I ate at Longhorn the other day. I'd recommend it even though my medium rare steak wasn't medium rare. I love traditional Texas steak houses like Longhorn.

I'm in NY and going to DBGB tonight. I'm kind of excited so I'm posting a pre-review. I'll edit with my actual review tonight. Anybody been ?

Originally Posted by ChicagoRon

Click to expand...

I'm in NY and going to DBGB tonight. I'm kind of excited so I'm posting a pre-review. I'll edit with my actual review tonight. Anybody been ?

sorry to dispel your excitement, but you should've made rsvps at cafe boulud instead.

Interesting. I have been to DB Bistro Moderne and was pretty disappointed... I'll be in vegas next week.. maybe hit CB there.

Originally Posted by ChicagoRon

Click to expand...

Interesting. I have been to DB Bistro Moderne and was pretty disappointed... I'll be in vegas next week.. maybe hit CB there.

If i'm not mistaken it's Boulud brasserie. if you're gonna spend that kinda money, mind as well hit up Alex instead at the wynn

Hakata Tonton, 61 Grove Street in the West Village.

Anyone tried it?

lefty

Have anecdotally heard good things, very pig focused. Decor leaves something to be desired.

lefty - if you like the Japanese beef shop, you should try Bohemian