I don’t know about you, but the only thing that makes traveling bearable is eating good food. I have to eat out and I’m getting reimbursed (to some extent), why not take advantage. Here’s a partial list to where I have been lately:
New Orleans
Lucy’s Retired Surfer Bar & Restaurant - Ceviche tacos
Mothers - Breakfast
Chicago
Gino’s East - Chicago style pizza
Armands - Thin crust pizza
Zias - Northern Italian
Frontera Grill - Mexican
Don Juans - Mexican
Weiner Circle - Chicago style dog
Nookies - Breakfast
Los Angeles
Katsuya - Sushi
Falafel King - Falafel
Fat Burger - Vanilla shake
Madison
Frabonis - Italian sub
Lulus - Falafel
Cininnati
Nothing so far, not a fan of Skyline
Milwaukee
Elsas on the Park - Club sandwich
Teds - Breakfast, chocolate malt
anywhere there is a Penn Station East coast subs (ironically not on the east coast, mostly midwest locations i believe) i recommend penn station, haha. philly cheese steak FTW.
Boston:
Dali (actually in Somerville) Spanish. Best for smaller groups. Try Pulpo en su Tinto. Downside: small waiting/bar area and no reservations. Upside: small waiting/bar area (you get to know the other diners quickly while everyone quaffs the house sangria).
Doyle’s (Jamaica Plain). Old place off the beaten track, not a plastic paddy tourist trap. Agreeable food and good beer. Great atmosphere and steeped in history. A favorite amongst Boston pols.
San Francisco:
Mission Chinese - if you love spicy food it doesn’t get better than this. Amazing food with a no frills dining experience.
Boston -
Cragie on Main - Hands down. BEST burger I’ve had and I’ve tried a lot of burgers.
Picco - Awesome pizza. Handmade ice cream. And great beer selection. Whats not to love.
Los Angeles:
Golden State Burger: Second best burger I’ve ever had. Also the Supreme store across the street has a suspended bowl inside it.
Pizzaria Mozza- best thin crust pizza I’ve had. Owned by Mario Batali
Johnnie’s Pastrami Restaurant - If you’re in Culver City Stop by Awesome pastrami sandwich.
Roscoes - Chicken and Waffles - Even ludacris has a shout out in one of his songs to this place.
Seattle:
Spinasse - AMAZING pasta. If you dont mind sitting at the “bar.” I reccomend it as you can watch them handmake the pasta. One of the best overall meals I’ve ever had.
Shiros - Amazing sushi. Omakase all the way.
Fort Worth -
Lonesome Dove - I was about to lick the bowl, thats how good their Chile is. Lots of wild game dishes. Iron Chef Tim Love.
Las Vegas:
Bouchon - Thomas Kellar Restaurant - Fantastic Breakfast/Bakery
L’Atelier De Joel Robuchon - Tasting Menu is pricey, but worth every bite
Joe’s Stone Crab- Amazing Steak and Real Key Lime Pie
Seattle:
+1 Shiros - actually… +20 - Still have not had better sushi to date, even in Asia. Be sure to sit at the sushi bar, there is no other way to eat there.
+1 Spinasse - Great Pasta, Cool atmosphere
Canon - Best Cocktail Bar and selection you will find, hands down in Seattle… arguably one of the best in the country.
Rob Roy - Great cocktails right down the block from Shiros (great dinner combo there)
Zig Zag Cafe - Great Cocktails
New York City:
Grimaldi’s Pizza - Best Pizza in NYC
Marie Belle - Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate! Get the Aztec sipping hot chocolate, it will change your life.
Phoenix, AZ
Stingray - Great Sushi, Modern atmosphere and good sake choices - a staple every time.
Since Shiro’s has popped up a few times for Seattle, I’m sure it will be full of Core77 readers, so as an alternative I would suggest Sushi Kappo Tamura (or just Tamura) over on Eastlake. Very authentic, very attentive, and of course you should order the omakase.
Chicago - I really like The Gage, across from Millenium Park. The rabbit salad, oh boy.
@jacob fleisher I’m so glad to hear Dali is still around! Right when I started to be able to eat out properly I discovered Dali. House sangria yes, saffron shrimp yes, but how about one night when the owner’s friends were in town (they are Argentinian I believe) and were professional tango dancers. They cleared all the tables from the front room and let them perform after closing. Warm generous smiles and full bellies all around.
Honolulu: Yes Duke’s sucks but go for a mai tai or two and forget about all the tourists. There is a charm all its own.
Slippy: So true!
I’ve witnessed some excellent impromptu happenings at Dali as well. It is a family place, in the sense that the family is a gigantic buch of people who love good food and fun and are from all over the world. I believe the owners (husband and wife) are Russian and Spanish - or perhaps it’s Argentinian and Russian? In any case: a great place. Personal favorite product/detail at Dali: drip cups (for fat) stuck into the bottom sides of the slabs of prepared meats hanging at the bar . . .
San Francisco
Hyde street seafood house and raw bar: One of the best little secrets in the city. Great seafood restaurant on one of the most classic San Francisco streets IMO.
Myconos Polk St: Greek
Yank Sing: One of the best dim sum restaurants in the city.