Our favorite restaurants in the US
South Carolina Restaurant Week runs Thursday, January 9 through Sunday, January 19, 2014, featuring a variety of restaurants and offering prix fixe meals. For additional information, click here.
Suzette & Franco Camacho, the creative minds behind Roomba, The Suburban, Swill, Tacuba Taco Bar, Seawich and Waterhouse just opened a new restaurant — The Beach & Barn Bar and Bistro — on Main Street in Branford where Tacuba and Seawich were located. The new menu contains a bit of Franco's greatest hits — the duck nachos from Tacuba, steak frites from The Suburban, the Cubano from Seawich and Cod from Bespoke. The menu has something for everyone — soups, salads, snacks sandwiches/tacos, pastas and entrees — in a cozy , laid back, family-friendly atmosphere, along with a bar. Consider The Beach & Barn Bar and Bistro is an every [...]
Sacramento Dine Downtown Restaurant Week runs Wednesday, January 8 through Friday, January 17, 2014, featuring over 25 restaurants and offering three-course dinner menus for $31. For additional information or list of participating restaurants, click here.
Providence Restaurant Week runs Sunday, January 5 through Saturday, January 18, 2014, featuring a variety of restaurants and offering three-course lunch for $14.95 and three-course dinner for $29.95. For additional information or list of participating restaurants, click here.
The Coffee Pedaler, a new coffee shop, has opened at the corner of East and State streets in New Haven. Self-described as "an artisan coffee shop focusing on attention to detail while catering to the vintage cycling enthusiast," the shop features “pour-over” coffee, with each cup of coffee is drip-brewed individually. Baked goods are vegan, from Bread and Chocolate, Hamden. The Coffee Pedaler 605 East St. New Haven 203-777-2466 Visit them on Facebook. - Special correspondent: Robbin Seipold, robbinslist.com
Ludal's is a neighborhood Italian place, find to stop by for a bite after the movies. Nothing special, but friendly service and decent food. They offer an herbaceous garlicky dip served with warm bread nuggets to start. Our waiter described it as blend of equal amounts of scallions and cilantro mixed with lots of garlic, some olive oil, a splash of wine vinegar, lemon and lime juice. Quite tasty. I sampled the appetizer portion ($10) of eggplant rollatini that was satiating but not satisfying. My friend had a crisp Caesar salad ($7), which is what I will have if I return. Nothing special, but a nice place for after-movie fare. Ludal's [...]
Asheville Restraurant Week runs through Tuesday, January 21 to Monday, January 27, 2014, featuring a variety of participating restaurants that offer a prix fixe menu ranging from $15–$30 per person. For additional information or for a list of participating restaurants, click here.
San Luis Obispo County Restaurant Week runs January 1 through January 31, 2014, featuring a variety of restaurants and offering prix fixe meals for $30. For additional information, click here.
The publicist for elm restaurant had tried to get me to New Canaan for about a year to sample the cooking of chef Brian Lewis, who had been best know for his Bedford Post collaboration with Richard Gere. The 80-seat restaurant that opened last year is Brian’s first solo venture. He considers it modern American, featuring changing seasonal menus spotlighting local Connecticut and regional farmers and producers.This year, Connecticut Magazine named elm one of the best new restaurants in the state and last year Esquire Magazine included it on a list of the 20 “Best New Restaurants.” I concur - it's not to be missed. In looking over the menu, [...]
Stopped in recently at the Taste of China on Chapel Street after seeing Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine — the powerful drama featuring Cate Blanchett with a performance that surely puts her in best actress Oscar contention for her portrayal of a woman on the edge. You might know the recently opened restaurant from their sister one in Clinton. The menu here is extensive. I found the use of one to three peppers to indicate how spicy the dishes a tool to help me get thru the menu, as I'm a spice gal, loving the heat. For apps, I liked the two-pepper wontons ($10) consisting of five steamed pork-filled wontons, with [...]
Fame is an art-centric bar ( 2015 W. Division at Damen, Chicago) brings nationally acclaimed artists’ work to Wicker Park. The nightlife destination presents craft cocktails and innovative bar food in a space designed by interior designer, Antonio Ballatore. On the food scene, Fame introduces Chef Sam Demarco’s modern and casual American cuisine. With more than 30 years of experience, Chef SammyD brings his fun culinary twists to the Windy City. His sharable plates provide unique twists on traditionally casual dishes, including: Tuna "Nachos" featuring pokey style diced tuna, plantain chips, roast pineapple salsa and sriracha mayo FBBBLT (Fame's Bao Bun BLT) Greek Gyro - griddled mini bao bun, lamb [...]
The name of this casual dining chain comes from the reaction the owner Mary Ann Beauchamp got to her first café, Wild Rose Café & Deli in 1991, where she served rice and beans in a bowl with her special sauce and salsa on it. Her customers would take a bite, and say, “Yumm... what is this?” She called the dish — and subsequently the restaurant chain — Yumm!. I tried the Yumm! 'n Greens, which is their signature original Yumm! bowl consisting of organic brown rice and organic black beans layered with the original Yumm! sauce, topped with organic mild red salsa all served a top a bed of [...]
Not only does Oaxaca have a new menu, but they've added additional street-side seating with many heaters to take away the fall chill. I know, as I sat down recently with Prasad Chirnomula (also of Thali and Thali Too fame) and his partner Thomas Brandt to sample the new items and enjoy some of the original ones. We started the always scrumptious guacamole with fresh tortilla chips ($10) followed by the new nachos grande ($7 - $10) — added I was told as students had been requesting it. Ours had all three of the meat options (chicken, beef and pork) on top of the fresh tortilla chips with jalapenos and black [...]
Just say Archie Moore's in the New Haven area and people think wings, as the restaurant had been known for their hot and spicy chicken wings since opening in 1982. So when I met a friend recently there for a nibble, we had to order them...and in a couple forms. First buffalo nachos then boneless buffalo tenders. The crisp tortilla chips for the nachos came topped melted Monterey Jack cheese, jalapeños and grilled chicken that had been marinated in buffalo wing sauce and served with tomato salsa and sour cream. The nachos were tasty, although sadly the diced boneless chicken was dry. I had wished I had ordered regular nachos [...]
New Haven's fall restaurant week runs Sunday, November 3 to Friday, November 8, 2013, featuring 30 restaurants that are offering three-course prix fixe menus for both lunch and dinner that includes an appetizer, entrée and dessert. Lunch will cost $18 and dinner will cost $32. Prices do not include beverage, tax or gratuity. For additional information and a listing of participating restaurants, click here.
I first met chef-owner Greg Denton at a Grains-of-Discovery event in New York City where he and his wife Gabrielle Quinonez Denton offered creative uses of the ancient grain amaranth — envision ricotta "Amarancini" with spicy octopus. That sparked my reservation at their Argentine-inspired restaurant in Portland (OR). Ox takes no reservations (except for large parties), so plan to wait at their bar next door. Their dirty martini - Grandma Agnes— uses pickles in lieu of olives. Interesting, nothing special. The fried empanada, a flaky pastry stuffed with grilled corn, poblano peppers and cheeses (Gruyère & Fontina) could be a light meal in itself. And a bargain ($5). I liked [...]
Texas Monthly will hold its fourth annual BBQ Festival on November 3, 2013 on the City Terrace at the Long Center for the Performing Art at 701 W. Riverside Drive (at the corner of S. 1st Street) Austin, Texas. The event will showcase restaurants from the magazine's ranking of Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas. Guest will experience live music and barbecue sampling beside the shores of Lady Bird Lake. General admission tickets are $58 and VIP tickets, including 2 beverage coupons, 1 t-shirt, 1 Q Card and admission onto the festival grounds one hour prior to general admission holders, are $118. For more information follow click here.
October is National Pizza Month, and what better place to celebrate than New Haven, CT, the birthplace of the first American pizza slice. The first slice is purported to have been served in 1925 at the famed Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria, and since then, New Haven has become known as an authority on pizza, with a number of shops throughout the downtown area. In addition to tasting New Haven’s famous thin crust pizza, visitors can also experience unique menu items and specials at New Haven restaurants this month. National Pizza Month specials include: Kitchen ZINC: In celebration of National Pizza Month, Kitchen ZINC is holding Weekly Pie Fights throughout the month [...]
Sitting outside on 3rd Street in McMinnville, in the Willamette (OR) Valley, I sipped a not-sickly-sweet huge margarita ($5.50) that the restaurant called "small" with their freshly made warm chips and a piquant sauce. I had planned to order lunch, but instead ordered a side of their freshly made guacamole ($3.50). That ended up being more than enough food for a nibble. We came back one evening for a dinner that didn't break the bank starting again with their delicious margies. We sampled the super nachos ($6.50) with refried beans, topped with diced fresh tomatoes and a dollop of guacamole. The taco salad cuzuella ($7.50) arrived in a crisp taco [...]
David's Chinese Restaurant is a hole in the wall, mom and pop restaurant, worth the visit. You'll get freshly made, really inexpensive and plentiful food, not smothered in unrecognizable sauce! The woman owner who serves, wants you fed and happy. One of my group didn't want the hot and sour soup - but she insisted, and brought it out anyway. She's a bit hard to understand with her thick Chinese accent, but she means well. She had a difficult time believing I really wanted something spicy resulting in my dish being tasty but screaming for spice. She obliged by bringing me hot chili peppers to mix in. My plentiful combination [...]
