Where to Eat

Good restaurants can be very difficult to find because the end user star rating system often does not accurately reflect the quality of the restaurant. I’m sorry to say, but I don’t have a lot of faith in what some consider good food. I look for “foodie” and food critics’ top 10 lists (and cross check which restaurants are on several lists), I check the restaurant website for info on the food source, and I review other bloggers that I trust for a recommendation. The criteria is that restaurants use farm fresh, local products (whenever possible). Of course, by the time I write about it, I typically would have experienced it first hand and can add my experience to the mix in providing the recommendation. I do include recommendations by trusted locals as well.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


A

Atlanta, Georgia

Austin, Texas

B

Bangor, Northern Ireland

Belfast, Northern Ireland

Berlin, Germany

C

Carmel, California

Chicago, Illinois

Clarksdale, Mississippi

D

Dallas, Texas

Detroit, Michigan

Dublin, Ireland

F

Flagstaff, Arizona

Florence, Italy

Frankfurt, Germany

H

Houston, Texas

  • Benjy’s in Rice Village has fresh farm to table dishes that can be shared.
  • Bravery Chef Hall downtown diners will find upscale diner fare, elevated Gulf cuisine, skewered meats, and more.
  • Brenners is an award winning institution in Houston. It is a must try steakhouse nestled in a wooded retreat along the Bayou near Montrose and River Oaks. It is worth a splurge. They also have a Blues Bar.
  • CoCo Crepes and Waffles is a franchise establishment with good breakfast, savoury and desert crepes. Coffee could be better, but crepes are great.
  • Hugo’s in Montrose area is a top Mexican restaurant with fine food. 
  • Finn Hall located downtown is a European-inspired, art deco food hall with casual, diverse dining options, bars & a cocktail lounge.
  • Front Porch is in Midtown. PubBeers, hearty pub food, pool, darts and a jukebox are the draws at this spot with a front-porch swing.
  • Hotel Za Za Monarch Restaurant and Terrace is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We had lunch here and it was delicious.
  • Oporto is a fine Portuguese restaurant in Midtown.
  • State of Grace is a beautiful restaurant with great taped music and great food. They have an Oyster room with excellent shrimp cocktails and, of course, oysters.
  • 1751 Sea and Bar restaurant offers seasonally inspired menus featuring the highest quality seafood and meats available from the local Gulf coast and beyond.
  • Taste Bar Kitchen in Midtown has sweet and savoury waffle dishes.
  • Truth Barbecue is a barbecue favorite attracting lengthy lines at its sprawling location in the Heights

K

Krakow, Poland

L

Las Vegas, Nevada

Los Angelis, California

Louisiana – White Castle area

M

Memphis, Tennessee

Menlo Park, California

  • Yum Cha Palace on 1039 El Camino serves great dim sum.
  • Left Bank on Santa Cruz serves southern French food and has outdoor seating.
  • Cafe Borrone serves organic and locally sourced fare.
  • The BBC has an oyster bar, a variety or entrees and small plates, charcuterie, cheese, house made breads, and extensive spirit, wine, beer, and scotch selection.
  • Cafe Vida is a French bistro with staples like steak frites, oysters & onion soup served with wine in an intimate setting.
  • Cooks Seafood is a full service fish market & seafood restaurant known for their fish ‘n’ chips.
  • Flea Street is one of the original organic restaurants.
  • Menlo Grill and Bistro Bar is a classic American eatery, inside the Stanford Park Hotel, with fine locally sourced foods.
  • Madera is a Michelin star fine dining experience.

Monterey, California

Munich, Germany

  • Atelier – With 3 Michelin stars, it can’t be beat. It is a spectacular restaurant.
  • Sohpia’s – located in the Charles hotel, is another high end Michelin rated restaurant.
  • Tantris – a stunning restaurant that has held two Michelin stars since 1974, the longest period of any restaurant in Germany. It is one of the best in Germany.
  • Tegernseer Tal Brauhaus – For great Bavarian food.
  • Ratskeller is another classic Bavarian restaurant.
  • Hofbrahaus and Augustiner Keller mentioned above serve good old Bavarian fare.
  • The restaurant at BMW World Esszimmer and the Bavarian restaurant located there.
  • Cafe Luitpold has scrumptious pastries and fine food.
  • Cafe Glockenspiel This café is located in Marienplatz with excellent views of the famous Glockenspiel. Located on the fifth floor of the main building on the Marienplatz, the café serves up great beer and coffee and a delicious light menu.

N

Nashville, Tennessee

New Orleans, Louisiana

New York, New York

  • Mifune – Michelin star chef Hiroki Yoshitake just opened this mid town restaurant. $120 gets you a full tasting menu.
  • Sen Sakana – Chefs Mina Newman and Taku Nagai are in the kitchen serving a mashup of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines.
  • Public Kitchen – in lower Manahattan at the Public Hotel, serves dishes like a truffle pizza, rigatoni with basil-pistachio pesto, and smoked short rib with corn and potato salad.
  • Emily West Village – Great pizza and casual food
  • Icelandic Fish and Chips – West Village
  • Mas Farmhouse – West Village locally sourced French-American fare.
  • City Acres Market – Food-hall-meets-fresh-market in Financial District.
  • Katz’s Deli – Katz’s has stood on Houston Street since 1888, and the pastrami alone is a New York icon.
  • Frankie & Johnnie’s Steakhouse – As one of the oldest restaurants in the theater district, it was once a haunt of Frank Sinatra.
  • Marlow Bistro – upper west side near Columbia University. There are Slavic and Middle Eastern touches, but most of the menu is Italian.

Niagara Region

P

Page, Arizona

Palo Alto, California

  • Evvia is standard Greek fare “raised to new heights utilizing the wealth of fresh produce, meats and seafood in California”.
  • Reposado serves fine Mexican food and tequila.
  • Tai Pan serves Hong Kong-style Cantonese food.
  • Philz Coffee brews every cup “One Cup at a Time”, crafting a perfect cup to every individual customer’s taste.
  • St. Michael Alley is a brasserie with fine food served for lunch and dinner.
  • Vino Locale features regional wines, seasonal & organic fare, plus a patio with live music most evenings.
  • Baume serves more high end, high priced food. The chef pays enormous attention to detail ensuring food is refined and well balanced. This is fine dining at its best.
  • The Village Pub has a high end clientele with prices to match, but lunch is fairly reasonable.
  • Zola is open for dinner only. It serves a French bistro menu with Californian flair and is reasonably priced. Michelin rated in 2018.

Park City, Utah

Phoenix, Arizona

R

Rome, Italy

S

San Francisco, California

Salt Lake City, Utah

Savannah, Georgia

Scottsdale, Arizona

Sedona, Arizona

Sonoma, California

V

Venice, Italy

  • Francesco’s La Cantina in Cannaregio
  • Osteria da Rioba is located in a quiet area of the Cannaregio district
  • Alle Testiere – a well known seafood restaurant with fresh fish from the daily market
  • La Zucca located in Santa Croce district, innovative Venetian dishes at affordable prices
  • Antiche Carampane located in San Polo district
  • Corte Sconta located in the residential lanes of eastern Castello
  • Osteria di Santa Marina is described as creative Venetian cuisine with a lot of seafood
  • Quadri located in San Marco square, high end prices
  • Al Gato Nero on the island of Burano is inexpensive and very good

W

Warsaw, Poland

Washington, DC