tastinglife's Profile
Looking for adventurous and inventive food on the strip in Vegas!
Raku is good, but $50 is about the minimum you could spend there without wanting to fill up at in n out burger on the way back to your hotel. Ichiza might be a better choice... same great variety of menu, lots of adventurous choices (beef tongue, black cod, yellowtail collar), the food is still very good, but the prices are a bit more down to Earth. The menu is on papers pinned up on every available surface and portions are small, encouraging you to try many things and share with your companions (think Japanese tapas). It's on Spring Mountain, easily reached by cab, and they're open until about 3am.
Las Vegas Buffets?
While I'm interested in hearing the current state of buffets in Vegas... might hit one or two on my next trip, the discussion of the search function is rather pointless, since the discussion began in 2006. :)
The Sterling Brunch (Sunday at Bally's) is very good, with all you can drink real French Champagne (Perrier Jouet IIRC), but it's pretty expensive, so you better bring an appetite.
I've tried the PH buffet once, it was good but not great.
Wynn buffet is quite good as well, but the server (for drinks etc) had a pretty stale attitude. I haven't been back.
4 nights in Vegas
For breakfast head over to the Venetian and eat at Bouchon, you can't go wrong there. If you have a car, take a ride to Rosemary's for lunch, the food and service are on par with the best of Vegas and the prices are very reasonable (about $27 for a 3 course prix fixe). Make sure you get the Beef Carpaccio with Maytag Blue, heavenly!
If you don't have a car, Mon Ami Gabi would be my next choice for lunch. Go late, around 2:30-3pm and ask for seating on the patio. You'll enjoy good service and very good French Bistro food (get the pomme frites!) on one of the only patio dining areas in Vegas with a view of the Bellagio fountain show across the street.
I had a fantastic (albeit expensive) dinner at Shibuya in the MGM, so I could recommend that for dinner if your budget allows.
Enjoy your trip!
Las Vegas recs for classic cocktail fanatics, on or off strip?
Absolutely check out the Peppermill! The atmosphere is fantastic (think lounging round pyres of flame and cocktail waitresses in real old fashoined floor length cocktail dresses) and the cocktails are almost as good. If you only drink at one lounge in Vegas, this is the one!
Maxim Magazine's Beer List (it's bad)
Don't be aggravated. If they recommended the good, but relatively unknown stuff then either the price would go up or the quality would go down or both. There are way too many people who read and follow the advice of magazines like Maxim.There's about a dozen brews that I know and enjoy on that list and they're all pretty popular already.
It would be nice if they did a little research on beer styles though...
fine tuning fine dining in vegas
I have to second the recommendation for lunch at Mon Ami Gabi. Plan your lunch late and get a table on the patio (even if you have to wait for it). The food and service are great and you can't beat the view of the Bellagio Fountain across the street!
Don't back off on Rosemary's. Both the food and the level of service are fantastic for the price. If you don't want to invest too much, grab the coupon off their website for a $23 prix fixe lunch. Don't miss the carpaccio!
I ate at Cut on my last trip to Vegas. Although it was very good, I didn't feel it justified the price. Also, a word of warning: for your first time trying Japanese Kobe Wagyu...order a small portion! It is very rich (much like eating the fat off a good steak, or really good chu-toro). The 2 oz portion in their wagyu tasting was enough for me!
Thanksgiving in Vegas
I've made reservations with Rosemary's for Thanksgiving. They're offering a $55 prix fixe menu (which you can view on their website). I can't speak for their Thanksgiving offer specifically, but I dine at Rosemary's every time I'm in Vegas and I've never had a bad meal there.
Enjoy your trip!
Woodman's vs. J.T. Farnham's for fried clams
Agreed. The Clam Box in Ipswich is the place to go for fried clams. The servings are huge, clams (and other seafood) are lightly breaded on the outside, moist on the inside -- never too greasy, always fresh. Same goes for fries and onion rings. Definately worth waiting in line for!
Portland -- Real road food / lobster shack
Glad you enjoyed it. I guess I should have warned you about the lines!
Visiting from Boston, making tough choices
Sorry to hear. How long ago were you there? Perhaps it isn't as good as I remember it? (I was last in Montreal just over a year ago).
Visiting from Boston, making tough choices
Don't give up on crepes completely! See my post here http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/317189 on Le Jardin Nelson. Should fit the bill.
Enjoy!
two nights Que. city and two in montreal - looking for casual option & something special
One of the highlights of my recent Quebec City visit was Le 48 (sharp-trendy atmosphere, fantastic food, reasonable prices).
For casual yet romantic in Montreal, try Le Jardin Nelson in the old port. They have a beautiful, flowered outdoor terrasse with live music (jazz or classical). Their specialty is crepes. The crepe Argentuil (with ham, cheese and asparagus) is very tasty, and they have the best french onion soup (with gruyere cheese, makes all the difference) I've tasted in the city.
Enjoy your trip!
Opinions, please: best long weekend destination with best food
Here's the secret... Everyone goes to the berkshires and and the white mountains for foliage... Forget it. Take a drive to Bar Harbor/Acadia national park. There's plenty of good restaurants, it's my absolute favorite (most beautiful) place in New England for outdoor activities, and the "season" ends labor day, so it'll be cheaper and you'll have the place to yourself.
If you go, make dinner reservations 30-40 miles north at La Domaine in Hancock. You'll see it in my favorites on my profile... this small french restaurant does it right!
Happy travels!
Portland -- Real road food / lobster shack
For road food in Portland, try Becky's diner. Good, traditional New England foods... boston baked beans, chowder, blueberry pancakes and fresh baked muffins... www.beckysdiner.com
For the best lobster roll you're going to have to ride about 45 miles north of Portland to Red's Eats in Wiscasset (Route 1). It's a small New England style seafood shack that serves up a phenomenal hot buttered (no mayo/celery here) lobster roll with plenty of fresh lobster meat on a grilled hotdog bun.
If you feel like riding 45 minutes in the opposite direction, Chauncey Creek Lobster Pound in Kittery Point is a great bet for lobsters in the rough. You can bring anything that they don't serve (including beer and wine) to accompany your lobster. Dining is at picnic tables on a deck that borders the creek, with granite and pines lining the other side.
If you go down to Chauncey Creek, hit Browns Ice Cream in York for dessert on the way back!
I'm getting hungry just writing this.
Enjoy!
Grabbin' a six pack at the deli - what's your "safe" beer
I'm plenty adventurous when it comes to beer, but I like Yuengling because it's a good value and a decent consistant brew. I also tend to have a special affection for beers that I can only get in places away from home... Yuengling on trips to NY/NJ/PA, Boreale in Quebec... That said, I'd buy both of these beers regularly if they were available at home.
Grabbin' a six pack at the deli - what's your "safe" beer
I stand corrected. I must have confused it with another brew. Either way, Yuengling makes a much better than average beer for an average beer price, and I've never gotten one that was skunked.
Grabbin' a six pack at the deli - what's your "safe" beer
What about Yuengling? They make an Amber Bock and a Lager that are both good, come in both cans and brown glass bottles, and are as inexpensive as Bud. We can't get it up here in Massachusetts, but you can find it at every corner store/gas station in NY. I bring some back every time I travel far enough south or west to find it.
Ice Cream!
Kimball Farms in Westford is quite good, as is White Farms in Ipswich. The BEST, however, has to be Richardson's in Middleton! Every time someone tells me about ice cream that's "better than Richardson's", a little bit of research proves that it IS Richardson's.
The funny thing is... the critics seem to overlook the place... I can't tell you how many "top ten ice cream parlors in (New England/Massachusetts, etc) I've seen where Richardson's was absent from the list. One (Boston magazine, I think) even included a New York State ice cream parlor in their New England top ten. I just don't get it.
Oh, and I've been to Austin and had Amy's... it's good, but it definately doesn't stand up to the farmside stands of New England.
transcendent breakfast within 1/2 hr of Acton MA?
I'll second the Friendly Toast, but it's defiately more than 1/2 hour out of Acton.
I don't know about trancendant, but Vic's Waffle (formerly TD Waffle) in Tewksbury (rt 28) has good coffee, fresh made waffles (get em with pecans inside), real maple syrup and fresh squeezed orange juice. I regularly travel about 1/2 hour to get there myself.
Also out of your 30 minute range, but closer than Shelburne Falls for great (the best I've had) Corned Beef Hash, is Stella's, a fairly new place that opened on Middle St (near the Grog) in Newburyport.
Number of McDonald's visits in the last 5 years
I guess I need to work on a profile... Anyways, I can honestly say that I haven't eaten at MCD more than 2 or 3 times in the past 5 years. I go out o my way (and hungry) to avoid the place. I've probably had one egg mcmuffin (before they got ruined, apparently) and one ice cream from MCD in the last 5 years. Like an earlier poster suggested, the nicest thing I can say about MCD is that it's consistently bad.
For national chain burgers I prefer Wendy's. Locally Fuddruckers is king. When I travel to Chicago (junk food city, as far as I'm concerned) I'll take in pizza, a super dawg and even some White Castle sliders... To me that's getting a "taste" of the city.
Recs for Lunch in Gloucester
Passports used to be good, but the last time I was there (2-3 months ago)I was disappointed. The menu had changed, and it seemed they were trying too hard to be fancy, and not hard enough at making good food. I can no longer recommend them.
Blackburn tavern is a good place to go downtown for a casual lunch. If you go, I reccommend the grilled salmon.
Boba Tea
The people at Tapicha are friendly, but I'd definately choose Boston Tea Stop. The teas are better, there's places to sit and games and wifi. They offer tea, milk tea, slush, snow and juice. They also have dumplings and mochi. Another advantage is their hours. Tapicha seems to be open when they want to be (I've gone a few times during normal hours to find them closed), Boston Tea Stop is open until at least midnight every night!
Also, I second the rose tea recommendation. Good stuff!
Help-hungry in Andover MA
For seafood (and other dishes) with a Carribean flare, try Mango Grille on 125 in North Andover. The goat cheese croustada makes a delicious appetizer, stick with the fresh seafood entrees, and save room for the key lime pie! They also make fantastic drinks!
The atmosphere here is pretty casual, with palm trees. colored lights and parrot decoys. Think Jimmy Buffett.
Enjoy!
Maine Downdeast and The County
I'm back. Thanks for your advice! Long lake is indeed a beautiful place. We tried for Marks Sporting Club, but they were only open for dinner, and it was lunch time... So, we grabbed a bite at Lakeview... nothing exciting, like you said, but decent, very reasonable, and there were indeed some folks speaking Acadian French at the table next to us. I never would have ventured to St Agatha if not for your review... Glad I did!
We also grabbed a snack at Dolly's in Frenchville. This is sort of a basic diner, but with an Acadien flair. The food was very good and the service was terrific. I tried the ployes here, an interesting cross between a crepe and an American pancake. These are good with butter, but would be excellent with creton, which is on the menu, but was unavailable when I was there. Creton is a French Canadian pork pate that my grandmother used to make. It is very simple and very good. If you haven't tried it, you must... I hope that Dolly's has some when you go.
Thanks Again! Enjoy your trip!
Quebec City - please help me find the best:
I've returned from my trip. Thank you all for your advice! We ended up having Dinner at Aux Anciens Canadiens and Le 48, and Breakfast (both mornings) at Cafe Temporal. I can't remember what we did for lunch... perhaps it will come to me. I'll try and get reviews up later. For now, suffice it to say that I was very pleased with the recommendations! Thanks again.
Bar Harbor in July
I've just returned from a road trip that touched down in the Bar Harbor area. If you're willing to travel a little bit (maybe 1/2 hour from Bar Harbor) and are willing to pay $30-40 per entree, then make reservations now for Le Domaine (french) in Hancock, ME. This must be the best restaurant in all of Maine! The food and service were both superb! Everything is made from the best and freshest ingredients. Their wine list includes wines from every region of France. I'd call this 4 1/2 star dining at a 3 star price.
Enjoy!
495 lunch
Well, the 495 belt is not really the best place to look for seafood, to be honest. I can't really guide you there, but I can recommend an excellent Mexican restaurant that's not too far off the highway...
Here's the deal: Cafe Azteca is the best Mexican restaurant I've found in all of New England. It's fairly inexpensive and the dishes are spot on. It's more of a traditional mexican than the tex-mex that we typically get in this area. They have some spicy dishes, but most are more "flavorful" than hot. I usually get the Chile Rellenos Antonio... Save room for desert, the flan con rompope (mexican custard with vanilla liquor) is devine! The downside is the location... Downtown Lawrence, where the restaurant is located is not the best neighborhood north of Boston. I've never had a problem there, but I would suggest you go during daylight hours, park close, and use some common sense. If you go, make sure to get good driving directions to: 180 Common Street Lawrence, MA.
Enjoy!
Pizza Safari: Beverly/Salem & N. Shore Area
For strictly north shore pizza, Rocco's in Danvers square is pretty good. But, if you're willing to travel, there's two places you must try: Santarpio's in East Boston and Flatbread company in Amesbury. Santarpios is italian thin crust made perfect, flatbread company is clay oven fired and delicious.
Quebec City: Reservations or Walk-In?
Small world! I'm on town on the 6th and 7th, looking to dine at some of the same restaurants. If I can get internet access I might even be able to post reviews as I go and we can help eachother out. Looks like I'll be at Anciens on the 6th... Haven't made my other reservations yet. I guess I better reserve quick!
Incidentally, will I need reservations for lunch at Laurie Raphael?
north shore seafood tonight
This depends on what you want... If you're after fried seafood (clams especially) in a rustic atmosphere, then this is a good place to go. For lobster and other standard fare in a more refined atmosphere, go to the Hawthorne by the Sea in Swampscott. If you're looking for something more hip and innovative try Red Rocks (also in Swampscott) or Finz in Salem.
Enjoy!
