If your in the East Village, Uminoie at 86 E 3rd St (between !st and 2nd) is a pretty solid choice.

Komatsu Yasuke is a truly wonderful place that everyone visiting Kanazawa should try to visit. My wife and I had a wonderful lunch there. The owner, now 81 years old, is an energetic and charming host. It was great fun watching him and his assistant preparing the dishes. Everything was delicious! I would return to Kanazawa just for the pleasure of eating there again.

Just wanted to add an update. We stopped in for another excellent dinner there. The place is just the same and still just as delicious!

As Unagi is the norm around here, having the Anago was a treat. Having the spine served along with it was "the icing on the cake"! Kaz also served us some Maguro heart! I'm not sure how it was prepared (sauted or perhaps braised) but it was delicious and also a first for me. I sure wish we lived a lot closer . . .

First of all, thanks for all those lists! My wife and I had a wonderful time in the San Diego area last month and were able to visit a some of the restaurants listed. Our thoughts were:

- 1500 Ocean - Nice but not great, especially at those prices.

- Kaito Sushi - Incredibley good! The best sushi I've had since our visit to Sushi Kura in Hakkodate!

- Jai - Disappointing.

- Anthology - A very nice venue for jazz with surprisingly good food. I wish we had one here in NYC (Blue Note, Birdland and Iridium could all learn something here).

- Cowboy Star - Very good! Fun atmosphere! Very attentive staff.

- Oceana - Better than average. Worth the visit.

Wish we could stayed longer and delved deeper into all the lists. Thanks again.

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Kaito Sushi
130-A N El Camino Real, Encinitas, CA 92024

1500 Ocean
1500 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118

I very much enjoyed the Langue Estragon, the Foie Gras tout nu and the Pied de Cochon. Hope you have made a reservation as this place is very popular and very busy!

My wife and I made the same circuit a couple of years ago. Our favorites were:
For Barcelona - El Quim de la Boqueria (in the Boqueria market itself) delicious but always crowded.
For Valencia - Askua Restaurante (C/ Felip Maria Garin,4) and Riff Restaurante (Calle del Conde de Altea, 18) are both extrordinary and probably on the north side of your price range but worth the money.
For Madrid - Sobrino de Botin (Calle de los Cuchilleros, 17) is a great experience.

All the above can be found on the web. Have a great time!

Wow, what a great place! Picchu is off the beaten path and we would never have found it without your excellent advice. Thanks! We had a truly wonderful dinner at a quite reasonable price. I will definately dine there again the next time we are in Sapporo visiting family.

A small intimate Spanish wine bar with a selection of jamón ibérico and cheeses for the tapas. I haven't had much of a chance to try the jamon yet but have tried a few of the red wines that they are pouring by the glass - which I have enjoyed quite a bit. I think my fave so far is the Juan Gil. Delicious! The owner, Mateo, is a very friendly guy who is more than happy to talk about his food and his wine. This place is very, very different from Bar Carrera and I think all the more interesting for it.

I've had most of the entree's on the menu and think the place is a great value. The food is consistant in quality, value and service. I think my two favorites so far are the beef short ribs and the chicken. If your looking for something that's quiet, comfortable and with consistantly good food, then give Antibes a try.