smithclay's Profile
Awesome Vietnamese in International District (or downtown vicinity)
Generally speaking, do Green Leaf/Huong Binh have BYOB/corkage policies?
Awesome Vietnamese in International District (or downtown vicinity)
Thanks, Greenleaf looks great. Has anyone tried the "beef tasting course"?
Awesome Vietnamese in International District (or downtown vicinity)
I was told by a friend that of the many ethnic food options in Seattle, Vietnamese is one area where it shines in comparison to San Francisco.
With that in mind, what's a good option for Vietnamese in the International District (or generally "nearby"/10-15 minute cab ride) from downtown?
For what it's worth, I'm more interested in non-pho options.
Simon Pearce Alternative? (Dinner on Roadtrip from Boston to Northern VT)
Have a multigenerational group of 5 (no kids, though) driving up from Boston to Chittenden on I-89 in two weeks. We had a reservation at Simon Pearce, but due to their storm damage we're trying to find a good plan B.
Along the same route (I/93/I-89 from Boston and US-4 W), what would be some good backups?
Hemingway's in Killington seems way too formal. And I can't seem to figure out if Murphy's on the Green is a really pub or not. Any recent reports from the Canoe Club?
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Simon Pearce
Quechee Main Street Quechee VT, Quechee Main Street Quechee, VT
Canoe Club
27 S Main St, Hanover, NH 03755
Graduation Visit
As a U of C student graduating in a few weeks, I'm happy to offer a few suggestions.
Sadly, I can't recommend any "wonderful" places in Hyde Park, but for the vegetarian I'd take a look at Uncommon Ground -- local/seasonal American place that pleases both meat and non-meat eaters. At an even higher price point is Green Zebra, a nearly all-veggie restaurant that does a great job.
For, say, lunch in Hyde Park, ask your student. Everybody has their own favorite place.
Outside of pizza and hot dogs, there's always the joy of an Italian Beef sandwich. Al's #1 Italian Beef followed by Mario's Italian Lemonade (across the street) can't be beat.
For a celebration dinner, I'd definitely narrow it down to a cuisine or neighborhood first. If you have a large group that also changes the list somewhat. There are plenty of great places to drop a lot of $$ on food in Chicago.
Oh, and it looks like there are several conventions in Chicago that weekend -- be sure to get your reservations in early for the nicer spots.
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Al's Beef
1079 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607
Green Zebra
1460 W Chicago, Chicago, IL 60622
Uncommon Ground
3800 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60613
Mario's Italian Lemonade
1068 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL
Tourists Seeking Unusual Chicago Food Spots
Great list. You can't go wrong with Lao Sze Chuan unless you really can't handle spicy food -- don't go there without ordering Tony's Three Chili Chicken.
Gold Coast Dog's (esp. in MDW) isn't particularly "the best" Chicago hot dog experience you can get -- I'd skip it. If you have a rental car, I'd suggest making the trip (and yes, waiting in the long line and dealing with the not-so-convenient hours) at Hot Doug's.
Avec is one of my favorites, especially the Chorizo-stuffed bacon wrapped dates.
Generally, though, I'd point you towards another Chicago foodie haunt, LTHForum.com, for restaurant recs. Check out their "Great Neighboorhood Restaurant" list for a large list of places off the tourist track that have excellent food at all sorts of price points.
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Hot Doug's
3324 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Lao Sze Chuan
2172 S Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60616
Unhip chinese lunch recommendations (no dim sum, please)
Visiting from Chicago and I'm looking for a neighboorhoody Chinese/Asian restaurant (hole in the walls++) that has excellent food and an unhip atmosphere (sorry, Slanted Door). The other parameters would be that it has to be accessible via BART and a short ride from downtown SF or the Mission District.
I'm not really a fan of dim sum, so a regional Chinese restaurant rec or perhaps a Japanese place would be appreciated. Any menu guidance would be very much appreciated.
Thanks!
Denver: Restaurants with a 'neighboorhood' feel
I'm visiting Denver from Chicago on a Thursday evening. I'm particularly interested in any restaurants with a "neighborhood" feel -- lots of locals, decent prices, unpretentious food and not exactly on the tourist map. Oh, and of course wonderful food and service.
To help narrow it down a bit, I'd like to spend less than $16 on an entree and any cuisine works, but one important consideration is that one person in the group is a vegetarian -- so no steak/seafood places.
Places in central Denver or the western suburbs would be fine as we're driving into the mountains after dinner.
Where do I take people about to run a marathon?
Two people running their first marathon on Saturday are visiting me on Friday and Saturday. I'm at somewhat of a loss about where to take them out to eat on Saturday night, the evening before the marathon.
It's my understanding that:
a) They need to eat early (6ish)
b) Lots of healthy carbs, vegetables
c) Not too heavy (obviously)
d) Probably some sort of "pasta and lean meat" variation
Since this is definitely *not* how I eat out in Chicago, I'm not sure of a restaurant that fits the bill. It seems like American and Italian places are the safest options, though. Somewhere that had "California cuisine" sounded like a good idea, but spending $35+ for an entree at NAHA is absurd. Similarly, I don't feel like it's worth it too go to Cafe Spiaggia if you're just restricted to the pasta menu.
I've made reservations at Bandera for Friday night because they have pretty decent salads and it's really close to their hotel (Wacker/Michigan).
Thanks for your help.
College students' first time in Boston: need recs
I'm a Chicago-area student, so I have access to decent Mexican, Thai, Polish and Chinese food.
What types of world cuisine is Boston known for? Is Portuguese food a good bet?
College students' first time in Boston: need recs
Hello,
I'll be visiting Boston for the first time with my brother and I wanted some recs geared towards college students -- specifically budget friendly and unpretentious. We'll be staying in the financial district (near Post Office Square), which I understand to be mostly dead at night, but we're willing to go further afield to get away from standard tourist fare and chains.
I've been told that I can't leave without trying:
Pizzeria Regina in the North End
Mikes Pastry (specifically Cannoli)
And in Cambridge:
Bartley's for hamburgers
Christina's Ice Cream
Does anyone have any other suggestions? A seafood place that can accommodate a vegetarians would also be appreciated -- I'm not sure if the "Vegetarian Box" at Legal Seafoods is going to cut it.
Thanks.
College Students' first trip to Munich, Salzburg
Hello,
I'm traveling with a friend to Munich, Salzburg and Prauge in early December. While there are many helpful suggestions on the board for the "best" restaurants in these areas, we're looking for something a little less pricey, but somewhere where we can expect quality food and service.
In particular, suggestions for well regarded regional restaurants of places specializes in something that's not commonly found in the US would be appreciated. We're willing to pay for good food, but it needs to be worth the price.... keeping the bill under 50-65 euro for the two of us would be wonderful.
For instance, someone recommended the Spatenhaus in Munich, but is it too touristy?
We only have the opportunity for
-One dinner in Munich
-Two dinners in Salzburg
and
-Two dinners in Prague
So we need to choose and spend wisely.
Ice Cream on a Plane!
It would take a very lenient TSA agent to let that slide, I think.
What about checking it in a cooler? Do you think would it survive the trip?
Ice Cream on a Plane!
I'd really like to transport a gallon or two of Blue Bell ice cream with me on a direct flight from Dallas to Chicago (just over 2 hours). I'm looking at 4.5 hours total without a freezer.
Has anyone done anything like this before? I think using dry ice might be a problem or I might have to pay a fee... Would a cheap styrofoam cooler and several ice packs do it?
Whatever I do has to be cheaper than the $70 Blue Bell charges to ship the stuff across the country.
Thanks.
Tru Dessert Tasting
I've given in to the hype and I'm making dessert tasting reservations at Tru for my party of six Saturday night. It's going to be my first time at Tru.
Given my Tru inexperience, what should I expect for for dessert? How many courses are there and how stuffed do you feel when you leave? I'm attempting to plan an earlier dinner, and I'm wondering how "light" I should make it in preparation for the 10:30pm tasting.
Also, regarding the "jackets only" dress code, should l wear a tie with my blazer? What would be typical Tru attire for a late-evening dessert tasting? It's a multigenerational group with both teenagers and boomers...
Thanks for your help.
Dining alone near Swissotel?
I agree with the other posters -- since the location of Swissotel is a few blocks removed from the activity and hubbub of Michigan Ave, your options would increase if you took a short cab ride.
If you're looking for a quick lunch or breakfast place, though, Fox and Obel (401 E Illinois St) is walkable from Swisshotel -- it's about 5 blocks.
It's a high-end gourmet grocery store -- think of it as an equivalent to Dean & Deluca or Zabar's in New York. The cafe has solid breakfast and lunch offerings. It's also open for dinner until 8:00. You wouldn't feel out of place eating alone there, and it's fun to browse the grocery store for interesting (albeit expensive) foods. I especially enjoy their bakery, and I've been told their ($14) Maine Lobster Club is quite good.
To get to Fox and Obel, walk out of the front of Swissotel and turn left (East) on Wacker Drive, walk a couple hundred feet, and take the stairs down to the Columbus Dr bridge. Walk North across the river and continue for about two blocks until you hit Illinois St. Take a right, you'll pass a massive AMC Movie Theatre, go another block, and Fox and Obel will be in a red building on the right.
Tagging?
I'm a somewhat new chowhound user and I really think it's the best thing since artisanal bread.
I'm hoping that this is a right place for feature requests... I was wondering if the tech people have ever considered adding "tagging" to posts. It would be great (at least in my mind) if users could start marking posts with useful words that describe the post. This might facilitate searching or instantly let users pick out all of those "special occasion" posts or whatnot.
Just an idea. Thanks.
College students' first time in London
Thanks for the suggestions! I wish I was able to stay a few more days. Another question comes to mind, however...
Where's a great place to get great sweets/desserts? I don't particularly care if it's a bakery with superb pastries or a restaurant with a dessert tasting (if that's even common in London). Chocolate is a plus.
College students' first time in London
Hello,
My brother and I are going to be in London for three full days in March -- we're staying around the Finchley Road Tube station, across from the O2 Centre. One of us is a vegetarian, and we're on a budget.
Given our limited amount of time, what would you say are the "must eat" experiences in London?
I'm thinking we can't leave without:
1) Going to Borough Market
2) Purchasing a sandwich from M&S
3) Wagamama
4) Indian Food (not sure where, exactly, heard good things about Zaika)
5) Gastropub (?)
Am I leaving anything out? I'd appreciate your input or suggestions for restaurants! Thanks!
[DFW] Best Dinner Rolls in Dallas?
Sorry about not specifing. I'm searching for yeast rolls, in particular.
Thanks.
[DFW] Best Dinner Rolls in Dallas?
I'm in search of the best dinner rolls in Dallas (somewhere in the north suburbs would be most convenient).
I need to bring some to a couple dozen holiday gathering in the next few weeks, and I haven't found what I'm looking for at supermarket bakeries.
Any suggestions for bakeries (or restaurants that wouldn't mind takeout) that have superb rolls?
Thanks!
Peanut Butter Milkshake
I've been on a chocolate + peanut butter kick for the past few weeks, so after reading this post I went to Moonstruck and ordered the peanut butter chocolate milkshake -- wow!
It was very, very rich and tasted like a liquefied Reeses (a good thing). I highly recommend it anyone who is serious about their chocolate and peanut butter.
Keystone or Frisco, CO Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanks for the recommendation. From the website (http://www.blueriverbistro.com/), it looks like a great place.
Are there any other places you would recommend that are closer to Keystone, though? How do you feel about the Snake River Saloon? I read an very negative review of it the other day on Chowhound...
Also, this may sound a bit odd for Thanksgiving, but do you have any favorite Mexican food places? Some members of the group "don't do Turkey" (strange as that may seem) so it might be more of a crowd pleaser if we ended up eating enchiladas.
Thanks again for your help! I really appreciate it.
Looking for a good Mexican Restaurant in Plano !
I ate at El Norte for the first time a few weeks ago (based on a chowhound rec) and I absolutely loved it -- especially their chile con queso. Great service, too.
It's not a huge restaurant, so it feels quaint in comparison to so many of the giant Tex-Mex places that are scattered around Dallas.
I have never been to Aparicio's, so I can't vouch for them, but I feel the overall quality of Tex-Mex in Plano is quite good. Happy chowing.
2205 W Parker Rd
Plano, TX 75023
(972) 596-6783
Keystone/Breckenridge ideas needed
Your suggestions have been really helpful -- I'm trying to plan a Thanksgiving dinner in the same area. Do you know of any good places that are open Thanksgiving?
Any good Mexican food places, in particular, would be a be great. Thanks!
Keystone or Frisco, CO Thanksgiving Dinner
Any ideas for a Thanksgiving dinner in the Keystone, CO resort area or Frisco/Dillon?
We don't have to do a traditional thing -- everyone in our group of 8 loves Mexican food, but something like Alpenglow Stube is out of our price range.
It doesn't seem like there are that many place open for Thanksgiving in the area, so any suggestions as to where we could find a great meal would be appreciated!
Thanks.
First Post: Best Chile Con Queso in Northern Dallas?
My other #1 (not in the Dallas area, though) is Guadalajara's in Houston.
Dorm Food Challenge: Making a 'snack' for 40 people
It's just a snack and everyone involved will have already had dinner.
As for the large number of people, 60 would probably be the worst case scenario. If I wait a few weeks, it will be more like 30 people.
First Post: Best Chile Con Queso in Northern Dallas?
I tried some El Norte queso about a week ago. Superb. Perfect consistency, right amount of peppers, not too spicy, etc. Tied for first in my best queso ever rankings.
